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volunteer fire departments facing recruitment challenges, page 3 VISIT www.ALLOTSEGO.com, OTSEGO COUNTY’S NEWSPAPER/ONLINE Volume 218, No. 22
Cooperstown, New York, Thursday, May 28, 2026
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Village: New Boating Regulations Intended To Protect Lake from Erosion, Invasives By JOSHUA YOUNGQUIST COOPERSTOWN he Village of Cooperstown has adopted two amendments to its boating regulations with the stated purpose of further protecting Otsego Lake, the community’s public drinking‑water source. The changes modify Chapter 44 of the Village Code, enacted under authority granted by New York State Public Health Law §1100, which empowers the village to safeguard “Otsego Lake and all watercourses tributary thereto”
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from contamination. The first amendment increases the fine for speeding within the lake’s no‑wake zone. Existing law states that “no vessel shall be operated within 200 feet of the shore‑ line of Otsego Lake…at a speed exceeding five miles per hour,” and the updated penalty raises the fine from $50.00 to $250.00. Village officials say the increase is intended to reduce shoreline erosion and protect near‑shore habitat. The second amendment adds a new Wakeboard Boat Continued on page 8
Celebrating a Multitude of Milestones on Memorial Day Weekend By CHARLIE VASCELLARO
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COOPERSTOWN e’re only halfway through 2026, and it’s already been a big year for celebrating milestone anniversaries here in Cooperstown, across the country, and throughout the baseball community. In conjunction with the ongoing celebration of the nation’s 250th anni‑ versary, the first-ever “Hall of Fame Military Classic: A Tribute to Service and Sacrifice” exhibition game on Saturday, May 23 signaled the begin‑ ning of the summer season for the Hall of Fame and Cooperstown. It’s a milestone anniversary for me, as well. Friday, May 22, 2026 marked the 50th anniversary of my first visit to Cooperstown and the National Baseball Hall of Fame. As a present for my 12th birthday on May 22, 1976, my father took his baseball-crazy son to Cooperstown. We flew out of Islip Airport on Long Island to the Oneida Airport just outside of Utica. I think
Bassett Surgeon Takes on Four New Leadership Roles
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COOPERSTOWN oon K. Shim, MD, ► lWVCA Co-hostS MPH, FACS, director debate, page 2 of the General Surgery Residency Program at Bassett ► faletto rebuts state Healthcare Network, has of education, page 4 recently been appointed or ► bravin wins LWGA elected to new roles in four award, page 5 national organizations. According to a recent press ► laurens central release, Dr. Shim is a surgeon honors vets, page 6 who is fellowship-trained in advanced minimally invasive ► dillingham warns of surgery with expertise in foregut ‘Rolling hills,’ page 7 surgery, general surgery and ► ‘Mohawk valley gives’ metabolic surgery. deadline nears, page 11 As an appointee to the American College of Surgeons’ Follow Breaking News On Committee on Medical Student Education, Dr. Shim will work with other committee members
into residency training. As a director-at-large on the Board of Directors for the Association for Academic Surgery Foundation, Dr. Shim will support AASF’s mission to champion new surgeons at the outset of their careers. As a member-at-large for the Association for Surgical Education, Dr. Shim will provide her insights to the Board of Directors of one of the leading national organizations dedicated to advancing surgical education, curriculum development, and innovation in training. Dr. Shim was also appointed to serve on the Board of Directors of the Association of Program Directors in Surgery,
Photo provided
DR. JOON K. SHIM
to improve surgical education across all four years of medical school and better facilitate the transition from medical school
the only national organization dedicated to surgical residency leadership, program develop‑ ment and resident education. “These four national opportu‑ nities are especially meaningful to me because they align closely with my passion for surgical education, mentorship, leader‑ ship development and building thoughtful training environ‑ ments for future surgeons,” said Dr. Shim. “I am committed to the work of preparing these surgeons to be compassionate, technically excellent, resil‑ ient, and ready to serve diverse communities.” Under Dr. Shim’s leadership, Bassett Healthcare Network’s Continued on page 8
THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA, OTSEGO COUNTY’S AWARD-WINNING WEEKLIES 2010 WINNERS OF The Otsego County Chamber/KEY BANK SMALL BUSINESS AWARD
Putting the Community Back Into the Newspaper
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Photos by Charlie Vascellaro
Photo at left: Four members of the Louisville Slugger Warriors—a competitive amputee baseball team—participated in the Hall of Fame Military Classic on May 23. Pictured here is team member Lonnie Gaudet with former deaf Major Leaguer and LSW coach Curtis Pride (right), and Pride’s son, Colten (center). Photo at right: Team Stripes catcher and inaugural Women’s Professional Baseball League player Alyssa Zettlemoyer (left) and Team Stars center fielder Brittany Apgar, also a WPBL player, fist bump during batting practice before the Military Classic game at Doubleday Field.
we flew on Mohawk Airlines. My dad owned a plumbing company on Long Island at the time and attended many New York UA Plumbers Union conventions back then, and Utica was a place with which he was familiar. We spent the first night in Utica and the next night in Cooperstown. We stayed at The Otesaga Resort Hotel. The Hall of Fame was a more modest museum back then, nowhere near its current size and scope; a halfcentury ago, it was more a collection of old shoes, clothing, and equipment. Toward the end of our visit, Dad told me I could pick out one item from the gift shop. I could have picked anything to bring back to our Setauket, Long Island home; a T-shirt, jersey or cap. Maybe a bat, a ball or a glove. Anything. The place was stocked with memorabilia that would have been the envy of all my friends. But there was one item that called out to me with a sentimental and nostalgic tone. In the formative years of my base‑ Continued on page 9
founded in 1808