Otsego County Sheriff’s Office arrested 31 year old Shean Seeley of Otego following an investigation of alleged child abuse. Seeley was charged with 3 counts of acting in a Manor to Injure a Child less than 17 years of age, and 2 counts of Reckless Endangerment after a hotline report received by Otsego County Child Protective Services. Seeley is accused of routinely acting in a manner that exposed his children to risk of serious physical injury, he was released on his own recognizance to appear in Otego Town Court on a later date.

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Bassett Healthcare Network and Helios Care recently announced a collaboration to provide hospice and palliative care to patients in Central New York. Helios Care President & CEO Dan Ayres visited WCDO this morning & explained that there has been confusion about the arrangement, and the Helios Care remains as a separate entity from Bassett:

(Dan Ayres 1-15-24)

Ayres said that the State Department of Health has given approval for Helios Care to expand their services to include Herkimer and Chenango Counties to better line up with the Bassett Healthcare Network coverage area, more information regarding donations or job openings are available at helioscare.org or by calling 6070432-6773

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Governor Kathy Hochul today announced $325 million in grants is available for clean water infrastructure projects through the next round of the State’s Water Infrastructure Improvement and Inter-municipal Grant programs. Governor Hochul is directing EFC to increase water infrastructure grants for small rural communities from 25 percent to 50 percent of net eligible project costs, Municipalities can request a meeting, register for upcoming webinars, and learn more at efc.ny.gov/cat.

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The Raymond Corporation will be holding a job fair from 12 to 6 pm. on January 24, at their headquarters located at 22 South Canal Street in Greene. Positions include all shift openings for production and forklift operators, welders, assemblers, and general utilities.

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The Bainbridge Chamber of Commerce will hold their next regular meeting tomorrow morning in Bainbridge. The meeting begins at 7:30 am at the back of Bob’s Diner.

A.M. NEWS MONDAY 1-15-24

Otsego County Sheriff’s Office arrested 39 year old Josephine Shutters of Westford for Aggravated DWI & Failure to keep right, following a motor vehicle accident on January 5, in the Town of Maryland. Shutters was processed and released on tickets returnable to the Maryland Town Court at a later date.

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The Broome County Martin Luther King Junior Commission will be holding their annual March THIS evening, starting at the MLK Promenade behind Boscov’s in downtown Binghamton. The commission announced that they have resumed their scholarship program, they will give out 2 scholarships for $1,000 each for high school graduates this year. Also, at 6:00 PM Lieutenant Governor Delgado Delivers Remarks at Tabernacle Methodist Church at 83 Main Street Binghamton.

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Broome County Executive Jason Garnar has approved the latest Redistricting plan for the County, a previous plan was thrown out after a court challenge.

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Incumbent Republican Congressman Marc Molinaro announced that he will seek re-election in the district this year, he will likely face Democrat Josh Riley again.

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(Tom Revoir 6-27-18)

The Annual Macker Tournament benefits the Norwich YMCA, an estimated 1,200 players have already signed up for the 3 on 3 Basketball tournament in Norwich on July 14th & 15th. Those who want to volunteer can call Revoir at the Norwich YMCA at 336-9622, extension 29.
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The Broome County District Attorney’s office announced that 27 year old Thomas Sessions of Whitney Point was arraigned Wednesday in Broome County Court, in connection with a March 23rd attack that seriously injured a Lisle resident. Sessions was located earlier this month in Arizona and taken into custody. The grand jury indictment charges Sessions with attempted 2nd degree murder, 1st degree assault, & attempted 1st & 2nd degree assault; he is accused of striking the victim in the head after knocking on the victim’s door & claiming to have a disabled vehicle.
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A new report released Monday by a coalition of New York State law enforcement officials, public health experts and elected officials, showed that The Delaware County had the highest rates of gun-related suicide and homicide. The research focused at the rate of homicide and suicide in each county from 2012 to 2016, the report showed that for every 100,000 residents of Delaware County, there were 13.4 gun-related deaths, & the a rate of suicide by gun at 12.9. Other counties that ranked high were Allegany, Wyoming, Cattaraugus and Sullivan counties. New York State’s overall gun-related death rate was 4.4 deaths per 100,000 residents, which is below the national average of 11.8 deaths per 100,000 residents.
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Governor Cuomo announced the launch of Open FOIL NY, to provide access to public records in New York. Open FOIL NY offers an open-access online form to request records from up to 3 agencies simultaneously, Access & contact information for 59 State agencies and authorities, and direct access to a growing body of online information and resources.
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The Chenango County Sheriff’s Office arrested 19 year old Cordell Witherow of Plymouth for 3rd degree Assault. Witherow is accused of causing serious physical injury to an unidentified male victim. Witherow was released on an appearance ticket and is to appear in the Town of Plymouth Court at a later date.
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Chenango County Sheriff’s Department arrested 24 year old Cara Kaskeski of Mount Vision, for Welfare Fraud & Offering a False Instrument for Filing. Kaskeski allegedly collected more than $9,000 in child care assistance from July 2014 through November 2017 which she was not entitled to receive, she was issued appearance tickets to appear in the City of Norwich Court at a later date.
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The next meeting of the Tri-Town Coalition on Substance Abuse Prevention will be held at Track Side Dining on Main Street in Sidney this evening. The meeting will run from 6:00 to 7:30 PM, participants are invited to use the rear entrance.
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Antonio Delgado of Rhinebeck won the 19th Congressional District Democratic Primary yesterday; he will face Republican incumbent John Faso in November. Delgado beat out 6 other Democrats to win the primary. The 19th district will be one of the most-watched races in the country
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US Postal Inspectors, State Police CNET, Homeland Security Investigators (HSI), Vestal Police Department and the Broome County Drug Task Force made a controlled delivery of a package containing approximately 250 grams of Ecstasy to a residence in Binghamton. Following the delivery, a search was conducted at the home of 32 year old Andrew Davis, A search of the residence leads to the recovery of the package, digital scales, cellphone, & other items, Davis was charged with Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance, he was arraigned and was remanded to the Broome County Jail without bail.
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Delaware County Sheriff Deputies arrested 42 year old Patrick Renner Jr. of Stamford for Aggravated Unlicensed Operation of a Motor Vehicle, Operating a Motor Vehicle without an Ignition Interlock Device, Unlicensed Operation of a Motor Vehicle & violating the terms of his probation. Renner is accused of driving a vehicle on Main Street in the Village of Stamford on Thursday with a revoked driver’s license and without an ignition interlock device, from a previous DWI conviction. Renner was arraigned and was remanded to the Delaware County Correctional Facility without bail pending further court action.
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State Police arrested 36 year old Jennifer Grant of Westford for DWI, Operating a Vehicle While Registration Suspended, & Unlawful Possession of Marihuana, plus numerous traffic tickets. Troopers stopped Grant while on Otsego County Highway 34 after they observed her cross the center line and drive onto the shoulder. Grant was released to a sober third party and given appearance tickets to the town of Westford Court on July 17th.
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State Police arrested 35 year old Todd Bailey of Cobleskill for felony Criminal Mischief, plus 3rd degree Assault & Endangering the Welfare of a Child. Troopers were dispatched to Gilbert Lake Park in the town of Laurens for a domestic dispute involving several people; Bailey is accused of having a physical altercation with several family members, including a child under the age of 17, and causing damage to a vehicle. Bailey was arraigned in the town of Laurens Court and was released in his recognizance, pending court action Thursday
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Delaware County Public Health and Delaware Opportunities will be holding a free Car Seat Safety Event at Delaware Opportunities 35430 NY-10, in Hamden, today from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM. Parents and caregivers can have their child’s car seat checked at no cost by certified child safety seat technicians. Car seats which do not meet the Federal Motor Safety Standard may be replaced; more information is available at 832-5200.

(Bill Christensen 3-8-18)

Christensen said that the state mandates that each district holds several of the Lockdown Lockup srills each year.
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The Next Binghamton Regional Train Show this Saturday at the American Legion Hall in Binghamton, show Promoter Jeff Olin of Village Train & Hobby in Windsor explains:

(Jeff Olin 3-8-18)

The show runs from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM at 177 Robinson Street in Binghamton.
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State Senator Jim Seward introduced legislation to increase criminal penalties for individuals who cause a fire or explosion while manufacturing illegal drugs. This legislation was crafted in the wake of a fatal fire that claimed the life of a Homer man in 2016. The legislation was crafted after Homer Police Chief Robert Pitman and Cortland County District Attorney Patrick Perfetti pointed out loopholes in the current law regarding drug related fires following a tragic event in Homer. Senator Seward’s bill has been referred to the Senate Codes Committee.

The tractor trailer bans that were placed on several highways area Interstates have been lifted last night, as the Winter Storm moved further east than anticipated. Currently, over 154,000 utility customers are without power in the Hudson Valley & downstate, Governor Cuomo also doubled National Guard’s deployment of troops to 400 to assist wellness checks on residents and other response and recovery efforts.
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State Police arrested 19 year old Jacob Sprague of Worchester for felony Grand Larceny, Sprague allegedly took a credit card that was not his and spent over $747. Troopers located Sprague in the town of Westford and arrested him, he was released on an appearance ticket and scheduled to appear in town of Westford Court on March 20th.
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State Police arrested 48 year old James McAdams of Otego for Criminal Mischief, Troopers were called to the Crossroads Inn in the town of Otego for a dispute, McAdams allegedly broken items in a room at the Inn, he was arrested and remanded to the Otsego County Jail on $1,000 cash or $2,000 bond. He is to appear at the town of Otego Court on March 15th.
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(Lopez 6-16-15)

The “Prisoner Privileges Limitation Law” seeks to prevent the violent convicts from having unfettered access to civilians at prisons and being able to wear civilian clothing while incarcerated, it would also take away a portion of the good behavior rewards program for the most violent felons, who committed crimes such as murder and rape.
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47-year-old Penny Auerbach pleaded guilty in federal court to charges of stealing money orders and cash from the U.S. Postal Service and misappropriating postal funds. The charges stemmed from an investigation by the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General. Auerbach admitted to stealing over $4600 in postal funds while working at the Westford Post Office, she was sentenced to 4 years probation, will perform 500 hours of community service and was ordered to pay restitution.
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The Oneonta Common Council will hold their next regular meeting tonight at city hall. The Meeting will begin at 7:00 PM in the common council chambers on the 2nd floor & it is open to the public.
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The State DEC Officers and Forest Rangers issued 357 tickets for open burning-related charges during the spring statewide open burn ban, according to DEC Commissioner Joe Martens. DEC issued the tickets during the two-month burn ban that ran from March 16 through May 14th, for unattended fires, burning during the burn ban, unlawful disposal of solid waste and setting a fire that endangers the property of another. The number of tickets written this year is up 58% from 2014, many of the larger fires this spring were attributed to people violating the states burn ban, during excessively dry conditions.
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The Greater Oneonta Economic Development Council announced that they would hold their next meeting on Monday June 22nd, at the Oneonta Holiday Inn at 7:00 PM. Residents of the town & city of Oneonta are encouraged to attend; the topic is the possible savings in taxes by consolidating the town of Oneonta into the City of Oneonta.
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The Chenango County Sheriff’s summer camp will start on July 6th. Applications can be picked up at the Sheriff’s Office or online at www.chenangosheriff.us. The camp is free to all Chenango County children ages 9 to 12, more information is available at 334-5175 Monday through Friday 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM.
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The Chenango County Sheriff’s Office executed a “no knock” search warrant at a residence in the Village of Sherburne and a vehicle parked at the Big M in Sherburne.  The Narcotics Division arrested 31-year-old Dustin Norris of Sherburne, who was found to be in possession of a substantial amount of heroin & cash. The recovered heroin was found in close to proximity to two young children in the vehicle. Several needles, packaging material, and paraphernalia were also located at his residence.  Norris was charged with Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance, Criminally Using Drug Paraphernalia, and Endangering the Welfare of a Child. He was arraigned in the Village of Sherburne Court and remanded to the Chenango County Correctional Facility on $50,000 cash bail.  The investigation is ongoing and more arrests are pending.

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This year’s state budget addressed the problem of the Gap elimination adjustments that hurt poor rural schools over the last 5 years, and added much needed funding.  Area assemblyman Cliff crouch said that area superintendents were pleased:

(Crouch 4-9-10)

The Budget includes a $1.1 billion increase in education aid for the 2014-15 school year, with High-needs school districts receiving nearly 70% percent of the allocated increase.

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U.S. Senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand announced $1.7 million in federal funds, to acquire and demolish flood-damaged structures in the Village of Sidney, and turn the properties into green space. The damaged buildings are located in a flood-hazard zone in the River Street area; County officials prefer to demolish the structures. The federal funds cover 75 percent of the projected cost to acquire and demolish the flood-prone properties.  All of the structures were damaged from Tropical Storms Irene and Lee in 2011.

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State officials say New York hunters killed 1,358 black bears during the 2013 hunting season, the second-highest number on record.  Figures released by the DEC show hunters killed a record 636 bears from the Southeastern hunting area and a near record 342 from the Central-Western area. The agency said the high numbers reflect a growing bear population. The DEC released a draft bear management plan for public comment in January. It proposed several changes, including expanding the area open to bear hunting to encompass all of upstate New York.  Go to dec.ny.gov

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State environmental regulators remind New Yorkers that residential brush burning is prohibited in towns, with less than 20,000 residents until May 14th, because of increased risk of fires during spring months. The DEC said wildfires can start and spread due to open burning of debris and dried out foliage. The open burning of debris is the largest cause of wildfire in the state. People who violate the regulation are subject to both criminal and civil law enforcement, with a minimum fine of $500 for the first offense. To report environmental law violations call 1-800-TIPP DEC

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Governor Cuomo launched the Immigrant Entrepreneurship Training Series. The program will help immigrants start and grow businesses. More than 100 immigrant entrepreneurship seminars will be held throughout New York State in the coming year.  The State Office will run the training Series for New Americans, Empire State Development and the State Small Business Development Center.  The first round of the trainings begins this month and requires pre-registration. Seminar dates will be posted on the New York State Office for New Americans website at newamericans.ny.gov

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The village of Sidney will hold an informational meeting tonight at 7:00 PM, for those who live in the flood prone areas of the village.  The meeting will be held at the River Street Fire training center, officials will discuss the Plankenhorn proposal; more information is available at 561-2320.

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The Otsego County Sheriff’s deputies were called to a County Route 34 farm in Westford late Monday afternoon.   40 year old Daniel Banks was pulled into a piece of heavy farm equipment by his clothing, Banks was pronounced dead at the scene due to severe blunt force trauma to the upper body.

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There is $12.5 billion in lost and forgotten money currently being held by the State Comptroller’s Office.  Comptroller Tom DiNapoli urged residents to see if any of it belongs to them. On average, DiNapoli’s office returns $1 million a day.  More information is available at 1-800-221-9311.

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School district budget votes will be held tomorrow throughout the state, with many of the districts also voting on school board seats.  Most of the area school district are proposing budgets that come in at or under the state’s 2% tax cap. Locally, Afton, Charlotte Valley, Edmeston, Franklin, Laurens, Milford, Norwich, Oxford Unadilla Valley, Unatego & Walton are asking residents to pass budgets with total spending  more than 2% above last year.

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State Police in Deposit arrested 21-year-old Onif Chamberlain of The Bronx, for Unlawful Possession of Marijuana. Also arrested was 20-year-old Gregory Ewer of The Bronx for Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance. The arrests resulted from a traffic stop on State Route 17 in Hancock; both subjects were issued Appearance Tickets returnable to the Village of Hancock Court on May 22^nd.

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State Police at Oneonta arrested 20-year-old John Rundblad Jr., of Worcester for Driving While Intoxicated with a BAC result of .13%. The arrest resulted from a traffic accident in Westford; Rundblad was issued tickets returnable to the Town of Westford Court on June 4^th.

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Police in Delhi & Walton are investigating alleged threats to the Delhi & Walton school districts Friday there was no actual incidents based on the Internet posted threats, both schools remained on lockdown, and police presence was beefed up at dismissal times. Franklin also went on lockdown for a short period at dismissal time, to insure the students’ safety, even though they were not mentioned specifically in the Internet threats.  The investigations are continuing.

(Debbie Bowers 5-20-13)

Bands scheduled to perform include Woodshed Prophets, The Beadle Brothers, and The Jason Wicks Band & Cassidy Lynn.

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The Women’s Fund, of the Community Foundation for South Central New York, is accepting grant proposals for amounts of $1,000 to $4,000 from qualified organizations in Broome, Chenango, Delaware, Otsego and Tioga counties. Funding is available for projects or programs to improve the well being of women and/or girls throughout their lives.   The Deadline is Wednesday, July 10^th by 4:00 PM, in Foundation offices; application guidelines are available at donorswhocare.org.  More information is available at 772-6773.

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New York’s Moreland Commission has issued subpoenas to utilities companies, regarding their response time & readiness in relation to Hurricane Sandy this year, as well as Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee last year. Governor Cuomo created the commission after numerous reports surfaced of new Yorkers being without power for excessive amounts of time following Hurricane sandy striking the state in late October. Spokesman for downstate utilities Con Ed and LIPA conformed receipt of the subpoenas, NYSEG officials have not publicly commented if they received one.

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On Saturday November 24th, state police at Oneonta, Richfield Springs and Sidney conducted an Underage Drinking Enforcement detail throughout Chenango, Delaware and Otsego Counties. The detail checked 12 local establishments located in Afton, Bainbridge, Sidney and Unadilla for compliance with the prohibition of the sale of alcoholic beverages to underage persons. The detail found all 12 of the stores checked in compliance.

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Oneonta state Troopers arrested 34-year-old Brian Hassick of Cooperstown, and 35-year-old Cheryl Rifenbark of Westford, for Possession of a Forged Instrument. Hassick and Rifenbark were arraigned in the Town of Westford Court and remanded to the Otsego County Correctional Facility in lieu of $500 cash bail each.
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Planned Parenthood of south Central New York will Dis-affiliate with the nation organization in the spring of next year, due to a new expensive and duplicative mandate. The new name will be Family Planning of South Central New York, Chief Executive Officer Deb Marcus explains:

(Deb Marcus)

Marcus said that the services, staff and office hours would remain the same as before, in the existing locations of Sidney, Oneonta, Binghamton, Norwich & Walton.
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Governor Cuomo toured Mohawk Valley Regional Economic Development Council progress Wednesday & reviewed presentations on the progress of area projects. The Milford School District was awarded $125,000 to support the CORE Initiative, which is establishing a community-centered physical and virtual network of adult education courses and career advancement through interactive partnerships. The City of Oneonta was awarded $200,000 to advance the Micro-enterprise Assistance Program, creating and retaining low- to moderate-income jobs to new and existing businesses with 5 or less employees for start-up costs, expansion of inventory, advertising and similar expenses. More Information is available at regionalcouncils.ny.gov.
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State Troopers arrested 31-year-old Matthew Lamberg of Binghamton, for 3rd degree Assault on an outstanding Warrant issued by the City of Binghamton Court. Lamberg was arraigned and remanded to the Broome County Jail.

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