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Top honors at the 75th Annual Junior Livestock Show went to young handlers from Herkimer, Otsego and Chenango counties during the show’s final event on Tuesday, July 11. The show, sponsored by The Farmers’ Museum and conducted in cooperation with Cornell Cooperative Extension, county 4-H educators, and clubs throughout central New York, brings together youth handlers from a nine-county area for three days of competition. …
What we’ve got here,” said the jail warden in “Cool Hand Luke,” “is failure to communicate.” According to Steve Wilson, Otsego County administrator, this comment aptly describes the present state of affairs resulting in the county’s issuance of the State of Emergency Declaration and Emergency Order No. 1 with regard to housing migrants in Otsego County.…
Letter from Mary Anne Whelan State of Emergency or Xenophobia? The last two issues of “The Freeman’s Journal” have covered David Bliss’ proposed strategies for, in effect, defending ourselves from any proposed influx of immigrants. While it is understandable to raise concerns about a housing shortage as a rationale for this, there is also a flavor of Trump-style xenophobia and a lack of any proposed humane solution to an urgent human problem.…
Otsego County Declares State of Emergency Housing Crisis Executive Order Also Issued OTSEGO COUNTY—Otsego County Board of Representatives Chairman David Bliss has declared a State of Emergency in Otsego County effective May 16, as asylum seekers are expected to arrive in New York now that the federal Title 42 immigration policy has expired. Title 42, issued during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, allowed authorities to turn away migrants at the U.S. borders as a public health measure to prevent the spread…
Letter from Maureen Dill Cannabis Sales Tax Revenues Needed We here in rural Otsego County are facing the crisis of a shortfall in emergency medical services, a problem that is growing not only across our area but also across New York State. There is a documented decline in volunteer EMS workers, and state government must be urged by everyone to seize the opportunity to apply cannabis tax revenues where they are most needed, as is being done in other states…
Letter from Maureen Dill Cannabis Tax Revenue Crossroads Solution To borrow a headline from a recent news report, we here in rural Otsego County are indeed “at the crossroads,” with a growing shortfall in emergency medical services across our county and the reported decline in volunteer EMS workers. New York State itself is at the crossroads and state government must be urged to seize the opportunity to apply cannabis tax revenues where they are most needed, as has been done…
Otsego Board of Reps WeighsOpposition to State Budget Rules OTSEGO COUNTY Last Wednesday, the Otsego County Board of Representatives heard concerns from three area residents about the threats to home rule posed by Part N of the Article VII Executive Revenue Bill contained in Governor Kathy Hochul’s Budget Proposal. Dan Sullivan of Richfield, Nathan Seamon of Columbia in nearby Herkimer County, and Keith Schue of Cherry Valley all urged the county representatives to oppose Part N.…
The Partial Observer: Adrian Kuzminski Fate of Home Rule, State Budget Now Depends on State Legislators On March 1, the Otsego County Board of Representatives stood up for their constituents in what could be an historic vote. In a welcome show of solidarity, the board voted unanimously to oppose key provisions of Governor Hochul’s proposed New York State budget for 2024, which would concentrate state power at local expense while trampling our constitutional right to home rule. This newspaper, reflecting…
The News In Brief February 2, 2023 Tapped for ServiceCOOPERSTOWN—The Cooperstown Democratic Committee caucus nominated George Fasanelli (left) and Joe Membrino (right) for reelection to the Cooperstown Village Board of Trustees on Monday, January 30. Current trustee MacGuire Benton has chosen to pursue the position of Otsego County clerk rather than running for reelection. The members of the committee thanked Benton for his four years on the board and for bringing a new generation into Cooperstown government. Similarly, Membrino has…
HAPPENIN’ OTSEGO for MONDAY, NOVEMBER 28 Local Democracy with David Bliss & Ben Bauer DISCUSSION—6:30 p.m. The League of Women Voters of Cooperstown present “Making Democracy Work Close to Home: A Conversation with Two Local Officials” featuring County Board Chair David Bliss and and Otsego Town Supervisor Ben Bauer. The two officials will be discussing the importance of running for office, delineating its challenges and rewards, and what compelled them to run for office. Held in the Community Room at the…