Articles by Steve Yablonski

UPDATE: Oswego winner breaks his own state record.
As Mother Nature’s rain ended Saturday afternoon, Karl Haist’s reign was just beginning. Haist, of Clarence Center, NY, won the 2014 edition of the Annual CNY Great Pumpkin Festival with an entry tipping the scales at 1,725.5 pounds. Not only is it the Oswego top pumpkin, but it’s also the new New York State record. “I’m kind of surprised. I knew it was real big but I didn’t think it was this heavy,” Haist told Oswego County Today. “It feels good to have the state record, too!”

Years ago, Kylie Pelkey, as a new member of the Marching Buccaneers’ color guard, was assigned an umbrella to practice with. She woke up recently to find she was an All-American. The 2015 U.S. Army All-American Bowl Selection Tour recruited the Marching Buccaneer Thursday night to the Army All-American Marching Band’s color guard. The U.S. Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio will be televised live on NBC, from the Alamodome on Jan. 3, 2015. The band will perform at halftime. Since 2007, Pelkey is 13th Marching Buccaneers to be selected for this honor.

Oswego County Legislature Chairman Kevin Gardner administered the oath at the Oswego County Courthouse on Oneida Street as members of the graduates’ families looked on, many of them taking photographs. Youth Court is a recognized community diversion program aimed at keeping young offenders out of Family Court, according to Brian Chetney, director of the Oswego City-County Youth Bureau.

September 2014 was a very pleasant month, mild, dry and sunny, according to Bill Gregway, local observer for the National Weather Service. It ended just like an Indian Summer.