News

“It is my pleasure to announce that the city of Oswego successfully submitted its proposal to be considered for the Downtown Revitalization funding and we hope to take full advantage of this extraordinary opportunity provided by Governor Andrew Cuomo,” Mayor Billy Barlow said at the start of June. Standing in front of the Safe Haven site at Fort Ontario Park, Rep. John Katko outlined progress on legislation he introduced to advance the designation of the site towards National Park status.

The New York State Public Service Commission held a technical conference in Albany on May 4 on the costs of Governor Andrew Cuomo’s proposed Clean Energy Standard, which reinforced that the benefits of keeping upstate nuclear energy plants open far outweigh the costs of implementing the nuclear tier of the CES. A pair of newcomers claimed the two open seats on the Oswego School Board in May. With all of the four polling sites reporting, Aimee Callen was the top vote getter and James Bell garnered the second most.

The Oswego County Health Department reports that the first incident took place on Christmas Day in the town of Palermo, where a gray fox bit a human. In a separate incident on Tuesday, Dec. 27, a gray fox in the town of Hastings attacked and bit a human.

On Thursday, December 29, at approximately 2:26 a.m., State Police responded to County Route 53 near County Route 4 in the town of Scriba for a report of a one-vehicle motor vehicle collision. Upon arrival, Troopers located the driver, Kristina R. Skogfeldt, 20, from West Sixth Street, Oswego, partially ejected from her vehicle.

The Oswego County Legislature voted April 14 to approve a tax agreement, ending several years of litigation over assessment of the FitzPatrick Nuclear Power Plant. There were two public hearing on the local law and ensuing tax deal. However, no one spoke at either.
United Way of Greater Oswego County shined the spotlight on its many volunteers at its 2016 Salute to Volunteers and Leadership Giving Reception at the American Foundry in Oswego.

The path to the Oswego City School District’s new budget is a bit clearer than things were at this time last year. Superintendent Dr. Dean Goewey said he wants to build a budget that focuses on instructional programs and one that is based on only the dollars that the district has.

In early February, the Port City celebrated what the area is best known for – Winter. The only thing missing was the snow. This year marked the 11th annual Warm Up Oswego Fire and Ice Festival. Temperatures lingered near 40 Saturday; the windchill made it feel even colder. However, the hundreds of people who flocked to Elim Grace Church and all around the downtown Oswego didn’t seem to mind.

On a snowy cold and blustery New Year’s Day, William J. Barlow Jr. was sworn in as Oswego’s new mayor. “Having the honor of being the mayor of this city is the opportunity of a lifetime. I am humbled, thankful and grateful to the residents for this opportunity,” Barlow said in his inaugural speech Friday (Jan. 1). “To the residents of the city who placed their trust in me, thank you and I promise to work passionately and enthusiastically every day and always make the right decisions for the right reasons.”