Latest news with #OneidaCounty
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Utica Comets Launch Free Hockey School for Oneida County Youth
The Utica Comets have announced a free hockey school for young players in Oneida County, set to take place from August 19 to August 22 at the Utica University Nexus Center.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
Oneida County DA moves to remove judge from Kaitlyn Conley case
The Oneida County District Attorney's Office has filed a motion to recuse the judge presiding over the Kaitlyn Conley case. Oneida County District Attorney Todd Carville filed the motion on June 25 against Supreme Court Justice Judge Bernadette Clark, citing 'the court's demeanor and responses,' a continued failure to remedy a ruling, and comments made at a June holiday party that indicated judicial bias. All of this was revealed in court documents recently unsealed and made public. The Kaitlyn Conley case Conley, 31, formerly of Sauquoit, was tried twice in 2017 for second-degree murder for the July 2015 poisoning death of her employer, Whitesboro chiropractor Mary Yoder. The first trial ended in a hung jury; jurors in the second trial found her guilty of first-degree manslaughter. However, Conley then filed for the right to appeal and was granted. Conley said in her appeal motion that the attorney in the first case did not rightfully challenge the seizure and search of Conley's phone and a laptop belonging to Adam Yoder, Conley's ex-boyfriend and Mary Yoder's son, which had a backup of Conley's phone on it. The Fourth Department Appellate Division in Rochester's decision stated, 'We agree with defendant that she was denied effective assistance of counsel inasmuch as defense counsel failed to properly move to suppress the evidence obtained from her cell phone.' The Fourth Department said during the Oneida County Sheriff's Office investigation into Yoder's death, the warrant authorizing to seize Conley's cellphone had a stipulation that after the seizure, it was to be delivered to the warrant issuing court '...without unnecessary delay." Instead of returning the phone, it was delivered to a cybersecurity and forensics center. The Fourth Department ruled in Conley's favor, saying, 'Indiscriminate searches pursuant to general warrants were the immediate evils that motivated the framing and adoption of the Fourth Amendment.' Conley's conviction was vacated on Jan. 31, 2025. Sealed evidence After Conley's conviction was vacated, she appeared in court on Feb. 4 for a hearing to release her from custody, where a motion was made by the defense to seal her records. When records are sealed in this way, they can't be used in future court cases. However, the Oneida County District Attorney's Office didn't object. 'Despite being aware, prior to appearing on Feb. 4, 2025, that Attorney Melissa Swartz was requesting sealing language pursuant to CPL 160.10, the People never offered any objection to the Court adding such language to its order, even when specifically asked about the proposed order," Judge Clark said in her decision on whether or not to unseal the motion. On May 28, the Oneida County Sheriff's Office filed, on behalf of the Oneida County District Attorney's Office, an application to unseal the records from the case. The reasoning stated was the records were needed to assist the sheriff's office in its '...extensive ongoing investigation into the death of Mary Yoder.' On June 12, the decision to unseal Conley's records was denied due to there being no ongoing investigation and no investigator assigned to investigate Mary Yoder's death, according to Oneida County Supreme Court documents. 'Lt. Richard Paul's testimony that there is no current investigator of the OCSO assigned to investigator Mary Yoder's death confirms the absence of any new or ongoing investigatory developments in this case,' Judge Clark wrote in the decision. 'As Lt. Richard Paul has made clear, all he meant by an investigation ongoing is that the case is being presented to the grand jury.' The DA's motion On June 25, Oneida County District Attorney Todd Carville, filed a motion for Judge Clark to recuse herself. He cites the general disposition of Clark during opening arguments. Carville's motion reads, in part: "During the People's argument, the court interjected frequently and became loud in her responses. At times, the town appeared hostile towards the people.' He also said the people had no opportunity to file an objection to the sealing of evidence, with '...the requisite five days notice as they were put on notice the day the order was executed.' Carville goes on, stating the order to seal imposed by the court, was in direct conflict with itself as the people had been granted the ability to re-present to the grand jury. 'In doing so, this court cannot suggest that it was in the interest of justice to seal evidence in this case unless the court's inclination was to render the People's opportunity to re-present futile,' he wrote. Additionally, Carville's motion to recuse Judge Clark cites comments made in Dec. 2025 by Clark that he says indicate a bias and violate judicial law. Former Oneida County District Attorney Scott McNamara said in a deposition that while at a holiday party at the Oneida Indian Nation, Judge Clark expressed her opinions on the case in a way he felt was biased. 'I expressed my opinion of her guilt and Judge Clark expressed her opinion of her innocence,' McNamara writes. 'Judge Clark was making comments that lead me to believe that she felt Conley was wrongly convicted, as she stated that Mary Yoder's husband was the person responsible for Mary's death.' McNamara added in his deposition that he doesn't know who started the conversation about Conley's innocence or guilt. Carville's motion for Judge Clark's recusal is set to go before the court on Aug. 7 at 11 a.m. in Oneida County Supreme Court. This article originally appeared on Observer-Dispatch: Oneida County DA moves to remove judge from Kaitlyn Conley case Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
14-07-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
6 NY state beaches closed for swimming due to algae or rain: See the list
Wondering how can you check up on water monitoring, beach classifications and know what locations are open or closed? The New York State Department of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation tracks it all and updates the public on its website. New York has 67 state-owned swimming beaches and all are tested regularly to determine the public's risk of coming in contact with waterborne diseases. The beaches are tested at least once a week for bacterial levels of impaired water quality, according to state officials. Currently six swimming beaches at state parks in New York are closed, according to the state Department of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. Two of those closure are due to heavy rainfall and the others due to harmful algal bloom, according to the report. Test results are available roughly 24 hours after samples are taken and results are posted daily at state park offices, online and at the beach. on Cayuga Lake in Tompkins County Closed due to harmful algal bloom Last tested July 12 Robert H. Treman State Park in Tompkins County Closed due to heavy rainfall Last tested July 14 in Tompkins County The falls swimming area is closed due to heavy rainfall Last tested July 14 Note: The Jennings Pond swim area within the park remains open. The swimming spot at the base of Buttermilk Falls is closed. on Oneida Lake in Oneida County Closed due to harmful algal bloom Last tested July 9 on Lake Champlain in Clinton County Closed due to harmful algal bloom Last tested July 9 on Lake Champlain in Clinton County Closed due to harmful algal bloom Last tested July 9 No swimming beaches within New York state parks are currently operating under an advisory status State officials close beaches within state parks when there is a known or anticipated risk to public health or safety. Whenever this occurs, signs are posted and the public notified 18 to 24 hours after an elevated concentration of bacteria occurs. The causes of elevated bacteria levels are not always clear. They may be related to land uses in the watershed; stormwater runoff; naturally occurring sand or soil bacteria; or other factors. Closure decisions are based upon monitoring results in combination with other factors that influence water quality, including water conditions including sewage overflows, cold temperatures, or high waves; environmental conditions, including thunderstorms, heavy rain and strong winds; and historical data. Freshwater samples are analyzed for E. coli and ocean samples are tested for enterococcus. A freshwater sample result equal to or above 235 colonies/100 ml exceeds the state standard. This applies to all regions of the Empire state except Long Island. An ocean sample result equal to or above 104 enterococci colonies/100 ml exceeds the state standard. This applies only to the Long Island region. Beach closures are placed in one of two categories: Category 1 beaches: These beaches can remain open with an advisory. Water at the beach will be resampled and if the sample exceeds the state standard a second time, the beach will close. Category 2 beaches: The beach is automatically closed until a satisfactory sample is received. Common reasons for beach closures include: Exceedance – Bacterial indicator levels exceed the state standard Predicted exceedance: Model – A model based on environmental conditions predicts that water quality is poor Predicted exceedance: Rainfall – Because of recent heavy rain, it is predicted that water quality is poor High waves – Waves or rough conditions Turbidity – Cloudy water that could prevent lifeguards from being able to see swimmers No lifeguard – When lifeguards are not available, beaches are closed Closed for end of season – Beach closed for the season Cold water – Temperatures below 50°F This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: NY state beaches closed for swimming due to algae or rain: See the list
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Homes in Oneida County sold for lower prices recently: See how much here
Newly released data from for April shows that potential buyers and sellers in Oneida County saw lower home sale prices than the previous month's median of $209,500. The median home sold for $200,000, an analysis of data from shows. That means April, the most recent month for which figures are available, was down 4.5% from March. Compared to April 2024, the median home sales price was up 7% compared to $187,000. sources sales data from real estate deeds, resulting in a few months' delay in the data. The statistics don't include homes currently listed for sale and aren't directly comparable to listings data. Information on your local housing market, along with other useful community data, is available at Here is a breakdown on median sale prices: Looking only at single-family homes, the $205,000 median selling price in Oneida County was up 8.5% in April from $189,000 the month prior. Since April 2024, the sales price of single-family homes was the same as the median of $205, single family homes sold for $1 million or more during the month, compared to 12 recorded transactions of at least $1 million in April 2024. Condominiums and townhomes decreased by 45.5% in sales price during April to a median of $130,000 from $238,500 in March. Compared to April 2024, the sales price of condominiums and townhomes was down 7.1% from $140,000. Two condominiums or townhomes sold for $1 million or more during the month, compared to five recorded transactions of at least $1 million in April 2024. In April, the number of recorded sales in Oneida County rose by 18.8% since April 2024 — from 138 to 164. All residential home sales totaled $50.1 million. Across New York, homes sold at a median of $488,992 during April, down 4.1% from $510,000 in March. There were 9,825 recorded sales across the state during April, down 5.4% from 10,386 recorded sales in April 2024. Here's a breakdown for the full state: The total value of recorded residential home sales in New York decreased by 21% from $10 billion in March to $7.9 billion this April. Out of all residential home sales in New York, 16.47% of homes sold for at least $1 million in April, up from 15.12% in April 2024. Sales prices of single-family homes across New York decreased by 2.8% from a median of $450,000 in March to $437,255 in April. Since April 2024, the sales price of single-family homes across the state was up 4.1% from $420,040. Across the state, the sales price of condominiums and townhomes dropped 6.3% from a median of $629,892 in March to $590,036 during April. The median sales price of condominiums and townhomes is up 5.4% from the median of $560,089 in April 2024. The median home sales price used in this report represents the midway point of all the houses or units listed over the given period of time. The median offers a more accurate view of what's happening in a market than the average sales price, which would mean taking the sum of all sales prices then dividing by the number of homes sold. The average can be skewed by one particularly low or high sale. The USA TODAY Network is publishing localized versions of this story on its news sites across the country, generated with data from Please leave any feedback or corrections for this story here. This story was written by Ozge Terzioglu. Our News Automation and AI team would like to hear from you. Take this survey and share your thoughts with us. This article originally appeared on Observer-Dispatch: Homes in Oneida County sold for lower prices recently: See how much here
Yahoo
23-06-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Tornado kills three in upstate NY, including 6-year-old twin sisters
Three people were killed early Sunday morning when a tornado touched down in Oneida County, according to the National Weather Service in Binghamton. The Weather Service confirmed that an EF-1 tornado touched down in Clark Mills at 3:58 a.m. Sunday and traveled southwest for 2.43 miles. The twister reached an estimated peak wind of 105 mph and maximum width of 300 yards, according to the Weather Service. The twister was on the ground for approximately five minutes. The deadly pre-dawn tornado uprooted numerous trees and snapped many branches on others. All three people who were killed - including two children - were crushed when trees landed on their respective homes, which were heavily damaged by the tornado. Clark Mills is a hamlet of roughly 1,600 people located within the Town of Kirkland, Oneida County. A historic grist mill on Oriskany Creek was also destroyed by the twister, according to the Weather Service. Two of the people killed were 6-year-old twins - sisters Emily and Kenni Bisson - who died after a tree fell onto their house in Clark Mills, which caused the roof to collapse, according to reports. Both girls were students at Clinton Elementary School within the Clinton Central School District. District officials confirmed the girls' deaths. "Our hearts are with all of the families and loved ones affected by this tragedy," Clinton schools superintendent Christopher Clancy said in a message to district families and employees. He said classes were canceled Monday but grief counselors would be available when classes resume on Tuesday. A relative launched an online fundraiser to support the girls' mother Kayleigh Bisson. A single mother, Bisson survived the tornado but lost her daughters, home and possessions due to the damage caused by the twister. More than $170,000 was donated in less than 24 hours. "These girls were known throughout town," the GoFundMe read. "They were a part of softball, soccer, dance, gymnastics and so much more. They always kept everyone smiling and made people remember what life was all about. They walked through life smiling, dancing, and belly laughs that lasted for days." According to a 50-year-old Shelley Johnson died in a separate home in Clark Mills when a tree crashed through the roof of her house. Her house was not far from the residence where the Bisson family lived. This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Tornado kills three in upstate NY, including twin sisters
