WCDO Radio News

Delaware County Sheriff Deputies arrested 63 year old Alan Brown of East Meredith for Criminal possession of a controlled substance & promoting Prison Contraband, Brown is accused of possessing cocaine while being processed into the Delaware County Jail on unrelated charges.   Brown was arraigned in the Town of Delhi Court and remanded to the Delaware County Jail on $10,000.00 cash bail. Brown is to reappear in the Town of Delhi Court at a later date.  

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There is 1 week to go to get a State Budget finished on Time, local Assemblyman Cliff Crouch comments:

(Cliff Crouch 3-25-19)

The state budget is due to be passed April 1st, and is expected to be around 175 Billion Dollars.

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Rockland County ranked 1st among New York’s Counties in a ranking from Smart Assets on effective spending by County Governments of the Tax Dollars that they collect.  Otsego County ranked 2nd in that ranking, Delaware County ranked 26th & Chenango County was 35th.  The source can be found at smartasset.com/taxes.

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The City of Norwich will hold a public hearing on April 2nd at 6:30 PM, on a proposal to fine city residents that feed feral cats.  The public hearing will take place at 1 City Court Plaza in Norwich.

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A presentation for the public will be hosted by the Unatego Central School District Board of Education at 7:00 p.m., Wednesday, March 27, on a future capital building project. The meeting will be in the high school cafeteria at 2641 State 7 in Wells Bridge.

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A  Free 7-Week Smoking Cessation Course will start on Tuesday April 2nd at the O’Connor Hospital Board Room in Delhi.  The weekly class will run from 1:30 to 3:30 PM, registration, or more information is available at 431-5692 or bassett.org/quit-today.

State Police issued 13,038 tickets and arrested 259 people for impaired driving during the St. Patrick’s Day weekend impaired driving crackdown. The STOP-DWI initiative started on Friday, March 15 and continued through Monday, March 18th.  During the 2018 campaign, Troopers issued nearly 12,959 total tickets and arrested 243 motorists for impaired driving.

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Governor Cuomo reiterated that he will not sign a new State Budget Plan unless there is a permanent 2% Tax Cap.  He made the announcement yesterday on Long Island; the budget is due April 1st.

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The next Bainbridge United meeting will be held this evening.  The meeting will begin at 7:00 PM at Bob’s Diner, Bainbridge residents are urged to attend & participate.

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The North Norwich Plaza at 6142 Route 12 in Norwich, is scheduled to be auctioned off from April 15th to 17th, with an announced starting bid of $350,000. Currently 5 businesses are open at the site, filling up about 1/3rd of the total space.  More information is available at ten-x.com

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State Police CNET of the Southern Tier. along with other law Enforcement Agencies, executed a narcotics search warrant at 330 Conklin Avenue in the city of Binghamton.  State Police arrested 32 year old Kenneth Parker on 2 counts of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance; police seized heroin, cocaine and Vicodin pills, along with a digital scale and processing and packaging materials.  Parker was arraigned and remanded to Broome County Jail without bail.

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The next 2 weekends will be “Maple Weekends” with events taking place throughout the upstate region.  The list of participating Maple producers can be found at mapleweekend.nysmaple.com.  New York State is 2nd in the country behind Vermont, for Maple production.

 The Bainbridge Chamber of Commerce will hold their annual “Cabin Fever Bowling Tournament” tomorrow at Galaxy Bowl in Bainbridge.  The event begins at 10:00 AM; Proceeds will go toward the LED Sign Project at Clinton Park.

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The Chenango County Health Department announced that a free rabies clinic will be held tomorrow, at the Norwich Fire Station.  The clinic will run from 9:30 to 11:00 AM, more information is available at 337-1673.

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The Delaware County Fair announced a new partnership with Dreamland Amusements, through the 2024 fair.  This year’s Delaware County Fair will run from August 12th-17th, More information is available at dreamlandamusements.com.  All grandstand tickets will go on sale Saturday May 4th.

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Hospice & Palliative care of Chenango County will hold their annual “Camp-4-Seasons” on Saturday March 23rd from 9am – 3pm, at the Stanford Gibson Primary School in Norwich.   Grief Services Coordinator Rachel Barletta explains:

(Rachel Barletta 3-22-19)

More information is available at 334-3556 or by email at rbarletta@hospicechenango.org.

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A Winter Weather Watch is in effect as a storm system works its way to the region, local Meteorologist Rich Townsend comments:

(Rich Townsend 3-21-19)

Townsend said that he expects about 3 to 5 inches of snow with this storm, possibly a little more in the higher elevations; road conditions will be mostly wet.

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Broome County Sheriff’s Department is asking for the public’s assistance in trying to locate 31 year old Christopher Nugent of Deposit, who was charged with gang assault in connection with a stabbing at the Main Street, Johnson City McDonald’s in December.  The Warrant Division describes Nugent as white, standing 5’10” tall, weighing 155 pounds with brown hair and blue eyes, Tips can be submitted to gobroomecounty.com/sheriff/warrants or by phone at 778-1196 or 778-2923 or 778-2933.

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The number of private sector jobs in New York State grew by 7,900, or 0.1%, to 8,254,400, a new, all-time high, according to preliminary figures released today by the State Department of Labor.  The statewide unemployment rate was at 3.9%.

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Upstate New York casinos authorized to offer sports gambling could be accepting wagers by Memorial Day weekend, after the state Gaming Commission posted its rules for sports betting Wednesday, which started the 60-day period during which the public can weigh in on the issue.   After the Public Comment period, sports wagering would be allowed at the 4 privately owned non-Indian-owned casinos, including Tioga Downs.

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State Leaders are optimistic a new state budget can be passed before the new fiscal year begins April 1.  State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins told reporters that she’s committed to passing the budget on time and that negotiations with Cuomo are making progress.  Last minute issues include proposals to eliminate cash bail for criminal defendants & Making the 2% Tax Cap permanent.

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The Out Of the Woodworks Players will be performing their next Production in early April, Spokesman Will Drew explains:

(Will Drew 3-21-19)

Tickets are already available at brownpapertickets.com, through the OWP Facebook Page, or at the door.

Governor Andrew Cuomo has issued the city of Norwich and greater Norwich community to lower the American flag from through Sunday, March 31 to honor Norwich Police Sergeant Timothy Annesi, who died from a chronic illness Sunday.   Calling hours were held last night in Norwich.  A funeral service will be held this morning at 9:30 a.m. at the Broad Street United Methodist Church.

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The Village Of Sidney will be holding an informational meeting today from 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm in the Sidney Civic Center Board Room regarding possible implementation of one refuse hauler for all residential homes in the Village of Sidney. This will be 1st of 2 meetings on this topic, there will be a discussion of the proposal and residents are encouraged to ask questions or raise concerns about this subject. 

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Tomorrow will be the deadline to submit nominations to the Otsego County Chamber of Commerce, for their Distinguished Business Award & The Eugene Bettiol Jr Distinguished Citizen Award.  More information is available at otsegocc.com.

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The New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services and the State Health Department today announced the launch of a new campaign to raise awareness of the addiction services available in New York State for women who are pregnant. The campaign reminds women that it is OK to ask for help, and that they should talk to a healthcare professional about the services and medications that can help treat their addiction and support a healthy pregnancy.  More information is available at oasas.ny.gov.

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Delaware County Sheriff’s Deputies, along with the New York State DOT conducted a commercial traffic detail last Wednesday on County Highway 16 in the Town of Delhi. A total of 7 commercial vehicle inspections were conducted, 3 vehicles were taken out of service by DOT. A total of 5 tickets were issued to drivers for various equipment and safety violations.  1 driver was issued a citation for violating the posted 4-ton per axle weight limit, and another was cited for failure to obey a traffic control device after the driver drove through the posted checkpoint without stopping.

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The Afton Village Board of Trustees will be holding a special budget meeting workshop today, starting at 6:00 PM.  The Workshop will be held at the Bolster Community Center at 105 Main Street, the main topic will be the water & sewer budgets for the 2019-202 fiscal year.

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The Village of Bainbridge announced that a water main break occurred earlier today at Prospect & Tyler Street, off of Pearl Street to Jericho Hill.  Crews had the break repaired by about 2:30 PM, area residents are advised to let the water run until clear.

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The Copes Corners Park Spring Fest committee is soliciting craft, artist, product, and general vendors for its 5th annual Spring Fest. The event will take place May 4th from 9:00 am TO 5:00 pm.  More information is available at copescornerspark.org or 783-2518; applications must be mailed by April 22nd

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The Chenango Arts Council announced its annual Chenango Area Student Art exhibition on Friday, April 5th at 5:30 pm, with an awards ceremony for 2 scholarships, the council’s Student Art Show, and Artistic Discovery, where 6 entries will be submitted to Congressman Anthony Brindisi’s office for a chance to appear in the 2019 Congressional Art Show in Washington, DC.  The exhibit will run through April 19th at the Council’s Mariea Brown and Raymond Loft Galleries at 27 West Main Street, in Norwich.  Interested students can call the Council at 336-ARTS for more information. 

(Nate Lull 3-18-19)

WCDO Sports Director Nate Lull with the call in the closing seconds as the Cooperstown Boys Basketball team won their 1st state title in program history at the Floyd L. Maines Arena in Binghamton yesterday.  The Hawkeyes Defeated Middle Early College, a Charter School from Buffalo 71-61 in the title game, Cooperstown’s Jack Lambert was named tournament MVP after scoring a combined 76 points in 2 games at the Final 4, John Kennedy was named to the All-Tournament Team for Cooperstown.  The win came 1 day after a triple overtime win over Greenport in the State Semi-Finals.  To listen back to the game, or see pictures of the celebration, go to WCDOSPORTS.COM.

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Village Elections will be held across the state tomorrow, in the Village of Sidney; Mayor Andy Matviak is seeking election for another term:

(Andy Matviak 3-18-19)

Matviak faces a challenge from Jeffrey Stefanek, who told WCDO News why he decided to run:

(Jeffrey Stefanek 3-18-19)

Voters in Sidney will also be deciding on 2 seats on the Village Board, between Sheri Youngs, Ray Baker & Barry McPherson, Voting will be from 12:00 noon until 9:00 pm at the Sidney Civic Center.

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Nearly 30 volunteers shaved their heads at Saturday night’s Norwich St. Baldrick’s Foundation event. The 15th annual event, held at the American Legion in Norwich, raised more than $35,000 as part of St. Baldrick’s mission to fund childhood cancer research. 

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Animal Adventure Park in Harpursville announced that April the Giraffe gave birth Saturday with YouTube audience of more than 300,000 watching.  April gave birth to a healthy male calf at around 12:45 PM; the newborn was on its feet by 1:27 pm.

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Delaware County Sheriff’s Deputies, State Police and the Stamford Fire Department and Emergency Squad responded to a 911 report of a fatal hit-and-run vehicle-pedestrian accident on State Highway 10 in the Village of Stamford.   The Preliminary investigation indicates that the victim, 24 year-old Shannon German of Stamford was lying in the roadway when she was struck by a tractor trailer that continued traveling north following the collision.  State Highway 10 was subsequently closed to traffic for several hours for the investigation.  The tractor trailer and driver was located in the Schenectady area by State Police, who has been identified as 50-year-old Peter Baldauf of Delancey, who did not see German lying in the roadway and unknowingly struck her.  Baldauf has not been charged in relation to the accident.

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Assemblyman Cliff Crouch has been named to participate in the budget conference committees, now that both houses of the legislature have passed their budget bills:

(Cliff Crouch 3-15-19)

The budget is due on April 1st, the state budget office stated that the Senate budget would add 3.5 billion dollars to the deficit, the assembly bill adds unnecessary spending & added taxes to pay for it.

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A town of Norwich resident was arrested by the Chenango County Sheriff’s Office for 2nd degree Assault.  20 year old Kyle Nowalk was arrested following an investigation into an incident in the Chenango County Jail for allegedly caused physical injury to a victim within the detention facility.  Nowalk will appear in the Town of Norwich Court at a later date.

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A Town of Norwich resident was arrested by the Chenango County Sheriff’s Office for Aggravated Unlicensed Operation of a Motor Vehicle.  46 year old Leon Lamb was arrested following a traffic stop on County Road 32 in the Town of Norwich, Lamb was allegedly operating a motor vehicle with a suspended license, and he was arraigned in the Town of Norwich Court and remanded to the Chenango County Correctional Facility on $1,000 cash bail. Lamb is to appear in the Town of Norwich Court at a later date.

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Officials with Social Security report that a scam reported in January is still continuing.  The scam includes a phone call from someone claiming to be from Social Security or another agency, thee calls can even display the Social Security national customer service number, on the caller ID.  The scammer states that Social Security does not have all of your personal information on file, or needs additional information so the agency can increase benefit payments, or that Social Security will terminate your benefits if they do not confirm your information; none of These calls are from Social Security. Officials stated that if you receive these calls, do not give personal information, hang up & report the call to the Office of the Inspector General at 1-800-269-0271.

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State Police and local law enforcement will conduct a special targeted enforcement detail this St. Patrick’s Day weekend to deter drinking and driving. The traffic enforcement detail begins today and runs through Monday. Drivers can expect a number of sobriety checkpoints, additional DWI patrols, underage drinking and sales to minors details during the campaign. State Police will also be ticketing distracted drivers who use handheld electronic devices.   During the 2018 St. Patrick’s Day weekend enforcement effort, Troopers made 243 arrests for DWI and issued nearly 13,000 tickets.

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The Rotary Club of Sidney will be hosting a fundraiser Saturday for the Howard & Catherine Lynch Scholarship for a graduating Sidney High School Senior.  Spokesman Larry Halbert explains:

(Larry Halbert 3-15-19)

Tickets can be purchased through Saturday at the Sidney & Norwich American Legions, at VEP+ on Main Street in Sidney, or by calling Larry Halbert at 237-4762,

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The Sidney Chamber of Commerce is holding its “Irish For A Day” Parade and festivities Saturday.  Chamber Spokesperson Teri Schunk explains:

(Teri Schunk 3-15-19)

The event runs from 12:00 Noon until 4:00 PM, the parade will line up at the Great American Parking Lot at 1:30; the parade will start at 2:00 PM.

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The Greater Afton Area Chamber of Commerce will host their Annual Golf Ball Drop Fundraiser at 4:00 pm Saturday outside of Afton Central School during Afton Sertoma’s Goofy Golf event.   Proceeds from the drop benefit the Greater Afton Area Chamber of Commerce, “Payne’s Cranes,” will be dropping numbered golf balls from 90 feet in the air.   More information is available by calling 765-6507

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Constituents are invited to join Senator Jen Metzger and Delhi Village Mayor Richard Maxey for coffee today at Delhi Village Hall to ask questions, and address concerns in the 42nd Senate District.  This event is free, and open to the public, from 1:30 to 2:30 PM, more information is available at 845-344-3311.

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The annual St. Baldrick’s event will be held on Saturday in Norwich, from 6:00 pm to 8:30 pm at the American Legion Post 189, at 29 Sheldon Street.   The annual event raises money for childhood cancer research; more information is available at 336-2800 or at stbaldricks.org/events/Norwich.