WCDO Radio News

The American Red Cross urges eligible donors to give blood as Holiday travel and winter weather led to a decline in blood donations.  The next blood drive will be held in Norwich today from 3:00 to 7:00 PM at the Holy Family School for the Savannah Williams Memorial Blood Drive, to make an appointment download the American Red Cross Blood Donor App, visit RedCrossBlood.org, call 1-800-RED CROSS or enable the Blood Donor Skill on any Alexa Echo device.

A City of Norwich resident was arrested by the Chenango
County Sheriff’s Office on a Fugitive from Justice Warrant.  Deputies arrested 33 year old Michael Bias of
Norwich as a Fugitive from Justice Warrant, after arresting him on other charges.
Bias was arraigned in the Chenango County Court and was remanded to the
Chenango County Jail, where he will be picked up by the Cumberland County
Sheriff’s Office at a later date.

Today is Steve Craig's last day at Commerce Chenango in
Norwich.  Steve is retiring after taking
over as leader of the Chamber & IDA earlier this day, and following a
lengthy career in Radio & Television News, he will be succeeded by Kerri
Green of Sidney as President & CEO.

The Chenango Arts Council announced the return of Illusionist
Jason Bishop at the Martin W. Kappel Theater in Norwich Saturday night, Council
CEO Alecia O'Neill comments:

(Alecia O'Neill 12-13-19)

Jason Bishop has appeared on several of the Late Night TV
Talk Shows & he makes his return to Norwich tomorrow night, tickets are
available at chenangoarts.org.

Mirabito Energy Products has committed $100,000
toward the construction of a new emergency department and walk in center at UHS
Chenango Memorial Hospital in Norwich.
The pledge is the latest commitment to the Norwich hospital’s capital
campaign kicked off their capital campaign in August, which is likely to
continue through the end of the year.
More information is available at 337-4183 or by email to
melissa.stagnaro@nyuhs.org.

State Police at Norwich arrested 51 year old Eden
Nelson of Greene for DWI following a report of an accident in the town of
Greene, with 1 vehicle struck in a guiderail and the operator fleeing the
scene.   Nelson was located, arrested
& she was processed then released on appearance tickets to the town of
Greene court on January 9th.

Chenango County Sheriff’s Department arrested William Hatton
of Oxford on a bench warrant issued by the Town of Norwich Court for the felony
of Grand Larceny.   Hatton was located
inside of a garage in Smithville at the residence and refused to come outside,
he was located hiding in a crawl space in the roof of the building & was
taken into custody, & was arraigned in the Town of Norwich Court & was
remanded to the Chenango County Jail on $2,000 cash bail.

Chenango County Sheriff’s
Department arrested 22 year old Andrew Palmer of Norwich on a warrant issued by
the Chenango County Court for violating his terms of Probation for a prior
charge of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance; Palmer was remanded to
the Chenango County Correctional Facility without bail.

Governor Cuomo announced that opioid overdose deaths among
New York State residents, outside New York City, declined 15.9 percent in 2018
compared to 2017, the first decrease in 10 years. Over 1,900 people died from
opioid overdoses last year.  The progress
is the direct result of recommendations from the New York State Heroin and
Opioid Task Force, which Governor Cuomo convened in 2016 & reconvened
earlier this year.  The full report is
available at health.ny.gov.

Several Dietz Street area
businesses owners are teaming up for a lawsuit against the City of Oneonta,
they claim that the city did not follow proper procedure when they approved of
plans for new housing on Dietz Street.
Plans call for are related apartments & businesses to go into the
Lofts project on Dietz Street, some of the parking spots in the Municipal lot
would be removed in favor of the new building.

Investigators from the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office
arrested 27-year-old Anthony Masi Friday, for Criminal Contempt.  Masi was being held at the Delaware County
Correctional Facility on a Parole violation, he allegedly violated an Order of
Protection issued by the City of Norwich Court.
Masi was arraigned in the Town of Delhi Court and remanded back to the
Delaware County Correctional Facility on $1,000 cash bail, or $2,000.00 bond
& he will appear in the Town of Delhi Court at a later date for further
Court action.

The Chenango County Health Department will hold their last
Rabies vaccination clinic tomorrow in Norwich.
The clinic for dogs, cats & ferrets will be held from 9:30 to 11:00
AM at the Norwich Fire Station, More information is available at 337-1673.

"Breakfast With Santa" will be hosted by the
Chenango Memorial Hospital Auxiliary Saturday from 8:00 AM to 10:00 AM, it will
be held at the Norwich VFW at 61 East Main Street in Norwich.

The Binghamton Devils today
announced they will be holding their annual food drive starting today until
Friday, December 13, benefitting CHOW.
Fans can bring in 4 or more non-perishable food items starting today and
receive a free ticket to a Devils game on Saturday, December 14 vs. Utica or
Wednesday, December 18 vs. Rochester.
Donations will be accepted during normal business hours, Monday to
Friday from 9:00 AM to 5:30 PM, at the Binghamton Devils front office on the
third floor of the Floyd L. Maines Veterans Memorial Arena.  More information is available at
binghamtondevils.com or 722-7367.

State Police are asking for the public's help in locating 16
year old Aiden Demorier of Bloomville, who was last seen on November 19th.  Demorier is white, 5'10", 180 pound with
blonde hair and brown eyes, wearing black sweatpants with a white stripe down
the sides and a dark colored sweatshirt. He is believed to be in the Norwich,
Anyone with any information is asked to contact the State Missing Persons
clearing house at 1-800-346-5363, or the State Police Troop C headquarters at
561-7400.

Commerce
Chenango announced that NBT Bank is hosting the Business After Hours Today with
their Annual Holiday Spectacular from 5:00 to 7:00 PM.  The event will be held at NBT's 52 South
Broad Street, Norwich.   Attendees are
being asked to support either Toys for Tots by bringing a new, unwrapped toy or
a non-perishable food item for the Catholic Charities Food Pantry.

UHS
Chenango Memorial’s capital campaign is closer to its goal thanks to a
commitment from New York Central Mutual Insurance in the amount of $100,000 to
campaign leaders at the Norwich hospital on Tuesday.  NYCM of Edmeston employs 850 regionally.

Commerce Chenango announced that NBT
Bank is hosting the Business After Hours on Tuesday, December 3rd from 5:00 to
7:00 PM at 52 South Broad Street, Norwich.
Attendees are being asked to support either Toys for Tots by bringing a
new, unwrapped toy or a non-perishable food item for the Catholic Charities
Food Pantry.  RSVP's are requested by
Tuesday November 26, 2019 at 334-1400.

Norwich Pharmaceuticals has committed
$20,000 toward a new emergency room and walk-in center at UHS Chenango Memorial
Hospital in Norwich.  More information
about the campaign is available at 337-4183 or by email at
melissa.stagnaro@nyuhs.org.

Commerce
Chenango will hold their next Business After Hours event with Chobani at their
Corporate Campus on State Highway 320 in Norwich today.  The event will run from 5:00 to 7:00 PM, Mark
Broadhurst, the Head of Public Affairs @Chobani will be the guest speaker.

Binghamton Rumble Ponies owner John Hughes today held a
press conference regarding the potential for Major League Baseball of shutting
down about 1/4 of the minor league teams in the country, including the Rumble
Ponies.  Hughes said that NYSEG Stadium
is greatly improved & fully compliant with existing standards:

(John Hughes 11-19-19)

Hughes said that another factor
in closing down teams is the proximity of the team to the Major League Franchise;
obviously Binghamton is within 200 miles of Citi Field in Queens.  So far no decisions have been made, no
meetings have been held regarding this proposal & the 2020 season will be
played as scheduled.

State Police arrested 2 Pennsylvania residents following a
drug bust in Chenango County that seized thousands of dollars’ worth of
drugs.  28 year old Jordan Melendez and
24 year old Kimberly Rivas were arrested Thursday following the execution of
search warrants at multiple locations in Chenango County.  Police seized 1.5 pounds of Crystal Meth,
pure Fentanyl, 20 pounds of marihuana, 4 handguns, 16 illegally possessed long
guns Scales, Packaging materials & $3,350.00 in cash. Melendez & Rivas
were charged with Criminal possession of a controlled substance & were
arraigned in the Town of Norwich Court and remanded to Chenango County Jail
with no bail. The case remains under investigation, additional charges are
possible.

Tonight UHS Women’s Health talk will focus on Varicose Veins,
with a discussion by Dr. Mark Brennan, a specialist at UHS General Surgery in
Norwich.  The talk will be held at Bohemian
Moon, at 103 East Main Street in Norwich, beginning at 6:00 p.m. with Dr. Brennan’s
presentation at 7:00 PM,  more
information on the series or to reserve a seat, call 337-4283

The Delaware County
Chamber of Commerce will co-host the "Hiring Our Heroes Veterans Business
Resource Fair" will be held Thursday in Sidney.  Chamber President Ray Pucci comments:

(Ray Pucci 11-14-19)

The Job Fair will run from 1:00 to 3:30 pm Thursday at the Sidney
American Legion at 22 Union Street in Sidney.
The event is co-sponsored by the State Department of Labor, The Delaware
County Veterans Service Agency as well as the Delaware County Chamber of
Commerce. Also, Community Bank NA announced that they will be on hand donating
Green Light Bulbs, while supplies last, in support of all Veterans.

Commerce Chenango's
5th annual Community Job Fair will be held today at SUNY Morrisville’s Norwich
campus from 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM.    The
participating organizations include CDO Workforce, GE Aviation, Hospice and
Palliative Care of Chenango County, NBT Bank/NBT Insurance, The State
Department of Corrections, The State Veterans’ Home at Oxford, Raymond
Corporation, Springbrook & UHS Hospitals.

Chenango
Arts Council presents a Musical about the legendary Wright Brothers, Saturday
at 7:00 PM, at the Martin W. Kappel Theater in Norwich, Council Spokesperson
Alecia O'Neill explains:

(Alecia
O’Neill 11-8-19)

Tickets
are still available online at chenangoartscouncil.thundertix.com, or at the Box
Office.

A "Tribute to our Veterans" concert will
be held at the Foothills Performing Arts Center in Oneonta This Saturday night;
the show is free to Veterans, according to Foothills Spokesman Bill Youngs:

(Bill Youngs 11-7-19)

Youngs said that
Country Music Star Jerrod Niemann will highlight the show; Tickets are
available at the Foothills Box Office or through Eventbrite.com.  More information is available at 431-2080.

Commerce Chenango will hold an open house today from 4:00 to 6:30 PM in the Community Room at Commerce Chenango in Downtown Norwich. Members are invited to visit with outgoing CEO & President Steve Craig, who is retiring in December.

The
Sidney, Bainbridge & Unadilla Chambers of Commerce will hold a Tri-Town
Business Mixer on Wednesday November 13th, from 5:00 to 7:00 PM.  The event will be held at 55 Union Street in
Sidney, RSVP's are requested by this Friday at 561-2642.

The
results are in for area elections, for the State Supreme Court 6th district,
the 3 winners are Republicans Chris Baker, Oliver Blaise & Mark
Masler.  In the Sidney Town Clerk's Race,
Sheila Paul wins over incumbent Lisa French.
In Chenango County key races, the Norwich mayor will be Republican Shawn
Sastri, in the Norwich city council races, the winner in Ward 3 is Nancy
Allaire & in Ward 5, David Zieno.
The Town of Coventry Supervisor is Republican Jennifer Boudreau.  Guilford Supervisor George Senek is
re-elected over write in candidate Dan Harrington, in the Guilford Town Council,
Terence Ives & Gilda Ward win over 3 others.  In the Town of Bainbridge Council: Robert
Evans wins, the Town of Norwich Supervisor winner is Stanley Foulds, the Town
of Pharsalia Supervisor is Jeremiah Micklas.
In the Otsego County Board of Representatives races, the winners are, in
district 2: Michele Farwell, District 3:
Rick Brockway, District 14: Jill Basile.
The Laurens Town Supervisor race is won by Republican David Neske,  In the City of Oneonta Common Council races,
the winners are, in Ward 2: Mark Davies, Ward 4: Kaytee Lipari Shue, Ward 5:
Leonard Carson, Jr., Ward 6: Scott Harrington, Ward 8: Mark Drnek.  In the Broome County District Attorney:
Libertarian Michael Korchak leads by a slim margin over Republican Paul
Battisti, with absentee votes yet to be counted.

Today is Election Day, with voters in the Tri-County Area
heading to the polls for a variety of local races. Voters in all 3 local
counties will vote for 3 justices to serve on the State Supreme Court in the
6th district.  In Oneonta, several Common
Council seats are up for grabs; Otsego County has 3 contested races for seats
on the Board of Representatives.  In
Chenango County there are several Town Supervisors races to be decided, in
Norwich, 4 people are running for Mayor plus there are races for 2 seats for
Alderman Positions. In the Town of Sidney, there is a race for Town Clerk
between incumbent Lisa French & Republican Sheila Paul.  Voters will go to the polls until 9:00
tonight

Tomorrow is Election Day in New York State, locally, 5
people are running for 3 spots in the State Supreme Court 6th
District, they are Democrats Pete Charnetysky & Claudette Newman &
Republicans Chris Baker, Oliver Blaise, Mark Masler.  In Delaware County for the Sidney Town
Clerk's position, Incumbent Lisa French faces Republican Sheila Paul,   In Delhi & Hamden Town Council races;
each race has 3 candidates for 2 seats.
There are races in 3 districts of the Otsego County Board of
Representatives in districts 2, 3 & 14, there is an election for Laurens
Town Supervisor between Democrat Dean Buccheri & Republican David Neske,
and there are town council seat races in Butternuts, Hartwick, Laurens, New Lisbon,
Oneonta, and Worcester.  In the City of
Oneonta, there are races for common council seats in Wards 2, 4, 5, 6 &
8.  In Chenango County, there is an
election for Norwich City Mayor between incumbent Christine Carnrike, Jill
Osterhoudt-Kraft, Shawn Sastri & former Mayor Joe Maiurano; there are races
for Norwich City Council seats in wards 3 & 5, for Town of Norwich
Supervisor, the voters will decide between Debra Cubbedge & Stanley
Foulds.  In the Town of Coventry, a race
exits for Supervisor between Jan Andrews vs. Jennifer Boudreau.  In the town of Guilford Supervisor's race,
incumbent George Senek faces a challenge from Write-In candidate Dan
Harrington.   In the Guilford Town Council,
2 seats are up between Terence Ives, Richard Dunnigan, Gilda Ward, plus Write
Ins:  Rebecca Young and Duane Reif for
Town Council,   for Town of Pharsalia
Supervisor, the race is between Jeremiah Micklas vs. David Soule & there
are 3 candidates for 2 seats on the Town of Plymouth board.

Norwich City Police have arrested 23 year old Damion Spicer
of Norwich for 3rd degree Grand Larceny, for allegedly stealing a Honda
recently.  Spicer was apprehended in the
Town of Guilford, The Chenango County Sheriff’s Office assisted in the
investigation.  Spicer is being held
pending future court action.

Norwich City
Police are investigating the theft of 2 vehicles this weekend from the Hayes
Street Parking Lot & West Main Street.
Police said that both vehicles were unlocked, they remind city residents
to always lock up unattended vehicles, and never leave valuables in plain sight
in a vehicle.  so far, the vehicles have
not been recovered & no arrests have been announced.

The body of a missing Cornell
University student was recovered by Ithaca Falls Saturday Night.  18 year old Antonio Tsialas’s death is under
investigation but foul play is not suspected, State Police are assisting Cornell
University Police, Tsialas had not been seen or heard from since Thursday
evening after leaving an event, he failed to meet a family member Friday
afternoon, the investigation is continuing.

The 6th Annual DCMO BOCES Mountain Mover 5K race will be
held tomorrow at 10:00 am in Norwich. The 5k trail run will go through the
woods behind the BOCES campus in Norwich.
More information is available at 335-1384.

Chenango County Public Health  will hold an informational public meeting
regarding the hazards of Vaping, Public Health Director Darlene Gramstad told
WCDO News that Dr. Scott Cohen will give the presentation:

(Darlene Gramstad 10-24-19)

More information is available at 337-1660, the presentation
will be held at the SUNY Morrisville Campus in Downtown Norwich today from
12:00 Noon to 1:00 PM and 5:30 to 6:30 PM.

The 4 candidates for the Norwich City Mayor's Office will
meet for a public debate tonight at 6:00 PM at the Norwich YMCA.  The candidates are incumbent Christine
Carnrike, Shawn Sastri, Jill Osterhout-Kraft, and former mayor Joseph
Maiurano.  Following the debate, the
candidates will participate in a Meet & Greet with voters.

Breast cancer survivors will share their stories at the
next Women’s Health talk this evening at Bohemian Moon in Norwich as part of
the UHS Chenango Memorial Hospital’s 2019 Women’s Health Series.  The discussion will begin at 6:00 PM, with
the presentation and discussion to start at 7:00 PM, featuring local survivors
& Physician Assistant Alyssa MacIntosh of UHS Women’s Health Center in
Norwich.   More information or
reservations are available at 337-4239.

The 4 candidates for the Norwich
City Mayor's Office will meet for a public debate Wednesday at 6:00 PM at the
Norwich YMCA at 6:00 PM.  The candidates
are incumbent Christine Carnrike, Shawn Sastri, Jill Osterhout-Kraft, and
former mayor Joseph Maiurano.  Following
the debate, the candidates will participate in a Meet & Greet with voters.

NYSEG is working to restore power to customers impacted by
the nor’easter that has brought high winds and heavy rain to much of their
service area.  More than 37,000 customers
have been impacted as a result of the weather. Currently, less than 5,000
customers are without power, many of those are in Chenango & Broome
Counties.

Commerce Chenango will hold their
annual Community Job Fair on November 13th at the Morrisville State College
Norwich Campus from 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM.
Commerce Chenango is currently seeking exhibitors for the annual Job
Fair. Last year over 20 businesses were on hand to meet community members
seeking job opportunities.  Space is
limited, registration is available at files.constantcontact.com

Chenango County Public Health  will hold an informational public meeting
regarding the hazards of Vaping, Public Health Director Darlene Gramstad told
WCDO News that Dr. Scott Cohen will give the presentation:

(Darlene Gramstad 10-16-19)

Pre-registration is
requested at 337-1660, the presentation will be held on October 24th at the
SUNY Morrisville Campus in Downtown Norwich from 12:00 Noon to 1:00 PM and 5:30
to 6:30 PM.

UHS Chenango Memorial Hospital
received a pledge for their new emergency room and walk-in center from Golden
Artist Colors this week.  Officials from
the paint manufacturer presented a ceremonial check in the amount of $30,000 to
campaign leaders during a small ceremony at their Town of Columbus
headquarters.  More information on the
2019 Chenango Medical Neighborhood Capital Campaign is available at 337-4183 or
email at melissa.stagnaro@nyuhs.org.

Registration is now open for the 6th Annual DCMO BOCES
Mountain Mover 5K race on October 26th at 10:00 am in Norwich. The money raised
at this event directly contributes to school and career success for area
youth.     The 5k is a trail run through
the woods behind the BOCES campus in Norwich.
More information is available at 335-1384.

The Norwich Fire Department is partnering with the American
Red Cross as part of their, “Sound the Alarm,” campaign to provide free smoke
detectors to residents of the City of Norwich this month.  The organizations will deliver and install
smoke detectors at no cost to city residents beginning on October 26th.  Red Cross representatives will go door to
door to gauge interest, and then a team of volunteers from the Norwich Fire
Department will install them, free of charge.