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Oneonta student’s backpack project served homeless, page 3 VISIT www.
Volume 14, No. 22
AllOTSEGO.com, OTSEGO COUNTY’S DAILY NEWSPAPER/ONLINE COMPLIMENTARY
Oneonta, N.Y., Thursday, March 3, 2022
Intrepid ice fisherman shares Restaurants, liquor stores await tools and tricks of the trade as Albany decision on drinks to go winter sport season continues Gov. Hochul plan in budget proposal
New York lawmakers meet this month to finalize a state spending plan for 2022-23 due April 1, and included in the debate is a proposal that would allow restaurants to again offer the ‘cocktails-to-go’ permitted under an Andrew Cuomo pandemic executive order that expired eight months ago. Governor Kathy Hochul made waves in January when she announced the proposal that make permanent the chance for restauINSIDE ►AND THEY’RE OFF!: New York’s major political parties select preferred 2022 candidates but primaries loom on both sides, page 2. ►COOPER Murals in jeopardy: Time running out as Westchester County historical society amps up its fight to save James Fenimore Cooper murals, page 9. ►AN OLD CHUM RETURNS: Catskill Symphony Orchestra brings back its popular ‘Cabaret’ night with the full orchestra, a very special guest artist, and the always-popular conductor contest , page 10. ►A FEW THOUGHTS ON IMPORTANT THINGS: Our columnists this week reflect on Ukraine, commemorate a leader in addiction treatment for women, find an old painting that brings up fond memories, teach a new dog old tricks, and draw a through-line from Lenten shenanigants to a career as a lobbyist . . Follow Breaking News On
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rants to sell alcoholic takeaway drinks when accompanied by food-to-go orders and after the State Liquor Authority would establish rules and regulations on the practice. The proposal pits restaurants against liquor stores — a public policy debate last seen when lawmakers allowed restaurants to seal unfinished bottles of wine for diners to take home after their meal. Restaurants say cocktails-to-go is an important post-pandemic lifeline, liquor stores say the plan “will threaten the livelihood of thousands in our industry.” Wayne Carrington, owner of Oneonta’s Autumn Café and B-Side Ballroom with his wife, Rebecca, supports the governor’s plan but does not believe the discussion demands a zero-sum outcome. “This is not about territory,” he said. “This
is about community. Restaurants serving to-go drinks and liquor stores coexist for the better of every community.” He said to-go cocktails made a big difference for the Autumn when pandemic rules prohibited in-person dining. That experience, in turn, changed diners’ habits. “It helped us to be more buoyant through some really tough times,” he said. “People still aren’t necessarily comfortable being among crowds. Take-out lets us meet the customers where they are.” “Offering food and drink to go lets people enjoy the food and beverage experience they get from dining at their favorite restaurants,” he said. “We need to get municipalities behind this effort as they look to bring new energies to their downtowns. We can get the downtown food and beverage experience out to people who want it but who now want to enjoy it in a whole new way.” Cooperstown restauranteur Brian Wrubleski, who owns and operates Mel’s 21 with his daughter Alexandra Gunther, said the proposal would be a boost for restaurants and downplayed the threat to retail liquor stores. “It’s a convenience item” he said of the drinks-to-go. “When somebody orders something for me to deliver Continued on page 6
Death Notice
Dr. Emery Herman This edition of The Freeman’s Journal/Hometown Oneonta goes to press as we learned of the passing of Dr. Emery C. Herman of Cooperstown, who died Saturday, February 26, 2022, at the age of 92. Cooperstown Mayor Ellen Tillapaugh opened the Village Board’s February 28 meeting with a remembrance of Dr. Herman and his many contributions to the Village; readers filled our website with appreciation for his work in and around Cooperstown. A complete obituary will be released at a later date and Celebration of Life gathering will be announced in the future.
Tara Barnwell
Rob Moore is a typical outdoorsy kind of guy. He hunts, he fishes, he hikes. “I love to fish,” he said. “Whether it’s from a boat or on the ice, I just love it.” “When I was just a boy living in Cooperstown, I fished behind Bassett Hospital,” he said, before divulging a sportsman’s secret. “That’s a perfect spot for fly fishing and salmon fishing during the summer. As a matter of fact, I learned how to swim in that lake.” Mr. Moore’s father taught him how to ice fish on Lake Otsego when he was young. “My father and I were out on the ice and the first thing I did was catch a sunfish,” he said. “That got me hooked.” Mr. Moore left Cooperstown when he was ten years old in 1971, moving west to the San Fernando Valley. He taught scuba diving and did a lot of spear fishing for 15 years, then moved on to construction before he moved back to this area in 2010. He is a now a local construction contractor. “I’ve always loved fishing, any kind of fishing,” he said. “Typically, any fishing is better either in the mornings or evenings, both ice fishing and boat fishing. You have to be all about safety on the ice.” Being ‘all about safety’ means a careful routine for Rob Moore and anyone wandering out onto a frozen lake. “First, we take a ‘Spud Bar’ to the ice,” he said. “It’s a steel rod with a chisel on the end of it. You slam that on the ice three or four times to see if it breaks through the ice.” “The rule of thumb is for a person, the ice should be a minimum of three-and-a-half inches thick. If you have an ATV or snowmobile, it needs to be six-to-eight inches, and a car needs 15 inches minimum,” Mr. Moore said. Continued on page 6
THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA, OTSEGO COUNTY’S LARGEST PRINT CIRCULATION 2010 WINNERS OF The Otsego County Chamber/KEY BANK SMALL BUSINESS AWARD