WCDO Radio News

P.M. NEWS TUESDAY 7-29-25

Cooperstown & Charlotte Valley Railroad announced that they will hold a Milford Fire Benefit Train on August 17th, with 100% of ticket sales donated to the Milford Fire Victims Fund. Railroad President Bruce Hodges explains:

(Bruce Hodges 7-29-25)

The fire on July 18th destroyed 4 buildings & damaged others nearby, the fundraising train ride takes off from 136 East Main Street in Milford, more information can be found at cooperstowntrain.com/milford-fire-benefit-train or on the Cooperstown & Charlotte Valley Railroad Facebook page.

The State’s Division of Consumer Protection is providing consumers with tips to protect their money and financial information while using payment apps, after it was reported that last year, consumers nationwide reported over $390 million in losses to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission from App scams, which was about $100 million dollars more than the previous year. If you believe you made a payment to a scammer or find unauthorized payments on your account, report it to the mobile payment app and any bank involved, you can also report fraud to the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov and the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov.

20 Attorney's General including New York State, are suing the Trump Administration over its efforts to obtain data from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as SNAP. According to the lawsuit, the Department of Agriculture is improperly attempting to gather sensitive personal information from low-income families who use the program, including social security numbers and home addresses. New York Attorney General Letitia James reported that it was not the 1st time this administration has tried to use federal agencies to access Americans’ personal data, recently a federal judge declined to stop the IRS from sharing sensitive taxpayer information with federal immigration authorities.

This Thursday, July 31 is the deadline for New York State residents to register for the New York State Quitline’s “Quit-and-Win Contest.” Those 18 years of age or older who smoke or vape daily and commit to being tobacco-free for the first 25 days in August will have a chance to win $2,500 or one of 10 $250 prizes. More details and the entry form are available at nysmokefree.com/contest.

A.M. NEWS TUESDAY 7-29-25

The FBI announced that 44 year old Brent Trimbell of Hobart was arrested Sunday evening for sexual exploitation of a child. Trimbell is accused of exchanging sexually explicit messages with a female child victim, persuading her to create and send him videos of her engaged in sexually explicit conduct, having sexual contact with the victim at least 3 times and sending the victim sexually explicit videos. Trimbell was charged by state authorities with state sex offenses, but last week he was released on bail. If convicted, Trimbell faces 15 to 30 years in Jail, a term of supervised release of at least 5 years to life after serving a prison term, register as a sex offender, pay a fine of $250,000, forfeiture of property used to commit the offenses, and he would have to pay restitution to the victim. FBI officials worked with the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office and U.S. Attorney’s Office, Trimbell was remanded to the custody of the United States Marshals Service pending further proceedings.

State Police are investigating a death of a 16-year-old female following a medical emergency on Saturday, a Trooper responded to a residence on State Route 41 in McGraw, for an unresponsive juvenile, she was unconscious & CPR was already in progress, she was taken to Guthrie Cortland Medical Center & was pronounced deceased a short time later. An investigation by the State Police BCU is ongoing, more information will be released following an autopsy.

Governor Kathy Hochul announced that $25 million in State funding has been awarded to enhance safety, modernize operations, promote environmental resilience and enhance regional economic competitiveness at airports across New York. The funding includes the Greater Binghamton Airport / Link Field, which will receive $2.49 million to rehabilitate hangars.

The AuSable River Canoe Marathon was held over the weekend in Michigan, WCDO Sports Director Nate Lull told WCDO News about how some of the local area paddlers did in the 120 mile overnight race:

(Nate Lull 7-29-25)

Detailed information can be found at AuSableCanoeMarathon.org

P.M. NEWS TUESDAY 12-10-24

According to a recent survey for the New York State Quitline, 64% of Healthcare professionals throughout the state say that they feel that youth and young adults experiencing a vaping epidemic. Tony Astran from the New York State Quitline comments:

(Tony Astran 12-10-24)

Astran will be conducting a Webinar on the topic this Thursday, from 12:00 to 12:45 pm. The program is open to anyone interested in the subject, registration is free & available at nysmokefree.com/newsroom.

Hill City Celebrations announced that their annual Festival of Lights will be open to the public starting this Saturday at Neahwa Park in Oneonta, through January 1st. Also, the New Year's Eve Celebration will be held on December 31st at Foothills Performing Arts Center in Oneonta from 5:00 to 8:30 PM. More information is available at the Hill City Celebrations Facebook page.

Charlotte Bennett voluntarily dismissed her federal lawsuit against former Governor Andrew Cuomo and 3 of his top aides, but will continue to pursue her case in State Court. Bennett filed the lawsuit in federal court 2 years ago, which faced numerous delays and various tactics by Cuomo's legal team. Bennett started working for New York State in 2019, she claimed that Cuomo sexually harassed her while she worked as an executive assistant, she resigned from the position and pursued legal action, Cuomo denied the allegations, but eventually resigned as Governor.

A.M. NEWS TUESDAY 12-10-24

State Police & multiple area Fire Departments responded to 68 White Birch Lake Road in the town of Windsor Sunday for a house fire. 84 year old Daniel Price, was located deceased inside the residence by members of the Windsor Fire Department. An 82-year-old female and a 53-year-old male were transported by ambulance to Wilson Medical Center for what appear to be non-life-threatening injuries. The investigation is ongoing.

Chenango County Sheriff’s Office arrested two State of Louisiana residents on several weapons charges, as well as charges from a Domestic Dispute. 27 year old Jennifer Cascio, and 40 year old Jonathan Rieben were arrested after a domestic dispute in the Town of New Berlin. Deputies found that Cascio and Rieben were in possession of several handguns, high-capacity magazines, as well as an assault weapon. Deputies verified that the firearms were not stolen. Both subjects were arrested, and all weapons were seized for the time being. Cascio, was charged with Criminal Possession of a Weapon, Rieben was charged with Harassment and Criminal Possession of a Weapon, both were released and were ordered to appear in court at a later date.

State Police are reminding people to keep their vehicles locked and to never leave valuables in the vehicle. Criminals are finding vehicles that are unlocked and stealing valuables, also Police remind gun owners to never leave a firearm in an unattended vehicle, it is now a crime in New York to leave a firearm in a vehicle and could result in misdemeanor charges. ALL firearms out of your immediate control should be unloaded and stored in a safe storage depository which requires a key, keypad or other mechanism to access it.

P.M. NEWS FRIDAY 9-15-23

The Norwich Chapter of the St. Baldrick’s Foundation will hold a fundraising raffle today & tomorrow at Hidden Springs Brewery in the town of Norwich. Organizer Jamie Burchill explains:

(Jamie Burchill 9-15-23)

Burchill said that they are already gearing up for next year’s St. Baldrick’s event in March, last year they raised of $50,000 dollars with the event, to raise money to fight Childhood Cancer.

The State Department of Health released a report regarding tobacco related cancers from 2016 - 2020. Approximately 46,000 cases of tobacco-related cancers are diagnosed in New York State each year. Among the four cancers most closely related to tobacco, rates of esophagus, larynx and lung cancer have steeply declined, but oral cancer increased by 1.3%. Tobacco-related cancers make up 40% of all State cancer cases diagnosed annually. Also 22.5% of high school students reported use of e-cigarettes in the past 30 days; 6.8% of middle school students reported the same. The New York State Smokers' Quitline is available by calling 1-866-NY-QUITS or nysmokefree.com.

An AMBA Blood Screening Clinic is being held Saturday by The Tri-County Chapter of New York State Women, at the Sidney Elks Club. The money raised from the $10.00 sponsor fee are used for local high school scholarships. Call 1-800-234-8888 for an appointment, prescriptions from your health care provider are required.

Blues on the Bridge returns to Binghamton for the 21st year on Saturday, The event is centered around the South Washington Street Bridge. Numerous area bands will perform, More than 50 food tents and other vendors will be set up, more information is available at bluesonthebridge.com.

A.M. NEWS Friday 9-15-23

The Demolition of 27 Market Street in Oneonta will begin today. The building and site have been condemned and deemed unsafe. Absolutely no one is allowed on or near the work area except for the asbestos abatement contractor’s crews. There will be no parking on Chestnut Street Extension except for deliveries, on Monday, building demolition operations will begin, followed by backfilling and grading the site for parking. The project is expected to continue until the end of October.

September is Suicide awareness Month, and 2 events will be coming this month to raise awareness & raise funds to combat the continuing suicide problem. Karen Heisig is the Director of the Greater New York Chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, she talked about Tomorrow's Walk in Oneonta:

(Karen Heiseg 9-15-23)

Heiseg said Saturday's Oneonta Walk will be at the 6th Ward Booster Club Field, another will be on September 24th starting at SUNY Delhi at 12:00 Noon, people can register for the walks at AFSP.ORG/Oneonta or AFSP.Org/Delaware County, more information is also available at 315-664-0346.

P.M. NEWS TUESDAY 9-14-21

Chenango County Sheriff's Office responded to a fatal 2-car motor vehicle accident on County Road 36 in the Town of Guilford Monday.  Investigators reported that 22-year-old Dominique Brissett of Walkill was traveling north bound on County Road 36 and collided with an SUV operated by 23-year-old Rachel Feyh of Sidney.  Brissett was pronounced dead on the scene, Feyh was air lifted by Life Net to SUNY Upstate Medical in Syracuse, where she was listed in critical but stable condition. The investigation into the cause of the motor vehicle accident is still ongoing.

The state has made progress in making high-speed connections available to New Yorkers, ranking 2nd in the U.S. in the percentage of the population with broadband available in their neighborhood, but more than one million, or 13.8%, of households do not have access or a subscription to home broadband services, according to a report released today by State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli.  The report finds that predominantly rural areas remain underserved by broadband infrastructure, approximately 1 in 3 New York households with income less than $20,000 lacked access to broadband at home.   The entire report can be found at osc.state.ny.us.

A Ribbon Cutting will be held tomorrow morning at the Leilani Way Community Center in Norwich at 105 Leilani Lane, for the Roots & Wings new location.  Robin Cotter of the Roots & Wings Program told WCDO News about the event tomorrow:

(Robin Cotter 9-14-21)

Cotter said that the event is open to the public, more information about their programs can be found at the Facebook page.

Catholic Charities in Sidney is looking for volunteers to assist them in their next community mass food distribution on September 28th, spokesperson Penny McKnight explains:

(Penny McKnight 9-14-21)

McKnight said that they need about 40 to 50 volunteers to help set & then distribute the food to those who show up on the 28th; McKnight said that they have averaged between 9 & 12 tons of food at the previous distributions.

A.M. NEWS Tuesday 9-14-21

Delaware County Public Health reported 101 new cases of COVID 19 in the last week, bringing their total of active cases to 184, with 4 hospitalized & 266 quarantined.  49.6% of the total population is vaccinated, 80% of the positive cases are unvaccinated, and Delaware County residents can find vaccine clinic sites at covid19vaccine.health.ny.gov or vaccines.gov

The State Department of Health today announced that New York State's youth smoking rate has reached an all-time low. As of 2020, less than 3% of high school students smoke cigarettes, down from 27.1% in 2000.  The Youth Tobacco Survey found that youth tobacco use was down across all tobacco product categories, including a drop in e-cigarette use for the first time.  New Yorkers of all ages can contact the New York State Smokers’ Quitline at 1-866-NYQUITS or visit nysmokefree.com.

After a year and a half hiatus, due to the Covid-19 Virus, the Mid York Concert Band is looking forward to beginning rehearsals today for the 40 plus piece ensemble made up of professionals, educators, students and dedicated amateurs from Chenango and surrounding counties.   Spokesman Mark Sands told WCDO News about the musicians they are recruiting:

(Mark Sands 9-14-21)

Sands said that the rehearsals are every other Tuesday evening, with the 1st rehearsal tonight from 7:00 to 9:30 in the Norwich Middle School band room. There are 2 scheduled concerts, December 14, 2021 and May 22, 2022.More information is available at 334-4307 or by email: midyorkcb@gmail.com

The
total number of Coronavirus cases in New York State jumped up by another 5700
since Sunday, bringing the total above 20,800.
Governor Cuomo will sign an executive order to mandate that hospitals
increase capacity by 50%, and he is still asking the federal Government to
invoke a wartime law to mandate that companies make needed healthcare items
like masks, scrubs & ventilators, to stop the bidding war between the
states that are trying to acquire these items:

(Cuomo
3-23-20)

Tomorrow,
testing will begin on anti-malaria drugs to see if they can help lower the
number of Coronavirus cases across the state.

The New
York State Public High School Athletic Association announced today that they
are officially cancelling the 2020 winter state championships. The sports that
were still left to play were boys and girls basketball, bowling and ice hockey.
Plans are being developed to honor and formally recognize the students and
teams who qualified to participate in these championship events. The status of
the spring state championships will be determined on or prior to Monday, April
27th.

The New
York State Academy of Family Physicians has released a new statement linking
Tobacco use and Covid-19.  New Research
indicates that Patients who use tobacco are 14 times more likely to have
Covid-19 progression; they support the total ban for Tobacco products due to
the coronavirus pandemic.  Those thinking
about quitting can call the Smokers' Quitline at 1-866-697-8487

New
York State put out a call for retired healthcare professionals to enlist in the
state's Coronavirus response & they also called on qualified medical &
nursing school students to enlist.
Governor Cuomo stated that 30,000 people have responded, but more are
needed, they can enlist health.ny.gov/assistance

State
Senator Fred Akshar and Assemblyman Cliff Crouch are not happy with a mailing
sent out by Republican Assembly Candidate Nick Libous, Assemblyman Crouch
comments:

(Cliff
Crouch 3-23-20)

Assemblyman
Crouch announced that he would not seek re-election after 25 years in the State
Assembly, leading to a number of candidates coming forward to replace him,
& he promptly endorsed former Norwich police chief, Fireman & Military
combat veteran Joe Angelino for his Assembly Seat.

President
Donald Trump has approved a major disaster declaration for New York due to the
coronavirus outbreak.  The FEMA announced
federal disaster assistance is available to New York to supplement coronavirus
recovery efforts.  The move makes federal
crisis counseling funds available to affected individuals in all areas of the
state.

Delaware
County received 2 new positive reports Saturday, 1 positive case do not reside
in Delaware County; the case was transferred to New York City Health
Department. Currently, Delaware County has 2 confirmed positive cases of
COVID-19, they are unrelated. Delaware County Public Health Services in
partnership with the New York State Department of Health, local hospitals and
healthcare providers is actively investigating these cases and providing
guidance on reducing the spread (i.e., quarantine, cleaning and other recommendations)
as appropriate.

Broome
County Executive Jason Garnar announced Saturday that the 1st person in Broome
County has died from the coronavirus in Lourdes Hospital. The individual was a
new case in addition to those 2 previously announced late last week; the Broome
County Health Department is trying to locate all those who came in contact with
the deceased for testing & possible quarantine.

Governor
Cuomo announced that those who run a New York State business that collects
sales tax, that were supposed to file Quarterly tax return on Friday,  will not be penalized if they didn't pay, due
to the COVID-19 crisis, which led to layoffs, & business closures.

The NYS Smokers' Quitline, recently launched a fully updated, redesigned and mobile-ready website www.nysmokefree.com Linda Wegner of the Advancing Tobacco Free Communities - Delaware, Otsego & Schoharie Counties commented about the 24/7/365 website:

(Linda Wegner 8-23-18)

The NYS Smokers’ Quitline is a service of the NYS Department of Health, at 1-866-NY-QUITS, which is still free of charge, & is available 7 days a week starting at 9:00 AM each day.

The Walton Central School district board of education held another emergency meeting Wednesday night, they appointed Larry Thomas as interim Superintended replacing Roger Clough, who is out of paid administrative leave following accusations of misconduct. The Walton School Board is also working to hire new principal at the High School & Middle School, & an Assistant Principal from both school, after Rob Knuschke, Andy Gates & Mark Lamoreaux all resigned recently to accept other positions in other school districts.

The Delaware County Board of Supervisors voted to stop eminent domain proceedings in order to acquire the Bishop Farm property in Hamden, for a new Delaware County Department of Public Works facility. The board had made an offer for the property which was deemed too low by the Bishops, a public outcry at a recent meeting led to Wednesday board of supervisors’ decision to remove the bishop property from the list of properties considered for the facility.

The Binghamton University School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences opened up this week at their new $60,000 million dollar building in Johnson City. The facility is located at 96 Corliss Ave in Johnson City, a couple opf blocks away for the UHS Wilson Memorial Hospital complex. More information about classes & curriculum is available at binghamton.edu.

The Great New York State Fair opened Wednesday & broke their 1st-day attendance record with total attendance at 73,596 people. The number breaks last year's record by more than 5600 people. The full list of activities is available at nysfair.ny.gov.

Governor Cuomo signed legislation that expands the benefits available to eligible crime victims, who have not been physically injured, to include reimbursement of crime scene cleanup and domestic violence shelter costs. The change will allow victims of hate crimes or domestic violence cases to apply for compensation for these expenses from the state Office of Victim Services. Under current law, crime scene cleanup and shelter costs incurred by crime victims were excluded.

State Police arrested 57 year old Cornelia Dawson of Massachusetts for Aggravated DWI with a reportable B.A.C. of .21%, as well as several other traffic tickets, after Troopers monitoring I-88 in Oneonta Dawson's vehicle cross into the shoulder several times. Dawson was arraigned in the town of Oneonta Court and released on her own recognizance.

Today is “The Great American Smoke Out”, a day when smokers try to quit together for at least one day, in the hope of quitting permanently. More than 2.2 million New York adults still smoke and more than 26,000 die as a result each year, the State Smokers' Quitline is still available as a free resource for all New Yorkers seeking help. Quit Coaches can be reached at 1-866-NY-QUITS (1-866-697-8487) to provide personalized coaching and support, and additional resources are available online at www.nysmokefree.com.

Attorney General Eric Schneiderman announced today the sentencing in Broome County Court of Kenneth Cohn, Sharon Cohn, the owners of Yellow Medi-Van and Taxi, Inc., for stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars in Medicaid funds and knowingly operating transportation services without Worker's Compensation insurance. The Cohns forfeited and released $455,604 currently being withheld by the State Department of Health, to the Attorney General's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit. The Cohns also agreed to pay $50,000 each in restitution, Kenneth Cohn was sentenced to 5 years' probation, and Sharon Cohn was sentenced to 1-year conditional discharge.

State Police responded to a Delaware County 911 report of a fatal accident Sunday, involving 2 vehicles on State Route 23 in the Town of Roxbury. 19 year old Thomas Schmiedel of Prattsville was driving a Chevrolet Silverado, he moved into the opposing lane & and collided head-on with a Toyota RAV4 driven by 71 year old Elvira Vogt of Jefferson, she was pronounced dead at the scene. Her passenger was 71-year-old Robert Vogt of Jefferson, he suffered a broken arm and other injuries and he was transported to Albany Medical Center. Schmiedel suffered internal injuries and was taken to Fox Hospital and then Bassett Hospital, he was charged with Driving While Intoxicated, additional charges are pending. His passenger 18-year-old Tyler Hoyt of Maplecrest was not injured. The investigation is continuing.

Governor Cuomo announced that statewide smoking levels have been reduced to the lowest rate in recorded history as a result of the state’s wide-ranging tobacco cessation efforts. Data shows that in the last four years, the smoking rate among high school students has dropped to 7.3%, while the adult smoking rate has dropped to 14.5%, well below the national average of 17.8% more information or assistance in quitting tobacco use is available at the State Smokers’ Quitline, at 1-866-NY-QUITS or NYSmokeFree.com.

The State Senate unanimously passed a bill sponsored by State Senator Tom Libous, to designate a bridge on Interstate-81 in Trooper Christopher Skinner's honor. Trooper Skinner was hit and killed during a routine traffic stop in 2014, the bill has been delivered to the State Assembly for consideration.

Former Boxing World Champion Larry Holmes will team up with Marvis Frazier, the former boxer & son of Famed Boxer Joe Frazier, for an event in Oneonta on June 20th. Larry Holmes told WCDO News that he would do anything for the Frazier family, as Joe Frazier gave him his start many years ago:

(Larry Holmes 6-8-15)

The event will be held at the Oneonta Theater on Chestnut street, featuring music, re-enactments from Marvis Frazier’s book, which is now being released on Audio Book, tickets are available at The Green Toad In Oneonta, at the Oneonta website, or at” Pie In The Sky” in Otego, or at 432-3599.

Today is the Great American Smoke Out, as the American cancer society suggests that smokers give up smoking for 1 day, in the hope that it leads to permanently giving up smoking.  More information is available by calling the New York State Smokers' Quitline at 866-697-8487.

The Bainbridge Chamber of Commerce is organizing a holiday parade for December 14th at 6:00 New York State Smokers' Quitline0 pm.  Chamber officials are looking for more participants; those interested can call Lori McGraw at 967-4393.

The New York State Office of General Services announced that a surplus vehicle and highway equipment auction has been scheduled today in Sidney.  Information on specific items and terms of sale, are available at ogs.ny.gov.  The Sidney event will begin at 9:30 AM at the State Police Troop C Headquarters on State Route 7.