The Daily Star, Oneonta, NY - Otsego, Delaware, Chenango and Schoharie County News, Sports and Opinion

Backtracking: Former senator called Norwich home for years
When it comes to politics, no matter how popular you may be, sometimes you just can't win them all. Back in 1954, if you'd asked then U.S. Senator Irving M. Ives about this, he would've told you such a statement was true. It was that year when Ives, who called The Heartland of New York his home, lost in a tight race for governor of New York to W. Averell Harriman.
Backtracking: Little Greene man found fame as a traveling act
If a person was extremely tall or exceptionally tiny in stature, chances of their getting into show business back in the 1870s were there for the taking. A Greene native, Francis Flynn, became a showman of demand by age 4. Francis was 23" tall, weighed 12 pounds and toured by the name of General Mite.
Backtracking: 'Wick changes in 1954 included buildings and Citizens Board
It was a busy year of events on the campus of Hartwick College in 1954. The community's leaders and citizens became more involved in the college's role in Oneonta's life. A brand new women's dormitory opened that autumn, named after a prominent Oneonta couple. Another building, the very first one built in 1928, got a name change.
Backtracking: Teachers' college faced crowded conditions
College students across the nation in the 1950s had their share of pranks, such as finding out how many could fit into telephone booths. I'm sure some students at the Oneonta State Teachers College were up to that challenge in this city.
Backtracking: Economic and social changes came to Oneonta in 1979
Recession was a word in the daily vocabulary. College students rallied to vote in their “gown towns.” Houses and Oneonta’s “Chinese Wall” needed and got help, and music at the nightclubs and on the radio was changing. It was October 1979 here in The Heartland of New York.
Backtracking: Merchants' event drew crowds 100 years ago
One thing you cannot call the numerous merchants and organizations working to make downtown Oneonta successful these days is lazy. Downtown has plenty of competition with stores outside the city limits, so making the extra efforts to attract people to the old business district is essential.
Backtracking: Local post office receives mural during New Deal
Some are calling our government's Cash for Clunkers program a success. The program allowed you to turn in an old, gas-guzzling vehicle for a deal on a new, more fuel-efficient model. What the long-term results will be from this promotion remain to be seen.
Backtracking: Bodies may not have stayed buried in 1800s
Call this one "when the need for health care reform met Halloween." Once again we return to Hartwick in the 1830s and '40s.
Backtracking: Hartwick cleaned up with blue-soil polish
Some may recall the clever ad campaign many years back when two people accidentally bumped into each other, as one was eating chocolate, and the other, peanut butter. One remarked, "You got peanut butter in my chocolate." The other replied, "You got chocolate in my peanut butter."