P.M. NEWS THURSDAY 11-14-24
Otsego County Sheriff’s Office arrested 38 year old Joseph Bard of Waterville for 3rd Degree Grand Larceny after an investigation into the theft of thousands of dollars from a local couple. Bard was arrested ,after an elderly couple reported thousands of dollars missing from their bank account, Bard is accused of making many transactions, transferring over $31,000 to his own bank account. Bard was located in Waterville & was taken into custody without incident, he was processed and was being held in the Otsego County Correctional Facility to await Centralized Arraignment.
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The State Labor Department announced that the number of private sector job decrease slightly in October by less than .1%, there were still to 8.39 Million of those jobs. The State’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate held constant at 4.4% in October, the statewide labor force participation rate held constant at 61.2% in October 2024.
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The State Public Service Commission initiated a focused operations audit of Frontier Communications and directed the State Department of Public Service to issue a request for proposals to select an independent consultant to conduct the audit. The Department staff has had ongoing concerns related to Frontier’s service quality performance, network reliability, and how it has been failing to report ongoing problems to state regulators, as required. The company has also allegedly failed to pay some of the resulting penalties to ratepayers or provide the required remedies in a timely fashion, they are also lagging on attachment transfers to new utility poles and necessary pole removals, which may delay the expansion of broadband and wireless infrastructure throughout its service territory.
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U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand announced that New Yorkers can now apply to receive federal assistance to pay their heating bills, after she was able to secure $360 million in federal funding for New York through the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program.
(Gillibrand 11-14-24)
New Yorkers can find eligibility requirements at ny.gov/heat, Households can apply at myBenefits.ny.gov. or at otda.ny.gov/programs/heap
A.M. NEWS Thursday 11-14-24
State Police and the Susquehanna SPCA removed 21 cats from a property in Chenango County Wednesday. Investigators were advised of a possible animal cruelty case at a home on State Route 206 in the town of Coventry. Investigators visited the home and determined that the cats were living in deplorable conditions within the home and in surrounding buildings on the property. The cats were removed with the assistance of the Susquehanna SPCA and will be receiving further medical care from the Susquehanna SPCA. The investigation is on-going. Charges are pending.
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The State DEC announced that regular Firearms Season for Deer & Bear Hunting in the Southern Zone begins this Saturday through December 8th. An estimated 470,000 licensed hunters will be participating, New York is currently experiencing active wildfires, so hunters should check fire danger maps at dec.ny.gov before heading out, the DEC Encourages Hunters to Test Deer for Chronic Wasting Disease this year as well.
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Following yesterday’s Building a More Resilient Southern Tier event in Binghamton, Governor Hochul and Senators Schumer and Gillibrand announced that the Municipal Infrastructure Grant Program will be investing $140 million in fiber-optic broadband expansion across New York— with $64 million in funds coming to the Southern Tier Region. Open Access fiber connectivity will be available for multiple internet providers to use to offer fiber optic cable services to the region.
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The Otsego County Chamber of Commerce will hold their annual Membership Meeting & Awards Ceremony today. Several County businesses will receive awards at the event, which will be held at the Foothills Performing Arts Center Atrium on Market Street in Oneonta from 5:30 to 8:30 PM.
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