WCDO Radio News

P.M. NEWS THURSDAY 12-30-21

Delhi Firefighters responded Wednesday evening to a fire at 161 Main Street in the village, at a homeless shelter.  4 occupants escaped without injury, the building is a total loss, and the cause of the fire is under investigation.

More than a dozen Fire Departments responded to a blaze at 116 Franklin Avenue Extension in the Town of Fenton early this morning.  The fire was reported at about 1:40 AM, there are no injuries reported, the cause of the fire is under investigation.

Governor Kathy Hochul today announced New York State's success in awarding $900 million in Child Care Stabilization Grants to child care programs statewide. The grants are part of a $2.3 billion package of investments in New York State's child care industry funded by the federal American Rescue Plan Act and Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act. The Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) awarded funding to nearly 15,000 eligible child care providers over four months, from August through November.  Over 219 Million Dollars will go to the Southern Tier Counties child care programs.

The Otsego County Health Department Reported 116 new COVID 19 cases Wednesday, they reported 299 active cases, 11 hospitalized and a positivity rate of 8.2% over the previous 7 days.  COVID Vaccines are available in Milford; appointments can be made at appointments.bioreference.com/nystatecovidtesting

New York Attorney General Letitia James today released the following statement after a jury voted that Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc. and its affiliates were liable for the public nuisance charges made by New York state in its opioid trial in State Supreme Court:  A subsequent trial will be held to determine how much Teva and others will be required to pay.   Attorney General James has already negotiated deals with Johnson & Johnson, McKesson, Cardinal Health, and Amerisource Bergen for a global value of approximately $26 billion, the cases against Mallinckrodt and Rochester Drug Cooperative are now moving separately through U.S. Bankruptcy Court.

The Center for Agricultural Development & Entrepreurships Farmer' Survey deadline is tomorrow.  The survey takes about 15 minutes to complete and allows farmers to identify their top food system priorities.  The survey represents the 2nd phase of CADE’s data collection process, from 17 focus groups which were conducted between March and October in partnership with Cornell University, SUNY Cobleskill, and other researchers. The survey can be found at cornell.ca1.qualtrics.com, more information is available at cadefarms.org.

A.M. NEWS Thursday 12/30/21

The City of Oneonta Police Department is investigating a bank robbery at the NBT bank at 1 Wall Street Wednesday at about 11:00 AM.  A single male suspect demanded the teller to hand over an undisclosed amount of money, he  is described a 5’8 to 6’ tall, wearing a dark colored hooded sweatshirt, dark colored pants and is about 220-250 pounds with a heavy build.  He was last seen walking in an easterly direction on Wall Street.  The public is encouraged to contact the Oneonta Police Detectives with any additional information at (607) 432-1111.

The American Red Cross is holding a blood drive today at the A.O. Fox Hospital Tri-Town Campus Lab between 1:30 PM and 6:30PM in the Conference Room N-112. Another Blood drive will be held in Cooperstown from 12:00 Noon until 5:00 PM at the Otsego County Office of Emergency Services, 140 County Highway 33W, Appointments may be made at redcrossblood.org or by calling 1-800-RedCross.

Delaware County Public Health reported 117 new COVID cases for Tuesday & Wednesday, with a positivity rate still at 9.5%.  They have 272 active cases, 10 hospitalized & 336 quarantined, there have been 85 deaths from the virus in Delaware County.

Chenango County Health Department has scheduled a Moderna and Janssen booster clinic today at the South Plaza Clinic site in Norwich.  The vaccination appointments link can be found at co.chenango.ny.us/public-health, other vaccine clinics can be found at covid19vaccine.health.ny.gov.

Governor Hochul signed into law a bill which allows for New York air ambulances to carry blood products. The measure followed an injury of Travis Flanagan in Greene, who was severely injured & was airlifted from Greene to Syracuse in an air ambulance based in Pennsylvania that carried blood on board; New York was the only state in the nation whose regulations prohibited medical helicopters from carrying blood.  Flanagan appeared at a press conference in Binghamton yesterday with Assembly members Donna Lupardo & Joe Angelino & State Senator Fred Akshar.

P.M. NEWS TUESDAY 11-2-21

Today is Election Day, All State voters will be voting for Clean Air & Clean Water Propositions, as well as those for amending the redistricting process, eliminating the 10 day Registration requirement & authorizing no excuse absentee balloting.

In The City of Norwich, Residents will be voting for a new Mayor, as Shawn Sastri has declined to seek re-election, Republican candidate Brian Doliver told WCDO News that the drug problem & infrastructure are his top p[priorities if elected:

(Brian Doliver 11-2-21)

Democratic Candidate John Quattrocchi told WCDO News that as a lifelong Norwich resident, change is needed to grow the city:

(John Quattrocchi 11-2-21)

Voting will be held until 9:00 PM.

In the City of Oneonta, Residents will be voting for a new Mayor, as long time Mayor Gary Herzig decided to not seek re-election, Democratic Candidate Mark Drnek told WCDO news that his vision is to add people & jobs to Oneonta:

(Mark Drnek 11-2-21)

Republican Candidate Len Carson told WCDO News that he feels his public service & experience will help him as Mayor:

(Len Carson 11-2-21)

Both Drnek & Carson have been serving as Oneonta City Aldermen, voting will be until 9:00 PM.

Former Assembly Republican Minority Leader Brian Kolb pleaded guilty Monday to driving while ability impaired, relating to an incident on New Year's Eve 2019 in Ontario County. Police reported that Kolb was behind the wheel when he crashed his state-issued vehicle went into a ditch, he blamed the crash on his wife. Kolb stepped down from the position of Assembly Minority Leader days later, he did not seek re-election to the Assembly in November 2020.

On Wednesday, October 27th, Delaware County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to a report of a male subject acting irrational and driving at an extremely high rate of speed on State Highway 30 in the Middletown/Andes area. Responding Deputies located 29-year old James Lor of Margaretville, who is accused of operating the vehicle while in an intoxicated condition. Lor’s Driver’s license was revoked due to numerous previous DWI related suspensions. Lor was also found to be in possession of a small quantity of Cocaine. Lor was charged with Felony DWI, Aggravated Unlicensed Operation of a Motor Vehicle, Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance, along with several other charges, Lor was arraigned in the Town of Delhi Court and was released on his own recognizance, pending court action at the Town of Middletown Court at a later date.

A.M. NEWS TUESDAY 11-2-21

State Police, the Delhi Police Department, and the State University Police at Delhi responded to a fight Sunday at a large college party off campus on Scotch Mountain Road in Delhi. One person sustained stab wounds and was ultimately transported to Albany Medical Center for treatment. 3 others were treated at a local hospital for non-life-threatening injuries. The incident is still under investigation but appears to be an isolated incident. Anyone who may have witnessed the altercation is asked to call New York State Police at (607)432-3934.

Delaware County Public Health reported 1 more COVID 19 death in their report covering last Thursday & Friday, bringing their total to 64. The County had a positivity rate of 4.86%, more than twice the state average, they had 39 new cases, 108 active cases & 6 hospitalized and 125 quarantined. 52.1% of eligible Delaware County Residents were vaccinated against COVID 19.

UHS Chenango Memorial Hospital will be hosting two upcoming vaccination clinics for eligible individuals looking to receive a booster or third dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. The clinics will be held from 8 am. to 2 pm. on both Saturday, November 6 and Saturday, November 13 in UHS Cardiology Norwich, located on the hospital’s first floor. For more information on vaccine availability in the Southern Tier, visit SouthernTierVax.org.

16 citations were issued during an “Operation Hard Hat” detail in Broome County. On October 28, 2021, Troopers monitored traffic in the active work zone on State Route 17 east to Interstate 81 north in the city of Binghamton. Road crews were replacing concrete pavement. During the detail, a trooper blends in with the workers and watches for risky and unsafe behavior. 5 Tickets were issued for speeding, 4 for cellphone use while driving, 2 for violating seat belt laws & 5 for other assorted violations.

Local sales tax collections totaled $5.2 billion in the third quarter (July-September of 2021), up $861 million (20%) from the same period last year and continuing the trend of exceeding pre-pandemic levels, according to a report released today from State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli. Statewide, every region saw solid growth in sales tax collections during the third quarter compared to the same period last year. Outside of New York City, the July-September period marked the fifth consecutive quarter that county and city sales tax receipts met or exceeded pre-pandemic levels. Statewide local sales tax collections in the third quarter of 2021 grew 8.6% ($409 million) over the pre-pandemic third quarter of 2019.

P.M. NEWS Friday 7-30-21

State Police and local law enforcement will be increasing patrols to target speeding from tomorrow through August 8th.  Statistics from the Institute for Traffic Safety Management and Research at the University at Albany's reported that unsafe speed was a contributing factor in 314 fatal crashes in 2020, compared to 230 fatal crashes in 2019, which was a 36% increase. The 314 fatal crashes last year resulted in 365 deaths including drivers, bicyclists, and pedestrians.  The enforcement campaign is supported by the Governor's Traffic Safety Committee, during last year's Speed Awareness Week; law enforcement throughout the state issued 21,428 tickets for speeding and 30,273 tickets for other vehicle and traffic law violations, such as impaired and distracted driving.

Governor Cuomo today announced that New York State will administer nearly $1.1 billion in federal funding directly to child care providers to help stabilize the industry and enable more parents to return to the workplace fulltime. The funding is available through the American Rescue Plan Act and the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act; funding applications will open Wednesday, August 4.  Today's announcement gives child care providers time to prepare and gather relevant materials needed for their application.

Delaware County Sheriff Craig DuMond was presented with a Certificate of Accreditation for the Sheriff’s Corrections Division at a meeting of the Delaware County Board of Supervisors in Delhi on Wednesday.  The Accreditation of the Corrections Division of the Sheriff’s Office finalizes the full and complete accreditation throughout all Divisions of the Sheriff’s Office; the most current accreditation stated that the corrections facility met or exceeded all 166 components for accreditation.

State Senator Peter Oberacker today announced legislation he sponsored designating baseball as New York's official state sport has been signed into law by Governor Cuomo.    This bill was proposed by a Cooperstown Elementary School 4th grade class; Cooperstown is the home of the Baseball Hall of Fame and is believed to be the birthplace of the sport.  New York State has previously designated an official gemstone, fossil, shell, bush, salt water fish and reptile.

Governor Cuomo signed legislation designating a portion of State Route 13 in Madison County as the "Assemblyman William 'Bill' Magee Memorial Highway."  Magee served in the state Assembly from 1990 until 2018, much of that tenure, he served as the Chairman of the Assembly Agriculture Committee, he passed away on December 24, 2020, he was 81.

A.M. NEWS FRIDAY 7-30-21

This week Delaware County Public Health reported 21 new cases of COVID 19; previously there have been a total of 8 breakthrough infections since June 1st.  Delaware County has 26 active cases, 2 Hospitalized & 36 quarantined, officials said that they have not received information from the state Department of Health that the Delta Variant is present in Delaware County, which is classified by the CDC as more likely to spread, cause reinfection or cause severe illness, as well as reduce vaccine effectiveness.  Currently only 47% of Delaware County residents are fully vaccinated for COVID-19, Unvaccinated individuals should get vaccinated and continue to wear a mask until they are fully vaccinated.

The American Red Cross continues to experience a severe blood shortage and donors of all blood types, especially type O.  Donors can Schedule an appointment by using the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting RedCrossBlood.org, calling 1-800-RED CROSS or enabling the Blood Donor Skill on any Alexa Echo device.  A blood drive is being held today from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM at the Elm Park Methodist Church, 401 Chestnut Street in Oneonta.

Chenango County Public Health reminds area residents of upcoming COVID 19 Vaccination opportunities.  Today, a Johnson & Johnson one dose clinic is available at the Health Department, on SATURDAY a 1st dose Pfizer clinic for those 12 years of age & older will be at the former Label Shopper Store, in the South Plaza in Norwich from 10:00 AM to 12:00 Noon, register for this clinic at the Chenango County Public Health vaccine page on their website.  The Chenango County Health Department now has COVID-19 vaccinations on August 6th, 13th, 20 & 27th; more information is available at 337-1660.

Delaware County Democratic Committee announced that a Meet & Greet for Walton Town Supervisor Candidate Lillian Browne-Burdick today from 4:00 to 6:00 PM, at the Hayek's Barn house, 3736 County Highway 22, Walton. The event is open to the public; more information is available at electlilliansupervisor.com.

P.M. NEWS WEDNESDAY 7-21-21

The Greene Fire Department reported last night that they responded to a bridge washout at Wylie Road & Paradise Valley Road.  Greene, Afton, McDonough & Coventry fire Departments were also responding today to reports of downed trees & power lines from last night's storms.  NYSEG reported about a dozen Chenango County customers were without power this morning.

Otsego County Department of Emergency Services reported that State Route 51 remains closed south of the village of Morris to the Butternuts Town Line is still closed.  In the town of Morris, portions of Dimock Hollow Road, Gulf Road & Pittsley Road are closed.  In the Town of Butternuts, Dunham’s Cross road is closed, in the town of Pittsfield Cobb & Hawks roads are still closed, all roads in the town of Unadilla that were affected by flooding, are now open.

The Oneonta Common Council announced the appointment of Brian Knapp as the new Chief of the Oneonta Fire Department.  Knapp replaces interim chief Michael Mancini who was appointed following the retirement of Patrick Pidgeon in February.

SUNY Chancellor Jim Malatras announced that Alberto Cardelle will be the new President of SUNY Oneonta, starting September 6th.  Cardelle replaces interim President Dennis Craig, following the resignation of Barbara jean Morris late last year. Cardelle previously served in a variety of position at Fitchburg State University in Massachusetts.

Hartwick College Athletics officially renamed their annual Golf Tournament after coach and alumnus, Nick Lambros, from the class of 1959.  “The Classic Nick Lambros Golf Tournament” will be held on Saturday, September 25 at Oneonta Country Club with a 1 p.m. shotgun start.  For more information or to register for the tournament, go to hartwickalumni.org, or call 431-4431.

The Delaware County Fair board is looking to hire someone to handle some of their expected garbage during Fair week, Spokesman Jason Craig explains:

(Jason Craig 7-21-21)

Craig also announced that the Walton Police Department arrested 3 unidentified juveniles for damaging the Fair Secretary's Office; they will be hiring a company to come in & for clean-up & repairs.

The State Health Department & Governor Cuomo are urging New Yorkers who have not yet been vaccinated, to do so as quickly as possible, as the highly infectious Delta Variant of COVID 19 has caused the state's infection rate to quadruple in recent weeks, to 1.75% of those tested on Tuesday.  1452 tested positive Tuesday, and over the last few days, Patient Hospitalizations, patients in ICU Beds & those on Ventilators are starting to increase again.  There were 5 deaths attributed to COVID Tuesday.

A.M. NEWS WEDNESDAY 7-21-21

State Attorney General Letitia James announced an agreement with McKesson Corporation, Cardinal Health and Amerisource Bergen Drug Corporation, that will deliver up to $1.1 billion to New York State to combat the ongoing opioid epidemic. The agreement is the largest monetary settlement; it will remove those 3 companies from New York's ongoing opioid trial, currently underway in State Supreme Court.

The State Department of Labor released preliminary local unemployment rates for June.  The State's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased .1% to 7.7% in June; Locally Chenango County had 4.6% unemployment, Delaware County 4.9% & Otsego County 4.9% in June.

Sidney Police Department responded July 13th to Walgreens for a report of an employee having personal property stolen from them by customers, on Monday, Sidney Police arrested 28 year old Russell LeBlanc of Delhi & 37 year old Jamie Benham of Sidney for 1 count each of Petty Larceny & Conspiracy.  Benham was released on an appearance ticket to appear back in court at a later date, State Parole was notified of LeBlanc's arrest, who issued their own warrant for his arrest, LeBlanc was arraigned in Village of Sidney Court, where he was released on his own recognizance to appear back in court at a later date, he was then turned over to State Parole officers who remanded him to the Delaware County Jail.

P.M. NEWS MONDAY 4-19-21

Catholic Charities & several other organizations are teaming up for a mass food distribution at the River Street Fire Station in Sidney tomorrow morning, Catholic Charities Spokesperson Penny McKnight explains:

(Penny McKnight 4-20-21)

McKnight said that previous events have distributed more than 9 tons or more of food last year.

Governor Cuomo announced today some changes for venue capacity coming in the next month:

(Cuomo 4-19-21)

The total number of COVID hospitalizations on Sunday was 3,834; of the 296,240 tests reported, 8,235 or 2.78% were positive, there were 58 fatalities.

Chenango County Public reported that they were down to 99 Active Cases, 455 Active Quarantines & 8 hospitalizations & a total of 3091 total cases.  There have been 2816 Recoveries, 72 deaths; they have conducted over 101,000 Tests Performed.

The New Jersey Devils Hockey Team announced that they are terminating their minor league agreement with Binghamton after this season.  The Binghamton Devils have been playing at another venue this season in New Jersey due to COVID concerns & New York's Regulations regarding mass gatherings.

State Police are asking for the public’s help in locating missing runaway, 16 year old Hannah Riley of Windsor.  Police reported that Hannah never returned home from school last Thursday, April 15th,  she was last seen wearing sweatpants, a pink sweatshirt with the word “Fly” on it, teal crocs and carrying a pink backpack with the word “Champion” on it, she did not have a cell phone with her.  Anyone with information about Hannah Riley's location should contact New York State Police at Binghamton at 775-1241.

A.M. NEWS MONDAY 4-19-21

Delaware County Sheriff's Deputies & SUNY Delhi University Police responded to a physical domestic disturbance involving a weapon on Main Street in Delhi last week.   Deputies arrested 59 year-old Alan Reese with 2nd degree burglary, Criminal contempt & criminal possession of a controlled substance.  Reese is accused of unlawfully entering a residence in violation of an order of protection and engaging in a domestic dispute with the victim.  Reese was arraigned in the Town of Hamden Court and was remanded to the Delaware County Correctional Facility on $10,000 cash bail pending his re-appearance in the Town of Hamden Court on a later date.

State Police arrested 29 year old Matthew Bonser of Nanticoke, Pennsylvania for 1st degree Assault, Burglary & Robbery, he was also charged as a Fugitive for Justice in Pennsylvania.    Police responded Saturday to a violent altercation in the Town of Barker, where Bonser allegedly broke into a residence & attacked a 71 year old resident, who was taken to Wilson Hospital.  Bonser is accused of going to another residence & threatening the occupant with a knife & stealing his car.   Bonser was spotted by a Broome County Deputy  & Troopers, he was pursued until he crashed into another vehicle and a pole on Colesville Road.  Bonser & the  87 year old driver in that crash were taken to Wilson Hospital.  Bonser was processed at Broome County Central Arraignment and Processing.

The Norwich Family YMCA announces the postponement of the 25th Anniversary Gus Macker Basketball in Downtown Norwich.  With State guidelines for large scale events in New York State as they currently stand, Macker organizers cannot successfully manage a large "open access" event in our community and requirements as it would add extra costs to the implementation, they hope to have the 25th Macker tournament in July 2022 in Norwich.

The Rolling Antiquers of Chenango County announced that they are canceling their Memorial Day Weekend Car show this year.  Organizers hope to hold their next show in 2022.

The statewide COVID-19 Positivity Rate for tests Saturday hit the lowest level since November 7th of last year, at 2.35%.  There were 3,754 Patient Hospitalizations, 849 Patients in the ICU & 520 on Ventilators, the lowest Since December 7; there were 35 COVID-19 Deaths Saturday.

P.M. NEWS MONDAY 3-8-21
The push continues to get New Yorkers vaccinated against COVID 19 as quickly as possible, State Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker commented at a press conference at the rapid vaccination site at the Javitz Center in New York City this morning:

(Zucker 3-8-21)

Mass vaccination sites are scheduled to begin opening in the upstate rural counties, the State University at Oneonta is scheduled to be one of those sites.

State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins & Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, are both calling for Governor Cuomo to resign, as allegations against Cuomo now exist from 4 women. Governor Cuomo said he will not resign, and said that he must be accorded due process, and he will cooperate with the investigation by Attorney General Letitia James office.

Chenango County Public Health reported 41 new COVID 19 cases since Friday, for a total of 2502 since the pandemic began; they report 75 active cases, 6 hospitalized & 275 quarantined. Chenango County has had 2270 recoveries, and they have administered over 84,700 tests.

Delaware County Sheriff's Deputies arrested 35 year old Daniel Chisholm of Downsville Sunday afternoon in Delhi. Deputies observed a vehicle traveling north on Meredith Street at an excessive speed, Chisholm was stopped & a routine DMV inquiry revealed that Chisholm’ driving privileges had been suspended since 2019. Chisholm was charged with aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, unlicensed operator, speeding & having an obstructed driver’s view, he will face action in the Town of Delhi Court at a later date.

A.M. NEWS MONDAY 3-8-21

The Otsego County Department of Health reported 147 new COVID 19 cases between Monday & Friday of last week, 47% of the new cases were among college students & college employees. 46 new cases were reported Friday, Otsego County reported 174 active cases, 1284 total cases in 2021, 9 were hospitalized & there have been 33 deaths in 2021.

Delaware County Public Health reported 24 new positive COVID 19 cases Friday our of 356 tested, 13 new positive COVID 19 cases Saturday, out of 474 tested, & 17 out of 244 tested Sunday, they reported 123 active cases, 10 hospitalized & 334 quarantined.

The State Health Department reported Saturday, that they had 4,789 Patient Hospitalizations Statewide; the Lowest total since December 6, 999 Patients in the ICU; the lowest since December 9th & there were 682 on ventilators. There were 227,768 tested with 6,789 positive Saturday, the Statewide Positivity Rate is 2.98% for COVID testing on Saturday, there were 59 COVID-19 Deaths.

Governor Cuomo announced Sunday that restaurants outside of New York City can move to 75% indoor capacity starting March 19th, New York City Restaurants Will Remain at 35 Percent Capacity.

State Police reported that 15 year old Adrianna Leidecker was located late last week & was in good health. Leidecker left her home in Kirkwood late Monday or early Tuesday.