WCDO Radio News

P.M. NEWS FRIDAY 10-15-21

Hospice & Palliative Care of Chenango County will hold their annual holiday season "Light Up A Life" ornament sale, which will culminate with a special event in December in Norwich, Spokesperson Sarah Greene explains:

(Sarah Greene 10-15-21)

More information about the ornaments can be found at hospicechenango.org, or by calling their offices at 334-3556.

Governor Kathy Hochul today announced the availability of $5 million in additional funding to provide Substance Use Disorder services to incarcerated individuals as part of a new bill mandating County Jails to drug treatment. The new legislation mandates the establishment of programs to provide medication assisted treatment for incarcerated individuals to provide them with the opportunity to treat their addiction & lessen the likelihood that they may suffer a drug-related overdose upon their reentry into society.

The Trial of Donald Reese ended in Chenango County Court, with the jury deciding that Reese was NOT guilty of 1st & 3rd degree rape. Reese was a former Chenango County Sheriff's Department Corrections Officer who was accused of committing rape on September 11, 2019, or a woman he had been dating at the time. Otsego County Court Judge John Lambert presided over the case with Otsego County District Attorney John Muehl prosecuting. Reese resigned from his position after his arrest by Norwich City Police.

State Police & Broome County Sheriff's Deputies responded to the report of a tractor trailer with scrap metal crashing & landing on its side Thursday afternoon. The crash occurred at about 1:00 PM, on I-88 near and Interstate 81 in the town of Chenango. Some of the scrap metal wound up on an embankment near the Comfort Inn Hotel the unidentified driver was treated for back pain, no tickets have been issued.

Broome County Executive Jason Garnar announced today an uptick in COVID 19 cases in the County over the last week. The Broome County Health Department had 105 new cases in Thursday, the total number of active cases is up to 780, up by 140 in the last week, the 7 day rolling average positivity rate was back up to 6%, and hospitalizations doubled in the last week back up to 92, the percentage of Broome county residents fully vaccinated was 59%.

A.M. NEWS FRIDAY 10-15-21

Governor Kathy Hochul announced that the State Environmental Facilities Corporation has approved more than $44 million for drinking water and wastewater projects, with grants, interest-free and low-cost financing. Drinking Water Projects will include the Village of Walton; Clean Water Projects will go to the City of Binghamton and Village of Johnson City.

Candidates running for office in Norwich and Chenango County will meet with their prospective constituents at a public candidates' forum, from 1:00 to 4:00 PM on Sunday, October 17th at the Norwich American Legion Hall at 29 Sheldon Street in Norwich.

All of the remaining tenants in the apartments at 195 Main
Street in Oneonta left by court order Friday afternoon.  Otsego County Supreme Court Judge John
Lambert order the evacuation of the apartments, but not the 1st floor retail
spaces, after building owner Melania Pervu failed to fix code violations; she
is expected to list the building for sale.

Governor Cuomo announced the Division of Homeland Security
and Emergency Services' Office of Counter Terrorism conducted counter terrorism
exercises at 1,000 locations in 2018. During each exercise, counter terrorism
experts from state and local agencies go undercover as customers and assess the
ability of businesses to recognize and report suspicious activity.
Additionally, the Division also partnered with federal, state, and local law
enforcement for "Operation NY-SECURE" which involved the completion
of 20 counter terrorism and incident response exercises at rail stations
throughout the state.  This year, the
Office of Counter Terrorism partnered with more than 400 law enforcement
personnel from over 100 agencies statewide to conduct exercises in every
county.

The Help Restore Hope Center provides services for victims
of domestic violence and sexual assault in Chenango County.  Clinical Program Supervisor Patricia Pardy
explained the program at WCDO this morning:

(Patricia Pardy 2-11-19)

The 24 Hour Hotline is 855-9-NOWSAFE; they also have a
website with information at helprestorehopecenter.org.  A fundraiser for the program is being held
this afternoon at Gilligan’s Ice Cream in Sherburne from 4:00 to 8:00 PM

U.S. Marshals are on the lookout
for Leroy Headley of Vermont, who is wanted for the murder of his spouse,
sexual assault of a child & unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.  Headley could have travelled through upstate
counties, he could be living under an alias, and he may have shaved his head or
otherwise changed his appearance, and should be considered armed and
dangerous.  U.S. Marshals are offering a
reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to Headley’s arrest.  Anyone with information is asked to contact
the U.S. Marshal Service at (202) 307-9100 or through their tipline at
1-877-WANTED-2

28 year old Devan Ellsworth pleaded guilty to 2nd degree
manslaughter Friday in Chenango County, for causing the death of his infant
daughter.  Ellsworth will serve at least
3 1/2 years in jail in a plea agreement.

30 year old Shakia Crute of Johnson City was charged Friday
with 2nd Degree manslaughter in connection with the death of her son Jerome
Smith February 2nd. Crute was arraigned in Johnson City Village Court and sent
to the Broome County jail pending future court action.   Broome County District Attorney Steve
Cornwell said that Crute is accused of acting recklessly in causing her son's
death in Johnson City.

Judge John Lambert ordered tenants of 195 Main Street in
Oneonta out by this afternoon, after the Owner Melania Pervu failed to meet
deadlines to get safety violations taken care of, that were established by the
City of Oneonta.  Pervu had until January
11th to comply with the city's building codes, and failed to do so, the retail
spaces on the 1st floor will be allowed to remain; Judge Lambert declared that
anyone left in the building after 4:30 this afternoon will be removed by Otsego
County Sheriff's deputies.

Officials from the New York Sherriff’s Association, the New
York State Association of the Chiefs of Police along with the Association of
County Health Officials, the state Parent Teachers Association and Triple-A New
York all announced their opposition to a proposal to legalize recreational
marijuana in New York State, at a press conference in Albany today.  The concerns raised included the expected
negative impact on road safety with more impaired drivers, as well as an impact
on children and overall public health. Despite support from many at the state
level, those opposed say the risk is not worth the reward.

An American Red Cross Blood Drive will be held in Wells
Bridge today from 12:00 Noon until 5:00 PM.
The drive will be held at the Wells Bridge Fire Department, 104 County
Highway 4, those wishing to donate blood can make an appointment with the Red
Cross Blood Donor App, by visiting RedCrossBlood.org or by calling 1-800-RED
CROSS.  All blood types are needed.

Otsego Express announced that Route 9 operated by The Arc
Otsego will be canceled for today.

Governor Cuomo will deliver his 3rd inaugural address on
Ellis Island tomorrow.  Cuomo easily won
re-election to a 3rd term in November. Locally, State Senator Jim Seward will
be sworn into office on January 1st at the Foothills Performing Arts Center in Oneonta.
Seward will be sworn into office for his 17th senate term. Otsego County Judge
John Lambert and Otsego County Sheriff Richard Devlin will also be sworn in for
new terms. Otsego County Board of Representative’s Chairman David Bliss will
serve as master of ceremonies. Otsego county judge Brian Burns will administer
the oath of office.

Delaware County Sheriff’s Deputies arrested and charged 41
year old Wade Johnson of Davenport, Wednesday for making an unsafe lane change,
leaving the scene of a property damage motor vehicle, and driving while
intoxicated, following a report of a vehicle into a utility pole on Charlotte
Creek Road in the Town of Davenport. Deputies say Johnson fled the scene of the
accident after the collision and was later apprehended at an address in the
Town of Davenport. Johnson was arraigned & was released on his own
recognizance to reappear at a later date.

Delaware County Sheriff’s Deputies arrested 31-year-old
Joseph Clark of Franklin, New York on a bench warrant issued by the Town of
Franklin Court for failure to pay fines on a previous charge of Disorderly
Conduct, stemming from an incident in the Town of Franklin earlier in
2018.  Clark was arraigned in the Town of
Delhi Court and released on his own recognizance.  Clark is scheduled to return to the Town of
Franklin Court at a later date.

Governor Cuomo announced a
6-month extension for the Interim Mortgage Assistance Program's most vulnerable
participants, made possible by an additional $3.9 million in state funding.
More than 200 eligible applicants are expected to benefit from this additional,
final extension as they continue to complete recovery and resiliency projects
after Superstorm Sandy's landfall six years ago.   The program has disbursed $54.2 million to
support approximately 1,900 storm-impacted New Yorkers who have incurred both
mortgage and rental expenses.

Former Oneonta firefighter John Hellers was killed in a fire
Saturday at 5 Walling Avenue.  The fire
was reported at about 4:00 AM Saturday, 4 children escaped without injury. The
cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Vestal Police cancelled the missing vulnerable adult alert for 87 year old Charles McGlynn of Vestal late last night. Police said that McGlynn was found safe, & further details have not yet been released.

The Chenango County Sheriff's Office has an active Arrest Warrant for 42 year old Jason Barrows, who is known to frequent the Oxford and McDonough areas. Barrows has an active arrest warrant for 2nd degree Burglary, anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to contact the Sheriff's Office at 334-2000 extension 1.

State DOT announced the opening of 2 lanes of traffic on the newly constructed section of Interstate 81 northbound and State Route 17 westbound between I-81 Exit 3 & Chenango Street in the city of Binghamton. This marks the end of the temporary, two-lanes-in-each-direction traffic pattern on I-81 southbound/Route 17 eastbound. The project is scheduled for completion in December 2020. Work in 2019 will include the construction of Front Street northbound lanes and a multi-use path.

The State DEC reported that hunters reported taking 14% more deer in the Northern Zone and 11% more in the Southern Zone, than they did last year. Preliminary figures show hunters killed nearly 109,000 deer this fall statewide, compared to just under 98,000 last year and 86,000 in 2016. Bear hunters reported taking 1,066 bears, the 2nd straight decrease since 2016.

The State Labor department released the report of local unemployment rates for November. The state rate was 3.9%, Locally, Chenango County had 3.5%, Delaware County had 3.7% & Otsego County had 3.4% unemployment in November.

Delaware County Sheriff’s Deputies arrested 32 year old Terence Ito of Walton for Criminal Contempt; he is accused of violating an order of protection that had been put in place by the Delaware County Family Court. He was arraigned in the Delhi Town Court where he was released on his own recognizance; he will reappear at a later date in the Franklin Town Court.

State Senator Jim Seward will be sworn into office on January 1st at the Foothills Performing Arts Center in Oneonta. Seward will be sworn into office for his 17th senate term. Otsego County Judge John Lambert and Otsego County Sheriff Richard Devlin will also be sworn in for new terms. Otsego County Board of Representatives Chairman David Bliss will serve as master of ceremonies. Otsego County Judge Brian Burns will administer the oath of office.

Delaware Valley Humane Society will see some added revenue next month, following a pledge by a Sidney business, Erin Insinga of the Humane Society explains:

(Erin Johnson 12-28-18)

Additional information about the fundraiser, pet adoptions or items that can be donated to the shelter can be obtained by calling 563-7780.

The 2018 Greater Binghamton Project Homecoming Job & Career fair will be held today at the Oakdale Mall in Johnson City. Representatives from 65 area employers will be on hand, the fair will run from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM, it is sponsored by the Greater Binghamton Chamber of Commerce.

A man arrested by Delaware County Sheriff's Office Investigators on September 29th on a heroin possession charge was arrested again on Tuesday & charged with 2 additional felony drug charges. 31 year old Sean Dingle of Binghamton and Queens was charged Tuesday with Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance, with intent to sell & Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance, for allegedly possessing and selling heroin in the Town of Sidney in September. Dingle was arraigned in Town of Sidney Court on the new charges; his previous set $50,000 bail was subsequently raised by Judge Rose, who remanded Dingle to the Delaware County Jail on $250,000 cash bail.

Delaware County Sheriff Deputies arrested 63-year-old Patricia Carlson of Delhi on a bench warrant issued by the Town of Delhi Justice Court for Failing to Appear at her scheduled court date October 9th. Carlson was arraigned at the Town of Delhi Justice Court and remanded to the Delaware County Jail on $20,000 cash bail or $40,000 bond. A felony hearing has been rescheduled for Friday in the Delhi Town Court.

Bassett Healthcare, Delaware County Public Health & Cornell Cooperative Extension's Rural Health Care Alliance will present speaker Mark Fenton tonight at 6:30 PM at SUNY Delhi's Farrell Hall. Bassett spokesperson Amy Beveridge explains:

(Amy Beveridge 10-14-15)

Among the topics Fenton is expected to discuss making comminutes healthier by developing walking & biking trails, how to provide safe routes to schools and the economic, environmental & public health benefits of being active.

Attorney General Eric Schneiderman today announced that his office has obtained an order dissolving Angel’s Gate animal hospice and rehabilitation charity & directing that the charity’s real property be sold with the proceeds to be paid to another charity whose mission is the protection and care of animals. Acting Supreme Court Justice John Lambert ordered the appointment of a receiver to sell the property held in the names of Angel’s Gate, Inc. and Susan Marino in the Town of Meredith. Schneiderman’s Office previously brought a proceeding against Angel’s Gate and Marino to dissolve the corporation because they had failed to file legally required financial reports related to the handling of their charitable funds.  Marino and Angel’s Gate had raised over $3.1 million from donations; Marino mismanaged the funds while continuing to live on the property as her primary residence, without any oversight by an inactive Board of Directors.

State Police at Oneonta arrested 25-year-old Britney Fraser of Oneonta for criminal possession of a controlled substance, aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle & possessing a controlled substance in a non-original container. 21-year-old Ashley Harty of Sherburne was also charged with 3 counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance, and unlawful possession of marihuana. The arrests occurred after a vehicle stop when Fraser was observed failing to stop for approaching traffic as she drove onto State Route 7 in the Town of Oneonta. Troopers detected the odor of marihuana & a search was conducted, troopers accuse Fraser of possessing half of a narcotic and driving with a suspended license. Harty was found to unlawfully possess marijuana, heroin and cocaine. Fraser and Harty were arraigned at the Town of Oneonta court and both were remanded to the Otsego County jail on $400 cash bail or $800 property bond, pending Town of Oneonta court on November 12th.

State Police at Binghamton arrested 34-year-old Melissa Ipson of Liverpool for criminal possession of a controlled substance, driving while ability impaired by drugs and possessing a controlled substance in a non-original container. This arrest occurred after a trooper observed Ipson appearing disoriented as she sat in her vehicle at a gas pump and then drove to a parking space at the Mirabito on Castle Creek Road in the Town of Barker. An investigation determined that she was driving while impaired by drugs and unlawfully possessed over 2 grams of cathinone bath salts. Ipson was arraigned & was remanded to the Broome County jail without bail set at this time.

Delaware County Public Health Services announces that the next free Rabies Vaccination Clinic For dogs, cats, and ferrets today from 6:00 to 8:00 PM at the Delhi Fire Hall at 140 Delview Terrace. This will be the last rabies clinic for 2015 for Delaware County; more information is available at 832-5200 or delawarecountypublichealth.com.

The United Way of Delaware and Otsego Counties, the Oneonta Lion’s Club and Hannaford of Oneonta, will be holding a food drive at the 2015 Oneonta Halloween Parade on Saturday, October 31st at 7:00 PM. All food and monetary donations will be given directly to Opportunities for Otsego and the Salvation Army Food Pantry to help defray the loss that both agencies will incur this year by the Holiday Train not making its annual visit to Oneonta. Volunteers from United Way will be on hand at the Halloween Parade with shopping carts donated by Hannaford to collect non-perishable food items. More information is available at 434-2458. Those who would like to donate prior to the parade can call the United Way at 432-8006.

Otsego county sheriffs Deputies arrested 29-year-old Brandon Empie of Milford for allegedly threatening to kill Otsego county judge John Lambert  & burn his house down.  The sheriff’s department Criminal Investigation Division investigated and consulted with the district attorney's office, Empie was arrested Tuesday on charges of making a terrorist threat, he was arraigned in Town of Milford court & he was remanded to the Otsego county Jail on $10,000 bail.

Broome County Sheriff's Office arrested 22-year-old Brandon Cole of Sidney on a number of charges early this morning.  Deputies observed Cole driving Bevier Street at a high rate of speed, running a red light, and eventually he struck a guide rail in the parking lot of the Expressmart on Old Front Street.  Cole was charged with Aggravated DWI, with BAC .18% or greater, Unreasonable and imprudent speed, Failure to maintain lane, Open container in a motor vehicle, as well as other charges, he will appear in the town of Dickinson court at a later date.

Chenango county sheriff’s deputies arrested 2 Madison County residents on a variety of charges Monday in Sherburne.  20-year-old Trever Scheckler of Hamilton was charged with Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance, Speeding, Improper Passing, and Reckless Driving.  Also charged was Scheckler’s passenger, 20-year-old Cody Smith, for Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance, and Unlawful Possession of Marihuana.  Both will appear in Sherburne town court at a later date.