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congrats to oneonta dollars for scholars awardees, page 2 VISIT www.ALLOTSEGO.com, OTSEGO COUNTY’S NEWSPAPER/ONLINE Volume 218, No. 29
Cooperstown, New York, Thursday, July 16, 2026
BACK TO VICE! E SER TABLE-SID
Cooperstown CSD Moves into Superintendent Search with Guidance from BOCES’ Huber By JOSHUA YOUNGQUIST
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COOPERSTOWN he Cooperstown Central School District has formally entered the next phase of its leader‑ ship transition, beginning the search for a new superintendent with support from ONC BOCES District Superintendent Dr. Catherine Huber. CCS Board President Peter Iorizzo said the early work has been steady, collaborative and grounded in best practices as the district prepares for one of its most consequential decisions.
“Dr. Huber has been a great collaborator, facilitator and supporter throughout the early stages,” Iorizzo said. He noted that Huber’s role has included providing information on legal parameters, helping the board craft a job profile, answering procedural questions, and serving as a liaison between candidates and the district. “We are grateful to have access to her expertise in performing superintendent searches,” Iorizzo said. Former CCSD Superintendent Sarah Spross had taken a leave of absence shortly before the end of the school Continued on page 15
Community Rallies Around Beloved Price Chopper Employee “She is the one that always made people’s day when she was working. COOPERSTOWN She would always be friendly to the n Cooperstown, it’s hard to customers, always helped people find someone who doesn’t when needed.” know Becky Welsh. For years, Wood said she no longer plans she was the bright, familiar face to shop at the store, contending greeting customers at the Price that, “Becky has not done anything Chopper self‑checkout lanes, wrong when working there…now offering help, conversation, and that she is not there I will not be the kind of everyday kindness that going back.” quietly shapes a community. Her Wood believes the community recent termination from the store has should stand behind Welsh, saying, sparked an outpouring of support “I think we all need to get rid of the from residents, many of whom say manager and bring [in] one that will Becky was more than an employee; not be [discriminatory]…Becky did she was part of the town’s fabric. not need to lose her job over this.” Attempts to obtain comment from Her comments reflect the tone of Price Chopper were unsuccessful. many online reactions. Emotional, Multiple calls to the company’s frustrated and protective of someone public relations team went unre‑ they see as a community treasure. Photo provided turned, and when management at the Becky Welsh with members of the Cooperstown boys soccer team, who surprised her with flowers On Facebook, the response was Cooperstown store was contacted to thank her for the kindness and support she showed them, including making snack bags before immediate and overwhelming. directly, they said they were not a post-season match. Comments ranged from confusion allowed to make any comments to anger, with one resident writing at this time. Without an official explanation, the they know best, their own experiences with her. that the firing “does not seem to be a well thought out For many, those experiences run deep. full circumstances of Welsh’s termination remain decision.” Another urged neighbors to contact corpo‑ Continued on page 15 unclear, and the community is left reacting to what Audra Wood, who has known Welsh for years, said, By JOSHUA YOUNGQUIST
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INSIDE
► otsego explained: senior support, page 3 ► glamorous glimmerglass, page 5 ► pamploNa pretender, page 6 ► the tell-tale heart, page 6 ► observations on ocsd, page 8 ► tenacious titans, page 9 ► caring for oneonta’S roots, page 13 Follow Breaking News On
Markers Unveiled at Riverside Cemetery, U&D Depot By BILL BELLEN
C
ONEONTA arrying on the legacy of a 2025 season chock full of five marker unveilings, the Greater Oneonta Historical Society kicked off the summer with the unveilings of two new historical markers at the Riverside Cemetery and the old Ulster & Delaware Railroad Depot. The first of these new markers was unveiled at Riverside Cemetery at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, June 30 to commemorate its continued historic legacy. The cemetery was established behind the First Presbyterian Church on Main Street on land donated
by Katherine and Frederick Brown. The seven-acre ceme‑ tery is the resting place of many of Oneonta’s most influential early inhabitants, from early settlers to Revolutionary War veterans. Many notable fami‑ lies have headstones featured at the site, including those of the Fox, Watkins, Ford, Baker, Huntington and McDonald families. Riverside Cemetery is also the site of a soldier’s monument, dedicated in 1871, honoring 27 local soldiers who fought in the Civil War. “Surprisingly, many resi‑ dents are not aware that there is a cemetery in downtown Oneonta,” said Dr. Marcela Continued on page 15
Photo by Bill Bellen
GOHS Trustee Frank Antonucci, GOHS Executive Director Dr. Marcela Micucci, GOHS Trustee Bob Brzozowski and GOHS Trustee Art Torrey.
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