OTEGO – John J. Pohli, a lifelong area resident, passed away Thursday afternoon, October 7, 2021, at Bassett Medical Center in Cooperstown. He was 75.
Born June 26, 1946, at the A.O. Fox Memorial Hospital in Oneonta, John was a son of John J. and Margaret (Sorocco) Pohli. After graduating from high school, he attended Mohawk Valley Community College where he earned an associate’s degree in electrical technology. For 30 years he was employed with NYSEG, and retired as an electrical supervisor in 1990.
On September 2, 1966, John married Lillian J. Pearce in Oneonta. They enjoyed living in their log cabin in the countryside of Otego.
Ginny traveled many miles since she was the only student in her grade at the one-room school in Colchester, part of the Walton School District. Later, she attended Franklin Central School and graduated at age 16 from Sidney, where the business courses and bookkeeping prepared her well for the future.
Her first job was at Public & Loan in Sidney, and then a bookkeeper at Hotaling Ford Sales, where she fell in love with cars. She was very proud of her 34-year career at New York State Electric & Gas, attaining the highest Customer Service Representative A position.
NYSEG, the utility that serves most of Otsego County, is preparing for possible freezing rain, sleet and wet snow, that will be crossing the region from west to east between New Year’s Day afternoon and the following morning.
As a result of the storm, customers may experience electrical outages, NYSEG said in a 1 p.m. press release.
COOPERSTOWN – Arthur “Art” Henry Kiser Sr., 100 years and five days old, who served in the Civilian Conservation Corps and the Marines during World War II, then spent a career with NYSEG, passed peacefully away Nov. 23, 2020, at home, in his own bed, just as he wished. His loving daughter, Teresa, was by his side.
Art was born Henry Alvin Kiser Nov. 18, 1920, in Ohio, a third child of nine to Palmer “Parmie” Kiser Sr. and Anna Roonie (Crace) Kiser. As a young child Art lived in Ithaca, where much of his mother’s family lived. There he enjoyed the company of many cousins.
BINGHAMTON – NYSEG, the utility serving Otsego County, is preparing for high winds and rain across the region Friday afternoon and into the evening. Customers may experience service disruptions, the utility reported.
The storm is expected to strike most of the NYSEG’s Central New York footprint.
Current forecasts call for isolated storms to begin Friday afternoon and continue into the evening. The storms are expected to bring rain and winds, with gusts potentially reaching upwards of 50 mph. The strong winds, combined with rain, have the potential to bring down trees and limbs, causing damage to overhead power lines and other electrical equipment.
NYSEG reports power knocked out by Friday’s tornado had been restored to all Otsego County customers today. In Delaware County, only one customer remains without power.
The company and its sister, Rochester Electric & Gas, expect to have power restored to all customers across Central New York by midnight.
Twenty-four hours after a tornado hammered Otsego County, knocking down trees and creating hundreds of outages, 728 customers are still without power this hour, NYSEG reports.
Most of the outages were in the county’s northwest quadrant, from Fly Creek north to Springfield and west to Edmeston.
While restorations are progressing as quickly and safely as possible, the county said, there are still “a few isolated customers” in Otsego County, as well as Broome, Chenango, Delaware, Greene, Herkimer, Lewis, Madison, Oneida, Schoharie and Ulster counties.
The Upstate Companies, Mount Upton, hang the new signal next to Cooperstown’s venerable – and only – traffic signal that is being replaced at Main and Chestnut. Upstate’s John Rupert, Binghamton, and Derek Beach, Bainbridge hung the new addition, and said the arrival of a NYSEG crew is all that awaited to complete the transition. A federally funded project, it has been six years in the making. Deputy Mayor Cindy Falk, at the scene, advised drivers that the intersection (around Mel’s at 22) will be paved all day Thursday, so it would be wise to avoid that downtown corner. (Jim Kevlin/AllOTSEGO.com)
ONEONTA – Thomas E. Porteus, 86, a NYSEG retiree with a lifelong commitment to 4H, including as a judge at the Otsego County Fair, passed away peacefully on March 14, 2020 at Chestnut Park Nursing & Rehabilitation Center.
He was born Aug. 1, 1933 in Milford, the son of James and Fanny (Potter) Porteus. Tom graduated from Milford High School, and was an Army veteran. He married Lois Thompson on Nov. 1, 1958 in Oneonta.
ONEONTA – NYSEG is scheduled to perform emergency transformer repairs this afternoon on Market Street, shutting off power to the south side of Main Street from Grand Street to the Otsego County Office Building, and the entirety of South Main Street, according to a message sent by City Hall.
Accuweather issued this map early today on where and when it expects the ice storm to hit. Click on image for full size.
NYSEG is preparing for a wintry mix of rain, ice and some snow associated with incoming storms expected to hit Otsego County and other parts of its service areas tonight through Monday. As a result of the storm, customers may experience service disruptions.
In addition to Oneonta, the company expects impacts ranging from Liberty in the south,through the Capital Region, and north to Plattsburgh.
Two NYSEG crews have been at the Cooperstown Distillery all morning, increasing the power flow to the expanding manufacturing operation. “They’re giving us the amps we need,” said distillery proprietor Gene Marra. In the past few months, the distillery has expanded from one to four stills, which require heat to create a range of products from Glimmerglass Vodka to Beanball Bourbon. The distillery is planning expanded parking and adding a second floor of the building at Railroad and Leatherstocking to meet the demand. (Jim Kevlin/AllOTSEGO.com)
An OFD crew watches warily from in front of Oneonta’s Red Door Church after a gas line was breached at Roosevelt and Main this morning, causing 103 homes to be evacuated. (Michael Foster Rothbart for AllOTSEGO.com)City Manager George Korthauer and Mayor Gary Herzig confer with NYSEG inspectors at the the corner of Main and Roosevelt. Firefighters keep watch atop the EZ Mart.
ONEONTA – Neighbors in the vicinity of Main Street and Roosevelt Avenue, a half-block from Fox Hospital, are back in their homes after construction crews on the water-main replacement ruptured a primary natural gas line.
The 9:15 a.m. accident sent a plume of gas 100 feet into the air, according to eyewitness Michael Forster Rothbart. “I thought it was smoke,” he said. “It looked like the Red Door church was on fire.”
Oneonta Police and Fire Departments and NYSEG rushed to the scene, immediately shutting off the gas line, evacuating residents “two houses in” from Main Street” in a 10-block area, according to Mayor Gary Herzig.
EXHIBIT – 5-7 p.m. Opening reception for “Picture This: visualizing the written word and exploring the narrative.” On display thru 7/19. Free. The Smithy Gallery, 55 Pioneer St., Cooperstown.
PITTSFIELD – Sixty-six people in the Pittsfield/New Lisbon area are without power due do high winds that continue through 7 p.m.today, according to Rob O’Brien, Otsego County 911 director.
