Local News: February 4, 2012
Title:
Annsville man arrested after standoff
A
41 year old Annsville man was arrested following an 8 hour standoff with
police. The
Oneida County Sheriff's Office Criminal Investigation Unit reports that Daniel
Bragg of Pond Hill Road was charged after members of the Sheriff's Office Road
Patrol Division and the Sheriff's Office Warrants Unit went to his residence
yesterday afternoon to execute an arrest warrant against him. During the
execution of the Warrant, Bragg allegedly retreated into his residence and
refused to surrender himself. Other
occupants, who fled the residence, reportedly confirmed Bragg was hiding in
the residence and was in possession of an assault rifle. A
perimeter was established around the areas surrounding the residence and
additional Officers were deployed to the scene. Attempts to contact Bragg were
unsuccessful. Shortly after 8:15
p.m., members of the New York State Police Special Operations Response Team
entered the residence and found him hiding in the basement, where he was taken
into custody. Bragg was arraigned
in the Town of Annsville Court for Menacing in the 2nd Degree and
Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the 3rd Degree,
which stemmed from a domestic dispute between Bragg and the mother of his
child, which allegedly took place the previous evening at the residence.
Bragg is being held at the Oneida County Correctional Facility in lieu
of $100,000 Cash Bail, or $200,000 Bond, and he is scheduled to return to
Court at a later date.
Title:
Copenhagen man pleads guilty to vehicular manslaughter
A 22 year old Copenhagen man
pleaded guilty in Lewis County Court yesterday to charges stemming from a
drunken-driving crash in May. Anthony
Fish of River Road pleaded guilty
to second-degree vehicular manslaughter and driving while intoxicated, which
also satisfied charges of driving while ability impaired by drugs, driving
while ability impaired by a combination of alcohol and drugs, failing to keep
right and not wearing a seat belt. Fish
was accused of being involved in a crash, while under the influence of alcohol
and marijuana on May 14th on Plank Road in the town of Denmark in
which a passenger, 21 year old Justin Cody, was fatally injured. Sentencing
was set for March 30th.
Title:
Castorland man charged with assault
A 23 year old
Castorland man was charged with assault 3rd degree.
State Police in Lowville report that Michael
Tehonica was charged stemming from an investigation into an incident
that occurred on January 25th on Roberts Rd in the Town of Denmark.
Lewis County 911 reported a male
had been assaulted by two men in the front yard of the victim’s residence.
The victim sustained a broken nose, a fractured eye socket and received
several stitches above his eye. He was transported to Lewis County General
Hospital where he was treated and released.
Tehonica was issued an appearance ticket to appear in the Town of
Denmark Court on February 15th. The investigation is still on
going.
Title:
West Carthage woman charged with issuing a bad check
A 48 year old West
Carthage woman was charged with issuing a bad check.
State Police report that Carmel Shelton of Champion Street was charged
with allegedly bouncing a check for $53.39 at Nu Bren Way in Natural Bridge.
Shelton was issued a summons returnable to Town of Wilna Court at a
later date.
Title:
Forest Rangers issued 31 snowmobile tickets in January
New
York State Forest Rangers in Region 6, which covers Jefferson, Lewis,
Herkimer, & Oneida Counties patrolled 410 miles on snowmobiles during the
month of January & issued 31 citations for a variety of offenses, many of
them speeding & reckless operation. Forest
Rangers would like to remind snowmobilers that the statewide speed limit on
any trail or water body is 55 mph. When
the snow returns & riding begins, please watch out for washouts & ride
within your abilities & slow down for less than ideal conditions.
Title:
Fort Drum soldiers returning from Afghanistan
The
first group of soldiers from the 10th Mountain Division's 3rd
Brigade Combat Team is now home. A
ceremony was held at Fort Drum for the soldiers. The
brigade is currently wrapping up a 12 month mission in Afghanistan. About 100
soldiers came back to the North Country with more expected in the coming
weeks. Once the redeployment is
completed, about 3500 soldiers will have returned home.
Title:
Hunting accidents down in 2011
The
2011 hunting season tied 2009 for New York State's safest year of hunting on
record based on the number of hunting-related shooting incidents.
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation announced
that 26 personal injury hunting-related shooting incidents were reported
during the 2011 hunting season, including four fatalities. All of the
fatalities occurred during the regular deer season, one of which was
self-inflicted. While hunting is
safer than ever, accidents do happen and it is important to remember that
every hunting-related shooting incident is preventable. Many, if not all of
these incidents could have been prevented, if only the shooter or victim had
followed the primary rules of hunter safety:
Treat every firearm as if it were loaded, keep your muzzle pointed in a
safe direction, identify your target and what lies beyond, keep finger off the
trigger until ready to fire, & wear hunter orange.
February 3, 2012
Title:
Lowville man charged with disorderly conduct
A 44 year old Lowville man was charged with disorderly conduct.
Lowville Police report that Leon Raskauskas was charged after officers
responded to a call of an unwanted person at a residence on Dayan Street in
the village. Raskauskas was asked
to leave several times by Police & was arrested when he allegedly refused
to comply. He was issued an
appearance ticket returnable to Village of Lowville Court at a later date.
Title:
2 injured in accident
Two men were injured
Tuesday morning in a 2-vehicle accident that occurred at the intersection of
Route 12 and County Route 23 in the town of Martinsburg.
State Police report that a vehicle driven by 41 year old Lawrence
Branagan of Croghan turned onto Route 12, entering the path of a northbound
pickup truck driven by 30 year old Derrick Allen of Turin. Branagan
experienced chest pains, and Allen suffered an arm injury.
Both men were treated at Lewis County General Hospital.
Branagan was charged with a stop sign infraction, returnable to Town of
Martinsburg Court at a later date.
Title:
Senators
call for crack down on drugged driving
Two
U.S. senators are proposing that federal grants be used for research and to
train police to identify the rising number of drivers operating under the
influence of drugs.
Senators
Charles Schumer of New York and Mark Pryor of Arkansas say police have no
equipment and few have training to identify drugged drivers, who behave
differently than drunken drivers.
Senator Schumer
says drugged driving arrests rose 35% in New York since 2001. But he says
that's a fraction of the cases as studies show the explosion of abuse of
prescription drugs means the dangerous driving is done far more often, but
police need the tools and training to identify it.
Two boys were recently killed in New York accidents in which drugs may
have played a role.
Title:
Governor urges county leaders to support budget plan
Governor
Andrew Cuomo urged county leaders to support his budget plan, saying his
proposal would provide them the mandate relief they have long sought from the
state. Cuomo urged a recent
meeting of county executives and local leaders to support his plan, which
would fund the growth in local Medicaid costs over three years and enact a
new, less generous pension tier. The
2012-13 fiscal year starts April 1st. Cuomo's budget would have to
be approved by the state Legislature. Some
county officials said the Governor could still do more to help them.
Some want the state to agree to a full takeover of local Medicaid
costs, which is about $8 billion a year. Cuomo's
Medicaid proposal would be phased in over three years and wouldn't start until
April 2013. The first year, the savings would be about $24 million statewide,
and then grow to $1.2 billion over five years.
Some county officials said they need mandate relief this year.
In addition to the Medicaid proposal, the Governor is proposing a less
generous pension tier for new state and local government workers, including a
401K type option. His plan also includes reforms to the state's preschool
special education program and services for children with disabilities, which
have also been costly to counties.
Title:
USDA funding announced
Farmers
and landowners in the North Country have until February 17th to
apply for a 2012 round of grant funding from the state U.S. Department of
Agriculture. The USDA’s Natural
Resources Conservation Service is offering $9.1 million for its Environmental
Quality Incentives Program for projects in the areas of livestock waste,
cropland and grazing. Last year,
353 farmers received a total of about $1.3 million in conservation funding
from the EQIP program. The program funds a wide range of farm projects with
grants covering 75 percent of project costs. Applications are competitive and ranked based on
state and local priorities. Farmers
may receive free technical assistance to develop long-term conservation plans
at the NRCS office on Outer Stowe Street in Lowville or submit an application
to receive funding for a particular project.
For more information about how to apply for conservation programs,
visit www.nrcs.usda.gov.
Title:
Owens Announces
Service Academy Nominations
Congressman
Bill Owens announced the nomination from his office of 27 students to service
academies. A member of Congress
can nominate students to attend an academy if the students meet eligibility
requirements and submit a detailed application. The four service academies
that accept nominations include the Air Force, Army, Merchant Marines and the
Navy. The local nominations were
Nathan Lundquist of Lowville to the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland
& Conner Biolsi of Carthage, who was nominated to the US Air Force Academy
in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Title:
Church soon to have new home
Abundant
Life Community Church of Lowville will soon have its own place of worship.
The church is constructing an 8,000-square-foot building on an 18-acre
parcel off Waters Road in the town of Lowville.
Church officials hope to have the building, which will feature an
atrium, sanctuary, small kitchen and fellowship hall, nursery and three
classrooms, finished in time for their April 8th Easter service.
The congregation currently leases space at Lowville United Methodist
Church for its worship services.
February 2, 2012
Title:
Fire damages auction barn
Fire damaged a livestock auction barn north of Lowville yesterday morning.
Lowville firefighters were called to Northern New York Farmers'
Marketing Co-Op on Route 26 shortly before noon with Castorland firemen
responding for mutual aid. Lewis
County Fire Coordinator Jim Martin said a coffee maker caught fire in the
cafeteria section of the building and caused moderate damage to the immediate
area with the rest of the building sustaining smoke damage.
1 man suffered smoke inhalation, was treated at the scene and declined
to be taken to the hospital. A few
cows were at the building for auction & were not injured.
Quick action from the firefighters is credited with saving the business
from further damage.
Title:
2 charged with child endangerment & inhaling vapors
2
teens were charged with endangering the welfare of a child & illegal use
of toxic vapors. Lewis County
Sheriff’s Deputies report that 19 year old Zachary Lyndaker of Wagner Road
in New Bremen & 18 year old Joshua Mellnitz of Wetmore Road in Glenfield
were charged after Deputies were called to a residence in New Bremen on
January 29th for a highly intoxicated 14 year old child who had
reportedly inhaled a can of Ultra Duster cleaning spray.
Lyndaker & Mellnitz allegedly purchased the can, inhaled the can as
well, & provided it to the 14 year old.
Both subjects were issued appearance tickets returnable to Town of New
Bremen Court at a later date.
Title:
State Police cracking down on drunk drivers Super Bowl Weekend
The
New York State Police announced a three-day campaign to crack down on drunk
drivers this upcoming Super Bowl weekend. The
campaign will begin Friday and continue through Sunday.
If football fans plan on drinking during the Super Bowl, designating a
sober driver can help increase the chance of avoiding an
alcohol-impaired-driving crash. 10,228
people died nationwide in motor vehicle crashes in 2010 in which an impaired
driver had a blood alcohol concentration of .08% or higher.
When you choose to drink, drink responsibly, and pass your keys to a
sober driver. Driving impaired or riding with someone who is impaired is not
worth the risk. If you know of someone who has been drinking and is planning
to drive, please remember fans don’t let fans drive drunk.
Title:
Sackets
Harbor woman running for Congress
A
Sackets Harbor woman is running for Congress. Republican Kellie Greene
announced her candidacy yesterday for New York's 23rd Congressional
District. A republican nomination
would place Greene in a race against Democrat Incumbent Congressman Bill
Owens, who currently represents the 23rd District.
Title:
Grant awarded to fund teen health initiative
The
North Country Prenatal/Perinatal Council has been awarded a grant to fund a
comprehensive community-wide initiative designed to address a significant
increase in teen pregnancies & sexually-transmitted infections observed in
Lowville & the surrounding county over the last several years.
The $236,000 award will be used to implement an 18 month teen pregnancy
prevention program in Lowville that stresses education, community involvement,
& healthy teen development. According
to New York State Vital Statistics, there were 43 teen pregnancies in Lewis
County in 2008 compared to 31 in 2005, a 39% increase.
A 26% increase in the number of teen STD cases was reported for
2009-2011 compared to the previous 3 year period.
The grant was awarded by the Dyson Foundation, a private,
family-directed grant making foundation established in 1957.
Title:
Bill introduced to help small businesses
Congressman
Bill Owens joined with Small Business Committee Chairman Sam Graves to bolster
small businesses and ensure the federal government makes good on its promise
to foster an environment in which entrepreneurs can hire and expand. Owens and
Graves introduced the Government
Efficiency through Small Business Contract Act of 2012, which holds
agencies accountable if they do not reach congressionally mandated goals to
award federal contracts to small businesses. The bill increases the current
government-wide small business contracting goal from 23% to 25% and introduces
penalties on agencies and their executives if these goals are not met.
Congress set a goal in 1997 that 23% of all federal contracts would be
awarded to small businesses. While each federal agency is permitted to set its
own small business procurement goals in consultation with the Small Business
Administration, the sum of all agencies’ goals must add up to 23%. However,
federal agencies typically fail to meet their small business contracting goals
and there are currently no penalties for these shortfalls.
Title:
Governors make Super Bowl wager
In
what is becoming a tradition, the governors of the states involved in this
year’s Super Bowl have made a wager. If
the New York Giants win, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick will send 46
Pies, clam chowder, & 46 cases of chips to Governor Cuomo, who will donate
the proceeds to the Food Bank Association of NYS.
If the New England Patriots win, Governor Cuomo will send 46 cases of
New York made Greek yogurt, 46 dozen bagels, & 46 cheesecakes to Governor
Patrick, who will donate the proceeds to a Massachusetts food bank.
Governor Cuomo stated that he looks forward to congratulating the
Giants on winning their fourth Super Bowl title and seeing Governor Patrick's
generous wager offerings go to a food bank in New York State.
Governor Patrick responded that he wishes the Giants well, but not that
well & is looking forward to bringing another Super Bowl championship back
to Massachusetts. The game will be
played Sunday night at 6:30 p.m.
February 1, 2012
Title:
Averill Park man charged with aggravated DWI
A
27 year old Averill Park man was charged with aggravated DWI.
Lowville Police report that Zachary DeJoseph was charged after patrol
checked on a vehicle that was parked on East State Street near the entrance to
the sewer treatment plant at around 9 p.m. last night.
DeJoseph reportedly failed field sobriety tests at the scene & was
taken to the Lewis County Public Safety Building, where he allegedly
registered a 0.23% blood/alcohol content.
He was additionally charged with having an open container of an
alcoholic beverage in his vehicle & was issued appearance tickets
returnable to Village of Lowville Court at a later date.
Title:
Army Chief of Staff doesn’t expect large bases to close
The
Army Chief of Staff made remarks that seem to bode well for Fort Drum.
General Raymond Odierno said he doubted a Base Realignment and Closure
Commission would target large installations for closure.
Last week, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta announced plans to requesting
new rounds of BRAC as part of the Pentagon budget-cutting process.
Odierno said he expected Congress would be asked to approve two more
BRAC rounds, adding that the Army went through a very significant BRAC here
not too long ago, and did a fairly significant consolidation within the Army.
Title:
McArdle to announce candidacy for county judge
It
will be a 2-man race for Lewis County Court Judge.
Democrat Kevin McArdle is scheduled to make a formal announcement
Monday morning on the steps of the Lewis County Courthouse.
Republican Daniel King, who is a former Lewis County public defender,
has already announced plans to run for the post.
The Lewis County Judge position, which also covers family and surrogate
courts, has been vacant since January 1st, when Judge Charles
Merrell was elected to state Supreme Court.
McArdle has been endorsed by the Lewis County Democratic Party
Committee for appointment to the county judge post, although Governor Cuomo is
not obliged to fill the vacancy.
Title:
NASCAR stars raise money for children’s charities
The
stars of NASCAR visited the area this past weekend as the sixth annual
Zippy’s Crusade for Kids Charity Snowmobile Ride took place in Inlet.
Greg Zipadelli, recently named competition director for Stewart-Haas
Racing founded the event with his wife, Nan, as a way to raise money for
children’s charities. The event was packed with celebrities including 2011
NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion Tony Stewart. The
Cousins That Care, a group of local kids that raise funds to donate to worthy
causes, donated $1,000 to the Crusade this year. Zippy’s Crusade again
donated funds on behalf of area families.
. A $10,000 donation was made to the Chromosome 18 Registry and
Research Society in the name of Owen Lee of Boonville, one of only 150 people
in the world with Chromosome 18 disorder.
A $10,000 donation to the Children of Health Organization was made in
the name of 5 year old Brandon Beal of Woodgate, who suffers from
transposition of the great arteries & underwent his third open heart
surgery earlier this month.
Title:
LCGH earns distinction
Lewis
County General Hospital has achieved recognition as a Level III
patient-centered medical home. Dr.
Elwin Stillman, a family practitioner, and the hospital’s three family
health centers in Beaver Falls, Lyons Falls and Copenhagen were awarded the
designation, which is the highest level of recognition given by the National
Committee for Quality Assurance. The
patient-centered medical home model has a patient’s primary care doctor
acting as the central hub for everything affecting the patient, allowing the
primary care doctor to find out quickly and efficiently whether his or her
patient has been admitted to a hospital, and whether follow-up care is needed.
Standards of the certification include appropriate use of charting
tools to track patients and organize clinical information, adaptation to
patients’ cultural and linguistic needs, and systematic tracking of
referrals and test results.
Title:
Hanna
announces fire department grants
Congressman
Richard Hanna announced the opportunity for local fire departments to apply
for a grant to help hire and recruit firefighters.
FEMA
will award about $380 million in Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency
Response or SAFER grant program to
support the departments hiring firefighters and recruiting and retaining
volunteers.
The
grant will also help improve departments’ ability to respond to emergencies.
Submission
for applications is underway.
Title:
Woodgate Fire Department elects board
The
Woodgate Volunteer Fire Department voted in their Board of Directors for the
2012 year at their annual meeting. The
new board consists of President Don Murdoch, Vice-President William Rockhill,
Chief Tony Sege, Treasurer Michael Przybyla, and Secretary Chris Burnett-Wolle.
Scott Cornell is the Assistant Chief.
Jack Adams and Maureen Weber were also voted status as lifetime
members. Outgoing treasurer
Maureen Weber was presented with a plaque for her 22 years of service and John
Isley was presented with a plaque for three years he previously served as
chief. Department members
celebrated a busy and safe 2011. Woodgate
Firefighters responded to a total of 52 calls last year and four new members
joined the department. Three
members were trained as new EMTs and five as new Certified First Responders.
The department has a busy year planned with numerous trainings on the
calendar, the annual rummage sale set for the Saturday after the 4th of July,
and the second annual Sink-A-Boat competition scheduled for August.
Anyone interested in taking a more active role in protecting the local
community by joining the department and is encouraged to send an e-mail to chriswvfd@yahoo.com.
January 31, 2012
Title:
Fire damages house in Boonville
Firefighters
from multiple departments battled a house fire at around noon yesterday on
Valley
View Road in Boonville. Fire Chief
Dave Pritchard reports that the fire began on a sofa in the living room of the
Peter Webster residence. Boonville
Firemen responded along with mutual aid from Remsen and Constableville.
A woman who was home at the time attempted to put the fire out herself,
but was unsuccessful. She made it
out of the house safely, but had to be treated for smoke inhalation.
The home sustained smoke & water damage. There
was no insurance. The American Red
Cross was notified.
Title:
Lyons Falls man arrested for sexual abuse
A
34 year-old Lyons Falls man was arrested for Sexual Abuse in the First Degree
and Forcible Touching. NY State
Police BCI out of Lowville report that Samson
Watkins of McAlpine Street was charged after an investigation revealed
that Watkins allegedly sexually and forcibly touched a 13 year old female
while at a residence in the Village of Turin on January 28th.
Watkins was arraigned in the Village of Lowville Court and was remanded
to the Lewis County Jail on no bail due to numerous previous felony
convictions. Watkins is also
currently on parole and is a level III registered sex offender. He
is scheduled to reappear in the Village of Lowville Court on February 14th.
Title:
West Carthage man charged with DWI
A 26 year old West Carthage man was charged with DWI.
Jefferson County Sheriff’s Deputies report that Robert Moore of
Bridge Street was charged following a traffic stop on Route 126 in the Town of
Champion for failure to keep right and crossing hazard markings.
His Blood/Alcohol Content was allegedly 0.13%.
All charges are returnable to Town of Champion Court.
Title:
Assembly Democrats propose increasing minimum wage
The
push is reportedly on to increase the minimum wage in New York. Democrats in
the state Assembly reportedly will propose increasing the minimum wage to
$8.50 an hour. Sources say the
plan will also include a provision for automatic increases that are tied to
inflation. Currently, the state's
minimum wage is $7.25 an hour. it has been increased five times since 2000
with the last increase in 2009. Supporters
say the increase is needed because salaries for low-wage earners have not kept
up in recent years with rising consumer costs, while businesses warn it could
further hurt a battered economy. Assembly
Speaker Sheldon Silver would not provide specifics, but confirmed his majority
would unveil its plan at the capitol this week. Senate Republicans are
considered the greatest obstacle, as they have long opposed hikes to the
minimum wage, saying it hurts job growth.
Title:
Governor vows to veto redistricting plan
Governor
Andrew Cuomo is promising to veto the proposal from party leaders in Albany to
redraw legislative districts according to media reports out of Albany quoting
a spokesman for the governor. The
lines were drawn by the New York Legislative Task Force on Demographic
Research and Reapportionment which is jointly controlled by the Democratic
majority in the Assembly and the Republican majority in the Senate.
Opponents of the plan say the lines should be drawn by an independent,
non-partisan group.
Title:
Coach Watkins honored
It
was standing room only in the Lowville Academy auditorium on Saturday as
hundreds came out to honor longtime school employee and swim coach, Bobb
Watkins. As swim coach, Watkins
collected more than 500 wins. However people who knew him best say Watkins'
will be remembered most for the way he cared for everyone on his teams.
Coach Watkins also had a life-long love affair with music, putting
together a special CD for seniors when they graduated.
He also produced the music for Lowville Academy’s bicentennial.
While everyone had different memories of Coach Watkins, there was one
thing all could agree on. Without him, Lowville Central will never be the
same.
Title:
Ambulance Company receives donation for rescue sled
The Big Moose Fire & Ambulance Company announced that they have received a
$1,000 donation for their rescue snowmobile.
The donation was given by Dave Peterson of 4th Lake &
Boonville & will be used to install a new Camoplast track on the
snowmobile. The new track has
deeper treads & spikes that will enable the snowmobile to tow heavier
loads on steeper grades more effectively.
The snowmobile is used to tow the Big Moose Ambulance Rescue Sled &
the Big Moose Fire Sled on calls in their service area, which includes the
hamlets of Big Moose, Stillwater, & Beaver River in a remote area of the
Town of Webb. The Company also
provides rescue coverage along 32 miles of the Adirondack Scenic Railroad.
January 30, 2012
