Playing The
M
15
th anniversary
20
08 - 2023
ONEONTA
& The Otsego-Delaware Dispatch THE elephant in the ambulance... no one is talking/page 4
pm l 7 • 7:30$20/ticket i r p A , y a Frid Resort Hotel • ries.org
rtse
e ownconc t s r e p o o ://C aga
https
Home
HOMETOWN
aker’s Kofi B aith F lind faiTh Creausim M and B r c c of ea
nta eo
wn on o t
s
erie ncert S o C n w sto s Cooper oudly present pr
The Otes
VISIT www.
Volume 15, No. 24
AllOTSEGO.com, OTSEGO COUNTY’S DAILY NEWSPAPER/ONLINE COMPLIMENTARY
Oneonta, N.Y., Thursday, March 30, 2023
OHS Graduate Leads SUNY Morrisville to NCAA DIII Tourney
Trustees Approve New Camera Law by a Vote of 5-1 By CASPAR EWIG
By JOEL J. PLUE
COOPERSTOWN ooperstown’s Village Board of Trustees meeting on Monday, March 27 resulted in the approval of a policy for fixed video-only cameras to be installed in four public locations, the continued criticism of the present regulations involving short-term rentals in the village’s zoning law and a short statement by outgoing Trustee MacGuire Benton upon his retirement from the board. The meeting was well attended by citizens wanting to be heard at the public hearing scheduled for discussion of the installation of cameras along Main and Pioneer streets, but the short-term rental issue raised in last month’s public hearing also persisted. In the public comment session, a number of speakers addressed what they considered to be ambiguities in the present zoning law definitions of “incidental use” as well as “owner occupancy,” and pointed to the absence of language regulating the areas that abut Otsego Lake in order to protect the village’s source of water. At the end of the public comment period, Mayor Ellen Tillapaugh indicated that a number of letters had also been received relative to the short-term rental issue, and that the zoning board was going to continue to look into the issue. Deputy Mayor Cynthia Falk opened the public hearing on the camera law by stating the scope of the proposal and clarifying that “this is about fixed cameras, not body-worn cameras, not car cameras and not private cameras.” Falk was delighted to see the size of the turnout, she said, because “you may know that there is not consensus among our board members as to what this policy should say and how exactly it should Continued on page 7
MORRISVILLE aylor Colone-Microni of Oneonta was instrumental in the SUNY Morrisville Mustangs’ recent trip to the NCAA Division III Women’s Basketball Championship Tournament. The Mustangs earned a berth in the tourney after defeating two seed Penn State Harrisburg to win the United East Championship on February 25, a game for which Colone-Microni received Most Valuable Player honors. Many young people aspire to follow their dreams. Colone-Microni chased hers. “As far back as I can remember, even as a young child, I wanted to play basketball,” she recalled. A 2020 graduate of Oneonta High School, Colone-Microni knew she would someday be a basketball champion, but it wasn’t all smooth sailing. As with anyone who strives to be at the top of their game, Taylor first had to overcome her fears. “I was nervous about trying out for the varsity team in 8th grade. A conversation with my dad gave me inspiration to move forward when he said, ‘If you’re going to succeed at what you love, you will need to step out of your comfort zone.’ He has always been there for me, and that advice has kept me going,” she said. Colone-Microni, 21, has lived in Oneonta her entire
C
INSIDE ► coop art association displays two local artists’ works, page 2
► tons of locals: people & businesses in the news, page 6 ► New york state may pull cola’s for non-profits that support people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, page 5 Follow Breaking News On
AllOTSEGO.com
Photo provided
Sitting Pretty Kitty OTSEGO COUNTY—Angela Zustovich shared this photo of her gorgeous feline, Murphy, and we could not resist putting him on page one for all to admire. We invite you to send pictures of your furry, feathered or finned friends to darlay@allotsego.com. Every week, we’ll select at least one photograph to be highlighted in the newspapers, and a gallery of our readers’ pets is now available for viewing on the AllOtsego.com website at https://www.allotsego. com/furever-friends-and-purrfect-pals/
Talking It Over ... with Jules Feiffer
Artist Reflects on Illustrious Career
► firefighters recruited and jews in baseball, page 2 ► s hould bassett reconsider closing foxcare fitness? many opinions, pages 4 & 9
T
By DANIEL FRANCIS RICHFIELD SPRINGS sat at a large sketching desk in a sundrenched studio, flipping through an endless pile of sketches and illustrations. Across the desk from me was Jules Feiffer, the man who had put these figures to paper. As I marveled at his creations, moving from one page to the next, Jules explained the idea, the meaning, behind each of the works laid out on the desk. Not because he had to; it was because he wanted to. I quickly came to learn that Jules puts careful thought into everything he works on, however long that list may be, and every stroke of his pen, pencil, and marker carries with it a story, an idea, that he wishes the audience to understand. This framework, applied to all aspects of his career, was adopted at the very beginning. “The cultural and political story was to force a change of societal norms which, in the
I
life. It is where, with support from friends and family, she learned the love of the sport. Matt Miller, former coach of the Oneonta High School women’s basketball varsity team, was one of many role models who set her up for success in her sports career. “Taylor was a great basketball player because she was completely dedicated to the game, and because she worked significantly harder than the average player. There’s a very short list of players, in my time at OHS, that I can say worked as hard or had as genuine a desire to be great like Taylor did,” Miller recalled. Colone-Microni, a five year varsity player at OHS, was named the United East Tournament MVP after leading the Mustangs to their second straight title with 16 points in the final game, a 4742 nail-biter. Unfortunately, the Mustangs’ winning streak ended on March 3 with a 50100 loss to Smith College in NCAA tournament play. Morrisvillemustangs.com sums up Colone-Microni’s 2022-23 season as follows: “...started in 27 games for the Mustangs at guard… recorded 217 points across the season…average 8.04 per game…hit 48 from long range while shooting .320 from behind the arc…added 76 rebounds, 62 assists and 26 steals to her totals across the year…team were United East Regular Season and Tournament Champions, Continued on page 9
50s, the years of Eisenhower, and early years of the cold war, was a time when nothing changed. You felt that, people were afraid to stay politically or socially out of a place because it might endanger them. It was our business to make trouble and point out what was going on. I saw my role from the beginning as one of those who was going to try to overthrow the government by using humor, satire and creating insights in the reader.” Jules understood that doing so would put him in the crosshairs of critics during a chapter of American history where criticizing mainstream society and the federal government could be detrimental to his career. Going against the wishes of his mother, he persisted to voice his opinions through his work, as it was fundamental to who he was, going so far as to publish the first cartoon attacking white liberals. “I made the choice not to make as much Photo provided money as I could have. I chose to be happy. I OHS graduate Taylor Colone-Microni was MVP of the United East Continued on page 7 Championship Tournament.
THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA, OTSEGO COUNTY’S LARGEST PRINT CIRCULATION 2010 WINNERS OF The Otsego County Chamber/KEY BANK SMALL BUSINESS AWARD