Hometown Oneonta 09-17-20

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Oneonta, N.Y., Thursday, September 17, 2020

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SUNY Infections Ebb, Bringing Crisis To End By LIBBY CUDMORE & JIM KEVLIN ONEONTA

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s this week began, only 158 SUNY Oneonta students and residence assistants

COMPLIMENTARY

were left on campus. In a normal year, that would have been over 3,000 of the 6,000+ enrollment. “At present, there are only three SUNY students in isolation on campus,” Diane Georgeson, Oneonta Public Health officer, told

Common Council during her report on Tuesday, Sept. 15. “There are 52 in isolation off campus.” The majority of the students staying on campus, Mayor Gary Herzig said, had applied to stay because they do not have “accept-

DAILY CAMPUS CASES PEAKED AT 120

Kathleen Peters/The Freeman’s Journal

able living conditions” at home. On Sunday, Sept. 13, the

campus reported no new cases of COVID-19. Please See COVID, B3

AFTER DECADE, MAYOR HERZIG TO ASK QUESTION AGAIN Ian Austin/HOMETOWN ONEONTA

Dan Levesque, owner of Dan Dan The Gutterman, hangs a new awning on the Alpine Building on Monday, Sept. 15, as part of the Downtown Revitalization Initative.

Is City Manager Needed?

Council Set To Mandate Facemasks

Pinnacle Of City Hall Organizational Chart Empty During Crisis

REMEMBERING AN UNFORGETTABLE DAY

By JIM KEVLIN

ONEONTA

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neonta Common Council will vote on a mask ordinance for the City of Oneonta at the Tuesday, Oct. 6 meeting. The ordinance is modeled on Governor Cuomo’s executive order that masks be worn whenever social distancing cannot be maintained. “The only reason for enacting this here is that it puts teeth into our local ordinance,” said Mayor Gary Herzig. “This means we can issue tickets that could result in penalties.” The public comment period will be held 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 5.

ONEONTA

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FULL COVID STORIES ON

AllOTSEGO.com

Jim Kevlin/HOMETOWN ONEONTA

Father Mychal F. Judge, New York Fire Department chaplain, has a place of honor in the annual 9-11 memorial display in the window of Rudy’s Liquor Store, Main Street. Father Judge died shortly after arriving at the World Trade Center. Rudy’s proprietor Fred Lemister, himself an honored emergency responder, calls him “the first casualty of 9-11.” MORE ON 9-11, SEE A4

►HOMELESS MAN ARRESTED for stealing from Oneonta cars. ►Dr. BILL STRECK joins national consultancy. ►HARTWICK’S “CLEAN SWEEP”, marks 10th anniversary. ►LEGION LEGACY RUN adopts social distancing rules for annual ride. By LIBBY CUDMORE ►in cooperstown, police report multiple thefts from COOPERSTOWN unlocked cars. ►LONG ISLAND FAMILIES look heriff Richard J. to buy pricey homes near Canadarago Lake. Devlin Jr. wants to ►ADVISORY BOARD STARTS review assure the public that of Cooperstown police, per Gov- the law applies to everyone ernor Cuomo’s executive order. – even cops.

neonta’s third city manager, George Korthauer, retired from City Hall on Feb. 7. A month later, on March 13, Governor Cuomo’s Executive With George Order 202 went into Korthauer’s effect, declaring a February state of emergency in retirement, New York State in the City Hall has face of the COVID-19 combated pandemic threat. the In the past six months, pandemic Mayor Gary Herzig, threat withunder a City Charter that out a city gives him largely cermanager. emonial responsibilities, led the effort that kept in-community Please See CHARTER, B3 ►EDITORIAL: It’s time to take another look at City Hall’s management structure/SEE A4

Otsego Deputy On Leave After Gun Goes Off, Child Hurt

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“Police officers are not above the law,” he said. “They have a responsibility as well.” A yet-unDevlin named Otsego County Sheriff’s deputy

has been placed on administrative leave after state police reported a child and adult were injured when the gun he was carrying in his pocket accidentally discharged while he was dining Saturday, Sept. 12, at the Grape and Grog in Camden, Oneida County.

As of Tuesday, Sept. 15, Troop D, based in Oneida, was attempting to schedule an interview with the deputy, who has retained legal counsel. His name has not yet been released and charges have not yet been filed. “The sheriff’s depart-

ment has been cooperative throughout the whole investigation,” said Trooper Jack Keller, Troop D public relations officer. According to Keller, the deputy was seated at a table when he accidentally discharged one round from Please See GUN, B3

HOMETOWN ONEONTA, OTSEGO COUNTY’S LARGEST CIRCULATION NEWSPAPER 2010 WINNER OF The Otsego County Chamber/KEY BANK SMALL BUSINESS AWARD


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