WCDO Radio News

The annual charity auction to benefit the Leatherstocking council of the Boy Scouts of American, will be held this Saturday in Oneonta, or online prior to Saturday's event. Council District executive Peter Miller explains:

(Peter Miller 11-16-16)

The auction will be held at the Morris Conference Center on the SUNY Oneonta campus from 5:00 to 9:00 PM, the list of items up for auction can be viewed at Leatherstockingcouncil.org.

State Senator Jim Seward unveiled a collaborative initiative to help dispose of unused prescription medication. 10,000 Deterra™ drug deactivation pouches donated by Mallinckrodt will be available, free of charge, at several area locations; the pouch-based systems deactivate prescription drugs and render chemical compounds safe for landfills. The pouches are also biodegradable, the donation was made to LEAF Council on Alcoholism and Addictions with Bassett Healthcare Network assisting, and the pouches are now available at the LEAF Council at 80 Water Street, Oneonta; Oneonta Fox Care Center Pharmacy, & Bassett Medical Center Pharmacy in Cooperstown. Additional locations and distribution opportunities will be added in the future.

Governor Cuomo today launched a toll-free hotline to report incidents of bias and discrimination, following an uptick in recent reports of discrimination, bias-motivated threats, harassment and violence in Wellsville and Livingston. New Yorkers who have experienced bias or discrimination are encouraged to call (888) 392-3644, or 911. The State Police currently has 46 investigators assigned to Troops across the state who have been trained as bias crime specialists.

The Otsego County Chamber of Commerce announced its annual award recipients, this year's winners are: Wahl to Wahl Auto, The Hartwick College Center for Craft Food & Beverage, The award winners will be honored at the Chamber's Small Business Banquet on Thursday, October 20th at The Otesaga Resort Hotel in Cooperstown.

Bassett Healthcare Network has been awarded a $297,419 by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for up to four years to bring telehealth services to the school-based health care setting. The grant-funded project will benefit students enrolled in 18 of Bassett’s school-based health centers in Delaware, Otsego and Chenango counties. In addition to providing access to sub specialists, the school-based project will include diabetes care and education, obesity prevention programming and nutritional counseling, oral health care, behavioral health services, and asthma care and education. From July of 2015 through June of 2016, the program handled 33,522 visits; 32 percent of those were mental health visits, and 59 percent were medical visits; the dental component handled over 3,054 visits.

Governor Cuomo today signed landmark legislation mandating that schools test drinking water for lead contamination. Lead is a toxic material that is extremely harmful to young children and can result in lowered IQ, behavioral problems and brain damage. The state Department of Health also issued emergency regulations pursuant to the new legislation, requiring that school districts test their water for lead contamination by Oct. 31, 2016 and report results to parents, the state Department of Health and local government officials. These new regulations will reduce the risk for exposure to this dangerous substance and ensure all New York’s students have access to clean, drinkable water.

Oneonta City Police arrested 25-year-old Benjamin Williams of Oneonta for 6 counts of 2nd degree assault, & possession of obscene sexual performance by a child. Williams is accused of injured the infant on several occasions; Police also discovered child pornography on 2 devices. Williams was arraigned in Oneonta City Court he was remanded to the Otsego County Jail on $20,000 cash bail or $40,000 bond for each of the felony charges, the infant was taken to Bassett hospital in Cooperstown for a variety of injuries including a broken leg.

2 teenagers are accused of shooting an 11 year old in Johnson City Tuesday night. Police reported that the 17 and 16-year-old boys are charged with felony assault, the 16 year old was also charged with felony criminal possession of a weapon. The 11 year old victim was treated at Upstate University Medical Center in Syracuse and later released, the injuries were not life threatening.

Governor Cuomo today announced the second round of funding is available through the state’s Farm to School Program, which helps school districts establish stronger relationships with local growers and producers and increase their use of homegrown specialty crops. $500,000 in grants is available for projects that help schools buy and serve healthy, locally grown foods on school menus. Last year, 6 Farm to School programs were awarded, benefitting 45 school districts from Western New York, Mohawk Valley, Capital Region, North Country, Finger Lakes and Southern Tier. The funding helped the districts employ local or regional Farm to School coordinators, purchase supplies and equipment needed to increase the capacity of the school kitchen and food service staff to prepare and serve locally produced specialty crops, and to make capital improvements to better transport and/or store those crops. A list of awarded projects from 2015 may be found here.

Governor Cuomo announced the final report and recommendations from the Heroin and Opioids Task Force's plan to combat the state's crisis. among the 25 recommendation: Remove insurance barriers to inpatient treatment by eliminating prior approval for admission, Mandate that insurers use an objective, state-approved criteria when making coverage determinations for treatment, Increase the number of treatment beds and program slots for substance abuse disorder, Mandate prescribers to complete ongoing education on pain management, palliative care, and addiction, Limit opiate prescriptions for acute pain from 30-days to no more than a 7-day supply, with certain exceptions & Mandate that pharmacists educate consumers on the risks associated with prescription opioids.

The Broome County Sheriff’s Office is currently investigating a lead that was called in Thursday of a suspicious vehicle parked on Zion Hill Road near the Steam Mill State Forest in Masonville. Arthur Gehr’s Chevy Silverado pick-up truck was located parked on the side of the roadway locked. Gehr was not located anywhere near or around the vehicle. State Police & Deposit Police were called in to assist, State Police are conducting the current investigation & search effort in Delaware County. Gehr is 61 years of age and was last seen on Saturday June 4th at his residence on Barton Ave in the Town of Union. He last spoke with his employer on Sunday afternoon. He suffers from depression and has medical conditions & he may be in the Deposit area. Anyone with information is asked to call The Broome County Sheriff’s Office at 778-1911 or the Sheriff’s tip line at 778-1196.

The SFCU Hometown Parade will be held tomorrow through the village of Sidney. SFCU Spokesperson Elise Glassett told WCDO of the parade route:

(Elise Glassett 6-10-16)

Sidney Chamber Citizen of the Years Ray Baker & Business of the Years Cullman Child Development Center will be honored in the parade, which will feature over 70 units this year. Sidney police will close off area roads around the parade route prior to the 12:00 Noon start time until the conclusion of the parade.

The American Red Cross will hold another blood drive today in Cooperstown from 12:30 to 6:30 PM at Bassett Hall. Appointments can be made through the Red Cross Blood Donor App, at redcrossblood.org or at 1-800-RED CROSS.

Governor Cuomo today announced special education providers would receive a 4% increase in reimbursement rates. Schools benefiting from this increase serve approximately 13,500 students across the state with emotional or physical disabilities, mental health issues, trauma, substance abuse, or involvement with the juvenile justice, social service or child welfare system. Action was taken to continue the reforms approved 2 years ago to help stabilize and streamline the rate-setting process for school-age providers.

Fox Hospital’s executive leadership team and the board of directors announced that Dr. Reginald Knight has been selected as the new Vice President of Medical Affairs. Dr. Knight will begin his appointment at Fox on July 5th; He will be based at Fox three days of the week, splitting time between Bassett Medical Center and Fox. For the last 7 years, Dr. Knight has been an attending orthopedic surgeon for Bassett Medical Center. He also serves as director of Bassett’s spine care institute as well as president of the medical staff.

State Senator Jim Seward disclosed that he was diagnosed with bladder cancer earlier this year at Bassett Healthcare in Cooperstown. Seward successfully underwent surgery on Wednesday at Albany Medical Center, the cancer was found in its earliest stages, is completely curable, and a complete recovery in anticipated. Seward will miss some senate activities, but is expected to be back up to full speed in a matter of weeks; his staff will keep full office hours & assist constituents as needed.

Governor Cuomo signed legislation authorizing competitive mixed martial arts in New York State. the Ultimate Fighting Championship announced that it will host a major Pay-Per-View event at Madison Square Garden on Saturday, November 12th. The UFC will be adding another live event in Upstate New York before the end of the year.

The Delaware County Industrial Development Agency and ACCO Brands Corporation announced a project that will result in the creation of 25 new, full-time jobs at ACCO Brands’ Sidney facility. County Economic Development Director Glen Nealis explains:

(Glen Nealis 2-19-16)

The project will result in the creation of 10 jobs within a newly created call center facility at ACCO Brands’ administrative building, as well as 15 new production-related jobs generated through manufacturing and distribution operations. The IDA responded with a $20,000 loan to offset the investment of over $60,000 by ACCO Brands, with the potential for loan forgiveness contingent upon ACCO Brands meeting certain job creation benchmarks.

Governor Cuomo announced Thursday that water quality issues will be backed up with extra funding in the state budget this year, on top of the $300 Million dollars for the Environmental Protection Fund, following water issues in Flint Michigan, and on Long Island:

(Cuomo 2-19-16)

Cuomo said that the 2 biggest challenges to New York State currently are terrorism and environmental issues, both which can be unpredictable and have no immediate solution at the time those problems surface,

Dr. Chris Kjolhede (Coal Heed) of Bassett Healthcare met with state lawmakers and he asked them to prioritize funding for pediatric primary, preventive, mental and dental health services in the school setting.

(Dr. Chris Kjolhede 2-19-16)

Dr. Kjolhede heads up the School based Healthcare system in the communities served by Bassett Healthcare Network, which is now up to 20 school districts in the four counties region.

Governor Cuomo announced a new free mobile app to help the state's 900,000 veterans and their family members connect with valuable services and programs. The State Veterans App provides users with easily accessible material about federal and state Veterans’ benefits, programs, and services, including: essential materials regarding healthcare, housing, employment, education and filing claims for financial Veterans' benefits with the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. The state will provide up-to-the-minute updates about state and federal programs that directly impact the lives of Veterans and their family members.

The 21st Annual Polar Bear Jump will be held Saturday at Goodyear Lake. This event and organization raises money by jumping into frigid water, All proceeds are used to support local children and families experiencing medical disabilities. Last year the event had over 300 jumpers and raised $127,000. More information is available at 337-4019.