Oswego Daily News

A proposed $.25 per $100 county mortgage tax increase never made it to the floor of the Oswego County Legislature on Tuesday afternoon. It was withdrawn from the legislators’ agenda. Proponents of the resolution, which was passed at the committee level in late December, say it could generate upwards of $840,000 for the county. However, the plan has been met with strong opposition from local realtors.

Eric VanBuren (Sixth Ward) and Shawn Walker (Fourth Ward) were appointed president and vice president, respectively of the Oswego Common Council. The rules of the council state that an additional compensation of $5,000 per year for the council president and $2,500 for the vice president be paid to those two councilors. As council president, VanBuren will assume the mayor’s duties in his absence; and, if he becomes incapacitated for any reason, he would take over as the acting mayor.

U.S. Rep Michael McCaul, chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security, today (Jan. 5) appointed U.S. Congressman John Katko (NY-24) to serve as chairman of the Subcommittee on Transportation Security in the 114th Congress. Katko was selected for the leadership position based on issues of regional importance to NY-24 and his background as a federal prosecutor. In addition to the House Committee on Homeland Security, Katko will also serve on the House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure.

At about 9:51 a.m. today (January 2), an eastbound 2001 Ford Taurus wagon operated by Wilner Moleon, 52, of Red Creek, lost control and spun into the path of a westbound 2013 Subaru Outback operated by Jane Holliday, 83, of Oswego. Moleon was transported to University Hospital in Syracuse, where he died of his injuries, deputies said.

The average temperature last month was 3.7 degrees warmer than average. Snowfall, however, was 8.3 inches below average