WCDO Radio News

P.M. NEWS FRIDAY 10-23-20

Delaware County Sheriff's Department arrested 19 year old Dakota Hall of Fleischmanns for 2nd degree murder following a domestic dispute in Fleischmanns Thursday night.  Deputies, State Police & EMT's responded at about 10:50 PM Thursday night to a reported stabbing at a residence on Main Street. The stabbing victim, 27-year-old Eric Hall, was taken to Margaretville Memorial Hospital and died for injuries sustained in the attack.  Dakota Hall was taken into custody without incident by Deputies for allegedly stabbing his brother; Hall was arraigned and was remanded to the Delaware County Jail without bail pending future court action.  The investigation is ongoing.

Delaware County Sheriff's Deputies investigated a head-on collision in the Town of Franklin on Wednesday afternoon.  Deputies reported that at about 5:30 PM, they responded with EMT's to the accident on County Highway 21 near Leland Hull Road.  Deputies determined that a vehicle driven by 50 year-old Jeffrey Lewis of Walton crossed over the center line and collided with a vehicle driven by 62 year-old Wayne Knorr of Laurens, causing the Knorr vehicle to overturn several times.  Knorr was taken to Fox Hospital in Oneonta for a head injury; Lewis was taken to Delaware Valley Hospital also for the treatment of a head injury.  Lewis’ driving privileges were revoked as a result of previous alcohol related offense, he was charged with aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, operation of a motor vehicle without an ignition interlock device, failure to keep right and unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, he was released to appear in Town of Franklin court at a later date.  Alcohol was not a contributing factor in this accident.

The Chenango County Health Department announced that their contact tracing team interviewed a confirmed positive COVID-19 case, that individual reported having visited the Greene Community Fitness Center at 7 South Canal Street in Greene between October 11th & 14th during the infectious period.   Any individual frequenting this establishment during the time indicated below should closely monitor themselves for COVID symptoms, those who exhibit symptoms should self-quarantine and contact their medical provider.  Chenango County Public Health announced their latest COVID 19 statistics today.  Currently they have 47 Active Cases, 230 Quarantines with 2 hospitalizations.  They have had 347 Total Confirmed Cases, 253 Total Recoveries, 7 deaths & they have conducted over 33,900 tests, more information is available at 337-1660.

Governor Cuomo announced $357 million in funding for the renewal of 135 paving projects throughout the State. Locally $42.4 million will go for rehabilitating I-88 from exit 17 Colliersville/Cooperstown Junction to exit 18 Schenevus in Otsego County, $3.2 million will be used to resurface Route 8 from the Village of Sidney Line to south of the intersection of Routes 37 and 51 in Mount Upton & $4.5 million to resurface Route 206 from Route 27 in the Hamlet of Trout Creek to the Village of Walton Line.

Early voting begins tomorrow around the region.  Area Counties have different times & locations for early voting from tomorrow through November 1st, contact your county Board of Elections for specific dates & times.

A.M. NEWS FRIDAY 10-23-20

Broome County Health Department announced that they have 103 new COVID 19 cases and 55 recoveries, the county's active cases up to 646.  There was another death reported, bringing the county's death count up to 89, the number of people hospitalized went up by 5 to a total of 19.  The total number of cases is up to 3060, 2325 have recovered.  The County has a 3.7% positivity rate; it's over 9% in the state designated "Yellow" zone.

Otsego County Department of Health reported 10 new cases of COVID 19 Thursday; they are investigating a cluster of cases that originated at a wedding that has now spread into the community.  Current COVID numbers, they report 952 total confirmed cases, 27 active cases with  2 hospitalizations, they've had 7 deaths,  747 probable and confirmed cases linked to SUNY Oneonta &  Hartwick College reported 2 more cases of COVID-19 have been detected, they have 3 active cases on campus; the total number of cases is 24.

Delaware County Public Health reported 4 new cases of COVID 19 Thursday, with 12 active cases, 3 hospitalizations, & 73 in quarantine.  Delaware County is up to 149 cases since March with 8 deaths and 129 recoveries.

The Bainbridge Chamber of Commerce will hold their "Commitment to Community" Annual Dinner Saturday Night.  The guest Speakers will be Kerri Green of Commerce Chenango & Assemblyman Cliff Crouch, at Club 55 on Union Street in Sidney.  The Chamber will honor their Citizen of the Year award winner Roy Nabinger, their Business of the Year; My Home Gym, The Business of Distinction award goes to John’s Garage and the Service Organization of the Year is The Bainbridge Lion’s Club.

The Broome County Health Department reported 83 more positive cases of COVID 19 since Tuesday, bringing their total to 1610 cases, they still report 82 deaths, 1285 recoveries and 1157 people are being monitored by the health department, following the latest cluster reported in Binghamton last weekend.

Chenango County Public Health announced that they had 2 more positive COVID 19 Wednesday, giving them 253 since March.  They have 4 active cases, 2 patients are hospitalized, 75 are in quarantine, there have been 7 deaths and 229 recoveries, over 29,000 tests have been conducted.

Delaware County Sheriff's Deputies  & Downsville Fire & EMS were dispatched to a roll-over accident on County Highway 7 in the Town of Colchester that was reported by “On-Star”.   19-year-old Parker Rosencranse of Roscoe lost control of his vehicle which ran off the roadway, into a ditch and overturned.  Rosencranse was arrested and charged with the DWI, failure to keep right, moving from lane unsafely, unauthorized sticker, among other charges, Rosencranse was released on traffic summonses directing him to appear in the Town of Colchester Court on a later date to answer the charges. Rosencranse & an unidentified passenger were not injured.

With cold weather just around the corner, customers will be firing up furnaces and other appliances for the first time this season. NYSEG officials urge the public to recognize the potential signs of a natural gas leak and review the following safety tips about what do if a leak is suspected.

(Ridge Harris 10-1-20)

NYSEG officials report that you should leave immediately & call NYSEG at 1-800-572-1121 from a safe location, Do not smoke or operate electrical switches or appliances, as those items may produce a spark that  might ignite the natural gas and cause an explosion.

A.M. NEWS Thursday 10-1-20

Otsego County Department of Health reported 4 new cases of COVID 19 Wednesday, all 4 were SUNY Oneonta students, and also 3 cases were reported in SUNY students that had not previously been reported.  Otsego County reports 893 total confirmed cases, 17 are active cases with 1 hospitalization, there have been 7 deaths.   722 cases are linked to the SUNY Oneonta outbreak, 19 confirmed cases in Hartwick College students

Delaware County Public Health reported no new cases of COVID 19 Wednesday, they have had 121 positive cases since March with 7 deaths, 110 recoveries, currently they have 4 active cases with 1 hospitalization, and 31 in quarantine.

Delaware County Solid Waste Clean Sweep event will be held later in the year this year, due to the COVID 19 pandemic, Spokesman Tyson Robb explains.

(Tyson Robb 10-1-20)

Robb said that this will be the 24th year of the event, Online registration began today at cleansweepdelaware.eventbrite.com, and phone registrations will begin in November.

Chenango County Health Department announced that they will have 3 Drive-through rabies clinics this year.  The next one will be in Bainbridge at General Clinton Park Today from 9:00 to 11:00, one is also scheduled at the Sherburne Earlville High School bus garage on October 31st from 9:00 to 11:00 and another will be held at the South New Berlin Fire Station on December 5th from 9:00 to 11:00, Pre-Registration is Required at health.ny.gov/go2clinic/9 or by calling 337-1673.

Delaware County Sheriff's Office responded to a 2 motorcycle, 1 car accident Saturday night on State Route 206 in the town of Walton.   Delaware County Sheriff’s Deputies and Walton Fire Department and Emergency Squads were dispatched to a motorcycle – deer accident on State Highway 206 near the intersection of Davis Road. 64-year-old Bruce Gerken, and his wife, 58-year-old Deborah Gerken of Bainbridge were traveling on a motorcycle when they collided with a deer that ran into the roadway, Bruce Gerken lost control & he and his wife were ejected from the motorcycle, which then struck a vehicle driven by 56-year-old Debra Higley of Trout Creek.  Bruce & Deborah Gerken were taken to Wilson Hospital, Debra Higley & her passenger 62 year-old Luther Higley were uninjured.  Another motorcyclist traveling with the Gerkens, 74-year-old Richard King from Bainbridge lost control of his motorcycle while attempting to avoid the Gerken’s collision; he struck the guide wires, his Motorcycle overturned, fatally injuring King.  The accident remains under investigation

Chenango County Public Health reported that they have had 218 total confirmed cases of COVID 19 since March, they have 96 Active Quarantines, 1 Hospitalization, 199 Total Recoveries, 7 deaths they have conducted 19916 tests.

Mirabito Energy Products announced that the employee at the center of the controversy that occurred in Bainbridge last weekend is no longer employed by Mirabito.  Racially motivated and all discriminatory hate speech is not consistent with the values of the Mirabito organization and they do not condone such activities & they will not tolerate activities that create a harmful environment for customers, employees and the communities in which they operate.

Colorscape Chenango announced that they do a "Virtual” Arts Festival on September 12 & 13, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on YouTube. Spokesperson Roz DeRensis explains:

(Roz DeRensis 8-18-20)

DeRensis said that Music performances will be prerecorded from The Slambovian Circus of Dreams and Adam Erza.  Colorscape Chenango Arts Festival was recently ranked #97 by Sunshine Artist Magazine in their annual list of the 200 Best Arts and Crafts Festivals.

State Police arrested 24 year old Alexander Hartman of Binghamton for 2nd degree Burglary and 3rd degree Arson.  On August 9, Troopers and the Nanticoke Fire Department were dispatched to a garage fire, an investigation revealed that Hartman broke into a residence to steal items then started a fire in the garage.  Hartman was arrested and processed at the Binghamton barracks & he was later transported to Broome County Central Arraignment and Processing.

Delaware County received no new positive test result for COVID-19 today or over the weekend and no additional recoveries have been reported. The known active cases in the County as of today remains at 2. To date there have been 98 confirmed positive cases of COVID-19, with 18 people now under mandatory quarantine.  2 people are isolated at home, 6 people have died and 90 have fully recovered.

State Police responded to a 2-car fatal crash on State Highway 8 in the town of New Berlin Tuesday afternoon at about 2:45 PM.  Troopers said that a vehicle traveling northbound operated by 31 year old Kerri Bunnelle of Little Falls, crossed over into the opposite lane of traffic and struck a vehicle head-on driven by 43 year old Mathew Fredericks of Herkimer, who was pronounced dead at the scene.  Bunnelle was transported to St. Elizabeth Medical Center in Utica. The investigation is on-going.

Chenango County released their latest COVID 19 statistics today, with 1 new positive, giving them 212 cases since March.  Chenango County has 136 people in Quarantine, 1 person is hospitalization, and there have been 189 Recoveries, 7 deaths, & 17,275 tests Performed.

Broome County Health Department announced that they had 9 more positive COVID 19 cases today, bringing their total to 1029.  They report 829 recoveries, 69 deaths, 703 are being monitored by the Health Department.

The Otsego County Chamber of Commerce will host its 34th Annual Chamber Classic Golf Tournament at the Oneonta Country Club on Thursday, August 20th, with a 1:00 PM shotgun start.  The event will follow all Social Distancing Guidelines and Safety Protocols.   A portion of the event proceeds will be donated to the CommunityFoundation of Otsego County.  More information is available at 432-4500.

Otsego Now established a State Disaster Emergency Grant Program for Otsego County, with financial assistance from the Community Foundation of Otsego County and the Cooperstown Foundation. Small businesses and not-for-profit corporations with fewer than 50 employees are eligible for grants up to $500 for the purpose of acquiring personal protective equipment or installing fixtures to prevent the spread of Covid-19, More information is available otsegonow.com.

Delaware County Public Health received no new positive test results for COVID-19 Tuesday and 2 additional recoveries have been reported. The known active cases in the County is now 2. To date there have been 96 confirmed positive cases,  with 17 people under mandatory quarantine, 2 people are isolated at home and no one is in a hospital, 6 people have died and 88 have fully recovered.

Preferred Mutual Insurance Company presented the Village of New Berlin with a $150,000 donation to the New Berlin Firehouse project; which will be a  7,000 square-foot firehouse with 6 garage bays, offices, meeting rooms and training area, construction is slated to begin later this year.

State Police arrested 32 year old Aaron Collins of Barton as a fugitive from justice from Pennsylvania where he was wanted on attempted criminal homicide charges.  Collins was located by troopers and deputies from the Tioga County Sheriff’s Department in the town of Barton; he was taken into custody after a brief foot pursuit.  Collins was remanded to the Tioga County Jail where he is waiting for extradition to Pennsylvania.

The Broome County Health Department announced that their COVID 19 positive test numbers continue to climb, they are now up to 963 positives, with more than 150 announced in the last 2 weeks alone.  They report 66 deaths & 763 recoveries since March & 750 people are being monitored by the Broome Health Department.

Chenango County Public Health  announced today that they had 9 more positive cases & are now up to 203 cases of COVID 19 since March, with 153 current quarantined, 1 Active Hospitalization, 185  Recoveries, they have just over 16,000 tests performed.

Otsego County Department of Health announced that they will have a testing site this Friday from 9:00 AM to 12:00 Noon, at the Exeter Town Barn on State Highway 28 in Schuyler Lake.  The testing site is limited to people who are NOT sick, but want to be tested for the Coronavirus, The testing will be by a nasal swab.  The testing site will be drive up only, individuals are required to stay in their vehicle & wear a face mask.  Pre-Registration is required at 547-4279.

City of Oneonta officials said Tuesday the top level of the city parking garage will be closed for cleaning and maintenance from 6:00 AM tomorrow until 6:00 AM Thursday, the stairwells and pedestrian bridge to Main Street will remain open.  Otsego County Department of Health reported that they have had 30 confirmed cases of COVID 19 in June & July, with 9 cases in June and 21 in July.  Of those 30 cases, 18 were female and 12 male, 4 individuals were hospitalized, all were 60 years or older.  There are currently 10 active cases in 7 different households; no link between households has been identified.  3 new cases were reported Tuesday, giving the County 99 total confirmed cases,  3 people are hospitalized, 5 have died, 84 have recovered and 219 people on quarantined.

Delaware County received 1 new positive COVID-19 case Tuesday, giving them 8 active cases.  To date there have been 93 confirmed positive cases of COVID-19 in Delaware County, with 36 people under mandatory quarantine and 6 people under precautionary quarantine, 7 people are isolated at home and 1 is isolated in the hospital, 6 people have died and 79 have fully recovered.

Delaware County Sheriff's Deputies arrested a Long Island man Monday following their investigation of a domestic dispute.  Deputies and State Police responded to a domestic dispute involving weapons in the Town of Davenport, they arrested 32- year-old Abdessamad Ellouzi of Cedarhurst, for criminal possession of a weapon & menacing, for allegedly possessing and threatening family members with a dangerous instrument.  Ellouzi was arraigned by teleconference in Sidney Village Court and was released; he will appear in Town of Davenport court at a later date.

Chenango County Public Health announced that they are at 133 confirmed cases of the coronavirus.  They have 1 patient hospitalized, 98 have recovered, 5, are deceased, 98 are quarantined, over 4000 tests have been conducted.

Bainbridge Town Spring Clean-Up Day is tomorrow from 9:00 am - Noon at the Town Highway garage on Lawrence Road. Residents can drop off tires, white goods and electronics. No garbage, hazardous waste or yard debris and no early drop offs!! The fee for tires up to a size 16" is $3.00, 17 - 20" $4.00 and $8.50 for tractor tires. There will also be a $10.00 fee for any appliance that contains Freon.

Otsego County is accepting applications for grant funding from qualifying Microenterprises to assist with business related activities and COVID-19 related impacts.  A microenterprise is business that employs or will employ 5 or fewer persons, including the business owner or owners.  The grant awards range from $3,000 to a maximum of $30,000 with a 10% equity match from the business owner.  More information is available by email at Info@OtsegoNow.com, at the OTSEGONOW.COM website of by calling 607-267-4010

The Town of Masonville announced that they will have a free giveaway of masks & Hand Sanitizer tomorrow for Town Residents, from 10:00 AM to 12:00 Noon, while supplies last, the event will be held at the Masonville Town Hall.

Delaware County is reporting 1 new case of COVID-19, 1 additional recovery & 1 more Death. To date there have been 76 confirmed positive cases, with an additional 18 people under quarantine, 1 person is in the hospital, 6 are isolated at home, 5 people have died and 64 have fully recovered.

The National Warplane Museum of Geneseo announced plans for a Southern Tier flyover Saturday with a projected take-off time of 9:30 AM.  The Museum’s very own Douglas C-47, known as “Whiskey 7” will be accompanied by a P-51 Mustang named "Mad Max.”  National Warplane Museum Director of Flight Operation Todd Cameron explains:

(Todd Cameron 6-5-20)

The Flyover will honor first responders, medical personnel and essential workers all across the Southern Tier of New York, including UHS Chenango Memorial Hospital and the New York State Veteran's Home, Oxford.

Delaware County Sheriff's Deputies arrested a registered Level II Sex Offender following a sexual abuse investigation in the Town of Davenport.  45-year-old Richard Bennett of Davenport was charged with  sexual abuse & endangering the welfare of a child, for allegedly subjecting a female child under the age of 17 to sexual contact, Bennett was served with an order of protection was issued by Deposit Court & was released on an appearance ticket to Town of Davenport Court at a later date.  Bennett was mandated to lifetime registration as a Level II Sex Offender as a result of his 2006 conviction in Otsego County Court for 3rd degree rape, a crime that also involved a victim under the age of seventeen.