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articles on jimmy kimmel, a water rescue & local schools on allotsego.com VISIT www.ALLOTSEGO.com, OTSEGO COUNTY’S NEWSPAPER/ONLINE Volume 217, No. 40
Cooperstown, New York, Thursday, October 2, 2025
Newsstand Price $1
Bassett Medical Center Begins Next Phase of Construction on Campus Childcare Center
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COOPERSTOWN assett Medical Center in Cooperstown has begun the next phase of its project to construct a childcare center on the hospital’s campus. Construction is expected to be completed in spring 2026. According to a press release issued on Thursday, September 25, the facility will be called the Harrison House Childcare Center in honor of the historic Harrison
House, once the home of Dr. Francis Harrison, an internist who joined Bassett in 1928 and practiced alongside Dr. Mary Imogene Bassett. “The Harrison House is a historic and cherished part of Bassett Medical Center and the Village of Cooperstown,” said Staci Thompson, MHA, FACMPE, president and chief executive officer of Bassett Healthcare Network. “Earlier architectural plans for the project aimed
to completely retain the building’s original structure with renovations inside. However, engineers and construction crews discovered that the original structure could not be sufficiently modified to provide a safe and healthy environment to meet children’s needs. “The building is being demolished and rebuilt from the ground up—with an exterior that will repliContinued on page 13
Lt. Gov. Delgado, DNC Vice Chair Kenyatta Address Otsego Dems By ERIC SANTOMAUROSTENZEL
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ONEONTA ore than a hundred local Democratic Party members gathered in the Hunt Union ballroom at SUNY Oneonta on the evening of Saturday, September 29 for an annual fundraiser and to hear two rising stars argue for their vision of the future of the party. Otsego County Democrats gave a standing ovation for speeches by New York Lieutenant Governor Antonio Delgado, who is running a progressive primary campaign against Governor Kathy Hochul for the 2026 gubernatorial election, and Democratic National Committee Vice Chair and Pennsylvania State Representative Malcolm Kenyatta. Local party leaders, thrust into national imporINSIDE ► tepee celebrates 75th anniversary, page 2 ► OLDER MEN CONNECT IN THE WORKSHOP, page 3
tance by the battleground NY-19 congressional district, say they have momentum and candidates that offer their best chance of winning a majority on the Otsego County Board of Representatives in many years come this year’s November 4 elections. “Fascism seems to be creeping insidiously from sea to shining sea,” Otsego County Democratic Committee Chair Caitlin Ogden told the crowd, “yet in this room tonight, I also see a tremendous amount of hope.” In the aftermath of President Donald Trump’s popular vote and Electoral College victory in 2024, along with losses in the Senate, many Democrats across the country have been divided—and depressed— about how to move forward. Addressing Otsego Democrats, Delgado and Kenyatta called for a more muscular approach.
Photo by Eric Santomauro-Stenzel
New York Lt. Gov. Delgado is on the stump for his race to challenge Gov. Kathy Hochul.
“As I sat and listened to Caitlin talking about fighting for democracy,” Delgado told the crowd, “it’s hard, being really honest, to not also ask the question: How the hell did
we get here?” “Communities all across this country, and certainly communities all across this state, have every reason to question the effectiveness of this thing that
we call democracy, and the extent to which the will of the people is actually reflected in our government,” Delgado said. The cycle of generational Continued on page 13
Fenimore Farm Stone Barn Featured in New Book By BILL BELLEN
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COOPERSTOWN n August 15, ► is nothing sacred? Acclaim Press page 4 published the latest book in its reper► SOLSTICE COMMONS: GOOD toire, “Stone Barns of FOR ONEONTA, page 6 America: Historic Icons ► BURNING DOWN THE East of the Mississippi.” HOUSE, page 9 Written by Dr. Robert ► NYSEG RESPONDS TO Kroeger, this text is the REP. RILEY, page 8 first of a two-volume series exploring the ► SUBDIVISIONS: FAIR IS expansive history behind FAIR, page 8 notable stone barns ► CALENDAR, page 14 across the United States. Featuring barns and Follow Breaking News On Photo courtesy of Fenimore Farm and Country Village historical accounts from The stone barn at Cooperstown’s Fenimore Farm is featured more than 20 states, in a new book by Dr. Robert Kroeger. “Stone Barns of America”
is a passion project of epic proportions. As described in the book’s introduction, Kroeger first took interest in the history of barns in 2012 following what he described as a “supernatural message” from a barn in Ohio he refers to as “Granville Gray.” Kroeger spent an extensive period learning the craft of impasto oil painting, an art form seen in many illustrations throughout his book. “Stone Barns of America” follows in the footsteps of two previous works by Kroeger focusing on the
pioneer rural farm life of America: “Historic Barns of Ohio” and “Round Barns of America.” During the research process for the latest chapter in Kroeger’s barn-based odyssey, he happened upon a local site of historical significance. One of two standing stone barns in New York State—and dubbed “A Treasure in Cooperstown” by Kroeger himself—the stone barn that stands as the entrance to Fenimore Farm and Country Village is proudly featured in a Continued on page 9
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