WCDO Radio News

A.M. NEWS THURSDAY 6-11-26

A Homeland Security Task Force Investigation Resulted in Convictions for 11 Drug Traffickers from across the Southern Tier, around the state and in Michigan. The 11 defendants involved in an organization distributing large quantities of methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin and other drugs primarily from 2019 to 2021 through Broome, Tioga and Chemung Counties, they also unlawfully possessed firearms as felons or in furtherance of their drug trafficking. Law enforcement seized methamphetamine, & other drugs, over 65 firearms, cash and ATVs. Among those convicted 55 year old David Wemmer, 37 year old David Cobb & 50 year old Brandon Vanorman, all from Spencer, 38 year old Shawn McCabe of Windsor, 39 year old Philip Acciarito of Owego, , 44 year old Jennifer Patton of Spencer & 39 year old Eini Raupers of Candor.

A.M. NEWS Thursday 10-30-25

Governor Kathy Hochul today urged New Yorkers to prepare for a storm system forecast to bring widespread rain and gusty winds into Friday for parts of the Southern Tier, Western New York, Mid-Hudson, New York City and Long Island regions. Agency Preparations are underway for the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, the State DOT, DEC, the State Police and the utility companies, For real-time travel information, motorists should call 511 or visit 511ny.org, For safety tips, go to dhses.ny.gov/safety.

Area Lawmakers are urging residents to attend meetings on October 7th & 8th by the Public Service Commission, regarding requested rate increases by NYSEG. The Commission is tasked with deciding on Utility Company rate increase requests, the hearings will be at at 1:00 and 6:00 PM at Binghamton City Hall & public comments will be taken. Interested individuals can also submit written comments or use the toll-free 1-800-335-2120 Opinion Line to voice their views on the proposed rate and practice changes. In July, NYSEG filed its “Powering New York” plan regarding replacing the state's aging power grid, in which they claim that the rate increases are needed in order to make upgrades.

A.M. NEWS Thursday 10-2-25

The Otsego County Sheriff's Office arrested 29 year old Toren Gray of Laurens, for 16 counts of 1st degree Obscenity, 91 counts of Possessing an Obscene Sexual Performance by a Child, 89 counts of Possessing a Sexual Performance by a Child, following an investigation from a Cyber Tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Investigators learned that child sexual abuse material was disseminated from a local social media account, they obtained search warrants for Gray's accounts and located over 300 images. Sheriff’s Office investigators and the New York State Police Computer Crimes Unit, and Homeland Security Investigations agents executed a search warrant at Gray's residence, he was taken in to custody, processed and was held at the Otsego County Correctional Facility for Arraignment. The investigation is on-going and additional charges are pending.

The Afton Central School District closed at 11:30 this morning & all after school activities are canceled. The water in Afton was discolored or dirty, the Village of Afton Public Works Department told WCDO News that there was no water main break, but road crews using jack hammers adversely affected the quality of the water earlier today, it should clear up and there is NO order to boil water in effect.

A.M. NEWS WEDNESDAY 6-11-25

Delaware County Public Health, the New York National Guard and State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, is hosting a Citizen Preparedness Training Event today in Walton, DCPH Spokesperson Isabella Ziolkowski comments:

(Isabella Ziolkowski 6-11-25)

This event is free and open to the public. Registration is required to attend, call Delaware County Public Health at 607-832-5200. The event will be held from 6:00PM – 7:30PM at the New Hope Community Church, 45 Stockton Avenue, Walton.

28 year old Ionel Baldovin of Romania was sentenced in US District Court to 33 months in prison for his role in a bank fraud conspiracy impacting 2 area financial institutions and least 5 additional institutions across the United States. Baldovin admitted to placing skimming devices and cameras at ATMs, the devices and cameras captured ATM customers’ account information and PIN numbers, the suspects created fraudulent debit cards from the captured information, which they used to withdraw currency over $450,000 from customers’ accounts in 2017 & 2018, 4 other suspects were already sentenced, the cases were investigated by the FBI, Homeland Security, State Police, the Endicott Police and various local police departments in area counties.

Delaware County Public Health, the New York National Guard and New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, is hosting a Citizen Preparedness Training Event on Wednesday, June 11th, Isabella Ziolkowski of Delaware County Public Health explains:

(Isabella Ziolkowski 5-12-25)

This event is free and open to the public. Each family that attends will receive a free preparedness kit. Registration is required to attend, call Delaware County Public Health at 607-832-5200. The event will be held from 6:00PM – 7:30PM at the New Hope Community Church, 45 Stockton Avenue, Walton.

A.M. NEWS Monday 5-12-25

54 year old Jason Burress of Bainbridge appeared in Delaware County Court last week & was sentenced to 6 months in jail. Sidney Police initiated a traffic stop in Sidney on July 11, 2024, Burress was believed to be impaired by drugs, lab test showed that Burress was impaired by methamphetamine. Burress pleaded guilty in April to Driving While Ability Impaired by Drugs, he will serve his term at the Delaware County Correctional Facility.

A Citizen Preparedness Training Event will be held today at 6:00 PM in Margaretville at the Town Hall, hosted by Delaware County Public Health, with representatives from the New York National Guard & The State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services. Isabella Ziolkowski of Delaware County Public Health explains:

(Isabella Ziolkowski 4-11-24)

This event is free and open to the public, Ziolkowski said that they are planning to do additional training events in Walton & Sidney as soon as possible.

A Citizen Preparedness Training Event will be held on Monday, April 28th in Margaretville at the Town Hall, hosted by Delaware County Public Health, with representatives from the New York National Guard & The State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services. Isabella Ziolkowski of Delaware County Public Health explains:

(Isabella Ziolkowski 4-11-24)

This event is free and open to the public, they can register by calling 607-832-5200, Ziolkowski said that they are planning to do additional training events in Walton & Sidney as soon as possible.

Delaware County District Attorney Shawn Smith announced that the 40 year old Dorothy West of Arkville pleaded guilty to Driving a Motor Vehicle While Ability Impaired by Drugs, she was sentenced to a one-year conditional discharge, she is also required to attend an Impaired Driver Program, and her license is revoked for at least 6 months. On March 17th, 2024, State Police responded to a welfare check at the Dollar General in Margaretville, with a driver asleep in a car. West failed testing at the scene & was found to be impaired by drugs.

A.M. NEWS MONDAY 1-6-25

New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services’ Office of Counter Terrorism in partnership with State Police, conducted training exercises at more than 900 locations statewide in 2024 to increase public vigilance and reporting of suspicious activity. This included assessing more than 200 infrastructure locations, Counterterrorism experts from more than 80 law enforcement agencies completed exercises assessing the ability of businesses to recognize and report suspicious activity, Public Should Report Suspicious Activity to Law Enforcement at 1-866-SAFE-NYS (1-866-723-3697)

Governor Kathy Hochul today announced that 221 State and local government workers have been deployed to North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia to help with response and recovery efforts following Hurricane Helene. Team members include staff from the National Guard, Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, Department of Transportation, DEC, State Police, Department of Agriculture and Markets, among many others. State Agencies are also gearing up deployment top Florida following the expected devastation from as Hurricane Milton heads towards Florida.

P.M. NEWS TUESDAY 10-1-24

The U.S. Small Business Administration has announced the availability of low interest loans related to storm damage caused by the remnants of tropical Storm Debby, August 8-10. Low-interest disaster loans will be made available to certain Private Non-Profit organizatIons, such as food kitchens, homeless shelters, museums, libraries, community centers, schools and colleges. Eligible PNPs can call the Delaware County Emergency Services Office at (607) 832-5600 or the Delaware County Planning Office (607) 832-5444 to get more information. Also, The Office of Disaster Recovery at the State Department of Homeland Security has scheduled a virtual Applicants Briefing at 10:00 AM on Tuesday October 8th. To register for the Applicants Briefing, go to meetny.webex.com.

P.M. NEWS WEDNESDAY 9-25-24

U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is co-sponsoring legislation to have the Department of Homeland Security address the issue of illegal drugs, weapons & undocumented Migrants entering the U.S. through the Northern Border with Canada in increases numbers, likely from the efforts of Mexican & Central American Drug Cartels:

(Gillibrand 9-25-24)

The FBI statistics show that the number of people crossing the Southern border has decreased to more traditional levels of a million to 1.5 million a year, but the number entering through Canada has jumped from about 110,000 a few years ago, to almost 400,000 this year already. The bill is expected to be passed by a Senate Committee today & move forward to a possible full Senate vote.

The State DOT is alerting motorists that State Route 79 will be closed from about 1,000 feet east of the Interstate 88 interchange to the intersection with Main Street in the Town of Colesville, until further notice. The closure is necessary to facilitate a culvert repair, which is expected to take several weeks. Motorists should follow posted detours. Drivers are asked to use caution when traveling through the work zone area and pay attention to all traffic control devices. Motorists are reminded that fines are doubled for speeding in work zones. For more information, call 511, visit 511NY.org or download the free 511NY mobile app.

A.M. NEWS Tuesday 8-13-24

The New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services has developed a Damage Self Report tool for individuals to report damages from the August 9th storms without having to call the Delaware County Emergency Services Office. A QR code is available that will take smartphone users directly to the tool, if you are unable to use the QR Code or would like assistance, you can visit the Planning Department and Sheriff Office booths in the Commercial Tent at the Delaware County Fair, or you can call the planning office at (607) 832-5444.

The Otsego County Department of Health announced that a bat tested positive for rabies in the town of Oneonta today. 1 person was exposed & started post exposure vaccinations, more information about rabies is available at their web page at otsegocounty.com or by calling 607-547-4230.

A.M. NEWS THURSDAY 1-4-23

The State Department of Health released a report on food insecurity, Among Adults by County. Food insecurity is characterized by limited or uncertain access to adequate food due to limited economic resources. Among Counties outside of New York City, the highest percentage of adults who experience food insecurity are Herkimer 28.8% and Oswego 26.2%.The full report can be found at health.ny.gov/statistics.

The New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services’ Office of Counter Terrorism conducted training exercises at more than 1,100 locations statewide in 2023. Counter terrorism experts from over 80 federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies completed exercises assessing the ability of businesses to recognize and report suspicious activity in nearly every county in the state. More than 6,300 exercises have been conducted across New York since 2016.

Governor Kathy Hochul announced $25 million in capital grants will be made available to help volunteer fire departments upgrade their facilities and equipment. The grants will be administered by the state’s Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, fire companies have until April 30 2024 to respond to the request for applications at dhses.ny.gov.

State officials and members of the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services' Office of Fire Prevention and Control will preside over the 26th Annual New York State Fallen Firefighters Memorial Ceremony today. State officials will honor 29 fallen firefighters at the 26th Annual Ceremony, at the Empire State Plaza Convention Center in Albany, starting at 11:00 AM.

Governor Hochul announced today that New York will be sending engineers to Perform Dam Safety Inspections in Vermont, after their recent devastating flooding. So far, New York has deployed 9 engineers from the New York Power Authority and the Department of Environmental Conservation to Montpelier, Vermont to assist in performing dam safety evaluations throughout the state. The Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services is coordinating additional incoming requests for assistance from Vermont and State agency partners stand ready to provide resources as necessary.

Delaware County Sheriff’s Deputies responded May 10th to the Town of Meredith to assist US Homeland Security Units with the apprehension of 48 year old Charles Bodie of Meredith, who was wanted on an active US Federal Court Warrant for the Sexual Exploitation of a Child. Deputies and Homeland Security conducted surveillance of property in Meredith where Bodie had been living, on May 11th, they arrested Bodie on the warrant, he was transported to the Delaware County Correctional Facility, where he was to be held indefinitely. Bodie was scheduled to be transported to the United States District Court for the Northern District of New York at a later date for arraignment on the Sexual Exploitation of a Child charge, if found guilty, Bodie could face 15 to 30 years in prison.

The United States Department of Justice announced Tuesday that 30 year old Shelby Ortiz of Maryland, New York was sentenced to serve 15 years in prison and a 20-year term of supervised release, for distributing child pornography. Ortiz also will be required to register as a sex offender upon her release from prison. Ortiz pleaded guilty in October 2022, she admitted that she subjected a 7-month-old boy to sexual contact which was video recorded and sent to to a person living in Florida with whom she was participating in an online and telephone dominant/submissive sexual relationship. The case was investigated by U.S. Homeland Security, the Oneonta Police Department, and the State Police

Bassett Healthcare Network announced today that masks are no longer required for patients, visitors, or staff members across most areas of the health system. 1 exception is in Bassett’s skilled nursing facilities at A.O. Fox Nursing Home, Valley Residential Services, and Valley Health Services, where masks will still be required for all employees and visitors. Long-term care facilities continue to follow stricter guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) based on community transmission rates to protect residents.

A.M. NEWS MONDAY 3-20-23

The Otsego County Sheriff's Office arrested 48 year old Charles Bodie of Edmeston for 2nd degree Rape, Criminal Sex Act, Dissemination of Indecent Material to Minors, Obscenity, & Endangering the Welfare of a Child. Bodie is accused of engaging in sexual relationship with a minor for several months, allegedly sent indecent material to the minor while he was employed outside of the State, and then Homeland Security was requested to assist. Bodie was located and arrested & he was returned to New York, he was turned over to investigators and was being held at the Otsego County Correctional Facility to await arraignment. Additional charges are expected.

The State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services' Office of Counter Terrorism conducted training exercises at more than 1,000 locations statewide in 2022, As part of this process, teams assessed suspicious activity reporting and recognition at 842 retailers and businesses that sell chemicals, compounds, components, services, or rent space or resources that could be exploited by those with nefarious intent. Additionally, teams assessed more than 180 infrastructure locations across the state, including stadiums and arenas, malls and shopping centers, colleges and universities, airports, transit hubs and other mass-gathering locations.

The Gateway Alliance Church on Circle Drive in Sidney will hold a free Christmas Community Dinner on Sunday from 12:00 Noon until 2:00 PM, all are invited to attend.

A.M. NEWS FRIDAY 12-16-22

Sidney Police arrested 36 year old Brittany Marino of Gloversville on an arrest warrant Monday. This arrest stems from a 2021 joint investigation, between the Sidney Police Department and the Department of Homeland Security, into the possession of firearms by a person who is prohibited from possessing firearms. Marino is accused of purchasing several firearms when she lived in Sidney, & then giving them to a person who is prohibited from possessing them. Marino was charged with One count of Criminal sale of a firearm in the first degree: ten or more firearms, she was arraigned in Village of Sidney Court where she was released on her own recognizance to appear back in court at a later date.

Governor Kathy Hochul today announced more than $246 million from FEMA to support counter-terrorism and emergency preparedness efforts across New York. The New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services manages the programs with local stakeholders, locally Chenango & Otsego Counties will receive over $93,000, Delaware County over $85,000 and Broome County over $311,000.

A.M. NEWS Wednesday 10-12-22

Delaware County Sheriff’s Office arrested 29-year-old Osman Mendoza-Garcia of Scranton, Pennsylvania, on October 1st, after Deputies responded to a 2-car accident on State Highway 10. The investigation found that Mendoza-Garcia was following another north bound vehicle that was attempting to make a turn, he was unable to stop. Mendoza-Garcia was driving with a suspended driver’s license, he was charged with Aggravated Unlicensed Operation and Following too Closely, he was released with appearance tickets made returnable to the Town of Tompkins Court at a later date.

State Police and the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services announced that a contingent of 50 State Troopers left Saturday morning for Puerto Rico to help the island nation as it recovers from the devastation left behind in the wake of Hurricane Fiona. The first wave of 50 Troopers, along with 69 New Jersey State Troopers, flew out of JFK airport at about 10 am. this morning bound for Luis Munoz Marin International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The flight was donated by Jet Blue Airlines.

The fire at the Minnewaska State Park Preserve was contained on Sunday, according to the Governor's office. The State DEC Forest Rangers are leading the incident response in cooperation with the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, State Police and many other State and local partners. Response actions in the area will continue in the coming days with a smaller force of state and local experts as fire control efforts advance. More than 200 firefighters, bulldozer operators, pilots, and other professional staff and volunteers have been working to contain the fire.

Governor Kathy Hochul announced the deployment of the New York Army and Air National Guards To support fire suppression efforts at the 150-acre wildfire currently burning in Minnewaska State Park Preserve in Ulster County. 2 Army National Guard Black Hawk helicopters, capable of dropping 600 gallons of water at a time, began aerial operations, the Air National Guard have been deployed, the State DEC Forest Rangers are serving as Incident Commanders, with more than 200 wild-land firefighters and volunteers, local firefighters, the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, State Police Aviation, and State Fire also fighting the fire.

Governor Kathy Hochul unveiled a package aimed at fighting domestic terrorism and closing loopholes in state gun laws and cracking down on social media platforms that host violent content. The announcement comes after the mass shooting in Hochul's hometown of Buffalo. The first Executive Order is designed to fight domestic terrorism and violent extremism on social media, the State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services will establish a new unit that focuses on domestic terrorism, the 2nd Executive Order will call on the State Police to create a dedicated unit to identify possible threats through social media analysis.

Oneonta Police Department announced that a resident was contacted by a person claiming to be a Federal Agent, investigating a drug trafficking crime and that the City of Oneonta Police Chief, Christopher Witzenburg, would be calling to verify this investigation, then a person claiming to be the Chief Whitzenburgh contacted the resident, who stated that she knows what the Chief sounds like on the phone at which time the caller terminated the call. Chief Witzenburg contacted Homeland Security with the number the call came from, it was confirmed to be a scam call. Oneonta Police Department urges are residents to report scam calls to them or your local authorities & never give personal information to scam callers.

The City of Oneonta Police Department has arrested 29 year old Elijah Vergari of Oneonta in connection with the NBT bank robbery that occurred at 1 Wall Street in the City of Oneonta on December 29th. An indictment was handed down by a Grand Jury for the arrest of Vergari, Vergari was delivered to the Otsego County Court Monday, he was arraigned for 3rd degree Robbery, Due to the existence of pending felony charges in Delaware County, bail was set for $10,000 cash bail and he was remanded to the custody of the Otsego County Sheriff. The Oneonta Police Department worked in conjunction with the New York State Police Forensic ID unit, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Investigations, and NBT bank security services.

27 Year Old Tyler Streeter of Norwich has been arrested following an investigation by the Department of Homeland Security, the Norwich City Police. Streeter was arrested Monday for interstate transportation of a minor, with the intent that the minor engage in prostitution or any criminal sexual activity. The alleged offense took place in April in the state of Maine, Streeter is being held in the Oneida County Jail pending transfer to the State of Maine by the U.S. Marshals Service.