The Freeman's Journal 03-26-20

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Cooperstown’s Newspaper

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-353-8088 onta | 607 or.com e n O t, e e tr o 20 Lewis S eontawindowandd www.on

For 212 Years

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VISIT www.AllOTSEGO.com, OTSEGO COUNTY’S DAILY NEWSPAPER/ONLINE Volume 212, No. 13

Cooperstown, New York, Thursday, March 26, 2020

COOPERSTOWN AND AROUND

Newsstand Price $1

â–şFIRST OTSEGO COUNTY CORONAVIRUS CASE SURFACES/SEE BELOW

Coronavirus Halts Dreams Park 2020 EMERGENCY FALLOUT Michealle Cole, a second grade teacher at CCS, shared this photo, of the 36 face masks she made to take to Bassett Hospital, on her Facebook page. The hospital anticipates needing 20,000 masks; a pattern is avaliable on their website/SEE A3

Jobless Claims Soar; Sales-Tax Slump Expected By LIBBY CUDMORE ONEONTA

SEE MULTIPLE REPORTS ON

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AllOTSEGO.com

n an average week, Alan Sessions, CDO Workforce disability resource coordinator, might field 25 calls about unemployment insurance. “In the last week, we’ve received 25 calls a day,� he said. “Sometimes the wait to talk with someone is an hour.� The majority Ruffles of the calls, he said, are waitstaff, kitchen help and retail workers suddenly jobless as Governor Cuomo ordered stores and restaurants closed in to facilitate “social distancing� and reduce the spread of COVID-19. “It’s early still, but these are the businesses that were immediately affected,� he said. Statewide, Department of Labor spokesman Deanna Cohen, said Please See JOB LOSS, A7

â–şThe fenimore, and farmers’ museums have delayed their April 1 opening day indefinitely, Todd Kenyon, communications direction, announced. â–şBe Prepared, county board Chair David Bliss urged in an open letter. He asked that those who could, stay home to help “flatten the curveâ€? â–şDMV closed until April 19, but there will be an extension of validity of any driver’s license, non-driver Identification or registration expiring on or after March 1, 2020, County Clerk Kathy Sinnot Gardner announced. â–şmedicaid costs may be passed down from Albany to counties, costing Otsego $1 milion in extra costs, county Treasurer Allen Ruffles fears. â–şBASSETT HAS 150 EXTRA BEDS in case the state sends patients to the hospital, upping its capacity to 300. â–ş200 “cooper’s cleanâ€? handsanitizers were given away by the Cooperstown Distillery Friday, March 20. The distillery said it is bottling more. â–şSEWARD has endorsed a business-friendly GOP COVID19 proposal, which extends By ELIZABETH COOPER sales tax payments by 90 days and makes no-interest loans here is still only one positive avaliable. case of the COVID-19 virus in â–şattorney ryan miosek had dinner delivered to the Otsego County. entire Bassett Hospital staff But don’t let your guard down, on Friday, March 30, in because that number doesn’t tell the appreciation of their service whole story. in the current crisis. With confirmed cases skyrocket-

Merchants, Restaurateurs, Rental Firms Brace For The Summer That May Not Be In the summer of 2016, Sal Furnari right, could be found daily, serving a full house at his Maskot’s Pizza & Grill, Hartwick Seminary. Meanwhile, behind the scenes, Lonetta Swartout of Cooperstown Stay, below, was connecting hundreds of Dreams Park families with local accommodations.

Jim Kevlin/from The Freeman’s Journal archives

By JIM KEVLIN COOPERSTOWN

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et’s start with some good news. As soon as the coronavirus threat is safely dispatched, Destination Marketing Corporation of Otsego County plans to

IT’S HERE!

1st Otsego Case Surfaces; 35 Quarantined

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ing above 25,000 in the state and testing supplies dwindling, there may be many here who have the virus but remain unidentified.

In Otsego County alone, there are 35 people on quarantine - either awaiting test results or who have had close contact with someone who has a confirmed case - according to county Health Department figures. And that doesn’t include the many others Bassett Healthcare Network practitioners may have recommended self-quarantine to patients with symptoms. People are jittery. Please See COVID-19, A9

launch a new promotion: “On Deck: Your Cooperstown Bucket List Getaway,� aimed at attracting fans from around the region whose lifelong dream is to visit Baseball’s Mecca. “Not now,� DMCOC Executive Director Cassandra Harrington said Tuesday, March 24. “But when things change.� Please See DREAMS, A2

COOPERSTOWN’S JOYCE, ONEONTA’S BETTIOL

County Ex-Pats Report From COVID Hot Spots By LIBBY CUDMORE ONEONTA

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he city that never sleeps has become a “ghost town.� Ask Carleigh Bettiol. “As of 8 p.m. Sunday evening, the city was on lockdown,� she said. “People are not allowed out unless for essential trips such as

Jenny Joyce and her visiting mom.

grocery, pharmacy, or medical visits.� Please See EX-PATS. A9

THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA, OTSEGO COUNTY’S LARGEST PRINT CIRCULATION 2010 WINNERS OF The Otsego County Chamber/KEY BANK SMALL BUSINESS AWARD Enjoy your Hawkeye Bar & Grill favorites from the comfort of home ‰b|_ o†u |o ]o v;uˆb1;Äş _;1h o†| |_; -‰h;‹; l;m† orাomv omŃ´bm; and simply call in your order. Drive right up to the Hawkeye Bar & Grill ;m|u-m1;ġ -m7 o†u v|-@ ‰bŃ´Ń´ 7;Ń´bˆ;u ‹o†u l;-Ń´ ub]_| |o ‹o†u 1-uÄş Call (607) 544-2524 to place your order today.

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The Freeman's Journal 03-26-20 by All Otsego - News of Oneonta, Cooperstown & Otsego County, NY - Issuu