Governor Cuomo held a COVID briefing today, with Dr. Anthony Fauci of the CDC, the governor recapped the state strategy as more small gatherings are expected over the holidays, which is contributing to 70% of the new cases currently:
(Cuomo 12-7-20)
Dr. Fauci said that if people let their guard down & don’t follow the CDC guidelines, the surge could hit badly in the New Year:
(Dr. Anthony Fauci 12-7-20)
The state reported that 152000 tests were performed Sunday, with 7302 positive tests, or about 4.8% of all tested, over 4600 are hospitalized, 872 are in ICU beds & 477 are on ventilators, and another 80 died from the virus Sunday.
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Chenango County Public reported today that they have had 42 new COVID 19 cases since Friday’s report, and 2 more residents died from COVID complications. The County now has 87 active cases, 405 are quarantined, and 5 are hospitalized. Chenango County had had 724 total cases since March, with 13 deaths, 618 recoveries & over 47,500 tests conducted.
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1 person was killed in a 3 vehicle accident Saturday Night on State Route 235 in the town of Coventry. 26 year old Kyle Smith of Afton was attempting to pass a vehicle driven by 20 year old Austin Smith of Harpursville, Kyle Smith attempted to get back into his lane after observing a 3rd vehicle driven by 36 year old Dennis Robinson of Susquehanna Pennsylvania, Kyle Smith lost control, hit Austin Smith’s vehicle, which then hit the Robinson Truck. Austin Smith was pronounced dead at the scene, the investigation is continuing.
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Governor Cuomo announced that State Police issued 13,887 tickets during this year’s Thanksgiving traffic enforcement initiative from Wednesday, November 25th through Sunday, November 29th. State Troopers also arrested 155 people for DWI and investigated 757 crashes, including 3 fatalities. In the Southern Tier, 1096 tickets were issued, 431 tickets for speeding, 9 for DWI, 11 for distracted driving, 172 for child restraint or seat belts violations & 17 for the move over law.
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A traffic stop in the town of Norwich led the to the arrest of a man wanted for stealing a camper from Otsego County in October then abandoning it in Binghamton. State Police arrested 46 year old Clint Payne of Beaver, Pennsylvania, for Grand Larceny, Criminal Possession of Stolen Property and Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance. On November 20th, Payne came to the State Police Norwich barracks inquiring about another matter, when he drove off a trooper observed that Payne’s vehicle had multiple vehicle and traffic infractions, he was stopped & the trooper discovered that Payne was wanted for Grand Larceny in Otsego County & he was accused of possessing of methamphetamine. Payne was processed in Oneonta, the Otsego County Central Arraignment and Processing & Broome County Central Arraignment and Processing.
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State Police arrested 26 year old John Flora of Windsor for allegedly burglarizing residences in the town of Windsor. An investigation by State Police BCI arrested Flora at his residence. He was charged with multiple counts of 2nd degree Burglary & was taken to Broome County Central Arraignment and Processing.
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Village of Sidney Police Reform and Reinvention Collaborative Committee has had 16 community members appointed, with Village residents, business owners, Religious leaders, Village Board members, Members of the Police Department, Delaware County Public Defender’s office and Delaware County District Attorney John Hubbard. The committee has reviewed how the Sidney Police Department operates and with public input determines what changes, if any, need to be made. Sidney mayor Andy Matviak told WCDO News about how they will get public input:
(Andy Matviak 12-7-20)
After the public input in the months of December and January, they will draft a reform and reinvention plan that will be shared with the public, in February the committee will make any needed changes & submit the revised plan to the Village board for approval. In March the approved plan will be submitted to New York State.
A.M. NEWS MONDAY 12-7-20
Attorneys for the Claudia Tenney and Anthony Brindisi campaigns filed new motions in State Supreme Court in Oswego regarding the ongoing ballot counts in the 22nd congressional district race. 55 recently-discovered Chenango County early voting ballots & about 2000 other disputed ballots will be ruled on by Justice Scott Delconte in State Supreme Court in Oswego this afternoon.
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The State Health Department reported that over 205,000 people were tested for COVID Saturday, with over 9700 positive tests. Patient Hospitalization continue to increase to 4,442, the Number in ICU beds is up to 850, the Number on ventilators increased to 464, there were 56 deaths Saturday.
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The Sidney Central School District has been notified that a student has tested positive for COVID-19. This person has not been on campus since Wednesday, December 2nd. The Delaware County Health Department is conducting the investigation and will notify anyone who they feel may have been exposed. The teachers and students impacted by the quarantine have been contacted, as they will transition to a remote learning environment.
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The Walton Central School District will learn remotely today and Tuesday, after the Delaware County Health officials notified the district of a positive COVID-19 case involving a staff member, contact tracing will take place the next two days.
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The Oxford Academy and Central School District is going remote today through Monday, December 14th, due to positive COVID-19 cases involving a staff member and a high school student.
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Delaware County Public Health announced that they had 13 new COVID 19 cases Sunday, bringing their total to 438 since spring. There are 87 active cases, 5 are hospitalized & 246 are quarantined.
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Otsego County Department of Health announced that they had 14 COVID cases reported Saturday & 22 new cases Sunday. Otsego County is up to 1418 total confirmed cases, 109 are active cases, 9 are hospitalized, and there have been 8 deaths since March. Otsego County Department of Health is announcing a potential COVID 19 exposure at the American Legion 60 Main Street Cooperstown, from November 25th through November 30th, should monitor themselves for symptoms and get tested.
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]]>(Alan Sessions 1-10-18)
Reservations are requested for the workshop by visiting the CDO Workforce Center or calling 832-5776. Walk-ins will also be allowed for the workshop.
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Broome County Sheriff Dave Harder will kick off his re-election Campaign Thursday at 5:30 PM, at the Atrio Banquets & catering in Endwell. Harder was first elected Sheriff in 1998, and won re-election in 2002, 2006, 2010 and 2014.
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The Oneonta Town Board will meet today, to discuss a speed reduction on county Highway 58, along with regular business. The meeting will be in the Oneonta Town Hall in West Oneonta starting at 7:00 PM.
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36 year old James Giacalone of Glen Aubrey was formally charged Monday with 2 counts of attempted 1st-degree murder and is being detained by authorities in Pennsylvania. Giacalone is accused of trying to run down 2 state troopers earlier this month in Binghamton with his vehicle, following a chase & crash into a utility Pole in Binghamton. Giacalone is being held on $250,000 bond and was remanded to the custody of the warden of the Montour County Prison; he will be extradited to New York State after he is released from a Hospital for treatment of a gunshot wound to the face.
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The Trial of Wayne Spratley of Greene is underway in Chenango county court. Spratley was charged with assault, attempted 2nd degree murder and criminal use of a weapon, for an alleged hate crime attack in a Norwich City Parking lot in July of 2015.
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All After School Activities at the Walton central School District have been cancelled today, following the death of a female 12th grade student due to an unspecified medical emergency. School officials said that counselors, school psychologists & trained staff are available for support for any students or staff for the next few days.
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The State Senate Republican majority announced their “Blueprint for a Stronger New York” that they claim will make the state less costly and more attractive for hardworking New Yorkers. State Senator Fred Akshar commented at an ALbany Press Conference:
(Akshar 1-9-17)
The Affordability blueprint calls for additional decreases in Income Taxes, Property Taxes, Energy Taxes, Lower Taxes on Retirement & Reforms to Control Spending and Prevent Tax Increases.
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The State Commission on Judicial Conduct has reprimanded Guilford Town Justice Joan Kline. Kline is accused of procedural errors & inappropriate comments; she has 30 days to appeal.
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Governor Cuomo today announced that New York State has certified 2,123 minority and women-owned businesses, exceeding the goal established in his State of the State Address 2 years ago. The State’s streamlined the certification process, more than 6,600 Minority or Women owned businesses have been newly certified since 2011, which allows them access to perform on public contracts.
(Cuomo 2-15-16)
Cuomo said that the Department of State regulates the brokers, and 120 cases are being investigated.
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37 year-old Ronald Boecke of Davenport was arrested for 3rd degree rape & endangering the welfare of a child, for allegedly performing sexual acts with a female under 17 yeas of age. Boecke was being held in Otsego County jail on $2,500 cash or $5,000 bond bail pending future court action.
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Several pipes burst in the Walton high school and middle school buildings at the Walton Central School District. The school had vacation days scheduled through Wednesday, will use two snow days on Thursday and Friday to give the maintenance staff time to clean and repair. The pipe bursts were mainly in the high school offices, as well as the high school guidance office. There were a few cracked pipes in the middle school, but valves were turned off before the ice gave way, so no water released into the rooms. School will resume Monday, February 22nd.
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Delaware County Sheriff’s Department arrested 3 County residents on drug charges Thursday, on Sealed Grand Jury Indictment Warrants for allegedly selling Heroin in Walton. Deputies arrested 42-year-old Jenny Bowers of Delhi, 37-year-old Adam Green of Walton & 26-year-old Frank Mastrorocco of Walton. All 3 were remanded to the Delaware County jail; Green was arrested at the County Jail where he was being held on separate drug charges. Mastrorocco violated the terms of his Probation in 2014, he was returned to the Delaware County Jail on the latest charges.
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Delaware County Deputies investigated a 1-car property damage auto accident on Loomis Brook Road near Teed Road in the Town of Walton. Jeffrey Lambrecht was traveling on Loomis Brook when he lost control of his vehicle and crashed into some trees. He then drove the vehicle from the scene and parked it in a nearby driveway. He was issued a ticket for leaving the scene of a property damage auto accident; he faces court action in the Town of Walton Court on February 24th.
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Delaware County Deputies investigated a 2-car personal injury auto accident on County Hwy 14 near Mostert Road in the Town of Delhi. 25-year-old Kayla Hadley of Delhi lost control of her vehicle due to the snowy road conditions; she traveled into the opposite lane of traffic and was struck by 24 year old Kyla Roche of Delhi. Hadley was transported to O’Connor Hospital with non-life threatening injuries. There were no tickets issued.
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On the 1-year anniversary of the passing of the New York safe act, gun control groups and Democratic Lawmakers said that the state should not stop at the law passed last year. State legislators against Illegal Guns-NY said that they want legislation that additional safety of gun storage for those with children, requires all semi-automatic handguns that puts a code on each spent shell casing, called micro-stamping, and limit buyers to 1 handgun purchase a month. Republicans that control the state senate are unlikely to support those proposals.
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U.S. Senator Charles Schumer said that the federal funding for low income heating assistance would increase by $169 million dollars in the coming fiscal year, to a total of 3.4 billion dollars. Schumer said had called on the appropriators to raise the funding following the extreme low temperatures earlier this month. New York families whose income are 150% of the federal poverty level or lower are eligible, more information is available at otda.ny.gov.
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13% of New York schools face some degree of fiscal distress with several having significant financial problems, according to a report from state comptroller tom DiNapoli, who warned that schools are dealing with budget deficits, limited revenue and depleted reserve funds. The report showed that the struggles were worse among upstate schools, it can found at osc.state.ny.us.
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New York’s senators reported that 33.7 million dollars for the national stream gauge network is included in appropriations before congress. Senators Schumer & Gillibrand said the 6 million dollar increase in funding would help strengthen gauges in upstate counties that provide flood warnings during severe weather. The senators said that the money would help the US Geological survey keep existing gauges online and allow the ISGS to add more gauges in the high-risk flood zones in the upstate regions.
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SUNY Delhi has received national recognition for their online nursing program. The 2014 edition of US News & World report, SUNY Delhi is at the top of the list for the best bachelor’s program, the program started 5 years ago when enrollment was projected to be around 50 students, the number has risen to 750. SUNY Delhi was also recently approved for the 1st graduate program for a master’s in science for nursing.
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Delaware County Sheriff’s Investigators, Deputies and K-9 “Ozzie”, assisted by the Chenango County Sheriff’s Office K-9 Unit and members of the State Police executed a Search Warrant at the Tammy Fairbairn residence in Bloomville. Law Enforcement officers seized 130 bags of heroin, about $1100 in cash and Public Assistance Benefit Cards. Investigators arrested 46-year-old Tammy Fairbairn of Bloomville, 20-year-old Nakota Lame of Bloomville and 26-year-old Alamin McMillon of Syracuse, for 1 count each of 3rd degree Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance. All 3 were arraigned & were remanded to the Delaware County Jail on bail, more charges are anticipated.
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State Senator Tom Libous held a press conference in Binghamton today, he mentioned that he has discussed with Governor Cuomo his concerns about the proposal to close mental health facilities in Binghamton and Elmira, that would force some people to far away locations around the state, and force sex offenders into local group homes:
(Libous 11-18-13)
Libous said that he is also planning legislation to call for a freeze of the closing of mental health facilities until 2015 in order to come up with alternative plans.
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State police in Sidney & the US Marshals fugitive task force apprehended 29-year-old Angelina Wilson of Conklin, who was wanted for absconding from the Pennsylvania Department of parole & probation, for her participation in gas station armed robberies around Halstead, Pennsylvania. Wilson was caught while fleeing from a trailer park in Conklin, she was also found to be in possession of a hypodermic needle and syringe. Wilson was arraigned as a fugitive from justice and remanded to Broome county jail pending extradition back to Pennsylvania.
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The 2013-2014 HEAP season opens today, the federally funded program, is administered at the county level, it assists income eligible households in meeting their winter heating costs. All applicants are encouraged to apply at mybenefits.ny.gov.
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“Register Now” post cards are being mailed to 900,000 homeowners who have not re-registered for the “STAR” school tax relief program those who have not re-registered will receive their postcards in the mail this week, reminding to register by the December 31st deadline. Homeowners with basic STAR exemptions had to re-register this year after an investigation by the Tax department found that thousands received STAR Exemptions on more than one property. Registrations can be performed at tax.ny.gov.
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Assemblyman Cliff Crouch announced that he would be hosting 2 town hall meetings next week. The first meeting will be the Town of North Norwich, at 5:30 PM today at the town hall at 188 County Route 23, followed by a town hall meeting for the Town of Nanticoke tomorrow night at 6:00 PM at the Nanticoke Town Hall at 755 Cherry Valley Hill Road in the town of Maine.
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Congressman Gibson submitted comments to the State Department of Health regarding the draft midterm revisions to the New York City’s Filtration Avoidance Determination. Gibson stated that the Land Acquisition Plan needs to be decreased from $50 million to $20 million over the next 5 years. Gibson also said that Reservoir levels should be maintained based on a scientific and technical review of NYC water needs, new infrastructure improvements, and an analysis of the risk facing Upstate communities. Contingency plans should also be put in place in the event of the potential of significant weather events.
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Assemblyman Pete Lopez will be holding town hall meetings for area constituents this week. Tonight’s meeting will be for the towns of Worcester and Decatur at 7:00 PM tonight at the Worcester Central School Auditorium at 198 Main Street in Worcester.
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28-year-old Jennifer Morris of East Branch pleaded guilty to a felony charge of falsely reporting an incident. Morris will serve 6 months in Delaware County jail followed by 5 years probation orders of protection were issued for all victims named in the indictment filed against Morris. Morris was arrested following a series of threats made on Facebook against people associated with the Walton Central School district. Morris is scheduled to be sentenced in Delaware County Court on September 30th.
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The Delaware County Historical Association has been hosting a number of free workshops this summer that are designed to explore national and local history. The last workshop, “CHALLENGES REMAINING,” is scheduled for this morning at 11:00AM, at the historical association on state route 10 in the town of Delhi. More information is available at 746-3849.
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The Broome County Sheriff’s Office will host an open house at their location on Van Winkle Drive in Binghamton Today as part of the statewide Sheriff’s Week. The sheriff’s office will display its new command post, armored vehicle, new patrol vehicles, and offer a tour of the jail for the public. The open house will take place from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM.
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Price Chopper has announced a recall on select half-gallons of store brand homogenized milk. Cartons with the UPC number 4173513275 and a September 29th expiration date are included in the recall. The product is being recalled due to the possible presence of a non-hazardous cleaning solution in the milk that is used to clean the equipment during milk processing. More information is available at pricechopper.com.
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The Sidney chamber of commerce will hold their monthly “Business After Hours’ event today. The event will be held from 4:00 to 6:00 pm at Acco Brands of Sidney, chamber members are encouraged to attend.
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22 year old Daniel Doherty of Binghamton was sentenced in Broome County Court to 23 years in jail, on a charge of 1st degree manslaughter in a plea bargain deal, in connection with the death of 27 year old Daniel Martinez of the Bronx in October of 2011, Martinez was found in a wooded area in the town of Chenango by hunters. Doherty will be required to testify at the trial of co-defendant, Joseph Ross-Jones as part of the plea deal with the district attorney’s office.
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The Broome County Sheriff’s Office Detective Division arrested 34-year-old Shawn Bosket of Windsor, after he allegedly failed to return an annual address verification form for sex offenders, to the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services. Bosket was taken into custody in the Town of Colesville on January 4th & was ordered to appear in the Town of Dickinson Court today.
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State comptroller Tom DiNapoli released a report following an audit of the town of Deposit. The town government responded, they reported that they would conduct a monthly review of the town clerk’s duties, the supervisor will review & Certify payroll before submission for payment, and have a review done by an appointed board member before it is given to the book keeper, & the town board will work to adopt budgets based on recurring revenues & amend the budget as needed, according to DiNapoli’s recommendations.
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The Chenango chargers soccer team will hold an open house today from 5:00 to 8:00 PM, regarding their spring travel league, training session & the indoor soccer league. The open house will be held at the chargers indoor facility on Maple Street in Norwich.
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