An official drought watch was declared for the entire Delaware River Basin today. The declaration is based on the total storage in NYC’s Cannonsville, Pepacton and Neversink reservoirs, which dropped below 40 percent last night. Officials said that New York City’s maximum average daily diversion of drinking water from the basin will be reduced from 800 to 680 million gallons per day & The Delaware River Basin Commission will coordinate the use of water resources throughout the basin to repel the salt front in the Delaware Estuary. More information is available at nj.gov/drbc.
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Attorney General Eric Schneiderman today issued a fraud alert warning immigrants to be aware of potential scammers offering immigration services. In recent weeks, the Attorney General’s office and many legal aid organizations that work with immigrant communities have received an increased number of calls and reported scams. A hotline has been set up for those who have been targeted, all calls will be confidential and anonymous. The number is 1-800-566-7636, it is available between 9:00am to 8:00pm Monday through Friday.
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Former top aide to Governor Cuomo; Joseph Percoco & 7 others were indicted Tuesday on federal public-corruption charges, some of which are connected to the Governor’s “Buffalo Billion” economic development plan. the indictments included charges of bribery, extortion, conspiracy & wire fraud.
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The next meeting of the Oneonta Downtown Revitalization Initiative will be held next Tuesday November 29th from 1:00 to 3:30 PM at the Foothills Performing Arts Center. All meetings are open to the public and there is a period for public comment on the agenda near the end of each meeting.
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The State DOT announced that bridge work on State Route 30/206 northbound and southbound over the East Branch of the Delaware River in the town Colchester will require intermittent road closures in both directions starting on November 30 through December 2 from 7:00 AM to 3:30 PM each day. Crews will be setting bridge girders for the new bridge. Motorists will encounter traffic stoppages intermittently for 10 – 15 minutes several times during the work hours daily. Flag personnel will control traffic. Motorists are advised to be alert for slow moving traffic and sudden stops.
Governor Cuomo today announced that temporary lane closures associated with road and bridge construction projects on New York State highways will not be permitted from today through 6:00 AM on Monday, in order to accommodate motorists during the busy Thanksgiving holiday travel week. Some work may continue behind permanent concrete barriers or for emergency repairs.
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The State Department of Health today announced that it has officially filed amendments to the Medical Use of Marijuana regulations that will authorize nurse practitioners to register with the Department to certify patients for medical marijuana. The amendments will take effect on November 30th, when the notice of adoption will be published in the New York State Register. Nurse practitioners will need to take the Department-approved Medical Use of Marijuana course online. The proposed rulemaking will be published on November 30th and will be subject to a 45-day public comment period. So far, over 10,500 patients have been certified by more than 740 registered physicians to participate.
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The Chenango SPCA is raising funds by collecting old inkjet or printer cartridges from area businesses, and sending them out in exchange for a donation. Danielle Nolan of the Chenango SPCA explains:
(Danielle Nolan 11-22-16)
More information about the program is available at 334-9724 during normal business hours.
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A Red Cross blood drive will be held in Greene today from 12:30 until 5:30 PM at the Church of the Immaculate Conception, 1180 State Highway 206. Appointments can be made with the Red Cross Blood Donor App, redcrossblood.org or 1-800-RED CROSS. All blood types are needed to ensure a reliable supply for patients.