WCDO Radio News

2 more blood donation opportunities will be held in Otsego County today. A blood drive will be held in Franklin from 1:30 to 6:30 PM at the Franklin Methodist Church, 101 Main Street, and another will be in Oneonta from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM at the Fox Hospital Levine Center, at 1 Norton Avenue. Appointments can be made by downloading the Red Cross Blood donor App, online at redcrossblood.org or by calling 1-800-RED CROSS.

An Owego Apalachin school bus carrying the Girls Volleyball team, crashed on I-88 near Oneonta Saturday morning at about 7:30 AM. The School bus tipped onto its side, no other vehicles were involved in the crash; State Police said the accident resulted in minor injuries. The school bus driver, 43-year-old Lisa Sherwood was ticketed for changing lanes unsafely. 13 people from the bus were treated at Fox Hospital in Oneonta and were released at Saturday afternoon.

Oneonta City Police arrested 25-year-old Benjamin Williams of Oneonta for 6 counts of 2nd degree assault, & possession of obscene sexual performance by a child. Williams is accused of injured the infant on several occasions; Police also discovered child pornography on 2 devices. Williams was arraigned in Oneonta City Court he was remanded to the Otsego County Jail on $20,000 cash bail or $40,000 bond for each of the felony charges, the infant was taken to Bassett hospital in Cooperstown for a variety of injuries including a broken leg.

The Oneonta City Department of Public Service announced that they would continue with flushing water mains on the low service today through Friday. Flushing will affect residents & businesses in the area around Fox Hospital, during flushing, water pressure may be decreased & water may change in color. More information is available at 432-2100.

State Police responded last night to a 1-vehicle rollover crash on Delaware County route 21 in the town of Franklin. the crash happened at approximately 9:35 last night, the unidentified 18 year old driver of the truck apparently swerved to the opposing lane over-corrected, hit A ditch & overturned, landing the vehicle back on the road in its roof. all 3 unidentified occupants were taken to Fox Hospital in Oneonta

Oneonta Police responded to a 3-car accident Monday morning on I-88 at about 8:30 AM. Police reported that 43 year old Jason Gillis of Brunswick Hills Ohio was distracted by the GPS App on his cell phone, and ran into the back of the car being driven by 22 year old Erin Yelich of Oneonta, which forced her car to spin and hit the guard rail. Yelich was taken to Fox Hospital with minor injuries. A 3rd vehicle was being operated by 47 year old Joseph Dent of Oneonta, who was driving behind Yelich’s car and tried unsuccessfully to maneuver around it., causing Dent's vehicle to flip onto the driver’s side. Gillis was ticketed for use of an electronic device and following too closely. Dent was also ticketed for following too closely.

The Delaware county sheriffs department responded to a 3-car personal injury accident in Stamford yesterday. 23-year-old Kevin Matthew of New City crossed the double yellow line on State Route 23, striking a vehicle operated by 37-year-old William Eklund of Stamford. The force of the collision forced Eklund's vehicle to hit a parked car, which was occupied by 62-year-old Margaret Smith of Otego. All involved were taken to Fox Hospital in Oneonta for treatment, Mathew was ticketed for failure to keep right, speed not reasonable & Prudent, he will face court action on June 27th.

State Police responded to the report Sunday night of a man who jumped off of a highway overpass onto Interstate 88 in Oneonta, in an apparent suicide attempt. The victim was airlifted to Wilson Hospital in Johnson City with a variety of injuries; the victims name & address are not being released.

Delaware County Deputies investigated a one-car personal injury rollover auto accident Thursday in the Town of Davenport. 43-year-old William Wehrenberg of Davenport lost control of his vehicle on a corner on Parks Hill Road, he went off the road into an embankment causing the vehicle to overturn when reentering the roadway. Wehrenberg was issued traffic tickets for Aggravated Unlicensed Operation of a Motor Vehicle, Uninspected Motor Vehicle, Suspended Vehicle Registration, Operating without Insurance in Effect, Failure to Keep Right and Speed Not Reasonable and Prudent. All tickets are returnable to the Town of Davenport Court on June 28th. Wehrenburg & a passenger were taken to Fox Hospital in Oneonta.

The Oneonta Fire Department responded to a cooking fire Thursday night in an apartment at 7 Raymond Avenue. The fire was extinguished quickly; substantial damage to the Kitchen area was reported. The unidentified male occupant of the apartment was taken to Fox Hospital.

The search effort continues today at Letchworth State Park for a child who fell over the lower falls. 7 people reportedly fell about 60 feet over the falls, search teams found the deceased body of another young boy from that group Sunday. 2 Men & 3 young girls were rescued & taken to a Rochester area Hospital. Investigators discovered that the group were playing in the water Saturday night and one person slipped, causing a ripple effect which sent all of them plunging over the falls.

Governor Cuomo & state legislative leaders announced an agreement to enhance access to breast cancer screenings. The agreement includes legislation to extend hours for screening at 210 hospital-based mammography facilities across the state and to eliminate insurance hurdles for mammograms and other screening and diagnostic imaging procedures to detect breast cancer.

Fox Hospital’s executive leadership team and the board of directors announced that Dr. Reginald Knight has been selected as the new Vice President of Medical Affairs. Dr. Knight will begin his appointment at Fox on July 5th; He will be based at Fox three days of the week, splitting time between Bassett Medical Center and Fox. For the last 7 years, Dr. Knight has been an attending orthopedic surgeon for Bassett Medical Center. He also serves as director of Bassett’s spine care institute as well as president of the medical staff.

Oneonta Fire fighters responded to a fire at 8 Forest Avenue in the city's East End Wednesday. Doria Watson was injured and 1 of her dogs was killed in the fire that was reported at about 1:15 PM Wednesday afternoon. Watson was taken to Fox Hospital for injuries to her ribs. West Oneonta & Worcester fire department also responded, the cause of the fire is still under investigation.

State Police responded to a Delaware County 911 report of a motor vehicle accident on West Kortright Church Road in the Town of Kortright, Monday at around 5:45 PM. Troopers determined that 58 year old Michael Berry of East Meredith, lost control of his pickup truck, he left the roadway, struck a culvert, & overturned. Berry was transported to Fox Hospital in Oneonta where he was pronounced deceased from internal injuries. The investigation is ongoing.

State Police arrested 31-year-old James Cooke of Bainbridge for DWI & Several traffic violations, following the investigation of an accident in Bainbridge last night. Cooke registered a BAC of .16, twice the legal limit, following the 2-vehicle accident on State Route 206 in the Town of Bainbridge. Cooke failed to stop in time and drove into a vehicle that was stopped in traffic ahead of him. The driver of the other vehicle had neck pain and was transported to Tri-Town Regional Hospital in Sidney. Cooke was issued tickets returnable to the Town of Bainbridge Court on May 19th.

State Police were attempting to locate a 14 year old suspect who was wanted for a menacing with a weapon in Windsor in April, while trying to locate the juvenile, Troopers allege that 29 year old Jessie Bolster & 74 Year old Faith Lynch, harbored the suspect at their home on Fox Farm Road in the Town of Windsor. The 14 year old suspect was later located and arrested, & was transported to a juvenile facility, Bolster and Lynch were arrested for hindering prosecution, Bolster was arraigned in the Town of Windsor court and was remanded to the Broome county jail on bail. Lynch was issued a ticket returnable to the Town of Windsor court on May 18th.

Plans are continuing to move forward to move childbirths from fox hospital to the Bassett birthing center in Cooperstown, as well as any other services that may be shifted around between fox & Bassett since their agreements began to be forged. Fox CEO Jeff Joyner comments:

(Jeff Joyner 5-2-16)

Joyner said that childbirths are way down at fox rapidly, while the Bassett birthing center has continued to see an increase, fox & Basset transition teams will continue to look at the numbers & see which services best fit each location.

There will be a Red Cross blood drive at Tri-Town Regional Hospital conference room, Sidney on Monday, 5/2. Donation time will be between 2:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. You may make an appointment at RedCrossBlood.org, or by calling 1-800-RedCross. Appointments are preferred, but walk-ins are welcome. There currently is an urgent need for donations, please come out and make a donation.

State Police arrested 34 year old Corey Maraglio of Oneonta, for criminal mischief, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct, after he jumped into the passenger seat of a state troopers vehicle at a gas station, He appeared to be in a drug induced state and refused to get out of the patrol vehicle. Maraglio did get out, the trooper handcuffed him, placed him in the front seat, and Maraglio became aggressive and struck his head twice on the patrol vehicle computer screen breaking it. Additional troopers responded, Maraglio was transported to Fox Hospital, he had no injuries, he was arraigned in the Town of Oneonta court and was remanded to the Otsego County jail in lieu of $3,000 cash bail or $6,000 property bond, pending future court action

6 individuals will be inducted into the General Clinton Canoe Regatta Hall of Fame this year, during the 54th annual Regatta, The paddlers being inducted are Armond Bassett, Bob Allen, Jim Jordan & Al Rudquist & the "Pit Crew" inductees are Dale Fox & Dean Oliver, both of Bainbridge. Regatta Chairman John Harmon comments:

(John Harmon 4-21-16)

The induction ceremony will be held on Saturday May 28th under the tent in General Clinton Park in Bainbridge.

Chapter 200 of the Disabled American Veterans is seeking donations for the purchase of their next van to take area veterans to the VA Hospital in Albany, and they are also seeking volunteer drivers to drive their van. Service Officer Ernest Thompson of Chapter 200 explains:

(Ernest Thompson 4-21-16)

Those seeking more information about donating or volunteering can call 764-8134 or log on to DAV.Org.

Fox Hospital in Oneonta has submitted a Certificate of Need to the NYS Department of Health to combine its labor and delivery services to Bassett Medical Center. Fox CEO Jeff Joyner told WCDO News that the number of childbirths at Fox has dropped significantly:

(Jeff Joyner 4-20-16)

The proposed timeline is January 1, 2017 to allow for a sufficient transition period. Prenatal and post pregnancy care, as well as general women's health services will continue to be available in Oneonta and current maternity patients would still be able to deliver at Fox if they choose to do so. The proposal is part of a larger plan that would also expand orthopedic services at Fox Hospital and focus on a growth strategy designed to sustain Fox Hospital for the long term. The plans are subject to The Department of Health's approval.

Oneonta Police have charged a Hartwick College student with Assault. 20-year-old Nabill Maiyaki of Mohegan Lake is accused of stabbing an unidentified male victim during an altercation on Elm Street at about 1:00 AM Saturday, he has been charged with 2nd-degree assault & criminal possession of a weapon. The injured male was stabbed in a leg and in the abdomen, and was taken to Fox Hospital with non- life threatening injuries Maiyaki was held being held on bail pending court action

Governor Cuomo announced $74.2 million in grant awards for 6 projects to transform and improve the delivery of health care in Southern Tier. The awards are being made through the Capital Restructuring Financing Program and Essential Health Care Provider Support Program. Locally, the United Health Services Hospitals will receive $14,332,500 for the STRIPPS Information Technology Infrastructure & Delaware Valley Hospital will receive $1,400,000 for the Telemedicine Project in Partnership with UHS.

State Senator Jim Seward announced the approval of a $21.45 million state grant for A.O. Fox Memorial Hospital in Oneonta. The $21.45 million state grant awarded to A.O. Fox Memorial Hospital through the Essential Health Care Provider Support Program will be utilized to shore up financial concerns and as capital support for the creation of a major joint center.

The Otsego County Chamber of Commerce will hold their Annual Celebration of Business Today. The Chambers will be Honoring New York Central Mutual Insurance as the NBT Bank Distinguished Business of The Year, Former Fox Hospital President John Remillard as the Eugene Bettiol Jr. Distinguished Citizen, and the Oneonta YMCA-Quality of Life Award. The event will be held tonight at the Hunt Union Ballroom at SUNY Oneonta starting at 5:45.

The Otsego County Chamber of Commerce announced the recipients of their 2016 Annual Awards: New York Central Mutual Insurance is honored with The NBT Bank Distinguished Business of the Year Award. John Remillard is honored as the Eugene A. Bettiol, Jr. Distinguished Citizen, for his years as President and CEO of Fox Hospital. Oneonta Family YMCA is honored with the Quality of Life Award, the annual celebration will be on Thursday, March 3rd at 5:45 PM at The Hunt Union Ball Room at SUNY Oneonta, reservations are now being accepted at 432-4500 Extension 207 or e-mail: kelly@otsegocc.com.