WCDO Radio News

P.M. NEWS WEDNESDAY 12-16-20

The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Warning this afternoon through tomorrow Morning as a major storm heads up the East Coast; Meteorologist Rich Townsend told WCDO News what he expects:

(Townsend 12-16-20)

Townsend & the National weather service expect a total of about 14 inches from this storm.

Unatego School District has decided that they will go to remote learning on Thursday for the Winter storm, Superintendent Dr. Dave Richards Explains:

(Dave Richards 12-16-20)

WCDO will have the full run down of how tomorrow's storm will affect area school district during the pandemic.

Governor Cuomo today held a COVID Briefing, he stated that the COVID Vaccine program is now underway in the state; the Vaccines will have no cost attached:

(Cuomo 12-16-20)

More information on the vaccine program is available at covid19vaccine.health.ny.gov.

New York State reported just less than 10,000 new COVID 19 cases on Tuesday, out of 160,947 tests conducted statewide, which translates into a 6.2% positivity rate. 115 more people were hospitalized, the state total is now 6,097, there are 1098 patients in an ICU bed, and 611 are on ventilators, there were 95 deaths Tuesday.

Chenango County Public Health announced their latest COVID 19 statistics today, they added 12 more positive cases, they have 137 Active Cases, 8 are hospitalized, 558 are Quarantined, and they have had 892 Total Confirmed Cases, with 730 recoveries & 16 deaths.

Otsego County Department of Health reported 18 new COVID cases today, there are 16 hospitalized, there are 141 active cases. Otsego County is up to 1643 cases, there have been 10 deaths, and 840 cases are attributed to SUNY Oneonta & Hartwick College.

The Delaware Valley Humane Society is partnering with Staffworks for the annual Save A Life Fundraiser; Erin Insinga of the Humane Society said that they have items posted on their Facebook page to give away for those who donate:

(Erin Insinga 12-16-20)

The Fundraiser runs through December 31st, Checks must be postmarked by December 31st in order for those donations to be matched by Staffworks; more information is available at 563-7780 or on the Delaware Valley Humane Society Facebook page.

SUNY Broome announced that they will go to all remote learning this afternoon & this evening, no decision has been made regarding Thursday classes at SUNY Broome.

A.M. NEWS WEDNESDAY 12-16-20

Otsego County Department of Health reported 28 new COVID cases Tuesday, they report 16 hospitalized and 1 more death. Otsego County has had 1625 total confirmed cases, 151 active cases, & 10 deaths.

Delaware County Announced their 10th COVID death Tuesday. They report 7 new cases, 91 active cases, 4 are hospitalized, 385 are quarantined, and there have been 535 cases with 434 recoveries.

The State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance announced more than $100 million in additional emergency food assistance to help New Yorkers avoid food insecurity during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. About 700,000 low-income individuals and families enrolled in SNAP will receive additional food benefits to bring them up to the maximum allowable amount for December. More information is available at otda.ny.gov/SNAP-COVID-19.

Governor Cuomo announced that there were 727 new COVID 19 cases discovered Thursday or .85% of all those tested.  The State total is now 424,167; there were 3 virus related deaths Thursday, bringing the state death toll to 25,232.  Patient Hospitalization were down to 554, there were 127 ICU patients, with 59 on ventilators

Governor Cuomo announced today that Bowling alleys, gyms, museums and other low-risk indoor cultural venues will be allowed to open shortly with strict COVID-19 guidelines.  Cuomo said that Bowling alleys will be allowed to open Monday, with 50% occupancy capacity, face masks & social distancing must be followed & every other lane will be closed, thorough cleaning and disinfection of shared or rented equipment between each use will be required; and all food service must follow all state-issued guidance.  The opening date and rules for gyms will be revealed on Monday.

Chenango County Department of Public Works will be holding their household Hazardous waste collection Tomorrow in Norwich, DPW Spokesman Dustin Hendricks explains:

(Dustin Hendricks 8-14-20)

More information is available by calling Hendricks at 337-1792, or email him at dhendricks@co.chenango.ny.us.

The State Department of Motor Vehicles is expanding New Yorkers' ability to complete certain transactions through secure drop boxes. The drop boxes can be used for license plate surrenders, address changes, and license and registration renewals. Customers using drop boxes must wear face coverings and maintain social distancing. Drop boxes are located at all state-run DMV offices and are available during regular office hours.  More information is available at dmv.ny.gov.

A Black Lives Matter peaceful protest & discussion will be held at the Bainbridge Village Green Park Saturday afternoon at 1:00 PM.  Those who would like to speak are requested to send an email to BLMBAINBRIDGE@GMAIL.COM.  Mask wearing & social distancing requirements will be mandatory at the event.

The Broome County Health Department announced that Friday that they were up to 1102 COVID 19 cases, with 74 deaths, 926 recoveries & 496 are being monitored by the Health Department they have conducted over 32,600 tests since March.

Chenango County Public Health announced that they had no new COVID 19 positive tests Thursday, they have had 218 total cases since March, there are 96 people under quarantine, 1 person is hospitalized, there have been 197 recoveries, and they have performed just under 19,000 tests.

The Oneonta City School District has posted their extensive District Re-opening plan on their website.  With the expected influx of college students coming from all over the country to Oneonta, the district announced that they will remain in the remote learning environment to start the 2020-2021 school year; they will reevaluate that model when they approach the Interim Progress Report period of October 9th.

Congressman Anthony Brindisi announced over $290,000 in grant funding for fire departments across New York’s 22nd District.   The grant money is awarded through the FEMA Assistance to Firefighters Grant program, will help local fire departments prioritize operations and safety amid the COVID-19 pandemic.  Locally the New Berlin Fire Department will get over $29,000; the South Otselic Volunteer Fire Department will get over $74,000.

The State DOT is advising motorists that State Route 28 is closed between Margaretville and Andes just north of the intersection of NYS Route 28 and NYS Route 30 to allow construction work required in response to recent storm. Detours will be posted.  During the closure, southbound motorists will be directed to County Route 1 to Tremperskill Road, to State Route 30, back onto NYS Route 28. Northbound motorist will follow the same path in reverse. Motorists are urged to slow down and drive responsibly in work zones. Up-to-date travel information is available by calling 511, visiting 511NY.org or download the free 511NY mobile app.

The Afton Central School district announced that there will be a remote Special Community Meeting today at 2:00 PM; the link to the virtual meeting is available on the district website.  Afton Superintendent Tim McNamara told WCDO News what their plans are for students for the fall:

(Tim McNamara 8-14-20)

McNamara said that on August 21 at 9:00 A.M. there will be a special live presentation in the Margery Secrest Memorial Auditorium and available remotely by clicking Special Community Meeting on the school website. The district's reopening plan is also available on the district website.

The State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance announced more than $100 million in additional emergency food assistance for New Yorkers adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, is available.   About 700,000 low-income individuals and families enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or "SNAP" will receive a supplemental payment to bring them up to the maximum allowable benefit for August to help them avoid food insecurity.   More information is available at otda.ny.gov/SNAP-COVID-19.

Sales tax revenue for local governments in July fell 8.2% compared to the same period last year, according to State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli. Collections for counties and cities in July totaled $1.3 billion or $116 million less than in July 2019. Although revenue is still down compared to July 2019, the decline is less steep than any month since March, when the COVID-19 pandemic began to affect sales tax collections.

Delaware County Public Health received 1 new positive test result for COVID-19 Thursday and no additional recoveries have been reported, the known active cases is 2. To date there have been 98 confirmed positive cases of COVID-19, with 23 people now under mandatory quarantine.  The 2 people are receiving care at home, since March, 6 people have died and 90 have fully recovered.

Governor Cuomo signed additional Police reforms into law today, The legislation stipulates that Officers must report weapon discharge within 6 hours, Police departments and courts must track arrest data, including race and ethnicity & Require police officers to provide for the medical and mental health needs of any person under arrest or in custody who requires it.

Governor Cuomo Held his latest Coronavirus update this morning he outlined some changes to regions in Phase 3 of Reopening, and 2 things to do going forward:

(Cuomo 6-15-20)

The Governor said the number of Hospitalizations from the Coronavirus is down to 1608, the number of deaths Sunday was 25, one of the lowest numbers since Mid-March, bringing the state death toll to 24,579; there have been just fewer than 384,000 coronavirus cases since early March.

The Broome County Health Department announced that they are up to 621 positive Coronavirus cases since March, they report 49 deaths, 519 recoveries, and 195 are being monitored by the Health Department

Attorney General Letitia James today announced that her Office will make its Election Protection Hotline available for the upcoming June 23RD election and during New York's early voting period, which lasts from June 13 to June 21. The hotline will be available to troubleshoot and resolve a range of issues encountered by voters, including voting by absentee ballot due to the COVID-19 crisis or in-person at their polling place. Voters can report issues to the Attorney General's Office by calling 1-800-771-7755, submitting complaints online, or emailing election.hotline@ag.ny.gov.

State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli announced that due to the Coronavirus Pandemic, Local Sales Tax Collections across the state Dropped by more than 32% in the Month of May, from the previous year.  DiNapoli reported that Sales tax collections for counties and cities in May totaled $918 million, which was $437 million less than May of 2019, DiNapoli is one of many state leaders urging the federal government to make federal aid available to the states hardest hit by the pandemic.

The State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance announced more than $100 million in additional emergency food assistance for New Yorkers adversely affected by the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic. About 750,000 low-income individuals and families enrolled in the SNAP will receive the maximum allowable benefit for June to help them avoid food insecurity.  For more information, please visit Frequently Asked Questions for the Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer Food Benefits.

After having the highest rate of coronavirus transmission in the country in March & April, New York now has the lowest rate of all 50 states, and they continue with a phased in approach to re-opening.  Governor Cuomo said that New York does not want to be in a situation like Oregon or Utah where they opened to quick, saw a spike in virus cases & is shutting everything down again:

(Cuomo 6-15-20)

State Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker announced that a decision has been made to prohibit overnight children’s camps:

(Zucker 6-15-20)

The state will allow for some low risk sports for children, with requirements regarding the number of spectators per child, the deadline to sign up for the New York State of Health Exchange has been moved to July 15th.

Chenango County Public announced Monday that they are up to 138 cases of the Coronavirus, with 64 quarantined, 2 hospitalized, there have been 124 recoveries, 6 deaths and over 7500 tests have been conducted.