WCDO Radio News

Oneonta
Police, State Police & the Oneonta Fire department responded to the report
of a woman hit by a car on the Lettis Highway near Main Street last night.  32 year old April Johnson of Oneonta was
crossing the highway & was struck by a vehicle driven by 41 year old David
Shafer of Otego, who was ticketed for Aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor
vehicle.  Johnson was taken to Fox
Hospital & was later transferred to Albany Medical Center; the highway was
closed for about 2 ½ hours for the investigation.

Several
Fire Companies responded to a blaze at 78 Broad Street in Morris Saturday.  The cause of the fire appears to be
electrical in nature, fire fighters from Morris as well as Gilbertsville, West
Laurens, West Oneonta, Laurens, Mount vision, Garrettsville and Pittsfield
responded.  No injuries were reported
& the Red Cross is assisting the displaced residents.

First
Night Oneonta’s alcohol free, family friendly New Year’s Eve Celebration will
be held tonight at the Foothills Performing Arts Center, on Market Street in
Oneonta.  At 5 pm the celebration begins
with a parade down Main Street. Line-up is at the Foothills between 4 and 4:30,
followed by a full line-up of activities at Foothills.

Afton Firefighters responded to a trailer fire at 170 County
Road 17, shortly before 11:00 PM Thursday night.  Coventry, Bainbridge & Sidney fire
departments assisted, a woman was found inside, she was taken to Wilson
Hospital, the investigation is continuing.

Around 5:30 this morning Afton
Fire with mutual aid from Coventry, Bainbridge, Harpursville, Sidney, &
Masonville responded to a structure fire on Algerine Street. The fire was found
in the attic, all occupants escaped without injury.  Crews remained on the scene through the
morning; the cause of the fire is under investigation.

5 Mile Point Fire Company will hold their 6th annual blood
drive today in memory of Trooper Christopher Skinner, who served for 13 years
with the state police, he was killed in the line of duty on May 29, 2014 when
struck by a pick-up truck while making a routine traffic stop, he also served
as a firefighter with the Five Mile Point Fire Company.  The event will be held today from 12:00 Noon
to 6:00 PM at the 5 Mile Point Fire Company at 16 Crescent Drive in Kirkwood,
appointments can be made with the Red Cross Blood Donor App, by calling
1-800-RED CROSS or visiting redcrossblood.org.

The Morris fire department was dispatched to the Brian
Madden residence at 287 West Hill Road home at just Monday afternoon.   Mutual aid was provided by from
Gilbertsville, West Laurens, Laurens, Mt. Vision, South New Berlin, New Berlin,
Pittsfield, and Mt. Upton, no injuries were reported, Madden escaped without
injury.

Firefighters responded Monday
afternoon to a fire at 959 County Highway 10 in Laurens.  The fire at the Decker residence was
attributed to a clogged chimney, the Deckers & their dog escaped without
injury, friends & relatives have started a go fund me page to assist the
family.

Governor Cuomo announced a proposal for eliminating the
"Pink Tax" on products aimed specifically for women.  A study in 2015 that analyzed prices of toys,
clothing, personal care products and home health products that were substantially
similar and found that 42% of the time, products targeted towards women are
more expensive than men's.   Women’s
merchandise costs 7% on average more than similar items for men, with personal
care products for women found to be priced 13% higher than men's products.

The Annual free Christmas dinner put on by Gene Schmidt
& his family will be held tomorrow Christmas Day in Sidney.  The dinner will be held at the River Street
Fire Station from 1:00 to 4:00 & it is free to the public.

5 Mile Point Fire Company will hold their 6th annual blood
drive in memory of Trooper Christopher Skinner.
Trooper Christopher Skinner served for 13 years with the state police,
he was killed in the line of duty on May 29, 2014 when he was struck by a
pick-up truck while making a routine traffic stop, and he also served as a
firefighter with the Five Mile Point Fire Company.  The event will be held on Friday, December 27
from 12:00 Noon to 6:00 PM at the 5 Mile Point Fire Company at 16 Crescent
Drive in Kirkwood, appointments can be made with the Red Cross Blood Donor App,
by calling 1-800-RED CROSS or visiting redcrossblood.org.

Another free Christmas Day dinner is being offered by Gene
Schmidt & his family at the Sidney Fire Department on River Street:

(Gene Schmidt 12-19-19)

The dinner will be held from 1:00 to 4:00 PM Christmas Day,
those who would like more information, can call Schmidt at 607-610-4030.

Following a lengthy investigation, The Delaware
County Board of Supervisors voted to fire County Social Services Commissioner
Dana Scuderi-Hunter, for alleged disciplinary issues during her tenure.  Deputy Commissioner Sylvia Armano will
continue to head up the department following Scuderi-Hunter’s dismissal.

State Police have released additional information about the
fatal snowmobile accident on Chipmunk Hollow Road in the town of Walton Friday
Evening.  46-year-old Jeffrey Benson of
Walton succumbed to hypothermia/cardiac arrest after he and his sled went through
ice.   Benson and a friend were riding on
snowmobiles across a pond when the friend observed Benson and his snowmobile
break through the ice and went back to assist Benson unsuccessfully.  The unidentified friend rode to the nearest
residence to call 911.   Benson was
located up to his neck in water and was pulled out of the pond the Walton Fire
Department and EMS, Benson was deceased.
No foul play was observed.

State Police are investigating the death of a Walton man who
died while snowmobiling Friday.  46 year
old Jeffrey Benson's snowmobile went through ice Friday, at about 6:15 PM, near
Chipmunk Hollow Road in the town of Walton; a friend that Benson was snowmobiling
with tried to pull him out of the water unsuccessfully, Walton firefighters
eventually pulled him out.  The cause of
death is suspected to be hypothermia, the investigation is ongoing.

Another free Christmas Day dinner is being offered by Gene
Schmidt & his family at the Sidney Fire Department on River Street, Schmidt
is looking for volunteers to help out:

(Gene Schmidt 12-9-19)

The dinner will be held from 1:00 to 4:00 PM Christmas Day,
those who would like more information, or to volunteer, can call Schmidt at
607-610-4030.

Sidney Center will have their annual "Holiday In The
Hamlet" celebration Saturday starting at 5:15 with Santa Claus, the event
will be held at the Sidney Center Fire station.

The Chenango County Health Department will hold their last
Rabies vaccination clinic tomorrow in Norwich.
The clinic for dogs, cats & ferrets will be held from 9:30 to 11:00
AM at the Norwich Fire Station, More information is available at 337-1673.

The Friends of Afton Parade Committee will hold the annual
Afton Christmas Parade Saturday.  The
Parade line-up will be at Corporate Park on Route 7 at 4:00 pm, the parade
starts at 5:00pm & Santa will be in the NBT Bank after the parade. Food and
hot beverages provided by the Chamber of Commerce and VFW, located inside the
VFW. Community bonfire located in the First Baptist Church Parking lot after
the parade. More information is available at 208-5005, or the "Friends of
Afton" Facebook page.

The
State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services' Office of Fire
Prevention and Control today urged New Yorkers to stay alert and focused while
cooking this season as more home cooking fires occur during the Thanksgiving
and Christmas holidays than at any other time of the year. Thanksgiving is the
one day which leads all others, in the most cooking related fires, causing an
average of 173,000 structure fires annually, resulting in an average of 550
deaths, 5,000 injuries and $1.2 billion in property damage.   Cooking fire safety tips are available at
dhses.ny.gov.

An Otsego County Grand Jury has indicted Dylan Robinson,
Alexander Borgreen, Anais Soto and Nicolas Meridy for the murder of 53 year old
Kenneth Robinson inside his Worcester home in October.  The 4 have been charged with 2nd degree
Murder, Burglary and Attempted Robbery for breaking into the Robinson house in
Worcester to allegedly steal marijuana and cash & Dylan Robinson allegedly
shot his father in the chest and the head, Robinson, Meridy and Borgreen are
also accused of setting the house on fire, all four will be arraigned on the
Grand Jury counts shortly.

Sunday night, the Deposit Fire Department and Eastern Broome
Emergency Services were dispatched to a motor vehicle accident where the
vehicle involved had gone into a creek in the Town of Sanford. The sole
occupant of the vehicle was able to get out of the vehicle and water prior to
our arrival. The occupant sustained injuries as a result of the accident and
was transported to a local hospital for treatment.

Wilfredo Pica-Torres was sentenced to 70 years to life in
prison today in Broome County Court.   A
jury found Pica-Torres guilty in August for 2nd degree murder, attempted murder
and arson, in connection with an attack in February in Binghamton that left
61-year-old Victor Banayan dead and 27-year-old Heather Stroup severely
injured, following the attacks, Pica-Torres set the structure on fire.

Delaware
County Fire Investigators are trying to determine how a fire started at the
East Branch Harvard Methodist Church in East Branch Monday Morning.  The fire was reported by a passerby, and
preliminary reports suggest that the fire started in the steeple.  Church officials are trying to determine if
the church can be rebuilt, no injuries among 75 responding firefighters were
reported.

Several
area fire departments responded today to a structure fire at the East Branch
Harvard Methodist Church at 120 Fish Road in East Branch.  Fire companies from all over Delaware County
responded to the WCDO News will have further details as they become available.

The Deposit Fire Department responded to the report of a
Man working on a stationary trailer under a bridge in a work zone, getting
struck by a tractor trailer on State route 17 Monday.  The worker fell to the ground & sustained
only minor injuries, This accident is in the bridge construction zone near mile
marker 268 on Route 17 East in the Town of Sanford (just prior to Exit 82).
State DOT officials remind motorists to slow down in work zones, so far, no
tickets have been announced.

The Sidney Center Improvement Group is holding their Crock
Pot Cook-Off & Lucky Day Auction this Saturday at the Fire Station, Group
President Mike Sellitti explains:

(Mike Sellitti 10-31-19)

Sellitti said that the Crock Pot Cook Off is open to the
public; more information about the Sidney Center Improvement Group is available
at scigny.org.

Clocks
will get turned back 1 hour this Saturday night, as part of the Daylight
Savings Time System; local fire departments urge residents to replace the
batteries in their smoke detectors, or replace the old detectors with the new
ones with 10 Lithium Batteries this weekend.
Dave Welch of the Unadilla Fire Department explains:

(Dave
Welch 10-31-19)

Statistics
show that in 60% of fire deaths, there was no smoke detector present, & in
over 40%, the smoke detectors didn’t work or had no batteries.  New York is leading the nation with 92
civilian fire deaths this year.

Operation Merry Christmas is winding
up the first part of their process in the coming days, to gather all of the
information on toy requests & children’s clothing sizes, to be given out to
children of underprivileged families in December.  Spokesperson Dorene Ireland explains:

(Dorene Ireland 10-30-19)

Calls can be made to
643-6334; the giveaway day will be Saturday December 14th in the lobby of the
AO Fox Hospital Tri Town Campus in Sidney.

The Fireman’s
Association of the State of New York announced that New York State is leading
the nation in civilian fire deaths this year.
So far in 2019, there have been 92 civilians that have died in fires
this year that number is expected to increase as the Association statistics
show that winter is the busiest time of the year for home fires.  Officials hope that the numbers decrease in
coming years as more New Yorkers replace the old style battery powered Smoke
Detectors with the new state of the art types with 10 year batteries that do
not need to be replaced annually.

A portion of State Route 8 in Sidney
will be named the Sidney Veterans' Memorial Highway under legislation signed
into law by Governor Cuomo Tuesday.  The
bill was sponsored by State Senator Jim Seward and Assemblyman Cliff Crouch
after the Village of Sidney requested the special highway designation.  A formal sign installation will be scheduled
with State DOT officials at a later date.

A Free Rabies Vaccination Clinic for
dogs, cats and ferrets will be held today from 6:00 to 8:00 pm at Bloomville
Fire Department, more information about rabies is available at 832-5200 or
delawarecountypublichealth.com

The New Berlin Art Forum presents the Navy band Commodores
for a free concert Wednesday night at the Unadilla Valley Central School
Auditorium.  Forum Spokesperson Margaret
Murray said that the show is free but tickets are required for this Jazz
Concert:

(Margaret Murray 10-29-19)

Murray said that she will take
ticket reservations through 3:00 PM Wednesday 263-2115, Tickets are also
available at The New Berlin Library & the New Berlin Service Pharmacy.

47-year-old Andrew Menke has died following a Saturday
Afternoon Fire in his 3rd Floor Apartment above the Little Venice Restaurant in
Binghamton over the weekend.  Menke was
discovered in the hallway at 111 Chenango Street, he was taken to Wilson
Medical Center, and He was moved to Upstate University Hospital in Syracuse.  Fire damage was confined to the third-floor
apartment where the blaze originated. The restaurant sustained some water
damage, but was able to re-open Sunday.
The investigation is continuing.

State Police arrested 17 year old Tatiana Febo of Downsville
in connection with the October 10th murder of 53 year old Kenneth Robinson in
his Worcester home.  Febo was charged
with 1st Degree Robbery, 5 others including the victim’s son 15 year old Dylan
Robinson have been arrested, Kenneth Robinson was fatally shot, his house was
set on fire.  Police believe that Febo
was the driver of the vehicle that brought the suspects to Worcester; she was
released to the custody of her parents pending court action in Otsego County
Court on October 28th.  The investigation
is continuing.

Governor Cuomo signed legislation increasing special
accidental death benefits for spouses and children of police officers and
firefighters killed in the line of duty. Specifically, the new law increases
cost of living benefits by 3 percent for the deceased's spouse or the
deceased's children under the age of 18 or, if a student, under the age of 23.
This legislation goes into effect immediately.

The Catholic Charities Mentoring program is
hosting a mentor mixer on Friday November 8th at the American Legion in Sidney.
This event is open to the public and is for anyone who might be interested in
learning more about mentoring.   More
information is available at 604-4071 Ext. 102.

10 area Fire Departments responded to a blaze at 687
State Highway 205 in the town of Oneonta, just north of the intersection with
State Route 23.  The fire was reported at
about 7:15 PM, 2 people were injured & were taken to Fox Hospital in
Oneonta.  The cause of the fire is under
investigation.

The Homer Fire Department reported that one of their firefighters
died following a department training session Saturday.  Fire Fighter Robert Bush reported feeling ill
at a training session, fellow fire department members initiated emergency
medical assistance, and he was brought him to a local hospital where he was
pronounced dead.

The Chenango County Health Department
will hold their next free Rabies vaccination clinic today in Oxford.  The clinic will be held at the Oxford Fire
Station from 5:30 to 6:30 PM, for dogs, Cats & domesticated Ferrets, more
information is available at 337-1673.

Delaware County Sheriff Craig
DuMond and Sidney Central School District Administrators remind motorists that
passing stopped school buses is illegal & it creates a grave danger to
children that use the Busses to & from School.  The Sheriff’s Office School Resource Officer
assigned to the Sidney Central School received 2 complaints recently from the
School District's Transportation Director regarding motorists passing stopped
school busses.  Sidney School buses are
equipped with state of the art video cameras capable of capturing images of
passing vehicles and their license plate numbers during the 2 incidents, the
drivers were identified & were ticketed.

Firefighters from Sidney Center & Surrounding
communities responded to an outdoor furnace fire at the Fieldstone House on
Wheat Hill Road in Sidney Center.  The
fire was reported at about 12:30 PM, the shed was a total loss, the house
itself was untouched, and no injuries were reported.

Fire fighters from Sidney Center & surrounding
Communities responded to a structure fire on Wheat Hill Road earlier this
afternoon.  WCDO News will have more
details as they become available.

The Norwich Fire Department is partnering with the American
Red Cross as part of their, “Sound the Alarm,” campaign to provide free smoke
detectors to residents of the City of Norwich this month.  The organizations will deliver and install
smoke detectors at no cost to city residents beginning on October 26th.  Red Cross representatives will go door to
door to gauge interest, and then a team of volunteers from the Norwich Fire
Department will install them, free of charge.

State Police are investigating a
death at a suspicious Fire in Worcester. Troopers were dispatched shortly
before 9:00 p.m. last night, to a fire in the town of Worcester, Police located
a deceased subject inside the residence, the investigation is on-going and more
details will be released later today.

The Sidney Fire Department will be holding an Open House
tonight at their River Street Location.
The Open House will run from 6:00 to 8:00 PM.

The Otsego County Chamber's
Small Business Banquet will be held on Thursday, November 21 at The Otesaga
Hotel and Resort in Cooperstown.
Nominations for various awards are being taken currently; the
nominations are requested to the Chamber by this Friday.

State officials, the Division of Homeland Security and the
Office of Fire Prevention and Control will preside over the 22nd Annual New
York State Fallen Firefighters Memorial Ceremony this morning.   The Ceremony will honor 23 fallen
firefighters who gave their lives in the line of duty, at the Empire State
Plaza Convention Center in Albany at 11:00 AM.

State officials and members of the Division of Homeland
Security and Emergency Services' Office of Fire Prevention and Control will
preside over the 22nd Annual New York State Fallen Firefighters Memorial
Ceremony.   The Ceremony will honor 23
fallen firefighters who gave their lives in the line of duty, at the Empire
State Plaza Convention Center in Albany, tomorrow morning at 11:00 AM.

State Police investigated a tar
Truck Fire on Calder Hill Road in Otego Sunday.
Otego Firefighters put the fire out quickly, the unidentified driver
escaped without injury & no tickets will be issued.

SUNY Oneonta University Police believe that the reported
threat of violence on campus Wednesday afternoon was the result of a
cyber-crime and posed no actual danger.
A New York City crisis hotline contacted SUNY Oneonta to share a chat
message allegedly from a student of the college, that indicated that the caller
intended to shoot people on campus, officials deemed the threat to be credible
and issued a shelter-in-place directive at 5:30 PM, it was dropped at 6:15
after a student reported to Oneonta Police that her phone had been hacked &
she was working with the college’s IT staff to correct it.  University Police are investigating the
incident along with Oneonta Police, Otsego County law enforcement officials,
State Police, New York City Police and the FBI.