Delaware County Sheriff’s Deputies identified the person and vehicle sought in a Sands Creek Road, Town of Tompkins burglary investigation. 32-year-old Justin Biedekapp of Hancock, confessed to the crime to authorities after surveillance photos & information were released to the media. Biedekapp was charged with 2nd degree Criminal Trespass & was issued an appearance ticket returnable in the Town of Tompkins Court at a later date.
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Governor Cuomo presented the second part of his “2015 Opportunity Agenda” Thursday at a presentation in Rochester, to discuss the $1.5 billion Upstate New York Economic Revitalization Competition to restore economic opportunity to the Upstate regions.

(Cuomo 1-16-15)

The proposed competition uses the Buffalo Billion’s proven model, Projects exhibiting region-wide impact will be made a priority and should focus on strengthening critical infrastructure, revitalizing communities, bolstering workforce development, growing tourism, and improving quality of life. 7 regions are eligible to compete for 1 of 3 $500 million upstate revitalization funds.
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Governor Cuomo recently asked the Gaming Casino Location Siting Board to consider awarding the 4th casino license to the Southern Tier Region, after awarding only 3 licenses out of 4 last month. Area State Senator John Bonacic stated that the Sullivan County choice in his district is outstanding, and should be fast-tracked to get open quickly, before considering Tioga downs:

(Bonacic 1-16-15)

Bonacic said that the casino in Sullivan County is projected to being over 20 million dollars a year in extra revenue to the Sullivan & Orange County areas due to the expected increased tourism to the area because of the new casino.
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Nigel Saunders was found guilty of 2 counts of 2nd degree murder, 1st degree burglary 1st degree robbery and 2nd degree assault in Broome County court this morning. Saunders was on trial for the murder of 23-year-old Jordan Dordell & his fiancé in Binghamton, after only 3 hours of deliberation. Saunders will be sentenced on March 27th.
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The state Department of Health inappropriately paid more than 29,000 pharmacy claims worth nearly $1 million over a 27-month period for thousands of Medicaid recipients whose benefits were already covered by other plans, according to an audit released today by State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli. A second audit released today found another $61,711 in overpayments to providers because of incorrect Medicare coinsurance, copayment or deductible amounts. DiNapoli recommended that the DOH Review and recover improper overpayments; instruct providers to bill Medicare Part C claims in accordance with existing requirements, & assess all claims that auditors did not examine in detail and determine if overpayments were made that warrant recovery.
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The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown announced today that an Arizona Diamondbacks logo will appear on the cap of the Hall of Fame plaque for 2015 Hall of Fame electee Randy Johnson. The cap selections for Pedro Martinez and John Smoltz will be announced on January 22nd Craig Biggio played his entire career with the Houston Astros. This year’s Hall of Fame Class will be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday, July 26th in Cooperstown.
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The Chenango County Sheriff’s Department arrested 19-year-old Maxwell Horton of Sherburne for unlawful possession of marihuana. Deputies arrested Horton following a traffic stop for vehicle and traffic violations and during the investigation of the traffic stop deputies found Horton to be in possession of marihuana. Horton was released on an appearance ticket for Village of Sherburne court on a later date.
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The State DEC extended the public comment period on the draft permit for the proposed Constitution Pipeline and an upgrade to the Iroquois Wright Compressor station in Schoharie County by an additional 28 days.  Public comments will now be accepted until Friday, February 27.  Written comments should be submitted to: DEC – Division of Environmental Permits, 625 Broadway, 4th Floor, Albany, NY  12233. Copies of the documents can be viewed online at constitutionpipeline.com,  Printed copies are available at the Libraries in Afton, Bainbridge, Franklin, Sidney & Deposit.
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