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Oneonta, N.Y., Thursday, August 20, 2020
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COLLEGE STUDENTS RETURN TO COUNTY
City of The Hills
3 Of SUNY Stances ‘Disappoint’ Mayor SUNY freshman John Dirma, left, gets help moving in to his dorm Monday, Aug. 17, from his sister Angie, grandmother Maria Zgrda, and older brother Christian Dima, all from White Lake.
By JIM KEVLIN ONEONTA
Ian Austin/HOMETOWN ONEONTA
Romona Wenck, the retired Laurens school superintendent, prepares bags of information for cars arriving at the Otsego County Chamber’s drive-through job fair Thursday, Aug. 13, at Damaschke Field.
One Session Left On Plan To Open Oneonta Schools ONEONTA
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s required by Governor Cuomo, the Oneonta City school board has scheduled the last of three sessions for parents on the school reopening plan from 6-8 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 20. The school board has determined classes will continue remotely until at least Oct. 9. “For most part, families have been really supportive,” said Supt. of Schools Thomas Brindley. The session may be accessed via Zoom at the school district web site: www.oneontacsd.org/
SEE MULTIPLE REPORTS ON
AllOTSEGO.com ►OTEGO MAN charged with manslaugher in Pittsfield double-fatality. ►GYM, FITNESS CENTERS may open by Sept. 2 ►FREE COVID TESTS at 9 a.m. - noon Thursday, Aug. 20 in Southside Mall parking lot. ►GOVernor allows bowling alleys to reopen. ►JETER’S HELMET among 2020 inductee highlights at the Hall. ►Calling hours 2-6 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 20, for former Oneonta Judge McVinney.
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s college students began to return to COVID-19 Era instruction, Mayor Gary Herzig praised Hartwick College’s collaboration with the city, but said Herzig SUNY Oneonta has fallen short in three areas of concern. “We have a community here that established new norms over the past five months,” said Herzig. “There’s been much selfsacrifice in keeping our numbers low. It’s important to communicate directly to those in large numbers who are coming into the community, to familiarize them with current norms and the realities we face.” Please See DUST-UP, B3 ►FOR TEXT of mayor’s letter, See A4
Ian Austin/HOMETOWN ONEONTA
SUNY Campus Experimenting With Novel Waste-Water Tests By JIM KEVLIN ONEONTA
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UNY Oneonta is looking to get as far ahead of the coronavirus as it can – through waste-water testing. It is what it sounds like.
“Even asymptomatic people start shedding coronavirus through their feces in the first day of their infection,” said Lachlan Squair, SUNY Oneonta’s chief of facilities & safety. “The reason we’re doing the waste-water test,” he continued, “is we’re able to see an increase Please See TESTING, B4
Hartwick Students Tested Twice Before Classes Start On Aug. 31 ONEONTA
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tudents returning to Hartwick College this weekend must already have been tested for COVID-19, and will be tested again before classes begin Monday, Aug. 31. By then, all students and employees must sign a document averring they will obey “Our Social Compact:
Week One, All Agree, Masks Worn Masked and enjoying Main Street are, from left, dad Kevin, Alexis and Addington Kress, Olivia Guida, and mom Christine Kress.
By JIM KEVLIN COOPERSTOWN
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evin Kress, who was raised in Richfield Springs, brought his family to Cooperstown last weekend, and was neither surprised by the village’s new mandatory-mask law, or that most everybody seemed to be obeying it. “We were in Lake Placid last weekend; they had done the same thing there,” said Kress, who was aware – and undeterred by – the new restrictions, which he’d Please See MASKS, B4
Jim Kevlin//HOMETOWN ONEONTA
A Healthy Hartwick College,” outlining all steps they must take to keep the COVID threat at bay. “Hartwick’s goal is to enable our students to return for instruction while complying with the best guidance available to protect our community, both on- and off-campus,” said college President Margaret L. Drugovich. Please See HARTWICK, B3
Oneonta’s Getman Next County Judge
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eteran attorney Michael F. Getman, 62, Oneonta city prosecutor, was chosen to be county judge Sunday, Aug. 16, by the Republican County Committee, meeting in The Otesaga ballroom. Getman, whose name will appear on the Nov. 3 ballot, will succeed Brian D. Burns on Jan. 1. Last week, a Sixth District judicial convention chose Burns to succeed the retiring state Supreme Court Judge Michael V. Coccoma. For details of Sunday’s vote, visit
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HOMETOWN ONEONTA, OTSEGO COUNTY’S LARGEST CIRCULATION NEWSPAPER 2010 WINNER OF The Otsego County Chamber/KEY BANK SMALL BUSINESS AWARD
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THURSDAY, AUGUST 20, 2020
HOMETOWN People
S.S. Van Dine, Philo Vance Focus Of Swart-Wilcox Panel
SUNY, Hartwick Professors Edit ‘Hope’ Journal
Artist From Oneonta Profiled In NYC’s ‘Create!’ Magazine
Youngs mounted a “window ONEONTA ayley viewing” solo Youngs, exhibition at the UNY Oneonta daughter new Satellite Art anthology professor of Bill Youngs Show headquarSallie Han and and an artist living ters and alternaHartwick College anthroin Brooklyn, has tive art venue. pology professor Jason been profiled Her work has Antrosio are the co-editors of in “Create!” been featured in the July 2020 issue of Open magazine. group exhibitions “She-Wolf,” Anthropology on the theme Based in with the Walter a painting by of “Hope.” Brooklyn, Youngs Hayley Youngs. Wickiser Gallery, In this issue, Han and creates “lavish A.I.R. Gallery, Antrosio explore hope as a geometric paintings, Greenpoint Open Studios, human experience and as a alluding to a realm beyond and I Like Your Work. framework for cultural theory the physical world, both In the coming months, and social action: philosophically and spirituYoungs will exhibit new The issue features twelve ally,” the magazine wrote. pieces at Paradice Palase articles and two book She holds a BFA from and Proto Gomez Gallery. reviews that have appeared Ian Austin/HOMETOWN ONEONTA Pratt Institute. Most recently, in the publications of the Libby Cudmore, mystery author and managing editor, Hometown Oneonta/ American Anthropological The Freeman’s Journal/AllOTSEGO.com, speaks about the creation of Philo Association. Vance, one of the premier sleuths of the “Golden Age” of detective fiction, by Willard Huntington Wright, who adopted the pseudonym S.S. Van Dine ONEONTA following honors: Childhood SELLEVOLD TOPS: to write the mystery series. She spoke during a talk at the Swart-Wilcox Education Ethan Sellevold, Davenport, House Sunday, Aug. 16. With her are Bob Brzozowski, executive director, hanupratap Gaur, • Christina Sakoulas, Greater Oneonta Historical Society, who discovered that Wright likely has been named to the Oneonta,was one of Oneonta, BS in Computer Art created Vance at 31 River St. when the writer was staying with his maiden Spring 2020 Dean’s List at nine local students with the following honors: aunts; and Rev. Kenneth Hunter, St. James Episcopal Church, who runs the Le Moyne College. to graduate from SUNY Computer Art, cum laude weekly “Tea and Murder” mystery appreciation series at the church. Oneonta. Gaur recieved a • Jenna Bullis, Unadilla, BS in Communication BS in Criminal Justice Studies Mass Communication, with the following honors: cum laude Criminal Justice, cum laude Also graduating were: • Lesya Dubee, Oneonta, • Angela Ruggieri, BS in Professional Oneonta, BS, in Adolescence Accounting with the Ed: Earth Science with following honors: cum laude the following honors: • Jacob Weiner, Oneonta, Adolescence Education, BS in Environmental Earth Science Sustainability with To place effective employment ads, call 607-547-6103 • Bekka Struble, Oneonta, the following honors: BS in Business Economics Enviromental Sustainability with the following honors: • Dionne Samuels, Business Economics, magna Oneonta, BS in Food Service cum laude, Political Science & Restaurant Administration • Courtney Baker, Mount with the following honors: Upton, BS in Childhood Food Service & Restaurant Education (1-6) with the Administration. Carpenter….Plumber….Electrician…
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Facility Manager/ Director of Operations
General Maintenance… Housekeeper... Your skills are needed right away!! Large, State of the art facility in Gilboa, NY is seeking full-time employees immediately. Being multi-skilled is a big PLUS! Excellent place to work with rewarding pay.
Large facility in Gilboa, NY, seeking dynamic manager immediately. Includes all general maintenance, and all other duties. Fabulous work environment. Great team. Excellent pay. Experience and resume required.
Contact Toba Shifrin | 973-855-9639 Toba.Shifrin@thezone.org
For all applications, please submit your resume and contact information to: chana.horowitz@oorah.org
BERNARD IN SHOW: Wesley Bernard, Oneonta, has a photograph, “Blue Ribbon Winner Carter Stanton, Otsego County Fair” in the “Made in NY” show at the Schweinfurth Art Center.
PROMOTION: Roger Cervantes Hernandez, Oneonta, assigned to Headquarters Battery, 1st Battalion, 258th Field Artillery Regiment received a promotion to the rank of private.
DEPUTY CLERK – TREASURER (full-time)
Civil EnginEEr: Estimating & Qa/QC Clark Companies, leader in the design and construction of high-end outdoor athletic facilities, located in Delhi, NY, is expanding its team and has an immediate opening for a Civil Engineer to assist with estimating and provide QA/QC for our design and construction operations. Responsibilities include but not limited to: • Review and interpret construction documents (plans and specifications); • Review and verify accuracy of quantity take-offs for construction projects; • Solicit quotes from subcontractors and vendors to support estimating process; • Participate in the development of detailed project cost estimates; • Perform QA/QC reviews of design documents; • Conduct project site visits and provide support as needed to field staff; • Perform QA/QC inspections of project sites to confirm compliance with design documents; • Effectively communicate and collaborate with field and office personnel; • Utilize AutoCAD or similar to prepare supplemental drawings and details; • Understand construction layout and have the ability to communicate required layout information to field personnel; • Pursue training and education to improve overall effectiveness; • Manage time effectively and prioritize to ensure completion of all duties and tasks; • Perform other duties as assigned by Company Management. Requirements: • B.S. or M.S. degree in Civil Engineering from an ABET-accredited university located in the USA; • Minimum of EIT certification (NY licensed PE preferred); • Commercial construction knowledge and experience, particularly related to site-work; • Excellent written and verbal communication skills; • Strong working knowledge of Microsoft Office applications; • Strong working knowledge of AutoCAD (AutoDesk Civil 3D is preferred); • Ability to work independently, with little or no direct supervision; • Interest in learning quick and applying new skills and abilities; • Knowledge of commonly used concepts, practices and procedures in construction field. Salary DOE, great benefit package includes but not limited to: health, dental, vision, 401(k) with company match, profit sharing, flexible spending, and paid time off. To apply, send resumes to: Human Resources, P.O. Box 427, Delhi, NY 13753 or fax to 607-746-3107. Clark Companies Is an Affirmative Action, Equal Opportunity Employer.
The Village of Cooperstown is seeking qualified applicants for the position of Deputy Clerk – Treasurer. This is a full-time position. Duties will include front counter coverage, payroll processing, accounts payable and receivable and other related customer service duties. Compensation will be competitive and commensurate with experience. Benefits include paid vacation, holidays, sick time and personal days, and health insurance.
Please send resumé, cover letter and references to Teri L. Barown, Village Administrator, Village of Cooperstown, PO Box 346, Cooperstown, NY 13326. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. Any questions regarding this position should be directed to the Village Administrator at 607-547-2411. Candidates must be Otsego County residents. EOE
Kevin Kurkowski
607-432-2022
22-26 Watkins Avenue, Oneonta Monday through Friday 8 am - 4:30 pm
COOPERSTOWN CENTRAL SCHOOL
Join the team at Cooperstown Central School as a Bus Driver!
PT, 10M position w/ competitive salary & benefits. Must hold valid CDL & appropriate endorsement to drive a school bus. Position details & application can be found at www.cooperstowncs.org. Apply in person OR submit district application & letter of interest by 8/28/20 to: Mr. Joe Kukenberger, Director of Transportation, Cooperstown Central School, 39 Linden Avenue • Cooperstown, NY 13326
EOE
Join Our Team of Dedicated and Caring Professionals
Residential Associates at OFO Shelters FT-2nd shift (wknds), Sub--all shifts; Addl. shift pay for qualifying shifts
Head Start Positions (All F/T with school breaks & Summers off)
Family Partner Classroom Teacher OFO is a family-oriented organization offering competetive wages, excellent benefits and opportunities for professional growth. For an application, submission instructions, benefit package summary and descriptions of all employment openings, visit EOE www.ofoinc.org/jobs The leader in developing innovative solutions to promote healthy lives, thriving families, and caring communities since 1966.
The Watershed Agricultural Council, a non profit organization working to protect the NYC Watershed while supporting farm and forest land uses, is seeking a
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Coordinator.
The GIS Coordinator works in coordination with multi agency, self-directed specialized work teams to provide cartographic and analytical support to all Watershed Agricultural Council (WAC) and Watershed Agricultural Program (WAP) program efforts. The GIS Coordinator is responsible for managing the GIS program, both hardware and software, data inputs, maintain data bases, providing requested analysis and the training of system users. Qualifications and requirements detailed in position description available at http://www.nycwatershed.org/careers. Salary: low $60,000s. To apply: Send cover letter and resume to Amy Faulkner, Watershed Agricultural Council, 33195 State Highway 10, Walton, NY 13856; or e-mail afaulkner@nycwatershed.org. EOE. Review of applications will begin September 17, 2020.
THURSDAY, august 20, 2020
THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA A-3
Why
t n ou C U O Y o g e s t O y t n u o C
Yes!
To c e n s u s 2020 Yes to our kids. Yes to school grants. Yes to their future
Everyone should fill out Census 2020 so we don’t lose millions of dollars in the next 10 years!
By filling out the census, you will help: LOCAL EDUCATION LOCAL HEALTH CARE LOCAL ROADS and so much more
Every 10 years, the census counts how many people are in our community, to decide how much federal funding and representation our communities should receive. This money supports everything from school lunches to special education to Head Start to over 130 other programs that could help our students right now. Your responses to the census are important, and they cannot be shared with anyone. In fact, they’re even protected by law from other branches of government.
Go to 2020census.gov or call 800-330-2020
Let’s say no to undercounting in our communities, and #YEStotheCensus! Remember‌EVERYONE COUNTS in your household (children/elderly‌everyone!) It is a federal crime to use any information obtained in a census form for anything other than an accurate census count. You will not be asked about your citizenship status on the 2020 Census.
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THURSDAY, AUGUST 20, 2020
EDITORIALS
PRESIDENT MORRIS, MAYOR HERZIG MUST REBUILD TRUST
SUNY Oneonta, City Hall: Patch Up Misunderstandings
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his is a time for unity against an implacable foe. Five months into the COVID-19 threat, it’s hard to see the future clearly. There have been worldwide epidemics before, but not since the Flu Pandemic of 1919, and not in a world so interconnected by travel and commerce. A vaccine will eventually surface, but how soon, and how quickly would it become widely available?
Still, while not uniform across the country or the world, the progress to control the disease in our Empire State has been astonishing. Governor Cuomo has been almost giddy at his daily briefings over the past week, reporting an infection rate of less than 1 percent for a 10th day in a row. Just weeks after filling mass graves, 100 bodies at a time, in New York City, our governor can say to us: “I congratulate New Yorkers for doing what
With luck and care, the SUNY Oneonta community will soon be enjoying fall colors on a busy campus.
people said couldn’t be done.” • Here in Otsego County, now is the time to again do what some people say can’t be done: Reabsorb 8,000 college students, overnight doubling the number of people in our county’s population center, the City of Oneonta. There are no guarantees, but Hartwick College’s regimen is reassuring. Students must be tested for COVID-19 before arriving on campus this weekend, and must be tested again before classes begin the following MonPlease See EDITORIAL, A5
SUNY Oneonta photo
LETTERS
Let’s Move Forward United, As Americans
To The Editor: I was born in 1940 in Endicott, a diverse cultural area where many people were from the Old World. In fact, on the street where I lived were Italian, German, English, Jewish and Swedish families. We all lived side by side compatibly. A very meaningful school experience took place when I was in first grade. I remember all the students sat in rows, side by side. Teacher asked us one by one what our nationality was. Some said Italian, some said Jewish, others responded English, German. A few said American. Our teacher then asked each one to raise their hand if we were
ELCOME...
Dear Hartwick College and SUNY Oneonta students, Editor’s Note: With 8,000 college students returning to Oneonta, beginning this week, Mayor Gary Herzig is sending them this welcome and cautionary letter.
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hether you are a new or a returning student, I look forward to having you join us as part of the Oneonta community. As mayor of the City of Oneonta, I welcome you to our community. We value your presence and you enrich our community in many ways. ...Through shared sacrifice, the people of the City of Oneonta have succeeded in keeping our number of COVlD-19 cases low. During the past four months, we have sacrificed nightlife, socializing with friends, eating out and, for many – even their jobs. I now ask you to join us in this spirit of shared sacrifice. As we have recently begun to see a small increase in new cases, we must recognize that stakes are high and we must all continue to sacrifice if we are to protect ourselves and each other. Both Hartwick College and SUNY Oneonta are implementing comprehensive plans designed to keep you safe while on campus and I applaud them for doing so. To prevent the spread of COVID-19, you are being required to sacrifice many of the things that make a college experience so meaningful – visiting friends, eating with friends, group activities, socializing, athletics, in-person classrooms and so much more. ...While your college presidents assume the responsibility for keeping you safe on campus, I assume the responsibility to keep you safe in our community. Let’s face it – it makes no sense for you to sacrifice so much when you are on campus if the same approach is not taken when off campus. The virus doesn’t care where you are. The virus doesn’t respect boundaries or property lines. It is happy to infect you wherever it can find you.
No Mask. Dr.’s Excuse? Hmmm To the Editor: It is hard to go to the store and have people tell you they have a doctor’s excuse to not wear a mask. The rest of us take the risk. If they go to the American Disability Association site, they will see that the alternatives for them are not in-your-face responses but using face shields or order and pick-up services. These are available at our grocery stores and other sites. Doctors’ excuses are mentioned at Stewart’s. It is too
HOMETOWN
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LETTER FROM ONEONTA’S MAYOR
born in America. To a person we all raised our hands – we were all born in America. Our teacher then said, no matter what our background was, the fact that we were all born in America made us all American! I have never forgotten that experience. So I ask the question: When we hear people say they are Afro-American, how many of them were born in Africa? If they were born here in America, they are American. My background is German. I don’t call myself GermanAmerican. I am American. Another question that needs to be addressed is: Please See HESSE, B5
bad these otherwise healthylooking people have such limited job opportunities. Masks are normally needed for health-care service, dental work, construction, painting, metal work, science lab work, chemical work, lawn care, emergency work and many other jobs. Unfortunately, these people mean that many of us elderly people do not feel we can patronize our local establishments. PAMELA FITCH TAUSTA Oneonta
ONEONTA
…For these reasons, our regulations and practices off campus will follow the same intent of the safety plans established by your college. Key issues of which I ask you to be aware include: • Similar to living in a campus dormitory, this year we are all expected to limit visitations. Gatherings, whether indoor or outdoor, that are deemed by our Police Department as either threats to public health or as neighborhood nuisances will not be permitted. Enforcement will be strict and violators will face fines of up to $1,000 and criminal charges. • In keeping with the intent of the college’s safety plan, socializing, dining and drinking in large groups is too dangerous to permit. For this reason, we will be limiting the hours of public transportation to essential activities only. We will work closely with the Student Association to identify times and routes which will be needed to transport students to classes, shopping, the library, etc. • We will all work in partnership in addressing the risk we face in relocating during a national pandemic. Each college will have a team of students, staff, and faculty meeting regularly with city officials to evaluate how things are going and, working together, make decisions on any adjustments which may be needed. • A dedicated hotline – (607) 376-7453 – allows anyone to call in or text any observed threat to public health; thereby, allowing city officials to respond rapidly. ...We find ourselves in uncharted territory and we will need to navigate it together. Only through shared sacrifice can we ensure the health and safety of all – students, faculty, staff, and year round community residents – while you continue with your studies. This is just the beginning and I look forward to open communication and working with you throughout the year. Gary Herzig, retired COO of Opportunities for Otsego, is serving his second term as mayor of Oneonta.
& The Otsego-Delaware Dispatch
James C. Kevlin Editor & Publisher
Tara Barnwell
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Managing Editor
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IN MEMORIAM: Mary Joan Kevlin, Co-Publisher, 2006-17 MEMBER OF National Newspaper Association, New York Press Association The Otsego County Chamber Published weekly by Iron String Press, Inc. 21 Railroad Ave., Cooperstown NY 13326 Telephone: (607) 547-6103. Fax: (607) 547-6080. E-mail: info@allotsego.com • www.allotsego.com
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Will COVID Lead Us To Justice, Peace?
ne of the most perplexing eleGod claims to love ments in our relationship with as his children? It God has to do with why bad seems antithetical things happen to us. One theory is that to the concept God is punishing us for our sinfulness. of God as “Our Another is that God is testing us to Father”. determine our worthiness for eternal We experience life with him. Finally, some believe the slaughter of that this is the beginning of the end as innocent people in described in the Book of Revelation. terror attacks, home DEACON But, if we subscribe to any of these invasions, traffic theories, we must reconcile it with our RANDY VELEZ stops, work-place belief in God’s complete goodness. violence and even How could God will or even allow the mass killing of our children in bad things to happen to those whom schools. We experience the widening
economic disparity between the rich and everyone else. We see the steady decline in the availability of quality education, housing and healthcare. We see the continual erosion of basic human services for the poor, the disabled and the elderly. We see such events and the vile hatred that drives them, occurring unabated and with incredible frequency and we fool ourselves into believing that this is simply the way things are. “It is what it is” and there is nothing we can do about it. Please See VELEZ, B5
AllOTSEGO.com • SEE PAGES A5, B5
LETTERS TO EDITOR WELCOME • EMAIL THEM TO info@
THURSDAY, AUGUST 20, 2020
HOMETOWN
HOMETOWN ONEONTA A-5
History
Compiled by Tom Heitz/SHARON STUART, with resources courtesy of The Fenimore Art Museum Research Library
150 Years Ago
A New View of the Marriage Contract: Ellen Store of Dayton, Ohio sends a communication in which proposes the following social platform: 1. Let the marriage contract be limited to from one to three years, at the option of the parties. 2. Discard the erroneous idea that this contract is divine, but rather a human transaction intended to perpetuate the species and produce human happiness. 3. Make both parties equal. Pledge mutual fidelity and cooperation during continuance of the contract, but let love alone to manifest as a sensitive, spontaneous outgrowth of the heart subject to the control of treatment and circumstances rather than formal promises. Love is too tender, too sacred, for the public gaze. 4. Let the marriage contract embrace the contingency of issue with full and unequivocal provision therefore. If one child, let its custody devolve by written and recorded agreement, provided that the party refusing to renew an expired contract at the instance of the other party, or the offender in case of premature annulment, shall be compelled to maintain the offspring, and be custodian thereof, at the option of the opposite party. August 1870
40 Years Ago
80 Years Ago
An anti-speed crusade will urge the State Traffic Commission to establish a 30-mile per hour speed zone in Oneonta’s East End on Route 7 from the city limits to Emmons. Justice of the Peace Fred A. Murdock is spearheading the effort said he will call upon the Oneonta Town Board to petition the Traffic Commission to erect signs limiting vehicles to speeds under 30 miles per hour. The stretch of highway has been the scene of one of Otsego County’s four motor fatalities this year. There are 40 residences and three gasoline stations along the stretch of road involved. While no petitions for establishing the low speed limit have been circulated, Murdock said all residents along the highway are solidly in favor of it. August 1940
125 Years Ago
Some Republican newspapers have strongly advocated for a “short campaign” this fall. The New York Times suggests that the “Republicans will find that they will need all the time they will have at command to explain their broken promises of reform and their performances of reckless and needless extravagance. If they succeed in getting a state ticket on September 18 and begin campaign work the day after, they will have just 40 days, not including Sundays, in which to assure the voters of this state that an increase of 50 per cent in the state taxes was for their benefit as well as a demonstration of Republican liberality in the use of other people’s money. Forty days will not be enough we believe and trust, in which to remove the Democratic opinion that it was not necessary to increase the taxes of the State $4,500,000, and that political wisdom,
rooms was the cause of a serious accident on Tuesday about Noon. Employees of the D. & H. Company were using it to carry a large desk to the offices on the fifth floor and had it partly loaded into the elevator when someone accidentally tripped the lever and turned on the power. The cage rose with such speed that it completely smashed the desk and knocked a large amount of plaster off the ceiling before it could be stopped. Only one man was in the cage at the time and he luckily escaped without serious injury, though receiving a bad bruise on one leg as he was pinned between the desk and the wall. Fortunately the trapped man was able to turn the power off but it took half an hour before he was extricated from the elevator. August 1920
60 Years Ago
An 18-year-old Jefferson girl, Miss Margaret Joyce VanLoan, was killed August 1980 Saturday night in a one-car accident near South Worcester on the Charlotteville road, prudence, and regard for the public welfare, a became Otsego County’s ninth highway should properly hold the Republicans to accident victim of the year. State police account for the imposition of this burden.” from the Oneonta sub-station reported that August 1895 the car in which Miss VanLoan was riding went off the edge of the pavement, swerved across the highway and turned over landing The elevator in the Oneonta Hotel which on its roof. Miss VanLoan suffered a broken is chiefly used by guests to reach their
100 Years Ago
‘We Must Continue Fight For Real Change’
N
ew York has been the birthplace to many of the progressive movements that have left an indelible mark on our society while pushing the nation forward, and particularly for women’s suffrage, which began at Seneca Falls and included legendary New Yorkers such as Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and so many more, As we commemorate the 100th an-
niversary of women gaining the right to vote, we must also recognize there is more work to be done. New York State will continue to lead the nation in creating greater equality for all and we are proud to preserve GOVERNOR and enhance this CUOMO important part of American history for future generations.” On the anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment, this development will stabilize Susan B.
Anthony’s childhood home in Washington County, allowing for the reuse of the property.While the Susan B. Anthony House and Museum in Rochester showcases the history of one of the world’s greatest revolutionaries, this project will further preserve Anthony’s legacy in New York State. As the birthplace of the women’s rights movement, New York was the first major state to grant the right to vote in the country, leading the way for the 19th Amendment. As we celebrate the centennial of women’s suffrage, we still have more work to do to achieve true equality and justice. Now more than ever, we must embrace this time to continue to fight for real change.
EDITORIAL: At Key Juncture, Leaders Must Collaborate EDITORIAL/From A4 day. Students are required to live on campus, so its 1,200 scholars can more easily be kept at a distance from the city at large. SUNY Oneonta has also put together an impressive plan to keep COVID-19 at bay, including seven- and 14-day self-quarantines for arriving students. Some individual initiatives are particularly impressive: Safety Officer Lachlan Squair’s innovative wastewater testing, in collaboration with Cornell and SU, and CGP’s Erik Stengler – he’s actually a science professor – ensuring social distancing at the Otsego Lake-side campus, have surfaced in the past few days. Undoubtedly there are many more heroes of the moment, if you will, at SUNY Oneonta and Hartwick too. • SUNY, however, presents a particular challenge. It has 6,500 students, four times Hartwick’s. Half of them live off campus, and will be going back and forth daily. So it was troubling to learn this week that Oneonta Mayor Gary Herzig and the SUNY administration aren’t in total amity heading into one of the most important weeks of 131 years of town-gown relations. It’s a shame the SUNY Oneonta administration couldn’t fully collaborate in circulating the mayor’s letter of welcome – and of caution – to its students, as Hartwick did. According to Herzig, College President Barbara
20 Years Ago
Just for today I will give thanks for my many blessings. Just for today, I will not worry. Just for today, I will not be angry. Just for today I will be kind to my neighbor and every living thing. These are the principles of Reiki, an ancient metaphysical healing energy that is taught and practiced throughout the world today. The knowledge that an unseen energy flows through all living things and is connected directly to our physical, emotional, and spiritual health has been part of the wisdom of many cultures since ancient times. The existence of this life force energy, known as Reiki has been verified by recent scientific experiments. Western and Eastern medical authorities are now studying the role this energy plays in the functioning of the immune system and the healing process. August 2000
10 Years Ago
Sitting in “Coach” Drago’s living room on Deerfield Lane, “Mr. Bojangles” creator Jerry Jeff Walker, had only one thing on his mind: basketball. More specifically, the 1959-60 Yellowjackets’ season, the only undefeated season for boys’ basketball in OHS history. Jerry Jeff, known then as Ron Crosby – “Ronny,” Tony Drago, then his coach and now retired OHS athletic director, keeps calling him – was a star 6-foot-1 forward on that winningest team. That was a halfcentury ago, 50 years, which Jerry Jeff’s OHS classmates will be celebrating the weekend of Oct. 1. “He was a scorer,” Drago recalled. “Good hands. In a number of games he was a high scorer.” August 2010
LIFE IN THE TIME OF COVID-19
THE VIEW FROM ALBANY
Editor’s Note: Governor Cuomo issued this paean to New York State suffragettes on Tuesday, Aug. 18, the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, which guarantees voting rights to women.
neck and suffocated. The car, owned by Terry William Miller, aged 20 of Warnerville, was operated by Richard Carl Salisbury, also of Warnerville. Miss Marie Helen Cropsey, age 16, was treated for injuries to her right eye and body contusions. August 1960
‘Herd Immunity’ Will Happen – But When?
W
e have heard the a population has enough phrase herd immu- people immune to very signity frequently and nificantly slow the spread it has been used as if it has is the point where we say some sort of magical powers we have herd immunity for to free us from the scourge a disease. of COVID-19. But what The point we reach herd exactly is it and how does immunity differs based on it work? the infectiousness Herd immunity of a disease, the is the concept that behavior that leads when a high enough to its transmission, percentage of a and the rate of population has imtransmission we munity to a disease, find acceptable. We either by developing still don’t know the immunity naturally risk of contracting COVID-19 if through exposure or through vaccination, exposed to the RICHARD SARS-CoV-2 virus the probability of STERNBERG any one remaining or the amount of individual contractvirus needed to ing the disease decreases. trigger a reaction to it. Actually, this should be a Currently, we hear things such as, “Once 70 percent fairly simple concept. When there is less of the disease of the population has been around to catch and fewer exposed, we will have herd targets, the spread slows immunity.” down. The point where Please See STERNBERG, B5 ON THE RECORD
As Of July 23, ‘No State Has Time To Ensure Smooth Voting’
M
ore than a month after New York’s June 23 primary Hartwick College photo elections, state election offiHartwick College is awaiting the return of its students this weekend. cials are still counting votes. Jean Morris thought there was too much shuttle-bus alternative should be moni- In some legislative districts, they haven’t even started of an “us-vs-them” tone, but a neutral tored and revisited, if advisable.) reading of the letter – it is reprinted on What’s most important is for Mayor counting absentee votes. In the best-case scenario, page A4 – doesn’t support that. Herzig and President Morris to sit Likewise, Hartwick College and Hill- down, immediately, and revisit what’s election officials hoped to declare winners by the first side Commons agreed with City Hall’s happened to their relationship, and Tuesday in August – six plan to suspend evening shuttle-bus establish – or reestablish – a level of routes from the campuses into the city, trust, cooperation and open communi- weeks after Election Day. It might take a lot longer but SUNY couldn’t bring itself to do so. cations as we enter an uncharted and than that. Election officials Finally, it appeared the mayor hadn’t imponderable future. in New York City have been fully briefed on SUNY’s testing Given what’s already happened already invalidated upwards plans – waste-water testing, the college at UNC, that relationship is going to of 100,000 absentee ballots health center’s role, and an “opting in” be important to everyone living in Oneonta and Otsego County at large, – about one of every five to Upstate Medical’s services – as he that were mailed in from the should have been. given how our local economy – and five boroughs. And furious • thus our lives and livelihoods – is candidates are already We are where we are. Those decidependent on thriving colleges, and filing lawsuits charging sions have been made, (although the functioning ones.
discrimination and disenfranchisement. The chaos in New York is a warning about November’s elections: Voting is being transformed by the pandemic. But no state has built new election infrastructure. No state has the time or the money to make sure votecounting will go smoothly “This is what happens,” a New York election official told me over the phone last week, “when you jury-rig a system that hasn’t been designed or implemented or tested before.” And just about every state is about to be hit with a massive surge of absentee ballots. EDWARD-ISAAC DOVERE The Atlantic, July 24, 2020
THURSDAY, august 20, 2020
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Christine Alexander’s “Plated Color” will be on display with her other collages at the Art Garage this weekend
Cuyle Carvin, top photo, stars as Cross, a racist sheriff in Oscar-winner Kevin Willmott’s “The 24th,” premiering on streaming services this Friday, Aug. 21. At left is the movie’s star, Trai Buyers, who co-wrote the script.
By LIBBY CUDMORE ONEONTA
‘B
lacKkKlansman” Oscar-winning screenwriter Kevin Willmott has discovered what Oneonta fans have known all along. Cuyle Carvin is destined to be a star. “When I arrived on set, he told me that he had seen my audition and knew right then that they wanted me,” Carvin said. Cuyle Carvin “They said they were looking for an unfamiliar face that could rival the looks of Brad
Pitt, but a better actor.” The 2003 Hartwick College graduate stars as Cross, a racist Houston sheriff, in Willmott’s latest film, “The 24th,” about the Houston riot of 1917, where soldiers from the Third Battalion of the all-black 24th Infantry Regiment clashed with Houston police following months of harassment and violence. The film was shot in North Carolina last year, and right now, Carvin, son of Nadine Stenson and Bill Carvin, is in Oneonta shooting the film “Asteroids” with Oneonta filmmakers Dylan Please See CARVIN, B2
For Tifanne
Lorraine Brady picks peppers in the garden she maintains in honor of her best friend, Tifanne Wells, donating the harvest to Nader Towers.
She Grows Garden Of Good Deeds In Remembrance Of A Violent End everyone,” she said. “She started First Night and the Hometown Fourth of July. She did so much.” ONEONTA Wells, 44, died in 2015, t home, Lorraine shot by her boyfriend, George Jones, after an Brady gardens for herself. argument outside their In the Community Garden home near Emmons on on Wilcox Avenue in the March 7, 2015. He then Tifanne Wells Sixth Ward, she gardens in shot and killed himself. Since 2017, Brady has honor of her best friend, kept a plot in the Community Garden, Tifanne Wells. “She was always trying to help Please See TIFANNE, B2 OTSEGO.life By LIBBY CUDMORE
A
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Enjoy New Art, Play Fun Games, Or Hit the Links
C
hristine Alexander shows off her beautiful collage work at a pop-up show at the Art Garage. Reserve your 15-minute slot for a private showing! 2 - 5p.m. Saturday, Aug. 22, through Saturday Sept 5. 689 Beaver Meadow Road, Cooperstown. Text 315941-9607 or call 607-5475327 for appointments. • Hit the links, social distance and raise money LIBBY for the Community CUDMORE Foundation of Otsego County with the return of the Otsego County Chamber Classic golf tournament. 1 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 20, Oneonta Country Club, 9 Country Club Dr., Oneonta. www.members.otsegocc.com • It’s a virtual poetry reading with the poets from ‘Seeing Things: An Anthology of Poetry,’ as part of CANO’s weekly writer’s salon. 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 20, www.canoneonta.org. • The Glimmerglobe Theatre presents a virtual performance of Oscar Wilde’s “A Woman of No Importance.” 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 21, www.facebook. com/fenimoreartmuseum/ • One champion will emerge from a Super Smash Bros. tournament. $2,000 in cash prizes, junior and senior brackets. Saturday, Aug. 22. Info, registration, Serenity Hobbies 607-376-7276. • Artist Christina Hunt Wood gives a free Zoom talk on her works in the Fenimore Art Museum’s Community Gallery. 2-3 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 23, www.facebook. com/fenimoreartmuseum/ • Eat great and support youth sports with a spaghetti and meatball dinner! 4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 22, 6th Ward Athletic Club, 22 West Broadway, Oneonta. Call 607-436-9136 to order.
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THURSDAY, August 20, 2020
Carvin’s Bad Guy In ‘The 24th,’ Oscar-Winning Screenwriter’s Latest CARVIN/From B1 Avery and Korey Rowe. Carvin’s brother, Chris, also lives locally. “I think Korey and I were on the same Little League team when we were kids, but we didn’t reconnect until recently, when we were both living in LA,” he said. “I bought a camera from him, and we reconnected over our love of film.” Last year, Carvin brought Rowe in to help him edit his featurelength directorial debut, “Dolls,” a horror film starring “ET” star Dee Wallace, available on Amazon Prime. “Korey called me up and told me about this project,” he said. Carvin plays Spencer, who moves back to his Oneonta hometown with his family in the days before the apocalypse. The majority of the film is being shot in Oneonta, including at ISD, the Southside Mall and Main Street, in an effort to drum up support for the creation of a local film commission, an idea
AllOTSEGO.life
Ian Austin/
Natalie Wrubleski of Cooperstown, who’s doing costumes on “Asteroids,” ensures every hair on Cuyle Carvin’s head is in place before shooting of a scene begins in Oneonta’s ISD.
championed by Greg Klein of Cooperstown. “Otsego County is the only county in New York State that doesn’t have a film commission,” he said. “Korey and Dylan want to change that and highlight this county as a place to make movies.”
It’s the second film he’s shot locally; in 2010, he returned from LA to star in “Mineville,” written and directed by Oneonta motherson filmmaking team Lori Kelly and Joel Plue. Filming on “Asteroids” is expected to wrap by the end of next week, but “The 24th” will
premier on streaming services on Friday, Aug, 21. Willmott won the “BlackkKlansman” Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay in 2019, which he wrote with Spike Lee. “The 24th” was co-written by “Empire” actor Trai Byers, who also stars in the film, which also stars Oscar-nominated actor Thomas Hayden Church. Carvin’s character is based on Lee Sparks, a Houston sheriff whose violent and unprovoked attack on Cpl. Charles Baltimore of The 24th helped ignite the riot, which left 17 people dead, including four police officers, two soldiers and nine civilians. “It was tough,” the actor said. “It’s a predominantly black cast, and my first day on set, I’m slinging around the n-word. It was really awkward; was I supposed to say it in rehearsals? I hope they think I’m not really like this! “But thankfully, everyone got that.”
His first day’s scene was also a physically demanding one. “The soldiers are on the trolley, and one of them moves to sit up front,” he said. “The trolley driver tells him to move to the back, and when he doesn’t, he calls me in. “There’s a stand-off, and then I physically beat him. It’s a horrible introduction to a very racist character.” But Carvin was also impressed by the depth Willmott and Byers wrote for his character. “There’s a scene where Cross recounts a story about seeing the black community integrate into Houston when he was a kid, and how his father blamed them for him losing his business,” he said. “You get to see how racism grows in someone. Because we’re not born with hatred, these are things we learn. And I think it’s important that we see that. Will it change your mind about him? No. But it’s something we can look at in ourselves and people we know.”
Remembering Tifanne, Friend Turns Community Garden Into Font Of Good Will TIFANNE/From B1 growing vegetables solely for the purpose of donating to local charity organizations. “I started this garden to give everything away,” she
said. “I garden at home, but giving them away is better.” The first year, she gave her harvest – onions, shallots, broccoli and potatoes – to The Crossroads, the rehab community in Otego
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operated by Noelle and Brad Feik. “Tifanne was good friends with Noelle,” Lorraine said. “I’d take vegetables to them, and two weeks later, I’d come back and all of it would be gone.” In 2018, she took her fresh produce to the community kitchen at the Opportunities for Otsego homeless shelter. And starting last summer,
she added Nader Towers, for distribution to the residents. “They’re always so happy to get fresh vegetables,” she said. Recently, she took a five-gallon bucket of potatoes, and her green peppers became the basis of a feast. “One of the ladies made stuffed peppers and was taking them around to people,” she said. “They were a hit!”
This year, she added a second plot, with pole beans, tomatoes, eggplant and peppers, across from the plot she started with, where she grows potatoes and squash. She is able to take Community Service hours from Wells Fargo, where she works as an assistant, to maintain the garden and make the deliveries. Lorraine met Tifanne
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on the Oneonta Softball League in 1997, when they both played for the General Clinton Pub, where they both later worked together. “She was the most outgoing, vivacious person I’ve ever known,” she said. One time, she said, they were at a NASCAR race in the Poconos, and Wells helped strangers start their car in the parking lot. “Someone needed a jump when their car died,” she said. “She was always willing to help.” Wells mother, Bon, made a sign for the plot with Tifanne’s name and the Wonder Woman logo, in honor of a joke her daughter used to tell. “Tifanne would always say, ‘I’m not saying I’m Wonder Woman, but have you ever seen us in the same room together?’” said Brady. And you might see her in the garden sporting a Wonder Woman mask, made from fabric she found at WalMart. “We made a bunch of them,” she said. Brady is still close with Tifanne’s sons. Austin is a Marine stationed at Camp Pendleton, and Dalton is a senior at Oneonta High School. Her daughter, Cassie, lives in Otego. “When I’m on vacation, the kids will all take turns watering and picking the garden,” she said. And when she is weeding and picking, she takes a moment to reflect on her friend’s legacy. “It’s relaxing, it’s peaceful, it’s the only time my brain shuts off,” she said. “And it’s a way for me to give back the same way she did.”
AllOTSEGO.life
THURSDAY, August 20, 2020
B-3
Mayor, SUNY Oneonta Administration At Odds On Reopening
DUST-UP,/From A1 He said the three points of contention are: • One, Hartwick distributed a letter of welcome and instruction from the mayor through its internal communications to students, and posted it on the college’s social media, but SUNY Oneonta would not. College President Barbara Jean Morris “felt that it created an ‘us-vs-them’ environment, which I strongly disagree with,” said the mayor. The letter welcomes students, but also warns overcrowded house parties can bring $1,000 fines. • Two, Hartwick College and Hillside Commons, the student apartments, agreed with City Hall’s decision to halt evening shuttle buses between the campuses and downtown, to reduce risks of COVID spread in crowded bars. Instead, SUNY’s Student Association and its adviser disagreed, and are negotiating with Hale Bus Co., Madison County, to continue evening runs, (albeit, for shopping in Southside Mall.) • Three, President
Hartwick Asks Students: Test Once, Twice
HARTWICK/From A1 All students and employees will be required to: • Provide evidence of negative results from COVID-19 testing within a maximum of 14 days prior to arrival. • Quarantine for 14 days, if arriving from a “Hot Spot” state, as determined by the State of New York, even if the student has tested negative for COVID-19; • Undergo COVID-19 testing again on arriving on campus Aug. 22-31 – students and commuters, and all employees. • Be tested every week until the end of in-person classes (Nov 20). Again, that applies to students and employees. Further, “Out Social Compact” requires wearing masks in public, six-foot social distancing at all time, and respect for personal space; good hygiene, including frequent handwashing; participating in daily screenings including temperature checks; disinfecting living and working spaces and personal items on a regular basis; and comply with the College’s Reopening Campus Plan as well as local, state, and federal guidelines on COVID-19 when both on and off campus. Course work will be delivered both in-person and virtually for students in the fall semester. Changes to the academic calendar for the fall semester eliminated breaks until in-person instruction ends on Friday, November 20. All students will leave campus by November 21 and then complete the semester’s instruction and exams remotely. Final exams conclude on Dec. 10. The College has enhanced safety and cleaning measures campus-wide, including: • Daily screening of all individuals entering campus. • Increased sanitizing of academic and administrative buildings and residence halls. • Additional hand sanitizer dispensers at building entrances, dining and café locations, fitness entrances, and event spaces. • Markings and signage in campus buildings to indicate six-foot distancing. • Designated single-direction foot-traffic in some spaces, and limited the number of building entrances to facilitate screening. • Restricted elevator occupancy. • Reduced capacity in theaters and auditoriums to maintain six-foot social distance.
a time, for COVID. (It turns out the campus is participating in an innovative COVID-control collaboration; see related story, A1) In an interview Monday, Aug. 17, Herzig announced the tip-line – (607) 3767453 – that students and the public should call if they observe activities – parties, gatherings, flouting of social-distancing measures – that may assist the spread of COVID-19. Pointing out the arrival of students – SUNY’s began arriving Monday; Hartwick’s this weekend – will double HOMETOWN ONEONTA the city’s population, Herzig & The Freeman’s Journal said, “We love our students. Sal Trupia, Long We need our students here. Island, helps his We are doing everything we daughter Lauryn can to minimize the risks, to move into her SUNY keep students safe; to keep Oneonta dorm room year-‘round people safe, so Monday afternoon, we all come out on the other Aug. 17, with his side and return to life as wife Jeannine and normal.” son Joseph assisting. Hartwick students are Hartwick students are required to live on campus; arriving in Oneonta about half of SUNY this weekend. students live on-campus, Morris, as of last week, was half off-campus. College spokesman resisting participation in an “opt in” SUNY Upstate plan Kim McLeod, speaking on to “pool test” students, 20 at Morris’ behalf, disagreed
with the mayor’s assessment of SUNY Oneonta’s participation. On the first point, she said Bill Woodward, director of community standards, did write his own “extensive email” to “students in the Greater Oneonta community” detailing “point by point” provisions in Herzig’s welcome letter. Also, she said, Herzig’s letter was posted on the SUNY Oneonta parents’ page. On the second point, nighttime buses, McLeod said “students do have to shop and do things after classes.” Student Life Director and the S.A. have arranged shuttles to the mall and Walmart, 4-9 p.m. weekdays and noon-9 p.m. weekends. “I’m expecting that will turn out well as well,” she said. On the third point, testing students, she arranged an interview with Lachlan Squair, chief of facilities & safety, who said the campus is using waste-water monitoring, testing and quarantining as necessary through its health center, and that it has
decided to opt-in to the SUNY system’s collaboration with Upstate Medical in Syracuse. In an interview, Herzig said , “Both campuses have excellent safety plans, which require students to sacrifice greatly while they are on campus. “Dorm visits are greatly restrictive. Dining halls
are non-existent or greatly restricted. Masks. Forgoing in-person classes. “My position is that is all for naught if we don’t take the same approach and have the same intent when the students are off-campus, what’s the point of having extensive behavioral sacrifices on campus.”
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THURSDAY, August 20, 2020
B-4 THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA
Law Or Not, Most People Wear Masks Downtown MASKS/From A1 heard about in a report on WKTV-TV, Utica. Locally, Village Board members who had crafted the law, and businesspeople who may have worried about it, seemed to unanimously agree that the first weekend of the new strictures had gone smoothly. Saturday, Mayor Ellen Tillapaugh Kuch went into the Cooperstown Farmers’ Market while hubby Gary Kuch, the town justice, sat in the car waiting and watching. “What’s your take, Gary?” she asked on finishing her shopping. “He said, ‘Easily, 97 or 98 percent are compliant. Those who don’t wear it have it around their necks.’” “I walked Main Street a little bit,” she said. “I found the same thing.” Village police patrolled,
but didn’t have to give out any citations, the mayor said. They asked a few people to put on their masks, and they did. (She emphasized: If they had been issued citations, fines – they are authorized to $1,000 – wouldn’t go to the village, but into state coffers.) Trustee Richard Sternberg, who has been most hawkish about the need to require mask-wearing, had a similar experience. “I thought I was seeing a higher percentage of masks,” he said. “I don’t know if it’s just a statistical variance. Some people weren’t aware of the new law yet.” Jess Lanza, new board chair at the Cooperstown Chamber of Commerce, estimated adherence to the law “in the 90 percentile” along Main Street. In Kate’s Upstate, the fashion store he operates with his wife,
“we haven’t had any issue with people coming in and fussing about it,” even under the less strict state order. “We didn’t have any issues or anything,” agreed Laurie Fink, Tin Bin Alley proprietor. “From my perspective, the first weekend went very well.” The Village Board unanimously passed the law Monday, Aug. 10, requiring masks to be worn on Main Street between Fair Street and Pine Boulevard, and on Pioneer between Church and Lake. The law was reviewed by Village Attorney Martin Tillapaugh, then filed with the New York secretary of state by week’s end, and it went into effect. The law enhances Governor Cuomo’s executive order requiring people to wear masks within six feet of each other; because of sidewalk cafes, the
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trustees were worried pedestrians are unable to maintain the required distance on downtown sidewalks. Concerned that there be enforcement, Sternberg said he had engaged village patrolmen in conversations about their plans to walk Main Street sidewalks. But that was before he and the rest of the trustees received an email from the mayor clarifying the chain of command: “She is the sole authority to speak to police,” as well as Village Administrator Teri Barown, he said. “She is correct.” (However, if Tillapaugh and Barown are both out of town, he continued, the Village Board can meet and designate an acting mayor until one of the women returns.) Meanwhile, the “Masks on Main” effort to alert out-oftowners to the new law is continuing, with signage, “masks required,” placed in the rain gardens along Main Street, the mayor said. “We ordered more signage after the law passed Monday night,” she said. “Sandwich boards should be in this week,” she added.
Taking Initiative, CGP Professor Acts So Students Can Study Safely
Jim Kevlin/The Freeman’s Journal & HOMETOWN ONEONTA
On his own initiative over the summer, Eric Stengler, Cooperstown Graduate Program assistant professor, transformed the conference room and exhibit space in the lakeside building into one large room and arranged the desks so 17 students, practicing social distancing, can attend class as one. There are 23-24 students in each CGP class, so Director Gretchen Sorin split attendance in two: half attend class weekly, while the other half participates via Zoom, from home. The following week, vice versa. Stengler likewise adjusted labs and the lounge so the optimum number of master’s students can use them safely. Stengler graduated from the University of Cologne and received a Ph.D. from Oxford. He has been at the CGP for two years.
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Legal nOtice Notice of Formation of Patriot APS, LLC Filed w/ SSNY 8/10/20. Office location: Otsego County. SSNY designated as agent upon whom proc. may be served & shall mail to 5001 St Hwy 23 Suite 3-148, Oneonta NY 13820. Any lawful purpose. 6LegalSept.24 Legal nOtice NOTICE OF PUBLIC SALE Public Notice is heareby given Under Sec.182 NYS Lien Law, that property described as contents of storage unit, will be sold at public auction at 6 p.m. on August 28th, 2020 at Rt. 23 Self Storage of Oneonta, 8745 St. Hwy. 23, Oneonta NY. The sale of such property is to satisfy the lien of Rt 23 Self Storage of Oneonta on property stored for the accounts of: Unit # 409 Edmund Kingston
SSNY desig. agent of LLC whom process may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o Kehoe & Merzig, PC, 8-12 Dietz St., Ste. 202, Oneonta, NY 13820. Purpose: Any lawful purpose. Principal business location: 27 Solar Bluff, Worcester, NY 12197. 6LegalSept.24 Legal nOtice NOTICE TO THE DEFENDANT Gary W. McCoy a/k/a Gary McCoy Nature of this action: foreclosure action involving real property commonly known as 2900 State Highway 80, Burlington Flats, New York seeking a judgment of foreclosure and sale for the amount due and owing to the Plaintiff, NBT Bank, National Association, under the Note and Mortgage with a current principal balance of Nineteen Thousand One Hundred Ninety Three and 53/100 Dollars ($19,193.53) together with interest, late fees and other charges. AMENDED SUMMONS
Unit # 507 Charles Ison Legal nOtice
Index No.: EF2020-34
NOTICE OF FORMATION OF
STATE OF NEW YORK SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF OTSEGO
J&R PROPERTIES OF WORCESTER, LLC Articles of Org. filed NY Sec. of State (SSNY) 7/1/20. Office in Otsego Co.
NBT BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, Plaintiff,
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-against-
GARY W. McCOY a/k/a GARY McCOY; ELIZABETH McCOY; ELIZABETH V. ROONEY; ERIE MATERIALS INC.; ALLIED BUILDING PRODUCTS; CAPITAL ONE BANK (USA), N.A.; VELOCITY INVESTMENTS, INC; CAVALRY SPV I, LLC; PORTFOLIO RECOVERY ASSOCIATES, LLC; NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF TAXATION AND FINANCE; and JOHN DOE and MARY ROE, said Individuals being fictitious and intended as possible occupants of the premises which are the subject matter of this action, and whose identity is unknown, Defendants. TO THE ABOVE NAMED DEFENDANTS: YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED to answer the Complaint in the above action and serve a copy of your Answer on the plaintiff’s attorney within twenty (20) days after service of this Summons, exclusive of the day of service, or if the service of the Summons is made by any means other than by personal delivery to you within the State of New York, within thirty (30) days after such service is complete. In case of your failure to appear or Answer thereto, judgment will be
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TESTING/From A1 in the virus five days before it can be detected in testing of symptoms.” The idea of testing waste-water – in a word, sewage – has been surfacing in news reports only in the past few days – “the canary in the coal mine,” a Clemson University administrator called it – so SUNY Oneonta is on the cutting edge. As far as he knows, Squair said, Oneonta is the first SUNY campus to adopt the technique, which grew out of a collaboration with Cornell, Syracuse University, Upstate Medical in Syracuse, and a company called Quadrant Biosciences, also in Syracuse. It is one of three tools SUNY Oneonta has adopted to stay ahead of the pandemic threat, along with: • Pooled testing, where a “pool” of saliva from 20 students is sent to Upstate Medical for testing. If the sample tests positive for COVID-19, the 20 students can then be tested individually. It’s less
LEGALS
taken against you by default for the relief demanded in the Complaint. The United States of America, if designated as a defendant in this action, may Answer or appear within sixty (60) days of service hereof. Otsego County is designated as the place of trial, the basis of venue in this action is the location of the mortgaged premises. NOTICE YOU ARE IN DANGER OF LOSING YOUR HOME If you do not respond to this summons and complaint by serving a copy of the answer on the attorney for the mortgage company who filed this foreclosure proceeding against you and filing the answer with the court, a default judgment may be entered and you can lose your home. Speak to an attorney or go to the court where your case is pending for further information on how to answer the summons and protect your property. Sending a payment to your mortgage company will not stop this foreclosure action. YOU MUST RESPOND BY SERVING A COPY OF THE ANSWER ON THE ATTORNEY FOR
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THE PLAINTIFF (MORTGAGE COMPANY) AND FILING THE ANSWER WITH THE COURT. NOTICE TO THE DEFENDANT, GARY W. McCOY a/k/a GARY McCOY Dated: January 13, 2020 Clifton Park, New York BURGESS & ASSOCIATES P.C. Melissa H. Pugliese, Esq. Attorneys for plaintiff Office and P.O. Address 646 Plank Road, Suite 103 Clifton Park, New York 12065 (51 8) 371 -0052 4LegalSept.10 Legal nOtice NOTICE OF FORMATION OF RADICALLY ALIGNED LLC Arts. of Org. filed with SSNY on 07/27/20. Office location: Otsego County. SSNY desg. as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to: 238 Percy Holmes Rd Worcester, NY 12197. Purpose: Any lawful purpose. 6LegalSept.17 Legal nOtice Notice of Formation of
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the Local Gal, LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with SSNY on 05/11/20. Office location: Otsego. SSNY desg. as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY should mail process to 56 Center St, Oneonta, NY 13820. Any lawful purpose. 6LegalSept.17 Legal nOtice Notice of Formation of 2229 County Highway LLC filed w/ SSNY 7/29/20. Off. in Otsego Co. SSNY desig. as agt. of LLC whom process may be served & shall mail process to the LLC, 1945 County Hwy. 22, Richfield Springs, NY 13439. Any lawful purpose. 6LegalSept.17 Legal nOtice Notice of Formation of Arnold Lake, LLC . Filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 08/03/20. Office location: Otsego County. Walt Frazier designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. Walt Frazier shall mail process to the LLC at 273 Southside Drive, Oneonta N.Y. 13820. Purpose: Any lawful
expensive and more efficient than testing everyone. • If symptoms appear, students are immediately directed to the campus Health & Wellness Center, that round building on the left as you approach campus on Ravine Parkway. There, students will be tested, then quarantined while awaiting results; if positive, any infected student will be isolated through recovery. SUNY Oneonta will be testing for 24 hours, twice weekly, at three waste-water outflow points. If a COVID indication surfaces, quarantining and isolating would be initiated in that one-third of the campus. Test samples will be sent to Quadrant, Squair said, where “there’s a test available that’s so sensitive it can pick up a very small COVID positive in a 200,000 population. “This is going to be a very important tool in the control of COVID,” he continued. “We’re part of a group of early adopters of this technology.”
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activity 6LegalSept.10
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Notice of Formation of
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GREULICH REALTY LLC
Notice of Formation of a NY Limited Liability Company
Articles of Org. filed NY Sec. of State (SSNY) 7/23/2020. Office in Otsego Co. SSNY desig. agent of LLC whom process may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Jeff Greulich, 9 Roaring Rock Rd., Washington, NJ 07882. Purpose: Any lawful purpose. Principal business location: 40 Maple Ave., Unadilla, NY 13849. 6LegalSept.3
Name: HOTEL PRATT LLC Articles of Organization filing date with Secretary of State (SSNY) was 17 June 2020. Office location: Otsego County. SSNY has been designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and SSNY shall mail copy of process to 50 Pioneer St, Cooperstown, NY 13326. Purpose is to engage in any and all business activities permitted under NYS laws. 6LegalSept.10 Legal nOtice Notice of Formation of Goss Properties, LLC, Art. of Org. filed with SSNY on 6/25/20. Off. loc.: Otsego Co. SSNY desig. as agent upon whom proc. may be served & shall mail 33 Ford Ave., Oneonta, NY 13820. Purp.: any lawful. 6LegalSept.3 Legal nOtice
Legal nOtice Notice of Formation of a NY Limited Liability Company Name: PRIME’S OUTDOOR POWER LLC Articles of Organization filing date with Secretary of State (SSNY) was 24 July 2020. Office location: Otsego County. SSNY has been designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and SSNY shall mail copy of process to 5715 US Hwy 20, East Springfield, NY 13333. Purpose is to engage in any and all business activities permitted under NYS laws. 6LegalSept.3 Legal nOtice
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Notice of Formation of a NY Limited Liability Company Name: SPRINGFIELD CAMPGROUND LLC Articles of Organization filing date with Secretary of State (SSNY) was 24 July 2020. Office location: Otsego County. SSNY has been designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and SSNY shall mail copy of process to 7761 State Highway 80, Springfield Center, NY 13468. Purpose is to engage in any and all business activities permitted under NYS laws. 6LegalSept.3 Legal nOtice Notice of Formation of AMERICAN MAIN STREET PROJECT LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with SSNY on 06/26/20. Office location: Otsego County. SSNY desg. as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC, 81 Spruce St., Oneonta, New York, 13820. Purpose: Any lawful purpose. 6LegalAug.20
►Need to publish a Notice of Formation, Public Notice, Supplemental Summons, or Notice to Bidders? Contact Larissa at 607-547-6103 or ads@allotsego.com and she can get you started.
HOMETOWN ONEONTA B-5
THURSDAY, aUGUST 20, 2020
IN MEMORIAM Melanie, Wayne Jones; Couple Died Hours Apart
WORCESTER - Melanie Ruth Jones, 60, and her husband, Wayne Dennis Jones, 68, passed away hours apart Sunday, Aug. 2, 2020. Melanie was found in the morning having suffered apparent respiratory failure. Later that evening, Wayne passed away after receiving the news. Both had underlying health conditions, but both also tested positive for COVID-19 within the
past few of joy and months. steadfast, Wayne sacrificial and love. Melanie They are were survived married by their for 33 four loving years, and children, were both Jeremy, committed David, Ethan to one Melanie and Wayne Jones and Beth another as Anna Jones. well as to loving the people Services for Wayne and in their lives, always full Melanie will be held at 3
STERNBERG: It’s Unlikely Herd Immunity Will Save Us
STERNBERG/From A5 Other places, I have read numbers as low as 20 percent p.m., Saturday, Aug. 22, (highly wishful thinking) and as at the Main Street Baptist high as 90 percent. Church, 333 Main St. in The truth is an individual’s Oneonta. risk does decrease as the Because of COVID percentage immune around her regulations, please call the increases, but it doesn’t hit zero church office to reserve a until she is immune either by seat at 607-432-5712. Please having contracted the disease or by immunization. wear a face covering and The disease doesn’t go away maintain social distancing. until the percentage with it reaches The family will record the zero, which is termed eradicaservice to play on YouTube. tion. For example, worldwide Arrangements are we are so close to eradicating entrusted to the Heller & polio, but until the last cases Skinner Funeral Home. have recovered without any further transmission the population is not safe and new generations can get the disease. The same is true with her COVID-19. daughter What it comes down to is: Suzanne Herd immunity is the point Allen; her where the transmission rate of siblings, the disease is so low and so Frank few people are contracting it Bates, that society as a whole accepts William the remaining cases as being Edith Bates, Jr. inevitable. Sutton and Betty Measles as a disease was mostly eradicated in the U.S. Bates Klein. by aggressive immunization A private graveside programs for decades beginservice will be at the ning in the ’60s. Maryland Cemetery. Measles kills. But as herd A public celebration of immunity developed, some Edith’s life will be held parents refused to have their at a later date. children vaccinated, thinking In lieu of flowers, that if everybody else’s children donations may be sent were vaccinated there would be to Susquehanna SPCA, nobody for their child to catch 4841 State Highway 28, it from.
Edith May Sutton, 89; Maryland Woman Worked At SUNY MARYLAND – Edith May Sutton, 89, who worked for General
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She was an avid NY Yankees fan. She enjoyed travelling the United States. She loved swimming in her pool. She is survived by her son, Stephen E. Sutton and wife, Jeanne Knowles; her son-in-law, Gary Allen; grandchildren, James and Catherine Allen, Jonathan Allen, Loren Sutton, William Sutton, Brian Sutton, Heather and Elias Santana and CJ Knowles; great-grandchildren, Hunter Allen, Carson Allen, Morgan Allen, Laney Allen, and Violet Santana; her siblings, Alice Allen, Ethel Williams, Richard Bates, and Diane Alvarino; and many nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her husband, William;
Cooperstown, NY 13326. Arrangements are entrusted to the Heller & Skinner Funeral Home.
Barton Bonney, 80, Oneonta; Ran Chestnut Street Radio Shack ONEONTA – Barton Bonney, 80, a WDOS engineer and former owner of Radio Shack on Chestnut Street, Oneonta, passed away peacefully at home on Saturday, July 25, 2020. Born in Philadelphia, Barton relocated to Oneonta with his family to work for WDOS as a radio engineer, later owning the Radio Shack. He was an amateur radio operator (callsign N2PTA), and longtime member of the Oneonta Amateur Radio Club, American Radio Relay League and St. Matthew Lutheran Church in Laurens. Barton is survived by his wife, Margaret; sister, Cherie Lotito; two children, Karen Smith (husband, Jack)
and Kevin Bonney (wife, Melissa); seven grandchildren, Michael Nelson (wife, Virginia), Charlene Forsythe (husband, Randy), Terri Bonney, Bradley Seeley, Douglas Alise, Cody Steele and Ryan Money; and five great-grandchildren, Joshua, Abigail, Flynn, Landon and Marie, with one on the way. A memorial service will be arranged by the family for a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Matthew Lutheran Church in Laurens, Milford Emergency Squad and East Meredith Fire Department. Arrangements were entrusted to Ottman Funeral Home.
Carolyn DeSilva, 79, Oneonta; Owned Carol’s Antiques In City
ONEONTA – Carolyn A. DeSilva, 79, who operated Carol’s Antiques in Oneonta for many years, passed away Thursday, Aug. 6, 2020, at Chestnut Park Rehabilitation & Nursing Center. She was born Aug. 26,
1940, in Margaretville, the daughter of the late Howard and Dorothy (VanVaulkenburg) Fairbairn. Carol is survived by her son, Kevin and Carol DeSilva, Oneonta; daughter, Debra and John Gransbury, Virginia Beach, Virginia; as well as four grandchildren, Michelle, Adam, Nick and Ryan Gransbury; three great-grandchildren, Logan, Trey and Kaesan Gransbury; a sister-in-law, Brenda Fairbairn, Margaretville; special friends, Sue and Don Allen, Arkville and Toni Christensen, Murray, Utah; as well as several nieces and nephews. There will be no services at this time. Donations may be made to the SQSPCA. Arrangements are by the Lester R. Grummons Funeral Home.
MeMories to Cherish every life has a story. everyone deserves a final appreciation.
Be sure to remind your funeral director to provide obituary information to our newspapers, along with your favorite photo of your loved one.
OUNDED
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Cooperstown’s Newspaper
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DG
& The Otsego-Delaware Dispatch
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1808 BY
ONEONTA
IN
HOMETOWN
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Or submit the information yourself, directly to info@AllOtsegO.com, or by filling out a special form at www.AllOtsegO.com/loved-ones/
JU
OFF
Electric in Syracuse, then SUNY Oneonta, passed away on Aug. 11, 2020 at Cooperstown Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing She was born May 28, 1931, in White Plains, the daughter of William and Edith (Coombs) Bates, moving to Otsego County as a girl. She graduated from Andrew S. Draper Central School, Schenevus. Edith married William Sutton on July 17, 1948 at the Westville Baptist Church.
For 212 Years
AllOTSEGO.com
Unfortunately, too many people thought this way. Measles is very highly contagious, probably more so than COVID-19, and a big enough reservoir of the non-immunized was now left that occasionally it takes off. It can be fatal and children died (unnecessarily). You have probably heard or read about this in the media in the last few years. The same will happen with COVID-19, unless the percentages immune become very high. So, if we take 70 percent as the point where we declare herd immunity, then 240 million Americans will have had to contract it. At an overall fatality rate of between 0.5 and 1.0 percent (this includes minimally and asymptomatic people who are still infective anyway), we can expect 1.2-2.4 million Americans to die. There will still be 90 million people at risk. We need to slow the spread and pray for a vaccine soon to avoid this result. Wear your masks. And to the people who claim that they can’t wear a mask (don’t get me going on that), wear a face shield. It works as well and doesn’t interfere with your breathing. Richard Sternberg, a retired Bassett Hospital orthopedic surgeon, has agreed to provide his professional perspective while the coronavirus threat continues. Dr. Sternberg, who is also a village trustee, resides in Cooperstown.
VELEZ: Will Pandemic Lead To More Justice, Understanding VELEZ/From A4 Humanity has survived wars, droughts, floods, wildfires, earthquakes, plagues and pandemics of biblical proportions. We tend to consider them as isolated events in history, having an impact only in the time and place of their occurrence. However, if we consider them as parts of a broader, divine plan, each may have greater significance. Virtually all religions are predicated on a core set of values that are usually encapsulated in a primary document. Every major religion has a written source that incorporates its theology, history, traditions, rituals and moral code. For Jews, it is the Torah. For Christians, it is the New Testament. For Muslims, it is the Qur’an. It is from books such as these and from the studies of learned scholars that the faithful draw the knowledge and wisdom to direct how they conduct themselves in all aspects of life. In this context, major disasters may be seen as opportunities for us to fulfill our part in a divine plan. The essence of the great commandment, to love God and our neighbor, binds us to each other in our quest for justice and peace. Nevertheless, throughout history it is clear that for the most part, we have failed to produce permanent change for the better in times of greatest need. It always seems that we can rationalize that it is not our problem and so, we walk away. COVID-19 has changed that view. This virus is highly contagious and deadly. While
it is completely indiscriminate in whom it infects, the consequences are worse for the poor. It has spread worldwide and has brought the world economy to its knees. It is as though all of humanity has been put into the crucible at once. No one can walk away because no one is immune to this scourge or exempt from its broader consequences. Overcome the grave and diverse consequences of the pandemic, we have had to adopt new paradigms of personal and social relationships. We are discovering that our survival depends on our turning to others for assistance and supporting others in their need. Every day we witness and engage in selfless and sometimes courageous acts of aid to others. This is a consequence of our sharing in the crisis rather than simply observing it as we have others in the past. While the end seems far away, there will come a time when we will manage our way into the future with COVID-19. The crisis will pass but the virus will remain, and hopefully the experience will have changed us for the better. Our heightened awareness of the pervasive social and economic injustice, coupled with our new understanding of “who is my neighbor,” may bring us finally to embrace our part in the plan and bring about lasting justice and peace for all. Velez is deacon at St. Mary’s “Our Lady of the Lake” Catholic Church in Cooperstown and St. Thomas, The Apostle in Cherry Valley.
HESSE: We’re All Still Americans HESSE/From A4 Where is the money coming from to finance all the protests? Who is paying for making the 200 photos on the wall in Oneonta? And what about those displayed recently in Unadilla? Who are the behind-the-scene organizers? The public needs to have these questions answered. Transparency should be the order of the day. Intertwined with all this is the subject of our police force. I live in Otego and have been coming to Oneonta for over 70 years. During that time I have come to respect and appreciate Oneonta’s police presence. I have read Chief Brenner’s letter and I do not feel it was in any way “an example of white fragility.” Such a statement serves only to provoke a problem. The current demonstrations and protests in our country have unequivocally served to divide this country. It would be remiss for Chief Brenner not to have supported his officers.
There are somewhere between 750,000 and 850,000 police on the job in the United States, and there are as many as 1.1 million in the field of law enforcement. Of the individuals shot by police in 2020, 215 were white, 111 were black. (statista.com) Police who died in the line of duty in 2020 numbered 145. (odmp.org) You do the math! Another concern is with the dictate from Governor Cuomo for local municipalities to establish a Community Advisory Board to review the rules governing their local police forces, Oneonta being no exception. Oneonta’s board, as currently composed, is not likely to provide a broad and unbiased perspective on the matter, given the backgrounds and affiliations of the proposed members. Police are an important part of our society. We need to support them. BUZZ HESSE Otego
B-6
AllOTSEGO.life
THURSDAY, August 20, 2020
OTSEgO AUTO MAll
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