WCDO Radio News

24-year-old Joshua Theisen, of Suffolk County was pronounced deceased following an ATV crash into a drainage ditch on Jones Road in the town of New Lisbon. Otsego County Sheriff's Office reported that Theisen was not wearing a helmet and was ejected off the ATV, which landed on top of him, suffered a severe head injury & died on Tuesday as a result of his injuries.

New York will receive $343 million in heating and home energy assistance from the Department of Health and Human Services. Senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand joined a bipartisan group of 46 Senators, in urging HHS Secretary Sylvia Burwell, to release Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program funding as quickly as possible, to ensure more families can access resources they need to heat their homes this winter. LIHEAP is the main federal program that helps low-income households and seniors with their energy bills, providing assistance during both the cold winter and hot summer months

A mid-level appeals court reversed a lower court’s decision to throw out petition signatures of a Republican state Senate candidate. The state Supreme Court Appellate Division ruled the lower court erred in rejecting the petitions of Tioga County businessman Denver Jones, who is seeking to unseat State Senator Tom Libous of Binghamton. On August 1st the state Board of Elections determined 743 of the 1,713 signatures Jones submitted in July were invalid due to residency issues and other problems. The new order states a total of 203 signatures are reinstated, giving Jones more than required 1,000 signatures. The decision is not final, the case was sent back to the lower court for further proceedings.

The Drug Enforcement Administration will enforce tighter control over prescriptions of the painkiller hydrocodone. U.S. Senator Charles Schumer said hydrocodone would be moved from a Schedule III drug to a Schedule II in 45 days. This will mean greater restrictions in how doctors can prescribe the drug as well as the quantity that can be prescribed. According to the DEA, nearly seven million Americans abuse controlled-substance prescription medications, including opioid painkillers that contain hydrocodone.

U.S. Senator Charles Schumer will introduce a bill called ‘Avonte's law.’ The bill would create a program that provides and pays for tracking devices for at-risk children with autism. Schumer said it would be similar to a Federal program that tracks seniors with Alzheimer’s disease. 14 year-old Avonte Oquendo disappeared after running out of his school last October. His remains were found in the East River last week.

State Police at Oneonta arrested 27 year old Matt Jones and 32 year old Jeremy Ferguson, both of Oneonta, on charges of 4th degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and 3rd degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, following a traffic stop on Main Street in Oneonta Saturday night.  Jones was also charged with 3rd degree aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle and driving without a license.  Jones and Ferguson were sent to the Chenango County jail on bail.