The Blizzard of 2017 is continuing & is likely to continue beyond the early expectations, according to Sidney High School Science Teacher & Meteorologist Rich Townsend:

(Rich Townsend 3-14-17)

All Area Roads are closed in the Tri County Area except for Emergency Personnel, The Blizzard Warning remains in effect through 11:00 PM tonight.

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Governor Cuomo said that emergency responders around the state kept the state’s Citizens safe, due to advance preparation before today’s storm, he gave an update earlier this afternoon:

(Cuomo 3-14-17)

The governor’s office says the state has called up 2,000 National Guard members and will deploy them to the Southern Tier, after the storm tracked further west than initially anticipated.

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State Senator Fred Akshar released the results of his Constituents Survey; he discussed some of the results with WCDO:

(Fred Akshar 3-14-17)

Akshar said that he received over 9600 responses to his recent survey. The closest question on the survey regarding decriminalizing Marijuana was split 50/50.

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The State Department of Labor released preliminary local unemployment rates for January. The number of private sector jobs in the State was over 8 Million, & the State’s unemployment rate decreased 2 10ths to 4.6%. Locally, Delaware County was at 6.6%, Chenango County, had 6.2%, & Otsego County was at 6.1% for January.

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Governor Cuomo today reminded New Yorkers who need help paying their heating bills to apply to the Home Energy Assistance Program by Friday, March 17. Nearly 1.3 million households have already received help heating their homes this winter through the program. Households eligible for HEAP can receive one regular benefit per year, of up to $626, depending on income, household size and heating source.

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The Annual St. Baldrick fundraiser held Saturday in Norwich, raised about $27,000 for childhood cancer research. Officials believe that another $3,000 could come in on top of what was raised at Saturday’s event at the Norwich American Legion. Over 2 dozen people had their heads shaved at the fundraiser.

Governor Cuomo declared a state of emergency across all 62 counties in New York. The Governor also directed non-essential state employees impacted by the winter storm to stay home from work on Today. All New Yorkers should exercise caution, avoid unnecessary travel and pay close attention to winter storm advisories as the day progresses.
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Attorney General Eric Schneiderman issued a consumer alert warning both consumers and businesses about price gouging during this week’s storm. General Business Law prohibits excessive increases in prices of essential goods and services like food, water, gas, generators, batteries, and flashlights, hotel lodging, and transportation, during natural disasters or other events that disrupt the market. During and after severe winter weather events, these goods and services might also include snow plowing, snow removal from roofs, shovels and other snow removal equipment, salt, and contract services for storm-related damage. Any New Yorkers who believe they have been the victim of price gauging should call the Attorney General’s office at 800-771-7755 or visit www.ag.ny.gov/price-gouging-complaint-form to file a complaint.
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Broome County Sheriff’s Department arrested a Binghamton man, who was found possessing a large amount of construction materials in his SUV. 28 year old Kole Rose was charged with criminal possession of stolen property, he was released pending future court action.
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Governor Cuomo today announced that New York State’s high school student smoking rate in 2016 was the lowest on record at 4.3%, down from 27.1% in 2000. A survey recently released by the State Department of Health also found that e-cigarette use by high school students nearly doubled in the last 2 years from 10.5% in 2014 to 20.6% in 2016. According to a 2016 report by the U.S. Surgeon General, the number of high school students using e-cigarettes soared 900 percent between 2011 and 2015, becoming the most commonly used form of nicotine among youths.
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