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COOPERSTOWN AND AROUND
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Volume 207, No. 50
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Cooperstown, New York, Thursday, December 17, 2015
Newsstand Price $1
Lauren’s Latest President Obama’s Favorite By LIBBY CUDMORE COOPERSTOWN
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t first, Lauren Groff thought congratulations she was getting on
“Fates and Furies” being named President Obama’s favorite book of 2015 were a prank. “Then I checked, and I was so happy that I did a dance!” she said. “I called my husband, Clay ... When I finally did get a hold of him, he came home
Publicity photo of Lauren Groff for her latest bestseller, “Fates and Furies.”
with champagne. It was a good night.” “Fates and Furies,” Groff’s third novel, presents husband Lotto’s perspective, then wife Mathilde’s, on a marriage that, to all their friends, looks perfect. Please See GROFF, B6
The Winners Are... The Freeman’s Journal
Cooperstown Food Pantry board chair Sharon Oberriter, right, and volunteer Ellen Spencer look over freshly delivered fruit from Price Chopper, which for the past week has been delivering just-past-due produce for distribution to pantry clients/DETAILS, A3
Katz To Name Retired Doctor Village Trustee COOPERSTOWN
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ayor Jeff Katz plans to name Richard Sternberg, the recently retired Bassett Hospital orthopedic physician, to the Village Board vacancy created by the resignation of Joan Sternberg Nicols. Sternberg serves on the Planning Board and ran for Town of Otsego Town Board in November. “His strong showing within the village was important to me as I thought about who to pick for Joan’s spot,” said the mayor. He will be sworn in at the next Village Board meeting. BUOYS OUT, WINTER IN:
The Biological Field Station diving team will retrieve the no-wake zone buoys Sunday, Dec. 20, at Lakefront Park and Springfield Landing. The divers are meeting at the BFS boat house at 9.
With $131,000 Grant, Hall Plans To Reach Growing Latin Sector
POINTS of LIGHT
By JIM KEVLIN COOPERSTOWN
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Framed by the ticket window, top right, Lisa Bunch was still smiling at evening’s end after admitting a record 3,600 celebrants – up from 2,600 last year – into The Farmers’ Museum Candlelight Evening Saturday, Dec. 12. At right, 4Hers, from left, Alex Pernat of Fly Creek, James Davis of Davenport, and Hazel Landry of Oneonta, enjoy the bonfire on the Village Green. FOR MORE PHOTOS, SEE SLIDE SHOW AT WWW.ALLOTSEGO.COM
MEET NEW COUNTY BOARD ANDREW MARIETTA, district 8, town of otsego
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s a Cooperstown Central school board member, Andrew Marietta has been pressing his colleagues to better communicate with the public. One of his first actions on the county board will be to will be to start an email newsletter to his constitutuents. See his and profiles of the six other county board newcomers at WWW.ALLOTSEGO.COM
n 2009, ¡Viva Baseball! opened at 25 Main St. to acclaim. In 2011, when the Baseball Hall of Fame chaperoned four plaques – Roberto Alomar, Orlando Cepeda, Roberto Clemente and Tony Perez’s – to Puerto Rico, “the response was overwhelming,” said Ken Meifert, the Hall’s vice president for sponsorship and development. On opening day this year, 28 percent of Major Leaguers were of Hispanic descent. “It’s going to continue to grow,” Meifert said. So the Hall of Fame’s CFA application for state economic-development funds to embrace the National Game’s fastest-growing fan base was simply “a natural outreach as the Plezase See CFAS, A7
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hese were among local grants announced by Governor Cuomo Thursday, Dec. 10: ► $131,400 to Baseball Hall of Fame to market to Hispanics, the fastest growing sector baseball fans. ► $108,258 to The Fenimore Art Museum, to promoted “Ansel Adams: Early Works,” in the Hudson Valley, Rochester and New York City. ► $700,000 for the Upper Susquehanna Regional Ag Center in Oneonta, to help market artisan food and beer to New York City. ► $500,000 to complete planning to redevelop the D&H Yards in Oneonta for commerce and manufacturing, including a bridge to vicinity of I-88. ► $110,000 for B&B Ranch, Bedbug Hill, Town of Otsego, to for pasta plant and retail. ► $20,000 for Cooperstown & Charlotte Railroad, Milford, to explore carrying tourists and workers into Cooperstown. FOR FULL LIST, SEE
AllOTSEGO.com
www.
After Reviewing Brookwood Proposals, Land Trust Will Stick With Status Quo COOPERSTOWN
T Marietta in his NYCON office
TOP CFA WINNERS
he Otsego Land Trust has reviewed proposals for 22-acre Brookwood Gardens on Otsego Lake and decided to maintain the status quo. Meeting over the weekend, the Land Trust board determined none of the proposals received in response to an RFP process met its “requirements to actively protect
the conservation values of the property,” Land Trust chair Harry Levine announced Tuesday, Dec. 15. The announcement said the Land Trust will continue to own all 22 lakefront acres and will continue its program of capital improvements at the site, as follows: • Work is nearly complete on an ADA accessible trail to the lake for canoes and Please See BROOKWOOD, A7
THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA, OTSEGO COUNTY’S LARGEST PRINT CIRCULATION 2010 WINNERS OF The Otsego County Chamber/KEY BANK SMALL BUSINESS AWARD