WCDO Radio News

The next Southern Tier Music Fest Karaoke "Sing Off" will be held tonight from 6:00 - 10:00 pm at Club 55, Sidney. Contestants will be judged in 3 categories, There is a one time $10.00 entry free, entries can be sent to 4townsforward@gmail.com. 2 Adults & 1 Jr between ages 11 & 17 will be part of the Southern Tier Music Festival at the Sidney Airport on July 4th.

Next to New in Sidney will open at their brand new location in Sidney today, volunteers Maria Sherwood & Julie Van Buren told WCDO News where the new location is :

(Maria Sherwood Julie Van Buren 5-1-26)

More information is available at the Next to New Facebook page.

A.M. NEWS THURSDAY 4-30-26

Delaware County Sheriff’s Deputies were dispatched to a complaint for a violation of a Delaware County Family Court Order of Protection. Deputies arrested 39-year-old Jonathan Gutliph of Hamden, he had violated the Order shortly after being served, he was charged with Criminal Contempt & was processed at the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office and turned over to the Correctional Facility where he was arraigned and held on bail.

Organizers of the Southern Tier Music Festival on July 6th in Sidney are looking for more volunteers to help out at the event, organizer Jake Cotten & Teri Schunk told WCDO News about some incentives they are offering prospective volunteers:

(Jake Cotten-Teri Schunk 5-29-24)

Tickets for the July 6th concert at the Sidney Airport are available at southerntiermusicfest.com or at local SFCU branches while they last.

The warm up act for Nate Smith at the Southern Tier Music Festival in July has been scheduled, one of the organizers Ed Curley visited WCDO This Mon ring & made the announcement:

(Ed Curley 12-22-23)

Ed was joined by Teri Schunk, they talked about new camping that will be available at General Clinton Park that weekend:

(Teri Schunk Ed Curley 12-22-23)

More information & tickets are available at southerntiermusicfest.com.

The Bandera Family and Community Alliance will be providing free meals on Christmas day at a variety of locations across the Southern Tier. Meals will be available for dine-in, take out from noon to 2 pm. at the Norwich American Legion, the Oxford American Legion, and the Sidney American Legion. For more information on the Bandera Family and Community Alliance, visit BanderaChristmas.com or the Bandera Family and Community Alliance Facebook page.

A.M. NEWS FRIDAY 12-22-23

Area Resident Gene Schmidt announced that he & his family & volunteers will be serving Christmas dinner again this year, he told WCDO News that it will be at a different location:

(Gene Schmidt 12-6-23)

Schmidt said that people interested in volunteering can also visit his Facebook page & send an instant message this year.

P.M. NEWS THURSDAY 6-22-23

The Southern Tier Music Fest will be held on July 1st at the Sidney Airport, both levels of VIP tickets are sold out but General Admission tickets still available, according to organizer Ed Curley:

(Ed Curley 6-22-23)

The concert features a variety of activities on site as well as Country Music Headliners Maddie and Tae, along with Restless Road & 5 local bands at the all day event.

The Deadline has not & will not be extended for teams to register for this year's Gus Macker Basketball Tournament at the Norwich High School. Organizer Tom Revoir said that the push is on to get volunteers & especially Referees to sign up for the tournament:

(Tom Revoir 6-22-23)

Revoir said that those interested in being a referee should contact him as soon as possible at 607-336-9622 extension 29.

Organizers for the upcoming Southern Tier Music Festival are needed to assist with a variety of function at the show at the Sidney Airport on Saturday, July 1st. those who wish to volunteer should contact Teri Schunk 607-435-5620 or teresa.schunk@nbtinsurance.com, Volunteers are needed before, during and after the event

The Delaware County Board of Supervisors announced that a joint mission of the U.S. military and the County of Delaware with an Innovative Readiness Training mission, which will be bringing medical professionals to Walton July 11th through the 19th, providing several free medical, dental & Veterinary services. Director of Delaware County Planning & Watershed Affairs, Shelly Johnson-Bennett told WCDO News about the effort:

(Shelly Johnson-Bennett 2-22-23)

Volunteers will be needed to help with the event anyone interested can call Delaware Opportunities at (607) 746-1600.

Governor Kathy Hochul appeared in Johnson City this morning, she outlined some of the executive Budget Proposal Items that are aimed at helping the Southern Tier:

(Governor Hochul 2-22-23)

Governor Hochul discussed $1.4 billion in School Aid for the Southern Tier, Over $151 million in DOT capital projects, $50 million for Binghamton University to continue establishing a hub for battery technology innovation, Over $23 million for local paving and pothole repairs, $963,000 for Broome Community College, $16 million for addiction services funding, the 227 Billion Dollar Budget proposal is being negotiated & is due on April 1st.

A.M. NEWS WEDNESDAY 2-22-23

The New York State Department of Health today issued the results of its latest annual chronic disease public opinion survey. According to the survey, 88% think heroin use is a serious public health problem, 90% site the use or misuse of prescription opioids, 92% said childhood obesity, 85% think tobacco use continues to be a major problem, 80% reported issues with health care access, 77% said alcohol consumption & 46% think marijuana are other serious health problems.

Catholic Charities announced another successful Mass Food Distribution in Sidney on July 19th. 623 Households received food, 36 Families had 6 people or more in their household, a total of 1,742 People received over 17,000 pounds of food. 58 volunteers helped distribute the food at latest Sidney event.

Governor Kathy Hochul today announced that nearly $70 million in grant funding has been awarded to newly licensed, registered or permitted child care programs in areas lacking child care slots, The funds were made available through the American Rescue Plan Act and are administered by the State Office of Children and Family Services. In the Southern Tier, $4,148,000 in grant funding will go to 26 child care facilities.

The Gus Macker Basketball Tournament will be held in Norwich again this summer, following the cancellation of the event the last 2 years due to the pandemic, Organizer Tom Revoir told WCDO News that they still need volunteers for a variety of tasks:

(Tom Revoir 6-28-22)

The Gus Macker Tournament was also moved to the Norwich High School Complex this year, July 8th through the 10th.

Southern Tier 8 Regional Board is holding the first-ever Upstate Rural Broadband Conference with national and state and regional leaders working to identify ways to speed-up the deployment of high-speed Internet in Central New York and the Southern Tier. The event is today from 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM at the Doubletree Hotel, 225 Water Street, Binghamton.

Fire Companies responded this morning to a structure fire at 22 Main Street in Laurens. Laurens Fire Fighters are receiving mutual aid from Mount Vision, West Laurens, Morris, Milford, Volunteers from the Southern Tier Chapter of the American Red Cross provided immediate emergency aid to 2 adults after a fire in Laurens, this morning.

Catholic charities announced that there will be another Mass Food Distribution in Sidney later this month. Penny McKnight from Catholic Charities said that volunteers are needed:

(Penny McKnight 3-9-22)

The Mass Food Distribution will be at 11:00 AM at the Sidney River Street Fire Station, anyone interested in volunteering should email CALLEN4@stny.rr.ccom or call Catholic Charities at 607-604-4071.

Due to today's Storm, the Town of Guilford Board meeting, originally scheduled for tonight, has been moved to tomorrow night, at 7:00 At the Town Hall on Marble Road.

A.M. NEWS WEDNESDAY 3-9-22

The State Health Department reported that 67,714 COVID tests were conducted Monday, with 1,060 positives, for a positivity rate of 1.57%. Patient Hospitalization were 1,507, with 251 Patients in ICU and 138 on ventilators & 17 deaths in Hospitals & Nursing homes.

Community Cultural Center in Sidney won a $2,000 grant from Upstate Shredding through their Southern Tier Tuesdays program. Southern Tier Tuesdays is a philanthropic endeavor of Adam Weitsman, owner of Upstate Shredding, more information is available at southerntiertuesdays.com.

Beginning today and extending well into December, the Susquehanna Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is hosting a pop-up thrift shop in the Southside Mall. For a split of the proceeds, the Delaware Valley Humane Society, Heart of the Catskills Humane Society, and Super Heroes in Ripped Jeans will assist the SQSPCA in recruiting volunteers to cash out customers and mind the store. The SQSPCA Pop-up Thrift Shop will be open Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays & Sundays through December 19. More information is available at sqspca.org, or 607-547-8111, extension 108.

The State Police, the State DOT and the Thruway Authority announced that State Police and local law enforcement agencies issued a record number of tickets during 2021’s Operation Hardhat, which is a joint initiative to crack down on work zone violations and highlight the importance of safe driving when encountering construction, maintenance and emergency operations along state highways. A total of 2,336 tickets were issued during Operation Hardhat details this year, breaking the previous record of 2,018 tickets set during 2020. The region with the highest number of Tickets was the Southern Tier, with 490.

The
Shell of the new Bainbridge Community Center on Prospect Street is up & the
work is continuing, Bainbridge Chamber of Commerce President John Payne
explains:

(John
Payne 1-16-20

Payne
said that the project is coming together through volunteers working on the
structure, and donations from area businesses, he said that the project should
be ready this summer.

Governor Cuomo today announced 61 New York State businesses, community colleges and community-based organizations will receive $3.4 million as part of the state's Workforce Development Initiative.  Grant funds are provided by the Department of Labor, NYSERDA and The State University of New York.  Among the businesses participating in the Southern Tier are BAE Systems & Dick's Sporting Goods Distribution Center.

Greater Chenango Cares is once again coming to Norwich with
free medical, dental, vision and veterinary services provided to the community
by military medical personnel.  Elizabeth
Monaco of the Chenango United Way is looking for volunteers for this event:

(Elizabeth Monaco 6-10-19)

Monaco said those interested in volunteering can call
334-8815.  Monaco also said that the
first 2 Chenango Cares events provided over 2 million dollars’ worth of
services to over 5 thousand patients, while readying military personnel for any
possible deployment for their medical services This year’s event will be held
at Norwich High School from July 11th through the 20th.

For more than 25 years, the Youth Apprenticeship Program has
been an integral part of The Raymond Corporation’s commitment to science,
technology, engineering and mathematics education, as well as played a large
role in building the workforce of the future. Working with high schools
throughout the Southern Tier of New York area, this program provides a
hands-on, experiential approach to learning for junior and senior high school
students.   This year, Raymond celebrates
six graduates from its Youth Apprenticeship Program from Greene, Chenango
Valley and Maine-Endwell central school districts.  More information is available at
btboces.org/YAP or call 763-3254.

Greater Chenango Cares is once again coming to Norwich to
provide services for families in need. Greater Chenango Cares is a Department
of Defense Innovative Readiness Training event. It gives joint training
opportunities to reservists to increase their deployment readiness while also
providing free medical, dental, vision and veterinary services to the
community.  This year's Chenango Cares
will be held at Norwich High School from July 11th through the 20th.   The Chenango United Way is looking for
volunteers for the event; those interested can call 334-8815.

Governor Cuomo today announced
the application window is now open for round one of the Grow-NY food and
agriculture competition. The competition is focused on growing an enduring food
and agriculture innovation cluster in New York's Finger Lakes, Central New York
and Southern Tier regions. The competition will run for 3 & will offer a
total of $3 million in funding for each round to innovative high-growth
start-ups that are focused on the food and agriculture industry.   More information is available at grow-ny.com.

Today is World No Tobacco Day, where people are trying to
get the word out about the dangers of Tobacco use & the growing
Concern  of children getting addicted to
Nicotine through fruit flavored E-Cigarettes Like Juul.  Linda Wegner of Advancing Tobacco free
Communities of Delaware, Otsego & Schoharie Counties said that they are
hoping the state & the Federal Government do something soon:

(Linda Wegner 5-31-19)

Currently, the state wide rate of smoking is about 14%, but
Delaware County is much higher at 24%, there has also been a 160% increase in
E-Cigarette usage among teens in the last 2 years, each Juul cartridge contains
the same amount of nicotine as an entire pack of traditional cigarettes.

A.O. Fox Hospital is offering a program this summer for
individuals interested in becoming junior volunteers, to offer a helping hand
to hospitalized patients, nursing home residents, and staff in a multitude of
capacities.  Training for accepted
applicants is scheduled for Monday, July 1st
from 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 PM in Fox Hospital’s Education Department.  Applicants must be at least 14 years of age
& applications are available in the guidance offices of area high
schools,  all applications are due by
June 18th . More Information is available at 431-5042.

The Delaware County Office for the Aging is looking for
volunteers to drive older residents to non-emergency doctor appointments, to
hospitals for testing, or various other appointments.    Those interested in being a volunteer
driver can call the Office for the Aging at 832-5750.

Governor Cuomo today announced $6.5 million in new funding
has been awarded for projects that support bicycle and pedestrian enhancements,
as well as projects specifically targeted toward improving air quality in the
Southern Tier. Local projects include $732,000 to Broome County for new
pedestrian accessibility enhancements along Chenango Street in the Town of
Fenton & $1.7 million to the Village of Stamford for new pedestrian
accessibility enhancements along Main Street

43 year old Charles
Green of Binghamton was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for
participating in an area methamphetamines ring that brought crystal meth into
the Southern Tier from Arizona.  Green
was1 of 10 people arrested in 2016 in "Operation Hailstorm."

Appointments are
available Thursday evenings and Saturday mornings through the Volunteer Income
Tax Assistance at Cornell Cooperative Extension in Norwich. Residents who
earned less than $54,000 in 2018 can work with trained community volunteers to
help file income taxes,   To arrange an
appointment, please call Cornell Cooperative Extension at (607) 334-5841,
extension 11.

Governor Cuomo signed
the Child Victims Act, which ensures those who abuse children are held
accountable criminally and civilly and that survivors of childhood sexual abuse
have a path to justice.  This legislation
Increases the amount of time during which perpetrators of these crimes may be
held criminally accountable; Allows victims of these crimes to start a civil
lawsuit at any time before they reach 55 years of age; Provides victims whose
claims have been time-barred a new opportunity for their day in court; among
many other provisions.

The number of Animal Cruelty cases or cases of animal hoarding have spiked recently in the Southern Tier, which creates a difficult situation for area Shelters. Erin Insinga of the Delaware Valley Humane Society told WCDO News that if you know of those situations, the first call is to your local sheriff's department:

(Erin Insinga 12-12-18)

Insinga said that the animals are removed by law enforcement, they get checked by vets and can then be adopted following a brief process, and more information is available at 563-7780.

A Free Christmas Dinner will be available in Sidney this year on Christmas Day at the Sidney Fire Station, organizer Gene Schmidt said that donations & volunteers are needed:

(Gene Schmidt 12-12-18)

Schmidt said that he can be reached at 607-610-4030. This year will be the 6th year that Schmidt & his family have offered the free Christmas dinner.

Almond Upton of Florida has died in Prison, where he was serving time for the murder of State Trooper Christopher Skinner on I-81 In Broome County in May of 2014. Upton was serving his sentence in the Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora. Upton claimed he was in a manic state at the time he intentionally ran over Trooper Skinner, who was ocnducting an unrealted traffic stop, Upton was found guilty & was sentecned to life in prison, he died Sunday & the cause of death has not yet been released.

The Department of Environmental Protection announced plans to build a $34 million hydroelectric facility at Cannonsville Reservoir, which should produce enough electricity to power more than 3,500 homes each year. DEP officials announced that they will host 2 public meetings on Friday, one at 9:00 AM at the Deposit State Theater, at 148 Front Street in Deposit, & at 12:30 PM at the Upper Delaware Council office, 211 Bridge Street in Narrowsburg. More information is available at nyc.gov.

Residents in South New Berlin are voting today on a proposed $1.1 million project to purchase property and construct a new fire department building. Voting will be held from 12:00 Noon until 9:00 PM at the South New Berlin Firehouse.

Voters in the Unadilla Valley School District will vote Thursday on a capital improvement project involving heating, parking lots, roof replacement, and auditorium improvements, among many other projects. The project would be paid for through a Capital Reserve Fund & State Aid, the $10 million dollar project vote will be held from 12:00 Noon to 8:00 PM in the District Office lobby Thursday.

Delaware County Sheriff’s Deputies arrested 21 year old Rebecca Kole of Delancey, for moving from a lane unsafely, DWI, and other charges, following an investigation into a Motor Vehicle accident in the Town of Walton. Kole was later released on traffic tickets and is scheduled to appear at Walton Town Court at a later date to answer the charges.

The City of Oneonta and the Otsego County Conservation Association will be co-sponsoring a talk on the emerald ash borer on today, at 6:30pm. The insect is highly destructive; the first one was discovered in the town of Unadilla in 2014. The free talk will take place at the Otsego County Chamber of Commerce, 189 Main Street, Suite 500; it is free and open to the public. More information is available by calling OCCA at 282-4087.

The City of Oneonta has listed a number of items available for public auction. The items can be viewed & bidded on at publicsurplus.com/sms/oneonta,ny

The Sidney-Oneonta Area chapter of the Disabled American Veterans needs volunteer drivers to bring vets to the Albany VA Hospital. Program Spokesman Ernest Thompson told WCDO News that volunteers would need to visit the Albany VA Hospital to become certified to volunteer:

(Ernest Thompson 10-19-18)

Anyone interested in becoming a volunteer driver for the disabled American Veterans can call Thompson at 764-8134 or Michael Alvin at 988-9330.

Governor Cuomo announced that more than $3.4 million in projects in the Southern Tier are expected to begin this fall to help flood-prone communities plan and prepare for extreme weather events as they continue to recover from Superstorm Sandy, Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee. The funding is part of more than $41.1 million in NY Rising Community Reconstruction projects slated to get underway across the state this fall. The 3 Broome County projects were identified by NY Rising Community Reconstruction Planning Committee members as priorities for their neighborhoods and are among hundreds across the state funded by the Governor's Office of Storm Recovery NY Rising Community Reconstruction Program.

Governor Cuomo announced a $62 million investment for the Pedestrian Safety Action Plan, to utilize engineering, education and enforcement campaigns to enhance pedestrian safety across the state. More than $22 million is already being used for the 1st projects on state roads, while $40 million is being invested to enhance pedestrian safety on local roadways. In the Southern Tier; Work will begin soon to make $3.8 million in safety upgrades at 123 locations, 48 sites this year & another 75 sites to be completed in the summer of 2019.

A.O. Fox Hospital is offering training for individuals interested in becoming junior volunteers. The training is scheduled for Tuesday, July 10, from 8:30 am to 3:30 pm in A.O. Fox Hospital's Education Department. Applicants must be at least 14 years of age, Applications are available in the guidance offices of Oneonta Community Christian School, as well as the Oneonta, Unatego, Charlotte Valley, Franklin, Laurens, Gilbertsville–Mt. Upton, Morris and Edmeston Schools. More information is available at 431-5042.

On Saturday, Senator Fred Akshar partnered with representatives from UHS, the Broome County Sheriff's Office, the Johnson City Police Department and the Southern Tier AIDS Program for a "Shed the Meds" prescription turn-in event at the Oakdale Mall. Volunteers collected over 490 pounds of prescription and over-the-counter medication, including 334 bottles of prescription narcotics and other controlled substances with an estimated street value of over $50,000. Community members participated in free Narcan training held at the UHS Stay Healthy Center, each trainee received a free Narcan kit.

20 year old Kurtis Richards of Johnson City faces up to 20 years in federal prison for his involvement in a meth-manufacturing lab. Richards was part of an arrest of 16 people charged with operating a meth lab in the Southern Tier. Richards will be sentenced August 9th in US District court in Binghamton, for his guilty plea for possessing the pseudoephedrine, an over the counter medicine used to manufacture methamphetamine.

A.O. Fox Hospital will offer training for teenagers interested in becoming junior volunteers. The training is scheduled for July 10th from 8:30 AM to 3:30 PM in the Fox Hospital’s Education Department. More information is available at the Fox Volunteer Office at 431-5042; the registration deadline is June 22nd.

Local sales tax collections across New York grew 3.3% in the first 6 months of 2017, according to a report released today by State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli. Through June, local collections totaled $8 billion compared to $7.8 billion during the same period last year. DiNapoli’s report revealed local sales tax collections in several regions outpaced the statewide average, including Southern Tier at 4.5%, Central New York at 4.4% & the Mohawk Valley at 4.3%.

Numerous crews from Delaware & surrounding counties are searching for 60-year-old Wayne Lamicela of Arkville, who was reported missing while hiking on Tuesday. Lamicela did not return from a day trip at Big Indian Wilderness area in western Ulster County. Lamicela is described as a white man with brown hair, 5'8", about 130 pounds. Forest Rangers say he last wearing a black and gray striped shirt, khaki shorts, a beige ball cap with the words "New Smyrna" written on it, and a black backpack. Delaware County emergency services and Forest Rangers are working with a growing number of volunteers today; they have a command post at the Margaretville Fire Department. Anyone with information on Lamicela's whereabouts is asked to contact the State Forest Rangers, or State Police at Troop C headquarters in Sidney at 561-7400.

The Binghamton Rumble Ponies have unveiled their new mascot recently, and they are searching for help from their fans to name him. Introduced to the Southern Tier at Parade Day in early March, Fans can cast a vote for their favorite name at bingrp.com until April 3. After receiving over 1,000 submissions, the Rumble Ponies have narrowed down the list of possible names to 5, which are Bing, Buster, Ross, Rowdy, & Rumbleton. The final selection will be unveiled at the Meet the Ponies Dinner at the Holiday Inn Downtown Binghamton on April 4th.

Otsego County Conservation Association is seeking volunteers to assist with the 13th annual Earth Festival event at Milford Central School on Saturday, April 22nd, from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM in the gym at Milford Central School. There is also a pre-festival movie night being held on Friday April 21 at 7:00 PM at the school. Volunteers are being asked to help with a wide variety of tasks on Friday and Saturday, including setting up Friday afternoon, and with clean up after the event. To volunteer, call 547-4488.

Local representatives appeared at the home of Olga Ehret in Johnson City this morning, where Olga discussed the savings on her heating bills after having a free survey performed on her home, through the Home Performance with Energy Star Program. Brad Pacalis of the Public Policy & Education fund said that homeowners need to sign up as soon as possible to take advantage of the savings:

(Brad Pacalis 3-8-17)

Pacalis said that the program will only be available for a limited time, so Southern Tier homeowners should take advantage as soon as possible; the phone number for more information about the program is 723-0110.

A Volunteer meeting will be held tonight in Oneonta for those who want to sign up for the Memorial Day Weekend visit to Oneonta of the Mobile Veterans Wall. Organizer Gene Schmidt said he needs many volunteers:

(Gene Schmidt 3-8-17)

The meeting will be held tonight at the Salvation Army Gym at 25 River Street in Oneonta starting at 7:00 PM, more information is available at 610-4030.

The Southern Tier Chapter of the American Red Cross and Preferred Mutual will be hosting a Home Fire Preparedness canvassing event in Norwich. American Red Cross staff and Preferred Mutual volunteers will be visiting residents on Conkey Avenue, Sheldon Street, and Canasawacta Street, installing free smoke detectors for those homes in need. The event will be this Saturday, from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM, starting at the Norwich Fire Department at 31 East Main Street.

The Southern Tier Chapter of the American Red Cross and Preferred Mutual will be hosting a Home Fire Preparedness canvasing event in Norwich. American Red Cross staff and Preferred Mutual volunteers will be visiting residents on Conkey Avenue, Sheldon Street, and Canasawacta Street, installing free smoke detectors for those homes in need. All residents will also receive educational materials about how to protect themselves, their families, and their homes in the event of a fire. The event will be this Saturday, from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM, starting at the Norwich Fire Department at 31 East Main Street. According to the American Red Cross, home fires are responsible for approximately 7 deaths every day and over 7 billion dollars-worth of property damage every year.

Governor Cuomo today announced the $152 million second phase of the 1-81/Route 17 Prospect Mountain reconstruction project in Binghamton has begun. The project will replace bridges and reconfigure ramps to significantly improve traffic patterns in one of the Southern Tier's busiest sections. The improvements also enable the State DOT to request federal designation of the four-mile stretch of Route 17 to become I-86.   Work involves reconstructing nearly 9 center lane miles of highway. Interchange 4 will be reconstructed at its juncture with Route 7, by replacing the viaduct bridge over the Norfolk-Southern Railroad tracks and Broad Avenue. 2 new bridges will also be constructed over the Chenango River in the city of Binghamton. This phase is expected to be complete by December 2020.

The Sidney Center Improvement Group will hold their annual spring Street Clean Up this Saturday, from 10:00 am to 12:00 Noon. Group Spokesman Mike Sellitti explains:

(Mike Sellitti 5-19-16)

Sellitti said that all cleaning materials are provided for volunteers and also get a free t-shirt and ice cream afterwards at the Maywood Depot.

Governor Cuomo today announced more than $23 million in savings over a two-year period for farmers across the state as a result of the Agricultural Land Assessment Cap. First signed into law by the Governor in 2013, the cap prevents agricultural assessments from being increased by more than two percent per year. The previous cap was set at 10 percent. Regional Savings in the Southern Tier is about $2.1 million dollars.

Governor Cuomo today announced that over $10 million has been returned to more than 17,000 victims of wage theft during the first three months of 2016. This amount surpasses last year’s first quarter total of $9 million and places the state on track to exceed the $31.5 million in stolen wages recovered in 2015 – the highest ever. In the southern tier, over $74,000 was recovered for 149 workers.

On Saturday, from 8:00 AM to 2:00 PM, the Town of Hartwick will hold its annual Clean Sweep event. Please note the change in hours. Volunteers are needed to pick up roadside trash and to help at the Town Hall the day of the event. Any individual or group interested in volunteering at the Town Hall on the day of the event or in cleaning up a section of road should call 293-6654.

Governor Cuomo announced $20 million to support Binghamton University in its leading role as home to new NextFlex Flexible Hybrid Electronics Manufacturing Innovation Institute. The state’s $20 million commitment, from the Southern Tier’s $500 million Upstate Revitalization Initiative, will support the retrofitting of space in the former IBM facility in Endicott, it is expected to create up to 200 academic and private sector jobs, & up to 1,000 new jobs over the five years of the Flex Tech Alliance Program.

The Greater Chenango Cares IRT event will again be occurring in Norwich this summer. The 10 day initiative that will offer no cost medical, dental, optometry and veterinary care for children and adults in our region. The event is being led this year by the Chenango United Way and its volunteers and is occurring because of a partnership between many local health and human service organizations, local government agencies and the Department of Defense. The event will run from Friday, July 15 through Sunday, July 24 and will be held once again at the Norwich High School. Last July, 171 service personnel, both active and reserve service members, came to our community to provide medical, dental, vision and veterinary services as a training exercise and as a way to give back to local communities.

The Broome County Sheriff’s Office arrested 2 people for allegedly manufacturing methamphetamines in the town of Dickinson Wednesday morning. Deputies arrested Matthew Najarian and Jessica Palmatier. For operating a one pot meth operation at a gas station in Dickinson, the gas station had to be shut down for several hours to remove the hazardous meth making materials. Palmatier and Najarian were arraigned & were remanded to the Broome County Jail without bail.

Governor Cuomo announced $74.2 million in grant awards for 6 projects to transform and improve the delivery of health care in Southern Tier. The awards are being made through the Capital Restructuring Financing Program and Essential Health Care Provider Support Program. Locally, the United Health Services Hospitals will receive $14,332,500 for the STRIPPS Information Technology Infrastructure & Delaware Valley Hospital will receive $1,400,000 for the Telemedicine Project in Partnership with UHS.

The Tri-Town Relay for Life will hold their next meeting at the United Methodist Church at 12 Liberty Street Sidney, today at 5:30 pm. Previous team captains, new team captains, and anyone who would like to volunteers may attend; more information is available at 563-8841 or the American Cancer Society Tri Town Relay for Life at 1-800-227-2345 or the local office at 563-9634.