Fire damages seasonal home
BLOOMVILLE _ A seasonal residence on Shaw Lane was damaged by a fire Saturday night.
Bloomville Fire Chief Mike Pietrantoni said no one was at the home, and there were no injuries among the roughly 35 firefighters who fought the blaze.
The cause remains under investigation but appears to have started near the front of the home, he said.
Pietrantoni said he did not know who owns it or when it was last occupied.
The property appears to be salvageable, he said.
Firefighters from several Delaware County departments, including Bloomville, Bovina, Delhi, Hobart and South Kortright, were dispatched.
Sweeney gets another DWI
CLIFTON PARK (AP) "" Former U.S. Rep. John Sweeney has been arrested on charges of driving while intoxicated, the second arrest in less than 18 months.
State police stopped Sweeney for speeding around 3:30 a.m. Sunday on Route 9 in Clifton Park. The 53-year-old refused sobriety tests and was charged with felony DWI.
He posted bail and was released. His next court appearance is scheduled for Thursday. A telephone number for him could not be found, and a call to his attorney was not immediately returned.
Sweeney pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of misdemeanor DWI in November 2007. State Police said he registered a .18 blood alcohol level. In New York, the legal blood-alcohol limit is .08.
He was once a county coordinator for STOP-DUI, a program that aims to reduce alcohol and drug-related crashes.
As part of the plea, Sweeney's license was suspended for six months, he was fined $1,000 and he had to attend a meeting of a victim's impact panel and classes for those convicted of DWI.
Sweeney lost his congressional seat in 2006 to Democrat Kirsten Gillibrand, now a U.S. senator, amid allegations of spousal abuse. During the campaign, Sweeney was criticized after photographs were published of him attending a late-night fraternity party outside his congressional district.
Board to have budget forum
ONEONTA _ An open budget forum will be hosted by the Oneonta City School District Board of Education from 6:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Wednesday in the Greater Plains Elementary School cafeteria, according to a release from the district. A regular board meeting will be held immediately after.
DOT to fix I-88 pot holes
The state Department of Transportation will be doing pot-hole patching on Interstate 88 eastbound and westbound between exit 16 (Emmons) and exit 20 (Richmondville) beginning at 7:30 a.m. today in the towns of Maryland and Worcester.
Motorists will encounter passing lane closures in both directions within the work zone. The work is expected to be completed by Thursday, weather permitting.
Motorists are reminded that fines are doubled for speeding in a work zone, the DOT said.
HartWick prez gets conductor nod
ONEONTA _ Hartwick College President Margaret L. Drugovich won the ``guest conductor'' fundraising event Saturday night and led the Catskill Symphony Orchestra in John Philip Sousa's "Stars and Stripes Forever."
Also competing for guest conductor honors during the annual Cabaret Concert were Dr. Tony Cicoria and Chuck D'Imperio.
The event, which also featured cabaret singer Margaret Carlson, raised more than $22,000 for the CSO.
