WCDO NEWS MONDAY 4-4-16

by wcdonews Posted on April 4, 2016

State Trooper Donald Atkinson, of Troop C was named 2015 Trooper of the Year by the International Association of Chiefs of Police’s Division of State and Provincial Police.  Trooper Atkinson jumped into fast moving water at the Whitney Point Dam last summer, he put his life at risk, & saved the life of a 14-year-old girl near the large intake tunnels. Trooper Atkinson has been a member of the State Police since 2001.

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There will be a Democratic and a Republican Presidential Primary Election in New York State on Tuesday, April 19th. Polls will be open from Noon to 9 PM.   The Delaware County board of elections reported that the Town of Tompkins Poll Site has changed to the Tompkins Town Hall at 148 Bridge Street in Trout Creek. April 12th is the last day an absentee ballot application may be mailed to the Board of Elections. April 18th is the last day to apply in person for an absentee ballot and the last day to mail a completed ballot to the Board of Elections. April 19th is the last day for a ballot to be delivered by agent to the Board of Elections.   Sample ballots for Delaware county voters can be accessed at co.delaware.ny.us.

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State lawmakers are weighing in on the new state budget passed last week. Assemblyman Cliff Crouch comments:

 

(Cliff Crouch 4-4-16)

 

Assemblyman Pete Lopez said that the process for passing the budget was not transparent:

 

(Pete Lopez 4-4-16)

 

The 11th hour budget kept the spending increase to under the 2% state cap, and includes record setting amounts of state aid.

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The Binghamton Senators & the Binghamton Mets announced that they will offer a “Downtown Doubleheader” ticket package for their game on Saturday, April 9th, that will include a ticket to both team’s games and a specialty dual logo t-shirt. The B-Mets will host the New Hampshire Fisher Cats on Saturday at 1:05 p.m. at NYSEG Stadium before the B-Sens host the Albany Devils at 7:05 p.m. in the Floyd L. Maines Veterans Memorial Arena.   The Binghamton Mets players will be at the B-Sens game Saturday night to sign autographs on the concourse and interact with fans. The ticket package is only $23 prior to the games, and can be purchased online through the B-Sens website, or by calling the B-Sens offices at 722-7367.

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Delaware County Sheriff Deputies responded to the scene of a 1-car motor vehicle accident on State Highway 30, in the Town of Hancock. 65-year-old James Stracka of Peckville, Pennsylvania, lost control of his vehicle, traveled off the roadway and struck a rock wall, allegedly while intoxicated. Stracka was arrested for DWI & moving from lane unsafely, he is scheduled to appear in the Town of Hancock Court at a later date.

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The Afton School District Board of Education has cancelled their meeting scheduled for 7:00 PM tonight.   Afton Superintendent Betty Briggs told WCDO that the Board meeting would be rescheduled shortly.

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State Police & Otsego County emergency crews responded to a multi-vehicle collision Sunday afternoon near Schenevus on Interstate 88, which was believed to be caused by white-out conditions. The wreck took place at about 1:45 p.m. on the westbound stretch of the highway between Exits 18 and 19 in the town of Maryland. Police said that there were no fatalities but 8 people were injured & were taken to Bassett Hospital for non-life threatening injures. Police said that the crash included a Trailways Bus, 3 tractor-trailers and 8 passenger vehicles. The section of I-88 was closed until late last night for accident reconstruction investigators & clean up.
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State Police are investigating a 2 vehicle collision involving a marked New York State Police patrol vehicle that occurred Friday afternoon on State Route 17 in the Town of Kirkwood. Broome County 911 received a report of a vehicle travelling west bound in the east bound lane between exits 77 and 76, that caller then reported the head on collision with the State Police SUV. The unidentified Trooper took evasive action but was struck by the oncoming vehicle. The Operator of the pick-up was pronounced dead at the scene. The Trooper was transported to a local hospital with minor injuries. The investigation is continuing. The names of the deceased & the injured Trooper have not being released.
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NYSEG reported that thousands were without power due to high winds late Saturday night into Sunday afternoon. about 2000 were without power in Broome & Chenango Counties this morning, This afternoon, about 100 customers were without power in Delaware & Otsego Counties. NYSEG Crews are working to restore power as quickly as possible.
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The American Cancer Society Relay For Life will hold an informational Team Captain meeting today at 5:30pm at the United Methodist Church at 12 Liberty Street in Sidney. Relay For Life event will be held on May 14, at General Clinton Park in Bainbridge. More information is available at 563-8841, or 563-9634, or at relayforlife.org/tritownny.
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WCDO NEWS FRIDAY 4-1-16

by wcdonews Posted on April 1, 2016

Local lawmakers are weighing in on the new state budget plan, area state senator Jim Seward comments:

(Seward 4-1-16)

Seward said that the Budget includes the Minimum wage increase to $15.00 an hour by 2021, something that was opposed to, he approves of the $1 billion dollar Middle Class Tax cut in the 1st year, which will reach $4.2 Billion dollars when implemented over the next several years.
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The out of the woodwork players have assembled a 28 member cast for the play “A Funny Little Thing Call Love” Area Merchant & Local Theater veteran Rich Cooley told WCDO News that he read the script, loved it and then went about putting together the largest production in recent memory:

(Rich Cooley 4-1-16)

The play will be held at the Bainbridge Town Hall Theater Performances: Friday, April 15th & Saturday, April 16th at 7:00pm, and Sunday April 17th at 2:00pm. Tickets can be purchased at owptheatre@yahoo.com OR contact or at Cooley’s jewelers on Main Street in Sidney at 563-1311.
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The Delaware county fair comes back to the fairgrounds in Walton August 15ht to the 20th. Spokesman John Jackson said that tickets for the Saturday night concert go on sale tomorrow:

(John Jackson 4-1-16)

Jackson said that Reithoffers midways are back, as well as the demolition derby, Tractor and farm equipment displays and demonstrations, Livestock contests and encounters with over 1,000 animals, Food & a variety of Live entertainment each day.
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Delaware County Sheriff Deputies arrested 57-year-old Calvin Wank of Deposit on 1 count of unlawful possession of marijuana, and 2 counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance. Deputies accuse Wank of possessing Cocaine, marijuana & Methamphetamine. Wank was arraigned at Deposit Town Court and was remanded to the Delaware County Jail on $1000 bail.
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Delaware County Sheriff’s Deputies arrested 22-year-old Tyler Davis of Walton for 2 counts of Endangering the Welfare of a Child, 1 count of Sexual Misconduct & 1 count of Criminal Sexual Act. Davis was taken into custody at the conclusion of an investigation conducted by Delaware County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigation Division and Deputies. Davis was arraigned & was released to reappear at a later date.
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Governor Cuomo announced a last minute agreement with legislative leaders on the 2016-17 state budget, which includes Raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour in every region of the state by 2021, Enacting a paid family leave policy, Holding the growth in state spending to 2%, Cutting the personal income tax, Providing $24.8 billion in School Aid, & ending the Gap Elimination Adjustment. The budget also includes Investing $55 billion in the largest state transportation plan ever approved – including $27 billion for the DOT and Thruway and $27 billion for the MTA of New York City.
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The remaining law that completed the Women’s Equality Agenda package will take effect today. This measure creates a pilot program that would enable domestic violence victims to seek temporary orders of protection through electronic means rather than having to appear in person.
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The New York State Department of Health announced that Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker will lead a team of state and local health officials to a federal Zika Action Plan Summit to share strategies and best practices with colleagues from across the nation. The gathering will be held today at the Atlanta headquarters of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There is increasing evidence that Zika is linked to a birth defect, in the developing fetuses of infected mothers. The State Plan includes distributing 100,000 larvicide tablets to eliminate mosquito breeding grounds; aggressively monitoring the mosquito population through trapping and testing; providing free Zika protection kits to pregnant women; deploying Rapid Response Teams wherever local mosquito transmission is confirmed; issuing emergency regulations requiring local Zika Action Plans; and launching a broad public awareness campaign.
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The American Red Cross encourages eligible donors to give blood during National Volunteer Month this April. Blood drives today are scheduled from 8:30 AM to 2:30 PM at the Harold BOCES, campus on Route 206 in Masonville, in Norwich from 11:30 AM to 5:30 PM at the Broad Street Methodist Church, & in Cooperstown from 1:30 to 6:30 PM at Bassett Hall. To make an appointment to give blood, download the free Red Cross Blood Donor App, visit redcrossblood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).
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WCDO THURSDAY 3-31-16

by wcdonews Posted on March 31, 2016

It’s not looking to promising for New York State to have a budget passed by tonight’s deadline. Area Assemblyman Pete Lopez said that the whole budget process has been out of the public’s eye & the rank & file Lawmakers again this year:

(Lopez 3-31-16)

Area Assemblyman Cliff Crouch told WCDO news this morning that he doesn’t see a budget passed by midnight:

(Cliff Crouch 3-31-16)

Crouch said that 1of the key sticking points in this year’s budget negotiation is the phased in minimum wage proposal, increases in revenue expected from New York City, he expressed disappointment in the closed process, and the lack of discussion about leadership term limits after many former legislative leaders faced charges & conviction for corruption.
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Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul & State Parks Commissioner Rose Harvey unveiled a $2.2 million project that will transform the popular beach area at Chenango Valley State Park Wednesday. The project will expand the sand beach area and create multiple swim areas that provide a range of appropriate depths for all ages. Water circulation and quality will be improved through hydro-engineered technology and aeration, which pushes and circulates water from the bottom of the swim area.
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The 4th murder trial of Cal Harris begins today in Schoharie County Court. After 2 jury convictions in Tioga County court, 2 successful appeals, and a move to Schoharie County and a hung jury, Harris has requested that the Judge Richard Mott decide his fate after all the testimony is given. Harris is accused of killing his estranged wife Michelle around September 11th 2001.
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The New York State Court of Appeals has upheld smoking restrictions in state parks, unanimously rejecting arguments from a smokers’ rights group that parks officials exceeded their authority and smoking limits should be left to state lawmakers. Judge Eugene Fahey writes that lawmakers gave responsibility to the parks department authority to provide for public health and welfare within the park system. The parks office oversees 179 parks and 35 historic and other sites, they said that the smoking restrictions apply to less than 5% of their 330,000 acres.
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The Unadilla Youth for Christ organization will hold their 3rd annual 5K run this Saturday. The race begins at 10:30 from the Unadilla elementary school, registration & number pick up begins at 8:30. Participants are encouraged to run in costume, all proceeds benefit the youth for Christ teen center. More information is available at 432-0594.

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Cornell Cooperative Extension will be sponsoring two conferences on Epigenetics and Breastfeeding today with keynote speaker Larry Noble. The 1st conference is at the FoxCare Center from 7:30 am to 9:30 am, the 2nd at SUNY Delhi’s Okun Theatre from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm.
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The American Red Cross will have another area blood drive today in Chenango County, from 10:00 to 3:00 today at the NBT Bank Branch at 52 South Broad Street in Norwich. Appointments can be made by downloading the free Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting redcrossblood.org or calling 1-800-RED CROSS.
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The city of Oneonta commission on community relations & human rights will meet tonight. The meeting will begin at 7:00 PM in the Common Council Chambers at City Hall.
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The Otsego County Medical reserve corps will hold a meeting today for those looking to volunteer their expertise in the event of a disaster. Stefan Dunham heads up the corps:

(Stefan Dunham 3-31-16)

Dunham said that a meeting is today at 5:00 PM in Cooperstown at the Meadows Office Building, EMS Classroom b. More information is available at 547-6477 or dunhams@otsegocounty.com
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This morning at 8:30 AM until 9:30, The Otsego County Chamber of Commerce is hosting an Eye Opener Continental breakfast at The Hampton Inn in Oneonta on behalf of Catholic Charities for Delaware, Otsego and Schoharie counties. The Dispute Resolution Center of Catholic Charities is currently recruiting potential candidates to become trained volunteer mediators for their program.
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WCDO NEWS WEDNESDAY 3-30-16

by wcdonews Posted on March 30, 2016

The New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services announced a new, multi-year program to train counseling professionals to better enable them to deliver treatment for those with gambling addictions. Many individuals seek private practitioners for help to address problem gambling and this new training program ensures that private practitioners are knowledgeable about problem gambling and will increase access to treatment and support services. New Yorkers struggling with problem gambling, can find help and hope by calling the State’s HOPEline at 1-877-8-HOPENY .
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Governor Cuomo today announced New York state parks, historic sites and campgrounds hosted another successful season, with 65.3 million estimated visits in 2015. Park attendance increased 5% from 2014 to 2015, it was boosted by a variety of factors, including national exposure for Letchworth and Watkins Glen State Parks, which were ranked first and third best state parks in the nation by USA Today; and favorable weather throughout the summer and late into the fall.
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The 2015 New York hunting season proved to be one of the safest on record and yielded the first year without a hunting-related shooting fatality since the 1950s, The DEC reported only 23 hunting incidents, the third lowest number on record, with 10 incidents self-inflicted and 13 two-party incidents. 2015 also continued the trend of declining incidents with New York’s hunting-related shooting incident rate, declining almost 80% since the 1960s.
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Attorney General Eric Schneiderman joined the Federal Trade Commission, the other 49 states, and the District of Columbia in announcing the successful conclusion of the largest multistate charity fraud action to date. 2 nationwide sham cancer charities are being dissolved and their president is banned from profiting from any charity fundraising in the future. Cancer Fund of America and Cancer Support Services and their leader, James Reynolds, claimed to help cancer patients, but instead, the majority of donations benefited the operators, their families and friends, and employee fundraisers. The complaint was filed in May 2015, targeting 4 sham charities run by Reynolds, which bilked more than $187 million from donors, including nearly $3 million in New York State.
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The deadline to apply for scholarships for Sidney High School Seniors is this Sunday, Tracy Young is part of the Sidney Dollars for Scholars program:

(Tracy Young 3-30-16)

The Website to make the profiles & apply for scholarships is scholarshipamerica.org.
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Practices will start this Friday at I-88 Speedway in Afton, for the upcoming racing season, track spokesperson Denise Paige explains:

(Denise Paige 3-30-16)

Paige said that the racing season begins April 15th and runs through the weekend of October 8th & 9th.
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The state learned that hundreds of faulty bolts were discovered within the reactor at the Indian Point Unit 2 Plant, the latest in a series of incidents that raise concerns about the management, maintenance and equipment standards at the plant. Governor Cuomo stated that there was no immediate danger to public health and safety, but the Governor said that he believes that the plant should NOT be re-licensed.
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New York State’s unemployment rate dropped 1/10th to 4.8% in February. Locally, Chenango County’s rate was 5.8%, Delaware County at 6.5% and Otsego County at 5.6%.
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A federal jury on Tuesday convicted 25-year-old Antonio Ballard of Binghamton, for engaging in a sex trafficking and prostitution business involving minors. Ballard faces sentencing on July 27th.
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Former New York state Assembly speaker Sheldon Silver was disbarred Tuesday by the Appellate Division of the state Supreme Court in Manhattan. Silver was convicted for abusing his power while serving as Speaker of the State Assembly from 1994 until last year. He faces sentencing in a couple of weeks.
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WCDO NEWS TUESDAY 3-29-16

by wcdonews Posted on March 29, 2016

State Police arrested 36-year-old Cristal Cartelli & 38 year old Curtis Webb of Sidney on a variety of charges including drug possession. The arrests occurred after Cartelli failed to stop at a stop sign on State Route 206 in Bainbridge, Troopers recovered heroin & marijuana during a search & they found that Cartelli was wanted on a warrant in Vestal & Webb was wanted on a warrant in Sidney. Cartelli & Webb were arraigned & were both remanded to the Chenango County jail on bail, pending court action on April 26th.
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State Police at Sidney arrested 35 year old Melissa Bateman of Unadilla for the felony aggravated DWI with a child less than 16 years old, plus criminal possession of a controlled substance and other traffic violations. The arrest occurred after troopers responded to a 1-car accident on State Route 7 in the Town of Unadilla, Bateman is accused of driving while impaired by drugs when she drove off the roadway and struck a guide rail, one of her passengers was a 14-year-old girl. Bateman was found to unlawfully possess 7 prescription pills. Bateman was issued tickets returnable to the Town of Unadilla court on April 11th.
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State lawmakers are wrapping up negotiations on the state budget plan, which is due on Friday. Assemblyman Bill Magee thinks that a good amount of the agricultural budget cuts will be restored:

(Magee 3-29-16)

Magee chairs the Assembly Agriculture Committee, he said that the Governor usually makes cuts in his original executive budget in January & most if not all of the cuts are restored each year.
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Governor Cuomo announced New York State is providing 235 police departments and sheriffs’ offices with state-of-the-art radar units, investing more than $343,000 to replace old or obsolete devices. This is the first time in nearly 2 decades that the state has provided this funding, which will allow agencies to more effectively target reckless drivers. The need for new technology was identified by the state Division of Criminal Justice Services Highway Safety Technology Unit, which annually performs preventative maintenance and repairs on about 5,500 radar devices, many were too costly to repair, others lacked an ‘instant on’ feature and some were too large for newer-model police cruisers.
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State Police arrested 46-year-old Christopher Purdy of Oneonta for DWI and other traffic tickets. State Police observed Purdy speeding at 80 miles per hour on I-88, Purdy refused to submit to a breath test to determine his blood alcohol content. He was arraigned in the Town of Oneonta court and was released after posting $400 bail. Purdy’s next court date in the Town of Milford is on April 5th.
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Governor Cuomo announced that he is deploying the Department of Financial Services’ Mobile Command Center to help eligible New Yorkers prepare and file their taxes for free. The unit will be making stops at locations throughout Upstate New York from April 4 through April 9, between the hours of 12 p.m. and 6 p.m.: Locally, the event will be held on Wednesday, April 6th in Oneonta at the Foothills Performing Arts Center.
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Congressman Chris Gibson will be in Delaware County today. At Noon, Gibson will tour the Delaware County Solid Waste Management Center in Hamden, at 2:00 he will participate in a groundbreaking ceremony for the new Delhi Rehabilitation & Nursing Center & at 4:00 PM, he will help honor Delaware County veterans Douglas Lee Thomson and Charles Groff and present medals to their families, at the Delaware County Public Safety Building in Delhi.
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Governor Cuomo signed an executive order banning all non-essential state travel to North Carolina. The ban follows North Carolina’s enactment of a law which bars transgender individuals from using restrooms appropriate for their gender identities, excludes sexual orientation and gender identity from state anti-discrimination protections, and prohibits municipalities from extending those protections to LGBT citizens.
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A meeting will be held today of the Prevention Coalition for Heroin Substance Abuse at 6:30 pm at the Sidney High School this evening, spokesperson Lorraine Keckeisen explains:

(Lorraine Keckeisen 3-29-16)

Keckeisen said that they are seeking input from faith-based community leaders; law enforcement; policy makers; school leaders and student body; business people and concerned community people at tonight’s meeting in the Sidney High School Library.
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The American Red Cross invites individuals to donate blood today in Norwich. Today’s blood donation opportunities will be in Norwich from 10:30 AM to 3:30 PM at the BOCES of Chenango County, on Country Rd 32. To schedule an appointment to donate blood, download the American Red Cross Blood Donor App, visit redcrossblood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS.
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WCDO NEWS MONDAY 3-28-16

by wcdonews Posted on March 28, 2016

The 4th murder trial for Cal Harris began today, with an expected jury selection, followed by Cal Harris asking to waive the right to a jury trial, & requesting that the presiding judge Richard Mott decide his fate at the conclusion of testimony.   Judge Mott approved the request & Testimony will begin Thursday. Harris was convicted by juries twice in Tioga County Court for the murder of his estranged wife Michelle on September 11th 2001, both convictions were overturned on appeal, the 3rd trial was moved to Schoharie County, which ended with no decision reached by the jury.

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The American Cancer Society Relay For Life will hold an informational Team Captain meeting on April 4th at 5:30pm at the United Methodist Church at 12 Liberty Street in Sidney. The annual event will be held on May 14th at General Clinton Park in Bainbridge, More information is available at 563-8841 or 563-9634, or relayforlife.org/tritownny .

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The Otsego County Medical reserve corps is looking for volunteers predominantly from the medical profession, in case of any kind of disaster. Stefan Dunham heads up the corps:

 

(Stefan Dunham 3-28-16)

 

Dunham said that a meeting is scheduled for Thursday march 31st at 5:00 PM at in Cooperstown at the Meadows Office Building, EMS Classroom b. More information is available t 547-6477 or dunhams@otsegocounty.com

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Members of the State Assembly are looking to create a new state program modeled on the successful CHIPS program, to repair and maintain drinking water, sewer, storm water management and gas line infrastructure, with the Safe Water infrastructure Action Program.   area assemblyman Pete Lopez comments:

 

(Lopez 3-28-16)

 

The program would provide annual funding to all municipalities in the state to allow them to identify and swap out old, deteriorating pipes, water mains and gas lines to better maintain the state’s infrastructure. Lopez said that much of the infrastructure is aging, and in some cases, dates back to the Civil War.

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The city of Oneonta will have a committee meeting today, of the Zoning & Housing Board of Appeals.   The meeting will begin at 7:00 PM in the common Council Chambers at city hall.

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The next “ReUnite Bainbridge” meeting will be tonight at 7:00 PM at Bob’s Diner. Bainbridge residents are asked to attend & present ideas and suggestions. Tonight’s agenda includes updates on Community Block Party & Community Calendar Sale & the Meet the Artists Street Fest.
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Governor Cuomo announced that trout and salmon fishing season will open on April 1. Ahead of the season opening, anglers can start planning their first outing on the I LOVE NY website, which features information on freshwater, saltwater and fly fishing and highlights ideal locations for fishing.
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A blood donation opportunity is today in Oneonta from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m., at the Holiday Inn, on Route 23 Southside. Appointments can be made by downloading the free Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting redcrossblood.org or calling 1-800-RED CROSS.
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WCDO NEWS FRIDAY 3-25-16

by wcdonews Posted on March 25, 2016

The Broome County Special Investigations Unit Task Force executed a search warrant at 174 Murray Street in Binghamton. 27 year old Angel Feringa was arrested on a variety of drug charges for allegedly possessing powdered heroin, 22 bags of packaged heroin, crack cocaine and $550 cash from drug sales, she was also wanted on an arrest warrant for Grand Larceny out of the City of Binghamton Court. 48 year Stacey Taylor was wanted on a Probation Violation warrant and was also arrested. Feringa and Taylor face arraignment today in the City of Binghamton Court.
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The Broome County Special Investigations Unit Task Force arrested 4 Walton area residents in Binghamton Wednesday afternoon. Arrested were 28-year-old Daniel Jamieson, 26-year-old Melissa Brannock, 19-year-old Kyle Buckley and 36 year old Jaclyn Calabrese, police seized 150 bags of heroin, & other narcotics. They were charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance among other lesser charges. Brannock, Calabrese and Jamieson were held for arraignment in Binghamton City Court; Buckley was released on a ticket to appear in court at a later date.
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Governor Cuomo announced the first 2 major projects awarded under the $5 million Southern Tier Agricultural Industry Enhancement program. The Broome County Cornell Cooperative Extension was awarded $500,000 for a one-stop Agriculture Development Center and a Taste New York Market in Broome County, and $627,055 was awarded to Cornell University for the Stocker Cattle Initiative to further training and research in this industry for Southern Tier farmers.
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State Police today announced that it issued more than 17,000 tickets during this year’s St. Patrick’s Day enforcement initiative. The campaign ran for a total of 143 hours, starting on Saturday, March 12th until Thursday, March 17th. State Troopers arrested 257 people for DWI and investigated 947 accidents, which resulted in 243 people being injured and four fatalities.

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Chenango County Farm Bureau has scheduled a public informational meeting to be held at the Oxford High School from 1:00 pm to 3:00pm Saturday, regarding solar company land leases on farms. Chenango County Farm Bureau President Bradd Vickers comments:

(Bradd Vickers 3-25-16)

Vickers said that the Farm Bureau would present an attorney, an Environmental Scientist and an Accountant to discuss potential hazards of leasing land to solar companies; RSVP’s are requested at 334-6061
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Repairs are underway on the Utica Main Line railroad tracks in Chenango County, Steve Craig of Commerce Chenango & The Chenango IDA Explains:

(Steve Craig 3-22-16)

The $5.8 million dollar project will repair tracks that were washed out between Binghamton & Norwich during the 2006 flooding, trains should be running by the summer of 2017.
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In February, New York State’s private sector job count increased by 18,700, according to preliminary figures released by the State Department of Labor. The statewide unemployment rate decreased to 4.8% in February, slipping below the national rate of 4.9%.
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Dr. Michael Laliberte, who was Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, was named SUNY Delhi president by the State University Board of Trustees Thursday. Laliberte will become Delhi’s 10th chief executive on July 21, succeeding Dr. Candace Vancko, who has served as SUNY Delhi president since August 1999.
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Governor Cuomo has invited New Yorkers to an Open House at the Executive Mansion on Sunday, to celebrate Easter Sunday. Visitors and their families will be welcome to tour the Executive Mansion, meet the Governor, and participate in an inaugural Easter egg hunt to commemorate the new tradition.
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WCDO NEWS MONDAY 3-21-16

by wcdonews Posted on March 24, 2016

Classes at Cooperstown Public Schools were cancelled today following the reported death of Superintendent C.J. Hebert, in an ATV accident on Sunday. State Police reported that at 11:47 PM, State Police responded to a private residence in the Town of Richmondville for a report of a subject who was overdue from an ATV outing. A search consisting of State Police patrols, State Forest Rangers and the Schoharie County Search and Rescue Team, Hebert was found at about 3:00 AM, deceased in a heavily wooded area from an apparent ATV accident.
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State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman issued a statement following an agreement with FanDuel and DraftKings. Schneiderman said that both FanDuel and DraftKings would stop taking bets in New York State, consistent with New York State law. Today’s agreement also creates an expedited path to resolve this litigation should that law change or upon a decision by the appellate division. The investigation into false advertising & consumer fraud are ongoing.
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On Saturday at approximately 4:40am, Delaware County Sheriff’s Deputies arrested 24-year-old Daniel McGraw of Hancock New York, for driving while intoxicated following a report of a motor vehicle accident at the intersection of State Highway 268 and State Highway 10 in the Town of Tompkins. Deputies say McGraw failed to stop for a stop sign at that location which caused his vehicle to exit the roadway and collide into an earth embankment. McGraw was additionally charged with failure to stop for a stop sign as well as moving from lane unsafely and was later released on tickets returnable to Tompkins Town Court at a later date.
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New York State will allow Mixed Martial Arts bouts to be held in the state shortly. Area Assemblyman Cliff Crouch comments:

(Cliff Crouch 3-21-16)

Conference committee work continues to be done in Albany s lawmakers expect to get the budget passed on time against his year.
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Congressman Richard Hanna announced that a new farmers Program is available with the deadline to apply on March 31. Farmer in New York state who have been farming for at least 3 years are eligible through the Cornell Small Farms Program’s New Farmer Profit Teams to provide decision making support to advanced beginning farmers as they make changes to improve the long term viability and profitability of their businesses. More information is available at 607-255-9911 or mw84@cornell.edu.
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Dr. Betty Rosa of the Bronx has been chosen as the new Chancellor of the state Board of Regents today. Rosa was elected this morning, she succeeds longtime Regents member and Chancellor Merryl Tisch, whose tenure became problematic with the controversial roll out of the Common Core in New York State, Dr. Rosa has been an opponent of the Common Core curriculum, encouraging parents to have their children opt out of those tests in the past.
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Norwich Fire Fighters responded a report of smoke showing, mainly on the 2nd floor of the Norwich Howard Johnson Saturday night. Firefighters quickly put out the fire in one room, no injuries were reported, the investigation is continuing.
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2 city Oneonta committees will hold their next meetings today. The Operations, Planning & Evaluation committee will meet at 4:00 PM at the Common Council Chambers at City hall, followed by the Finance & Human resources committee at 5:00 PM.
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