WCDO Radio News

Broome County DA Mike Korchak announced that 57 year old Nicholas Vail was sentenced to 3 1/2 to 7 years in prison for 3rd degree robbery. Vail was arrested for robbing a market in Binghamton in February, he was previously convicted for robbery in 2019.

State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli announced that the percentage of New Yorkers without health insurance declined every year since 2010 from 12% to 5.2% in 2021, well below the national average of 8.6%. Rates of uninsured New Yorkers are lower than the national average due to the state's higher enrollment in public health insurance programs, which provided coverage to 4 in 10 New Yorkers in 2021. The full report can be found at osc.state.ny.us.

4 arrests were made during an Underage Drinking Initiative in Troop “C” in Delaware County Tuesday. During the initiative, 26 businesses were checked, the 4 who were not in compliance were Carroll and Carver Wine & Spirits, Sidney, Breakey’s Liquor Store in Walton, Mirabito Quickway in Franklin & The Country Store in Roxbury. The clerk at each of the business that sold alcohol was issued an appearance ticket for the Alcohol Beverage Control Law violation of Unlawful Sale of Alcohol to a Minor.

The Delaware County Chamber of Commerce is seeking public comments regarding their study with various entities, into a public transportation system to accommodate the rural nature of the county, & the difficulty of many to get to & from County employers, Chamber President Ray Pucci explains:

(Ray Pucci 8-16-23)

The study is available for public review and comment under the “Resources” tab at the Chamber’s website at DelawareCounty.org.

A.M. NEWS WEDNESDAY 8-16-23

Norwich Police arrested Kevin Dunmire & Ashley Bradley of Norwich on a number of drug charges, the 2 are accused of possessing & selling methamphetamines & Fentanyl in the city of Norwich & face court action shortly

Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand announced that $6.3 million in federal funding from the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Lead-Based Paint Hazard Reduction Program will be used for remediation of lead-based paint hazards in at least 180 qualifying privately-owned pre-1978 homes across Broome County. Estimates suggest that over 13,000 homes in Broome County built decades ago may still contain lead paint.

The renovations at Doubleday Field in Cooperstown are complete after a multi-million dollar construction project, today state & local leaders held a ribbon cutting to re-open the 100+ year old baseball field, including local State Senator Peter Oberacker:

(State Senator Oberacker 7-17-23)

National Baseball Hall of Fame President Josh Rawitch said that 64% of all players inducted in the Hall of Fame, have played on Doubleday Field.

The U.S. Attorney's Office announced that Dennis Nelson was sentenced to additional prison time, as he was found guilty of sending threatening letters to Judge Thomas McAvoy, Then Congressman Anthony Brindisi & US Senator Chuck Schumer, while in State Prison on another charge. Nelson threatened to blow up the Courthouse in Binghamton, Nelson was sentenced to 7 more years in prison and 3 years of supervised release after his incarceration.

The Otsego County Sheriff’s Office has arrested 35 year old Brian Worden of Oneonta following a disturbance call. Worden is accused of possessing a controlled substance when police showed up to a disturbance in the Meadows Office Complex Parking lot, Worden was arrested & was issued an appearance ticket.

A.M. NEWS MONDAY 7-17-23

State Police BCI unit arrested 36 year old Ian Rotunno of Fenton, Thursday for multiple counts of Criminal Possession of a Weapon. Rotunno was found in possession of a loaded and illegal rifle when located by law enforcement after a 24 hour manhunt. An investigation revealed that the weapon is a “ghost gun”, plus he is accused of possessing 2 magazines that are not New York State SAFE Act compliant and were loaded with armor piercing ammunition. Rotunno was transported to Broome County Central Arraignment and Processing.

Chenango County Sheriff's Office arrested 32 year old Megan McGowan of Oxford on 2 counts of Overdriving, torturing and injuring animals & failure to provide proper sustenance after an investigation into an animal complaint. McGowan was charged after it was found that there was a dog on her property that did not have any food or water and was not being cared for properly, Deputies also found a deceased dog in a shed that died from lack of care. McGowan was released on an appearance ticket for Town of Oxford Court at a later date.

P.M. NEWS FRIDAY 6-16-23

A State Trooper was shot today on I-88 at about 11:15 this morning. State Police said that an unidentified Trooper was conducting a routine traffic stop on I-88 in Duanesburg, an occupant of the vehicle opened fire and struck the Trooper. The Trooper sustained a gunshot wound and is currently in stable condition. The suspect fled the area and has been located. There is currently no threat to the public and the investigation is ongoing.

Today, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand announced $23,455,963 in federal funding for 13 New York airports, including $9.2 Million Dollars for the Syracuse Hancock International Airport. The Greater Binghamton/Edwin A Link Field will receive $6.4 million dollars.

The Broome County Special Investigations Task Force executed a narcotics search warrant at 403 Jackson Ave in the Village of Endicott. Police arrested 53 year old Steven Masciarelli and 54 year old Ann Forkey, they seized Methamphetamine, Fentanyl & Scales and packaging materials used for weighing and packaging narcotics for sale, Both were charged with a number of counts of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance & Criminally Using Drug Paraphernalia in the 2nd Degree, Masciarelli and Forkey were arraigned and released & will appear in court again at a later date to answer to the charges.

The Central New York Youth for Christ has decided to expand their summer horseback riding program in Laurens. Participants in grades 7-12 are welcome to attend starting now until August 5th, spokesperson Dorothy Davidson explains:

(Dorothy Davidson 6-16-23)

Davidson said that the program is weekly with sessions on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday or Friday. More information is available at 607-432-0594.

A.M. NEWS FRIDAY 6-16-23

38 year old Terell Wilson of Binghamton was found guilty by a Broome County jury of 9 felony charges. The jury deliberated 1 ½ hours before convicting Wilson of 4 counts of Vehicular Assault, 3 counts of Assault and 2 DWI related charges. On February 18, 2022, Wilson was driving while intoxicated on Hawleyton Road in the Town of Binghamton and crashed the vehicle into a tree. The front seat passenger suffered serious injuries including spinal injuries, a broken pelvis, and a broken arm, requiring surgery and lengthy hospitalization. Wilson has prior convictions for narcotics possession, assault and DWI, faces up to 7 years in New York State prison when he is sentenced on September 14, he also faces additional prison time for Criminal Possession of a Weapon.

The 26th Annual Norwich Gus Macker 3-on-3 basketball tournament returns to Norwich, on July 8 & 9, at the Norwich High School Complex, Organizer Tom Revoir told WCDO News that registration will continue for several more weeks & they need volunteers & especially, they need referees:

(Tom Revoir 5-8-23)

Teams can Register at macker.com, and interested parties who can referee can contact Tom Revoir at 336-9622 extension 29.

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced that a proposed change to Medicare wage payments, could bring about $43 million for UHS hospitals locally. Schumer said that almost $4 million alone could go to UHS Chenango Memorial Hospital in Norwich.

A.M. NEWS Monday 5-8-23

All levels of the City of Oneonta municipal parking garage will be closed until further notice. Routine visual inspection has revealed some additional structural deterioration. City officials are taking precautionary measures until the entire garage can be reevaluated by the City’s structural engineering consultant. The Trailways bus terminal may remain open with no impact to regular operations. Parking restrictions will be lifted in the City’s Dietz Street Lot. There is additional public parking available in the Damaschke Field and Neahwa Park Large Pavilion parking lots & The City is working to establish a downtown shuttle bus to downtown.

Norwich Police arrested 36 year old Thomas Wright for criminal contempt, resisting arrest, tampering with physical evidence, criminal possession of a controlled substance, burglary and grand larceny charges. Police received information Thursday that Wright was hiding in an apartment at 46 Henry Street, he was eventually taken into custody. Wright was turned over to the State Police.

P.M. NEWS Monday 4-10-23

The Broome County Sheriff's Office announced that a missing, nonverbal 15-year-old boy with autism was found safe by law enforcement and returned to his parents after leaving home & falling into a river in the Town of Fenton on Sunday. State Police responded to a report of the missing child in the Town of Chenango, who had been visiting family from Syracuse & he wandered off unnoticed, Broome County Sheriff’s deputies responded & found the teen within 10 minutes of the bulletin, on West Service Road in the Town of Fenton. The juvenile was wet, he was evaluated by EMS, & was returned to his parents.

Law Enforcement agencies in Broome County teamed up to execute a narcotics search warrant at 58 Massachusetts Avenue in Johnson City Thursday, Police recovered 2 pounds of methamphetamines, 10 ounces of fentanyl, plus crack cocaine and other unidentified substances. 30 year old Evan Middleton of Johnson City was charged with several counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance & various other drug related misdemeanors counts, he was transported to the Broome County Jail and held for arraignment on the charges.

State Authorities remind area residents that a burn ban remains in effect through mid-May. Conditions are favorable for brush fires to spread quickly due to the dry conditions, low humidity & gusty winds this time of year, several brush fire have been reported since last week, firefighters in the town of Maine responded to a brush fire earlier this afternoon.

The Eagles Experience will be returning to the Foothills performing Arts Center in Oneonta on Friday April 28th, Terry Potter of Millennia Entertainment explains:

(Terry Potter 4-10-23)

Tickets are available at Brownpapertickets.com or at the Foothills Performing Arts center Box office.

A.M. NEWS MONDAY 4-10-23

Attorney General Letitia James and Governor Hochul filed an amicus brief Friday to support the redrawing of congressional district lines following what they say was a rushed process prior to the last election that did not follow the appropriate process. Prior to the 2022 election, an independent redistricting commission redrew the congressional, Assembly and Senate lines based on the 2020 census, The commission failed to agree on new district lines, so it went back to state lawmakers, & a judge later ruled those maps were gerrymandered, then a special master to complete the maps before the election.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer visited the Norwich Fire Department last week, Schumer supports renewing the ‘Fire Grants and Safety Act of 2023' in the Senate, he also announced that the Village of Oxford Fire Department has been awarded a $226,200 SAFER to recruit more volunteers joining the Department.

U.S. Senator Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand announced $5,196,000 in federal funding to develop and preserve affordable housing and invest in community development efforts throughout New York. The funding was allocated through NeighborWorks America, locally, Greater Opportunities for Broome and Chenango, will receive $212,000 in funding.

The New York State Department of Labor today released preliminary local area unemployment rates for January 2023. New York State's seasonally adjusted unemployment increased from 4.1% to 4.2% in January 2023. Locally Chenango County had 4.3% unemployment, Delaware County 5.1% and Otsego County also had 5.1% in January.

A.M. NEWS TUESDAY 3-14-23

Governor Kathy Hochul has declared a State of Emergency, State Police are urging New Yorkers to avoid any unnecessary travel. High winds, rapidly falling heavy snow, and whiteout conditions, will make travel extremely dangerous.

NYSEG crews will continue to be out as the heavy wet snow is expected to adversely affecting trees & power lines. Earlier this morning, over 1500 Delaware COunty custoomers were without power, but that was rectified by about 8:00 AM. Columbia County is the hardest hit, with over 6,000 customers without power this afternoon.

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand announced that the Greater Binghamton Airport will receive $7 million for renovations of the passenger terminal and the associated vehicle approach, with upgrades to the passenger hold room, & the replacement of the airport’s outdated Air Conditioning equipment, & for the installation of 2 passenger-boarding bridges. The funding comes from the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Law. The Albany, Buffalo and Syracuse airports also received funding.

The Chenango Memorial Hospital Emergency Room and walk in portions of the Hospital recently celebrated their 1st Anniversary, Dr. Kenneth Herman is the Emergency Department Medical Director & he told WCDO News how the upgrades have been received:

(Dr. Kenneth Herman 2-24-23)

Also, UHS Chenango Memorial was recently awarded a $20 Million state grant, to redesign primary and specialty care services over the next 5 years. Hospital officials said that they will be creating a new Infusion Center, dedicated Women’s Imaging Suite and Pre-Admission Testing Center as well as make other strategic investments in hospital-based services.

A Red Cross Blood Drive is being held in Oneonta this afternoon, the drive will be on until 6:00 PM at the Quality Inn, on State Highway 23. Appointments can be made with the Red Cross Blood Donor App, at  RedCrossBlood.org, or by calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767)

A.M. NEWS FRIDAY 2-24-23

Chenango County Sheriff's Office arrested 43 year old Hayes Cutting Jr of Bainbridge, for 2nd degree assault, Tampering with Physical Evidence, unlawfully fleeing a police officer and resisting arrest, following the investigation into the assault of Norwich Police Officer with a motor vehicle on Monday in Norwich, while attempting to take Cutting into custody on an active warrant. State Police responded to the Town of Oneonta after a tip that Cutting was there, Cutting was found hiding in the ceiling of a building, he was held at the Chenango County Correctional Facility on a State Parole Warrant and will appear in the Town of Norwich Court for the new charges. The passenger in Cutting's vehicle, Jesse Dann, had an unrelated warrant out for his arrest and was taken into custody.

The Broome County Special Investigations Unit Task Force, and local Police agencies, arrested 32 year old Cody Dickson of the Town of Maine man on 17 charges. The Task Force executed a search warrant at 383 Kolb Road, they seized over $10,000 in methamphetamine, plus weapons, high capacity magazines and ammunition. Dickson was charged with Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance & Criminal Possession of a Weapon, plus Criminal Possession of Stolen Property & Criminally Using Drug Paraphernalia, Dickson faces court action shortly.

Walton Fire Department responded Sunday afternoon to a structure fire at 3664 East Brook Road. Firefighters found that the garage was fully engulfed, and had spread to a nearby house mutual aid was requested from Delhi, Franklin, and Treadwell firefighters, The occupants escaped, 1 cat died from the blaze. Walton Firefighters returned Monday morning to extinguish hot spots. The house and garage were a total loss. A pellet stove is believed to have started the fire, which has been ruled as accidental.

The Tri-County Seniors will hold an Open House today at their new location in the AO Fox Tri-Town Campus building at 43 Pearl Street in Sidney. The Open House runs from 3:00 - 5:00 pm, more information is available at the Tri-County Senior Center Facebook Page.

Broome County Special Investigations Unit Task Force & Binghamton Police executed a narcotic search warrant Wednesday at 111 Oak Street in Binghamton. Police arrested 37 year old Andrew Bethune of Binghamton for criminal possession of a controlled substance, criminal possession of a weapon & criminally using drug paraphernalia. Police seized A .22 Revolver, Crack Cocaine, Fentanyl, Methamphetamines, $5,481 in cash, & items used in the sale and distribution of controlled substances. Bethune was transported to the Binghamton Police Department for processing.

CDO Workforce is hosting a free virtual job fair for all businesses and job seekers in several counties in the region, including Chenango, Delaware and Otsego Counties on Tuesday, from 11:00am to 1:00pm. Training materials for businesses & prospective Employees can be found at working-solutions.org, prior to Tuesday's event.

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand today announced $8.5 million for essential infrastructure and long-desired community development projects across the Southern Tier. This federal funding was secured by the senators as Congressional directed spending in the end-of-year budget for Fiscal Year 2023. $2,850,000 was confirmed for the City of Norwich Water Main Replacement project, due to begin in April.

A.M. NEWS FRIDAY 1-27-23

43 year old Jeremie Hoyt of Davenport pleaded guilty to 1 count of 1st-degree course of sexual conduct against a child, in Delaware County Court. The Delaware County District Attorney's Office announced that Hoyt appeared in court for a scheduled hearing on January 17 and instead of moving forward with the hearing, he entered a guilty plea, for performing sexual acts on a child younger than 13 years old on 2 occasions between January and August of 2019. Hoyt will be sentenced to 20 years in jail and 10 years of post-release supervision, he will be required to register as a sex offender, sentencing is scheduled for March 6th.

The Community Cultural center at 1 Bridge Street in Sidney, will be hosting a fundraising event on Saturday January 28th, with music & food, Center Board President Amy Williams said that other fundraisers are likely to follow to keep the Center going forward:

(Amy Williams 1-27-23)

The Admission price will be $15, with proceed benefiting the Community Cultural Center’s future programs.