WCDO NEWS FRIDAY 1-24-20

by wcdonews Posted on January 24, 2020

The State Department of Health currently has 4 persons under investigation for the coronavirus that are under isolation as their cases are being tested at the CDC.   1 of the cases has been proven negative and 3 were still pending this afternoon.  The Coronavirus started in China, 2 cases in the US have been confirmed in the State of Washington, and another in Chicago.  Symptoms of the coronavirus may include a runny nose, Headache, a persistent cough, sore throat & fever.

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Governor Cuomo today announced $151 million in new funding for the renewal of State roadways impacted by extreme weather events. This State funding will support 95 paving projects and the renewal of approximately 1,013 lane miles of pavement across the state.  In the Southern Tier; $2.4 million will be used to renew State Route 97 from John Deck Road to Lordville Road in Delaware County, $1.7 million to renew Route 12 from the Broome County line to County Road 2 in Chenango County & $1.2 million to renew Route 12 from just north of County Road 3A to the Town of Oxford.

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Testimony is underway in Otsego County Court for the Murder & Arson Trial of 33 year old Gabriel Pruitt of Oneonta.  Pruitt is accused of setting a fire at 5 Walling Avenue in Oneonta on December 29th 2018 that killed former Oneonta Firefighter John Heller as he tried to get his family out of the building.

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New York State’s efforts to deter underage drinking and promote health and public safety resulted in a record number of fake identification seizures and citations issued in 2019.  A total of 918 fake IDs were seized, a record of 1,016 citations were issued to people attempting to buy alcohol while underage.  In addition, the State Liquor Authority conducted 165 operations at 2,253 locations across the state resulting in 480 charges for selling alcohol to a minor.

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Sergeant Kim Smith of the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office was awarded the “Carl Draxler Award” by the New York State Sheriff’s Institute at the NYS Sheriff’s Association Annual Winter Conference in Albany, Tuesday.  The Award is given to an employee of the Sheriff’s Office whose exceptional career achievements and conscientious devotion to duty have demonstrated a spirit of selfless public service; it is not based on a specific event, but rather on the nominee’s total career in the Sheriff’s Office.  The award is named in honor of Sheriff of Chemung County, Carl Draxler,

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WCDONEWS THURSDAY 1-23-20

by wcdonews Posted on January 23, 2020

Statewide, there were 33 school districts designated in fiscal stress, according to State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli.  This year, 4 districts are categorized as being in significant fiscal stress, including the Norwich City School District.  Local districts that were listed as susceptible to fiscal stress were the oxford Academy, & the Schenevus Central school district.  The report also noted that the Southern Tier was the only region with a decrease from the previous school fiscal year in the number of districts in fiscal stress. Central New York and the North Country regions had the largest percentages of districts in a fiscal stress category.

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Governor Cuomo has proposed spending 10 million dollars to make sure that the Census takers count every individual living in the state to be counted:

(Cuomo 1-23-20)

Those who would like to be census takers can sign up at 2020 census.gov.

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The proposed budget announced by Governor Cuomo this week has a 6.1 billion dollar gap, about 1/3 of that from Medicaid Spending, Local Assemblyman John Salka comments:

(John Salka 1-23-20)

Lawmakers have until April 1st to get a budget passed, the budget proposed by the Governor total 173.8 Billion Dollars.

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The Greater Oneonta Historical Association announced today that the Friends of the Oneonta Theater are looking to revitalize the building. Society Executive Director Bob Brzozowski explains:

(Bob Brzozowski 1-23-20)

The Theater was built in 1897 & has been dormant for the last several years; more information is available at the oneontahistory.org.

Governor Cuomo today announced legislation in the Executive Budget to make New York’s fracking ban permanent. The measure would restrict the Department of Environmental Conservation from approving permits that would authorize an applicant to drill, deepen, plug back or convert wells that use high-volume hydraulic fracturing as a means to complete or recomplete a well.

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State Senator Fred Akshar released his latest Community Voice Survey on the controversial new bail reform law that went into effect at the beginning of the year.  The poll found 49% of respondents said the changes were bad for New York while 37% said they were good for the Empire State.  Akshar supports a full repeal, he has also introduced legislation to fix key parts of the bail reform law, including a bill to restore bail for several violent crimes & he also introduced legislation to remove the option of cashless bail if the arrested individual has been convicted of a felony in the past 10 years.

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Citizens Energy Vice President Michael Kennedy will dedicate a major solar array in the town of Chenango today to provide green power to subscribers of the company’s JOE-4-SUN program.  Citizens Energy has partnered with Southern Tier Solar Works, a non-profit program of the Binghamton Regional Sustainability Coalition, to bring clean energy to the region. The event will take place at 11:00 AM at 400 WEST CHENANGO ROAD in CASTLE CREEK.

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The American Red Cross will hold another Blood drive today in Otsego County.  The drive will be held at the Foothills Performing Arts Center on Market Street in Oneonta, from 1:00 to 6:00 PM, Walk-ins are welcome,  appointments can be made using the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting RedCrossBlood.org, calling 1-800-RED CROSS or enabling the Blood Donor Skill on any Alexa Echo device,

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WCDO NEWS WEDNESDAY 1-22-20

by wcdonews Posted on January 22, 2020

Local Lawmakers reacted to the Governor’s budget presentation in Albany Tuesday, State Senator Jim Seward comments:

(Seward 1-22-20)

Local Assemblyman Cliff Crouch comments:

(Crouch 1-22-20)

Lawmakers have until April 1st to pass the budget, which totals 173.8 Billion Dollars.

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Jury selection began Tuesday in Otsego County Court for the Murder & Arson Trial of 33 year old Gabriel Pruitt of Oneonta.  Pruitt is accused of setting a fire at 5 Walling Avenue in Oneonta on December 29th 2018 that killed John Heller as he tried to get his family out of the building. 

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The Oneonta Common Council voted to purchase the former Oneonta Ford Building at Market & Chestnut streets at Tuesday Night’s meeting.  The purchase price was $425,000, the building was owned by the 12 Tribes religious organization.

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The Greene Central School District reported that at approximately 3:30 Tuesday afternoon, a vehicle belonging to Greene Central School District was involved in a 1-car accident on Genegantslet Road. Officials said that there were 2 occupants; the driver & a bus monitor, NO students were in the vehicle. The vehicle left the road and struck a tree. Both patients were transported to a local hospital. The investigation into the accident is continuing.

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The Chenango County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a motor vehicle theft that occurred at a business in the Town of Norwich.  The theft took place in the morning hours Tuesday, the suspect is described as a thin white male, the vehicle is a Buick Crossover SUV, pictures of both are located at the Chenango Sheriff Facebook page, and anyone with information is asked to call 337-1973.

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Former Binghamton Rumble Ponies Manager Luis Rojas has been named today as the new manager of the New York Mets.  Rojas managed in Binghamton in 2017 & 2018, he replaces Carlos Beltran, who parted ways with the team after being named in MLB’s investigation of the Houston Astros’ sign-stealing scandal.

The American Red Cross has extended its urgent call for donors of all blood types, to give blood, especially type O blood, Red Cross Spokesperson Mary Brant explains:

(Mary Brant 1-22-20)

A Blood Drive will be held in Greene from 12:30 to 5:30 PM today at the Church of the Immaculate Conception, 1180 State Highway 206.  Another Blood drive will be held tomorrow at the Foothills Performing Arts Center on Market Street in Oneonta from 1:00 to 6:00 PM, Appointments can be made with the Red Cross Blood Donor App, at RedCrossBlood.org, by calling 1-800-RED CROSS or enabling the Blood Donor Skill on any Alexa Echo device. 

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WCDO NEWS TUESDAY 1-21-20

by wcdonews Posted on January 21, 2020

Governor Cuomo delivered his Executive Budget Proposal to a Joint Session of the Legislature this afternoon in Albany:

(Cuomo 1-21-20)

The budget totals about 173.8 billion & could top 175 billion during the budget negotiations, the legislature is expected to pass a budget & deal with the projected 6.1 billion dollars deficit by April 1st.

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The 2020 legislative session is underway in Albany and the first real sticking point is the issue of the controversial Bail Reform law that went into effect January 1st, & has had numerous problems with people being released after being charged with serious crimes, and committing crimes almost immediately after release.  Assemblyman Cliff Crouch comments:

(Crouch 1-21-20)

Governor Cuomo announced today that bail reform will continue to be discussed over the next couple of weeks.

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Congressman Anthony Brindisi announced more than $7 million in federal funds for housing assistance across Upstate and Central New York. The grant dollars are administered by HUD & will be dispersed to more than a dozen organizations across New York.  Brindisi will hold his January town hall today at 5:30 PM, at the Maine Endwell Middle School; it is free and open to the public.

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Governor Cuomo’s favorability rating got a slight boost, while his job performance got an even bigger boost in the latest Siena poll released this morning before the budget presentation.  New Yorkers are still 49% favorable rating with a 45% unfavorable, which improves the rating of 44% in favor & 49% unfavorable back in November.  41% approve of the job the Governor is doing, as compared to 35% in November.

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Members of the State Police held a private remembrance for the 10 year anniversary of Trooper Jill Mattice’s death at the State Police Barracks in Oneonta Monday.  A remembrance was held then laid a wreath in front of the station barracks.  Members of trooper Mattice’s family & police agencies, including the State Park Police, Otsego County Sheriff’s Department, Oneonta City Police Department, and The Town of New Berlin Police attended.  Trooper Mattice was killed in a crash with a troop car on State Route 23 near Morris in 2010.

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Binghamton University’s M. Stanley Whittingham will use his expertise to benefit the state, according to the Governor in his State of the State Address 2 weeks ago.  Whittingham was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry 3 months ago, for his work in the development of the lithium-ion battery, he was asked by the Governor to head up the Blue Ribbon Task Force to expand the use of electric vehicles in New York. The task force will be co-chaired by NYSERDA.

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Bainbridge Chamber next general membership meeting will be held this morning, at the back of Bob’s Diner, the meeting starts at 7:30 AM.

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WCDO NEWS MONDAY 1-20-20

by wcdonews Posted on January 20, 2020

State Senator Jim Seward announced today that the will NOT seek re-election this year, and will retire from the senate when his current term expires at the end of the year.  Seward released a statement saying that he has responded well to his recent cancer treatments, but his continuing treatments will limit his ability to maintain the rigorous schedule needed to campaign for re-election.   Seward has serviced in the State Senate since 1986.

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Commerce Chenango has teamed up with SFCU to host a series of Roundtable Workshops, with the 1st one scheduled for the morning of January 28th in Norwich, Commerce Chenango CEO Kerri Green explains:

(Kerri Green 1-20-20)

The workshop will be held in the Commerce Chenango Community Room at 15 South Broad Street in Norwich, starting at 7:30 AM through 9:00 AM, more information is available at 334-1400.

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Governor Cuomo will release his state budget plan Tomorrow afternoon which has a 6 Billion dollar projected budget gap due to the state taking over the Medicaid costs from local governments over the last 6 years, he commented during his State of the State address 2 weeks ago:

(Cuomo 1-20-20)

State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli stated last week that the state too often relies on moving deficits to out-year budgets, eventually it has to be dealt with.

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Bills are being drawn up in both house of the state legislature to rescind or delay the controversial Bail Reform bill that went into effect January 1st.  Hundreds of criminal charges that used to result in suspects being held on bail, are now having the suspects released back into their communities, several committed crimes within hours of their release.  Governor Cuomo made no mention of the controversy in his State of the State address on January 8th.

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Former New York Congressman Christopher Collins was sentenced Friday to 26 months in federal prison for his role in an illegal insider trading scheme involving an Australian business.  Collins must surrender on March 17th to the Bureau of Prisons & will be sent to a federal prison, He resigned from Congress immediately after the plea.

The Legacy of DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. will be celebrated today in Albany.  The Free Event will be held in The Egg’s Hart Theatre, beginning at 9:00 AM, The public is invited to attend or watch it streamed live at empirestateplaza.ny.gov; and the program will begin promptly at 10 a.m.

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On Friday Investigators and Deputies from the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office arrested 48-year-old Mark Boice of Delancey for Endangering the Welfare of a Child and Forcible Touching, for allegedly touching a child inappropriately.  Boice was issued an appearance ticket returnable to the Town of Hamden Court at a later date.

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WCDO NEWS FRIDAY 1-17-20

by wcdonews Posted on January 17, 2020

Fresh off of the successful collaboration between the Raymond Corporation of Greene & the Sidney Central School District, officials at Raymond are looking to implement similar programs at regional schools in order to get students interested in Welding & Machining, Raymond Senior Director of Operations Tony Topencik explains:

(Tony Topencik 1-17-20)

Topencik said that while Raymond is continuing to grow, they will need more trained prospective employees, preferably from the local counties. More information is available at raymondcorp.com.

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The State Department of Health has confirmed 2 more deaths due to vaping-associated illness: an adult female in her 20’s in New York City and an adult female in her 50’s from Ontario County.  Governor Cuomo commented about the issue last week in his state of the state address:

(Cuomo 1-17-20)

The State Department of Health is continuing its investigation; the total number of vaping-related deaths in New York is now up to 4.

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The Delaware County Sheriff’s Office arrested 18-year-old Isaah Mann for criminal mischief, for allegedly destroying a cell-door window while he was an inmate at the Delaware County Correctional Facility.  Mann will be arraigned in the Town of Delhi Court on January 21st.

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The state Education Department announced that the graduation rate for the Class of 2019 was 83.4%, up less than a percentage point from the previous year. The rate reflects slight increases across most racial groups, the achievement gap between white students and their black and Hispanic peers decreased to 15% state wide.

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Republican Mike Martucci announced his candidacy for the 42nd State Senate District.  Martucci started the “Quality Bus Service” & owns a farm in Westtown; he is looking to unseat incumbent Democrat Jen Metzger in November’s General Election.

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Governor Cuomo told reporters today that he will release his state budget plan next Tuesday afternoon, and he will detail how he will deal with the 6 Billion dollar projected budget gap.  Cuomo said that the budget gap is largely due to overspending on Medicaid beyond the 2% per year spending cap.

The Chenango Arts Council will showcase the work of recipients of 2019’s New York State Decentralization Grant Program in the Mariea Brown and Raymond Loft Galleries.  The exhibit will feature visual and performing arts from regional arts organizations and will open today at 5:30 pm.  It is free & open to the public at 27 West Main St, Norwich.  More information is available at 336-ARTS or visit www.chenangoarts.org.

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Friends of Rogers host their 42nd annual Winter Living Celebration, Saturday from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM at Rogers Environmental Education Center in Sherburne. The event s features live music, refreshments & a variety of events, it is free & open to the public.

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WCDO NEWS THURSDAY 1-16-20

by wcdonews Posted on January 16, 2020

The Raymond Corporation and Sidney Central School District was honored by the New York State School Boards Association for their collaboration on the Raymond Welding Production Center, which opened in 2019.  Sidney Superintendent Eben Bullock comments:

(Eben Bullock 1-26-20)

 7 Sidney students created a fabricated welded “Present” to accompany the Raymond annual holiday tree display at the Roberson Museum and in Binghamton, The holiday display has been returned & will remain at the Sidney Central School District.

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The Shell of the new Bainbridge Community Center on Prospect Street is up & the work is continuing, Bainbridge Chamber of Commerce President John Payne explains:

(John Payne 1-16-20

Payne said that the project is coming together through volunteers working on the structure, and donations from area businesses, he said that the project should be ready this summer.

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Delaware Valley Humane Society not only had a major success with their fundraising drive in conjunction with Staffworks, but they also gained attention with housing “Miles” the pig for a few weeks, Shelter Director Erin Insinga explains:

(Erin Insinga 1-16-20)

The shelter also received over $76,000 in donations & will start with a few upgrades at their Sidney facility shortly.

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Governor Cuomo today announced 61 New York State businesses, community colleges and community-based organizations will receive $3.4 million as part of the state’s Workforce Development Initiative.  Grant funds are provided by the Department of Labor, NYSERDA and The State University of New York.  Among the businesses participating in the Southern Tier are BAE Systems & Dick’s Sporting Goods Distribution Center.

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Broadway in Binghamton announced the musical “A Bronx Tale” based on the Book & Movie by Chazz Palminteri, will come to the FORUM THEATRE in Binghamton on February 4th & 5th at 7:30 PM.  Tickets are on sale now at the Arena Box Office and Ticketmaster 1-800-745-3000 or online at BroadwayInBinghamton.com.  More information is available at 772-1391.

Chenango County Sheriff’s Department responded early Wednesday morning to a 3 vehicle crash on State Route 12 in Oxford.  Deputies reported A Tractor Trailer operated by Jereme Lehmer of Oxford attempted to make a turn on a side road, A 2012 Ford operated by Kathryn Frear of Greene was following the tractor trailer & began to slow for the turning tractor trailer, she was rear-ended by a box truck operated by Kenneth Price of Buffalo, which forced the Frear vehicle into the back of the Lehmer tractor trailer. Frear was pronounced dead at the scene. The accident is still under investigation and more information will be released at a later date.

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The Otsego County Chamber of Commerce announced that they will host a Labor & Employment Law Update this morning from 8:00 to 10:30 AM. The meeting will be held at Northern Eagle Beverages at 41 Browne Street in Oneonta by law offices Hinman, Howard and Kattell.

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WCDO NEWS WEDNESDAY 1-15-20

by wcdonews Posted on January 15, 2020

Delaware County Sheriff Craig DuMond announced that an inmate released from the Delaware County Correctional Facility on Tuesday afternoon because of the new Bail Reform laws, was re-arrested and sent back to the jail for 3rd degree Grand Larceny hours after his release.  21 year old Eusebio Jax-Mejia, who is an MS-13 gang member, was initially arrested January 1 for Criminal Possession of Stolen Property in Walton, for possessing a stolen vehicle from Dutchess County and giving Walton Police Officers a false name, after his release Tuesday, Jax-Mejia was arrested by State Police for allegedly stealing a vehicle from the parking lot of the Delaware County Public Safety Building minutes after his release from jail. 

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The Delaware Valley Humane Society wound up collecting over $76,000 in December with their fundraising efforts with Staffworks.  Shelter Director Erin Insinga told WCDO News that the money will be used for their usual expenses, and they can now do other much needed upgrades:

(Erin Insinga 1-15-20)

More information about adopting the animals currently at the shelter is available by calling 563-7780.

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26 year old James Semidey was sentenced to prison Monday in Otsego County Court, for his role in a May 2019 robbery & kidnapping of a woman in Oneonta.  Semidey pleaded guilty to 3rd degree attempted robbery, he will serve 1 to 3 years in state prison, he had also pleaded guilty to attempted criminal possession of a controlled substance & was sentenced to 3 1/2 years in prison, and both sentences will run concurrently.

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Delaware County Sheriff’s Deputies responded Tuesday to a report of a utility truck overturned on State Highway 28 in the Town of Meredith.   A Sterling Well Drilling Truck operated by 47-year-old Michael Lutz of Red Hook overturned & was blocking both lanes.   The investigation revealed that while traveling around a curve, the truck exited the roadway, re-entered the road, the truck skidded sideways and overturned. Lutz was not injured, he was ticketed for unsafe lane change and failure to display a license plate; He’ll appear in Meredith Town Court at a later date.

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State Police arrested 19 year old Devin Castillo of Walton Saturday, he was one of the 3 suspects accused of the vandalism at Walmart on January 7th.   Castillo was located by Troopers after he was involved in rollover accident in Sidney Center in which he also struck several parked vehicles, he was charged with DWI, troopers learned that Castillo was 1 of the suspects in the Walmart case, he faces action in Sidney & Oneonta Courts shortly, State police stated that 2 suspects have not yet been arrested, & the case is still under investigation.   

State Senator Jim Seward announced approval of legislation to help increase safety for limousine passengers.  The comprehensive package of bills is a direct result of the limousine crash in 2018 in the Town of Schoharie: 

(Seward 1-15-20)

Senator Seward co-sponsored 8 of the bills to ensure drivers undergo drug and alcohol testing, create a state hotline for the public to report safety concerns, and allow the commissioner of the DOT to immobilize or impound a limousine with certain defects.  An agreement was reached to pass the bills by Governor Cuomo & legislative leaders Tuesday.

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Adirondack Films and Director Lori Bailey will hold an open CASTING CALL Today for a new film project today at 2:00 to 8:00 PM at The Masonic Lodge, 322 Main Street, Oneonta.  Bailey commented to WCDO:

(Lori Bailey 1-15-20)

More information is available by email LoriJB58@outlook.com.

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Property tax levy growth for school districts will be capped at 1.81 % for the 2020-2021 fiscal year, according to State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli.  The cap affects the tax cap calculations for 676 school districts as well as 10 cities; it still has the provision that allows school districts to override the cap with 60% voter approval of their budget. 

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City of Oneonta City Manager George Korthauer has submitted his resignation to be effective February 7th.  Korthauer was hired in August 2017 to the position of City Manager. He previously served as the City Manager of the lake resort city of Petoskey, Michigan for 25 years.

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