WCDO Radio News

Elected officials will be sworn in for a new term on Sunday, January 1st. Governor Hochul will be sworn in at 2:00 PM Sunday at the Empire State Plaza in Albany, Sheriff-elect Fred Akshar and the Broome County Legislature will be joined by hundreds of family and friends for a special Joint Swearing-in Ceremony at the DoubleTree in Binghamton on Sunday at 1:00 PM. Akshar passed on running for re-election to the State Senate, in order to return to Law Enforcement.

A.M. NEWS FRIDAY 12-30-22

The new Minimum wage is set to go into effect on Saturday, Workers outside of New York City, Long Island, and Westchester County will see the minimum wage go from $13.20 to $14.20 an hour.

P.M. NEWS WEDNESDAY 12-28-22

State Police were dispatched Christmas day at about 12:30 PM to assist the Oneonta City Fire Department with a fully engulfed single wide trailer at the Oneida Village Mobile Home Park on Oneida Street. Fire personnel located a deceased male in the residence. State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation responded to the scene, the deceased man has been identified as 50 year old Aaron Blakeslee, who resided in the trailer. Oneonta Fire Department reported that 1 dog and 2 cats also died in the fire, there were no injuries to any firefighters. Investigators are working with the City of Oneonta Fire Department and State Fire Investigators to determine the cause of the fatal fire.

P.M. NEWS TUESDAY 12-27-22

Governor Kathy Hochul signed legislation requires employers to list salary ranges for all advertised jobs and promotions in New York State. The law is similar to one already in effect in New York City, it goes into effect statewide next September.

A new law requires telemarketers to give customers the option to be added to their do-not-call list immediately after the telemarketer says their name and company. The new law passed in the Legislature this year and was signed by Governor Hochul, it goes into effect on March 6th of 2023.

A.M. NEWS MONDAY 12-26-22

Oneonta Fire Department responded Sunday afternoon at about 12:30 PM, to a full involved Trailer fire at 24 Oneida Street. Oneonta was assisted by fire fighters from West Oneonta, Worcester, Franklin, Otego, Laurens & Milford Fire Departments, more details are expected to be released shortly.

State lawmakers voted to give themselves a $32,000 pay raise in a special session Thursday, Local State Assemblyman Joe Angelino told WCDO News that this was not the way to go about getting a pay-raise for lawmakers:

(Angelino 12-23-22)

The plan if approved would make them the highest-paid state legislators in the nation at $140,000 annually. The plan still has to be approved by Governor Hochul.

P.M. NEWS THURSDAY 12-22-22

Rapid changes in the weather are expected over the next few days, according to local Meteorologist Rich Townsend:

(Rich Townsend 12-22-22)

Townsend said that the holiday weekend will be cold & windy with temperatures only peaking in the teens.

P.M. NEWS WEDNESDAY 12-21-22

Some rapidly changing temperatures will be occurring over the next few days into the Christmas Holiday Weekend, Meteorologist Rich Townsend explains:

(Rich Townsend 12-21-22)

A sizable percentage of the country will have adverse Winter Weather over the next few days, We'll have a look at the forecast at the end of this newscast.

Governor Hochul signed legislation that stops the sale of makeup items that are newly tested on animals. The law will prevent the abusive use of rabbits, guinea pigs, mice and rats to test cosmetic products on within New York State.

P.M. NEWS FRIDAY 12-16-22

The Winter Storm did not leave the amount of Snow that was expected, there is still a chance for some additional accumulations today,, according to Meteorologist Rich Townsend:

(Rich Townsend 12-16-22)

The National Weather service still has a Winter Storm Warning until 1:00 AM Saturday.

P.M. NEWS FRIDAY 12-9-22

There could be some snowfall locally Sunday with a small amount of Accumulation possible, according to Meteorologist Rich Townsend:

(Rich Townsend 12-9-22)

The full WCDO Forecast will follow this newscast.

P.M. NEWS WEDNESDAY 12-7-22

State Police released the names of the people involved Monday in a 2-vehicle crash in the town of Columbus; where a Van rear-ended a Tractor Trailer turning off of State Route 8. Police said that the passenger of the van, 22 year old Jasmine Morrison of Rome was pronounced deceased on scene. The driver of the van, 24 year old Tyler Stewart of Lee Center was airlifted to Upstate Medical Hospital in Syracuse, The driver of the tractor trailer, 38 year old Chad Alishaukas of Sherburne, was not injured. The investigation is continuing.

P.M. NEWS MONDAY 11-28-22

19 year old Payton Gendron of Conklin pleaded guilty today to various charges, for the May shooting at the Buffalo TOPS Supermarket, killing 10 black people & injuring 3 others. Gendron pleaded guilty to murder, murder as a hate crime and hate-motivated domestic terrorism, which carries an automatic sentence of life without parole. Gendron admitted in court that he killed the people because of their race, he still faces federal charges relating to the same attack.

P.M. NEWS WEDNESDAY 11-16-22

Delaware County Sheriff's Deputies arrested 30-year-old Michael Vogel of Delhi, back on October 13th, Deputies received a 911 call for a suspicious vehicle located on Hoag Cross Road in the Town of Delhi, they found Vogel, who was found to have operated a motor vehicle with his driving privileges suspended, he was also found to be in possession of a controlled substance and to have an active bench warrant out of the Village of Sidney for failure to appear. Vogel was charged with Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance, Aggravated Unlicensed Operation among other charges, he was released & was ordered to appear in court at a later date.

P.M. NEWS THURSDAY 10-27-22

State Police and local law enforcement will increase patrols to target impaired and reckless drivers during the Halloween weekend. State Police also will target the illegal sale of alcohol to minors through underage drinker enforcement details statewide during the five-day period. This special enforcement period begins Friday, October 28, 2022, runs through Tuesday, November 1, 2022.

P.M. NEWS TUESDAY 10-25-22

With Election day 2 weeks away, WCDO News is talking with area candidates running for office, today we hear from John Hubbard & Andrew Van Buren, 2 men with lengthy experience in practicing law locally. Hubbard told WCDO News that he believes his experience in the District Attorney's office for 25 years would make him a good Judge:

(John Hubbard 10-25-22)

Andrew Van Buren told WCDO News that he decided to run when Mr. Hubbard was the only candidate early on, and he felt that his experience in a myriad of cases in his career would make him a good judge for Delaware County:

(Andrew Van Buren 10-25-22)

Hubbard is running on the Republican Party line, Van Buren is running as an independent but will be featured on the ballot on the Democratic party line, on November 8th.

Governor Kathy Hochul and Attorney General Letitia James today announced a major expansion in usage of New York State's Red Flag Law. Following an executive order and legislation signed by Governor Hochul, courts across the State have issued 1,908 Extreme Risk Protection Orders, more than doubling the number of orders issued since the law became effective in 2019. State Police have applied for 339 orders since the Buffalo Tops Supermarket shooting, that was more than 300% higher than the number of applications made last year, and courts have approved 86.5% of those applications.

P.M. NEWS FRIDAY 10-21-22

State Police & The Norwich City Police are investigating a situation where an individual entered the Chenango Memorial Hospital Today in need of medical attention from a gun shot wound. Proper protocols were followed at the hospital, Area Schools were also locked down, the public is not in imminent danger, this is an ongoing investigation.

Governor Hochul announced this week that over $15.5 million is being invested by the State to expand child care access at State University schools. The funding includes $10.8 million to address child care weaknesses across SUNY campuses that have kept parents continuing their education.

P.M. NEWS Wednesday 10-19-22

Over 300 members of the International Association of Machinists & Aerospace Workers local 1529 voted to approve a new 3 year Contract from Amphenol of Sidney this afternoon. Union Representative Kevin Weidman told WCDO News the issues of sick leave, & wage increases were included and the 2 tier system has been altered & will be phased out. 3rd shift workers will return to work at the Sidney facilities at 11:00 PM tonight.

Governor Hochul is directing State Police to ramp up enforcement, Increase Interstate Coordination, and Partner with Law Enforcement in High-Theft Areas, to cut down on the theft of Catalytic Converters from vehicles. The governor signed new Legislation this year to impose restrictions on the Purchase, Sale, or Possession of Catalytic Converters & she Urges Local Governments To Access $20 Million in Funding for License Plate Readers, Surveillance Cameras, Other Anti-Theft Technology. The converters sell for between $100 and $300 per unit on the black market.

P.M. NEWS MONDAY 10-17-22

Ganesh Ramsaran of New Berlin will be granted a new murder trial soon in Chenango County Court, the decision follows the claim that Ramsaran received incompetent counsel from his attorney Gil Garcia, who had inflated his litigation experience & was eventually censured by the Supreme Court of New Jersey. In 2014 Ramsaran was found guilty of killing his estranged wife Jennifer in December 2012 & was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison, he has been appealing his conviction & sentence for 8 years.

P.M. NEWS WEDNESDAY 10-12-22

30 year old Shelby Ortiz of the town of Maryland, pleaded guilty to distributing child pornography in federal court. Ortiz admitted to having sexual contact with a 7-month-old boy and sending it to someone else electronically. Ortiz is scheduled to be sentenced in February & could face 10 to 20 years in prison if convicted. .

Governor Hochul announced plans to expand the availability of funding and resources to support local health departments in hopes of establishing immunization clinics, sending vaccines to health care partners and conducting outreach to unvaccinated New Yorkers in the battle against Polio. Currently, health departments are monitoring wastewater to find the polio virus, they encourage New Yorkers to get vaccinated as soon as possible. Wastewater surveillance results are available at health.ny.gov.

P.M. NEWS MONDAY 9-26-22

Governor Hochul announced the start of the 2nd phase of a plan to allow 3rd parties to offer the Commercial Driver License road test, to both public and private entities. The program is being implemented to address the shortage of bus and truck drivers. Any qualified third party is now eligible to apply for certification through the DMV, New Yorkers can find more information at dmv.ny.gov/commercial-drivers.

P.M. NEWS THURSDAY 9-22-22

With residential energy costs expected to rise nationwide this winter, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is calling for emergency supplemental funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program or "LIHEAP":

(Gillibrand 9-22-22)

Senator Gillibrand said that over 1 million New York households get LIHEAP support to heat their homes, but additional funding is needed with the rising prices. Gillibrand said she favors the idea for the state to go back to a program where families that received help through SNAP, would automatically get LIHEAP assistance, without extra paperwork or bureaucracy.

P.M. NEWS MONDAY 9-19-22

The Delaware County Sheriff’s Office is re-establishing its Law Enforcement Explorer’s Program and is now accepting applications. The program is designed for high school students ages 14-18 who are interested in learning more about law enforcement, Delaware County Sheriff Craig DuMond explains:

(Sheriff DuMond 9-19-22)

Sheriff DuMond said that applications or more information is available through Deputy Collin Roche at collin.roche@co.delaware.ny.us or at (607)-237-1641.

P.M. NEWS THURSDAY 9-15-22

Governor Kathy Hochul announced $230 million in awards will go to 9 upstate airports for revitalization projects. The Greater Binghamton/Edwin A Link Field Airport will get $32 million to fund 2 projects, one will entail a relocation of the General Aviation Terminal to integrate it with the Passenger Terminal, The 2nd project will construct a new, 3,000-square-foot General Aviation Customs & Border Protection facility south of the terminal.

The Broome County’s District Attorney’s Office announced that 23 year old Muhammad Aziz of Johnson City pleaded guilty to Criminal Possession of a weapon, State Police executed a search warrant at the Aziz residence on June 15th in Johnson City, police confiscated cocaine, methamphetamine and an illegal firearm. Aziz will be sentenced on December 12th.

A.M. NEWS TUESDAY 9-13-22

In Monday's State COVID 19 report, Governor Hochul announced that masking will now be optional in multiple settings, including on public transportation, for-hire vehicles, airports, homeless shelters, correctional facilities, and detention centers. Masks will continue to be required at adult care and health care facilities. In Monday's testing, the positivity rate decreased to 6.95%, the 7-Day Average rate was 6.56%, Patient Hospitalization were down to 2,143, with 230 ICU Patients & 84 on Ventilators, there were 30 deaths in Hospitals & nursing homes from the virus.

Governor Hochul signed several pieces of legislation over the weekend to provide support to 9/11 victims and survivors and their families. One bill requires the Victim Compensation Fund Award to Process Injury Claims Equally to Death Claims, another bill provides a Presumption for Workers' Compensation Claims for Any Health Impairment or Death for Those Who Participated in the World Trade Center Rescue, Recovery and Clean-up Operations & another bill extends the Deadline for Filing Disability Claims for a Qualifying World Trade Center Condition.

Governor Hochul issued an Executive Order declaring a State Disaster Emergency, increasing the availability of resources to protect New Yorkers against polio. The Order immediately expands the network of polio vaccine administrators with the addition of EMS workers, midwives, and pharmacists and authorizes physicians and certified nurse practitioners to issue non-patient specific standing orders for polio vaccines. The order also requires healthcare providers to send polio immunization data to the State Department of Health All New Yorkers who are unvaccinated should get immunized right away.

Governor Hochul and legislative leaders announced Thursday that a stimulus payment of about $270 will be sent to 1.75 million New Yorkers to combat inflation and improve affordability. The New York Department of Taxation and Finance will soon begin sending direct financial assistance to New Yorkers who received the Empire State Child Credit and/or the Earned Income Credit on their 2021 state tax returns. New Yorkers can expect to receive their checks by the end of October.

Tickets go on sale next week for the "Buddy-The Buddy Holly Story" to be held on October 15 at the Forum Theater in Binghamton, Tina Niles from NAC Entertainment explains:

(Tina Niles 9-9-22)

Niles said that the Test Drive Your Seat event will be coming up soon for those who would like to pick out their Season Tickets for the lineup of shows scheduled through next year. More information is available at 772-1391 or BroadwayInBinghamton.com.

A.M. NEWS Friday 9-9-22

Governor Hochul announced that the suspension of certain taxes on Gasoline & Diesel Fuel will be extended through December 31st. The suspension was implemented back on June 1, the fuel tax suspension will provide a reduction of at least $0.16 per gallon