WCDO Radio News

The Sidney Chamber of Commerce Annual Dinner & Celebration will be held tonight in Sidney. The Citizen of the Years is Carol Allen, for her work with the Tri County Senior Center & other organizations, The Business of the Years in USA Custom Pad, The Non Profit of the year is the Sidney United Way & the Distinguished Service award goes to Former Sidney Mayor Andy Matviak, who commented about winning the award:

(Andy Matviak 6-4-26)

The Awards Dinner & Celebration will be held tonight at Club 55 on Union Street in Sidney.

Another Sidney Community Clean-Up will be held at Keith Clark Park on Saturday, June 13. Starting time is set for 9:00 at the park pavilion. Volunteers will help variety of jobs throughout the walking trail areas. Some tools will be available, or volunteers may bring their favorite shovels, pruners or other gardening gear. Work gloves should be worn.

A.M. NEWS Thursday 6-4-26

State Police arrested 36 year old Salvatore Magro of Sherburne following an investigation into reports that underage victims were subjected to unwanted sexual contact while working with him. The investigation determined that over the last two years Magro engaged in a pattern of inappropriate sexual contact toward multiple teenage victims, while the victims were employed at Joe and Vinny’s Pizzeria on North Main Street in the village of Sherburne. Magro was taken into custody & was charged with Three counts of Forcible Touching, Four counts of Sexual Misconduct & Endangering the Welfare of a Child. Magro was transported to the Chenango County Jail for Centralized Arraignment. The victims were issued Orders of Protection, Investigators believe there may be additional victims who have not yet come forward, they can call State Police at (607)561-7400.

The Susquehanna Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has received a $5,000 grant investment from national nonprofit Petco Love in support of its lifesaving work on behalf of animals in Otsego County through clinics aimed at expanding access for animals who need care. The Petco Love program helps find homes for pets in partnership with more than 4,000 organizations, like the Susquehanna SPCA, in order to get pets the care they need & adopted into homes, and make sure that pets are not unnecessarily euthanized. More information is available at sqspca.org. or petcolove.org.

Mothers & Babies Peri-Natal Network is hosting a free event in Norwich This Saturday, with a variety of organizations on hand to help educate new Moms & Dads, Director Christy Finch explains:

(Christy Finch 4-26-24)

The event will be held from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM at the SUNY Morrisville Norwich Campus, more information is available at 772-0517.

The Oxford Village Tree Board will be holding its 31st "Tree City USA" and Arbor Day Celebration on Saturday, starting at 9 am., at Lafayette Park. The Tree City USA flag and plaque presentation will be held along with a giveaway of seedling trees and shrubs.

The Oxford Village Tree Board will be holding its 35th "Tree City USA" Arbor Day Celebration on Saturday at 9:00 am at the LaFayette Park bandstand. Plans include a proclamation, Tree City USA flag presentation, and a giveaway of seedling evergreen trees and a variety of seedling shrubs. More information is available at treeboard.oxfordny.com or (607) 843-2512.

NY State of Health released
county-level enrollment statistics showing that overall enrollment increased in
each of New York’s 62 counties. Total enrollment in the Marketplace is now over
4.7 million people, reflecting an increase of more than 435,000 people from
2018.  NY State of Health focused
increased marketing and outreach efforts in areas with higher uninsured rates,
which contributed to enrollment gains across all program types. Counties with
the Highest Percentage Increase in Combined Qualified Health Plan &
Essential Plan Enrollment between 2018 and 2019 included Broome County with a
12% increase & Delaware County with a 10% increase.

Governor Cuomo today announced that the New York State
Department of Labor has been awarded up to $5.59 million in federal grants to
help provide new skills to workers, including new entrants to the workforce,
who have been or are being impacted by the opioid crisis. Additionally, the funds
will be used for workforce development in professions that address or prevent
problems related to opioids across the state, such as addiction treatment
service providers, pain management and therapy service providers, and mental
health treatment providers. The initiative complements ongoing efforts
by the state Health Department and the Office of Alcoholism and Substance
Abuse services to train peers in recovery to work with hospitals, assisting individuals
with substance use disorder in accessing treatment.

Delaware County Sheriff’s
Deputies arrested 28-year-old Michael Lor of Schenectady, for DWI, failure to keep
right and moving from a lane unsafely, after a traffic stop in the Town of
Middletown.  Lor was released & will
appear in the Town of Middletown Court at a later date.

A HEALTHCARE JOB FAIR will be held at the FOXCARE Center in
Oneonta, tomorrow from 11:00 am to 2:00 PM.
Participants include Bassett Healthcare, Family Planning of South
Central NY, UHS Hospitals, The ARC of Delaware County, The ARC of Otsego
County, AO Fox Hospital, Pathfinder Village & the State Veteran’s Home in
Oxford.

The Binghamton Devils announced that they have partnered
with USA Hockey & the Southern Tier Hockey Association to host a "try
hockey free day" on February 23RD At the Broome County Arena.  Parents can register their children for one
of 2 time slots on the 23rd, by calling the devils office at 722-7367, more
information is also available at binghamtondevils.com

State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli’s office announced that staff will attend community events around the state in September to help residents search for unclaimed funds. DiNapoli oversees more than 39 million unclaimed funds accounts valued at $15.5 billion until the money can be returned to its rightful owners. Unclaimed funds come from old bank accounts, utility deposits, uncashed checks, insurance claims, stocks and other sources that have been dormant for a number of years. Residents who cannot make it to the events can call 1-800-221-9311. The next Southern Tier event with representatives from the Comptroller's office will be on September 9th from 12:00 Noon until 10:00 PM at the Blues on the Bridge at Riverside Drive & Water Street in Binghamton.

A community preparedness class will be held on September 11th from 6:00 to 8:00 PM at Circle drive Alliance Church. Registration swill be accepted through today at DISASTER.SALVATION ARMY USA.ORG; The class will prepare participants in how to deal with floods, fires & snow storms.

Governor Cuomo today announced additional funding is available to help eligible New Yorkers heat their homes following severe low temperatures this winter. Households in danger of running out of heating fuel or having their utility service shut off will be able to apply for a second emergency benefit beginning February 12th. There has been a 40% increase in requests for emergency heating assistance compared to last year, more information can be found at otda.ny.gov/programs/heap/contacts/.

Governor Cuomo today announced the state's Community Restoration Fund has purchased 172 mortgages in a strategic effort to bring owners in targeted communities out of foreclosure and keep the homes from abandonment. The Community Restoration Fund has helped strengthen the financial position of homeowners, bringing stability back to the housing market in neighborhoods across the state. This latest effort brings the total investment through the Fund to $10 million, which has leveraged more than $111 million in private funds and enabled the purchase of 570 distressed mortgages to date. 9 of the properties were in the Southern Tier, 21 were in the Mohawk Valley & Central New York regions.

Oneida County native Erin Hamlin has been selected as Team USA's flag bearer for the Opening Ceremony of the Winter Olympic Games in PyeongChang. Hamlin was born and raised in Remsen, she was chosen by a vote of fellow Team USA members. Hamlin made history at the Olympic Winter Games in Sochi 2014 when she became the first U.S. athlete ever to win an Olympic singles luge medal in the sport’s 50-year Olympic history. This is Hamlin's 4th Olympic games, the Opening Ceremony will take place tomorrow.

Maine Endwell Little League is headed to the USA Finals in Williamsport, after defeating a team from Bowling Green Kentucky yesterday in the latest action of the Little League World Series. The Binghamton Mets announced that NYSEG Stadium would host the Official Watch Party for the Championship Game on Saturday at 3:30pm on the stadiums big screen. Parking will be free and there will be no admission charges. Limited concessions options will be available. Maine Endwell's team will play the winner of today's Tennessee Kentucky match up in Saturday's game.

The American Red Cross urges blood donors to give in the final weeks of summer to help overcome a critical summer blood shortage. Donors of all blood types are urgently needed, A blood drive will be held today in Norwich from 1:00 to 6:00 PM at the Norwich VFW Post 2782, 61-63 East Main Street. . Appointments to give blood can be scheduled by downloading the free Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting redcrossblood.org or calling 1-800-RED CROSS.

SIDNEY HIGH SCHOOL TRACK AND FIELD STANDOUT MALLORY STILLMAN RECENTLY RETURNED FROM A TRIP TO AUSTRALIA AND HAWAII TO COMPETE IN THE "DOWN UNDER SPORTS" GAMES REPRESENTING THE USA. STILLMAN IS A STANDOUT SPRINTER FOR THE WARRIORS AND GOT TO FACE SOME OF THE BEST YOUNG ATHLETES IN THE WORLD AT THE GAMES:

(Mallory Stillman 7-25-16)

STILLMAN HAS MADE IT TO THE NEW YORK STATE TRACK AND FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS THE PAST 2 YEARS AND HOPES THIS EXPERIENCE WILL HELP HER TO RETURN TO STATES AGAIN NEXT YEAR.

The New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services announced a new, multi-year program to train counseling professionals to better enable them to deliver treatment for those with gambling addictions. Many individuals seek private practitioners for help to address problem gambling and this new training program ensures that private practitioners are knowledgeable about problem gambling and will increase access to treatment and support services. New Yorkers struggling with problem gambling, can find help and hope by calling the State’s HOPEline at 1-877-8-HOPENY .

Governor Cuomo today announced New York state parks, historic sites and campgrounds hosted another successful season, with 65.3 million estimated visits in 2015. Park attendance increased 5% from 2014 to 2015, it was boosted by a variety of factors, including national exposure for Letchworth and Watkins Glen State Parks, which were ranked first and third best state parks in the nation by USA Today; and favorable weather throughout the summer and late into the fall.

Attorney General Eric Schneiderman joined the Federal Trade Commission, the other 49 states, and the District of Columbia in announcing the successful conclusion of the largest multistate charity fraud action to date. 2 nationwide sham cancer charities are being dissolved and their president is banned from profiting from any charity fundraising in the future. Cancer Fund of America and Cancer Support Services and their leader, James Reynolds, claimed to help cancer patients, but instead, the majority of donations benefited the operators, their families and friends, and employee fundraisers. The complaint was filed in May 2015, targeting 4 sham charities run by Reynolds, which bilked more than $187 million from donors, including nearly $3 million in New York State.

2 LOCAL SIDNEY HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETES WILL BE TRAVELING OVERSEAS THIS SUMMER TO COMPETE IN SPECIAL INTERNATIONAL EVENTS IN TRACK & FIELD AND FIELD HOCKEY. SIDNEY'S MALLORY STILLMAN HAS BEEN SELECTED FOR THE "DOWN UNDER SPORTS" TRACK & FIELD TOURNAMENT IN JULY ON AUSTRALIA'S GOLD COAST. STILLMAN IS AN ALL-STATE SPRINTER FOR THE WARRIORS AND SAYS IT WILL BE MOSTLY THE SHORT, FAST RACES THAT SHE WILL BE COMPETING IN AT THE TOURNAMENT:

(Stillman 1-18-16)

SIDNEY FIELD HOCKEY STANDOUT & 3-SPORT ATHLETE LILLY HINKLEY WAS INVITED TO TRY OUT FOR THE 2016 USA ITALY FIELD HOCKEY EXHIBITION TOUR ALSO IN JULY. HINKLEY EXPLAINS HOW SHE FIRST HEARD ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY:

(HINKLEY 1-18-16)

BOTH ATHLETES HAVE TO RAISE FUNDS FOR THEIR TRIPS. STILLMAN HAS A CHICKEN & BISCUIT DINNER AT THE SIDNEY ELKS CLUB ON FEBRUARY 6TH & HINKLEY IS SELLING GERTRUDE HAWK CANDY BARS AS WELL AS HAVING A BOTTLE DRIVE AT THE REDEMPTION CENTER ON CARTWRIGHT AVENUE IN SIDNEY. Both athletes will announce future fundraisers this Spring shortly.

The New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, New York Farm Bureau and New York Center for Agricultural Medicine and Health have announced the establishment of a fund to help New York farmers enhance safety on the farm. The program will allow farmers to make safety upgrades by paying for 50% of the cost of the proposed project up to a $5,000 maximum. Farmers can apply for any type of safety upgrade on their farm, Applications may be obtained online at nycamh.org, or by calling 800 343-7527 or by emailing info@nycamh.org.

The Oxford Village Tree Board will be holding its 22nd annual "Tree City USA" Arbor Day Celebration on Saturday, at 9 a.m., at the LaFayette Park bandstand. Plans include an award ceremony beginning with a proclamation; The National Arbor Day Foundation named Oxford a “Tree City USA”, for its twenty-second year in a row.

Volunteer fire departments across New York State will open their doors to local residents this weekend as part of the 5th annual “ Recruit New York” program. Fire department volunteers will conduct tours of their facilities, demonstrate firefighting techniques, and allow visitors to try on turnout gear. Members will discuss the requirements and rewards that come with being a volunteer firefighter, & help interested visitors through the process of joining their local Department. Last year, over 500 fire departments across the state participated.

The Cuomo family announced details of the wake and funeral arrangements for former Governor Mario M. Cuomo. Today, calling hours will be held between 1:00PM-5:00PM and 7:00PM-10:00PM at the Campbell Funeral Home in Manhattan. On Tuesday, at 11:00AM, a funeral service will be held at St. Ignatius Loyola Church, in Manhattan. In place of flowers, the Cuomo family requests contributions to be made to HELP USA for the Mario M. Cuomo Mentoring Fund, 5 Hanover Square, 17th Floor New York, NY 10004.