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Volume 217, No. 16
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Cooperstown’s offiCial newspaper
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founded in 1808
RESTORED COVE TO BE MODEL PROJECT, page 3 VISIT www.ALLOTSEGO.com, OTSEGO COUNTY’S NEWSPAPER/ONLINE Cooperstown, New York, Thursday, April 17, 2025
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SUNY Program Seeks To Involve Students in Local News Writing communication.” ILN is also being developed in coorONEONTA dination with the n recent years, national Center for local news has Community News become an at the University of endangered species Vermont. in the media world. Data provided by According to ILN indicates that Statista, a global its program is off to data and business a good start. intelligence plat“Of SUNY’s 64 form, 3,200 weekly campuses, 15 of publications closed them are engaged or merged with other in some form of papers between Photo by Teresa Winchester local news support 2004 and 2024. in the communiThe number of non- John McIntyre (left) publisher of Spot- ties around their light News and Mark Vinciguerra, pubdaily papers fell lisher of NYVT Media, gave presenta- campus. In the fall from more than 7.4 tions at the inaugural summit of the semester, 75 SUNY thousand to fewer SUNY Institute for Local News, held at students produced than 4.6 thousand SUNY Oneonta April 10-11. Both talked 160 stories for 12 within that same about their experiences working with local news publicastudent writers as well as about the gentime period. Daily eral state of the news industry. tions around New papers also declined, York State. This with just over 1,000 in publication in spring semester, nearly 200 students 2024. The loss of local newspapers has are active in local news reporting statecreated a phenomenon known as “news wide, as more SUNY campuses join deserts,” indicating areas with no or the initiative,” the release stated. very limited local news. Students participating in ILN The Institute for Local News repreprograms gain valuable first-hand sents an effort to stop the bleeding experience in writing for newspapers. in regard to the decline in local news They have the satisfaction of seeing and its reporting. According to an their articles in print with their names ILN media release, the program, led in the byline—a perk which is both a by SUNY Chancellor John King, is resume builder and job recommenda“an initiative that engages students in tion in and of itself. university-led reporting programs with ILN hosted its first-ever gathering of local media partners. It aims to bolster statewide leaders in journalism April community news coverage while giving 10-11 at SUNY Oneonta’s Morris students real-world learning experiences in multimedia storytelling and Continued on page 11 By TERESA WINCHESTER
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INSIDE ► OPINION: vIOLENCE IS NON-PARTISAN, page 4 ► GLOBAL TRADE WAR AUGURS DIRE OUTCOMES, page 4 ► TOBACCO WASTE IS TOXIC WASTE, page 5 ► HARTWICK BOARD ADDRESSES WATER CONCERNS, page 6 ► MIGRATION RESEARCH WINS aWARD, page 6 ► SIX FILMS IN FOUR DAYS AT hALL OF FAME, page 9 ► CALENDAR, page 12 Follow Breaking News On
Photo by Monica Calzolari
Edwin Frazier Jr., chair of the Otsego County Board of Representatives, presides over the monthly meetings in Cooperstown, which are available on Facebook Live and can also be viewed at https://www.facebook.com/otsegocountynewyork/videos/662641936254832.
County Reps Receive Briefing on Community Services Network By MONICA CALZOLARI
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COOPERSTOWN erving the mental health needs of Otsego County requires intricate collaboration with a complicated network of service providers at the local, county and state level. “It is not a quick fix,” said Marion Mossman, volunteer chairperson of the county’s Community Services Board, effective January 1. “We know today that we have a lot of issues that we did not have 20 years ago.” In a special presentation to the Otsego County Board of Representatives on Wednesday, April 2, at the monthly
meeting in Cooperstown, Mossman explained the role of the CSB, state agencies and funding sources that support community services in Otsego County. The New York State Conference of Local Mental Hygiene Directors is a statewide membership organization. Otsego County is one of 57 counties represented by the conference. Each county has a director of community services. Jeannette Pavlus is Otsego County’s director. According to the CLMHD website, at the local level, Pavlus is the “Local Governmental Unit with the responsiContinued on page 7
Two Springbrook Artists Featured in Fenimore Exhibit By SARAH ROBERTS
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ONEONTA wo students from The School at Springbrook have been named winners of the Young at Art: Regional Youth Art Contest. The School at Springbrook is a dual-program school for both individuals with autism and those with other high-support needs. The two students, Brayden Butler and Dustin Reel, will have their work featured at an upcoming exhibition at Fenimore Art Museum titled “Young at Art! Timeless Tales, Vibrant Visions.” “I have the pleasure of being
Photos provided
Artwork by Dustin Reel (left) and Brayden Butler will be on display in the upcoming “Young at Art! Timeless Tales, Vibrant Visions” exhibit at Fenimore Art Museum.
the teacher for two students from the School at Springbrook,
who were lucky enough to have been chosen for the art show.
Both Brayden and Dustin are amazing young men who enjoy school, sports, video games and, of course, art. It is a wonderful pleasure to be their teacher and to share in their excitement on their achievement,” said special education teacher Wendy Johnson. According to Butler, “Making art betters your future,” and he is proud to be able to display his painting of a wolf in the Fenimore Art Museum. Reel chose Bigfoot as his subject and said that making art alongside his classmates was fun, and that he is excited to show his art to so many people. He loves art museums and finds Continued on page 11
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