State Police and local law enforcement will be out in force through Labor Day weekend as part of the national “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign to prevent drugged and drunk driving. The national enforcement period begins on Friday and runs through Labor Day, Monday, September 3rd. Drivers can expect to see sobriety checkpoints during the campaign, Troopers will also be watching for distracted or impaired drivers, vehicle occupants who are not properly buckled up, and drivers that are violating the Move Over Law.
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Broome County Executive Jason Garner announced today that the Broome County Landfill is waiving fees for storm debris for residents impacted by the flash flooding through August 29th. The waiver is for Broome County residents only, Storm debris from businesses and commercial entities will not be waived. The required form for the residential storm debris waiver can be found at gobroomecounty.com or at the Broome County Landfill. More information is available at 778-2250.
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New York State’s private sector job count rose by 7,900, or 0.1%, to 8,192,300, a new, all-time employment high, according to preliminary figures released today by the State Department of Labor. The statewide unemployment rate decreased from 4.5% to 4.3% in July, the lowest level since March 2007.
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The Delaware County Chamber of Commerce announced ‘A Taste of Commerce’ Event & they are seeking Restaurant Owners, Caterers, Cafe’ and Bakery Owners & food truck operators to help launch the 2018 Shop Small Delaware County campaign which will start on October 2nd. The Delaware County Chamber of Commerce will present its Community Hero Award to those who continue improve life in our region at the event on October 2nd from 5:30 to 8:00 PM at the Delaware County FoodWorks+ on State Highway 28 in Andes. More information is available at 746-2281.
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Delaware County was included in the Governor’s State of Emergency declaration earlier this week, following severe flash flooding throughout the Southern Tier. Delaware County EMS Director Steve Hood said that while the County’s damage was confined to the towns of Deposit & Hancock, the declaration can still be useful to the county:

(Steve Hood 8-16-18)

Hood said that some heavy equipment was stationed at the State Police Troop C Headquarters; most of it has been deployed to Broome & other counties that suffered a lot more damage.
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There have been some changes regarding the requirements for those seeking to get a high school equivalency through the TASC program recently. June White of the Afton Central School Tasc Program explains:

(June White 5-8-18)

Anyone who is interested in participating in the TASC program can contact June White at 639-2811.
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Governor Cuomo directed agencies specializing in disaster recovery and clean-up to the Finger Lakes and Southern Tier To assist counties after heavy rains and flash flooding that caused damage to roads, bridges, homes and other critical infrastructure. The National Guard has deployed 50 personnel and is staging an additional 150 personnel for deployment to assist local governments with debris removal and cleanup. Damage assessment teams specializing in engineering and structural assessments from the Department of Transportation will be operating in the Southern Tier and Finger Lakes to evaluate roads, bridges and other infrastructure for damage and safety concerns.
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Otsego County’s 21st Annual Household Hazardous Waste Days will be held on September 7th and 8th. Otsego County Residents can bring household hazardous waste, such as enamel paints, pesticides, antifreeze, batteries and more FREE of CHARGE for proper disposal. Last year 550 cars from an estimated 600 households brought various hazardous materials for disposal. NO REGISTRATION FOR HOUSEHOLD COLLECTION. Household collections will be held on Friday, September 7th at the Unadilla Town Barn from 8:00AM to 11:00 AM, and Saturday, September 8th at the Meadows Office Complex in Cooperstown from 8:00AM to 1:00PM.