Picente Delivers State of County, Huge Sports Complex Proposed

There was plenty of praise to go around when Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente delivered his 2025 State of the County address from the Shenandoah Golf Club House at the Turning Stone Casino on Tuesday.

Picente thanks his partners in economic development that included the Legislature, Chobani, and the Oneida Nation's Ray Halbritter, among others. Picente cited the resolution with the Oneida Nation in 2013 as pivotal in the areas growth and called the Nation, Oneida County's closest partner in economic development. Oneida County receives shared slots revenue with the Turning Stone, an agreement that will last in perpetuity.

Picente also touted the recent announcement that Chobani is building America's largest clean foos manufacturing plant on Griffis in Oneida County. Construction is set to begin in July with completion targeted for September of 2026. Chobani expects to hire 1,000 new workers, with the option to use more land for expansion.

Looking forward, the County Executive announced that they will be putting out an RFP at Hanger 101 at the former Griffiss Air Force Base for constriction on the nation's second largest indoor sports complex for baseball and soccer tournaments, among other sports - along with new pickle ball courts that will allow local residents to play the game all year long. The hanger is also large enough and tall enough to play indoor youth baseball during the winter months.

Watch the County Executive's complete speech below.

Utica's Chicken Riggies Dish Wasn't Invented in Utica? Say It Isn't So.

The now-famous Utica Chicken Riggies recipe has taken on a life of its own. The dish is now found well outside the Utica-Rome area and it's getting more and more popular as word spreads around the northeast. While there are many variations of the dish today, there's still only one original recipe. So, who created the first "Riggies" recipe and where did it really originate.

Gallery Credit: Bill Keeler