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Volume 8, No. 28
City of The Hills
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& The Otsego-Delaware Dispatch
Oneonta, N.Y., Friday, April 15, 2016
One Of 10 Poorest Cities, Oneonta To Receive $½M
Complimentary
Hartwick’s Faculty Criticizes President
confidence” vote on President Margaret L. Drugovich Monday, Mayor To Create ‘Response Team’ To Formulate Plan iting staff April 11. he bad news: Oneonta to combat it, according to zation to lead a working cuts, declinHowever, the is on the list of the 10 Mayor Gary Herzig. group – it will include other ing enrollment Board of Trustees Upstate cities with the The Empire State Povnon-profits, for-profits and and restructuring of issued a letter later highest poverty rate. erty Reduction Initiative, as government agencies – in language programs, in the day expressThe good news: Oneonta the program is called, now a “a needs assessment” for 41 of Hartwick Drugovich ing confidence in the received $500,000 in the requires Herzig to select Oneonta. College’s 110 fullpresident. “The board state’s new 2016-17 budget a local non-profit organiPlease See POOR, A3 time faculty supported a “no Please See VOTE, A3
C
T Ian Austin/HOMETOWN ONEONTA
Elizabeth Bankus and Diana Cozzins (with son Leone) learn proper infant CPR techniques from ONC BOCES nursing students at the fourth annual Community Baby Shower Saturday, April 9, at the FoxCare Center.
Don’t Take NORFED $$ As Payment
S
tate Police are warning Oneonta merchants not to accept NORFED “Liberty Dollar” medallions after several stores accepted them as payment. The $10 and $20 medallions bear the inscriptions “Liberty,” “Dollars,” “Trust In God” and “USA,” but are privately produced and not backed by or affiliated with the U.S. Mint. They are only worth the value of the silver they are made of and what people are willing to pay for them. MAYOR/MANAGER: Gary Herzig has taken on the added duties of interim city manager after Meg Hungerford gives up those duties and returns to City Hall’s finance director job. He anticipates a new city manager will be hired before too long. SPRUCE-UP BEGINS: The downtown Streetscape project began this week, with a crew from Lasting Impressions Landcape, Hobart, tearing up Main Street sidewalks to make way for new planters.
By LIBBY CUDMORE
SANDERS THRILLS FRACKING’S FOES By JIM KEVLIN COOPERSTOWN
‘W
ow.” That was the reaction of Nicole Dillingham, president of Otsego 2000, to Democratic presidential candidate Bernie FOR ANTI-FRACKING Sanders’ ad and link to nytimes. declacom article on ration OTSEGO.com Monday, April 11, at rallies in Binghamton and Albany, that he would support a nationwide ban on fracking. “We started something here in this region and New York State, and it is now entering the presidential debate and the national debate,” said Dillingham, whose organization helped lead the court Screenshot from PressConnects.com video case that affirmed the Town of After being introduced by “Gasland” documentary filmmaker Josh Fox Monday, April 11, in Middlefield’s right to exclude Veterans Memorial Arena, Binghamton, Sanders calls for a nationwide ban on fracking. Please See FRACKING, A7
All
County GOP Won’t Endorse
Local Dems For Hillary By JIM KEVLIN
G
oing into the Tuesday, April 19, New York State presidential primary, the Otsego County Democratic Committee has endorsed Hillary Clinton over Bernie Sanders. The polls will be open YES, THEY CAN: Check noon-9 p.m. out this year’s Canstruction The vote was 2,010 to contest winners at Southside 1,320, based on weighted Mall.
voting from the 49 election districts, according to Mike Henrici, the county Democratic elections commissioner. “It was nice to be able to call the Hillary camp and tell them they had our endorsement,” county Chair Please See ENDORSE, A7
Schenevus Centenarian Interviewed By Candidate Clinton’s Press Team By LIBBY CUDMORE SCHENEVUS
W
hen Shirley Skinner was 5, she overheard her father and the farm workers complaining “world was going to hell” because women got the vote. “She ran in to tell her mother, and her mother just smiled and said, ‘We’ll see’,” said Kathleen
Shirley Skinner on her recent 100th birthday.
Gasperini, who, like many women in Schenevus, calls Skinner “grandmother.” “And her mom went out and cast her first vote.” Skinner, now 100, was interviewed by Democratic Presidential Candidate Hillary Clinton’s press team just after she celebrated her milestone birthday in October. “As her birthday was approaching, we started writing to famous people asking them for birthday Please See SKINNER, A7
HOMETOWN ONEONTA, OTSEGO COUNTY’S LARGEST CIRCULATION NEWSPAPER 2010 WINNER OF The Otsego County Chamber/KEY BANK SMALL BUSINESS AWARD