WCDO Radio News

Police in Vestal announced that they are seeking 87 year old Charles McGlynn of Vestal, as a missing vulnerable adult. McGlynn suffers from dementia, and may require medical attention, he was last seen Tuesday afternoon at about 3:00PM on Hazel Drive in Vestal, he may be driving a 2009 grey Honda Civic with license plate number ANW-2161, he is described as a white male, 6'1", about 150 pounds, with white hair & a mustache, and blue eyes & wears glasses, he was wearing a white shirt, blue jeans and a blue jacket. Anyone with information is asked to call Vestal Police at 786-7600 or 911.

State Police and the American Red Cross are Co-hosting the 5th annual State Trooper Christopher Skinner Memorial Blood Drive in Kirkwood today. Trooper Skinner was intentionally run down by Almond Upton while he was conducting a traffic stop on I-81 in 2014, a blood drive has been held in Skinner's memory every year since his death. The blood drive today runs from 12:00 Noon until 6:00 PM at the 5 Mile Point Fire Company at 16 Crescent Drive in Kirkwood. The blood drive is open to the public as well as those in Law Enforcement, appointments can be made at redcrossblood.org or at 1-800-red cross.

The Delaware County Chamber of Commerce will hold their next Friday Breakfast event in Walton on January 11th. The event will run from 8:30 to 10:00 am at the Castle on the Delaware 139 Stockton Avenue in Walton. The featured speaker is Perry Dewey, Superintendent at DCMO BOCES, who will talk about on-campus, work-ready training programs for graduating high school seniors and how Delaware County's educational leaders are collaborating with the business community. More information is available at delawarecounty.org.

Former Broome County Family Court Judge Rick Miller has had a lawsuit filed against him by 2 former employees in his office of sexual harassment. The lawsuit claims that Miller subjected the employees to harassing and abusive behavior at least 50 times between 2015 and June of 2017. Miller was removed from the bench in 2016.

Now that Christmas has passed, chenango County residents may wonder how they shoudl dispose of their trees this year. Dustin Hendricks of Chenango County DPW Explains:

(Dustin Hendricks 12-26-18)

Chenango County has 3 solid waste and recycling facilities operated by the Department of Public Works, the Pharsalia Landfill, plus 2 Transfer Stations, 1 in the Town of North Norwich and the other near Brisben.

4 Deposit men have been arrested in connection with a stabbing at the McDonald's on Main Street in Johnson City on December 20th. 2 men were taken to Wilson Hospital with stab wounds, Arrested for 2 counts each of gang assault were 22 year old Dane Edwards, 33 year old Jay Moore, 24 year old Travis Dise & 31 year old Christopher Nugent of Deposit, they were taken into custody without incident and will appear in court at a later date; additional arrests are expected.

Illegally manufactured fentanyl was the driving force behind a 45.2% increase in deaths involving synthetic opioids from 2016 to 2017, according to a new report by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In all, there were 70,237 drug overdose deaths in 2017. Opioids were involved in 67.8%, or 47,600 of those deaths. Of those opioid-involved overdose deaths, 59.8% of them, or 28,466, were due to synthetic opioids. A separate report from the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics released earlier this month found that in 2016 fentanyl surpassed heroin as the most commonly used drug in overdose deaths in the US.

The state Department of Health announced Thursday that the flu virus is prevalent in New York state. Health care workers, who are not vaccinated, are now required to wear a surgical procedure mask around patients. The department has also launched a flu tracker that allows people to stay up-to-date about flu rates in their county. Department reps say there have been over 3,000 flu cases in the state so far this season

The Otsego County Chamber of Commerce will hold their annual State of The State Breakfast on January 2nd at the SUNY Oneonta Otsego Grille in the Morris Conference Center. The event will begin at 8:30, State Senator Jim Seward & Oneonta Mayor Gary Herzig will be among the guest speakers.

The City of Oneonta Department of Public Service will be replacing a water main valve located on West Ann Street today. Work is to take place starting at 8am with water outages to begin at 9am. Residents on West Ann, Baker, London, Wilcox, and River Street (between Ann and Wilcox) will be without water for the duration of the project. West Ann St will be closed to traffic for the duration of work. Drivers on West Ann Street are advised to move vehicles from driveways prior to 8am. More information is available at 432-2100

State Police at Norwich are looking for the public’s help in locating a 43-year-old woman from Greene who is in need of medication. Arzou Hami was last seen on Sunday, October 7th exiting a vehicle near State Highway 369 in Port Crane. Hami has also identified herself as Michelle Girard. She was last seen wearing white capris, slip-on shoes, a dark shirt and carrying two suitcases, she is white, approximately 5’7, 165 pounds with short brown hair and brown eyes. Anyone with information is asked to contact State Police at 561-7400.

The Afton Community Theater will present "DISNEY'S BEAUTY AND THE BEAST" tonight at 7:00 PM & Sunday at 2:00 PM. The production will be located at the Afton School District Auditorium on Academy Street in Afton.

The Raymond Corporation hosted more than 250 high school students today, as part of their National Manufacturing Day commemoration. Students from more than 20 area schools learned about career opportunities within the science, technology, engineering and math fields, Raymond CEO Mike Field commented about this event:

(Mike Field 10-12-18)

Raymond Corporation has experienced continued growth over the last 7 years, they have held this event for students for the last 4 years now, and more information is available at raymondcorp.com or at the Raymond Facebook page.

Delaware County Sheriff’s Deputies arrested 22-year-old Dane Edwards of Deposit on an Arrest Warrant issued by the Village of Deposit Court for 3rd degree Assault, involving an incident earlier this year in Deposit. Edwards was arraigned and was released on his own recognizance. He is scheduled to appear at the Village of Deposit Court at a later date to answer the charges.

New York State’s private sector job count rose by 7,900, or 0.1%, to 8,192,300, a new, all-time employment high, according to preliminary figures released today by the State Department of Labor. The statewide unemployment rate decreased from 4.5% to 4.3% in July, the lowest level since March 2007.

The Delaware County Chamber of Commerce announced 'A Taste of Commerce' Event & they are seeking Restaurant Owners, Caterers, Cafe' and Bakery Owners & food truck operators to help launch the 2018 Shop Small Delaware County campaign which will start on October 2nd. The Delaware County Chamber of Commerce will present its Community Hero Award to those who continue improve life in our region at the event on October 2nd from 5:30 to 8:00 PM at the Delaware County FoodWorks+ on State Highway 28 in Andes. More information is available at 746-2281.

Delaware County was included in the Governor’s State of Emergency declaration earlier this week, following severe flash flooding throughout the Southern Tier. Delaware County EMS Director Steve Hood said that while the County’s damage was confined to the towns of Deposit & Hancock, the declaration can still be useful to the county:

(Steve Hood 8-16-18)

Hood said that some heavy equipment was stationed at the State Police Troop C Headquarters; most of it has been deployed to Broome & other counties that suffered a lot more damage.

There have been some changes regarding the requirements for those seeking to get a high school equivalency through the TASC program recently. June White of the Afton Central School Tasc Program explains:

(June White 5-8-18)

Anyone who is interested in participating in the TASC program can contact June White at 639-2811.

Lieutenant Colonel Dave Grossman, whis is a leading expert on human aggression & violent crime, will address area school officials & law enforcement officials at the Sherburne Earlville High School tomorrow, Madison County Sheriff Todd Hood comments:

(Sheriff Hood 7-19-18)

The discussion will be held from 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM, more information is available by email Naylor.c.j74@gmail.com.

State Police at Deposit arrested 55 year old Thomas Leonard of Hancock for Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance and Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument. A trooper on patrol observed Leonard operating a vehicle with an expired registration and what appeared to be a photocopy of an inspection sticker. After a traffic stop was initiated, an investigation led to the trooper locating drugs in Leonard’s possession. He was subsequently arrested and arraigned in the village of Hancock Court. Leonard was remanded to the Delaware County Jail on $5,000 cash bail or $10,000 bond.

The Delaware County Chamber of Commerce has partnered with Solid Waste Facility Director Susan McIntyre and staff at the Center, on State Highway 10 in Walton, for a public open house on Saturday, August 11 from 10:00 AM to 12:00 noon. There will be guided tours of the compost facility and recycling center where people can see how solid waste is handled through the sustainable practices of composting, recycling and resource recovery. Reservations are NOT required. For more information visit delawarecounty.org.

Graduation Exercises for area high School Seniors will begin this evening, and continue through Sunday afternoon locally. Tonight at 6:30; seniors will graduate from Afton, Charlotte Valley, & Windsor. Commencement exercises scheduled for 7:00 PM tonight will be held at Deposit, Franklin, Hancock, Laurens, Milford, Morris, Oneonta, & Unatego. Saturday Morning Graduations will be held in Sidney, Delaware Academy, Gilbertsville Mount Upton, Greene, Harpursville, Oxford, Norwich, Sherburne Earlville, Saturday afternoon Unadilla Valley seniors will graduate, Saturday night, the Bainbridge Guilford district seniors will graduate & on Sunday Edmeston seniors will graduate.

State Police arrested 41 year old Joseph Blaylock of Lake Harmony, Pennsylvania, for allegedly possessing unlicensed firearms. Troopers were dispatched to a residence on State Highway 8 in the town of Deposit; a trooper witnessed 2 men around a campfire with a handgun and a shotgun near them. Blaylock was charged with criminal possession of a loaded firearm, criminal possession of an assault rifle and possession of a large capacity ammo-feeding device, he did not have permits for the weapons. 58 year old Robert Catania was issued a ticket for possession of marijuana. Blaylock was arraigned in the town of Deposit and remanded to the Delaware County Jail on $10,000 cash bond pending court action Friday.

The 69th annual Pageant of the Bands will take place Today through Sunday at Sherburne-Earlville High School. The pageant will feature 30 participating schools, and is expected to draw about 20,000 people to Sherburne, the event is free & open to the public.

The Bainbridge-Guilford Central School will hold a Special Board of Education Meeting Today, in the District Conference Room at 6:30 PM for the purpose of accepting bids for the Capital Project and interviewing Candidates for the open Board seat.

Delaware County Sheriff's Deputies arrested a Hancock couple for allegedly possessing stolen Snowmobiles from Pennsylvania & possessing drugs packaged for sale. Deputies recovered 4 stolen snowmobiles in Hancock and Deposit, they arrested 28 year old Matthew Mason of Hancock, for Criminal Possession of Stolen Property for allegedly possessing the stolen snowmobile trailer and 4 snowmobiles, he was remanded to the Delaware County Jail on $10,000 cash bail or $20,000 bond. Deputies had also arrested 43 year old Tammy Moore on 2 separate occasions once for Aggravated DWI, Driving While Ability Impaired by Drugs, Endangering the Welfare of a Child, Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance & later for Criminal Possession of Stolen Property. Moore was returned to the County Jail after posting bail on the 1stset of charges. A search warrant was executed at the Mason and Moore home; deputies seized marihuana plants, processed marihuana & drug paraphernalia.

Oxford Central School will be hosting a Robotics Competition called "Robo-Rave" in the High School Gymnasium Saturday from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Over 20 teams will be competing. Robo-Rave is a program designed to teach students how to design, build, code & program Robots to perform a variety of tasks, Oxford High School Science Teach Mark Muller explains why he wanted to bring Robo Rave to Oxford:

(Mark Muller 4-6-18)

Muller said that Saturday's event is the first Robo Rave event in New York State, Robo rave is associated with NASA, who brought a team of engineers to Oxford to speak & teach at the event, which is free & open to the public. More information is available at oxac.org.

Governor Cuomo today announced a new initiative to provide teachers and coaches with resources they can use to help prevent and address substance use disorder among young people. Starting next week, the New York State Department of Health, the New York State Education Department, and the New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services will notify schools statewide of the availability of flash drives loaded with materials in English and Spanish for coaches, teachers, school nurses, and other educators to use in personal conversations with students and in community forums.

The Delaware County Chamber of Commerce is hosting their 2nd Annual Comedy show at the Old Schoolhouse Inn of Downsville Saturday Night starting at 7:30 PM. Tickets & more information are available at 746-2281 or delawarecounty.org.

The Bainbridge Guilford School District received a threat of violence today, BG Superintendent Tim Ryan explains:

(Tim Ryan 2-21-18)

The Gilbertville Mount Upton also had a similar threat emerge this morning, GMU Superintendent Annette Hammond told WCDO that their threat was about a month old from a former student now out of state, State Police responded immediately, and Hammond was planning to meet with district students regarding this threat this afternoon. Police are continuing the investigation into both incidents, several arrests have already been made for threats made to other area districts in the last week, since the Parkland Florida shooting.

State Senator Fred Akshar announced that he will hold a series of “School Safety Summits” with local school superintendents, teachers, students and law enforcement to identify school safety needs. After the initial roundtable with school administrators and law enforcement, Akshar plans on meeting with local teachers and students in the coming weeks. The School Safety Summit will be held on Monday, February 26th at 9:30am at the Binghamton State Office Building, 18th Floor, at 44 Hawley Street.

Delaware County Sheriff’s Deputies arrested 56-year-old William Kauffman of East Branch for Aggravated Unlicensed Operation, Aggravated DWI plus other traffic violations, following the report of an erratic driver on State Highway 17 in the Town of Hancock. When Deputies arrived, Kauffman was involved in a motor vehicle accident and was under that influence of alcohol. Kauffman was arraigned in the Town of Deposit Court and remanded to the Delaware County Correctional Facility on $2,500 cash bail pending action in Town of Hancock Court at a later date.

New Statistics show that only 14.2% of New York Adults smoke tobacco products, below the national average of 15.5%. The state's current rate represents a 22% drop from 2011. Among young adults, the smoking rate decreased from 21.6% in 2011 to 11.7% in 2016. The smoking rate for adults with less than a high school education, or who earned less than $25,000 annually was significantly higher at about 20%.

State Police arrested 21 year old Aiden O’Day from Otego, for Making a Terroristic Threat in the town of Otego. An investigation determined that O’Day had made threats aimed at the Franklin Central School. He was arrested without incident, and the investigation determined that there was no danger to the school or public. O’Day was arraigned in the Otego Town Court and remanded to the Otego County Jail. His next court date is pending.

State Police arrested a 15-year-old male from Davenport for Making a Terroristic Threat in the town of Davenport. An investigation determined that the subject, who goes to that school, had made threats aimed at the Charlotte Valley Central School. He was arrested without incident, and the investigation determined that there was no danger to the school or public. The teen was issued a ticket for Delaware County Family Court and was turned over to a family member.

Delaware County Sheriff’s Deputies arrested 19 year old Jared Rolfe of Walton on 1 count of driving while ability impaired by alcohol following a traffic stop on State Highway206 in the Town of Walton following a report of a stolen vehicle. Rolfe was later released on a traffic ticket returnable to Walton Town Court at a later date.