MARGARETVILLE, N.Y. (WBNG) —Delaware County District Attorney Shawn Smith announced a Margaretville man has been sentenced to State Prison for drug crimes.

The District Attorney’s Office said Dennis Fickeria, 43, of Margaretville, NY has been sentenced to four and half years in prison. Fickeria was originally charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance.

On Jan. 3rd, according to Senior Investigator Christopher Erwin and other members of the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office, they executed a search warrant at 1542 Jones Hollow Rd., Fickeria’s residence. As a result of the search, deputies found controlled substances and firearms.

On Oct. 28, the office said Fickeria appeared in court where he pled guilty to his charge. Fickeria admitted that he had possessed fentanyl intending to sell it. The office said the guilty plea was entered as part of a negotiated disposition.

In addition to the sentencing, the office said Delaware County Court Judge John Hubbard ordered Fickeria to be supervised by the Department of Parole for one year following his release.

The office said the court also forfeited the U.S. currency seized from Fickeria’s residence which it will use to fund law enforcement efforts in Delaware County.

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Three rivers. One award.

Voting is now open for Pennsylvania River of the Year.

The Delaware River, which flows through the Poconos in Northeast Pennsylvania, is up against Perkiomen Creek, a tributary of the Schuylkill River, located northwest of Philadelphia; and the Youghiogheny River in Southwestern Pennsylvania.

“We’re thrilled to be nominated for 2025 designation, and we encourage the public to go vote … for the Delaware River so we can really help bring more attention to the outstanding resource that we have in our backyard,” said Mark Zakutansky, a member of the Delaware River Sojourn’s Steering committee.

The committee put the river in the running for the award. It’s made up of organizations, nonprofits, government, individual volunteers and businesses all along the Delaware River.

The sojourn celebrates its 30th year in 2025. The committee hoped for the nomination to help promote the annual paddling and camping trip down the 330-mile river.

“This is not just a celebration of the river, but, also, of all the people that have really dedicated their work lives and personal lives to make it better,” Delaware River Basin Commission spokesperson Kate Schmidt said.

The seven-day sojourn will be held the third week of June, and the event will proceed with or without the designation.

“We ultimately feel that the best way to kind of discover something is to do it,” said Schmidt. “So the best way to discover the Delaware River is to get on it and paddle.”

A quick history

Last year the Allegheny River won the award. In 2023, it was the North Branch of the Susquehanna. The Delaware has won before, in 2011 and 2002; just the Upper Delaware won in 1995.

Its east and west branches meet in Hancock, New York. The river forms an interstate boundary its entire length but the largest part of the watershed is in Pennsylvania. The river ends where the Delaware Bay meets the Atlantic Ocean.

Schmidt says 14.2 million people — almost 4% of the entire population of the United States — rely on the river’s basin.

“For drinking, industry, agriculture, you know pretty much for their daily needs,” she said.

The indigenous Lenape people named the river Lenapewihittuck. They lived in the Delaware Valley, along tributaries of the river. Dutch settlers discovered the waterway in the 1600s and called it the South River.

The English then named the river after Sir Thomas West, the third Lord de la Warr. The Lenape became known as the Delawares.

Winner will receive $10K grant

Pennsylvania Organization for Watersheds and Rivers (POWR) facilitates the River of the Year program with funding from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR).

The winning river’s nominating organization will receive a $10,000 DCNR grant to fund year-long celebrations, including paddling events and community activities

Voting ends Jan. 24. To cast a vote, visit https://pawatersheds.org/about-river-of-the-year/vote-roy/