WCDO Radio News

Reports out of Washington today suggest that a 1-year extension of the 2008 farm bill will be implemented before midnight tonight, which would save dairy farmers from getting a lower price for their milk and consumers from paying 8 dollars or more a gallon retail.  Chenango county farm bureau president Bradd Vickers told WCDO news that congress should have passed a new 5-year farm bill months ago:

(Bradd Vickers)

A new farm bill is put together every 5 years in Washington; the new congress will have a year in 2013 to get a new measure passed to protect one of the nations largest industries.

A new sales tax exemption designed to encourage solar energy use and a law to provide new protections for domestic violence victims are new state laws that take effect tomorrow.  Other measures that take effect on New Year’s Day include laws that help craft brewers distribute their products, prohibit the sale of e-cigarettes to minors, and authorize new ways for colleges to provide health insurance for students.

State Troopers arrested 48-year-old Robert Quinn of Kirkwood for 4th degree Criminal Mischief and 2nd degree Harassment, from a dispute on Johnson Road in Kirkwood.  Quinn was issued an Appearance Ticket returnable to the Town of Kirkwood Court on January 10th, he was then turned over to the Village of Deposit Police Department, which had an active arrest warrant for him on separate charges.

Commerce Chenango announced that its economic development affiliate, Development Chenango Corporation, has been awarded $250,000 to establish a Main Street grant program in the Village of New Berlin.  The $334,000 program will make improvements to 6 commercial buildings that will be renovated.  The New Berlin Main Street grant was 1 of 5 projects announced during Governor Cuomo’s Regional Economic Development Council awards ceremony, other awards include a $275,000 grant to Sunrise Family Farms in Green,   $30,000 to Greene for a sewer collection engineering study; nearly $100,000 to DCMO BOCES for training unemployed individuals for health-related careers; and a $2.3 million Recharge New York power allocation for an expansion project by Golden Artist Colors in Columbus.

State Police investigated a fatal motor vehicle collision, which occurred on Sunday afternoon on State Route 366 in the Town of Dryden.   Troopers reported that 20-year-old Victoria Howell of Groton lost control of her vehicle and entered the eastbound lane, striking a vehicle operated by 48-year-old James Caywood of Elmira.    Ms. Howell was transported to Cayuga Medical Center in Ithaca where she died from her injuries,  Caywood was not injured in the collision.  No charges have been filed.

State Police at Oneonta arrested 24-year-old Alexandria Johnson of Maryland, for Driving While Intoxicated.   Johnson was issued tickets returnable to the Town of Maryland Court on January 8th.

3 state lawmakers will appear at swearing in ceremonies in Oneonta on New Year’s Day.  State Senator  Jim Seward and Assembly members Bill Magee and Claudia Tenney will be sworn in to office during an event at Foothills Performing Arts Center on Market Street.  The event will begin at 1:00 PM, Oneonta Mayor Dick Miller will be master of ceremonies.

Binghamton police have identified 20 year old Roberto Garcia as the deceased shooter, from the shootout on the Memorial Bridge in Binghamton early Christmas morning.  Garcia shot a female officer at point blank range, she was sent to an area hospital for treatment of an ear injury suffered in the shooting, Garcia fire 6 shots and a second police officer and a person walking along the bridge with Garcia were not injured, the second person was brought in for questioning & was released.  Binghamton Police Chief Joseph Zikusky did not release the names of the responding officers as the department has received threats.

Governor Cuomo activated the State Emergency Operations Center to monitor the storm and any emergency needs. Representatives from state agencies are present to coordinate storm response efforts, including the State Police, Department of Transportation, Thruway Authority, Office of Fire Prevention and Control, Division of Military and Naval Affairs, DEC and the Department of Health.

The Chenango county sheriff’s department arrested 24 year old Scott Hartman of Norwich for 5th degree Criminal Possession of Marihuana. Hartman was processed at the Chenango County Sheriff’s Office and is scheduled to appear in the Town of North Norwich Court at a later date.

On January 1, New Yorkers are welcome to meet Governor Andrew Cuomo at the Executive Mansion.  All adults over the age of 16 wishing to attend must have a ticket. Individuals that receive a ticket will be allowed to bring one guest and any minor children from their household. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Tickets are required and space is limited. New Yorkers wishing to attend should visit the Governor's website to register at governor.ny.gov (http://www.governor.ny.gov/webform/mansionopenhouse) through 6:00 PM tonight.

The Delaware county sheriff’s Deputies arrested 29 year old Patrick Ladd and 30 year old Walter Lewis of Pennsylvania, after the two men allegedly sold 73 bags of Heroin to a confidential informant under the supervision of the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office. The drug deal and subsequent arrest took place in the parking lot of the Downsville Country Store Friday; Both men were charged with one count each of Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree and Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree. Both men were arraigned at the
Town of Colchester Court and remanded to the Delaware County Correctional Facility in lieu of $100,000.00 cash bail each.

The State Health Department announced that influenza is widespread, with laboratory confirmed cases in 52 counties.  The State Health Department recommends that everyone six months of age or older receive a flu vaccination. Children under six months cannot get a flu vaccination. Flu season generally runs from October through May. Over the last four years, there have been a total of 34 pediatric flu deaths in New York State and an average of more than 4,400 flu-related hospitalizations a year.  Additional information is available at the State Health Department web page at health.ny.gov (http://www.health.ny.gov/diseases/communicable/influenza/seasonal/).

The Broome County Sheriff's Office arrested 29-year-old Randolph Staats of Unadilla earlier Saturday morning, for allegedly shooting his gun close to homes in an intoxicated state in the Town of Maine.  Deputies reported that Staats faces charges from both the Sheriff's Office and Environmental Conservation Officers, he is being held in the Broome County Jail on $2,000 bail on charges of Reckless Endangerment, Discharging a Firearm within 500 feet of a residence, Discharging a Firearm from the roadway.

Norse Energy (http://online.wsj.com/public/quotes/main.html?type=djn&symbol=NEC.OS) Corporation of Norway has filed for bankruptcy protection in US Bankruptcy court in Buffalo last week, as the state moratorium on natural gas drilling left the company unable to drill in 133,000 acres of in Central New York.  The company stated that they were unable to pay their bills as they waited for the State DEC to wrap up work on their gas drilling regulations, and begin drilling again after a 4-year wait.  The company has 32 million dollars in debt, and listed no assets.

The United Way of Delaware/Otsego Counties will be distributing the final donations made to the Hurricane Irene/Tropical Storm Lee at the Delaware County Board of Representatives meeting Wednesday in Delhi. The United Way collected $112,500 with 51% of this being designated to assist Delaware County needs.  Organizations that will be receiving funding are the Delaware County Department of Social Services, Watershed Agriculture Council & the fire departments in Sidney Center, Trout Creek, Masonville & Franklin.

State Police at Sidney arrested 24-Year-Old Ryan Olsen of Guilford, for Petty Larceny and 4th degree Criminal Mischief. The arrest resulted from an investigation into the theft of five hens and damage caused to a chicken coop on Crest Drive in Bainbridge; Olsen was issued an Appearance Ticket returnable in the Town of Bainbridge Court today.

Area municipalities will divide up $16,000 in grant money from the Preservation League of New York State.  Sidney will get the largest amount of $6,000 for placing downtown buildings on the state & national registry of historic buildings.  Other grants will go to New Lisbon, Garrattsville, Hartwick and Guilford.

State Troopers arrested 23-year-old Joshua Vannamee of Binghamton, for 2nd degree Aggravated Harassment and 2nd degree Criminal Contempt. The arrest resulted from an investigation regarding harassing phone calls; Vannamee was arraigned in the Town of Fenton Court and remanded to the Broome County Jail on $100 cash bail.

Sidney Elks Lodge will hold their annual Free Throw “Hoop Shoot” contest on Saturday, December 22nd, at the Boys & Girls Club of Sidney located in the Sidney Civic Center. Registration for the Elks “Hoop Shoot” will begin at 9:00am on the day of the event.  The free throw Contest is free and open to all Tri-Town area boys and girls age 8-13. Contestant eligibility and age groups will be determined by their age as of April 1st of 2013. More information is available by calling Steve Crawford at 563-2012.

The Chenango County Sheriff’s Office 27 year old Trinity Hafner of Norwich for DWI and other charges.  Hafner was charged with Driving While Intoxicated and 2nd degree Obstruction of Governmental Administration following traffic stop on State Highway 12, in the Town of Greene.  Deputies reported that Hafner drove a vehicle while intoxicated and attempted to switch places with another individual in the vehicle to appear not to be the driver. Hafner was arraigned in the Town of Greene Court & was remanded to the Chenango County Correctional Facility on $1,000 cash bail and will reappear before the Town of Greene Court on December 13th.

The state Senate IS SCHEDULED TO RETURN TO ALBANY THIS WEDNESDAY For a special session to pass several pieces of legislation.  The bills that are expected to pass include one that reforms the tax code, another that provides money for continued flood recovery and approves tax incentives (http://www.pressconnects.com/article/20121207/NEWS01/102020002/Libous-Tax-reform-flood-aid-BAE-incentives-pass?odyssey=tab%7Ctopnews%7Ctext%7CFRONTPAGE) to keep BAE Systems in the Southern Tier.  The package of bills would drop New York to the 6th highest income tax burden behind  Hawaii, California, Iowa, New Jersey and Vermont, the state has traditionally placed first or second in that dubious category.

The Chenango county sheriff’s department arrested 26 year old Diana Essig of Greene, for criminally possessing a Hypodermic Instrument.  Essig was arrested following an investigation into a reported larceny at the Norwich Wal-Mart; she was stopped for questioning and found to be in possession of hypodermic needles.  Essig was arraigned in the Town of Norwich court and remanded to the Chenango County Correctional Facility on $500 cash bail and is to re-appear in the Town of Norwich at a later date.

Chenango county Deputies & the Village of Sherburne Police Arrested a 16 year old Village of Earlville resident while investigating a one car roll-over accident in the Town of Sherburne.  While processing the accident scene a plastic bag containing marihuana was found.  The operator of the vehicle was processed and issued an appearance ticket to appear in the Town of Sherburne Court at a later date.  The unidentified teen was charged with Unlawful possession of marihuana, speed not reasonable and prudent, and moved from lane unsafely, operating a motor vehicle with a NYS DJ license with more than two passengers under the age of 21.

The Chenango County Health Department will host a flu clinic today in Norwich.  The Flu Clinic will be held in the basement offices of the county health department at the Chenango County Office Building, from 10:00 am to 12:00 noon, appointment are requested at 337-1660.

The Unadilla chamber of commerce announced several Christmas activities in the village of Unadilla tomorrow.  Unadilla chamber president Jackie Carey explains:

(Jackie Carey)

Refreshments and special sales from Unadilla merchants will also be feature tomorrow during their annual Christmas celebration.

The Sidney center improvement group will host the annual “Holiday in the Hamlet” in Sidney center Saturday night.  Group Director Michael Sellitti explains:

(Michael Sellitti)

The Sidney center improvement group will also continue to work to improve surrounding waterways to prevent future flooding; the group was formed following the 2006 flooding of Carr’s creek.

Mannheim Steamroller will perform live for two performances at the Forum Theatre in Binghamton Sunday, at 3:00 & 7:30 PM.  Tickets are still available through Ticketmaster at 1-800-745-3000, ticket master.com or at the arena box office.

The Chenango county health department has scheduled another free rabies clinic for dogs, cats & domesticated ferrets on Saturday.  The event will be held Saturday from 9:30 to 11:30 at the city of Norwich fire station.  More information is available at 337-1673.

State Troopers arrested 27-year-old Manaseh Anim of Oneonta for Driving While Intoxicated and other Vehicle & Traffic charges. The arrest resulted from a traffic stop on the Exit 14 ramp of Interstate 88 in Oneonta,  Anim was issued an Appearance Ticket returnable to the City of Oneonta Court on December 19th.

State Troopers arrested 66-year-old Robert Hoag of Colliersville for vehicle and traffic charges and on an Arrest Warrant issued by the City of Oneonta Court for 2nd degree Criminal Contempt.  The arrest was the result of a traffic stop on Interstate 81 in the Town of Dickinson, Hoag was arraigned in the Town of Fenton Court and was remanded to the Broome County Jail on $500 cash bail.

The Home Performance with Energy Star Program of New York is holding an open house for area residents and business owners next week in Afton. Spokesperson Solvei Blue explains:

(Solvei Blue)

Blue said that property owners should bring their several months of electric bills and should know the square footage of their house or business, the open house will be next Wednesday, from 6:00 pm until 7:30 pm, refreshments will be provided. More information is available at 723-0110 or upgradeupstate.org/SouthernTier.

The Bainbridge Great American store re-opened under new ownership, after a being closed for a few weeks for renovations. Lisa Page is one of the 3 new owners of the store:

(Lisa Page)

Page, Tim Harmon and Ed Gorton purchased the store; they re-opened on this past Monday.

The Delaware Valley Humane Society is asking for a few donations, as the weather has turned colder. The shelter is looking for donations of old bedding to keep the animals warm, as well as canned or dry dog & cat food, at the shelter on east Main Street in Sidney.

The Otsego County Board of Representatives passed their 2013 budget plan Wednesday in Cooperstown. County residents will see a 1.97% tax increase, just under the state 2% Cap. 8 county positions will be eliminated from the health department, highway department & office for the aging. The Otsego county budget goes into effect January 1st.

Residents of Norwich and the American Red Cross will join together for a “Communities That Care” blood drive on Friday, December 7TH from 12:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the Howard Johnson at 75 North Broad Street. The Red Cross is encouraging all eligible donors to make an appointment to donate blood by calling 1-800-RED CROSS or by visiting redcrossblood.org.

MacDonald Hose of the Sidney fire department will hold their annual food drive Saturday in Sidney. The food drive will run from 2:00 PM to 7:00 PM at the Sidney Price Chopper store, canned & Dry goods will be accepted for local distribution

State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman announced a settlement with insurer Excellus Bluecross Blueshield, which will require that they pay out refunds to patients and health care providers who overpaid due to improper accounting of deductibles. Excellus has so far made repayments totaling $3.1 million dollars, they had reported accounting errors affecting 12,000 customers processed after Sept. 1st. 2011, software glitches have been repaired.

The Broome County Sheriff’s Office responded to multiple tractor-trailers MVA on Interstate 81 south in the Town of Kirkwood Tuesday morning at about 5:40 AM.   Deputies arrived to find numerous vehicles on fire, blocking all lanes and with a significant diesel fuel spill. The Preliminary investigation revealed that a southbound tractor-trailer from Canada, hauling canned goods, rear-ended a car carrier loaded with new SUV’s, 3 of them burst into flames. The second tractor-trailer then veered to the left, striking a third tractor-trailer and sheared open the fuel tank. The first truck, operated by Andrew High out of Ontario, Canada, also caught fire and came to rest partially in the median of Interstate 81.  High suffered a head injury and was transported to Wilson Hospital for treatment; he was ticketed for Following Too Closely. The investigation is continuing and further charges may be filed.  Interstate 81 South was closed for over 3 hours before opening two lanes of traffic.

Governor Cuomo will visit Broome County today.  The governor is expected to tour BAE systems as part of the Regional Economic Development Tour.  Regional economic councils are vying for state funds for economic development projects.

More than 70 NYSEG and RG&E gas fitters, gas supervisors, field service representatives and garage mechanics are supporting natural gas service restoration on Long Island, as the recovery from Hurricane Sandy continues. About one-third of the NYSEG and Rochester Gas & Electric employees arrived on Long Island on Monday, November 26th the remainder arrived there last Friday.  The NYSEG employees were dispatched from Binghamton, Oneonta, Norwich and many other locations.

The Chenango county sheriffs department arrested 20-year-old Travis Demuth of Oxford for 2nd degree Criminal Contempt.   Demuth is accused of violating an active order of protection issued in the Town of Norwich Court; he was released on his own recognizance and is to reappear in the Town of Afton Court at a later date.

The state health department will officially observe World AIDS Day today, at the Empire State Plaza Convention Center in Albany.  Today at 1:30 p.m., the State Health Department will honor young people and youth leaders from across the State for their leadership, compassion and extraordinary efforts in raising awareness of HIV/AIDS in schools or communities.  More information on World AIDS Day Expo activities is available at the Department of Health webpage at: www.health.ny.gov/WAD (http://www.health.ny.gov/WAD).

The Delaware County Board of Supervisors this week approved a $96.6 million budget for 2013. The spending plan will raise taxes about 3.9 percent, after the county recently got approval to go over the 2% state-spending cap instituted by the Cuomo administration last year.

The number of infections acquired by patients while in New York hospitals has declined since 2007,according to a new report issued by the State Department of Health. The report found that since 2007, the rate of central-line associated blood stream infections fell 41% and rates of surgical site infections fell 13%. The full report is available on the DOH web site at health.ny.gov/statistics

State trooper in Oneonta arrested 27-year-old Stephen Baldo of Oneonta, for Criminally Possessing a Hypodermic Instrument, Unlawful Possession of Marihuana and Driving with a Suspended Registration. Baldo was issued Appearance Tickets returnable to the Town of Oneonta Court on December 4th.

A group of local women will hold a fundraising effort to help 4 local charities next week in Sidney, Doreen Wakeman is one of the women who put together the “Bit Of Splendor” event:

(Doreen Wakeman)

The event will be held at the Sacred Heart church in Sidney on Liberty Street.

The Chenango county “Toys for Tots” program is gearing up for another busy Christmas season, helping to get presents under the Christmas trees of children in economically struggling families this year. Program spokesman Roger Barnhart said that there are 3 ways to contact the organization:

(Roger Barnhart)

The "Toys for Tots" Train is scheduled to visit Bainbridge on Saturday December 8th at noon this year.

In an effort to prevent highway tragedies during the upcoming Thanksgiving Holiday Weekend, State Police will beef up patrols beginning tomorrow. Troop “C” commanding officer Major Kevin Molinari explains:

(Major Molinari)

The State Police will set up sobriety checkpoints and DWI roving patrols, as well as an “Operation Hang-up” initiative, to apprehend drivers talking on the phone or texting. Last year, During the Thanksgiving Holiday period, troopers issued 4,353 speeding tickets and arrested 277 drivers for DWI.

Governor Andrew Cuomo stated today that a health study of shale gas drilling would make it impossible to meet this month’s deadline for new regulations on Hydraulic fracturing. The governor said that the decision on the issue would likely be pushed back into 2013. The DEC has been charged with an environmental impact study and has been drafting new regulations for 4 years, stopping drilling since 2008. The deadline for finalizing regulations was scheduled to be November 29th.

Amphenol in Sidney announced a $900,000 settlement has been reached to a groupd that claimed to have been affected by chemicals used to clean electronics. Almost 200 plaintiffs will be splitting a major portion of the settlement, with about $200,000 set aside for possible future claims. The settlemnjt followed a 1984 incident where the company discovered soil contamination around its chemical storage facility had spread to nearby properties, affecting air and groundwater at those homes.

Following the release of the first official report on the implementation of the National Mortgage Settlement today, state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman indicated that he was encouraged by progress on behalf of homeowners. The report showed that over $625 million in consumer relief has been delivered to New York homeowners since March of this year. To date, 7,223 New York homeowners have received assistance as a result of the settlement, with each borrower receiving an average of $86,600 in the form of principal write-downs and other financial relief.

18 southern tier nonprofit organizations received grants totaling $117,200 from the Community Foundation for South Central New York in their Fall Community Fund and Women’s Fund competitive grant cycles. The grants were awarded to local organizations such as the New York State Historical Association, Opportunities for Otsego, the Roberson Museum & Science Center, Planned Parenthood of South Central New York, & Mom’s House of Johnson City, among others. The competitive proposals were reviewed and recommended by panels of community volunteers. More information about the Foundation can be found on its website at donorswhocare.org.

Delaware County Sheriff Deputy’s arrested Mitchell Wright of Walton on One Count of Trespassing. Wright was issued an appearance ticket and is scheduled to appear in the Town of Walton Court on December 12th to answer the charge.

The Delaware County Sheriffs Department arrested Zoe Larson of Stamford on charge of 2nd degree Aggravated Harassment. Larson was released to appear on November 26th in the Town of Harpersfield Court to answer to the charges.