WCDO Radio News

State Police in Sidney responded to a report of a 1 vehicle fatal accident on East Afton Road in Afton Friday Morning at about 9:00 AM. 33 year old Joshua Seufert drifted off the road, overcorrected and then overturned striking a tree. The passenger was 28 year old Christopher Polomcean of Deposit, he was pronounced deceased at the accident scene. Both men were working for the State Parks department and were in a New York State Parks pick up truck when the accident occurred. The investigation is ongoing.

2 local blood drives will be held today, as the American Red Cross encourages people to give blood as all types are needed to maintain a stable supply. You can donate blood from 8:30am to 2:30 pm at the Bainbridge Guilford High School and from 1:00 to 6:00 pm at Saint Matthews Episcopal Church in Unadilla, appointments can be made at 1-800-RED-CROSS

Governor Cuomo will seek legislation to let the state recoup millions in school tax breaks paid to high-income New Yorkers who did not qualify to receive them. The announcement came after an investigation found an estimated $28 million in school property-tax subsidies, since 2011, were granted to households ineligible to receive them because they earned more than $500,000 a year.

Graduation ceremonies will begin tonight for high school seniors in the WCDO listening area.  Tonight’s ceremonies begin at 6:30 for Charlotte Valley & Winsdor High School seniors, 7:00 PM graduations exercises will be held for seniors in Afton, Unatego, Franklin, Deposit, Laurens, Milford & Morris.

Graduation ceremonies will begin tonight for high school seniors in the WCDO listening area. Tonight’s ceremonies begin at 6:30 for Charlotte Valley & Winsdor High School seniors, 7:00 PM graduations exercises will be held for seniors in Afton, Unatego, Franklin, Deposit, Laurens, Milford & Morris.

The State Labor Department released unemployment rates for May. The state’s private sector job count rose by 106,500 from May 2013 to May 2014. The state’s unemployment rate in May was unchanged at 6.7%, remaining at its lowest level since December 2008. In May, the number of private sector jobs in the state was 7,568,600, an all time high. Locally, Chenango County's rate is 5.7%, Broome County 6.4% Delaware County 6.3% and Otsego County 5.3% unemployment last month

Parents are reminded after the school year ends, children remain eligible for free meals at hundreds of sites around New York State this summer. State agencies are working with nonprofit and private partners to increase awareness of the Summer Food Service Program. Governor Cuomo also issued a proclamation marking July as Summer Meals Month to highlight the issue. The State Education Department has an interactive map online with information on the summer meal sites in New York State at.nysed.gov or by calling1-800-522-5006

Cornell Cooperative Extension of Delaware County will be sponsoring farmers' markets for the 2014 season in Sidney, Walton & Deposit. The Deposit Market will be August 21st & September 18th from 10:00am-2:00pm, the Sidney Farmers Market will be Every Tuesday from July 1st to September 30th from 10:00am to 2:00pm, the Walton Market will be on the 1st & 3rd Wednesdays from July 2nd to October 15th from 10:00am-2:00pm.

Firefighters from Masonville, Sidney, Walton, Trout Creek, Sidney Center, Bainbridge, Deposit & Mount Upton fire companies responded to a fire at the Briggs residence on state route 8 between Sidney & Masonville.   The fire was reported at about 8:30 Thursday morning, officials said that the house suffered fire, smoke & water damage, no one was home when the fire broke out, no injuries among firefighters were reported. The cause of the blaze is under investigation.

The state Senate passed legislation to make all honorably discharged military veterans eligible for a high school degree. “Operation Recognition,” already allows veterans of World War II, Korea and the Vietnam wars to get diplomas, the legislation would expand eligibility to other veterans who didn’t complete their formal education. The bill was sent to the Assembly.

Firefighters in Deposit responded to 39 Elm Street Sunday morning. One occupant suffered burns and was taken to an area hospital.  Firefighters from 4 area departments responded, deposit firefighters had to respond Sunday afternoon after hot spots rekindled, no injuries were reported.

Cornell Cooperative Extension will sponsor three Farmers’ Markets in 2014, one in Walton, one in Sidney and one in Deposit.  The Deposit Farmers Market Will be on August 21st & September 18th from 10:00am-2:00pm.  The Sidney Farmers Market will be Every Tuesday, between July 1st and September 30th from 10:00am-2:00pm, and the Walton Farmers Market will be held on the 1st & 3rd Wednesdays from July 2 through October 15, from 10:00am-2:00pm.  More information is available at 865-6531.

Registrations for Sidney central school district students eligible to enter kindergarten in the fall will continue this week.  Parents are requested to call 561-7728 to set up an appointment; birth certificates, immunization records & proof of residency are required.

The Unatego school board of education will hold a budget workshop this evening.  The session will begin at 7:00 PM in room 93 of the Middle-Senior High school in Wells Bridge.

The latest winter storm to hit the area has been a complicated one for forecasters to pin down, Sidney high school meteorologist Rich Townsend comments:

(Rich Townsend 3-12-14)

WCDO will have area  delays or postponements tomorrow morning, demanding on what the storm leaves behind.

Chenango county sheriff’s department arrested 45-year-old Robert Rice of Greene for DWI, Driving with a BAC of .08% or higher and unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle.  Rice was stopped in the town of Smithville for a moving violation. He was found to be operating the motor vehicle in an intoxicated state.  Rice was taken into custody; processed, and released to a sober third party he will appear in the Town of Smithville Court at a later date.

State Troopers in Deposit arrested 29-year-old Nicole Mills of Deposit for Criminal Possession of Controlled Substance & Criminally Possessing a Hypodermic Instrument.  The arrest occurred after a traffic stop on State Route 17 in Sanford, Mills was arrested on an outstanding bench warrant from the Town of Sanford Court, she was also found to possess a small amount of heroin and a hypodermic syringe.   Mills was arraigned in the Village of Deposit Court and remanded to the Broome County Jail on bail.

State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli announced that state payments to vendors, municipalities, school districts and others are now available at openbooknewyork.com.  The website is updated daily to include approximately 10,000 new payments the Comptroller’s office processes each business day.  Nearly 50,000 state contracts and amendments can also be searched, along with major spending areas for state agencies. DiNapoli said that additional updates are expected this spring.

Voters in the Deposit school district voted on 3 propositions for a 2.7 Million dollar Capital Project.  The project calls for a new security booth at the elementary school, a new track and football field, baseball and hockey facilities, and renovations to an art room at the middle and high school.  All 3 propositions were approved by an almost 2 to 1 margin for the project itself, for land acquisition and for the establishment of a capital reserve fund.

Governor Cuomo is supporting the minority position of his own tax commission for providing a property tax credit to renters, with most of the breaks earmarked for New York City tenants. Cuomo's commission supported his goal of reducing property taxes upstate and in the New York City suburbs, where residents pay some of the nation's highest taxes. Cuomo said that he would also push for a future tax credit for renters statewide.

Norse Energy filed a lawsuit in state Supreme Court in Albany late Tuesday, the court papers challenge whether referring the review to the state Health Commissioner Dr. Nirav Shah was permissible under state law, or was it a politically motivated delay.  The lawsuit seeks to force the DEC into finalizing its 5 ½ year review on the High-volume Hydraulic fracturing process to extract natural gas.

Several local fire departments worked into the early morning hours today fighting a fire that gutted the Bluestone Grill in Hancock. The fire was called in at 10:30 p.m.last night. Crews from Hancock, Deposit, Walton and East Branch responded. There were no injuries, and there was minimal damage to surrounding homes. Deleware County fire investigators are looking into the cause.

Celebrating the end of the summer? Make sure you’re not drinking and driving, or you may end up with a Labor Day ticket. State and local law enforcement agencies have been out in force since Aug. 16 with sobriety checkpoints and saturation patrols to deter drunk driving. Law enforcement agencies will also crack down on drivers whose ability is impaired by drugs, both illegal and prescription. Nationally, someone is killed every 51 minutes on average in a drunk-driving crash. The majority of these crashes involve drunk drivers who have nearly twice the legal BAC of .08 or higher.

Governor Cuomo announced 16 winners, across the state, of a statewide competition to form public-private partneships to prepare high school students for high skill jobs in technology, manufacturing and healthcare. Students can earn an associate degree at no cost. Partnerships include Broome Community College, Lourdes Hospital in Binghamton and United Health Services. For more information, go to governor.ny.gov.

50-year-old Michael Defilippo of Deposit was convicted of 3 counts of 2nd degree criminal contempt in Broome County Court.  Defilippo violated an order of protections 3 separate times by leaving messages on the unidentified victims call phone, sentencing is scheduled for October 10th

The Chenango County Sheriff’s Office Arrested John Lyons of New Berlin for Aggravated Driving While Intoxicated.  Lyons was arrested following a traffic stop on State Highway 12 in the Town of Norwich, he was found to have a BAC at 3 times the legal limit.  Lyons was processed and issued tickets and released to a sober third party, he faces action in the Town of Norwich court at a later date.

Children in the tri-county area can still sign up for the Sidney central school district summer camps that are continuing through the next several weeks.  Sidney Athletic director Chris Haynes explains:

(Chris Haynes)

Haynes said that breakfasts and lunches are provided, registrations are available at sidneycsd.org.

NYSEG Officials today reminded customers to be safe and to use energy wisely, as the hot humid weather continues.  NYSEG officials said that ways to use energy wisely, while demand is high, by keeping curtains or blinds closed on hot sunny days, by keeping windows & doors closed to keep heat out, use fans instead of air conditioners wherever possible and turn off appliances when not in use.  More information is available at NYSEG.com at the “Weathering Storm Emergencies” section.

High graduation ceremonies will be held in the tri county area today through Sunday.  Commencement exercises begin tonight in the Windsor district at 6:30 PM, followed by the Afton graduation at 7:00 PM in the gymnasium, Franklin at 7:00 PM in the High School auditorium, in the Unatego at 7:00 pm at the High School Football field or the gymnasium if the weather turns.  Also holding 7:00 PM commencement exercises, the Laurens, Milford, Morris & Deposit school districts.

State Police reported that a pedestrian was killed after being hit by a vehicle in the Town of Deposit.  79 year old Barbara Seymour was struck and killed by a vehicle driven by 58 year old James Gruscavage Saturday night in Deposit on State Highway 8.  Seymour was taken to Wilson Memorial Hospital in Johnson City where she was pronounced dead.  Gruscavage was sent to Delaware County Jail on $5,000 cash bail or $10,000 bond on a charge of 2nd degree Vehicular Manslaughter.

The Bainbridge-Guilford Central School District is holding a public forum on today in the High School Auditorium at 7:00PM to discuss the 2013-2014 school budget. Community members are invited to learn more about the budget development process and the decisions facing the school board of education.  School administrators and Board of Education members will be present to address questions and concerns.

WCDO......EARLY DISMISSALS/CLOSINGS

MONDAY EARLY DISMISSALS

SIDNEY SCHOOL DISTRICT
12:45AM - K-12

BAINBRIDGE-GUILFORD SCHOOLS

12:10PM - GUILFORD
12:30PM - GREENLAWN
12:45PM - HIGH SCHOOL

AFTON SCHOOL DISTRICT
11:00AM- 1 BUS EMERGENCY RUN

HARPURSVILLE SCHOOL DISTRICT
12:30PM.... NO AFTER SCHOOL

GREENE SCHOOL DISTRICT
11:00AM - ELEMENTARY
11:30AM - MIDDLE AND HIGH

UNATEGO SCHOOL DISTRICT
11:20AM - ELEMENTARY
11:40AM - MIDDLE AND HIGH

WALTON SCHOOL DISTRICT
11:30AM - TOWNSEND ELEMENTARY
11:45AM - MIDDLE AND HIGH

DELAWARE ACADEMY SCHOOLS
11:30AM - K-12
BOARD MEETING POSTPONED UNTIL 11/5

MORRIS SCHOOL DISTRICT
NO AFTER SCHOOL OR CROP

WINDSOR SCHOOL DISTRICT
11:15AM - MIDDLE
11:30AM - HIGH SCHOOL
12:30PM - ELEMENTARY

ONEONTA SCHOOL DISTRICT

12:15PM- MIDDLE AND HIGH

1:00PM- ELEMENTARY
NO AFTER SCHOOL OR ADULT ED CLASSES

UTICA SCHOOL OF COMMERCE IN ONEONTA
CLOSING AT 3:30PM AND NO EVENING CLASSES

DEPOSIT SCHOOL DISTRICT
11:30AM

CHARLOTTE VALLEY SCHOOLS
12:30PM

GMU SCHOOL DISTRICT
12:30PM

MILFORD SCHOOL DISTRICT
NO AFTER SCHOOL ACTIVITIES OR CROP

BINGHAMTON UNIVERSITY

ALL CLASSES AND ACTIVITIES WILL RECESS AT NOON.

PLEASE CONSERVE WATER AND PREPARE FOR POWER OUTAGES.

STUDENTS: MONITOR BU HOMEPAGE FOR UPDATES.

UNADILLA VALLEY SCHOOL DISTRICT:

1:05PM

HARTWICK COLLEGE

CLOSING AS OF 1PM TODAY. PLAN TO RE-OPEN AT NOON TUESDAY

MORRISVILLE STATE COLLEGE AND NORWICH CAMPUS

5:00PM
TUESDAY CLOSINGS AND DELAYS:

CHARLOTTE VALLEY SCHOOL DISTRICT-CLOSED

DELAWARE ACADEMY SCHOOL DISTRICT-CLOSED

UNADILLA VALLEY SCHOOL DISTRICT- CLOSED

FRANKLIN SCHOOL DISTRICT- CLOSED

WALTON SCHOOL DISTRICT-CLOSED

GMU SCHOOL DISTRICT-CLOSED

HARTWICK COLLEGE- OPENING AT NOON

BAINBRIDGE-GUILFORD SCHOOL DISTRICT-CLOSED

AFTON SCHOOL DISTRICT- CLOSED

NORWICH CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT-CLOSED.... 12 MONTH STAFF DO NOT REPORT

MILFORD SCHOOL DISTRICT- CLOSED TUESDAY. ALL AFTER SCHOOL AND CROP FOR WEDNESDAY 10-31 CANCELLED

GREENE SCHOOL DISTRICT- CLOSED

SIDNEY CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT- CLOSED........CAPITAL PROJECT VOTE POSTPONED