Governor Cuomo today announced $17 million in awards to nonprofit organizations and municipalities to create more than 700 affordable homes and new home ownership opportunities throughout the state. An announcement for the Southern tier will include more than $1 million to improve and repair the homes of 46 residents in the Southern Tier; it includes $400,000 for Opportunities for Chenango, to provide rehabilitation and energy conversation measures to 16 low-income households.
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Governor Cuomo today announced the expansion of the New York State Master Teacher Program. The current 623 Master Teachers have an average teaching experience of 14 years. To be eligible for application to the NYS Master Teacher Program, teachers must be certified New York State public school teachers in grades six through twelve, have a minimum of 4 years of experience teaching STEM subjects and must spend at least 60 percent of their time in the classroom teaching those subjects. Additional information about the Master Teacher Program and the application requirements and process is available at www.suny.edu/masterteacher.
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Binghamton Mets New Owner John Hughes announced that the team would remain as a New York met Affiliate, but he is soliciting ideas from fans to rebrand the team & give it a new name synonymous with the Greater Binghamton Area. Hughes revealed the Double-A affiliate of the New York Mets would play at NYSEG Stadium under a new name starting in 2017. The team will launch a “Name the Team” contest on Opening Day, April 7. Submissions will be accepted through April 25th, when the top 6 possible team names will be unveiled. Fans can vote for their favorite name for two weeks via the team website. The new official name of the Double-A Mets will be revealed in October 2016.
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The 63rd annual Sidney Rotary Club Pancake Day tomorrow at the River Street Fire Station in Sidney from 7:00 AM to 1:00 PM.
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The Delaware County Sheriff’s Department announced that there will be a fundraiser this Sunday in Walton, to support their K9 Unit, which has been an integral part of the County’s crackdown on Drug dealers in the County. The fundraiser will be held on Sunday at Danny’s Restaurant at 14 Gardiner Place in Walton from 12:00 noon until 7:00 PM, donations can be made by check to Delaware County Sheriff Tom Mills, with “K9 Drug Fund” in the memo box. More information about the fundraiser can be directed to Danny’s restaurant at 865-8496.
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Doctor Stephen Benham of Sidney announced his retirement and the closing of his practice, effective march 24th after 32 years in Sidney. Doctor Benham will see patients until the March 24th date, at which point all of his patients medical charts will be transferred and located at the UHS Primary care building at 44 Pearl Street, across for Tri Town regional Hospital. Patients wishing to have their medical records copied or sent to another health care provider should call Benham’s office at 563-7477 until march 24th, and to the UHS Sidney office at 561-2200 after that date.
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The City of Oneonta Department of Public Service will be installing a new storm water collection system on Tilley Avenue & Walters street and they will be replacing an existing system on James Street, starting on march 15th. Work will take place between 7:00 AM to 6:00 PM weekdays through April 30th, with paving scheduled for this summer. More information is available at 432-2100.
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State Police reported that KyLea Fortner and her sister Shaeleen Fitch-Fortner, who were reported as teen runaways in April of 2015, were found at 327 Torrance Avenue in Vestal. Both girls were turned over to the Broome County Family Services. State Police received and investigated numerous leads, information was developed which indicated that they were present at the Vestal address. State Police arrested 29 year old Amanda Hellman of Vestal, for 2nd degree Kidnapping. Hellman is a family acquaintance of the victims, she was arraigned in Town of Vestal Court & was remanded to the Broome County Jail without bail. Anyone with information can call 775-1241, The investigation is continuing.
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State Police and local law enforcement will initiate special St. Patrick’s Day traffic enforcement efforts as celebrations begin this weekend. The effort will begin Saturday, and run through Thursday, drivers can expect a number of sobriety checkpoints, additional DWI patrols, and underage drinking details during the campaign. State Police will also be ticketing distracted drivers who use handheld electronic devices. During the 2015 St. Patrick’s Day weekend enforcement effort, Troopers made 264 arrests for DWI and issued more than 14,000 tickets.
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With Daylight Savings Time approaching this weekend, The Firefighters Association of New York encourages all New Yorkers to test their smoke and carbon monoxide alarms and ensure their homes are properly protected against fire. Alarms with removable batteries should be replaced; residents possessing alarms equipped with sealed-in batteries should test the alarms to ensure they are in proper working condition. more information is available at fasny.com and nfpa.org.
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The Chenango Arts Council announced their 1st Chenango Student Art Competition. The opening reception will be held on Friday, March 11th at 5:30 pm in the Mariea Brown and Raymond Loft Gallery at 27 West Main Street, Norwich, it is free and open to the public. Awards will be presented at 6:00 pm; more information is available at 336-ARTS or ChenangoArts.org.
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