State Troopers in Oneonta arrested 25-year-old Cory Merchant of Sidney for 3rd degree Aggravated Unlicensed Operation and on an active Bench Warrant issued by the Town of Amsterdam Court for Failure to Pay Fine. The arrest resulted from a vehicle and traffic stop on State Route 23 in Davenport, Merchant was issued uniform traffic tickets returnable to the Town of Davenport Court for January 8th, he was then turned over to State police in Cobleskill to be transported to the Town of Amsterdam Court for arraignment on the Bench Warrant.
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Governor Cuomo signed legislation to make the unlicensed practice of law a class E felony. Cuomo said that for most professions licensed by the State, unlicensed practice constitutes a class E felony but under current law, unlicensed practice of law constitutes a misdemeanor. The new law takes effect November 1, 2013.
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The state Education Department released the list of 16 “persistently dangerous schools” & the Sidney middle school made the list again, the education department stated in their report that stated that schools are placed on the list when there are persistent reports of violent and disruptive incidents. Other upstate schools on the list were in Peekskill, Caroline, Berkshire, Greenburgh; South Seneca and Andover.
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Chobani CEO Hamdi Ulukaya will appear twice on NBC news programming today, he appeared on the “Today” show this morning, and will appear on “Rock Center” this evening. Ulukaya started Chobani in Edmeston after buying a shut down factory in 2005, he credits his employees & the dairy farmers of the region for their success:
(Hamdi)
Ulukaya said that the company’s employment has grown by large numbers in the last few years, a new factory is opening in Idaho shortly to help service West Coast demands, and they opened a retail store in New York City earlier this year.
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A New Quinnipiac Poll released Wednesday asked New York registered voters on the controversial natural gas drilling issue. 44% are in favor of drilling because of economic benefits and 42 percent opposed it due to environmental concerns. Voters favored a tax on gas drilling companies by a 54% to 32% margin, and believe 78% believe that drilling will create jobs while only 15% believe that it would not create jobs. 50% of those polled also said that Hydro-fracking will damage the environment, 17% believe that hydrofracking would not damage the environment.
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Former New York state comptroller Alan Hevesi has been released from prison after serving 20 months for officials misconduct. Hevesi was convicted for his leading role in a “Pay to Play” scheme while overseeing the state’s pension fund. Hevesi had served at the Mid-State Correctional Facility in Oneida County and was released after he was granted parole in court in November. Hevesi was originally sentenced to from 1 to 4 years in prison for his guilty plea in 2010.
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24-year-old Jaclyn Wesley of Binghamton was indicted by a Broome County grand jury on charges of vehicular manslaughter. Wesley was arrested after she drove her SUV into the Chenango River from I-88 in the town of Fenton on may 20th 2011, passengers Robert Moorehead, Robert Marshall, and Carri Michalski were all killed in the crash. Wesley was originally charged with 3 counts of first-degree vehicular manslaughter and 7 other charges, including DWI.
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Governor Cuomo announced $1 million in federal funding to enhance the competitiveness of New York’s agricultural products. The funding will support the research, development and promotion of specialty crops including fruits and vegetables, tree nuts, and nursery crops, and includes $200,000 to help support the growth of the state’s wine, beer, and spirits industry.
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