WCDO Radio News

SUNY Broome admitted the Windsor High School’s entire Senior Class of 2022 to the college in the Windsor/SUNY Broome College Express Partnership event last Wednesday. Windsor Assistant Superintendent for Instruction Scott Beattie told WCDO News that this is the classic Win Win for all parties:

(Scott Beattie 11-12-21)

Beattie said that this was the 3rd year of the College Express Partnership, Windsor's Class of 2020 became the 1st full class in history to be immediately admitted to SUNY Broome.

State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli released his office’s annual report on the Wall Street Securities Industry. Wall Street’s run of prosperity extended into the first half of 2021 with $31 billion in pre-tax earnings, beating 2020’s outsized first half profits of $27.6 billion, even as job losses accelerated in New York City’s securities industry. DiNapoli said that State revenues in the first half exceeded initial projections by $5.2 billion, because of Wall Street and the increased income taxes on wealthy New Yorkers, however, the report shows that despite the profitability, jobs are being relocated elsewhere, New York will have lost about 9,000 securities jobs, bringing the total down to 175,000.

George Carnrike III has joined the leadership team at UHS Chenango Memorial Hospital. The Norwich native will serve as the hospital’s security supervisor, he has 10 years of law enforcement experience, including as a City of Norwich police officer until 2016.

A.M. NEWS Monday 10-25-21

Chobani is partnering with Swipe Out Hunger to help local colleges feed students in need. This collaboration will support efforts to stock food pantries or to establish students accounts in order to purchase hot meals. The partnership will also support efforts to provide food for students at SUNY Oneonta, Hartwick College, and several colleges in the Mohawk Valley. Chobani, Swipe Out Hunger and VICE News are also joining together for a virtual summit to raise awareness about food security and its impacts. To register for the summit, click chobanicollegehungersummit.com/event/register

P.M. NEWS THURSDAY 9-16-21

Governor Kathy Hochul today announced the suspension of the state hiring freeze through the end of the fiscal year, Following the release of the updated State Financial Plan projecting $2.1 billion in revenue above projections. Lifting the hiring freeze will enable state agencies to grow their work-forces after the number of workers in Executive Agencies declined by more than 10,000 between March 2020 and August 2021.

The Independent Redistricting Commission met Wednesday & released 2 proposed maps for Congressional Districts.  The newly created independent commission is tasked with drawing the lines for Congressional seats & state legislative offices.  The maps are being drawn based on the 2020 census; the meeting was recorded & can be viewed at nyirc.gov.

Binghamton University has reported 187 COVID-19 cases among on-campus students and staff over the past 2 weeks, that number is 15% of positive cases across the entire SUNY system.  SUNY officials reported a total of 1,259 cases during a 14-day period through Tuesday September 14th at its 64 campuses.  SUNY Binghamton reported 93% of their students are currently vaccinated; Students are required to get vaccinated by the end of the month or risk being unregistered from their courses.

The Friends of Rogers is hosting their 3rd Annual Electric Car Show on October 3rd, from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM at the Rogers Environmental Education Center in Sherburne. The Friends of Rogers will also have the 2020 Tesla Model 3 on display, tickets for the raffle of the Tesla are available at the show or they are available online at friendsofrogers.org, the last day to purchase raffle tickets is October 15th at 6:00 PM.

A.M. NEWS THURSDAY 9-16-21

Delaware County Public Health reports that Vaccinations rates have stalled at 49.6 & 85% of the positive cases are unvaccinated, 17% of the positive cases are Pre-K to 12th grade students & employees.  The County reports 59 new cases in the previous 2 days, with 195 active cases, 4 hospitalized & 369 quarantined.

P.M. NEWS TUESDAY 9-14-21

Chenango County Sheriff's Office responded to a fatal 2-car motor vehicle accident on County Road 36 in the Town of Guilford Monday.  Investigators reported that 22-year-old Dominique Brissett of Walkill was traveling north bound on County Road 36 and collided with an SUV operated by 23-year-old Rachel Feyh of Sidney.  Brissett was pronounced dead on the scene, Feyh was air lifted by Life Net to SUNY Upstate Medical in Syracuse, where she was listed in critical but stable condition. The investigation into the cause of the motor vehicle accident is still ongoing.

The State Department of Health today announced that New York State's youth smoking rate has reached an all-time low. As of 2020, less than 3% of high school students smoke cigarettes, down from 27.1% in 2000.  The Youth Tobacco Survey found that youth tobacco use was down across all tobacco product categories, including a drop in e-cigarette use for the first time.  New Yorkers of all ages can contact the New York State Smokers’ Quitline at 1-866-NYQUITS or visit nysmokefree.com.

P.M. NEWS WEDNESDAY 7-14-21

Nationwide Opioid overdose deaths were a record 93,000 last year during the COVID-19 pandemic, an increase of more than 19,000 from 2019 or 29%.  Lockdowns and pandemic restrictions made treatment programs difficult to access in 2020, which likely contributed to the deaths.  New York State has had about 3000 overdose deaths annually since 2018.

SUNY Chancellor Jim Malatras is encouraging students to get vaccinated ahead of the fall semester through a 30-day challenge he issued this week.  Malatras announced that students would need to be vaccinated to return to campus, with vaccines that have FDA approval.   SUNY Schools are looking to return everyone to dorms & classrooms in the 2021-22 school year, after a year of large numbers of infections on SUNY campuses, and remote learnings throughout the system.

Republican Kyle Van De Water has decided to run against Congressman Antonio Delgado again, after losing to him in 2020, when Delgado won with 54% of the vote, to Van De Water 42%.  The 19th Congressional District currently includes all of Delaware & Otsego Counties, as well as Schoharie, Sullivan and Ulster counties & a part of Broome County, but it could look substantially different after redistricting based on the 2020 census.

A.M. NEWS Wednesday 7-14-21

NYSEG reported about 310 customers were still without power this afternoon in Broome & Chenango Counties, after last night's storm, crews are working to restore power as quickly as possible.

The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum announced that this summer’s Induction Ceremony will take place at 1:30 PM on Wednesday, September 8th in front of limited crowds as an outdoor ticketed event on the grounds of the Clark Sports Center. The Induction Ceremony will be broadcast live exclusively on MLB Network. Planning continues to be adapted to guidelines set forth by the Centers for Disease Control and the State of New York. The Hall of Fame’s 2021 Induction Ceremony will

honor the members of the Class of 2020: Derek Jeter, Marvin Miller, Ted Simmons and Larry Walker. No candidates were elected for Induction in 2021.

Broome County Executive Jason Garnar announced that the mass Vaccination site at the SUNY Broome Ice Center will be closing. Garner said that over 93,000 of the more than 190,000 Broome County Residents are fully vaccinated, about 1/4 of those received their vaccinations at SUNY Broome's Ice Center.

A.M. NEWS WEDNESDAY 6-9-21

The state Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance announced that all New Yorkers enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will receive at least the maximum allowable level of food benefits for June, a benefits distribution that will push more than $200 million in federal aid into the state’s economy. The supplemental benefits provided to individuals and households enrolled in SNAP have already infused more than $2.3 billion into New York’s economy since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic last year.

Local government sales tax collections in April grew by 45.7% over the same month in 2020, according to State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli.  Collections totaled $1.5 billion, up $464 million from April of last year, as the state was in the beginning stages of dealing with the COVID 19 pandemic & shutting down to try to curtail the spread of the virus.    DiNapoli said collections last month were still strong, up by more than 10.2% when compared to April of 2019, which was well before the pandemic.

The public is invited to shop for gently-used items donated by SUNY Oneonta students following the campus' annual Move-Out Donation and Reuse collection, tomorrow at 9:00 AM at the ReUse Center, 23 Duane Street, Oneonta.  The college had designated collection spaces in each of the 10 active residence halls to collect the items students no longer wanted, Off-campus students donated directly to the ReUse Center Proper mask use and social distancing will be enforced at the event. More information about the Move-Out Program and other campus sustainability initiatives is available suny.oneonta.edu/sustainability/move-out.

P.M. NEWS FRIDAY 5-14-21

47 year old Kristina Hand of Morris was sentenced in federal court to 2 years of probation, she was ordered to serve 50 hours of community service & pay $34,000 in restitution, for stealing that amount from the Morris Central School District, while serving as school treasurer from 2014 to 2020.    Hand pleaded guilty to 2 counts of federal program theft, she admitted she stole about $24,000 by depositing checks payable to the school district into bank accounts that she controlled, and for stealing at least $10,000 more by using the school district’s Amazon account and credit cards to purchase personal items.

Identity thefts in New York surged during the pandemic with more than 67,000 complaints filed statewide in 2020, which was 85 percent more than the previous year and more than four times the annual total from a decade earlier, according to a report released today by New York State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli.  Credit card fraud was the most common type of identity theft reported last year, with nearly 25,000 New Yorkers victimized.

A.M. NEWS FRIDAY 5-14-21

About 1,300 members of SUNY Oneonta’s graduating class will be recognized tomorrow during 2021 commencement exercises that include virtual and in-person components, including an opportunity to cross the stage and hear their name called.  The virtual ceremony is a full commencement program that will air Saturday, with 4 ceremonies based on academic major: School of Economics and Business at 9 a.m.; School of Education, Human Ecology, and Sports Studies at 11 a.m.; School of Liberal Arts at 1 p.m.; and School of Sciences at 3 p.m.

P.M. NEWS TUESDAY 5-11-21

2 men arrested for 4 gas station robberies in the same day in April of 2020 were sentenced in Otsego County Court.  42 year old Bryan Ruple was charged with Burglary & robbery & was sentenced to 7 years in jail in a plea bargain arrangement, and 41 year old Derrick Gray, 41, was charged with robbery and attempted robbery, he was sentenced to 2 1/2 to 5 years in prison, in Otsego County Court.

Governor Cuomo announced on Monday that SUNY and CUNY students must be vaccinated before they can return to in-person classes in the fall, The Governor is also calling on private universities to do the same.

P.M. NEWS TUESDAY 4-27-21

Governor Cuomo visited SUNY Binghamton today and he announced that beginning Thursday, all New York State mass vaccination sites will be Open to eligible New Yorkers 16 and older, for walk-in vaccination on a first come first serve basis. Broome County Executive Jason Garnar urged Broome County Residents to take advantage of this change:

(Garnar 4-27-21)

The Governor also announced the mass vaccination site located at 10 Gannett Drive in Johnson City will move inside the building at the same address, to allow for increased capacity and will be less impacted by any adverse weather conditions.  The Governor stated that the metrics that the state is following will allow for re-opening to continue:

(Cuomo 4-27-21)

The walk-in appointments are reserved for first doses only with second doses to be scheduled automatically after administration of the initial shot. Additionally, all vaccine providers are encouraged to likewise allow walk-in appointments and for eligible New Yorkers.

The Online Learner’s Permit for class D & M driver’s licenses is now available online to New Yorkers, Following a successful pilot program launched last year.  The new service allows people to take the learner’s permit at home, which will cut down on the number of people in DMV offices statewide; more information is available at dmv.ny.gov.

The U.S Census Bureau announced that New York State will lose 1 seat in the House of Representatives, due to the continuing population shifts away from the Northeast, to southern & western States.  New York will have 26 representatives in Congress after redistricting; New York is one of 7 state losing Congressional seats, following the 2020 census.

Sales tax revenue for local governments declined by 3.9% in the 1st quarter compared to the same period last year, according to State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli. Sales tax collections from January through March totaled $4.3 billion, which was $173 million less than the first quarter of 2020. Collections for the first quarter of 2021 increased compared to the first quarter of 2020 in every region outside of New York City, with increases ranging from 2.4 percent in the Southern Tier to 9.8% in the North Country.

A.M. NEWS FRIDAY 4-23-21

This year, The Firemen's Association of New York will have their annual Recruit New York Weekend this Saturday & Sunday.  Many firehouses across New York State will hold virtual or in-person recruitment efforts, locally, fire Departments in Coventry, West Oneonta, Laurens, & West Laurens are participating in the recruiting effort.

Starting today, walk-in appointments will be available at 16 mass vaccination sites for New Yorkers ages 60 and up.  The closest site to the Tri-County region is SUNY Binghamton.

The number of COVID Hospitalizations statewide is 3,567; the Lowest number of Hospitalizations since November 29, 2020. There were 811 Patients in the ICU; Lowest ICU Patients Since December 3, 2020 & 499 on ventilators, there 45 COVID-19 Deaths in the State Wednesday.

The Otsego County Department of Health will be holding a first dose only vaccination clinic on April 29th at the Meadows Complex in Cooperstown.  This clinic will be using the MODERNA Vaccine, to vaccinate individuals age 18 and older.  Registration can be found on the Otsego County Department of Health Website at otsegocounty.com.

A.M. NEWS THURSDAY 4-22-21

Governor Cuomo announced today that People ages 60 and older in New York state don't have to make COVID vaccine appointments anymore.  The Governor announced that that age group can walk into any mass vaccination site starting Friday and get a shot, the closest site will be at SUNY Binghamton.

Friends of Rogers started their 2nd annual Electric Car Raffle today March 19th, which features a prize of a 2020 Tesla Model 3. The raffle runs through October 15th, the winner will be announced on October 21st. at Rogers Center and will be open to the public. More information is available at FriendsofRogers.org & click on “Win a Tesla.”

A.M. NEWS FRIDAY 3-19-21

The state-run mass vaccination site at SUNY Oneonta opened today with Bassett Healthcare Network staff, state Staff, the National Guard and Otsego County Public Health on hand.  Anyone currently eligible under state guidelines can find the link to register at bassett.org, or at the 'Am I Eligible' App or website or by calling 1-833-NYS-4-VAX (1-833-697-4829).

The State Department of Taxation and Finance today announced that registration for free virtual tax filing assistance sessions is now open. Officials said that if your federal adjusted gross income in 2020 was $72,000 or less, you qualify to receive free virtual tax assistance from the Tax Department. More information is available at tax.ny.gov/fsa.

Binghamton Rumble Ponies & the New York Mets announced the 2021 coaching staff today.  The manager will be Lorenzo Bundy, who was scheduled to take the reins in 2020, but due to the cancellation of the season, never got the opportunity.  Bundy will be joined by pitching coach, Jonathan Hurst, trainer Kiyoshi Tada, Hitting Coach Bruce Fields and Performance Coach Dylan Cintula.  The Rumble Ponies season starts May 8th,   the home opener at NYSEG Stadium will be on May 11th.

SUNY Oneonta has placed all of its athletic programs on pause following a recent increase in COVID-19 cases.  Team activity and practices are suspended until at least March 3, in which school officials will reassess the situation and make a determination on when to resume.  Otsego County Health Department reported 12 new cases on the Oneonta campus earlier this week.