WCDO Radio News

P.M. NEWS TUESDAY 6-30-26

With extreme heat forecast in the Tri-County Region over the next few days, Cooling stations will be open at various location, in Delaware County, cooling stations will be at the Sidney Memorial Public Library, the Andes Public Library, other locations may be announced, In Chenango County, designated emergency cooling centers include the Guernsey Memorial Library at 3 Court Street, in Norwich, the Sherburne Public Library, more information may be available from the Chenango County Clerk's Office. IN Otsego County, cooling centers include the Southside Mall, The Foxcare Center as well as the greater Plains & Wilber Pools in Oneonta or the Clark Sport Center in Cooperstown, more information is available at the State Department of Health

A raccoon tested positive for rabies in the town of Davenport, it's the 2nd confirmed positive case of rabies in Delaware County this year. 1 dog & 3 people were exposed to the rabid raccoon, the raccoon was sent for testing to the State Department of Health Wadsworth Laboratory. The exposed dog received a booster, the 3 people exposed have begun Rabies Post-Exposure Prophylaxis. Public Health recommends that pet owners take advantage of any of the free rabies clinics for dogs, cats and ferrets in Delaware County. Pre-registration is suggested at health.ny.gov/go2clinic, more information is available at 607-832-5200 or delawarecountypublichealth.com

Governor Hochul & the State Department of Health announced $10 million to enhance dental care services at school-based health centers and improve oral health outcomes for children across the state. The program includes dental services offering preventive and restorative oral health care, including screenings, sealants, and treatments, Delivered directly at the schools.

Progress is continuing with the Stewart's shops project in Sidney, Mayor Ray Baker told WCDO News when the previous Great American store should be torn down:

(RAY BAKER 2-18-26)

Mayor Baker also said that they are waiting on the state department of health to give approval for the water for the Clover Lane Development project, and they may get that approval at Thursday's Village Planning Board meeting.

The State Department of Health has confirmed that the State's childhood vaccination policies remain unchanged despite recent federal revisions to immunization recommendations. The Department confirmed that there will be no changes to vaccine access, insurance coverage or the federal Vaccines for Children program, which provides vaccines at no cost to eligible children. Health care providers in New York State are advised to continue their "evidence-based immunization practices." State Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald. "There was no new science, safety data or discovery presented by the federal government."

The State Department of Health continues to monitor the outbreak of the flu statewide, which is now deemed prevalent in the State. There were 23 respiratory outbreaks in hospitals and 51 respiratory outbreaks in nursing homes in the 1st week of December, a total of 302 viral respiratory pathogen outbreaks have been reported from hospitals and nursing homes. Influenza A is the predominant virus with 93% falling into that category, There were no pediatric flu deaths reported this season, there were no COVID-19-or RSV pediatric deaths reported this season.

A.M. NEWS TUESDAY 12-16-25

Chenango County Sheriff’s Office arrested 64 year old Wayne Howe of North Norwich for criminal mischief, after deputies responded to a domestic dispute in North Norwich. Howe was additionally charged with Criminal Obstruction of Breathing, Unlawful Imprisonment & Harassment, he was processed at the Chenango County Sheriff's Office and was arraigned & remanded to the Chenango County Jail on $1,000 cash bail. Howe is to appear in the Town of North Norwich Court at a later date.

The State Department of Health is alerting the public to an increase in measles cases in parts of the state. To date, there 35 total cases , with 16 in Upstate Counties, New Yorkers are urged to be up to date on their measles, mumps and rubella vaccines. Measles is a highly contagious, serious respiratory disease that causes rash and fever. More information can be found at health.ny.gov.

The New York State Department of Health has sent out an alert, warning New Yorkers or a new scam. Health department officials stated that Telephone scammers are mimicking the Department, some New Yorkers have been receiving phone calls from people identifying themselves as a Department of Health Employee, they will ask for information about a controlled substance prescription, adding to the confusion, the caller ID may even say the caller is from the Department of Health. Officials said that the Health Department will not make such calls to private citizens, they advise people who receive these calls to hang up & alert local law enforcement.

A.M. NEWS Wednesday 11-19-25

The City of Norwich Police Department arrested 51 year old Delf King of Norwich for 2nd & 4rd Degree Robbery, plus criminal mischief & Grand larceny, following an investigation of a robbery in the City on April 6th. King is accused of attacking a victim on East Main Street, causing multiple bleeding injuries, & forcibly stole the victim's cell phone, and smashed it, he then retreated to his residence, retrieved a firearm, and pointed it at the victim. King appeared in Chenango County Arraignment Court where bail was set at $5,000 cash, He was remanded to the Chenango County Correctional Facility and will appear in City of Norwich Court at a later date.

The State Department of Health is updating its alert to parents and caregivers regarding the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recall of ByHeart Whole Nutrition Infant Formula products, following a multi-state outbreak of infant botulism. The Department reminds health care providers that powdered infant formula, while generally safe, can occasionally contain contamination. Consumers can visit the FDA recall webpage at fda.gov for updated information, product photos and instructions for disposal or replacement.

The State Attorney General’s Office has filed a lawsuit seeking to permanently ban the owners of Royalty Tobacco in the Price Chopper Plaza on Route 7 in Oneonta from selling vape products in the state. The owners of the business; Eysa Sharhan and Anmed Mozed have previously faced charges of selling vaporized tobacco to underage customers, they shut down their businesses and reopened under new names 3 times, the state Department of Health has levied $195,000 in fines against the illegal smoke shop owners, the latest action could shut them down permanently.

The New York State Department of Health today released a new report showing a continued decline in tobacco use among high school students across the state. The report, shows that 1 in 6 Youth Still Use Tobacco, the lowest since tracking began in 2000. Cigarette smoking remains low, with just over 2% of students reporting current use, E-cigarette use has declined sharply to about 13%, however, Nicotine pouch use is rising, doubling from 1.5% to 3.0% since 2022.

A.M. NEWS Thursday 10-23-25

Governor Kathy Hochul & State Police Superintendent Steven James honored 238 new State Troopers as they graduated Wednesday from the 217th session of the Basic School of the New York State Police Academy. The ceremony was held at the Empire State Plaza Convention Center in Albany. Today’s graduation increases the State Police ranks to approximately 5,110 sworn members, about 60 of the new troopers were assigned to Troop C in Sidney.

City of Oneonta officials are asking city residents around the SUNY Oneonta campus to Boil their water before using. on Wednesday the water system lost pressure due to the isolation of a broken water main on East Dormitory Road near the intersection of Bugbee Road on the SUNY Oneonta Campus, which could lead to untreated water containing harmful microbes. For more information, contact the City Department of Public Works at (607) 432-2100, or the State Department of Health at (607) 432-3911.

A.M. NEWS Thursday 10-16-25

NYSEG will be holding a public statement hearing at SUNY Oneonta on Thursday, October 16th at 1:00pm in the Morris Conference Center, for the purpose of receiving comments concerning the proposed changes in the electric and gas delivery rates and practices and the proposed closure of certain walk-in office locations operated by the Company.

The State Department of Health is urging eligible New Yorkers to get the seasonal flu vaccine, following new federal statistics showing severe complications in children, last year there were 26 pediatric influenza-associated deaths reported statewide. Pediatric flu deaths have been increasing year over year from 3 deaths in the 2021-22 season, up to last year's 26, More information about the influenza vaccine is available at health.ny.gov.

UHS Delaware Valley Hospital has been awarded a $20 million grant through the State Department of Health. The Hospital recently announced plans to build a 4-story addition & the grant will support that expansion. The new building will house primary medical care services, specialty services, physical, occupational & speech therapy and a laboratory, The Medical Neighborhood Project is expected to begin shortly, with the anticipated completion by the end of 2027.

The State Department of Health is monitoring an outbreak of Legionnaires' disease, with reported cases in New York City & into the Hudson Valley. 35 cases were reported in the lower Hudson Valley, there were 83 confirmed cases in New York City with 21 hospitalizations & 3 deaths reported. The disease is a type of pneumonia caused by bacteria that grow in warm water.

During the annual Colorscape Chenango festival on September 7th, the Chenango County Historical Society will again host a series of tours featuring historically significant community spaces. The “Historic Architecture in the Chenango County Seat” walking tour, will be led by architectural historian Bryan McCracken, Beginning at 12:30 pm., in front of the Chenango County Courthouse in Norwich. The “Local Treasures Revealed” building tour, will begin at 2:00 PM, led by Will MacGuire, in the Live Event NY Showroom at 1 South Broad Street in Norwich. More information is available at ChenangoHistorical.org about this and other museum programs.

A.M. NEWS Monday 8-11-25

Norwich City officials announced Sunday that the Boil water was lifted, after announcing that E. coli bacteria was found in the City water supply late last week. E. coli bacteria were found in 1 out of 11 drinking water samples collected on August 6th, Coliform bacteria were found in 3 out of 11 drinking water samples collected. The State Department of Health considers any confirmed E. coli positive sample as a public health hazard and a violation of drinking water standards. After repeated sampling, the results meet the minimum standards for public water supplies, If residents experience some discoloring in the water, run the water until it clears. Any questions contact the Chenango County Health Department at 607-337-1673.

P.M. NEWS MONDAY 7-14-25

The State DEC and State Department of Health are issuing an Air Quality Health Advisory for fine particulate matter for today due to the impact of smoke from wildfires in Canada. The advisory is in effect until midnight tonight for all of the WCDO listening area & contiguous Counties.

An Audit by the State Comptroller's Office found that the state Department of Health is not adequately overseeing adult care facilities, they failed to conduct timely inspections and lacked documentation to show critical problems were corrected. 18% of allegations had no evidence they were investigated. a few did not have evidence of any plans for an investigation at all. There were 534 adult care facilities operating in New York, serving 37,547 residents. The Audit can be found at osc.ny.gov.

A.M. NEWS WEDNESDAY 7-9-25

The Binghamton Police Department have released the names of the 2 people who died in a 3 car wreck Monday afternoon at the Court Street construction site in the City's East End. The deceased operator of a Sedan was 49 year old Safwan Aziz of Binghamton, the deceased operator of the SUV was 71 year old Rafael Cuadra of Susquehanna, Pennsylvania , the unidentified driver of the 3rd vehicle suffered only minor injuries.

"Popeye The Slayer Man" is a movie shot locally that gives a different spin on the old Popeye character, which will be premiering locally & will play in about a dozen movie theaters around the nation, Korey Rowe of Otsego Media is the Director of Photography, he told WCDO News about the movie:

(Korey Rowe 3-12-25)

Rowe said that the movie will premier for the public on march 21st at the Southside Mall Cinemas, it will also be available on Apple TV.

A.M. NEWS WEDNESDAY 3-12-25

The State Department of Health announced the 1st case of measles in New York State outside of New York City in 2025, the 3rd case in the state this year. The case was identified in a patient less than 5 years of age in Suffolk County and was confirmed at the Department's Wadsworth Laboratory in Albany. It has been determined there was potential exposure to measles for the public and persons who visited the pediatric emergency department at Cohen Children's Medical Center on March 3 to March 4, or visited an inpatient child there on March 3 to March 6. More information is available at health.ny.gov/diseases. All New Yorkers are urged to protect themselves by making sure they're up to date on vaccines.

The State Department of Health recently launched a campaign, Clear the Air!, to highlight the dangers of secondhand smoke exposure for children with asthma. Children exposed to secondhand smoke can have more frequent and severe asthma attacks; are more likely to get ear infections, bronchitis and pneumonia. There are more than 7,000 chemicals in tobacco smoke, including hundreds of toxic chemicals. About 70 of the chemicals in secondhand smoke can cause cancer. More information about secondhand smoke can be found at cdc.gov/tobacco/secondhand-smoke

The State Department of Health has approved $8 million in funding for constructing a new Chase Memorial Nursing Home and Rehabilitation facility adjacent to the existing site in New Berlin. The Groundbreaking would be in the Spring of 2026, More information about the Chase Memorial Nursing Home and their affiliated facilities can be found at goodshepherdcommunities.org.

The State Department of Health announces the 25th Anniversary of its Tobacco Control Program. In recent years, the State has enacted several policies, including raising the minimum age for purchasing tobacco products, prohibiting the sale of flavored e-cigarettes or nicotine vapor products, including menthol-flavored products, and prohibiting tobacco product price discounting. More Information is available at nysmokefree.com or health.ny.gov.

The State Department of Health has launched a new weekly report summarizing infectious disease outbreaks. The report will be updated every Friday and will include information on infectious disease trends and outbreaks occurring across the globe with the potential to pose a health risk to New Yorkers. The reports are available at health.ny.gov/statistics.

New York State Department of Health’s computer system improperly paid $16.2 million in Medicaid claims during a 6-month period that started in October 2023, according to an audit released today by State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli. Overall, the audit found 370 million claims were processed between October 2023 through March 2024, totaling nearly $49.6 billion.

The State Department of Health encourages New Yorkers to get the flu vaccine following an increase in influenza cases and hospitalizations in New York State. During the week ending on December 21, there was an 86 percent increase in lab-confirmed influenza cases, and 648 hospitalized influenza cases were reported to the Department, a 57 percent increase from the 414 hospitalizations reported the week prior, the sixth consecutive week of increases. Current influenza information is available at nyshc.health.ny.gov.

The State Department of Health continues to encourage New Yorkers over the age of 6 months to receive the new COVID-19 vaccine as respiratory illness season begins. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that adults ages 65 and older and those who are moderately or severely immunocompromised should receive a second dose of the 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccine six months after their first dose. More information about COVID-19 vaccines is available at coronavirus.health.ny.gov.

The State Department of Health today announced that as the transmission of seasonal respiratory illnesses is underway, the State’s weekly flu reports and Flu Tracker website have been activated. The Department’s first Weekly Report for the week ending October 19, shows there were 565 lab-confirmed cases reported across the state, with 26 people hospitalized and 5 outbreaks were reported in long-term and acute care facilities. More information is available at health.ny.gov

The State Department of Health & the State Education Department have issued an official determination that certifies pharmacists can administer vaccines against m pox. The Health Department stated that there is a new m pox variant circulating in Africa, which prompted the World Health Organization to declare a global health emergency. More information is available at health.ny.gov.

National Baseball Hall of Fame Chairman of the Board Jane Forbes Clark announced that a Hank Aaron statue will be unveiled at the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown on May 23. The bronze representation of Aaron will be installed on the first floor of the Museum. Aaron was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1982 following a 23-year big league career with the Braves and Brewers, Aaron launched his 715th career home run 50 years ago today. Aaron’s Hall of Fame plaque made a rare appearance outside of the Hall of Fame Plaque Gallery when it traveled to Atlanta for today’s event, the plaque will also be featured at Truist Park today for fans to view at this evening’s Braves-Mets game.

A.M. NEWS MONDAY 4-8-24

A raccoon tested positive for rabies in the town of Meredith. This is the first laboratory confirmed positive case of rabies in Delaware County in 2024. A rabid raccoon entered a cow barn in the town of Meredith and attacked and bit a cow. The raccoon was sent for testing to the State Department of Health Wadsworth Laboratory. The cow that was attacked and bitten has been euthanized. There were no human exposures, and no other domestic animals were exposed to the rabid raccoon. For more information call 607-832-5200 or visit our website at delawarecountypublichealth.com

The New York State Department of Health is encouraging private well owners to test their well for bacteria and other contaminants to ensure water is suitable for household use. The Department suggests that New Yorkers contact the State DEC Spill Hotline at (800) 457-7362 if you suspect your well could be contaminated by gasoline, heating oil, or chemicals & call your local Health Department for advice on maintaining, testing, disinfecting, and flushing your well. For more information on private well testing and maintenance visit health.ny.gov/privatewells.