WCDO Radio News

Delaware County Sheriff’s
Department arrested a Sidney Center woman at the Jackson County Sheriff’s
Office in Medford, Oregon.  32 year old
Chellie Warner of Sidney Center was wanted on a Bench Warrant issued by the Delaware
County Court for failure to appear for a scheduled conference and sentencing
following her guilty plea for Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance.  Warner was originally arrested by Delaware
County Sheriff’s Office in December 2017, on a Grand Jury Sealed Indictment
Warrant for various drug charges for selling Fentanyl laced Heroin.  Warner was returned to Delaware County
Wednesday she was remanded to the Delaware County jail without bail.

Changes in the length of the statute of limitations recently
passed in the New York Child Victim’s Act, have led to hundreds of lawsuits
being filed against members of the clergy & educators who have been accused
or convicted of rape or sexual abuse.
Former Afton Principal David Curtis now faces a lawsuit after he pleaded
guilty for sexually abusing a teenage student over 30 years ago; his accuser
has brought a lawsuit against him and the Afton school district.    Curtis pleaded guilty to Endangering the
Welfare of a child by Sexual Contact, under the terms of a plea bargain
arrangement in 1991.

The Afton Community Theater presents "Matilda the
Musical" this weekend.  Clair
Sullivan plays Matilda in 2 of the 4 performances this weekend:

(Clair Sullivan 9-27-19)

Marek Rajner also has a key role in this production:

(Marek Rajner 9-27-19)

The shows will be Friday & Saturday nights at 7:00 PM,
with Saturday 7 Sunday Matinees at 2:00 PM, at the Margery Secrest Theater at
the Afton Central School.  Tickets are
available at BrownpaperTickets.com.

A fundraiser is being held for Dylan Dewey & Tyler
Holcomb of Franklin, who were injured in an accident recently, Franklin Central
School Principal Bonnie Johnson explained to WCDO News:

(WCDO Bonnie Johnson 9-13-19)

Johnson said that both teens have been at Albany Medical
Center since the crash on September 5th in the town of Franklin.

An Area Boy Scout recruitment effort will be held this
evening for students in the Sidney Central School District, spokesman Paul Van
Der Kruik explains:

(WCDO Paul Van der Kruik 9-9-19)

Van der Kruik told WCDO News that additional information
about the Sidney Recruitment, or others around the region, can call the
Leatherstocking Council at 432-6491.

The Greater Afton Area Chamber Of Commerce will be holding
their 5th annual Golf Tournament this Sunday.
The tournament will be held at the Afton Golf Club with a shotgun start
at 10:00 AM.

The Sidney Central School District announced a change in how
school tax bills are collected. Officials said that NBT Bank will no longer be
collecting Sidney school taxes, mailed checks should go to the Sidney Central
School District, Attention Tax Collector, 95 West Main Street Sidney
13838.  Walk-in hours are available at
the Sidney Central School District & a drop box available, more information
is available at 561-7700.

The Final concert of the Afton Sunday Summer Concert will be
held this Sunday.  The show will feature
the Afton Community Theater performing selections from their next production
"Matilda" at 6:00 PM at Foster Park, the show is free & Open to
the public.

The New York State DOT
is actively preparing for the arrival of winter weather by making applications
available for approximately 500 positions as permanent and seasonal maintenance
staff.  The DOT intends to hire about 38
in the Southern Tier and another 34 in the Central New York Counties, more
information is available on Twitter @NYSDOT or facebook.com/NYSDOT.

The Hancock Fire
Department and EMT’s were dispatched Saturday to Jensen’s Ledges for a report
of a 10 year old boy who had fallen off the ledges.  The Hancock Fire Department  rope rescue team performed a high angle rope
rescue to extricate the boy within 1 hour and he was transported down the
mountain in a UTV & was transported by LifeNet to a pediatric trauma center
with life threatening injuries.

The Dormitory Authority has issued
approximately $482 million in low-cost, tax-exempt bonds on behalf of 54 school
districts across the state as part the School Districts Revenue Bond Financing
Program, for fire protection, security, and air quality systems upgrades;
renovations, Athletic field improvements; and technology updates.  Locally, the Norwich City School District
receives $7,430,000, Sidney Central School District gets $9,820,000 &
Unadilla Valley Central School District gets $6,890,000.

The Afton Central School District
will hold a Special Board of Education Meeting Today at 7:00 AM in the District
Office of the Afton Central School.  More
information is available at 245-9894.

Governor Cuomo signed legislation authorizing school
districts to install stop-arm cameras on school buses in order to catch drivers
who unlawfully pass a stopped school bus. In New York State, approximately 1.5
million students ride school buses to and from school every year, However,
Operation Safe Stop in April 2018 exposed that hundreds of people ignore this
law and over 850 people were ticketed in 1 day.

The Chenango County Department
of Public Works closed County Road 17 between State Route 41 and Loomis Road in
the Town of Afton today for the replacement of a large culvert. The work is
expected to take 3 to 5 days, Drivers should seek alternate routes. Local
residents will be allowed to travel to and from their homes. More information
is available at 337-1710.

22nd District Congressman Anthony Brindisi will hold a rural
broadband town hall in Chenango County This afternoon.  The event will begin at 4:45 pm at
Sherburne-Earlville Middle School. This event is free and open to all members
of the community.

Commerce Chenango announced today that Kerri Green of Sidney
will succeed Steve Craig as President & CEO of Commerce Chenango starting
in August.  Green told WCDO News that she
is excited for this opportunity:

(Kerri Green 7-29-19)

Green previously served as
President of the Sidney Chamber of Commerce while she worked in Sales at WCDO,
she is also currently president of the Sidney central School District Board of
Education & also previously worked as Senior Assistant to the President at
Hartwick College in Oneonta.

The Otsego County Fair kicks off Tuesday at the Fairgrounds
in Morris.  Fair Spokesperson Lisa Jones
told WCDO News that Wednesday will have 2 new events:

(Lisa Jones 7-29-19)

The full line-up is available at otsegocountyfair.org.

State Police are looking for the public’s help in locating
approximately 75 escaped buffalo from the Honey Hill Road in Roseboom.  State Police warn the public not to approach
the buffalo since they are a wild animal and can be unpredictable.   Troopers were dispatched Thursday & learned
that a buffalo broke a gate allowing approximately 75 buffalo to escape from a
farm in the town of Sharon.  Troopers
worked with a DEC officer and the owner of the buffalo to devise a plan to
convince the animals to return home, some were reported in the town of
Schoharie & the town of Roseboom.
Anyone who sees any of the buffalo should contact the owner at (518)588-1402
or State Police at (315)858-1122.

Several local fire departments responded to a barn fire at
125 Corbin Road in the town of Bainbridge last night.  The fire started in a barn filled with hay at
about 10:30 last night, according to owner & Bainbridge Fire Chief Fred
Bell.  Fire departments from Afton,
Bainbridge, Sidney, Masonville, Trout Creek, and Coventry responded, No
injuries were reported, Bell said that the fire did NOT spread to his house,
the cause of the fire is still under investigation.

State Police have reported that a 17-year-old male has been
arrested in connection with a homicide in the town of Cobleskill.  Police responded to a residence at 435 Lamont
District Road in Cobleskill and found the 50-year-old unidentified male victim
with a fatal gunshot wound to the back of the head.  A 17-year-old has been remanded to the
Schoharie County Jail and is currently charged with Assault, Criminal Use of a
Firearm, and Criminal Possession of a Weapon, Additional charges may be
pending. The incident remains under investigation.

Catholic Charities in Sidney is once again offering free
backpacks to local children in need for the 2019-202 school year, Spokesperson
Penny McKnight explains:

(Penny McKnight 7-12-19)

McKnight said that the deadline to apply is August 12th,
also donations of school supplies will be accepted, and more information is available
by calling the Sidney Office at 604-4071.

The Greater Afton Area Chamber of Commerce is holding their
inaugural Sunday Summer Concert Series, at various locations around Afton
through September 8th, Chamber Vice President Melissa Matthews explains:

(Melissa Matthews 7-12-19)

More information about the Sunday Summer Concert series in
Afton can be found at gaacoc.com.

The "Help After Loss" nonprofit
group, which is also known as HALos, announced that they are purchasing the
former Afton Great American building.
HALos purchased the building at an auction in June, closing is
anticipated in late July or August, plans call for some of the space to be used
by HALos, and additional space can be rented out to interested businesses
following renovations. Donations like building supplies, paints, or gift
certificates will be accepted, more information is available at 639-4256 or
240-1550 or by email at HALosOrg@aol.com. or online at helpafterloss.com

The Sidney Town Board received a petition at Thursday’s
meeting from Muddy Rivers farm Brewery Owners Dustin & Jared Wood, in favor
of changing the zoning laws to allow the business to continue at their current
site on the Back River Road at Tryon’s Corners, past a July 25th
deadline.  Sidney Town Supervisor Gene
Pigford Told WCDO News about potential Town zoning Board & Subsequent Town
Board Action on Muddy Rivers:

(Gene Pigford 7-12-19)

Pigford said that the final actions my take beyond the July
25th deadline, he does not anticipate the business will close at
that time.

A Red Cross Blood Drive will be
held at the Baptist Church in Oneonta tomorrow at 333 Main Street.  All Blood Types are needed, the Blood Drive
will be held from 8:00 AM to 1:00 PM.

Property tax levy growth for local governments with fiscal
years that close on December 31 will be capped at 2% for the 2020 fiscal year,
according to State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli. This figure affects the tax cap
calculations for all counties, towns, fire districts, 44 cities and 10
villages. The tax cap limits tax levy increases to the lesser of the rate of
inflation or 2% with some exceptions, including a provision that allows
municipalities to override the tax cap.

The Sidney Central School District will be holding a special
Board of Education meeting today, at 4:30pm in the high school library. This
meeting is open to the public.

A State Trooper was injured Sunday night following a traffic
stop on Route 41 in Afton.  The trooper
attempted to pull over a motorist, who did not comply and drove away until
crashing in the area of Loomis Road; he then took off on foot.  The unidentified trooper caught up to the
suspect, the trooper received minor injuries following a scuffle, and the
driver of the car was bit by a police dog.
The driver was charged with driving while impaired by drugs, criminal
possession of a controlled substance & several other charges, more details
are expected to be released shortly.

Afton Firefighters responded this morning to a fire at 191
Hall Road.  No one was home when the fire
broke out, Firefighters from Coventry, Bainbridge & Harpursville assisted,
the home was completely destroyed, and the cause of the fire is under
investigation.

The first week of the Sidney
Central school District’s 9th annual Summer Camps begins on July 8, with
registration closing July 1.  This year
the District will offer the American Red Cross Babysitting Class for students
ages 11-15 on July 15th & 16th.  Registration for all weeks and camps can be
found at sidneycsd.asapconnected.com.

The Broome County Sheriff's Office arrested Michael
Gincerowski Jr., of Port Crane for vehicular manslaughter, Leaving the scene of
an accident resulting in death, DWI, Aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor
vehicle, following a hit and run accident Saturday night in the Town of Fenton
that killed 16-year-old Constance Mazzarese of Owego.   The Broome County Sheriff’s Office responded
to a report of a motor vehicle accident involving an SUV and a bicycle on State
Route 369 in the Town of Fenton just after 10:00 PM Saturday night, the driver
of the SUV left the scene, a State Trooper located the vehicle, disabled, about
a mile north of the collision.
Gincerowski was located at a nearby residence and was taken into custody.

Chenango County Emergency
Services Responded to a number of reports for flooded roads following heavy
downpours last night & earlier this morning.  Flooded roads were reported at Butler &
State Streets in Oxford, there was washout damage to the grounds at the Oxford
School Playground, & flooding on North Broad Street in Norwich, in
Smithville at North End Road, & Chenango County Road 2 as well as County
Roads 7 & 10 in Pharsalia, County Road 7 in McDonough.  Officials remind motorists to turn around
& seek an alternate route if they encounter a road covered with water, and
to alert authorities.

Sidney High School was one of
562 high-achieving and high-progress schools as part of the 2018-19 Recognition
Schools, as announced by New York State Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia.

(Bill Christensen 6-20-19)

Sidney was one of just 234 high
schools statewide on the list, and the only high school in the immediate area
to be selected.  Of the 562 schools being
honored, 241 are located in New York City, 40 are public charter schools, and
280 are located in the rest of the state, 131 of those were also named as
Reward Schools last year.

The 130th Afton Fair begins Today, Fair Spokesperson Rhonda
Barriger comments:

(Rhonda Barriger Thursday)

The Afton Fair runs through Sunday at the Fairgrounds in
Afton.

The Bainbridge-Guilford Central School will hold a Board of
Education Meeting on Today in the District Conference Room at the Jr-Sr High
School at 6:30 PM. The business portion of the meeting will start at 7:00 PM.

School Budget Votes will be held state wide tomorrow.  Locally, Sidney & Schenevus school
district budget decreased their spending from last year, most have had slight
to mild increases, local districts are close to 2% Property Tax Cap.  Capital Projects will be voted on by voters
in Sidney, Unatego & Afton tomorrow.

The Afton Central School District is asking for approval
tomorrow on a capital project, Superintendent Tim McNamara comments:

(Tim McNamara 5-20-19)

McNamara said that state aid & the capital reserve fund
will cover the cost of the project, meaning that there will be no additional
burden on tax payers.

Governor Cuomo announced that $21.3 million has been awarded
to 6 affordable housing developments in the Southern Tier that will create or
preserve 249 affordable homes. The funds were made available through New York
State Homes & Community Renewal's 2018 Unified Funding Application; Awards
include $4.3 million for Endicott Square, in the Village of Endicott, creating
61 apartments in a mixed income development that repurposes a former school.

The Raymond Corporation hosted more than 150 high school
students at its headquarters in Greene, on Friday, for the company's inaugural
Engineering Day.  Students from 9 schools
across the Southern Tier learned about career opportunities within engineering
and associated disciplines, through 12 interactive exhibits, including 3D
printing, & the award-winning Raymond Virtual Reality Simulator.

State Police report that 50-year-old Daniel Smith was
working on the vehicle at his home on Oak Hill Spur Road in Afton when it fell
on him & killed him Tuesday evening at 6:34 pm.  State Police said that the driveway where
Smith was working on his truck was sloped; the incident has been ruled as an
accident.  The Chenango County Sheriff’s
Office and Harpursville Fire & EMS also responded.

The Afton Central School District will be holding a second
public informational meeting on a proposed Capital Project tonight at 6:30 p.m.
in the school’s Margery Secrest Memorial Auditorium.  Superintendent Tim McNamara comments:

(Tim McNamara 5-16-19)

The Capital Project will be voted on by district residents
on May 21, 2019.

The Guilford Elementary School is holding a Kindergarten
Parent Information Night tonight for children entering kindergarten in
September. Children must turn 5 by Dec. 1st; the meeting is at 6:30PM in the
Guilford Elementary Gymnasium.

The Afton central School district will be holding a 2nd
public informational meeting on their proposed Capital Project on May
16th.  District Superintendent Tim
McNamara said that the project will not raise taxes:

(Tim McNamara 5-6-19)

The Project will be voted on by Afton District residents on
May 21st from 11:00 AM to 9:00 PM at the Afton School.

Delaware County Sheriff’s
Deputies arrested 32-Year-Old Samantha Roupp of Bloomville Sunday for DWI,
Driving with a BAC of .08% or higher, Uninspected Motor Vehicle, Failure to
Keep Right, Moving from Lane Unsafely, and Consumption of Alcohol in a Motor
Vehicle.  Roupp was stopped on State
Highway 10 in the Town of Walton, she was arrested & was arraigned in
Hamden Town Court and is scheduled to appear at Walton Town Court at a later
date.

The Chenango County Sheriff’s deputies, State Police &
Village of Greene responded to the report of a suspicious death Friday evening
in Smithville Flats.  The victim has been
identified as 16-year-old Amelia Wakefield of Oxford, after authorities
responded to a Water Street residence at about 6:50 PM Friday.  Wakefield was removed & was brought to
Lourdes’ Hospital in Binghamton for an autopsy.
Oxford Academy officials announced that the School’s Crisis Team was
available for students today; the investigation in Wakefield’s death is
ongoing.

The Sidney Central School District is now registering
children for their September 2019 kindergarten class.  Parents should call 561-7728 to set up an
appointment to register their child, who must be 5 years old on or before
December 1st in order to be eligible for kindergarten this
September.

Rain once again stalled plans for the drivers to get a
practice in at the Afton Motorsports Park, Organizer Ron Ford that they will
get a practice in today:

(Ron Ford 4-29-19)

More information about racing each week this season is
available at aftonmotorsportspark.com.

The Afton Central School District will hold a public meeting
this evening, regarding a proposed 18.8 Million Dollar Capital Project.  The meeting will begin at 7:00 PM in the
Secrest Auditorium.

The Chenango
Arts Council hosted the 2019 Chenango Area Student Art Show, Lucy Funke and
Chenango Music Scholarship awards ceremony last Friday. The Lucy Funke
Scholarship was awarded to Riley Webster of Sherburne Earlville & Andrea
Dempsey of the Oxford Academy, the Chenango Music Scholarship goes to Matthew
Ryan of the Sherburne Earlville district, The Chenango Area Student Show
winners in a variety of categories were Riley Webster of Sherburne Earlville,
Guin Warren of Norwich, Ashley Spooner of Afton, Samantha Emerson of Oxford,
Shanee Baker Bush of Oxford & Madisyn Stowell of Sherburne Earlville.   All eligible pieces will be entered in
Congressman Anthony Brindisi’s Congressional Art Show in Utica; the winning
entry will have a chance to be displayed in Washington for a year.

The 14th
annual Otsego County Conservation Association Earth Festival will take place on
tomorrow from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM at Milford Central School.  The Earth Festival will be featuring
exhibits, workshops, vendors, food and entertainment.  More information is available at
occainfo.org.

Oneonta Finance Director Meg Hungerford will resign from
that position at the end of the month.
Hungerford has accepted a position with the Walton Central School
district.   No interim director has been
appointed by the city; they will start a search for a replacement shortly.

The State Department of Transportation today announced that
preliminary work has begun on a $1.1 million project to replace a culvert
underneath Dilly Road in the Town of Colesville. The new culvert will allow a
stream to more efficiently flow underneath the road, reducing the possibility
of erosion and enhancing safety for motorists traveling to and from nearby
State Route 7.  While preliminary site
work, including tree removal, has begun, the bulk of construction will not take
place until the summer to minimize disruptions to school bus routes and comply
with DEC stream work restrictions. Traffic will be detoured on to Martin Hill
Road during construction, which is expected to be substantially complete by
September.

Governor Cuomo’s job approval
rating has improved to 50% for the first time since last May, according to
polls released this week.   A Quinnipiac
Survey released today said that 50% percent of voters approve of the job Cuomo
is doing as governor, with 41% registering disapproval.  About 2/3rds of those polled believe that
Cuomo should also continue to try to convince Amazon to revisit their plans to
open a facility in Queens & add 25,000 jobs.

Village voting took place & there were a few races to
decide, in Sidney, Andy Matviak was re-elected as Mayor over Jeffrey Stefanek
& Elected to the Village board were Ray Baker & Barry MacPherson.  In Walton, Stephen Condon won the election
for a two-year mayor seat over incumbent Ed Snow.  In Gilbertsville, the new Mayor is Mark
Muller who defeated incumbent Ken Nolan; Trustees that won are Glenn Foster
& Randolph Palada,  in Afton, the 2
village board seats were won by DeAnna Lawrence & Sally Muller.

The Rotary Club of Sidney will
be hosting a fundraiser Saturday for the Howard & Catherine Lynch
Scholarship for a graduating Sidney High School Senior.  Spokesman Larry Halbert explains:

(Larry Halbert 3-15-19)

Tickets can be purchased through
Saturday at the Sidney & Norwich American Legions, at VEP+ on Main Street
in Sidney, or by calling Larry Halbert at 237-4762,

The Greater Afton Area Chamber
of Commerce will host their Annual Golf Ball Drop Fundraiser at 4:00 pm
Saturday outside of Afton Central School during Afton Sertoma's Goofy Golf
event.   Proceeds from the drop benefit
the Greater Afton Area Chamber of Commerce, "Payne's Cranes," will be
dropping numbered golf balls from 90 feet in the air.   More information is available by calling
765-6507

Constituents are invited to join
Senator Jen Metzger and Delhi Village Mayor Richard Maxey for coffee today at
Delhi Village Hall to ask questions, and address concerns in the 42nd Senate
District.  This event is free, and open
to the public, from 1:30 to 2:30 PM, more information is available at
845-344-3311.

The Sidney Central School District Board of Education has
begun a search for a new Superintendent of Schools.  Sidney community, parents, staff and students
can assist in developing a profile of desirable attributes/qualities of this
individual, at the District's Facebook page or website sidneycsd.org and
complete the survey. All entries are anonymous.

6ZERO7 Advertising will be hosting a *Valentine's Day Gift
Shop* at the United Methodist Church of Afton located at 34 Spring Street on
Saturday, February 9th from 10am to 2pm.
Local vendors will be selling merchandise for Valentine's Day shoppers,
Tabitha’s Closet will also be open for the community and supporters to get a
look at the mission.  Proceeds from the
event will benefit Tabitha's Closet; more information is available at 208-4077.

Several upstate cites are
teaming up for a lawsuit against pharmaceutical companies, for misleading
health care providers about the addictive dangers of opioid medications they
manufactured.  so far, the cities of
Albany, Schenectady, Troy & Plattsburgh are on the lawsuit against several
top manufacturers of prescription opioid medications, more are expected to join
the suit, as the opioid crisis has continued to grow across New York State.

Bainbridge Fire fighters responded to 1025 Searles Hill Road
Monday afternoon for a structure fire at a Barn that had been converted into
Apartments.  Fire Fighters from Afton,
Coventry, Sidney & Masonville responded, no injuries were reported, but 1
dog died in the fire.  The cause of the fire
was a malfunction with the propane system, according to Bainbridge Fire Chief
Fred Bell.

The Walton Central School District Board Of Education will
hold their next meeting today at 6:00 PM.
The meeting will be held in the Board Room at the High School.