Delaware-Chenango-Madison-Otsego Board of Cooperative Educational Services teachers involved in contract negotiations will picket at 5:45 p.m. today.

The picked will take place before the BOCES Board meeting at the Norwich campus on Route 32 North, according to a National Education Association media release.

Firefighter’s trailer in blaze

A family living in a Plainfield trailer was probably saved by a smoke detector when fire broke out at about 2:25 a.m., a West Exeter fire official said.

The fire was caused by an electric short in the trailer owned by Darryl Decker, a firefighter with the department, said First Assistant Chief John Brooks.

About five people, including Decker, his wife, daughter and grandchildren, were left homeless from the blaze and were staying with relatives, Brooks said.

The American Red Cross was called to the scene, he said, adding he did not know whether Decker was insured for the loss.

Fire departments providing mutual aid to West Exeter Fire Department included, West Winfield, Richfield Springs, Unadilla Forks and Schuyler Lake, Brooks said.

Petition drive set for Saturday

Moveon.org is holding a petition drive in Mayor Kim K. Muller Plaza in Oneonta on Saturday to draw attention to alleged corruption in Washington, D.C.

Local organizers of Moveon.org said they are specifically concerned about lobbyists for pharmaceutical companies and campaign contributions from the pharmaceutical industry.

They said they are also concerned about ethics within Congress and the ongoing Jack Abramoff scandal.

The drive, which will be preceded by a short speech, will begin at 1 p.m. and last about an hour, organizers said.

Rep. Sherwood Boehlert, R-New Hartford, will be sent copies of the petition, organizers said.

Muller Plaza is on Main Street in front of the Clarion Hotel.

Film on `Peak Oil’ will be shown

The movie "The End of Suburbia" will be shown at the Unitarian Universalist Church at 12 Ford Ave. in Oneonta at 7 tonight.

"The End of Suburbia" deals with the concept of peak oil and the predicament the nation finds itself because of dependence on dwindling fossil fuels, presenters said.

For more information, call Colleen Blacklock at 433-4729 or Cynthia Marsh at 432-0932.

Business Council rep to speak

The Oneonta Rotary Club, in cooperation with the Otsego County Chamber, will host Elliott Shaw at the Oneonta Elks Club at noon today.

Shaw, the director of government affairs for the Business Council of New York State, will discuss the proposed reform of the state’s workers-compensation system, according to a news release from the Rotary Club.

"The governor’s inclusion of workers-compensation reform in his proposed state budget provides new momentum for action by the Legislature in 2006," Shaw said in a prepared statement.

To make a reservation, contact Sam Koury at 432-0354 or skoury1@verizon.net.

Flood notifications being mailed

Schoharie County will begin issuing a series of flood-preparedness notifications this week, according to a media release.

The county has been working on providing emergency information since a finding last fall that a failure at the Gilboa Dam, though unlikely, was possible. The dam is controlled by New York City Department of Environmental Protection.

The first mailing will contain general information on what individuals need to do to be prepared for a possible flood.

It will have three questionnaires concerning people with special needs, people with pets or livestock, as well as general information, according to the release.

Questionnaires need to be returned to the county Emergency Management Office as soon as possible to allow for coordination of evacuation if the dam should fail, the release said.

Anyone with questions or needing assistance in filling out the form should call Emergency Management at (518) 295-8344.

Man charged with assault

A 20-year-old man was arrested last week on charges of assault and endangering the welfare of a child.

Otsego County sheriff’s deputies said William A. Mellot Jr., of Springfield Center, assaulted a 30-year-old woman in their residence Jan. 16. He was charged with third-degree assault, a misdemeanor. Because the alleged attack occurred in front of a child under the age of 16, deputies also charged Mellot with endangering the welfare of a child.

The alleged victim sustained minor injuries in the assault, deputies said.

Mellot is to appear in Springfield Town Court on Jan. 30.

Local man to head welfare group

Schoharie County Social Services Commissioner Paul Brady will be sworn in today as president of the state Public Welfare Association.

Brady, who has been the commissioner in Schoharie County since 1998, will serve a one-year term as head of the organization, which works to improve the quality and effectiveness of social-welfare police, according to a media release from the group.

Schoharie County Board Chairman Earl VanWormer III will swear Brady in at the group’s 137th annual winter conference in Albany.

Dog licenses linked to shots

Changes affecting dogs licensed in the state, except those licensed in New York City, took effect Jan. 15, according to several media releases from area town and city clerks.

Dog licenses issued after Jan. 15 must not expire after the expiration date of a dog’s rabies certificate.

To receive a full-year license, a dog due for a rabies vaccination booster within the next license year would need to be immunized before license renewal.

According to state Public Health Law, county public health authorities must offer free clinics at least every four months for rabies vaccinations of dogs, cats and domesticated ferrets.

More information can be obtained from town and city clerks.

Driver charged in one-car crash

One person was ticketed after a one-car crash Sunday in North Norwich, according to Chenango County sheriff’s deputies.

C.M. Bigford, 22, whose first name was not provided, was charged with leaving the scene of a property-damage accident after he crashed his car into a stone wall on Ripple Road, deputies said in a news release.

Deputies said Bigford, of Oneida, lost control of his car and hit the wall.

He left the crash and failed to report it, deputies said.

Bigford wasn’t hurt, deputies said, and the sheriff’s department impounded the vehicle.