Following previous postponements, Jury selection was scheduled to begin today in Chenango County Court for the murder trial of Ernest Franklin of Guilford.  Franklin and his wife Heather face charges for allegedly murdering their special needs son Jeffrey in their Town of Guilford Home and then setting fire to the home to cover up the murder in March of 2017.

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The Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in downtown Binghamton was closed down by authorities today for an investigation. The Federal Protective Service, Binghamton police and the Binghamton Fire Department responded to the federal building at about 12:00 Noon today at 15 Henry Street, the  same agencies responded Friday to the Social Security Office on Court Street after an employee opened an envelope containing a white powdery substance.

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Governor Cuomo Signed the new “Red Flag Bill” into law, 6 years after signing the New York Safe Act:

(Cuomo 2-25-19)

Cuomo attended a function today in New York City where he urged House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to try to enact this legislation on a National basis.

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NYSEG reported that power outages around the state were down to about 14,000 this afternoon, following the High winds around the state since yesterday afternoon.  This Afternoon, 659 Broome County customers were without power, along with 112 in Chenango County, 258 in Delaware County & 244 in Otsego County.  NYSEG Crews are working to restore power as quickly as possible.

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Local Police Agencies are warning the public about a Social Security scam where the caller identifies himself as a police officer in an attempt to gain person and financial information from the victim, the Police Department’s name may also appear on your phone as the caller.   Police Department will never request financial information or Social Security numbers over the phone; they also do not request any type of payment to be made over the phone via credit card or gift card. The Vestal Police Department was alerted Friday that a scam was perpetrated in their name last week.

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Governor Cuomo stated that losing the Amazon Warehouse project & the 25,000 jobs along with it, is the greatest tragedy of his tenure as governor.  Amazon recently pulled out of the Long Island City Queens Project after several local politicians came out against Amazons Anti-Union history, and they announced that they will stick with their remaining facilities.

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Governor Cuomo announced this morning that school district that cancel classes due to the high winds today, will not be penalized.  School districts are allowed a certain number of snow days each year before their state aid is subtracted; today will not be counted as part of that formula.

NYSEG reports that about 900 customers in Broome, Chenango, & Delaware Counties are without power from the high winds in the region.  Crews are trying to restore the power as quickly as possible.   NYSEG customers should call 1-800-572-1131 to report downed power lines or other hazardous situations.

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The Binghamton Devils today released a new mobile app for fans to stay connected with everything Devils-related on the go. All fans that download the app will be entered to win 2 tickets to 1 of the remaining home games this season.  The new Devils App features up to date news on the team, roster, and schedule, including theme nights and discounted tickets. Direct links to listen and watch the game on your mobile device will also be provided.

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The next Bainbridge United meeting is this evening @ 7:00 pm at the back of Bob’s Diner.