Verona

Troopers Arrest Man for Felony DWI in Verona

January 30, 2012 By margo Leave a Comment

(Verona, NY – Jan. 28, 2012) Oneida-based state police charged George W. Wallace, 67, of Ridgefield Drive, Churchville with Felony DWI after observing his 1996 Dodge Pioneer stuck in the center median of State Route 365 in the Town of Verona at approximately 11:20 p.m. Thursday evening.

Trooper Andre Wiley was patrolling on Route 365 near East Main Street when he observed the vehicle stuck in the median and stopped to check on it. As Trooper Wiley approached the vehicle, the driver was attempting to drive out of the ditch, but was unable to get the vehicle back onto the pavement.

Trooper Wiley spoke with the driver, Wallace, who stated he was attempting a U-turn and mistakenly drove into the center median of the four lane road.

Trooper Wiley observed that Wallace appeared to be intoxicated and after conducting field sobriety tests, Wallace was taken into custody for driving while intoxicated.

Wallace was processed at the SP Oneida barracks, where a breath test determined his blood alcohol content to be .15 percent. A DMV check showed a prior conviction for DWI within the past 10 years.

Wallace was arraigned in the Town of Verona Court on the charges of Felony DWI, Driving with a BAC of .08 percent or greater and Improper U-turn and remanded to the Oneida County Jail on bail. Wallace is scheduled to reappear in the Town of Verona Court on Feb. 14.

Filed Under: Cops/Crime/Courts, Verona

Teen Charged With Weapon Possession

January 27, 2012 By margo Leave a Comment

(Durhamville, NY – Jan. 26, 2012) Oneida-based state police charged an Oneida teen with Criminal Possession of a Weapon after he was stopped on Center Street in Durhamville Thursday evening.

At approximately 6 p.m. troopers were investigating a property damage motor vehicle accident on Center Street when a westbound 2008 Pontiac G6 drove around a marked patrol vehicle with emergency lights flashing and attempted to drive through the accident scene as a tow truck was removing a vehicle from the ditch and was blocking the roadway.

The Pontiac was stopped and its operator, a 16-year-old resident of Cottage Place, Oneida was found to be driving without either a valid driver’s license or learners permit. While being interviewed, he was found to have a set of metal knuckles in his pants pocket.

He was taken into custody and transported to the Oneida barracks for processing and was charged with fourth-degree Criminal Possession of a Weapon and Unlicensed Operation of a Motor Vehicle and is scheduled to appear in the Town of Verona Court on Feb. 12.

The vehicle’s passenger, a 16-year-old resident of Summit Ave, Oneida advised troopers that the vehicle belonged to his mother and that he gave permission for the youth to get behind the wheel and that he was helping to teach him to drive. The passenger was issued a traffic ticket for Permitting Unlicensed Operation returnable in the Town of Verona Court.

Filed Under: Cops/Crime/Courts, Durhamville, Verona

Durhamville Fire Dep’t to hold all-you-can-eat Breakfast Feb. 5

January 18, 2012 By margo Leave a Comment

(Durhamville, NY – Feb. 2012) The Durhamville Fire Department will be holding an All-You-Can-Eat Pancake Breakfast on Sunday, Feb. 5 from 8 a.m. to noon at the department, Church Street.

The cost will be $7 for adults, $6 for seniors, $5 for children 6-12; 5 and younger are free.

The meal will include pancakes, sausage, bacon, French toast, scrambled eggs, home fries, orange juice, chocolate and white milk, coffee, and tea.

Come support the department and enjoy a meal.

Filed Under: Announcements, Calendar of Events, Dining & Entertainment, Durhamville, Verona

Councilman Scherz Announces 3rd Annual Scholarship

January 7, 2012 By margo Leave a Comment

Pictured (left to right) the late Fred Scherz Sr., (for whom the scholarship was named) and his son, Councilman Fritz Scherz.

(Verona, NY- Jan. 6, 2012) Fred “Fritz” Scherz, Jr., Councilman on the Verona Town Board in Verona has again created the Fred Scherz Sr. Memorial Scholarship for Volunteer Community Service. The 3^rd annual scholarship will be in the amount of $250 and will be awarded by Fritz to a Town of Verona student who is on track to graduate from 12th grade at a high school (public or private) or home school by June 30, 2012.

Additionally, the student must have lived in the Town of Verona since at least Dec. 1, 2011, and must be voluntarily engaged in community service or must have created a community project.

As with the last two years, the winner will be selected by a board of volunteers.

“I first came out with the inaugural scholarship in the spring of 2010 as a way to honor my Dad’s memory,” said Scherz. “My Dad, Fred Scherz Sr., was a strong believer in giving back to his community, and was well known for helping many people.”

“Last year, my committee (Connie Collins, Elizabeth Peavey, Rick Walker and the late Barb Geissler) presented Stephanie Thompson with the grand prize for the 2nd annual Fred Scherz Sr. Memorial Scholarship for Volunteer Community Service, while I presented Carrie Lohr with the runner up prize,” Scherz said. “So, for the 2011-2012 school year, as I did last year, I wanted to announce earlier in the school year that I was again offering this scholarship so it’d give students more time to get involved and apply for the scholarship. My plan is to self-fund this scholarship in my Dad’s name. I’m hopeful that if students get started in volunteering at a younger age, they’ll continue to do so once they’re out of school.”

To view the complete rules and to get an application for the Fred Scherz Sr. Memorial Scholarship for Volunteer Community Service, go to: www.fritzscherz.com.

For more information, call Fritz at: (315) 363-3509 or email him at: fritz@fritzscherz.com. Deadline to apply is May 1, 2012.

Filed Under: Announcements, Education, Verona

Fritz’s Polka Band Plans TV Taping in Vestal

January 6, 2012 By margo Leave a Comment

Attached photo of Fritz’s Polka Band (left to right): Tom Campbell, Fritz Scherz, Mike Faraino, Frank Nelson, and Gabe Vaccaro.

(Verona, NY – Jan. 2012) Fritz’s Polka Band from Verona will do a TV taping (three shows in all) at WSKG studio in Vestal, NY on Feb. 4 and is looking at hosting a one-day bus trip for this event.

“Although we’ve done quite a few TV shows over our 32 plus years of performing, we have never performed at WSKG,” said Fritz Scherz, bandleader of FPB. “We’re hopeful of getting at least 30 of our friends interested in going on a bus trip to the recording. We thought it’d be a fun way to help get through winter.”

For more info, call Fritz at: (315) 363-3509 before January 12th, as reservations need to be made ahead of time at the TV studio. For more details on Fritz’s Polka Band, visit the band’s website: www.fritzspolkaband.com, their facebook page at: www.facebook.com/fritzspolkaband, or their sponsor’s (Jagermeister) website, go to: www.jagermusic.com/fpolkaband.

Filed Under: Announcements, Dining & Entertainment, Verona

Councilman Scherz Attends State of the State Address

January 6, 2012 By margo Leave a Comment

Photo shows Lt. Governor Robert Duffy and Town of Verona Councilman Fritz Scherz, taken after the State of the State in Albany Jan. 4.

(Albany, NY – Jan. 2012) On Wednesday, Jan. 4 Councilman Fritz Scherz of the Verona Town Board attended the Governor Cuomo’s State of the State Address in Albany.

After this event, Scherz met briefly with Lt. Governor Duffy and encouraged the Lt. Governor to visit the Town of Verona this year and see firsthand what infrastructure needs the Town has.

“I wanted to attend the State of the State, because it’s an opportunity to interact with other government officials,” said Scherz. “By happenstance, I was able to chat briefly with the Lt. Governor and tell him of the infrastructure needs that the Town of Verona has, while at the same time, inviting him to personally visit in the future. I’m hopeful that will come to fruition.”

For more information on Councilman Scherz, go to Scherz’s website: www.fritzscherz.com and/or his blog at: www.fritzscherz.blogspot.com.

Filed Under: Government and Politics, Verona

MORIC Hosts T.H.E. Symposium VII

January 6, 2012 By margo Leave a Comment

(Utica, NY – Jan. 2012) The Mohawk Regional Information Center will host the T.H.E. Symposium VII on January 12 at SUNY Institute of Technology, 100 Seymour Road, Utica. The event runs from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Kunsela Hall.

The Technology Heightens Education Symposium is an opportunity for area teachers and administrators to celebrate and share the ways they use technology as a tool to enhance student learning. Representatives from 52 school districts and four BOCES will attend the event.

At the Symposium, teachers and their students from 15 school districts in six counties (see next page) will set up demonstration booths and showcase exemplary uses of technology. Presentations will include: daily blogs by first graders; fifth-grade podcast tutorials; a remix of “West Side Story” music using Garage Band; student-built and programmed Lego robots; student-designed video games; and iPods in health education.

MORIC will also present its annual Recognizing Our Own awards to honor one outstanding teacher and student from each BOCES region for their integration of technology into the classroom or curriculum.

In addition, the Technology Playground will allow elementary students a chance to share their expertise and explore emerging technologies.

This year’s keynote speaker is Travis Allen, the founder of the iSchool Initiative, a student-led nonprofit that seeks to educate students on how to become lifelong digital learners and raise awareness about technology in the classroom. Allen will speak about “How I survive college with only an iPhone” and share his perspectives as a 21^st Century Learner. He will provide attendees with information about using SmartPhones and Tablets to engage in more effective learning. His talk begins at 9:30 a.m.

To register, visit www.moric.org.

Districts presenting at T.H.E. Symposium VII

January 12, 2012

SUNY IT

Madison County

Hamilton

Morrisville-Eaton

Oneida

Canastota

Oneida County

Rome (2)

Vernon-Verona-Sherrill (3)

Oriskany

Remsen

Holland Patent

Sauquoit Valley

Herkimer County

Herkimer

Poland

Jefferson County

South Jefferson

Lewis County

South Lewis

Otsego County

Richfield Springs

Filed Under: Announcements, Calendar of Events, Education, Holland Patent, Oriskany, Remsen, Rome, Sauquoit, Sherrill, Technology, Top Stories, Vernon, Verona

CIS Receives Award to Expand Adaptive Toy Library

January 5, 2012 By margo Leave a Comment

(Verona, NY – Jan. 5, 2012) The Madison-Oneida BOCES Center for Instructional Support has received a $500 award from the New York Library Association (NYLA) to expand its collection of non-book materials.

CIS Coordinator Diana Wendell will accept the Robert E. Barron Award at the annual Section of School Librarians of NYLA Spring Conference in May.

The annual Barron Award is named for a former chief of the Bureau of School Library Media Program. It encourages recipients to purchase humanistic non-book materials beyond the traditional school curriculum materials.

Wendell plans to purchase additional items for the Adaptive Toy Library, a collection of toys aimed at children with various special needs that are not typically found in the general retail market. These nontraditional toys help special needs children develop and improve fine and gross motor skills, cognition, visual and social skills, mobility and independence.

The toys in the library are catalogued in a searchable online database that includes pictures of the toys, targeted skills and related toys other users have selected (http://media.moric.org/mom/). The toys are borrowed by teachers or other staff at districts served by Madison-Oneida BOCES. Students use the toys in their classrooms and also take them home to continue their learning beyond the school day.

This is the second recent award the CIS has received to expand its Adaptive Toy Library. In June, The Community Foundation of Herkimer and Oneida Counties provided a grant to expand the collection. The collection was started in 2004 with a grant from The Central New York Community Foundation.

The Center for Instructional Support provides a wide range of curricular materials, audiovisual services and expertise to teachers and administrators to support education through instructional and technical services. CIS has more than 44,000 items in its Media Library, as well as more than 32,000 digital titles, accessible online at any time.

Filed Under: Announcements, Education, Oneida County Agencies and Organizations, Top Stories, Verona

Illegal U-turn leads to DWI Arrest in Verona

January 1, 2012 By margo Leave a Comment

(Verona, NY – Jan. 1, 2012) Oneida-based state police arrested a Baldwinsville teen for DWI after a traffic stop on State Route 31 in the Town of Verona early Saturday morning.

Troopers Christopher Budlong and Mark Buzzard were patrolling on Route 31 at 2:55 a.m. on Dec. 31 when they observed a 2006 Hyundai Sonata making an illegal U-turn and conducted a traffic stop. The driver, Gavin J. George, 19, of Buccaneer Bend, Baldwinsville was found to be intoxicated and was arrested for DWI.

George was processed at the SP Oneida barracks, where a breath test determined his blood alcohol content to be .13 percent. George was issued traffic tickets for DWI, Driving with a BAC of .08 percent or greater and Illegal U-turn and is scheduled to appear in the Town of Verona Court on Jan. 10.

Filed Under: Cops/Crime/Courts, Verona

Troopers Arrest Canastota Man for DWI

January 1, 2012 By margo Leave a Comment

(Verona, NY – Jan. 1, 2012) Oneida-based state police arrested a Canastota man for driving while intoxicated after stopping his vehicle for speeding on State Route 46 in the Town of Verona Friday evening.

At approximately 10:25 p.m. on Dec. 30, Trooper Mark Buzzard stopped a 2007 Chevrolet pickup truck for travelling 75 mph in a 55 mph zone on Route 46 in State Bridge. The driver, Timothy J. DePasquale, 38, of Route 13, Canastota, was found to be intoxicated and arrested for DWI.

DePasquale was processed at the SP Oneida barracks, where a breath test determined his blood alcohol content to be .14 percent. A DMV check revealed that DePasquale’s license had expired earlier in the month.

DePasquale was issued traffic tickets for DWI, Driving with a BAC of .08 percent or greater, Speeding and Unlicensed Operation and is scheduled to appear in the Town of Verona Court on Jan. 17.

Filed Under: Cops/Crime/Courts, Top Stories, Verona

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