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ONEONTA
& The Otsego-Delaware Dispatch Subtle Science Shaming/page 8
VISIT www. Volume 15, No. 15
AllOTSEGO.com, OTSEGO COUNTY’S DAILY NEWSPAPER/ONLINE COMPLIMENTARY
Oneonta, N.Y., Thursday, January 26, 2023
Chamber Kicks Off 2023 with ‘State of the State’ Breakfast Event By CASPAR EWIG
ONEONTA t was a sellout crowd last Friday, February 20, as the Otsego County Chamber of Commerce hosted its annual “State of the State” networking breakfast. The conference, which took place in the Otsego Grille of SUNY Oneonta’s Morris Hall, was introduced by Sean Lewis, president and chief executive officer of the chamber, as a vehicle to “allow the panelists a chance to express their view of where we are and their vision of where we are heading.” The panel of eight public figures included New York State Senator Peter Oberacker and Assemblymen Brian Miller, Chris Tague and Brian Maher, whose constituents reside in various portions of Otsego County. The county itself was represented by County Administrator Steve Wilson and Treasurer Allen Ruffles. Oneonta Mayor Mark Drnek and Village of Cooperstown Mayor Ellen Tillapaugh
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rounded out the panel. A thread running throughout the remarks of all the panelists as well as the question-and-answersession that followed was an emphasis on practicalities as opposed to an espousing of ideals and recounting talking points. In fact, a criticism by many on the panel was that the state is often much too quick to translate policy positions into legislation without having the necessary infrastructure in place. Senator Oberacker set the tone of the conference when he bemoaned the population exodus due to “self-inflicted” problems of over regulation, over taxation and under appreciation of the criminal justice system. He urged New York State governance to concentrate on the practicalities of improving the infrastructure and, along with Assemblyman Tague, expressed the opinion that we must get away from reliance on fossil fuels, but without becoming captive to a green energy policy plan that is only destined to
Photo by August Heminway
Nate Johnson, Nate Tessitore and Dylan Babcock are among the subjects of Heminway’s WOFD photojournal.
Student Photo Project Highlights WOFD By TED MEBUST
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ONEONTA ugust Heminway, a SUNY Oneonta senior currently pursuing a degree in political science and criminal justice, recently introduced an individual photojournalism project documenting the West Oneonta Fire Department. In addition to his extracurricular activities as president of the college’s Taekwondo Club, Heminway serves as president of the Photo Society. The scope of his project, Heminway noted, combined his academic and personal interests to display an aspect of local life he found to be underrepresented. “I’m interested in photojournalism and documentary photography, especially in the black and white medium, where I can really communicate interesting stories in a powerful way and convey the emotion and weight
Continued on page 3
Catskills Agrarian Alliance Works With Local Farmers, Producers
INSIDE ► unity for oneonta, Andrew Hamill running for Oneonta Common Council, page 2 ► transparent fire district in fly creek, page 3 ► NY COALITION FOR OPEN GOV. HAS PLENTY TO SAY on Schenevus school situation, page 4 ► cooperstown swim coach in learing curve, page 6 ► chestnut street crossing open house correction, page 6 ► dogs like politicians? Dog charmer answers questions, page 8 Follow Breaking News On
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behind them… I want to highlight causes of justice, conflict and humanitarian issues but break them down to a more specific, relatable, focused thing,” Heminway said of his project, which he pursued in collaboration with the university’s photography department. Heminway spoke with local volunteers during visits to the WOFD throughout the fall semester about the state of its resources and their personal stories of involvement. “It’s a rural, underfunded volunteer department. They don’t have the resources that a paid department has… I found that one, if not both, of their trucks was over 30 years old at this point and, because their community members make up the department itself, it’s a fluctuating number that entirely revolves around who wants to be involved,” Heminway said of his conversations with WOFD Chief Walt Schmitt. Continued on page 6
Religious Leaders Call for Apology
By DARLA M. YOUNGS
HAMDEN
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or a decade, a community of farmers in Delaware, Otsego, and Schoharie counties have been working out of necessity on an alternative production and distribution project (first the Lucky Dog Food Hub and then The 607 CSA) to ensure food-security for our foodshed by creating a collaborative resilient local food system. CAA is the culmination of that work. We think of our organization as a pilot project and template for resilient regional food systems nation-wide.” – CAA website
By TED MEBUST
COOPERSTOWN ajan Zed, president of the Universal Society of Hinduism, and Reverend Matthew T. Fisher, a Buddhist minister, condemned local Brewery Ommegang for their sale of “Nirvana IPA,” as they Continued on page 6
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Photo provided
NIRVANA IPA
The Catskills Agrarian Alliance is a newly formed 501c3 organization based in Hamden. Identifying itself as a comprehensive food sovereignty project in a recent
press release, the CAA provides food production, food distribution, land stewardship and mutual aid services in the Catskills, Hudson Valley, and New York City. “We are an official New York State nonprofit organization as of May 2022,” said CAA Executive Director Tianna Kennedy, “but are still waiting for the IRS to review our 1023 form, so we are not yet listed in the IRS database as a 501c3 organization. The lawyers inform us that the IRS is very backed up at the moment because of the pandemic.” At the heart of the CAA lies Star Route Farm. Located at 796 County Highway 40 in Charlotteville, this agroecology-centered farm—where food, jobs, and economic well-being go hand in hand with cultural, social, and environmental benefits—is also Continued on page 9
THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA, OTSEGO COUNTY’S LARGEST PRINT CIRCULATION 2010 WINNERS OF The Otsego County Chamber/KEY BANK SMALL BUSINESS AWARD