WCDO Radio News

P.M. NEWS FRIDAY 10-10-25

State Police responded to a 3 vehicle crash on State Route 12 in the town of Greene, where a Mazda driven by 22 year old Makayla Cummings of Utica, was traveling south on State Route 12, when she crossed into the opposing lane, striking a Ford Focus head-on, driven by 44 year old Angel Kiekel of Nineveh. Cummings continued off the roadway and struck a parked Honda Civic, then she struck the exterior of a residence. Cummings & Keikel were both transported to Wilson Hospital for non-life-threatening injuries, Cummings faces charges for the incident.

30 year old Karl Calhoun pleaded guilty in Broome County Court to Attempted Rape & Criminal Possession of a Weapon. On August 24th, Calhoun forcibly attacked a female, struck her multiple times, strangled her, and forcibly removed her clothing, she was able to resist the attack and escape to safety, the incident was captured on video surveillance, on September 5th, Vestal Police Department conducted a traffic stop on Calhoun, a search uncovered a loaded pistol with an extended magazine containing 9 live rounds, Calhoun will be sentenced to 10 years in state prison for Attempted Rape and 7 years for Criminal Possession of a Weapon, the sentences will run concurrently, and Calhoun will be required to register as a sex offender and an Order of Protection will remain in effect.

State Police are reminding the public to be aware of phone scams that tell a victim to withdraw large sums of money or buy gold bars to “protect their assets”. Scammers will call asking if the victim made a large purchase on Amazon, if they did not, the caller is told that their identity and social security number have been stolen, they are “transferred” to someone who claims to be from a credit union or a bank and advises that the victim to withdraw their money or purchase gold bars so that it can be held for “safe keeping”. The scammers will send a “courier” to collect the money or gold bars. State Police BCI announced the arrest of 41 year old Akash Thakkar of Hiawatha, New Jersey for Grand Larceny for a June 2024 larceny where scammers swindled $500,000 in gold bars, Troopers were able to identify Thakkar as the man who picked up the gold bars, he was processed & was turned over to the Tompkins County Jail for Arraignment.

A.M. NEWS Friday 10-10-25

Delhi Police Department arrested 23 year old Xavier Calderon of New City on 2 counts of Criminal Trespass, on September 27th Calderon allegedly broke into a residence and when confronted by the occupants, claimed he was retrieving property he had left there the previous night, the investigation revealed that Calderon had been inside the residence on September 26, when the tenants were away, and that he had slept in one of the bedrooms without permission. The tenants reported that they do not know Calderon and had never authorized him to be inside the home. Calderon was taken into custody, was processed and transported to for arraignment, where a Temporary Order of Protection was issued.

The Broome County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a fatal motor vehicle accident on I-81 in the City of Binghamton Thursday morning. Broome County Sheriff’s Office Road Patrol and emergency personnel responded to a 3-car accident on I-81 south at the off ramp of Exit 12, they found a U-Haul truck on fire with the driver entrapped in the vehicle, they attempted to extinguish the flames, the U-Haul operator was extricated and transported to Wilson Medical Center, but was was pronounced deceased at the hospital. The U-Haul was towing a vehicle, after merging from Route 17 and was approaching the off ramp of Exit 12 when an SUV attempted to merge across several lanes and struck the U-Haul, causing the operator to lose control and collide with a DOT attenuator truck. The identity of the deceased will be released pending notification of next of kin.

Fenimore Farms in Cooperstown will hold their annual Tractor Fest thus weekend, Spokesperson Kerri Green explains:

(Kerri Green 10-10-25)

The schedule & more information is available at fenimorefarm.org.

Helios Care will hold a fundraising concert tonight beginning at 7:00 PM, at the Foothills Performing Arts Center on Market Street in Oneonta, spokesperson Kathryn Dailey said that fundraisers like this help fund a variety of useful programs:

(Kathryn Dailey 10-10-25)

The Grand Oneonta Opry Benefit concert will feature Elijah Wise, John Thompson and the Driftwoods joined by local musicians like Ken Wilber, The Horseshoe Lounge Playboys and Doug Decker, more information is available at helioscare.org.

The Foothills Performing Arts center will have their annual "Shocktoberfest" tomorrow, with a variety of activites according to spokesman Geoff Doyle:

(GEOFF DOYLE 10-10-25)

More information about Shocktoberfest & other events is available at foothillspac.org.

The 29th Annual Oktoberfest presented by the Deposit Chamber of Commerce will be held Sunday Oct 12th from 10am-5pm on Front Street in Deposit. There will be live music, children's activities, food vendors, beer tent, crafts, and street vendors. Visit the Deposit Chamber of Commerce Facebook page for more details.

P.M. NEWS TUESDAY 6-10-25

State Police are targeting speeding and aggressive drivers during a special week-long traffic enforcement initiative now underway through this Sunday, as Speeding is a contributing factor in nearly 1/3rd of all fatal crashes in New York State. Last year, Troopers issued 22,476 total traffic tickets, including 11,175 for speeding and 592 for violations of the Move Over law, During this “Speed Week” enforcement period, Troopers will be using both marked State Police vehicles and unmarked vehicles as part of the operation.

The Delaware County Department of Public Works will be closing County Route 67 in the Town of Tompkins to through traffic at 7:00 am tomorrow to replace a large culvert. The closure is in the vicinity of 5667 County Route 67, the nearest crossroads are Dry Brook Road and Hathaway Pond Road, a detour will be South Dry Brook Road. It is expected that the road will be reopened to one lane traffic by the end of the day on Thursday.

Amphenol Aerospace will be celebrating their 100th anniversary in Sidney with an open house on Saturday July 19th, they have also decided to have a 5K run or walk on the morning of July 19th, Spokesman Chris Cappello explains:

(Chris Cappello 6-10-25)

Registration for the 5K can be found at zippy-reg.com, the Open House at the Amphenol Facility will start at 12:00 Noon on July 19th.

The Otsego County Conservation Association is accepting nominations for its 2025 Conservationist of the Year Award, which honors outstanding contributions to environmental protection, preservation, and education in Otsego County. The award recognizes an individual, group, organization, or business , the award will be presented during OCCA's Annual Dinner on August 24 at Creekside Station in Hartwick. The deadline for nominations is July 18.

A.M. NEWS TUESDAY 6-10-25

The State Senate approved a bill Monday that would allow terminally ill people die on their own terms, it would allow a person with an incurable illness to be prescribed life-ending drugs if he or she requests the medication and gets approval from 2 physicians, the bill goes to Governor Hochul for approval.

State DOT Crews responded to the report of embankment slide on I-88 westbound near exits 16 and 17. DOT reports that about 60 to 80 feet of unpaved shoulder backup material at the pavement edge has slid into the ditched median, the left lane has been blocked under DOT supervision and will conduct assessments for repairs. Motorists can check 511 for the latest conditions there.

P.M. NEWS THURSDAY 1-16-25

Governor Hochul Delivered her State of the State Address to a joint session of the legislature Tuesday in Albany, local Assemblyman Joe Angelino comments:

(Angelino 1-16-25)

Angelino said that the Budget Address with all the details behind the Governor's agenda will be unveiled on January 21st.

John Pierre Regazzi was sentenced to a state prison term of no less than two years and no more than six years for violating the terms of his probation sentence. Law Enforcement responded in August of 2021, August 1st of 2024, October 11th of 2024 for a number of issues regarding Regazzi for Burglaries, Assault, & violating the terms of probation, in November, the Delaware County Grand Jury returned a one count Indictment charging Regazzi with Criminal Contempt. Regazzi was brought before Judge Rosa Wednesday for sentencing, where the DA"s office asked for the maximum sentence allowable under the law due to Regazzi’s latest violent charges and for his willful disobedience of the Court’s orders, from 3 different courts.

In light of California’s devastating wildfires and the increasing frequency and severity of climate disasters across the country, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is calling for state-federal cooperation to ensure that New York is fully prepared to respond to wildfires and other threats. Gillibrand commented about reaching out to state officials to see what can be done in New York State:

(Gillibrand 1-16-25)

Gillibrand said that New York State is not immune from the perils of wildfires, following last years Catskill's Fires, New York City's battle against brush fires & the previous years poor air quality from the Canadian Wildfires.

Mirabito Philanthropy, announced that their Golf Tournament from last year raised over $150,000 to various Charities. The Golf Tourney brought together Mirabito Energy Products customers, partners, employees and family members together for golf at the Turning Stone courses, money raised went to such charities as the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Make-A-Wish, the Upstate Golisano Children's Hospital, the Roswell Park Cancer Center & the Boys & Girls Clubs, among many others. This year's Golf Fundraiser will be held June 11th & 12th, more information is available at Mirabito.com.

A.M. NEWS Thursday 1-16-25

The family of Robert Brooks filed a federal civil rights lawsuit on Wednesday after Brooks was beaten by correctional officers at Marcy Correctional Facility and died at an area hospital the following day in December. The New York State Attorney General's Office has stepped back from the investigation, the case has been turned over to Onondaga County District Attorney's office for the officials investigation. The Lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Northern District of New York is against 17 defendants who are directly or indirectly involved in Brooks case.

The Transportation Security Administration officers confiscated a total of 23 handguns, at upstate New York Airports last year. All weapons were found during the routine screening of carry-on luggage. Locally, No firearms were intercepted at Greater Binghamton Airport or Ithaca Tompkins International Airport.

The Broome County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a missing person, last seen in the Town of Chenango. 69 Year old Adib “Eddie” Rouhana, of Vestal was last seen on Saturday, January 11th around Noon in the 1100 block of Upper Front St. in the Town of Chenango, report any tips, video footage, sightings, or information to the Broome County Sheriff’s Office at Tip Line at (607) 778-1196.

The Otsego County Chamber of Commerce will hold their annual State of the County Breakfast today at SUNY Oneonta's Morris Hall, starting at 8:00 AM.

P.M. NEWS FRIDAY 1-3-25

The Broome County Sheriff’s Office is currently investigating a fatal shooting in Conklin that left 1 individual dead and 1 hospitalized this morning at approximately 10:45 AM. Broome County Sheriff’s Office and State Police responded to a shooting incident involving a handgun at a residence on Leslie Avenue in the Town of Conklin. Law enforcement successfully brought the suspect into custody. 1 victim was pronounced deceased at the scene and a 2nd victim was taken to Wilson Medical Center with serious injuries, the investigation is ongoing, and more details will be released as the investigation continues.

Chenango County Fire Investigators are trying to determine the cause of a fire on December 28 in McDonough that destroyed a house and killed pets and farm animals. The Brandt family escaped the blaze, McDonough fire fighters wee assisted by the Pharsalia, Oxford, Smithville, Preston and Greene Fire Departments

Delaware County Sheriff's Deputies arrested a Hancock man and woman on charges stemming from a Domestic Dispute in the Town of Hancock last month. 24-year-old Porter Crawson and 22-year-old Vanessa Tompkins, both of Hancock had engaged in a physical Domestic Dispute, with children present, Crawson and Tompkins were each with Endangering the Welfare of a Child, they were turned over to Delaware County Correctional Facility to await Arraignment.

The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation welcomed 29 new graduates to the New York State Park Police ranks. After six months of intense training in the 19th Basic School at the State Parks Police Academy, these new officers will be assigned to serve New York's 250 state parks, historic sites and recreational facilities serving more than 84 million visitors.

A.M. NEWS FRIDAY 1-3-25

New State Laws that went into effect Wednesday include the extension of mental health coverage under Workers’ Compensation to all workers, not just first responders, including conditions like post-traumatic stress sustained on the job. Another new law allows Eligible employees to receive up to $1,177 per week in benefits, covering 67% of their wages during family-related absences. Another bill extends the ban on single-use plastic containers in hotels to include establishments with fewer than 50 rooms, to reduce waste and pollution.

State Attorney General's Office has recused itself from prosecuting the case against corrections officers involved in the death of inmate Robert Brooks last month at the Marcy Correctional facility. Onondaga County District Attorney William Fitzpatrick has been appointed to prosecute the case by the Onondaga County Supreme Court.