The Chenango County Sheriff’s Department Narcotics Division arrested 3 people in connection with the distribution of Heroin in the Town of Norwich. Charged were 28-year-old Ashley Wakefield of Norwich and 22-year-old Keith Johnson of New Berlin, they are accused of attempting to sell heroin to an undercover Police Officer in Norwich. Johnson was found to have 10 bags of heroin, a hypodermic needle and prescription drugs. Wakefield was charged with Attempted Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance, 4th degree Conspiracy, Criminally Possessing a Hypodermic Instrument, and Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance. She was arraigned in the Town of Norwich Court and remanded to the Chenango County Correctional Facility on $5,000 cash bail. Johnson was charged with Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance, He was arraigned in the Town of Norwich Court and remanded to the Chenango County Correctional Facility on $10,000 cash bail. 24-year-old Andrew Cleveland was also charged with 4th degree Facilitation, he was released on an appearance ticket.
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State police arrested 16-year-old Wade Armstrong of Delhi for reckless endangerment and unlawfully fleeing a police officer in a motor vehicle. Police responded to the report of an unauthorized use of a motor vehicle on State Route 23 in Andes, Armstrong refused to stop and attempted to evade apprehension by driving erratically and speeding. Troopers deployed a stinger tire deflation device; Armstrong then fled his disabled vehicle on foot and was apprehended. Armstrong was arraigned in the Town of Andes Court and remanded to the Delaware County Jail on $3,000.00 cash bail.
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Governor Cuomo’s popularity increased, while his potential opponents were way behind, according to a Siena College poll. Cuomo had 66% to 28% favorability and had a 50-point lead over potential Republican opponents Donald Trump and Rob Astorino. Voters were also supportive of Cuomo’s plans in his State of the State address January 8th.
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The state DOT is not adequately monitoring whether commercial carriers whose vehicles or drivers have been taken off the road because of violations are making needed repairs or corrections, which puts the public at risk, according to an audit by State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli. Auditors found that in 60% the DOT did not use such enhanced enforcement actions to ensure compliance with the law, violators in these instances typically received only a traffic citation. A copy of the report, including DOT’s response, is available at osc.state.ny.us.
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Email scams are being reported by people in the Southern Tier, involving phony emails asking for personal information. The state attorney general office warns downloading an attachment from an unknown email could give scam artists access to your computer, they recommended to never open a link or download an attachment from someone you don’t know or don’t trust.
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State Health Commissioner Nirav Shah reminds New Yorkers about the importance of testing their homes for radon. According to the federal EPA, Radon cannot be seen or smelled, it is the 2nd leading cause of lung cancer and is responsible for more than 20,000 lung cancer deaths in the U.S. annually. About 37% of tested basements in New York State have elevated radon levels. More information is available at health.ny.gov
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New York State’s unemployment rate decreased from 7.4% to 7.1% in December 2013, according to figures released today by the State Labor Department. In December, the state’s economy added 10,400 private sector jobs, to just over 7.5 million.
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The Bainbridge-Guilford Central School District will hold a Board of Education Meeting today in the Guilford School Cafeteria at 6:30 PM. The business portion of the meeting will start at 7:00 PM.