WCDO Radio News

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 Village of New Berlin will be celebrating their Bicentennial on later today & all day Saturday, New Berlin Mayor Terry Potter explains:

(Terry Potter 6-9-16)

Potter said that a video with a full line up of events has been posted on the New Berlin New York Village Bicentennial Celebration Facebook page; it has also been shared on the WCDO Facebook page.

The 8th Otsego Lakes Festival will be held on Saturday, June 11 from noon to 5 p.m. at Lakefront Park in Cooperstown. Activities for kids will include the Cooperstown Art Association’s fish painting station, interactive science displays with SUNY Oneonta’s Biological Field Station, and a “juried” art contest. Refreshments will be for sale on site.

The State DOT announced that construction work for the Prospect Mountain construction project would require lane closures in Binghamton today 9:00 AM to 12:oo Noon. Traffic will be reduced to one lane for concrete median barrier removal at State Route 17 eastbound between Exit 70 & 72, & State Route 17 westbound between Exit 72 & 71. Motorists are advised to be alert for slow moving traffic and sudden stops.

On Saturday, from 8:00 am to 3:00 pm, Chenango County Airport Day will be held at the Eaton Airport in Norwich. The day starts with a Fly-In breakfast starting at 8:00 am. The Buffalo Heritage Squadron will be bringing the SNJ-4, a World War II era trainer jet. The EAA will also be providing free rides to children ages 8 to 17 as part of the Young Eagles program.

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.

An Operation Kidsafe Free Child Safety Event is being held at Country Club Nissan in Oneonta for 2 more days this week; the program was started 15 years ago, Operation Kidsafe founder Mark Bott explains:

(Mark Bott 6-10-16)

More information about this week's Oneonta event is available at CountryClubNissan.com, or at the Country Club Nissan Face book page. KIDSAFE Hours are 10:00 am to 6:00 pm today & on Saturday 10:00 am to 4:00pm.

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 Police are investigating a recent burglary at Frog Pond Farms in Bainbridge. The Burglary was reported on Sunday, anyone with information is asked to contact the State Police in Sidney at 561-7400.

The Town of Unadilla announced that their Board Meeting originally scheduled for June 14th, has been rescheduled for Thursday, June 16th at 6:30 PM at the Town Hall, on State Route 7. The meeting has been moved in order to not conflict with Flag Day.

The SFCU Hometown Parade will be held this Saturday along West Main, Main & river Streets in downtown Sidney, SFCU Spokesperson Elise Glassett explains:

(Elise Glassett 6-6-16)

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 Oneonta Common Council will hold their next regular meeting today. The meeting will begin at 7:00 PM at the Common Council Chambers at Oneonta City hall.

Delaware County Public Health will host a rabies clinic today in Walton, for dogs, cats, and ferrets on: 6:00 to 8:00 PM, at the Walton Highway Garage on state route 10.