WCDO Radio News

The Otsego County Board of Representatives Public Safety & Legal Affairs Committee released a report today regarding their attempts to investigate alleged terrorist threats made by Otsego County Corrections officer Sergeant Ros Devlin last January, Devlin is the son of Otsego County Sheriff Richard Devlin. Today’s report outlined the efforts made to investigate the matter where Ros Devlin was accused of threatening to bring a duffel bag full of guns to work at the Otsego County Jail, shoot co-workers & to shoot up an area school. The Committee sought legal advice or action from Sheriff Devlin, the Otsego County District Attorney, the Otsego County Attorney, State Police, and the state Attorney General’s office & Governor Cuomo's office with little success. The committee recommends that Sheriff Devlin recuse himself, & appoint the County Board or another board to investigate & short of recusal, they recommend that the sheriff require a full mental health examination of Ros Devlin, that the DA's office appoint a special prosecutor, that a process be enacted to insure better coordination among law enforcement agencies to deal with terrorist threats coming from a law enforcement officer. The committee expressed concerns that the school in question was never notified of the threats, they have vowed to continue with their investigation. Ros Devlin has been suspended with pay, had his gun permits suspended and is not allowed on county property.

State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman is leading a coalition of 13 states; they are calling on the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives to reject deep cuts in funding for the Environmental Protection Agency and anti-environmental riders in federal budget bills. The coalition charges that the EPA cuts and riders currently proposed by both houses will lead to more pollution, and an increase in damage to public health." The coalition is urging Congress to pass a final budget that fully funds EPA and omits any anti-environmental riders.

State Senator Jim Seward announced state grants of $50,000 each for Charlotte Valley, Franklin & Unatego School Districts. Franklin and Unatego will use the grants to assist with general education and classroom needs. Charlotte Valley will use the funds to help with costs associated with a parking lot improvement project to correct drainage problems and enhance safety.

A Special blood drive is being held in Norwich today in memory of Savannah Williams. Residents of Norwich and surrounding communities are asked to donate blood today from 3:00 to 7:00 PM at Holy Family School in Norwich. Williams died unexpectedly in Geneseo after her car collided with a tractor-trailer; she was a freshman at SUNY Geneseo & was a graduate of the Norwich City School District

The Public Safety & Legal Affairs Committee of the Otsego County Board of Representatives announced that they continue to investigate the situation regarding Sergeant Ros Devlin of the Otsego County Corrections Department, who is also the son of Otsego County Sheriff Richard Devlin. Ros Devlin was accused of using excessive violence as a corrections officer, he is also accused of making threats, possibly against area schools and the public in general that led to his pistol permit being revoked, and he was banned from being on County Property, and his behavior was being investigated by the County District Attorney’s office, The County’s Labor Attorney, the Sheriff’s Department & State Police. Sheriff Devlin was requested to recuse himself from the investigation due to an obvious conflict of interest, which he initially refused; County officials said that the Sheriff did not advise them of his original disciplinary action until April 10th. The investigation is continuing.

The New York State Department of Taxation and Finance announced that they have extended the hours of its Income Tax Call Center through the April 18 filing deadline to assist taxpayers. On Monday & Tuesday, the call center at 518-457-5181 will remain open until 7:30 p.m. to assist taxpayers with last minute tax return filing questions. For taxpayers using a home computer or mobile device, many questions can be answered at tax.ny.gov.

A special meeting for Afton Village Residents meeting will be held on Sunday, from 2:00 to 4:00 PM at the Bolster Community Center, on Main Street. Residents will hear about 2 grants that could benefit the Village, & ask questions to the consultants from GeoEco Design, regarding the Economic Revitalization Strategic Plan. More information is available at 639-4849.

Rotary District 7170 has received a Rotary Global grant to help with the local fight against heroin & Opioid abuse in 7 local counties, including Chenango, Delaware Otsego & Broome Counties. District Grant Committee Chairperson Lana Rouff told WCDO News what the money would be used for:

(Lana Rouff 4-14-17)

Rouff said that the money will also be used of an Internet program to target those who may be using Opioids and get them the help they need.

The Delaware County Tourism Advisory Board is now accepting applications for funding under the newly created Tourism Promotion & Development Grant program. This program will provide funding assistance to eligible applicants for projects that seek to attract visitors to Delaware County and enhance the overall tourism industry. Applications for grant assistance must be hand-delivered to the Delaware County Department of Economic Development or postmarked by 5:00pm on May 17th. More information is available at 607-832-5123.

4 Chenango County Farms will benefit following an announcement by Governor Cuomo, to address the impact of climate change on agriculture. The Chenango County Soil and Water Conservation District was awarded $67,716 to work with four farms to plant 1,015 acres of cover crops over a three year period, to improve soil quality, reduce erosion, increase soil organic matter and improve resiliency to the farm from extreme weather conditions like floods & droughts.

The State DEC is opening spring turkey season on May 1 in the upstate counties. The DEC's annual youth turkey hunting weekend is scheduled for April 22 & 23, for junior hunters ages 12-15. The DEC encourages experienced hunters to take a novice hunter afield this spring, more information about turkey hunting in New York, see the 2016-17 Hunting and Trapping Regulations Guide or visit the "Turkey Hunting" pages of DEC's website at dec.ny.gov.

Today is the last day to sign up for free income tax preparation in Chenango County through the Colgate University Volunteer income tax assistance program. Residents who earned less than $54,000 may be eligible to participate, more information, can be made through Cornell Cooperative Extension at 99 Broad Street in Norwich, at 334-5841. The deadline to file state & federal income taxes is Tuesday April 18th this year.

The city of Oneonta department of public service announced that curbside pick up of brush & yard waste will begin again on Monday April 17th. Wards 1-4 will get their waste picked up stating on Monday, wards 5 through 8 will get their first pick up April 24th. More information about what is collectable or the city schedule, can contact the department at 432-2100 during regular business hours.