WCDO Radio News

The State Department of Labor today released preliminary local unemployment rates for November. The State’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased to 4.7% in November 2017. Locally, Chenango County increased to 5.4%, Delaware County's rate was 5.3% & Otsego County increased to 5% in November.

The Delaware County Office for the Aging & NY Connects is seeking volunteer drivers for the non-emergency medical transportation program. Areas in the county that are currently underserved are Davenport, Delhi, Downsville, Grand Gorge, and Hancock. Transportation is typically for doctor or dentist appointments, laboratory tests, X-rays, prescription pick-ups and dropping off clients for hospital stays. Drivers who volunteer their time are reimbursed for their mileage to and from their homes; more information is available at 832-5750.

Governor Cuomo unveiled a proposal to direct the Commissioner of Labor to schedule public hearings to examine industries and evaluate the possibility of ending minimum wage tip credits in New York State. In certain workplaces, such as car washes and restaurants, where wages and tips are both generally low, workers' income can rely entirely upon tips. The Department of Labor will hold public hearings to solicit input from workers, businesses, those who wish to testify will be able to pre-register on the Department's website, times & locations for the hearings will be posted on that website shortly.

Emergency crews responded to the report of a tractor-trailer rollover at about 2:00 this morning, near exit 2 on I-88 West. The Broome County Sheriff's Office, Chenango Bridge Fire Department, and the Hillcrest Fire Department all responded, 1 lane of traffic was closed for the investigation & the clean up, so far no tickets have been announced.

A name change is coming to Tri Town Regional Hospital in Sidney, as the facility is required to have its Emergency Department within 35 miles of an acute care Emergency room, as provided by Fox Hospital in Oneonta. Fox CEO Jeff Joyner explains:

(Jeff Joyner 12-6-17)

The Change takes effect on January first, the facility in Sidney will be known as A.O. Fox Hospital-Tri Town Campus.

Delaware County Sheriff-Elect Craig DuMond announces the selection of long-time Sheriff’s Office Lieutenant Timothy Buckley to be the Undersheriff. Buckley began his career as a police officer with the Village of Hancock Police Department in 1996; in 1998 he served as a Sheriff’s Deputy and a School Resource Officer with the Chenango County Sheriff’s Office before transferring to the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office in 2000.

The Delaware County Chamber of Commerce will begin its 2018 monthly networking breakfasts on January 5 at SUNY Delhi’s Alumni Hall from 8:30 to 10 a.m. The presentation will be on the New York Paid Family Leave Law, nearly all private sector employees in New York will be eligible for Paid Family Leave, the featured speaker is New York Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon. Cost is $10 per person. Reservations are required at delawarecounty.org or 746-2281.

The New York State Department of Labor today released preliminary local area unemployment rates for October 2017. Locally, Chenango County's rate was at 4.7%, Delaware County at 4.8% & Otsego County at 4.3%. The State’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased from 4.9% to 4.8% in October 2017.

A review of the Oneonta Police Department’s actions, following the recent death of a man in custody has been completed by the Oneonta Police Department & the Otsego County District attorney's office. Oneonta Police had a search warrant for a city residence & to perform a strip search of 52-year-old Kenneth Faulkner of New Rochelle, following a lengthy drug investigation. Faulkner resisted the efforts of 4 officers; he swallowed a packet of cocaine, which led to his death several hours after the struggle on November 2nd. The results of the department’s report have been submitted to state officials.

State Senator Fred Akshar and Assembly Members Donna Lupardo and Cliff Crouch have released answers to the many questions posed by the community regarding the planned repurposing of the former Broome Developmental Center to bring new Addiction Treatment Services to the community. The document compiles questions raised at the October 26th Town Hall Meeting, with answers from the Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services, Syracuse Behavioral Health, the Broome County Department of Social Service and the Broome County Health Department. The document can be found at Akshar.NYSenate.Gov; nyassembly.gov/Donna Lupardo or nyassembly.gov/Clifford Crouch.

State Police CNET & Binghamton Police executed a federal arrest warrant on Troy Clark of Whitney Point, as part of a federal indictment charging Clark with manufacturing Methamphetamines. Police discovered a meth lab with 30 “one pot” vessels, various methamphetamine laboratory components, a loaded 12 gauge shotgun & a Small amount of marihuana. Police arrested Orion Tanzini of Kirkwood, Brittany Clark of Whitney Point, Jamie Wilson of Whitney Point, Brian Mirra of Chenango Forks, along with Clark. A search warrant was also executed for Charles McNeilly, of Whitney Point, where police again seized meth making materials & arrested Thomas Cole of Whitney Point, Ashley VanOstrand of Whitney Point, along with McNeilly. All face court action shortly, the investigations are continuing and additional charges are pending.

The Delaware County Solid Waste Management will hold an open house at the Solid waste center in Hamden tomorrow morning. Solid Waste Coordinator Sue McIntyre explains:

(Sue McIntyre 11-15-17)

McIntyre also said that the department's ten-year plan is available for viewing & public comment, it can be found on the Delaware county Website

New York’s statewide unemployment rate decreased from 4.9% to 4.8% in October, according to preliminary figures released today by the New York State Department of Labor. Private educational and health services added the most jobs (+51,900) of any major industry sector over the past year. Manufacturing lost the most jobs (-17,100) of any major industry sector in New York State, other losses were concentrated in durable goods (-12,800), especially fabricated metal products (-3,200).

The State Department of Corrections is asking the public to be call 911 if they spot 66-year-old Ronald Cook of Utica. Cook is a paroled Level 3 Sex offender who is accused of removing his GPS ankle bracelet. Cook was last seen in Rome Wednesday, wearing a bright yellow windbreaker, he is described as a white male; 5' 9" tall, weighing about 240 pounds, with gray hair and hazel eyes. Cook was convicted of raping a 24-year-old woman in Binghamton in 1990; he was also convicted in 1988 of first-degree sexual abuse and impersonating a police officer.

The State Labor Department is advancing regulations on "just in time", "call-in" or "on-call" scheduling, common practices that allow employers to schedule or cancel workers' shifts just hours before or even after they start. The practices often leave workers scrambling to find childcare and force them to miss appointments, classes or important family commitments. The full regulation can be viewed at labor.ny.gov/schedulingregs

Farmers will have two opportunities to drop off used agricultural film plastic for recycling under a special program offered by Otsego County Solid Waste Department, the Otsego County Soil & Water Conservation District, Otsego County Conservation Association, and Casella Waste Solutions. Collection dates are Saturday at the Southern Transfer Station in Oneonta, and Thursday, November 16 at the Northern Transfer Station in Cooperstown, from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. both days. More information is available at 282-4087 or occainfo.org/recycling-agricultural-plastics.

The State Department of Labor released preliminary unemployment rates for September. The State’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased from 4.8% to 4.9% in September, Locally, Chenango County had 4.7% unemployment, Delaware County had 5% & Otsego County had 4.4%.

The State Department of Labor released preliminary unemployment rates for August. The State’s unemployment rate rose 1/10 of 1% in August, Locally Chenango County's unemployment rate was at 4.7%, Delaware County was at 5.3% & Otsego County had 4.7% in August.

Math & English scores for New York Students who took standardized tests this spring, showed a slight increase over the 2016 scores, according to the State Education Department. 39.8% of students grades 3 to 8 were proficient in English Language Arts, up almost 2% from 2016, 40.2% of students passed the Math tests, up by 1.1% from 2016. Students who opted out declined from 21% to 19%.

Governor Cuomo will officially open the Great New York State fair today, at the fairgrounds in Syracuse. The fair will open after the Governor's announcement; it will run daily through Labor Day.

Tri-Town Regional Hospital in Sidney will become a satellite emergency department under the leadership of Fox Hospital in Oneonta, on January 1st 2018. A certificate of need was approved earlier this year by the State Department of Health to bring Tri-town Regional under the operations of Fox Hospital, State rules stipulate that a satellite emergency department must be within 35 miles of an acute care hospital; Fox Hospital is 23 miles from Sidney while Bassett Medical Center is just over 45 miles away. The change will not affect any services at tri Town. Bassett Officials also announced a plan to apply for $25 million in grant funding to create a medical village at the Sidney campus, for outpatient and emergency care.

The State Labor Department announced that the Unemployment rate for July Statewide was 4.7%, up 2/10ths from June. Locally, Chenango County had 4.8% unemployment, Delaware County 5.4% & Otsego County 4.9% in July.

Governor Cuomo announced that over $5.2 million dollars in wages and interest were returned to 2,285 workers state wide through June as a result of prevailing wage enforcement efforts by the State Department of Labor. In addition, more than $307,560 in civil penalties has been assessed against employers who violated prevailing wage law and 34 individuals or business entities have been barred with doing business with New York State since the beginning of the year. In the Southern Tier, over $390,000 was recovered for 188 workers who were not paid in full.

The State Department of Transportation announced today that they are seeking individuals to apply for jobs online at dot.ny.gov/jobs/perm_positions. DOT Officials in the Southern Tier are looking to add personnel quickly following the closing this week of State Route 17 in Tioga County, where flash flooding took out chunks of land supporting a bridge that carried the highway over a bridge in the Nichols area, officials are hoping to have the bridge repaired by the Labor Day weekend.

A Roxbury man and woman were arrested by Delaware County Sheriff's Office Investigators on felony drug possession charges Monday following a probation search that led to the seizure of approximately one hundred (100) grams of powder and crack cocaine, over eleven hundred dollars ($1100.00) cash and a number of fireworks. Sheriff’s Investigators arrested and charged 30 year old David Dykstra and 33 year old Lisa Skala on 2 counts of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance & Unlawfully Dealing with Fireworks. Dykstra was being supervised by the Delaware County Probation Department from a 2016 conviction in New Jersey. Dykstra and Skala were arraigned & were remanded to the Delaware County Jail on $150,000 bail pending further court action.

The Chenango County Sheriff's Department arrested 21-year-old Damion Spicer of Norwich for Criminal Contempt. Spicer was charged following a report of a domestic dispute, where Spicer allegedly subjected the female victim to unwanted physical contact while an order of protection was in place. Spicer was arraigned in the Town of Otselic and was remanded to the Chenango County Correctional Facility on $5,000 cash bail, $10,000 bond, pending court action in the Town of Norwich Court at a later date.

State DOT Officials said that the section of State Route 17/I-86 between Nichols & Lounsberry would remain closed to traffic through Labor Day. Flash flooding eroded the land under a bridge that allows the highway to crosses a creek, detours will remain in effect for at least the next 6 weeks, motorists in that area are reminded to leave earlier & expect delays through Tioga County.

The Sidney Center Improvement Group will be holding their Luck Day Auction Sunday from 1:00 to 5:00 PM. Group Spokesman Mike Sellitti explains:

(Mike Sellitti 7-26-17)

The event will be held at the Sidney Center Fire Department Sunday. More information is available at scigny.org or the Sidney Center Improvement group facebook page.

The state Labor Department released unemployment rates for the month of June. Locally Chenango County had 4.8% unemployment, Delaware County had 5.3% and Otsego County had an even 5%. The statewide rate was at 4.5% in June.

The State’s private sector job count increased by 23,900, or 0.3%, in June to over 8,079,000, a new record high, according to preliminary figures released today by the State Department of Labor. Since 2009, New York has added more than 1.1 million private sector jobs and experienced employment growth in 66 of the past 78 months. In June, New York’s statewide unemployment rate increased from 4.4% to 4.5% in June.

U.S. Senator Charles Schumer is calling on the U.S. Department of Agriculture to offer an extended level of crop insurance protection to New York barley farmers. New York State’s brewing and distilling industries are booming, but Schumer said that the Barley farmers should be granted access to the same federal protections that are available to farmers in 11 other states. Schumer's request to the USDA follows a recent success where the USDA agreed with Schumer’s request to extend a more basic level of federal crop insurance to 44 Upstate New York counties.

The New York State Department of Labor today released preliminary local area unemployment rates for May. The State’s unemployment rate increased from 4.3% to 4.4% in May 2017, locally, Chenango County had 4.6% unemployment, Delaware County had a 4.8% rate & Otsego County registered 4.2% unemployment

The U.S. Justice Department reached an agreement with New York state to settle a lawsuit over voter registration opportunities through the State's DMV offices. Federal investigators found applications for New York driver's licenses, permits and ID cards didn't always serve as applications for voter registration, Under the agreement, New York will insure a voter registration opportunity will be included with all applications. Change of address information will also be used to update voter address information.

A Job Fair will be held today at the State Veterans' Home at Oxford from 12:00 Noon to 6:00 PM. Professionals from the nursing department will be on hand to provide information, give tours and conduct interviews for RN, LPN and CNA positions.

Governor Cuomo announced that over $3.1 million dollars in wages and interest during the first quarter, has been returned to 1,367 workers by the State Department of Labor. In addition, more than $125,500 in civil penalties have been assessed against employers in violation of prevailing wage law and 14 individuals or business entities have been debarred since the beginning of the year. Locally, 76 Southern Tier area workers were awarded over $168,000 in back wages through this effort.

Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul will make several stops in Cooperstown today. Hochul Discusses New York State Agriculture at North East Association of State Departments of Agriculture Conference at the Otesaga Hotel celebrates the 78th Birthday of Baseball Hall of Fame & visits the Fenimore Art Museum this afternoon.

The State Department of Labor released preliminary local area unemployment rates for April, the State’s unemployment rate remained unchanged at 4.3%. Locally, Chenango County's rate was 5%, Delaware County 5.4% & Otsego County 4.7%

The Sidney Village Police Department announced that they would be participating in the National Drug Take Back event this Saturday. Sidney Police Chief Jan Gorshack comments:

(Jan Gorshack 4-27-17)

Chief Gorshack said that the Drug Collection box will continue to be located at the front of the Police Department offices & is available at all times, in order to keep drug from getting into the wrong hands, or even into the water supply.

The SUNY Broome Job fair will be held today at the campus's Ice Center, in partnership with the state Labor Department. The event will run from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM, more information is available at SUNYBROOME.EDU/career center.

The State Labor Department today released the Unemployment statistics for the month of March. Statewide, the rate dropped one tenth to 4.3%, locally, Chenango County had 5.6% unemployment, Delaware County had 5.7% & Otsego County had 5.1% for March.

The State Tax Department has launched Quick Pay, which is a free service that provides individuals a new way to pay a tax bill or debt owed from an audit or collection case. Taxpayers made nearly 2,620 payments worth $2.5 million in the first 4 weeks after Quick Pay was launched on March 24th. The Quick Pay app provides individuals the option to pay directly from their bank account, which can be followed by an emailed confirmation of payment. Taxpayers can access the new app anytime at theTax Department's webpage.

The Bainbridge Chamber of Commerce will hold the next "Reunite Bainbridge" Committee Meeting tonight. The meeting will start at 7:00 PM at Bob's Diner in the Back Conference Room. Topics of discussion will include The General Clinton Canoe Regatta Weekend, Summer Fest on July 22nd, a Clam Bake on August 20th, an Update on the Mural Project & the Golf Tournament on August 13th, as well as Bainbridge Days on the Labor Day Weekend

The statewide unemployment rate decreased from 4.4% to 4.3% in March, according to preliminary figures released today by the New York State Department of Labor. This represents New York State’s lowest unemployment rate since February 2007.

The Public Safety & Legal Affairs Committee of the Otsego County Board of Representatives announced that they continue to investigate the situation regarding Sergeant Ros Devlin of the Otsego County Corrections Department, who is also the son of Otsego County Sheriff Richard Devlin. Ros Devlin was accused of using excessive violence as a corrections officer, he is also accused of making threats, possibly against area schools and the public in general that led to his pistol permit being revoked, and he was banned from being on County Property, and his behavior was being investigated by the County District Attorney’s office, The County’s Labor Attorney, the Sheriff’s Department & State Police. Sheriff Devlin was requested to recuse himself from the investigation due to an obvious conflict of interest, which he initially refused; County officials said that the Sheriff did not advise them of his original disciplinary action until April 10th. The investigation is continuing.

The New York State Department of Taxation and Finance announced that they have extended the hours of its Income Tax Call Center through the April 18 filing deadline to assist taxpayers. On Monday & Tuesday, the call center at 518-457-5181 will remain open until 7:30 p.m. to assist taxpayers with last minute tax return filing questions. For taxpayers using a home computer or mobile device, many questions can be answered at tax.ny.gov.

The Delaware County Tourism Advisory Board is now accepting applications for funding under the newly created Tourism Promotion & Development Grant program. This program will provide funding assistance to eligible applicants for projects that seek to attract visitors to Delaware County and enhance the overall tourism industry. Applications for grant assistance must be hand-delivered to the Delaware County Department of Economic Development or postmarked by 5:00pm on May 17th. More information is available at 607-832-5123.

The city of Oneonta department of public service announced that curbside pick up of brush & yard waste will begin again on Monday April 17th. Wards 1-4 will get their waste picked up stating on Monday, wards 5 through 8 will get their first pick up April 24th. More information about what is collectable or the city schedule, can contact the department at 432-2100 during regular business hours.

The State Unemployment rate dropped 2 tenths to 4.4% in February, according to the State Labor Department. Local Unemployment rates were higher, with Chenango County at 6.3%, Delaware County at 6.6% and Otsego County at 6% in February.

The State Unemployment rate dropped 2 more tenths to 4.4% in February, the lowest rate since 1976, according to statistics released today by the State Labor Department. The number of Private Sector Jobs went over 8 Million in February, an all time high for the state.

The New York State Department of Taxation and Finance today encouraged all eligible taxpayers in Central New York to take advantage of three free tax filing assistance events scheduled for today.  Central New York taxpayers with adjusted gross household incomes of $64,000 or less in 2016 qualify to e-file their tax returns using free online software, Today's event will be from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM at the Huntington Memorial Library at 62 Chestnut Street in Oneonta.

The State Department DOT will hold a public open house meeting today to discuss plans to replace a bridge on State Route 7 in the village of Afton. The open house will be held at the Afton Town Hall, from 5:30 to 7:000 PM today regarding the bridge was built in 1922 and carries State Route 7 over Kelsey Brook. The bridge is safe for continued travel and is regularly inspected. The purpose of the meeting is to share and exchange information with the public regarding the project and its potential impacts, including proposed work zone traffic control options to manage traffic during construction. More information is available at 772-7336.

The State Department of Labor released preliminary local unemployment rates for January. The number of private sector jobs in the State was over 8 Million, & the State’s unemployment rate decreased 2 10ths to 4.6%. Locally, Delaware County was at 6.6%, Chenango County, had 6.2%, & Otsego County was at 6.1% for January.

Broome County Sheriff's Department arrested a Binghamton man, who was found possessing a large amount of construction materials in his SUV. 28 year old Kole Rose was charged with criminal possession of stolen property, he was released pending future court action.

Governor Cuomo today announced that New York State's high school student smoking rate in 2016 was the lowest on record at 4.3%, down from 27.1% in 2000. A survey recently released by the State Department of Health also found that e-cigarette use by high school students nearly doubled in the last 2 years from 10.5% in 2014 to 20.6% in 2016. According to a 2016 report by the U.S. Surgeon General, the number of high school students using e-cigarettes soared 900 percent between 2011 and 2015, becoming the most commonly used form of nicotine among youths.

State Police arrested 33-year-old Carla Gagliano of Oneonta for Grand Larceny, and Offering a False Instrument for Filing, after an investigation by the State Department of Labor. The investigation determined that from March 2014 through March 2015, Gagliano had been receiving unemployment benefits while working at the Astrocom Electronics in Oneonta; the benefits were valued at about $10,500. Gagliano was arraigned in the City of Oneonta Court and was released. Her next court date is on April 19th.

Governor Cuomo today announced additional free tax filing assistance events across New York State. At these events, Tax Department volunteers will be available to help low and middle-income taxpayers file their taxes online for free ahead of the April 18 deadline. Since the tax-filing season began in January, the Tax Department has partnered with various organizations to provide free tax filing assistance to thousands of taxpayers at 54 locations throughout New York State. More information is available at tax.ny.gov.

Chenango County Sheriff's Department arrested 25 year old Sabrina Grey of New Berlin for Promoting Prison Contraband, she is accused of bring a narcotic into the Chenango County Jail, she was remanded to the jail on $2000 cash bail pending future court action.

THE CHENANGO COUNTY SHERIFFS DEPARTMENT & THE GREENE Police Department arrested 22 year old Nathaniel Morris of Greene for DWI. Morris was charged following the investigation of a March 2nd crash in the town of Greene. Morris was arraigned in Coventry town court & was remanded to the Chenango County Jail pending future court action.

The New York State Assembly Minority Task Force on Protecting the Rights of People with Developmental Disabilities conducted 11 informational forums and issued a series of recommendations in a report published today. Local Assemblyman Cliff Crouch participated:

(Crouch 2-9-17)

Among the recommendations, Enacting a Bill of Rights for individuals with developmental disabilities, Requiring the Department of Labor and the Office for People with Developmental Disabilities to conduct a wage study for direct care workers; Establishing a service learning or internship program for students interested in working with individuals with developmental disabilities; Amending tuition rates for Special Act School Districts; and Directing the Commissioner of Transportation to conduct a statewide study and review of the transportation of individuals with developmental disabilities. More information on the task force is available through the Assembly Minority Office of Public Affairs at 518-455-5073.

The State Department of Labor released local unemployment rates for December today. Locally Chenango County had 5.2% unemployment, Delaware county 5.3% and Otsego County at 4.8%, the State’s unemployment rate decreased 2/10 to 4.9% in December.

In December 2016, New York State’s private sector job count increased by 9,000, or 0.1%, to 7,963,900, a new record high, according to preliminary figures released today by the New York State Department of Labor. Since the beginning of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo’s administration, New York State’s economy has added 869,600 private sector jobs and experienced employment growth in 61 of the past 72 months. In December 2016, New York’s statewide unemployment rate decreased from 5.1% to 4.9%.

Governor Cuomo Presented Proposals to Combat The Heroin And Opioid Epidemic In the state. Cuomo called for the elimination of prior authorization for treatment, increase Access to Lifesaving Treatment By Recruiting Health Care Providers To Become Prescribers, Establish 24/7 Crisis Treatment Centers, allow emergency departments to consult the "I-Stop" registry combat "Doctor Shopping” for Opioids & Create First Recovery High Schools To Help Young People In Recovery Finish School.

State Lawmakers are looking to get back to work on the 2017 session, area Assemblyman Cliff Crouch told WCDO News today that budgeting for public edcuation is a top priority:

(Cliff 1-11-17)

Crouch has served in the state Assembly since 1995, he has been appointed to the Agriculture, Labor, Rules, Ways and Means, and Economic Development, Job Creation, Commerce and Industry Committees. He will also continue his work as Chairman of the Assembly Republican Conference.

NY State of Health and the State Department of Labor announced that since June 2015, nearly 225,000 individuals have been reached through a partnership to inform New York job seekers about affordable health insurance coverage options. Throughout January, NY State of Health is deploying in-person assistors to 46 Career Center locations where job seekers can make enrollment appointments and obtain more information about NY State of Health.