WFRG-FM (Marcy, NY)

There are dream jobs... and then there's driving a 26-foot-long peanut across America. It sounds made up, but it's very real, and this week that giant peanut is making a hometown stop in Central New York thanks to an Oriskany, New York native who's living an adventure she'll never forget. Oriskany Central School graduate Courtney Donohue—better known on the road as "Coconut"—is one of this year's PLANTERS Peanutters, the team behind the famous PLANTERS NUTmobile. Even cooler?

Sometimes the internet can be a dumpster fire, and then sometimes it gives us exactly what we need — two missing pet stories with happy endings. After days of worry, searching, sharing posts, and hoping for the best, both Cooper the dog and Bowie the tortoise are finally back where they belong… home. If you followed Cooper’s story, this one has been an emotional roller coaster. Cooper went missing after a serious car crash in Newport.

What should have been a weekend full of graduation celebrations turned into every parent’s worst nightmare for one Central New York family. Trenton had been at a friend’s camp in Hinckley after graduation. Early the next morning, he was heading to work when everything changed. Just past the flashing 45 mph school sign near West Canada Valley on Route 28, his vehicle hit the bank. He tried to correct it, but it was too late. The car flipped onto its roof and slid roughly 40 yards.

"Can you help find my missing sulcata tortoise?" That's not a question you hear every day. It's not a question the owners have had to ask before, either. But the Great Bowie Hunt is on in Central New York. Bowie is a very large sulcata tortoise and, believe it or not, he's a beloved family pet. Staci Novak says he slipped away from his home on Sunday, June 28, after someone accidentally left the gate to their fenced-in yard open.

Two more tornadoes have struck New York this season. The National Weather Service confirmed an EF1 touched down in Otsego and Lewis County on Monday, June 30. First up was a fast-moving EF1 tornado in Lewis County. This one touched down around 2:00 PM just west of Croghan and was gone by 2:01 PM — lasting barely a minute, but still doing damage along a short 0.63-mile path. Winds were estimated up to 100 mph, with a maximum width of about 150 yards. Thankfully, there were no injuries or fatalities.

Back-to-school shopping may be fun, but it's not cheap! We're giving you a chance to get your budget out of detention with those much-needed back-to-school funds. One (1) winner will be randomly selected to receive a $500 prepaid Visa Gift Card. That's enough to buy: 4,411 no.

There’s a new kind of race coming to Central New York this fall, and it’s not on wheels—it’s on water. The first-ever Canal Cities Classic is an 18-mile flatwater paddle from Rome to Utica that follows the historic Erie Canal and Mohawk River. Think of it as part race, part sightseeing tour. The route starts at Bellamy Harbor Park in Rome and finishes at Harbor Point in Utica, with paddlers crossing some of the region’s most iconic waterways along the way.

Just when Central New York starts cranking up the heat, one of its favorite summer spots is hitting pause again. Thunder Island in Fulton, New York, is staying closed for the 2026 season, marking yet another summer without water slides, go-karts, or mini golf fun. It’s now the third summer in less than five years that the park has had its gates shut, and for fans, the timing couldn’t feel worse with pool weather in full swing.

When the temperatures soar, it's time to go through your vehicle and remove items that become messy or downright dangerous. It goes without saying that when it's hot, you should NEVER leave children or pets in a vehicle - even when it's just warm. There are other items you want to make sure you don't have in your vehicle on a hot day.

A Take 5 New York Lottery ticket sold in Herkimer is worth $14,698 after Tuesday night’s drawing, and someone might be holding onto a very nice surprise without even realizing it yet. Check your tickets. The winning numbers from the Tuesday, June 29 evening drawing were 1, 11, 28, 33, 34. Photo by Meadow Marie on Unsplash New York Lottery logo One of the winning tickets was purchased right here in Central New York at Cliff’s Local Market, located at 412 E State Street in Herkimer.