WCDO Radio News

U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand announced that starting today, the Department of Defense will try sexual assault cases outside the military chain of command. Senator Gillibrand fought for this reform for nearly a decade until it's passing recently in Congress, This move will remove judicial functions and prosecutorial decisions about the most serious crimes from the chain of command and put them in the hands of independent, trained professionals in the courts.

A.M. NEWS FRIDAY 12-29-23

State Police will continue with their participation in the “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” initiative through Monday, January 1st. Drivers can expect to see sobriety checkpoints, Troopers will be watching for distracted drivers, vehicle occupants who are not properly buckled up, and drivers violating the “Move Over Law,” State Police will also conduct underage drinker enforcement details.

P.M. NEWS THURSDAY 11-30-23

U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand discussed a proposal to toughen penalties in the Do Not Call bill to crack down on robocalls, robotexts, and AI scams, as Americans receive 4 billion robocalls every month, many of them from scammers:

(Gillibrand 11-30-23)

Gillibrand said that a lot needs to be learned about the Artificial intelligence phone scams, which can feature Voice cloning, which allows a scammer to mimic or impersonate the voice of an individual’s loved ones in order to steal money or information.

The US Government shutdown will not happen on Friday, as steps were taken in Washington to keep Government open, US Senator Kirsten Gillibrand explains:

(Gillibrand 11-15-23)

Senator Gillibrand said that the package does not include funding for military operations, that includes resources to help Israel defend itself against terrorism, to help Ukraine defend against Russian aggression, and to secure the southern border.

U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is urging veterans exposed to burn pits, Agent Orange, and other toxic substances during their service to apply for health benefits through the PACT Act:

(Gillibrand 11-9-23)

Veterans who had their claim previously denied, but their condition is now considered presumptive, can file a Supplemental Claim online , a full list of presumptive conditions and locations is available at va.gov. Veterans who need help with their applications can call the VA’s 24/7 helpline at 800-698-2411.

U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand discussed her bipartisan legislation to expedite provisional FDA approval of drugs intended to treat ALS, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and other life-threatening diseases.

(GILLIBRAND 10-26-23)

Gillibrand’s Act would create a quicker approval pathway to get promising treatments to those who need them, & who's lives may not continue during the normal FDA drug approval period, the bill has a sponsor in the US House of Representatives.

U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand announced today that millions in federal funding will be available for New Yorkers through the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program this winter:

(Gillibrand 10-25-23)

The money will help thousands of households across the state afford their heating bills and make cost-effective home energy repairs this winter. She is also calling for additional funding for LIHEAP to make sure that as many qualifying families as possible can get the assistance they need throughout the coming months.

US Senator Kirsten Gillibrand has forwarded legislation to continue to fund child care programs, as a deadline is approaching that could potential shut down many child care facilities:

(Gillibrand 9-13-23)

The impending drop-off in federal funding would lead to over 250,000 children in New York State losing access to child care, would force over 5,700 child care centers across the state to close, forcing parents to cut their work hours or leave the workforce entirely and costing them $846 million in earnings as a result.

U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand held a video press conference to announce her Training and Nutrition Stability Act, to help prevent job-seekers from losing their SNAP benefits by changing loopholes that are counter-productive:

(GILLIBRAND 9-7-23)

Gillibrand said that Local Congressman Marc Molinaro is one of the sponsors of the bill in the House of Representatives.

Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand announced that $6.3 million in federal funding from the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Lead-Based Paint Hazard Reduction Program will be used for remediation of lead-based paint hazards in at least 180 qualifying privately-owned pre-1978 homes across Broome County. Estimates suggest that over 13,000 homes in Broome County built decades ago may still contain lead paint.

U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand was at Brewery Ommegang in Cooperstown Sunday, as she talked with local leaders & members of the New York State Craft Brewers Association regarding the upcoming Federal Farm Bill. The craft beer industry currently has an economic impact of $3.4 billion with almost 20,000 full time jobs in New York.

US Senator Charles Schumer was in Sidney yesterday for a brief press Conference, WCDO's Craig Stevens has the story:

(Craig-Schumer 8-9-23)

Senator Schumer & Gillibrand were also in Utica yesterday  for a ribbon cutting on the Air Force Research Lab's new Extreme Computing Facility, which will bring tech jobs coming to Mohawk Valley.

Today, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand visited the Southern Tier Crime Analysis Center to announce Senate passage of her FEND Off Fentanyl Act. Fentanyl is 50 times stronger than heroin, the majority of illegal fentanyl entering the United States is made with Chinese precursor chemicals and manufactured in Mexico. This bill will empower the U.S. government to go after the cartels bringing Fentanyl into the US and those producing and shipping the precursor materials. The law also enhances sanctions enforcement and gives the Treasury Department tools to combat fentanyl-related money laundering.

U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand announced federal legislation to combat the rise of “ghost guns,” which are untraceable firearms assembled from components bought online or made by 3D printers:

(Gillibrand 7-26-23)

Gillibrand said that New York State Police seized 85 percent more ghost guns in 2022 than they did in 2021.

U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand introduced the bipartisan Ban Stock Trading for Government Officials Act, so that the American voters know that their elected leaders are putting the public first & not using their power to line their own pockets:

(Senator Gillibrand 7-21-23)

The bill is sponsored in the US House of Representatives by Republican Josh Hawley, it follows a study that showed that 1 in 3 Members of Congress traded stocks from 2019 to 2021, 1 in 7 violated the STOCK Act of 2012 by failing to properly report their stock trades & that 17.5% was Average amount by which members of Congress’ stock portfolios outperformed the S&P 500 in 2022.

Millions of residents of the Northeast States, including New York, have had severe weather events, with flooding, damaged buildings & destroyed infrastructure, bring inter-state commerce to a sever slow down, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand said today that grant money is available quicker than FEMA funds, & local Governments should apply for the "PROTECT" Resiliency grants as soon as possible:

(Gillibrand 7-12-23)

Senator Gillibrand said that more needs to be done to help New Yorkers deal with increasing severe weather events, as improvements have been slow since Hurricane Sandy over 10 years ago.

Today, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand announced $23,455,963 in federal funding for 13 New York airports, including $9.2 Million Dollars for the Syracuse Hancock International Airport. The Greater Binghamton/Edwin A Link Field will receive $6.4 million dollars.

The smoke from the Quebec wildfires has lessened somewhat today, local Meteorologist Rich Townsend explains:

(Rich Townsend 6-8-23)

US Senator Kirsten Gillibrand announced that she is pushing for federal assistance with the Canadian fires & for upgrading equipment to deal with these situations:

(Gillibrand 6-8-23)

The smoke has reached into the Carolina's as well as shifting to the West in Canada and in the US today, the Canadian government has not indicated when they will have the fires under control.

Delaware County Sheriff's Deputies responded March 18th to a 2 car accident with injuries on County Highway 26, in the Town of Colchester. 1 vehicle had left the lane of travel, crossed over the double yellow line, and struck an oncoming vehicle head on. 49-year-old Andras Kasuba of Brooklyn was charged with DWI, driving with a BAC greater than 0.08%, aggravated DWI, plus 3 counts of Assault & several other charges. The driver of the other vehicle and 1 passenger were transported by Lifenet to Albany Medical Center and a 3rd passenger was taken to Delaware Valley Hospital, Kasuba was released on tickets returnable to the Town of Colchester Court at a later date.

Governor Hochul & U.S. Senators Schumer & Gillibrand announced that New York State will receive $100 million in federal funding from the U.S. Department of Treasury through the American Rescue Plan to expand high-speed internet. The funding will allow them to connect about 100,000 homes and families to affordable, high-speed internet across the state, more information is available at fcc.gov/acp.

Following the release of a CDC report that showed a sharp increase in maternal mortality in 2021, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand announced that start of a new hotline to help pregnant women or new mothers deal with a variety of issues:

(Gillibrand 3-23-23)

Gillibrand's "National Maternal Mental Health Hotline" has already helped 7,5000 and Gillibrand is calling for its full implementation in the next federal Budget.

A.M. NEWS 3-23-23

The Delaware County District Attorney office announced that 37 year old Douglas Rodriguez pleaded guilty in Delaware County Court to Criminal Contempt, after violating a court order of protection by phone several times, and for trying to convince that person not to testify against him. Rodriguez was remanded to the Delaware County Jail on $35,000 cash bail pending sentencing on April 10th.

U.S. Senator Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand announced $5,196,000 in federal funding to develop and preserve affordable housing and invest in community development efforts throughout New York. The funding was allocated through NeighborWorks America, locally, Greater Opportunities for Broome and Chenango, will receive $212,000 in funding.

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand announced that the Greater Binghamton Airport will receive $7 million for renovations of the passenger terminal and the associated vehicle approach, with upgrades to the passenger hold room, & the replacement of the airport’s outdated Air Conditioning equipment, & for the installation of 2 passenger-boarding bridges. The funding comes from the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Law. The Albany, Buffalo and Syracuse airports also received funding.

U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand laid out some of her priorities in the Senate, as the negotiations continue for the next 5 year farm bill, which she said will address rising concerns about inflationary food prices, supply chain issues & millions GOING Without sufficient food:

(Gillibrand 2-16-23)

Gillibrand said that the last Farm Bill came in 2018 before the pandemic, which has added or changed many of the provisions from previous Farm bills out of necessity due to new problems that the pandemic created or expanded.

U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand discussed her expectations regarding President Biden's State of The Union Address in Washington tonight, in a video press conference this morning:

(Gillibrand 2-7-23)

The State of the Union address begins at 9:00 PM tonight at the United States Capitol.

P.M. NEWS THURSDAY 2-2-23

U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand discussed her dairy priorities for the upcoming 2023 Farm Bill negotiations. Gillibrand said she will reintroduce her Dairy Pricing Opportunity Act, to change Class I milk pricing by requiring the United States Department of Agriculture to hold national hearings to review Federal Milk Marketing Orders.

(Gillibrand 2-2-23)

Senator Gillibrand will pushing Canada to uphold its dairy trade obligations as part of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, currently Canada is not allowing American Dairy Farmers to import their product into Canada.

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand today announced $8.5 million for essential infrastructure and long-desired community development projects across the Southern Tier. This federal funding was secured by the senators as Congressional directed spending in the end-of-year budget for Fiscal Year 2023. $2,850,000 was confirmed for the City of Norwich Water Main Replacement project, due to begin in April.

A.M. NEWS FRIDAY 1-27-23

43 year old Jeremie Hoyt of Davenport pleaded guilty to 1 count of 1st-degree course of sexual conduct against a child, in Delaware County Court. The Delaware County District Attorney's Office announced that Hoyt appeared in court for a scheduled hearing on January 17 and instead of moving forward with the hearing, he entered a guilty plea, for performing sexual acts on a child younger than 13 years old on 2 occasions between January and August of 2019. Hoyt will be sentenced to 20 years in jail and 10 years of post-release supervision, he will be required to register as a sex offender, sentencing is scheduled for March 6th.

U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand announced her plans to seek re-election to another 6 year term in the U.S. Senate. Gillibrand has served in the Senate since 2009, prior to that she served in the House of Representatives serving much of the WCDO listening area.

US Senator Kirsten Gillibrand will be serving on the Senate Agriculture Committee, as they prepare for a new 5 year Farm Bill:

(Gillibrand 1-10-23)

Senator Gillibrand also announced $130 million in federal funding to help the overburdened health care system, deal with the COVID-19 XBB.1.5 sub-variant, multiple strains of the flu, strained medical staffing issues, mental health programs, pandemic preparedness & research for Lyme and tick-borne diseases.