wINTER FEST FUN hERE! •F
IA E WIL
L
COOPERSTOWN AND AROUND
DG
Volume 210, No. 6
www.
1808 BY
VISIT THE EXPANDING
OUNDED
JU
R
IN
Otsego County’s Newspaper
O M C O PE
FULL SCHEDULE OF FIREWORKS, GAMES, MUSIC, SEE, A3 For 210 Years
AllOTSEGO.com
Cooperstown, New York, Thursday, February 8, 2018
Newsstand Price $1
Magee, Buttermann Battle Shaping Up Activists Parents In Arizona Shaped Challenger’s Outlook
Incumbent Receives Abbate’s Support, Muller Holds Back By JIM KEVLIN COOPERSTOWN
T
he morning after Oneonta’s Dan Buttermann announced
he is running for the 121st Assembly District seat Monday, Feb. 5, incumbent Bill Magee began making calls. By the afternoon, he had Assemblyman Bill locked in at least one highMagee, left, may be profile Otsego County Please See DIVIDE, A7 primaried by Oneontan Dan Buttermann.
By JIM KEVLIN ONEONTA
W
hen Dan Buttermann, who is running
MEDALLION FOUND AT COUNCIL ROCK Parker Fish/The Freeman’s Journal
Josh Coleman, 8, Windsor, learns from Marvin Zachow, Milford, how to move an ice block from the lake to the sled as part of the Hanford Mills Ice Harvest on Saturday, Feb. 3.
for state Assembly in the 121st District, was a boy in Arizona, he witnessed his parents building a high-end candle business, Armadilla Wax Works, by building community. Please See RUNNING, A7
Mayor Focus: Drones Law Possible By Induction, Katz Predicts
Schools Close As Big Storm Expected Here COOPERSTOWN
W
ith as much as a 10 inches of snow being predicted for Wednesday, Feb. 7, Cooperstown Central School announced the afternoon before it would be closed. Every public school in the county was following suit, plus Oneonta Public Transit, Hartwick College and other institutions. Follow the storm at
AllOTSEGO.com
www.
IN MEMORIAM: Bill Parsons, the preservation contractor and well-known local personality, has passed away at age 65./SEE B5 HIT AND RUN: Mindy Stevens, 35, was arrested by Otsego County Sheriff’s Deputies after she allegedly struck pedestrian Evelyn Ruiz with her car on State Highway 7 in Milford. THEME SELECTED: The Otsego County Historical Association has chosem “Doctors, Dentists and Druggists.” as the theme for its booth at the 2018 Otsego County Fair, to integrate the local impact of the 1918 flu epidemic
By PARKER FISH COOPERSTOWN
A Parker Fish/The Freeman’s Journal Fly Creek’s John Janitz Jr. and his girlfriend, Katie Marvel of Oneonta, found the Winter Carnival Medallion at Council Rock.
By PARKER FISH COOPERSTOWN
T
rudging through the 8 inches of fresh snow in Council Rock Park, with more snow still falling, John Janitz Jr., Fly Creek, and
Katie Marvel, Oneonta, found Cooperstown’s very own buried treasure. “You can still see our footprints from earlier,” said Marvel. In nearly white-out conditions on Sunday, Feb. 4, Janitz and Marvel trekked around Please See $500, A2
First Time Since 2000, Rotary Convention Here By LIBBY CUDMORE UNADILLA
‘A
s Rotarians, we inspire others,” said District 7170 Governor Zoë O. van der Meulen. “But we don’t often take time to recharge our batteries.”
And for the first time since 2000, Otsego County Rotarians will be able to do so within a short drive. The Rotary District Conference will be Friday-Sunday, May 18-20 at SUNY Oneonta. “I’ve been
preparing for this since 2014,” said van der Meulen, a Unalam vice president. “As I was training to become district governor, I was beginning plans for this conference.” The district is made up of 44 clubs with 1,400 total members. “There are speakers, breakout groups and a service project, all around the theme of ‘Have Fun Please See ROTARY, B6
s the popularity of remotepiloted aircrafts skyrockets, Mayor Jeff Katz continues developing regulations regarding drone flights in the village. But current FAA regulations may limit what the village can and cannot do. “I’m hoping to introduce (the new law) this month,” said Katz. “The goal is to set a public hearing for March.” In August 2016, the Federal The Freeman’s Journal Aviation Ad- Oneonta Job ministration Corps director enacted the Chris Kuhn Unmanned demonstrates Aircraft how his personal drone works. Systems Rule, the benchmark regulation for drone flights across the United States. But it is becoming increasingly common for cities and towns to pass their own legislation regarding drones. Please See DRONES, A6
THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA, OTSEGO COUNTY’S LARGEST PRINT CIRCULATION 2010 WINNERS OF The Otsego County Chamber/KEY BANK SMALL BUSINESS AWARD