WCDO Radio News

Fahrudin Omerovic of Utica was sentenced to 12 years in prison plus 4 years of post-release Supervision, after being convicted of in Oneida County Court for making a terroristic threat on the Utica College campus in March of 2018. Omerovic admitted to making the threats, which forced many to clear the campus for 2 days to investigate the threat & find the party responsible. 

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Governor Cuomo announced that the State DEC released proposed regulations to improve air quality and protect public health with new, stringent requirements on peak-use power plants. The proposal will establish lower thresholds for emissions of nitrogen oxides, which contribute to harmful levels of ozone, or smog, on hot summer days. Dozens of simple cycle and regenerative combustion turbines at power plants are still in limited use across the state, & they emit Nitrogen Oxides at levels that are 30 times more than newer turbine emissions.

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Assemblyman Cliff Crouch joined his Republican Minority colleagues at a press conference in Albany to announce their budget priorities for 2019-20:

(Crouch 2-28-19)

The Legislature has until April 1st to pass the budget plan on time for the 2019-2020 fiscal year.

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2 State lawmakers are considering a proposal to legalize prostitution in New York State.  2 New York City State Senators, Julia Salazar & Jessica Ramos forwarded the proposal this week, only a few counties in the state of Nevada have legalized Prostitution, none of t5he 50 states as a whole, have legal prostitution, the proposal is not expected to make it the Governor’s desk this year.

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Emergency crews responded to the report of a 2 vehicle crash on state route 166 in the town of Middlefield this morning.  1 unidentified person was injured in the crash, State DOT officials remind residents to try to steer clear of snow plows doing their jobs during the winter weather.

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Cornell Cooperative Extension of Delaware County announced the availability of programs to make homes more energy efficient through the Weatherization Assistance Program and Empower NY, which can provide over $10,000 of energy improvements for income eligible households.  These programs cover such improvements as: Insulation and air sealing; replacement of inefficient heating equipment; installation of high-efficiency lighting; replacement of refrigerators and inefficient appliances.  More information is available at 865-6531 or by email to jmd30@cornell.edu.

The Oneonta Comprehensive Steering Committee meeting will be held this evening at Oneonta City Hall.  The meeting will begin at 6:00 PM in the Common Council Chambers; it was moved from Wednesday night to tonight due to the wintry weather. 

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The Commerce Chenango Economic Outlook Breakfast will be held this morning at the Canasawacta Country Club, on County Road 44 in Norwich, 13815.  Registration begins at 7:30; the presentation begins at 8:15, Featuring NBT Bank keynote speaker, Senior Vice President and Chief Investment Officer, Kenneth Entenmann.

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The Tri Town Coalition on Substance Abuse Prevention meeting will be held this evening in Sidney.  The meeting will begin at 6:00 PM at the Sidney High School Library; the Guest Speaker will be Megan Walradth of the Central Region Prevention Resource Center.

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Jury selection is complete & the murder trial of Ernest Franklin is underway today in Chenango County Court. Franklin & his wife Heather are accused of murdering the special needs son Jeffrey in the family home & then setting the house on fire, mimicking the plot of a movie that the Franklin’s watched called “Manchester By the Sea” Heather Franklin’s trial will be held in Chenango county court later this year.

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State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli has analyzed the $175.1 billion 2019-20 Executive Budget plan, which advances several measures to reduce the financial risks posed to New York by unpredictable tax revenues and federal funding. State tax collections for January were $2.3 billion below the Division of Budget’s initial projections; they reduced estimates of tax receipts for the current and next fiscal years by $5.7 billion since release of the November update of the Financial Plan.  DiNapoli’s report also finds that Out-year budget gaps projected for the 3 years starting with 2020-21 budget average $4.8 billion annually; projected school aid would total $27.7 billion, an increase of $956 million, the report is available at osc.state.ny.us/reports/budget/2019.

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The Tri Town Relay for life event will be held in June at General Clinton Park in Bainbridge, prior to that, the kick off “Carnival For A Cure” will be held on March 6th at the Sidney Elks Lodge on River Street from 5:30 to 7:30 PM, spokesperson Gretta Henchey explains:

(Gretta Henchey 2-27-19)

More information about the March 6th event is available at 267-0014.  The Relay for Life event will be held in June 7th from 6:00 to 11:00 PM.

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19 year old Christopher Youngs of the Town of Maryland was arrested Monday after leading Oneonta Police officers in a chase that resulted in the injury of one of the officers.   Youngs was charged with 2nd-degree assault of a police officer, resisting arrest, and unlawful possession of marijuana, after police were attempting to locate Youngs on outstanding Bench Warrants, at 31 Fairview Street.  Youngs jumped out a 2nd-story window and he led officers in a pursuit down a hillside.    Youngs was arraigned Tuesday in the Oneonta City Court and was being held on $5,000 cash bail or $10,000 bond at the Otsego County Correctional Facility.

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3 men were arraigned in federal court Wednesday on charges connected to the bank robbery at the M&T Bank branch in North Greenbush Tuesday morning.  Christopher Cohn and Ulysses Walls were both charged with bank robbery offenses. A third man, Quardel Valentine, was charged with conspiracy. 1 bank teller was grazed by a bullet in the arm, as the 3 assailants fired their weapons upon leaving the M&T bank, descriptions of the getaway car led police to a nearby motel where the 3 were arrested.

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Cornell Cooperative Extension will host a Farmers’ Market Community Meeting at their Hamden office on Wednesday, March 13th, from 9:30-11:30 am.  The goal of this meeting is to create and/or strengthen relationships among individuals and groups that support farmers’ markets in Delaware County.  More information is available at 865-6531 or ccedelaware.org.

Following previous postponements, Jury selection was scheduled to begin today in Chenango County Court for the murder trial of Ernest Franklin of Guilford.  Franklin and his wife Heather face charges for allegedly murdering their special needs son Jeffrey in their Town of Guilford Home and then setting fire to the home to cover up the murder in March of 2017.

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The Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in downtown Binghamton was closed down by authorities today for an investigation. The Federal Protective Service, Binghamton police and the Binghamton Fire Department responded to the federal building at about 12:00 Noon today at 15 Henry Street, the  same agencies responded Friday to the Social Security Office on Court Street after an employee opened an envelope containing a white powdery substance.

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Governor Cuomo Signed the new “Red Flag Bill” into law, 6 years after signing the New York Safe Act:

(Cuomo 2-25-19)

Cuomo attended a function today in New York City where he urged House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to try to enact this legislation on a National basis.

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NYSEG reported that power outages around the state were down to about 14,000 this afternoon, following the High winds around the state since yesterday afternoon.  This Afternoon, 659 Broome County customers were without power, along with 112 in Chenango County, 258 in Delaware County & 244 in Otsego County.  NYSEG Crews are working to restore power as quickly as possible.

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Local Police Agencies are warning the public about a Social Security scam where the caller identifies himself as a police officer in an attempt to gain person and financial information from the victim, the Police Department’s name may also appear on your phone as the caller.   Police Department will never request financial information or Social Security numbers over the phone; they also do not request any type of payment to be made over the phone via credit card or gift card. The Vestal Police Department was alerted Friday that a scam was perpetrated in their name last week.

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Governor Cuomo stated that losing the Amazon Warehouse project & the 25,000 jobs along with it, is the greatest tragedy of his tenure as governor.  Amazon recently pulled out of the Long Island City Queens Project after several local politicians came out against Amazons Anti-Union history, and they announced that they will stick with their remaining facilities.

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Governor Cuomo announced this morning that school district that cancel classes due to the high winds today, will not be penalized.  School districts are allowed a certain number of snow days each year before their state aid is subtracted; today will not be counted as part of that formula.

NYSEG reports that about 900 customers in Broome, Chenango, & Delaware Counties are without power from the high winds in the region.  Crews are trying to restore the power as quickly as possible.   NYSEG customers should call 1-800-572-1131 to report downed power lines or other hazardous situations.

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The Binghamton Devils today released a new mobile app for fans to stay connected with everything Devils-related on the go. All fans that download the app will be entered to win 2 tickets to 1 of the remaining home games this season.  The new Devils App features up to date news on the team, roster, and schedule, including theme nights and discounted tickets. Direct links to listen and watch the game on your mobile device will also be provided.

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The next Bainbridge United meeting is this evening @ 7:00 pm at the back of Bob’s Diner. 

Binghamton Police arrested 23 year old Kyle Adkins of Binghamton on a 2nd degree Robbery charge.   Police reported that on Wednesday afternoon 2 masked men entered 56 Pine Street in the city, Police were called Officers apprehended Adkins, another suspect fled on foot & is still at large.  Police said that no shots were fired during the burglary, no injuries occurred, the investigation is continuing.

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The Center for Agricultural Development and Entrepreneurship and SUNY Cobleskill will offer a free legal workshop On Wednesday, March 6th from 7:00 to 9:00 PM in Oneonta, for farms and food businesses on the important topic of succession planning. The workshop is part of a 2019 Farm and Food Business Incubator Workshop series covering essential topics in business planning and management, it will be held at the Center’s Oneonta office location at 189 Main Street, 5th Floor, More Information or registration is available at 433-2545.

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Today, the New York State Association of Counties urged Governor Cuomo and the State Legislature to make modifications to the proposed expansion of the Returnable Container Act, which would add a deposit to sports drinks, energy drinks, fruit and vegetable beverages, and ready-to-drink coffees and teas.  The Association claims that the proposal harms recycling programs that are already being threatened by global recycling market volatility, instead they urge the State to add a deposit to additional glass beverage containers, including wine and liquor bottles, hard cider bottles, and non-alcoholic glass beverage containers as Glass causes problems in the municipal recycling stream because it breaks and contaminates other recyclables. Placing a deposit on these containers would increase glass recycling, reduce municipal recycling costs, and reduce glass contamination.

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NY State of Health released county-level enrollment statistics showing that overall enrollment increased in each of New York’s 62 counties. Total enrollment in the Marketplace is now over 4.7 million people, reflecting an increase of more than 435,000 people from 2018.  NY State of Health focused increased marketing and outreach efforts in areas with higher uninsured rates, which contributed to enrollment gains across all program types. Counties with the Highest Percentage Increase in Combined Qualified Health Plan & Essential Plan Enrollment between 2018 and 2019 included Broome County with a 12% increase & Delaware County with a 10% increase.

Governor Cuomo today announced that the New York State Department of Labor has been awarded up to $5.59 million in federal grants to help provide new skills to workers, including new entrants to the workforce, who have been or are being impacted by the opioid crisis. Additionally, the funds will be used for workforce development in professions that address or prevent problems related to opioids across the state, such as addiction treatment service providers, pain management and therapy service providers, and mental health treatment providers. The initiative complements ongoing efforts by the state Health Department and the Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse services to train peers in recovery to work with hospitals, assisting individuals with substance use disorder in accessing treatment.

Delaware County Sheriff’s Deputies arrested 28-year-old Michael Lor of Schenectady, for DWI, failure to keep right and moving from a lane unsafely, after a traffic stop in the Town of Middletown.  Lor was released & will appear in the Town of Middletown Court at a later date.

A HEALTHCARE JOB FAIR will be held at the FOXCARE Center in Oneonta, tomorrow from 11:00 am to 2:00 PM.  Participants include Bassett Healthcare, Family Planning of South Central NY, UHS Hospitals, The ARC of Delaware County, The ARC of Otsego County, AO Fox Hospital, Pathfinder Village & the State Veteran’s Home in Oxford.

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The Binghamton Devils announced that they have partnered with USA Hockey & the Southern Tier Hockey Association to host a “try hockey free day” on February 23RD At the Broome County Arena.  Parents can register their children for one of 2 time slots on the 23rd, by calling the devils office at 722-7367, more information is also available at binghamtondevils.com

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Visitors can travel back in time Saturday as the Rogers Environmental Education Center in Sherburne hosts a demonstration of ice harvesting on Cunningham Ice Pond.  The event runs from 2:30 and 3:30 pm, it is free and open to the public.

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The Bainbridge Town Hall Theatre & Gallery will Present Blue grass musical act Remington Ryde, who will perform there Saturday night at 7:00 PM.  Tickets can be reserved at 288-3882.

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SU basketball coach Jim Boeheim struck and killed a man with his vehicle Wednesday walking outside a vehicle in the middle of the road on Interstate 690 in Syracuse shortly before 11:30 pm Wednesday night.   Syracuse Police said that Boeheim struck 51 year old Jorge Jimenez of Syracuse as he stood on the side of the road.  Field Sobriety Tests on Boeheim & Jimenez were negative for Alcohol, Boeheim was taken to Syracuse police headquarters, where he was questioned and released. The investigation and accident reconstruction efforts are continuing.

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The Raymond Corporation has been named to Fast Company’s 2019 Most Innovative Companies list. Raymond was nominated for the impact its Raymond Virtual Reality Simulator tool has had on enhancing education for forklift operators. The list recognizes organizations transforming and shaping society, in 36 categories, from artificial intelligence to wellness,   more information about The Raymond Corporation is available at raymondcorp.com or call 800-235-7200.

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Delaware County Sheriff Deputies conducted a traffic stop on State Hwy 28 in the Town of Meredith on a vehicle that was observed speeding. Deputies arrested 28 year old Michelle Gules of Wynantskill, It was determined that Gules had a suspended driver’s license for failure to pay a previous fine, she was issued tickets for Aggravated Unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle 3rd degree, unlicensed operator and speed in zone. Gules was released on the tickets and is to appear in the Town of Meredith Court at a later date.

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The Eastern League of Professional Baseball has announced the league will be changing their playoff format from a full season format to a split season format. Under the new format the first place team from each division during both the first and second halves of the season will qualify for the postseason. This change will go into effect immediately, starting with the 2019 season.  The Rumble Ponies kick off the 2019 campaign on the road April 4 against the New Hampshire Fisher Cats. Home Opener is scheduled for a 6:35 PM first pitch on Thursday, April 11 at NYSEG Stadium.

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Attorney General Letitia James announced that refund checks are being issued to consumers of “Energy Plus” as a result of a 2017 settlement.  Attorney General James also announced a settlement with “Ambit Energy”, both companies engaged in deceptive practices that resulted in consumers paying more for energy services when they were promised savings.   Over $700,000 in payments is being distributed to eligible current and former customers of Energy Plus stemming from a 2017 settlement with the Office of the Attorney General. Ambit previously agreed to provide more than $20 million in refunds to its customers in a class action settlement, so Attorney General James did not seek restitution in that case.

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Morgan Hungerford of East Meredith is the current Delaware County Dairy Princess, she has been chosen as one of 3 ambassadors for the dairy industry in New York State.  Hungerford was named the 2nd alternate for the state at a pageant held in Syracuse.  All 3 have won scholarships and will promote milk and other dairy products throughout New York this year.  

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Police in Haverstraw in Rockland County have arrested 35 year old Jason Mendez on a murder charge, after he was asked not to smoke near a family’s 6 children in a 7-11 Convenience Store parking lot Wednesday.  Mendez is accused of ramming his car into the family twice, killing the mother of the 6 children, Melissa DeLoatch, and injuring her husband & all 6 children, who were taken to an area hospital.  Mendez is being held for court action in Haverstraw town Court.

34-year-old Heather Kasmarcik of Johnson City pleaded guilty in Broome County Court for criminal sexual act, for engaging in sexual conduct with a girl less than 14 years of age, according to Broome County District Attorney Steven Cornwell.  State Police had arrested Kasmarcik and Derrick Cervini last year for allegedly sexually assaulting and raping 3 children from 2014 to June 2016.  Kasmarcik will be sentenced on May 22nd.

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The State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services Is offering funding opportunities for initiatives aimed at deterring opioid use disorder through prevention, treatment or recovery programs.   The application deadline for all of programs is March 7th, to apply or for more information and full list eligibility requirements, go to oasas.ny.gov/procurements. 

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Residents in the Harpursville School District voted in favor of the 1st phase of a 10 million dollar capital project, to upgrade a variety of locations around the district.  Voters also approved of a measure to spend over $410,000 on vehicle purchases Tuesday.

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