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Volume 8, No. 45
City of The Hills
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& The Otsego-Delaware Dispatch
Oneonta, N.Y., Friday, August 12, 2016
Complimentary
IT’S BACK!
Oneonta May Host Refugees Church, Synagogue, Even Chobani, Look Explore Possibilities By LIBBY CUDMORE
Ian Austin/HOMETOWN ONEONTA
Sixth Ward Council member Russ Southard and wife Tammy admire the slick ‘51 GMC Pickup belonging to Carl Edholm, West Davenport, during the Fabulous Friday Drive-In Aug. 5 on Main Street.
Seward, Magee Deliver Million For EMS Sites
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tate Sen. Jim Seward, R-Milford, and Assemblyman Bill Magee, D-Nelson, delivered a $1 million grant to the county Board of Representatives last week to complete the 12-tower countywide emergency communications system later this year. Half the grant came from the state Senate and half from the Assembly. Construction is in its last phases, with three sites remaining to be completed. UNDER THE SUN: The city’s Environmental Board considered solar strategies for the city and town of Oneonta when it met Monday, Aug. 8. SPARACO SHINES: Oneonta’s Tanner Sparaco took top honors at the Friday, Aug. 5, Demolition Derby at the Otsego County Fair in Morris/DETAILS, A2
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very night, Margaret Parish would see stories of refugees on the news. “Sixty percent of these refugees are women and children,” she said. “We wanted to help.” Working with Rev. Teressa Sivers, pastor, First United MethodMargaret ist Church, Parish Temple Beth El President Ken Sider and others in the community, Parish helped assemble the Oneonta Refugee Resettlement Coalition, a task force to study what it would take to bring a refugee family to Oneonta. “We’re a welcoming community,” said Sivers. “We have good public transportation, good schools, the free health clinic and a free hot meal every night of the week. We believe that, in a time when the world is in crisis, people could find security and love here.” Partnering with the Mohawk Valley Resource Center for Refugees in Utica, Please See REFUGEES, A3
Ian Austin/HOMETOWN ONEONTA
The Luna Chicks Belly Dancers wow the City of the Hills Art Festival crowd with an evocative sword dance. From left are Patsy Beebe of Springfield, Sarah Cummings of Oneonta, and group leader Jo Boring, Oneonta.
1,500 People At Revived City Of Hills Art Fest The festival is well on its way back to being “The Jewel of The Summer” it once was, as 1,500 hen Bhala Jones and her people were drawn downtown family bought a camp in Saturday, Aug. 5, for local artists, Stamford in the early ’80s, music, readings, a sidewalk sale she came into Oneonta and happened and more as the festival returned upon the City of the Hills Arts Festito Main Street after three years in val. the parking lot behind the Wilber “The artists’ tables stretched from Mansion. Mama Nina’s to past the police sta“We moved it to the parking lot tion,” she said. “From then on, we because we wanted to tie it in as a planned our summer around it. I’d Jackson Plymell, Oneonta, and CANO event,” said Annie Kuhn, Sofia Giordane, Warsaw, quizzi- former CANO board president. love to see it that way again.” cally examine art on display. And so she may. Please See ART FEST, A3 By LIBBY CUDMORE
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Learning Of Possible Neglect, Focus Blew Whistle, CEO Says
‘Chief Nursing Administrator’ Sought To Train, Monitor 2 Staffs PADDLE, PULL: The OCCA is seeking volunteers for a “Paddle and Pull” to seph Zupnik, By JIM KEVLIN DEBATE REVIVED: Was remove water chestnut plants CEO of Focus the right choice? at 1 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 14, at Focus VenSEE A7 Goodyear Lake. The plants INDEX tures, owner are considered invasive speof the forinvolved were immediately cies. o a degree, the system mer Otsego suspended, and we reported worked. Manor, said them to the Department of TRUE IN RIO: Otsego As staff members in an interHealth and to the Attorney County Olympic Sara Groff are trained to do, a nurse view. General’s Office.” True will compete in the Zupnik alerted management that “We were State Attorney General Triathlon event in Rio at 11 94-year-old woman was left certainly Eric Schneiderman then a.m. Saturday, Aug.20. untended for 41 hours over shocked by the incident,” launched the investigation Memorial Day Weekend, Jo- he said. “The caregivers Please See ZUPKIN, A6
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DARK HORSE INFERNO RECALLED
Cooperstown Blaze Rivals City’s Worst By LIBBY CUDMORE COOPERSTOWN
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n a cold March morning in 1992, an arsonist set Ray Smith photo fire to the Dark Horse Cooperstown Motel burns Tavern on Market Street, destroying two buildings, “It was one of our worst three businesses and several fires,” said Fire Chief apartments. Please See FIRE, A7
HOMETOWN ONEONTA, OTSEGO COUNTY’S LARGEST CIRCULATION NEWSPAPER 2010 WINNER OF The Otsego County Chamber/KEY BANK SMALL BUSINESS AWARD