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Volume 214, No. 15
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Fly Creek Hotel on the chopping block? Page 6. VISIT www.
AllOTSEGO.com, OTSEGO COUNTY’S DAILY NEWSPAPER/ONLINE
Cooperstown, New York, Thursday, April 14, 2022
Newsstand Price $1
State Police conclude January incident had ‘no criminal activity’
Photo courtesy of Carol Louden
They are the champions! Meet the Laurens Central School Jaguars SA-1 Winter Guard, fresh off their championship turn at the Mid York Color Guard Circuit’s competition on April 2 in Clifton Park. Top row, left to right, Athena Saggese, Sophie Gilmore, and Mackenzie Budine; center row, left to right, Sierra Rondeau, Natalie Davis, Mallory Kovacs, and Alexis Cole; lower row, left to right, Alicia Stevens, Isabella Failla, Emma Hughes, and Mackenzie Louden. Read all about their victory and all the work it takes to keep the team at peak performance in our story on page 9. INSIDE ►it’s not difficult being green: Otsego Chamber, county agencies, Brewery Ommegang team up for Earth Day, recycling events, page 2. ►FLY CREEK HOMESTEAD EVENTS: Hulse Hill Farm has North American Cashmere Goats, opportunities for area kids, and plenty to do around the farm, page 3. ►GOODIES (OR NOT) IN THE STATE’S NEW BUDGET: Gas tax holiday, new rules for cocktails to go, a farm worker overtime subsidy, and more, page 6. ►LOTS OF ‘RUMORS’ FLYING AROUND WORCESTER: The Catskill Players ready the Neil Simon comedy classic for a late-April run, page 10. ►A FEW THOUGHTS ON IMPORTANT THINGS: Our columnists this week consider how to navigate life with variants new and yet to come, talk about the good works of Otsego Rural Housing Assistance, look askance at the state’s new gas tax holiday, and comment on the dangers of gaslighting . Pages 4 and 5. Follow Breaking News On
AllOTSEGO.com
New York State Police issued a statement late in the afternoon on Friday, April 8, announcing “no criminal activity occurred” in a January 2, 2022 incident in Hartwick and “the victim’s injuries were the result of an unfortunate fall.” The Freeman’s Journal/Hometown Oneonta first reported in our February 3 edition that sources with direct knowledge of the investigation already had determined the unfortunate incident to be an in-home accident. New York State Police told The Freeman’s Journal/Hometown Oneonta at the time they had determined the January 2 event “appears to be an isolated incident.” According to the April 8 statement from the New York State Police, “Investigators spent months conducting interviews and examining evidence, ultimately leading to the determination that the woman’s physical injuries were caused when she fell inside her home. The investigation has determined that no criminal activity occurred in the home and the victim’s injuries were the result of an unfortunate fall. Sadly, the woman passed away several weeks after her fall. She is identified as 86-year-old Flora Polulech. “The New York State Police offers our sympathy to the fall victim’s family, and are glad to report that no crime occurred and there is no threat to the community. We also thank the Hartwick community for their patience while we fully investigated this incident to ensure accuracy and public safety.” [Editor’s note: See our editorial on the matter on page four of this week’s edition.]
CCS graduate Vincenza Alessi, 28, passes after tough two-year battle against rare blood, bone marrow disease Her time on Earth was far brief, but her legacy of love and caring goes on. Cherished Vincenza Alessi, 28, became an angel on Sunday, April 10, after a two-year battle against a rare blood disorder. Heaven is so lucky to have her home. Vincenza was a 2012 graduate of Cooperstown Central School, earning her degree in psychology and women’s studies from the State University of New York at Oneonta. She recently had earned her master’s degree in special education from Grand Canyon University. Vincenza taught special education classes at Charlotte Valley Central School in Davenport, New York and, while studying for her master’s, substituted for two years at Cooperstown Central. She loved teaching and her students adored her. She found great joy in the young children she was able to help and looked forward to a long career using her talents in her chosen field. Without knowing, Vincenza even taught the dieticians at New York Presbyterian Hospital how to expand and modify their menu selections; as her health deteriorated and she was eating less, she would ask her nurse for simple foods not on the menu: pasta and butter, pasta and red sauce, string cheese, salad with chicken. When she returned to New York Presbyterian for the final time several weeks ago, staff reached out to proudly show her a brand-new menu for patients — one filled with the very dishes she had requested, now a part of
Vincenza Alessi, happy with one of her beloved pets.
the Hospital’s regular offering. In and out of the classroom, Vincenza looked out for and cared for the disadvantaged. She never failed to be kind to people, always had a friendly wave for the people she met, and, even
in the weeks before her passing, continued to feel genuine happiness for others celebrating their own good news. We were not surprised that even after her diagnosis, she still would stop to save lost and wandering dogs and cats to make sure they got home safely. If they didn’t have a home, she would find one for them. Vincenza loved holidays, filling her home with decorations for Christmas, Halloween, Easter, and any other special day — although she was the person who could wake up on Tuesdays and celebrate that it was Tuesday! She enjoyed feelgood movies from Disney and Hallmark and, after ceasing her medical treatment, was able to hear her two favorite songs, “Supermarket Flowers” by Ed Sheeran and “Hallelujah” by Rufus Wainwright. She fought hard for her life for the last two years, enduring hundreds of blood transfusions and operations as she struggled forward. She was deeply grateful to the community for listening and taking on the conversation of bone marrow transplants to help those in need. We plan to continue to work the “Be the Match” program in her honor. Our fearless Vincenza lived for light and renewal for everyone and, with that in mind, we plan a celebration of her life to take place in the near future at Glimmerglass State Park. We plan to offer seed packets in her honor, as she believed the world would be an even more Continued on page 7
THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA, OTSEGO COUNTY’S LARGEST PRINT CIRCULATION 2010 WINNERS OF The Otsego County Chamber/KEY BANK SMALL BUSINESS AWARD