P.M. NEWS WEDNESDAY 12-20-23

ACCO Brands announced to their employees last week that they will be closing their Sidney manufacturing and distribution plant late next year. Kori Reed the Director of Communication at ACCO Brands in Ohio told WCDO News that there is no firm timeline for the closure, the process will take most of next year to fully execute.

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State Police will continue to participate in the “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” initiative through New Year’s day. Drivers can expect to see sobriety checkpoints, Troopers will be watching for distracted drivers, vehicle occupants who are not properly buckled up, and drivers violating the “Move Over Law,” . State Police will also conduct underage drinker enforcement details statewide.

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The Otsego County Sheriff’s Office announces the arrest 52 year old Donald Lane of Portlandville following an investigation in to a sex offender who failed to register a change of address with the New York State Sex Offender registry. Lane is accused of relocating from a residence in the Town of Oneonta to a new location in the Town of Milford without notifiying authorities, Lane was located in the City of Oneonta Tuesday & was taken in to custody, he was processed & was being held in the Otsego County Correctional Facility to await an appearance in Otsego County Centralized Arraignment.

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Delaware County Sheriff’s Deputies were on patrol in the Village of Walton Sunday and stopped a vehicle for multiple vehicle and traffic law violations. Deputies seized a quantity of narcotics and methamphetamine from the occupants and vehicle, Deputies arrested 40 year old Patrick Ladd of Walton for 5 counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance, & 43 year old Leslie McClenon of Walton was charged with several traffic violations & criminal possession of a controlled substance for possessing Methamphetamine with intent to sell, a 3rd occupant of the vehicle was released at the scene without charges at this time. McClenon was subsequently released on appearance tickets and directed to appear at the Village of Walton court at a later date. Ladd was held at the Delaware County Correctional Facility for centralized arraignment.

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Fresh Express has issued a voluntary recall of a Fresh Express Spinach, 8 oz. size, with product code G332 and use-by date of December 15 and Publix Spinach, 9 oz size, with product code G332 and a now expired use-by date of December 14 due to a potential health risk from Listeria. Fresh Express is sold in a large number of grocery stores across the region, so far no illnesses have been reported and no other Fresh Express products are being recalled. Consumers who still have these products in their refrigerators are advised to discard them immediately.

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The City of Norwich Police Department announced that their phone lines and internet are down at the Police station today Wednesday, and possibly tomorrow. They hope to have the services restored as soon as possible.

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The storm which hit the region Sunday & Monday has claimed the lives of 4 New Yorkers so far. State Police said that an elderly woman in Catskill had her vehicle submerged in flood waters Monday, & she could not be reached by first responders due to the raging flood waters.

A.M. NEWS WEDNESDAY 12-20-23

Local sales tax collections in New York state increased by 5.1% in November compared to the same month in 2022, according to State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli. Overall, local collections totaled $1.81 billion, up $88.6 million compared to the same time last year. County and city collections outside of New York City totaled $887 million, an increase of 4.4%, 55 out of 57 counties experienced year-over-year increases.

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Congressman Marc Molinaro’s constituent service team will hold mobile office hours from 12:00 noon to 2:00pm today at the Oneonta Town Hall. This comes after a home exploded in Oneonta December 9th, killing 1 person, injuring others, and damaging neighboring homes. Constituents will be able to connect with representatives from Congressman Molinaro’s office to get assistance with issues they are facing.

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Governor Kathy Hochul announced $25 million in capital grants will be made available to help volunteer fire departments upgrade their facilities and equipment. The grants will be administered by the state’s Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, fire companies have until April 30 2024 to respond to the request for applications at dhses.ny.gov.

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