WCDO Radio News

The Delaware County Solid Waste Management & Delaware County Chamber of Commerce are holding an open house at the Solid waste center on Saturday Morning from 8:00 AM until 12:00 Noon. 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

State Police arrested 24-year-old William Deluca of Afton for Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance and other traffic violations. Deluca was pulled over by a State Trooper form driving without a front license plate on East Main Street in Afton, the trooper detected Marijuana odors from the vehicle & a subsequent search turned up methamphetamine powder. Deluca was issued tickets for town of Afton Court on December 4th.

The State DEC is reminding hunters who take a deer, bear, or turkey to report their game harvest this hunting season. Hunters who fail to report their harvest can be subject to fines of up to $250. Reporting deer, bear, or turkey harvest can be done by calling 1-866-426-3778, or online to the DEC website, or on the DEC's mobile app, "NY Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife".

The start of the 2017-18 skiing and snowboarding season is this Saturday, with both Whiteface Mountain and Gore Mountain opening their season. Belleayre Ski Resort is scheduled to open Friday, November 24th. Every winter, skiing and riding at New York's 51 mountains attracts millions of visitors and generates $1 billion for the state's economy.

The Tri Town Coalition on Substance Abuse Prevention will present the full length of the movie "CHASING THE DRAGON" tonight at the Sidney High School. Coalition Spokesperson Lorraine Keckeisen explains:

(Lorraine Keckeisen 11-15-17)

Keckeisen said that Superintendents from Sidney, Bainbridge Guilford & the Unatego Schools are participating, there will also be representatives from Truth farm, Fox Hospital, Alcohol & Drug Abuse Council of Delaware County, M-Kat, SSAD & Yes Leads at the event, which will run from 5:30 PM to 8:00 PM in the SIDNEY HIGH SCHOOL AUDITORIUM

The investigation is continuing as to how 2 abandoned rail cars broke free & rolled along dead tracks before derailing at State Route 7 in Colliersville Saturday. The trains cars derailed when they reached route 7, as the tracks had been paved over, there were no injuries.

The State Office of General Services announced a surplus vehicle, highway equipment, and miscellaneous property auction has been scheduled in Binghamton on Wednesday, November 15. Information on specific items and terms of sale are available at ogs.ny.gov, more information is available at (518) 457-6335. Next Wednesday Auction will begin at 9:30 AM at the Department of Transportation at 241 Colesville Road, Binghamton

The Binghamton Court Building was evacuated this morning following a bomb threat. Police & their Canine units were called in shortly after the threat was called in at about 9:00 AM, everyone was allowed back in at about 10:00 AM. The investigation into the source of the bomb threat is continuing.

State Police arrested 60 year old Brian Lewis of Gilbertsville for DWI and other traffic violations, after troopers responded to a 1 vehicle rollover crash on Copes Corners Road in the Town of Butternuts. Trropers accuse Lewis of driving while intoxicated when he crashed his vehicle causing it to rollover. His passenger received a hand laceration, and was transported to a local hospital for treatment. Lewis refused to submit to a breath test to determine his blood alcohol content. He was released after arraignment at the Town of Butternuts Court.

Victims of child sexual abuse in New York say that the political power of the Catholic Church & other institutions is preventing lawmakers from passing a law that would relax one of the nation's tightest statutes of limitations on filing criminal charges & Lawsuits. One bill would create a 1-year window for lawsuits otherwise barred by the current statutes; opponents claim that provision would cause catastrophic financial harm for institutions that work with children. Governor Cuomo said that he supports the idea of making it easier for child sexual abuse victims to sue.

3 state run ski resorts are pledging to generate 100% of their energy from renewable resources by 2030. Cuomo is seeking to have the state generate half of its energy form renewable resources like wind & solar by 2030, about 28 million dollars is earmarked for upgrades at Belleayre, Gore & Whiteface in the near future.

Health care providers are urging lawmakers this week for increased support for community-based services to help uninsured patients. More than 900 community health care supporters were in Albany Monday lobbying for Lawmakers to designate $20 million dollars for clinics that serve about 2 million uninsured New Yorkers in high poverty areas annually.

Governor Cuomo last week pinned the blame on the state's high property taxes on the excessive levels of local Governments and is seeking more cooperation & consolidation among municipalities. Local assemblyman Cliff Crouch previously served as the Chenango County Chair of the Board of Supervisors, and said that the Governor's statement was unwarranted:

(Crouch 3-7-17)

Crouch said that the property taxes have gone up as the state has given less money to counties but continued to pile on costly mandates without sufficient compensation.

The Next General Clinton Canoe Regatta Meeting will be tonight at the Highway 7 Bar and Grill in Bainbridge. At 6:30 PM the Race Committee Meeting will begin, then at 7:30 PM, the Regular meeting will begin.

The Oneonta Common Council will hold their next regular meeting tonight. The meeting will begin at 7:00 PM at Oneonta City Hall.

Last Wednesday, members of the Oneonta Police Department Patrol Division conducted a traffic stop which resulted in the arrest of a passenger in the vehicle. 48 year old Vickie Tolbert of Oneonta was charged with Criminal Contempt & criminal Possession of a controlled substance. Police seized 20 bags of Heroin & 1 gram of Cocaine. Tolbert was held at the city of Oneonta Police Department pending arraignment in the city of Oneonta Court.

New York State Justice Center for the Protection of People with Special Needs announced that a former employee of Springbrook in Sidney was arrested on charges that she drove an agency vehicle erratically while texting on her phone, jeopardizing the safety of a passenger. 30 year old Christi Swartwout of Sidney is charged with Endangering the Welfare of an Incompetent Person, following an August 2016 incident in which Swartwout was transporting an individual with developmental disabilities when she was observed driving erratically, nearly colliding with other cars. Swartwout was terminated from her position as a Health Care Assistant, she was arraigned in Oneonta City Court and was released on her own recognizance. She is scheduled to reappear in court on March 21.

State lawmakers are examining the rash of hate crimes across the state. State Senate Democrats are proposing increasing penalties for graffiti on religious properties & desecration of cemeteries. Governor Cuomo is calling for $25 Million Dollars to help religious schools step up security.

State lawmakers continue to examine proposals in the executive budget plan. The State Assembly is holding hearings on a plan to charge consumers as much as 7.6 Billion dollars over 12 years to bail out 3 aging nuclear power plants. State Senate Democrats are expected to release a college affordability plan shortly; the budget plan is due Aprils 1st.

State tax collections through the first three quarters of the fiscal year are down, According to State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli. The decline was 2.2% or around $1.2 billion, which is about $30 million lower than mid-year projections. DiNapoli’s report showed that there was Significant increases in spending for Medicaid and other public health programs.

New regulations will be issued by the New York State Department of State, requiring structural inspections of above-ground parking garages. The State does not currently have laws or regulations requiring public or private parking garages to undergo structural inspections, only fire and general safety rules. The regulations follow the collapse of a parking ramp at Wilson Memorial Hospital in Johnson City in July 2015, and the November 2015 closure of the Collier Street parking ramp in Binghamton, due to safety concerns. The State Department of State will soon begin drafting the regulations.

The head of New York State’s Public Service Commission is stepping down to take a job in Australia. Audrey Zibelman announced her departure Monday, she will stay on until the end of March before going to work for the Australian Energy Market Operator, which oversees electricity and natural gas markets and networks.

Governor Cuomo announced the state would invest up to $20 million for major upgrades at Whiteface and Gore Mountains to attract more visitors to the upstate region in the winter time. The investments will enhance the current facilities at Gore and Whiteface Mountains and create state-of-the art skiing, lodging, dining and retail opportunities and year-round activities. The project will be the first major upgrade at both Whiteface and Gore in 30 years.

The Bainbridge-Guilford Central School will hold an information session in conjunction with the regular Board of Education Meeting tonight, which starts at 6:30 PM with the business portion of the meeting starting at 7:00 PM. A special Board Meeting will be held tonight for Board members to vote on SEQRA and the Capital Project, which will likely go before the public for a vote in March.

Chenango County Sheriff’s Deputies arrested Matthew Maclaury of Oxford for aggravated driving while intoxicated and DWI after a report of a 2-car accident on County Road 32 in the Town of Norwich it was found that Maclaury went off the roadway and struck a parked vehicle & that Maclaury was driving with a blood alcohol content of .18 or higher. Maclaury will appear in the Town of Norwich Court at a later date.

Attorney General Eric Schneiderman announced the guilty plea of 44 year old Darin Cox of Johnson City, who is the owner and operator of Broome Taxi, for his fraudulent actions in obtaining over $3,000 from the Medicaid system by operating his business without the licensing necessary to operate a taxicab in Broome County. Cox pleaded guilty to 1 count of Grand Larceny, he faces a sentence of up to 7 years in prison.

Governor Cuomo today announced the opening of the $12.3 million “Binghamton Gateway,” which is a 37-unit affordable housing development located on Front Street, for low-income New Yorkers, six of which are designed to support people who have physical disabilities. The project rehabilitated 11 buildings and constructed a new mixed-use building with 2 commercial storefronts and 10 residential units on the site of the former Lincoln Hotel that was destroyed by fire.

The State DEC announced the renewal of 2 general permits for technical programs designed to reduce the potential for water pollution on large livestock farms. The permits provide new requirements for Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations to ensure proper management of nutrients while increasing water quality protection. Governor Cuomo’s proposal for the $2 billion Clean Water Infrastructure Act of 2017 will also invest resources for drinking water and wastewater infrastructure and other water quality protection across the state, including funds for ensuring proper management and storage of nutrients such as manure on farms.

Gwen Wright, of the State Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence will deliver Governor Cuomo's Regional Budget Briefing today in Delhi. The presentation will begin at 1:00 PM at SUNY Delhi.

State Police and local law enforcement agencies are continuing to conduct the Thanksgiving holiday crackdown and enforcement initiative to deter unsafe driving behaviors. State investigators from the DMV will conduct underage drinking and fake ID enforcement sweeps, during what is traditionally one of the most popular weeks for young people to go to bars and taverns. The Thanksgiving traffic enforcement runs through Sunday night. During the 2015 Thanksgiving holiday crackdown, troopers arrested 218 drivers for DWI, issued 5,910 speeding tickets, 732 tickets for distracted driving, and 204 tickets for the move over law. In New York, there were 19 deaths resulting from motor vehicle crashes statewide during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend in 2015.

The Delaware County Board of Supervisors adopted the 2017 budget at their regular meeting this week. The budget increases the tax levy by 1.8%; the total County budget is just over $100,600.

START UP NY spending on advertising has been cut drastically, with no ads running since the spring. The Cuomo administration spent $544,315 marketing the economic development programs from April 2015 through mid-September 2016; they have not run any of these ads since March. The Start-Up program allows businesses to operate tax-free for 10 years if they locate near SUNY campuses, it was criticized for adding 76 jobs after the state spent millions in advertising initially.

Ski season is open in New York State, as Whiteface Mountain opened on Thanksgiving Day, 1 day ahead of schedule. Officials said that the Lake Placid area near Whiteface was hit with about 15 inches of snow last weekend, Gore and Belleayre ski resorts opened today, Belleayre received more than 10 inches of snow and Gore got about 6 inches earlier this week.

Tomorrow is Small Business Saturday across the country, Steve Craig of Commerce Chenango explains:

(Steve Craig 11-25-16)

More details about specials events are available through your local Chamber of Commerce.

State Police investigated a commercial bus accident on Interstate 81 in Cortland County Monday. The bus was owned by Covered Wagon Tours LLC of Hornell, and was occupied by 40 9th grade students and 5 adult chaperons from Rochester to New York City for a school field trip. The driver was 55-year-old Joseph Rallo of East Rochester; he attempted to avoid two other uninvolved vehicles that had lost control in snowy conditions, the bus slid off the shoulder and overturned on its side in the median. 10 students and the driver were transported to Cortland Regional Medical Center for minor injuries and were released.

Governor Cuomo today kicked off the 2016-17 skiing and snowboarding season and announced that Whiteface Mountain will open on Thursday, November 24, and Gore and Belleayre Mountains will open on Friday, November 25. Every winter season, skiing and snowboarding at New York's 51 mountains attracts millions of visitors and generates $1 billion for the state's economy.

Oneonta Police arrested 20-year-old Divonte Geiger of Rochester early Saturday morning, at the Sip & Sail Tavern.  Oneonta police responded to a disturbance where Geiger was denied entry into the tavern, & allegedly punched an employee. Geiger also is accused of striking the responding police officer in the face & attempting to flee the scene, but was apprehended following an additional scuffle. Geiger is charged with 2nd degree assault, resisting arrest, forcible touching, and trespassing, He was held pending arraignment in the Oneonta City Court.

The state labor department released their county unemployment rates for October today. Locally, Chenango County was at 4.8%, Delaware County was also at 4.8% and Otsego County was at 4.2%. The statewide unemployment rate went up 2/10's to 5.2 % in October.

Small Business Saturday will be held this Saturday, to promote small businesses in communities across the country. Steve Craig of Commerce Chenango explains:

(Steve Craig 11-22-16)

More information about Small Business Saturday & various programs & benefits associated with that can be found through your local chambers of commerce.

The New York State Department of Health today announced that it will award $7.2 million to 6 organizations over the next 5 years to establish Breastfeeding Friendly community support networks for families. The funded entities will advance broad-based policy, system and environmental changes that protect and promote breastfeeding within community settings and businesses, & will also work to help child care and healthcare providers support families who opt to breastfeed their infants.

Former Vice President Al Gore joined Governor Cuomo last week to announce 4 actions to combat climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions across New York State. First, Governor Cuomo signed a Memorandum of Understanding between states, provinces and cities worldwide to affirm their commitment to help keep the earth's average temperature from increasing 2 degrees Celsius by 2100. Secondly New York and the other northeast regional greenhouse gas cap and trade states have demonstrated that carbon markets are a powerful tool for reducing the pollution contributing to climate change. 3rd, Cuomo announced a commitment to bring solar to 150,000 more homes and businesses by 2020. The Governor also announced that the SUNY system would install renewable energy, at each of its 64 campuses by 2020.

Governor Cuomo announced the launch of a new $1.4 million Climate Resilient Farming grant pilot program created to support projects that mitigate the environmental impact of agriculture-related activities and increase the resiliency of farms throughout New York State in the face of a changing climate. Initiatives include $175 million for 5 large-scale clean energy projects to increase electricity generation from renewable energy sources, and a $3 million clean energy competition for colleges and universities in New York State. Applicants for the Climate Resilient Farming grant program must submit their proposals through the Grants Gateway system at grantsgateway.ny.gov by December 14th.

Governor Cuomo has already assigned a group of people to a task force come up with changes to the state's Common Core program, a vital part of those changes will be the ways that Teachers are evaluated:

(Cuomo 10-12-15)

Cuomo said that the reports by the Task Force will give him a report in December, the changes will be part of the State of the State address in January

On October 20th, in the Smart Community Room at the Sidney Memorial Library, a candidate's forum will be held beginning at 6:30 PM. Organizer Amanda Heaney-Smith comments:

(Amanda Heaney Smith 10-12-15)

The Delaware County Family Court Judge candidates are Porter Kirkwood & Gary Rosa, the 4 candidates for 2 Sidney town board seat include incumbent Bill Heath, former town council member Eric Wilson, plus Jeannette Hinckley & Loddie Marsh.

The Sidney Fire Department will host their annual Open House this Wednesday at the River Street Fire Station, from 6:00 to 8:00 PM. The fire department will have a live burn demonstration, an auto extrication demonstration, aerial ladder rides, the Sidney Police department will conduct their child-fingerprinting program, & refreshments will be available.

The State Attorney General’s office will be doing a presentation on "Senior Scams" this Wednesday at 2:00 PM at St. James Manor in Oneonta, NY. The event is open to the public; RSVP’s are requested at 432-4500 extension 207.

Springbrook will host an "Informed Decision Making" workshop on Wednesday, in the Events Room at Springbrook's Community Campus, at 5588 State Highway 7 in Oneonta. The workshop is a half-day event and is being offered from 9:00 AM to 12:30 PM. and again from 1:30 PM to 4:30 PM, participants only need to attend one of the sessions, as they are identical. To register or for more information, email to kirstens@nysacra.org.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is reminding policyholders who filed Hurricane Sandy flood insurance claims that the last day to request a review of their claim is Thursday October 15th. If you feel your Hurricane Sandy flood insurance claim was underpaid, you can call FEMA before October15th at 866-337-4262.