Did You Miss These Binghamton New York Area News Stories?

Every week, we recap some essential local news we reported on 1290 AM/92.1 FM WNBF, our Townsquare Media Binghamton sister radio stations on-air, our websites, and social media platforms.

Catch up on local and regional news items in a short recap we reported on for the week of February 10, 2025, from WNBF's Bob Joseph, Don Morgan, and the Townsquare Media staff.

Name of Binghamton Firefighter Who Died in Line of Duty Released

(Bob Joseph)
Binghamton officials have released the identity of a city firefighter who lost his life as the result of a massive fire that engulfed a Main Street building. 40-year-old John Gaudet died after a wall collapsed at the scene of the blaze at 1 Main Street. Gaudet was taken to Wilson Medical Center in Johnson City where he was pronounced dead. Two other Binghamton firefighters were hurt. They were treated at Wilson and released. Their names were not made public. The fire in the small one-story building on Main Street just west of the Chenango River was reported around 9:35 p.m. Wednesday. Workers from Gorick Construction were at the still-smoldering site early Thursday to demolish what remained after the fire.

Pharsalia Woods State Forest Expands In Chenango County

(Don Morgan)
Pharsalia Woods State Forest in Chenango County just became a bit bigger. On February 10, 2025, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation's Interim Commissioner Sean Mahar announced the acquisition of just over 190 acres in the Town of Plymouth in Chenango County to the Pharsalia Woods State Forest. The DEC noted that this acquisition will permanently conserve Round Pond and the surrounding wetlands. The forest will now encompass 9,469 acres. Round Pond, which is a part of the Pharsalia Woods State Forest, along with the surrounding wetlands is home to several rare plants and a variety of resident and migratory bird species according to the NYS DEC.

Binghamton Murder Suspect Captured in Florida

(Bob Joseph)
Scott C. Mitchell - the man police believe killed two Binghamton residents - has been taken into custody by authorities in Florida. The 50-year-old Mitchell had been on the run for more than a week. Binghamton police identified him as the suspect in connection with the deaths of 58-year-old Daniel McCloe and 55-year-old Marshall VanOven. McCloe and VanOven had been reported missing on the evening of February 3. Their bodies were discovered at a residence on the city's West Side the following day. The Volusia County Sheriff's Office early Wednesday afternoon announced Mitchell was in custody in Daytona Beach. Mitchell's apprehension was reported shortly after police in Binghamton and Volusia County announced a reward was being offered for information leading to the arrest and prosecution of the suspect.

February Arrests Update: Broome County Sheriff's Office

(Don Morgan)
The Broome County Sheriff's Office has released its latest arrests and charges report for February 2025. The report doesn't encompass all law enforcement activity performed by the Broome County Sheriff’s Office daily, arrests made in Broome County by other law enforcement agencies, or open and ongoing investigations by the Broome County Sheriff’s Office, the Broome County Special Investigations Unit Task Force or other law enforcement agencies. Every accused person is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

Buckle Up: Binghamton Gas Prices About to Jump

(Bob Joseph)
Drivers in the Binghamton area should brace themselves for rising gasoline prices over the next couple of months. The average price for a gallon of regular gas at self-serve pumps in the region now is about $3.13.That's an increase of about three cents over the past month, according to the AAA. Patrick De Haan, the head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy, said there will be more gas price hikes in the region in the coming weeks. De Haan told WNBF News that prices typically climb from 20 to 65 cents a gallon from mid-February to around April 10. He said that's about the date when seasonal price increases tend to peak. De Haan was asked to predict the average price of regular gas in the Binghamton area for Memorial Day at the end of May. He said he believes it will be "somewhere in the ballpark of $3.55 to as much as $3.70 a gallon."

New York Governor Stands Against Rising Utility Prices

(Don Morgan)
On February 11, 2025, New York State Governor Kathy Hochul outlined steps to protect consumers from sky-high utility costs. Governor Hochul was calling for the rejection of Con Edison’s proposed rate hike. She also directed the Department of Public Service to conduct a statewide audit of utility company salaries and compensation. She cited several recent management and operations audits of large, investor-owned electric and gas utilities that have highlighted meaningful concerns with how utilities administer their programs.

Body of Missing Binghamton Man Found on South Side

(Bob Joseph)
Binghamton police say the body of a man who had been reported missing has been discovered a short distance from his home near Ross Park Zoo. According to the department's detective bureau, 89-year-old George Felton had been last seen around 9 p.m. Thursday at his residence on Spurr Avenue. Police were sent to the area of Burlington Street and Sherwood Avenue shortly before 2:30 p.m. Saturday to investigate a report that Felton had been found unresponsive. Medics were called to the scene and Felton was pronounced dead. Detectives said Felton had suffered from dementia. According to a police department news release, an autopsy has been completed and Felton's death was ruled non-criminal. Investigators determined the cause of death was the result of a medical condition.

Environmental Bond Act Funding For New York SUNY Campuses

(Don Morgan)
February 12, 2024, $150 million in climate resiliency grants  to make New York State’s public college campuses greener, more resilient to severe weather, and more energy efficient was announced by New York State Governor Kathy Hochul. The grant funding is through the $4.2 billion Clean Water, Clean Air, and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act of 2022. $100 million will go towards clean energy projects for  State University of New York  (SUNY)  campuses. For Binghamton University, a portion of the grant money will go towards the installation of thermal energy networks and building heat pump technology on its campus.

New Cannabis Store to Open on Front Street Soon

(Bob Joseph)
The legal marijuana retailing business continues to grow in the Binghamton area. Another state-licensed cannabis dispensary is expected to open in Broome County in a few weeks. The next competitor in the increasingly competitive local weed marketplace will be the FlynnStoned Cannabis Company store. The shop will be in Nimmonsburg Square at 1139 Upper Front Street in the town of Chenango. The FlynnStoned dispensary will be operated by Robert Grannis of the town of Union. He said there's no specific target date for opening the business but he expects operations could start early next month.

New York State DEC Deer And Human Rescue In Delhi

(Don Morgan)
Last year (2024), almost 106,000 calls were fielded by the NYS Division of Law Enforcement. Environmental Conservation Police Officers and Investigators responded to over 30,000 complaints and worked on cases. The NYS DEC notes there were just under 16,000 tickets or arrests for violations, including deer poaching, solid waste dumping, illegal mining, the illegal pet trade, and excessive emissions violations. Early in December 2024 in Delaware County, after a call in from a passing motorist, DEC Officer Woodin responded to the report of a deer laying on the ice on Spring Lake which is located in the town of Delhi. According to the NYS DEC, the deer was about 100 yards from the shoreline. Since the ice was not thick enough to walk on, Officer Woodin contacted local authorities for help to rescue the deer.

Binghamton Neighborhood Convenience Store May Add Gas Pumps

(Bob Joseph)
The operators of a Binghamton business are seeking permission to start selling gasoline. EZ Food Mart at 333 Prospect Street in the city's First Ward is a small convenience store that's been open for over a decade. The shop is located on Prospect Street between Glenwood Avenue and Tracy Street. The owners have submitted an application to the city planning commission for a special use permit to construct a vehicle fueling station at the site. The operators of the store said some of their regular customers had asked about the possibility of adding gas pumps. If the plan is approved, some structural changes will be made along with interior and exterior renovations.

Nearly 50,000 Tickets Issued During NYS Big Game Week

(Don Morgan)
New York State upped patrols during the week leading up to Big Game Sunday. It's one of several times throughout each year when increased patrols and sobriety checkpoints are set up for impaired driving campaigns. Dates in addition to the Big Game week, include St. Patrick’s Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving weeks, and periods of time from August to September and December to January, according to the New York State Governor Kathy Hochul's website. Governor Hochul announced on February 14th that from February 3rd through the 9th, 2025 law enforcement agencies throughout the state issued 49,948 tickets for various vehicle and traffic law violations.