WCDO Radio News

Sidney Village Crews announced that Division Street between Main Street & Grand are closed today & tomorrow as Crews are removing the bump outs at the intersection of Main & Division, Sidney Mayor Ray Baker explains:

(Ray Baker 7-8-26)

The crews will be installing a more traditional corner on the West Side of the Main & Division Street intersection, which should be completed by Thursday afternoon.

The Otsego County Fair will be held at the Fairgrounds in Morris this year, spokesperson Lisa Jones told WCDO some of this year’s highlights:

(Lisa Jones 7-8-26)

The Otsego County Fair runs from August 4th to August 9th this year.

A.M. NEWS WEDNESDAY 7-8-26

Former Oneida County Corrections Officer Thomas Eck appeared in Oneida County Court on Tuesday, he had pleaded guilty to offering a false instrument for filing, for his role in the beating death of inmate Messiah Nantwi at the Mid State Correctional Facility, Eck was sentenced to 1 year in jail, he was the 15th Corrections officer in Oneida County to be prosected in connection with the death of Nantwi & Robert Brooks. The 2 cases have led to proposed legislation, the Duty to Intervene Act, making it a felony to not intervene while one of your fellow officers is beating an inmate.

A Trial of 3 former State Corrections officer accused of participating in the killing of Robert Brooks last December in the Marcy Correctional Facility concluded today. David Kingsley was found guilty of 2nd degree murder & 1st degree Manslaughter, however Nicholas Kieffer & Matthew Galliher were was found not guilty for Murder, Manslaughter, Gang Assault, Kinglsey faces sentencing on December 15th, He faces 25 years to life in prison.

Plans are moving forward for the new Stewart's Shops coming to downtown Sidney, Village Mayor Ray Baker explains:

(Ray Baker 10-20-25)

Stewart's is headquartered in Ballston Spa with over 350 locations In New York State.

"AK" McEwan Lomnicki has been released from a Syracuse hospital & has returned home to Sidney. McEwan Lomnicki was struck by a vehicle while walking home from School on February 15th, 31 year old Courtni Baker of Sidney was charged with Aggravated DWI, & numerous other charges for the incident. The 14 year Sidney Basketball enthusiast has a long recovery ahead of her & she expressed gratitude for the community support following the incident, AK's Father, Rich Lomnicki told WCDO News that she still requires rest at home and it is unknown when she can return to Sidney Middle School.

30 year old Robert Grice of Deposit, appeared in the Deposit Town Court on Monday and pleaded guilty to Criminal Obstruction of Breathing. Grice allegedly put his hands around the throat of a 22-year-old female victim during the course of a domestic dispute. The Court imposed over $650 in fines & fees, Grice was also required to provide a sample of his DNA for inclusion in the State DNA databank, the Court also issued a 1-year full stay away order of protection mandating, he was also sentenced to a one-year conditional discharge, if he violates the terms, he is subject to being re-sentenced to 364 days incarceration.

The Broome County Sheriff's Office announced that A routine traffic stop in Binghamton led to an arrest on an outstanding warrant for aggravated harassment charges on Sunday. Deputies observed a parked car at a gas Station and identified the driver as 26 year old Jesse Roberts who was wanted for aggravated harassment for allegedly sending threatening messages to a woman and was taken into custody. Roberts had been driving with an open container of alcohol and six open license suspensions for failing to appear in court for traffic tickets, he faces a number of additional charges and was taken to the Broome County Correction Facility for arraignment.

P.M. NEWS TUESDAY 3-7-23

Delaware County District Attorney's Office announced that 31 year old Courtni Baker of Sidney was arraigned today on Grand Jury Charges in Delaware County Court . A Grand Jury handed up a 10 count indictment, including charges of vehicular assault, Aggravated vehicular assault, 2nd degree Assault, And Escape, for the February 15th incident where Baker is accused of Hitting 14 year old Anielle AK McEwan Lomnicki on Sharon Street in Sidney as she was walking home from school. Baker is accused of driving while intoxicated at the time of the incident, with a BAC of higher than .18, she is being held in the Delaware County Jail on $100,000 cash bail, $250,000 secured bond or $1 Million Dollars Partially Secured bond.

State Attorney General Letitia James released a list today of the top complaints her office has received in 2022. Over 5200 complaints were received regarding price gouging defective merchandise & poor customer service at retail establishments, over 3,000 were landlord or tenants complaints. over 2800 were about credit, banking & mortgage issues, over 2700 complaints were about consumer services organizations like COVID testing facilities, dry cleaners, restaurants or movers, and over 2500 for automobile sales & service.

A.M. NEWS TUESDAY 3-7-23

The Broome County District Attorney's office announced that 53 year old Robert Randolph of Endicott was sentenced after pleading guilty to felony Criminal Possession of a Controlled substance. Randolph was caught with large quantities of methamphetamine, heroin, and fentanyl when police raided his motel room in Endicott in August of 2021, he was on parole from a previous conviction for selling methamphetamine. Randolph was sentenced to 5 years in state prison followed by 2 years of post-release supervision.

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.

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.

State Police Sergeant Robert Bloom was on his way to a
graduation ceremony Friday to play with the pipes and drums and dressed in a
kilt,  when saw smoke on Tioga Terrace in
Apalachin just after 12:00 noon, he located the burning building, discovered
that a male was bedridden inside.
Sergeant Bloom, the bedridden man’s father and a neighbor entered the
burning residence, got the man into a wheelchair and out of the home.  All were taken to area hospitals for smoke
inhalation.  Sergeant Bloom is a 7-year
veteran of the State Police, and is currently works out of State Police
Headquarters at Troop C in Sidney.

54 year old Robert Gelinas of Ithaca is in critical
condition following a 2 car collision in Ithaca, where the Ithaca Police Chief
is credited with saving lives due to his quick action.    State Police were dispatched to a 2-car
accident Thursday afternoon, before troopers arrived, Ithaca City Police Chief
Pete Tyler assisted, Gelinas was bleeding from the head and not breathing when
Chief Tyler began life saving measures.
Troopers and emergency responders arrived Gelinas was flown by Lifenet
to Upstate Medical Center where he remains in critical condition.  24-year-old Jenna Swertfager of Dryden was
the driver of the 2nd vehicle, she was taken to an area hospital as a
precaution due to pregnancy, tickets against Gelinas are expected, and the
investigation is still on-going.

The Sidney Emergency Squad is looking for a new Director of
Operations, to replace Dana Weygand, Squad President Ray Baker explains:

(Ray Baker 1-7-19)

Applications can be filed to
ziprecruiter.com, more information is available at sidneyems.org.

The American Red Cross is holding a blood drive this
afternoon at the Foothills Performing Arts Center at 24 Market Street in
Oneonta.  The blood drive is being held
from 1:00 TO 6:00 PM.  Appointments can
be made with the RED CROSS BLOOD DONOR APP,
at REDCROSSBLOOD.ORG OR at 1-800-RED CROSS.

The have been some changes made within the Sidney Fire Department, as the MacDonald Hose Company was closed & the equipment was moved to the Main River Street location, which then forced a move by the Sidney Emergency Squad. Sidney EMS Spokesman Ray Baker explains:

(Ray Baker 9-14-18)

Baker said that the Emergency Squad is still looking for their own permanent location with a garage for their vehicles, one of the sites being considered is the Jehovah's Witnesses Kingdom Hall site at Patterson & Division Streets.

Governor Cuomo defeated Cynthia Nixon easily for the Democratic Party Primary for Governor, also winning statewide Primary Elections were Kathy Hochul for Lieutenant Governor, & Letitia James for Attorney General. Local State Assembly incumbents Cliff Crouch & Bill Magee won their Primary challenges by large margins. Otsego County Sheriff Richard Devlin Jr. won his Primary election for the Republican nomination over challenger Robert Fernandez.

Delaware County Sheriff’s Office’s arrested 32 year old Andrew Baker of Bainbridge for Criminal Mischief. Baker is accused of intentionally damaging leg restraints while incarcerated at the Delaware County jail; he is scheduled to appear in the Town of Delhi Court on March 27th for arraignment.

State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman announced the guilty plea and conviction of Robert Niederriter of Kirkwood, and his business, Buffalo Head Bar & Grill, for failing to file numerous sales tax returns and remit over $59,000 in sales tax that was collected at the business. Niederriter paid $59,789 to the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance for the unpaid sales tax and was sentenced to a one-year conditional discharge.

Tomorrow is Election Day, with many local town & city races of importance to be decided by voters. All voters Statewide will decide on propositions, which will be on the back of the ballots, to decide if a constitutional convention should be convened to overhaul state government, if politicians convicted of corruption should lose their pensions, and if forest land in the Adirondacks and Catskills can be used for widened roads and bicycle paths. Key Chenango County races include the Oxford town supervisor’s race between Canice Paliotta vs. incumbent Lawrence Wilcox, the Norwich town council race has 4 candidates for 2 positions, between Debra Cubbedge, Barbara Collins, Stanley Foulds & David law. For the Otselic town supervisor position, Marjorie Davis & John Myers are on the ballot. In Delaware County; For Town of Sidney Supervisor; incumbent Gene Pigford faces Bill Heath, & there are 4 Town board candidates for 2 seats, candidates on the ballot are Pete Cordes, Dan Cristelli, Frank Selleck & John Woodyshek, however Woodyshek announced that he is NOT seeking re-election. in the Town of Franklin Board there are 2 open seats with 3 candidates: Patricia Tyrell, David Grant & Garrett Sitts. In the Walton town supervisor’s race, Charles Gregory faces Bruce Dolph. In Otsego County races of note: there are Board of Representative's races in all districts except the 10th & 11th where 1 candidate each is running unopposed. For Town of Oneonta Supervisor, Republican Mike Butler challenges Incumbent Democrat Robert Wood, for the Oneonta Town Board Incumbents Patricia Jacob and Randy Mowers, are being challenged by Dan Baker, and James McCue. In the city of Oneonta mayor’s race, Incumbent Gary Herzig faces write in candidate Don Scanlon. In the Town of Butternuts there are 4 candidates for 2 seats on the board, they are Scott Lueck, Paul Irwin, Donald Hunt & James Power. Polls will be open from 6:00 AM to 9:00 PM Tuesday.

The Sidney Chamber Of Commerce Will Hold their Annual Dinner tonight & honor their Citizen of the Years ray Baker & Business of the Years Cullman Child Development center. Baker commented about his actions in Sidney that led to his winning the award:

(Ray Baker 6-3-16)

Amy Williams at the Cullman center also comments:

(Amy Williams 6-3-16)

The Sidney chamber Dinner will be held tonight at the Elks Lodge on River Street in Sidney.

A federal grand jury has indicted former Tennessee congressional candidate Robert Doggart for allegedly soliciting others in a plan to commit arson & murder at a Muslim community in Hancock. Doggart is accused of recruiting others through Facebook & by phone, to burn buildings and kill members of the community. The U.S. Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division is prosecuting Doggart, following the investigation by the FBI, who arrested Doggart in April. Doggart was released on $30,000 bond and is currently subject to home confinement.

The Sidney Emergency Squad has undergone a reorganization recently, and they are planning an open house later this month for local residents. Board of Directors President Ray Baker told WCDO News about the Squad's changes:

(Ray Baker 7-9-15)

The Open House will be held on Saturday July 18th from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM at the Sidney fire Station of River Street.

Detectives with the Chenango county sheriff’s department arrested 57-year-old Robert Baker of Plymouth for possessing a Sexual Performance by a child and possessing an Obscene Sexual Performance by a child.   Detectives obtained a search warrant for baker’s computer following a lengthy investigation into a child endangerment complaint.   Baker was arraigned in the Town of Plymouth Court and remanded to the Chenango county jail on $25,000.00 cash bail.  The investigation is ongoing and additional charges are pending.

Chenango county sheriff’s department Detectives arrested 56-year-old Robert Baker of Plymouth for 2 counts of endangering the Welfare of a Child.  A complaint was forwarded to the department from the New York State Child Abuse Hot Line, where Baker was accused of exposing himself to the children.  He was arraigned in the Town of Plymouth Court and remanded to the Chenango county jail $2500 cash bail.  The investigation is ongoing and additional charges are pending following the examination of evidence seized.