WTOP-10 Nightly News is back! Mayor Barlow’s Blizzard Bucks, winter weather and SUNY Oswego’s box office troubles. All this and more in last night’s newscast, available here.
Anchors: Jolie Santiago, Matthew Rivenburgh
Weather: Samantha Karlsson
Sports Anchor: Thomas Tallarino
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Fitzpatrick Nuclear Plant New Ownership
by Ilyssa Weiner
Scriba, NY- Exelon Generation, owner of the nation’s largest nuclear energy fleet, has officially taken ownership and management of all operations at the James A. FitzPatrick Nuclear Power Plant.
“We look forward to bringing FitzPatrick’s highly skilled team of professionals into
the Exelon Generation nuclear program, and to continue delivering to New York the environmental, economic and grid reliability benefits of this important energy asset,” President and CEO of Exelon Chris Crane said.
According to a press release, Entergy, the FitzPatrick Nuclear Plant’s former owner, has transferred the plant’s operating license to Exelon as well as its decommissioning trust fund and liability.
Joseph Pacher has also been named the new site vice president of the plant. Pacher was the former site vice president at R.E. Ginna Nuclear Power Plant in Ontario.
“Joe knows the Exelon Management Model well and led Ginna during its transition into
the Exelon Generation fleet in 2014,” Exelon’s Chief Nuclear Officer Bryan Hanson said. “We are confident that his leadership will ensure a smooth transition for employees and the community, as FitzPatrick continues to deliver safe, clean and reliable electricity to the regional power grid.”
FitzPatrick’s former site vice president, Brian Sullivan, was retained by Entergy as part of the original transaction agreement.
Entergy and Exelon announced the $110 million transaction back in August 2016 after the Clean Energy Standard (CES) was adopted in New York State. The CES has saved the $3 billion nuclear plants contribute to the state’s economy annually as well as the 25,000 jobs in nuclear plants throughout the state. It has also spent millions of dollars in energy infrastructure investments. Without the CES, the FitzPatrick Nuclear Plant would close and other upstate nuclear plants would also be at risk of closure.
Exelon does not have an immediate changes to staffing at the FitzPatrick Nuclear Plant, which normally employs about 600 people.
The FitzPatrick Nuclear Plant generates carbon-free electricity for more than 800,000 homes and businesses. Exelon Generation operates two other nuclear energy facilities in upstate New York including Nine Mile Point, which is right next to FitzPatrick.
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The River’s End Bookstore
Reported by: Kristen Beyer
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More Police Patrols In Oswego
OSWEGO, NY— City of Oswego Mayor Billy Barlow has proposed a $90,000 grant to increase police patrols within the Port City. The new patrols will be called “quality-of-life patrols” and will be conducted on foot by Oswego City Police Department every Thursday, Friday and Saturday evening. The proposal for more policing in the city comes after a recent increase in the number of night time disturbances reported to the Oswego City Police.
Some students from the SUNY Oswego fear the new patrols will be specifically targeting students. Julian Martinez, a junior finance major at SUNY Oswego said, “Why now? Why increase the patrols now? After all these years of having the college involved in the community what debauchery is occurring to make them increase the patrols?”
Martinez believed the patrols will be mainly focusing on student activity. He noted many Oswego State students are most active in the city on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night. The same nights the quality of life patrols will be conducted.
Other students feel the patrols will help make the city a safer place for students. Senior, business-administration major Az Wilson said, “ It’s going to be better. It’s going to make the city a lot safer. I think it would help protect some of our students who go out on those nights as well.”
Mayor Barlow said the quality-of-life patrols are not meant to target students and he feels having police walking the streets at night will benefit the city, as well as university students. Barlow said he wanted “boots on the ground” to make sure city codes were being enforced and to ensure no large disturbances affected the city on its busiest nights.
Mayor Barlow also hopes the quality-of-life patrols will create a stronger relationship between the city police and the residents of the city.
Barlow said, “We know the relationship between police and public can be strained at times and I believe the best way to improve that relationship is to get the police out of the station, out of the cop car, walking in the parks, walking in the neighborhoods, and collecting data, but also forming relationships with our community members.”
Mayor Barlow said the Oswego City Police Department already has a good relationship with the community it serves, but more outreach can always be done.
The quality-of-life patrols have been funded for the rest of 2019 and all of 2020.
