WCDO Radio News

P.M. NEWS TUESDAY 7-29-25

Cooperstown & Charlotte Valley Railroad announced that they will hold a Milford Fire Benefit Train on August 17th, with 100% of ticket sales donated to the Milford Fire Victims Fund. Railroad President Bruce Hodges explains:

(Bruce Hodges 7-29-25)

The fire on July 18th destroyed 4 buildings & damaged others nearby, the fundraising train ride takes off from 136 East Main Street in Milford, more information can be found at cooperstowntrain.com/milford-fire-benefit-train or on the Cooperstown & Charlotte Valley Railroad Facebook page.

The State’s Division of Consumer Protection is providing consumers with tips to protect their money and financial information while using payment apps, after it was reported that last year, consumers nationwide reported over $390 million in losses to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission from App scams, which was about $100 million dollars more than the previous year. If you believe you made a payment to a scammer or find unauthorized payments on your account, report it to the mobile payment app and any bank involved, you can also report fraud to the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov and the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov.

20 Attorney's General including New York State, are suing the Trump Administration over its efforts to obtain data from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as SNAP. According to the lawsuit, the Department of Agriculture is improperly attempting to gather sensitive personal information from low-income families who use the program, including social security numbers and home addresses. New York Attorney General Letitia James reported that it was not the 1st time this administration has tried to use federal agencies to access Americans’ personal data, recently a federal judge declined to stop the IRS from sharing sensitive taxpayer information with federal immigration authorities.

A US Appeals Court today affirmed the dismissal of a case that sought to overturn New York State's Reproductive Health Care Act, which protects a woman's right to reproductive freedom. The dismissal of the case will allow women to seek an abortion in New York State, regardless of laws being passed against those rights in other states, or on the federal level.

Chenango County Sheriff's Office arrested 55 year old Yannel Rivera of Bristol Connecticut for Reckless Endangerment, Obstructing Governmental Administration, Unlawful Fleeing a Police Officer in a motor vehicle, in the Town of Bainbridge on May 26th. Deputies attempted to conduct a traffic stop on a vehicle Rivera was operating in the Town of Bainbridge, he failed to comply and led Deputies on a pursuit, he was eventually apprehended in Walton. Rivera was processed at the Chenango County Sheriff's Office and released on appearance tickets to appear in the Town of Bainbridge Court on a later date.

33 year old James Fulginiti of Oneonta, was arrested by the Otsego County Sheriff's Office for Unlawful Interference with Railroad/Train, Unlawful Propulsion of a Missile at Railroad Trains, Criminal Mischief, Criminal Possession of a Weapon, Menacing & Criminal Trespass, following a shots fired complaint on the Norfolk Southern Railway in the Town of Oneonta. On May 28th, Deputies were dispatched to railway near State Highway 7 and Corporate Drive in Oneonta, for the report of a man shooting a firearm at a train. Deputies located Fulginiti, he was taken into custody, he is accused of firing a BB Gun at the train conductor's window, breaking the glass, the conductor was not injured, he subject was transported back to the Otsego County Sheriff’s Office, he was processed & was turned over to Otsego County Corrections for Arraignment.

U.S. Rep. Marc Molinaro announced his constituent service team will hold mobile office hours Friday from 12:00 noon to 2:00pm at the Town of Oneonta Town Hall in West Oneonta. Constituents will be able to connect with representatives from Rep. Molinaro's office to share comments and resolve issues they are having with federal agencies like the VA, IRS, and Social Security Administration.

A.M. NEWS Thursday 11-2-23

State Police arrested 3 people after a fight at the Lantern Hill trailer park in Oneonta Saturday. An investigation by Troopers at the scene determined that 25 year old La-Tee Baker of Oneonta, 21 year old Bryanna Patterson of Oneonta, and 23 year old Bethany Brown of Delhi, were involved in a fight, both women sustained injuries, Brown was transported to A.O. Fox Hospital. Baker and Patterson were located by Troopers walking along State Highway 23 and were arrested. They were issued appearance tickets to the Oneonta Town Court on November 21, 2023. After release from the hospital, Brown was charged with Assault, she was issued appearance tickets to the Oneonta Town Court on December 5.

Delaware County Chamber of Commerce EmpowHER Program will be held today in Stamford, Chamber President Ray Pucci explains the purpose of this program:

(Ray Pucci 11-2-23)

The program will be held at Catskills Junction on Railroad Avenue in Stamford, starting with registration and networking at 9:30 am. Pucci said that currently, about half of all Delaware County Businesses are owned by women.

The Federal EPA is planning to complete the clean-up of the GCL Tie & Treating plant in Sidney that closed over 26 years ago, and was included on the Federal Superfund site in 1994.  The plant was contaminated by creosote, which was used to treat railroad ties, the owners abandoned the business & the creosote contaminated groundwater.  The EPA will hold an online public meeting September 3rd at 7 PM at Eventbrite.com.

The Broome County Sheriff's Office arrested 27 year old Ridge McCollum of Whitney point following an investigation into the report of a car in a ditch in Windsor.  Deputies accuse McCollum of trying to ingest cocaine that was discovered by sheriff's deputies during their investigation.  McCollum was charged with tampering with physical evidence, DWI, Criminal Possession of a controlled substance & obstructing governmental administration, he faces court action at a later date.

Oneonta Fire Fighters responded to a garage fire on Railroad Avenue at about 4:00 this morning.  Early reports indicated that there were 3 vehicles inside; WCDO NEWS will have more information as it becomes available.

The State DOT announced that construction is resuming on the
$152 million 2nd phase of the 1-81/Route 17 Prospect Mountain reconstruction
project in the city of Binghamton. The project is reconstructing nearly 9 miles
of highway, replacing bridges and reconfiguring ramps to significantly improve
traffic patterns in one of the Southern Tier's busiest corridors. The
improvements will also enable the DOT to request federal designation of a
4-mile stretch of Route 17 as I-86.  The
project is reconstructing the interchange of I-81 Exit 4 and Route 7 by replacing
the viaduct bridge over the Railroad tracks and Broad Avenue. Additionally, 2
new bridges are being built over the Chenango River in the city of Binghamton.
The Work is scheduled to be complete by December 2020.

April is National Distracted Driving Awareness Month &
Delaware County Sheriff’s Office is teaming up with the National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration, for a high-visibility enforcement effort today
through April 15th. Law enforcement officers will intensify their efforts to
stop texting and other forms of distracted driving by issuing citations for
distraction violations. The “U Drive U Text U Pay” campaign aims to spread the
message about the dangers of distracted driving, and to remind drivers of the
consequences of their distracted actions.
According to NHTSA, between 2012-2017, nearly 20,000 people died in
crashes involving a distracted driver. In fact, there were 3,166 people killed
in motor vehicle crashes involving distracted drivers in 2017.

Sidney Village Officials announced that the Main Street Railroad Crossing will be closed at 8:00 AM tomorrow, through sometime Friday Morning. Norfolk Southern crews will be performing repairs & routine maintenance to their tracks at that location.

The City of Oneonta has contracted with McFarland Johnson of Binghamton to complete a Master Plan Update for the Oneonta Municipal Airport, which is required to develop and update by the Federal Aviation Administration and reviews and considers potential uses of the Airport, as well as their impacts on current facilities and requirements for additional facilities, over the next 20 years. McFarland Johnson is reviewing the current use of the Airport, & they have developed a survey for the local business community at surveymonkey.com/r/8CY9ML6

Governor Cuomo announced that the State Police, Division of Homeland Security, the Offices of Emergency Management and Fire Prevention and Control & the DEC responded to last night’s 16 car train derailment on the Norfolk Southern line in the town of Ripley, in Chautauqua County. 2 of the rail cars contained ethanol, which leaked causing an evacuation of surrounding homes as a precaution. The main CSX line is open for trains at reduced speeds & the state Department of Transportation is working with Federal Railroad Administration to determine the cause of the accident, there were no injuries reported.

Governor Cuomo today announced that more than 100 service providers that assist crime victims from across New York State would receive an additional $1.5 million in federal grants to modernize their offices so they can better serve victims and their families. The funding allows for the purchase of equipment and technology used for filing claims through the state's Victim Service Portal, an online system that allows crime victims to more quickly obtain compensation for medical bills, lost wages and other forms of assistance.

State Police in Binghamton are currently investigating 3 incidents where railroad ballast was thrown onto Interstate 88 and the West Service Road, from a railroad overpass in Chenango Bridge. The incidents occurred Saturday between approximately 10:38 & 11:00 AM, 3 vehicles were damaged, no injuries were reported. State Police are requesting anyone with any information on these incidents to call them at 775-1241.

Following last December's Metro-North derailment in the Bronx that killed four passengers, US senator Charles Schumer introduced legislation to put into law, the recommendations of a panel that focused on the railroad's culture of safety, mandating inward and outward facing cameras, increased track inspections and fines for safety violations. The law would apply to Metro-North, Long Island Rail Road, New Jersey Transit, Amtrak and other passenger lines across the country. The bill would boost the Federal Railroad Administration's oversight of the nation's rail systems by authorizing an increase in funding for FRA's safety and operations work.

Broome County Sheriffs & alongside the State Parole Officers arrested 35 year old Raymond Copp of Johnson City & 24 year old Lynette Copp of Conklin.   Parole officers had a felony warrant for Raymond Copp, they had learned that he was at his sister’s home in Conklin.  Officers went to pick up Copp in Conklin Tuesday; they had to taser him in order to take him into custody.  Copp was remanded to the Broome county jail, Lynette Copp was charged with obstructing governmental administration and faces court action at a later date.

Chenango County will not be getting state of federal aid following last months flooding that affected the village of Sherburne.   FEMA had determined that the cost of damage from the flooding did not meet their minimum threshold; governor Cuomo has now narrowed down state emergency funding to the 5 hardest hit counties in the Mohawk Valley only.

A Town of Chenango railway underpass was closed yesterday afternoon after a garbage truck crashed into it.  The Broome County Sheriff's Office reported that the driver of the Waste Management truck disregarded the posted 10'6" clearance, sign and struck the bridge over Patch Road and causing significant damage. Crews from New York Susquehanna and Western Railroad were called into to assess the damage and begin repairs, 32 year-old Frank Contino was ticketed; Patch Road will be closed for repairs until they are completed.