Congressman Brindisi announces legislation to make VA perform market research before closing Bainbridge clinic
“They have to report back to the committee the findings of their study before moving forward with closing this clinic,” said Congressman Brindisi. “[It] is in a very rural part of the district and will really hurt veterans who lack adequate transportation t get back and forth to Albany or other locations to get their healthcare.” The legislation would force the VA to perform market research on the area before making any decisions on closing the clinic in Bainbridge and moving it to Oneonta. VESTAL (WBNG) — Congressman Anthony Brindisi announced new legislation Monday along with State Assemblyman Clifford Crouch. The language that requires the VA to make the market assessment was added to the congressional spending bill. President Trump signed the bill into law on Friday.
“You can have a relatively mild infection that is affecting a large bulk of the world’s human population. That would be a pandemic,” said Ryan. The World Health Organization declared the Coronavirus outbreak a pandemic Wednesday afternoon after the number of cases continued to grow. There is no specific number to define “large” in this case, but with so many countries reporting cases of the virus, it was upgraded. It’s a word we don’t hear used very often at all, so what exactly does it mean? With the Coronavirus, health officials say we’re seeing both the severity and the large number of cases at a fast rate. “A pandemic, pan means all around. So pandemic means an infection that has spread to large parts of the world,” said Broome County Health Department Medical Director Christopher Ryan.
(WBNG) — “We are deeply concerned both by the alarming levels of spread and severity, and by the alarming levels of inaction. We have therefore made the assessment that COVID-19 can be characterized as a pandemic,” said World Health Organization Director General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Wednesday. The key thing health officials want to emphasize is that a pandemic describes the number of infections, not the severity. “It gets the attention of the public to say hey we need to pay attention to this, learn what we need to do, keep a level head certainly, but learn the facts of what we need to do to protect ourselves, our families, and our communities,” said Ryan. For more coverage of the coronavirus, click here.
The department says the walking trail at Keith Clark Park will remain open as long as people observe social distancing guidelines. SIDNEY, N.Y. (WBNG) — The Village of Sidney Police Department has closed public playgrounds and basketball parks courts due to concerns over the coronavirus. It says the parks will be closed until further notice.
“If we can’t remember where we’ve come from it’s difficult to have a sense of continuity with where we are going so for that reason tradition can be real important in times like this,” he said. BINGHAMTON (WBNG) — Despite the unconventional nature of this Easter season, the Tabernacle Methodist Church in Binghamton made sure members were still able to come together to celebrate Palm Sunday. Rev. Harold Wheat, pastor at the church, told 12 News that unlike a normal year where church goers would gather to receive palms and enjoy the pageantry of the service, this year those staples didn’t happen. He says the congregation made do by having members submit their own videos and music so they could still be a part of the service. For more coronavirus coverage, click here.
Rev. Wheat says now more than ever it’s important to keep traditions like Palm Sunday services going. Rev. Wheat says preparations are currently underway for a similar service next week. 
To get the latest on the power outages in our area, click here. —– According to NYSEG’s website, those three counties have the most power outages. As of Thursday afternoon, NYSEG reported 605 customers without power in Broome County, 144 in Chenango County and 191 in Delaware County. (WBNG) — NYSEG reported power outages in the area including a detailed list by county on Thursday.
2:35 P.M. UPDATE: For more information on outages in the area, click here. (WBNG) — NYSEG is reporting power outages across the area Thursday morning, due to severe winds.
(WBNG) — Malls, including the Oakdale Mall, are upgrading their air filtration systems to comply with New York State’s new regulations on high efficiency filters. Miller estimates the enhanced filters can cost about 20 percent more than the standard filter, and energy use could also see an increase depending on the HVAC system. However, with a higher MERV rating, experts say that could also come with more maintenance. The Oakdale Mall announced in a Facebook post that they plan to be fully compliant with New York’s air filtration standards by July 20. “They’re going to have to be changed more frequently because they load up faster,” said Miller. “We typically change the filters four times a year, we’re going to have to move to eight times a year.” Miller says the filters will not kill COVID-19, but the filters will trap more particles that could carry the virus. “As you put the higher efficiency filter, that more dense filter, it has to work harder so what it does is consume more electricity,” said Miller. The efficiency of air filters is ranked using the MERV Rating chart. A MERV rating of one is the lowest efficiency, with 20 being the highest. The upgraded air filters must have a MERV rating of 13. Experts say a standard air filter has a MERV rating around eight. “You’re putting a heavier, denser filter in the unit, it’s going to filter out even more particles out of the air,” said Sure Temp Heating & AC Owner Ed Miller. 
Sinicki said he’s excited about the team this year and they are shooting for a very successful spring, but right now they are taking things one day at a time. Coach Tim Sinicki said although you couldn’t see the smiles behind everyones masks, he could hear the excitement in the players voices. “They’re anxious as well because they were cheated last year out of what was supposed to be their final year, so hopefully this year being able to have a full year and hopefully their expectations of coming back are fulfilled at the end of the year,” he said. “We’re happy to be out here. We’ll do this as long as we can, and have fun with it and most importantly try and prepare for hopefully, a spring season.” “We’re not here to rush through anything, we’re not here to get anyone injured,” he said. “We’re hoping maybe after two to three weeks we can have a couple weeks of intersquads. So most importantly this time of year we’re going to do a lot of teaching.” “We’re just happy we’ve gotten to this point right now where we’ve fallen in line with all the regulations that the state, the county and the University and the NCAA has put forth,” said Sinicki. The Bearcats are starting at a slow pace, working out in pods and following the regulations put in place. “I’m really fortunate to have the type of kids we have who have been able to support what we’ve done as a staff, and I think those kids are as excited as the returning guys to be out here, finally for the first time,” said Sinicki.
Sinicki told 12 Sports four of five seniors from last season are returning after the NCAA granted an extra year of eligibility. Sinicki called them “bonus recruits” for the upcoming season. BINGHAMTON (WBNG) — The Binghamton University baseball team began fall practice today at NYSEG Stadium, marking the first time the team has been together on a field in more than six months. The Bearcats have five freshmen and two transfers coming into the program. Sinicki said he feels terrible for them, but the returning players are going out of their way to make the new players feel welcome. Sinicki said this year expectations for the fall season are a little different. “We’re just basically doing what we’re told,” said Sinicki. “We’re not the experts by any means so we’re listening to our people and we know they’ve done a tremendous amount of work behind the scenes, and they’ve come up with a great plan.” With construction underway at the Binghamton Baseball Complex on campus, the Bearcats are practicing and plan to play the season at NYSEG stadium this year.
They say they will let parents and students know if there is any additional information. NORWICH (WBNG)- The Norwich Middle School and District Offices will be closed on Monday after a positive COVID-19 case was reported. According to the school district’s website, they say they will be closing the school to allow for contract tracing and deep cleaning.
The Union-Endicott Central School District announced on its website the middle school would be fully remote due to staffing issues at the school. A post on the district website says quarantine has forced many staff members and substitute teacher absences, forcing the switch. District officials say these staffing issues only impact the middle school. ENDICOTT (WBNG) — The Jennie F. Snapp Middle School will be going fully remote starting Monday, with the model running through Friday, Nov. 13. The school returned from a two-week remote learning model back last week. The district is planning to return to in-person instruction on Monday, Nov. 16. 