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VISIT www.AllOTSEGO.com, OTSEGO COUNTY’S DAILY NEWSPAPER/ONLINE
Volume 212, No. 06
COOPERSTOWN AND AROUND
Cooperstown, New York, Thursday, February 6, 2020
2020 Carnival Arrives, Bring On Mac And Cheese By LIBBY CUDMORE COOPERSTOWN
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anna Bergene, 2020 Cooperstown Winter Carnival co-chair, warns that things could get cheesy. “New this year is a mac and cheese contest at the Carnival closer,” she said. “We heard from the res-
The Freeman’s Journal
Bill and Janet Rigby, Cooperstown, serve soup at the annual Hanford Mills Museum Ice Harvest Festival Saturday, Feb. 1, in East Meredith. There was insufficient ice to harvest, but much fun regardless.
taurants that the chicken wing contest was kind of stale – and who doesn’t love mac and cheese in the middle of Bergene winter?” The contest will be free, allowing all the carnival goers to taste Please See CARNIVAL, A11
Seward To DOT Commissioner: Tour Site Of Lettis Hwy. Fatality By LIBBY CUDMORE ONEONTA
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n the wake of pedestrian April Johnson’s death, state Sen. Jim Seward, R-Milford, has invited state DOT Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez to Lettis Highway, where the 32 year old woman was struck by a car. The Freeman’s Journal “I want her to tour the area with me and see it A fender-bender halted traffic first hand,” Seward said. “It wasn’t built with at Lettis and Main on Feb. 1. Please See FATALITY, A11
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Daughters,
Daddies Dance!
Salka Plans Rally Against Bail Reforms
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tsego County Assemblyman John Salka, R-Brookfield, is organizing a “Repeal Bail Reform” Rally at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 6, at the Otsego County Correctional Facility in the Town of Middlefield. In addition to state Sen. Jim Seward, R-Milford, attendees include three other assemblyman, four sheriff’s, two D.A.s, and state Senate candidate Peter Oberacker. Check for details at
said Muehl. “Hopefully things will get better, but my prosecutions could go COOPERSTOWN down 50 percent.” New discovery requirender bail reform, county ments as part of Governor Sheriff Richard J. DevCuomo’s criminal justice lin Jr. worried dangerreforms require that all ous suspects would be freed evidence be turned over – and, locally, one stole a truck to the defense within 15 Muehl a day after he was released. days of arrest. Now, under new rules of evi“For instance, a speeddence, also part of the state’s crimiing ticket now takes two hours for nal justice reforms, District Attorney police to process paperwork,” the John Muehl worries he’ll be unable D.A. said. “Then it’s another hour for to prosecute as many suspected me to get everything together, and if criminals. the defense objects to my statement “Arrests are way down already,” Please See MUEHL, A11 By LIBBY CUDMORE
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►A JURY FOUND Gabriel truitt guilty of arson, murder in the first degree and two counts of murder in the second degree on Thursday, Jan. 30, in the December 2018 death of John Heller in just over two hours, following a six-day trial. ►MILFORD’S aVERY LEONARD won the regional title for the 120-pound class at the Center State Regional Wrestling Championship on Sunday, Feb, 2. ►$2.2 Million in upgrades to Gilbert Lake State Park’s sewerage began Monday, Feb. 1.
Prosecutions To Dip 50%, D.A. Expects Bail Challenged; Now Evidence
MIDDLEFIELD
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700-Plus Fans Sign Petitions Against End To CCS Football Crankshaw: No Decision Made On Grid’s Future – So Far By LIBBY CUDMORE COOPERSTOWN Jim Kevlin/The Freeman’s Journal
Brian Hoyer of Oneonta spins daughter Kennedy, 4, around the dance floor in SUNY Oneonta’s Hunt Union Ballroom Saturday, Feb. 1, during the Family Y’s 18th annual Daughter-Daddy Valentine’s Gala/MORE PHOTOS, A9
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ore than 700 people have signed a Change.org petition in support of the Cooperstown Hawkeyes’ JV and Varsity football team after discussions arose that the team may be cut in the 2020-21 budget.
“If we don’t join together and peacefully let the board know how we feel: We will lose football,” wrote Kimberly Burkhart, who started the petition. She is a Milford Elementary School teacher and mother of a CCS Please See FOOTBALL, A11 ►IF YOU GO: 5 p.m., Feb. 12, Cooperstown High School, discussion on football’s future.
THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA, OTSEGO COUNTY’S LARGEST PRINT CIRCULATION 2010 WINNERS OF The Otsego County Chamber/KEY BANK SMALL BUSINESS AWARD