WCDO Radio News

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.