- [Stephfond] Tonight on this special edition of "WPBS Weekly Inside the Stories," we look back on an innovative disinfecting robot made in Ottawa that's killing the COVID-19 virus.

And this animal lover and humanitarian is a household name in the Village of Pulaski.

Meet Tom Jones.

Also, look back on the storms of '77 and '98.

How prepared are you should another crippling storm hit?

Your stories, your region coming up right now on "WPBS Weekly Inside the Stories."

(uplifting music) - [Announcer] "WBPS Weekly Inside the Stories" is brought to you by The Daisy Marquis Jones Foundation.

The Watertown Oswego Small Business Development Center.

Carthage Savings, CSX.

The Oswego County Community Foundation at the Central New York Community Foundation.

And by the Richard S. Shineman Foundation.

- Good Friday evening everyone and welcome to this special edition of "WBPS Weekly Inside the Stories.

I'm Stephfond Brunson.

When we launched this program last April, we knew we would face challenges because of the pandemic.

But our production team found safe, practical ways to get unique local stories to you.

With additional help from partner stations and community members, the team forged on and continues to do so every day.

Since launch, our mission was clear.

Deliver a 30-minute current affairs program that would educate, inspire and inform.

Thanks to all of you, we have done this with great success and thanks to your support, we will continue to provide you with stories in your region that make a difference.

We start tonight with a story we first aired last summer about a disinfecting robot named Ray.

When COVID struck, cleaning and disinfecting became paramount, as did protecting ourselves and our loved ones.

That's why a team of aviators out of Ottawa created Ray, a disinfecting robot that's primary mission is to destroy public health threats on public transportation.

WPBS producer, Joleen DesRosiers has more.

(people chattering) (suspenseful music) - [Joleen] The first weeks of COVID brought to us some eerie scenes, men and woman in hazmat suits, spraying down sidewalks and roadways with bleach.

Those working to eliminate the virus were so close to the danger, but like most things that evolved during the pandemic, cleaning protocols shifted.

(bright music) And at Aero Hygenix in Ottawa, that shift was revolutionary.

(bright music) Meet Ray, a simple looking robot executing a not so simple task, a chemical free solution that kills the COVID-19 virus in public transportation spaces.

- Ray's an autonomous UVC robot that traverses throughout cabins and transport like vehicles and it disinfects using very, very proven technology that we've used for centuries, UVC technology.

- [Joleen] Like most good ideas, Ray was born on a napkin in a garage and in good company.

- We have a combined experienced of over 80 years in the aviation space and we saw this cataclysmic event unfold in front of us and we knew that we had to build, not only address cabin and transportation and hygiene, but we had to build a product that was sustainable in order to do this.

- Robotics was something we believed in from the very beginning.

It all comes down to consistency.

In the world of cleaning and disinfection, there's so much room for human error and robotics, especially autonomous robotics, removes all of that and ensures the same consistent results every single time.

- Now, while the creators of Ray are a group of aviators and Ray is used on airplanes, Ray is not limited to just airplanes.

This innovative machine that destroys viruses and pathogens can also be used on other modes of transportation.

- [Arash] And it can be used in more than one application.

It is not just specifically designed for transport.

It was designed with transport in mind, but it can be used on light rail trains, buses, any form of transportation.

- For operators, it's about the safety of their staff, those that are on the plane frequently, grooming staff, flight attendants, pilots need to ensure that they're working in a safe environment and Ray takes care of this.

We're just gonna do a lap of Ray right now.

It's a very, very simple interface.

Single touch start.

Ray gives you a countdown on the screen that allows the operators to get to the position where they need to be.

There's then a warmup period for the lamps and then Ray will start moving down the aisle of the aircraft.

So at this point, Ray is using all of it's robotic guidance to move down the aisle of the aircraft, the lighters, the sonars and the cameras.

As a passenger, we wanted to bring back passenger confidence and really show that the seat and the aircraft that they're boarding is clean, it's disinfected and to ultimately to bring back that passenger confidence that is missing.

- [Joleen] So there you have it, a solution to kill off COVID-19 and other viruses with ease.

But once COVID is a thing of the past, what becomes of this innovative robot?

- We're frequently asked, you know, what happens to Ray as COVID winds down?

We don't think aircraft hygiene and how we deal with aircraft hygiene is going to go away.

There's clear evidence that it will be a very, very big part of the transportation industry and we believe our technology will be here to stay.

It is, again, it's chemical free and it's sustainable.

That's what makes the produce quite unique.

We are looking at marketing our product globally.

As it stands, we are proudly, proudly Canadian.

So we're definitely gonna start off in our own backyard and, in fact, we have started off in our own backyard, but there is definitely a strategy to expand globally.

- [Joleen] Already making its global rounds, Ravn Alaska Airlines has introduced Ray to disinfect its Dash 8 aircraft in between flights.

It's expected to debut in rail and light rail in the coming months, as well.

Welcome to the world, Ray.

For "WPBS Weekly," I'm Joleen DesRosiers.

(bright music) - Speaking of change, the weather in the North Country and Canada can shift unexpectedly.

Many of us remember the winter storms of 1977 and 1998.

Chief Matthew Timmerman, of the Watertown Fire Department offers tips on what you can do to stay safe should a heavy and relentless storm strike again.

WPBS producer, Eric Cleary, has more.

(bright music) - [Eric] When the blizzard of 1977 hit the North Country, not everyone in the region was prepared.

The North Country was paralyzed and for days life was frozen, literally.

- The amount of snow that fell in a short period of time was the first clue that we were in for something more than the usual amount.

You know, we joke up here about oh, it's only 6 to 10 inches, that's a dusting.

It's not a big deal.

But the show was falling so rapidly, even those of us who'd been around for a little while knew this was an unusual situation.

- [Eric] 21 years later, the ice storm of 1998 hit.

Once again, hundreds of people scrambled to stay warm, stay safe and stay diligent.

- We were sleeping, it was 1:30 in the morning, the phone rang.

It was my boss telling me basically you need to come into work, we're ordering everybody in.

- [Suzanne] So when we got the call, we knew it must have hit.

- I went out to my truck, put my wipers on and drove down the road.

I got up the other side of the village and then the ice was starting to form on the windshield as the wipers were going and I started seeing the glisten in the trees and on the power lines and I was like, oh, it looks like they're getting a little bit of ice.

By the time I got just outside of Watertown, there were power lines down, there were tree branches in the road.

- [Suzanne] Inches of ice.

- [Mike] Yes, quite a bit of ice had accumulated at that point.

- [Eric] It's been 2-1/2 decades since the North Country has been hit with crippling snow, ice and flooding, but a storm of such magnitude could happen at any time.

The question is, should it, are you prepared?

- It's difficult to be prepared for a blizzard of '77 or an ice storm of '98.

They were extreme storms.

But we can do basic to prepare ourselves for that type of thing.

So for example, for an ice storm, it's good to have access to a generator and use it periodically.

That was a big thing that I think caught most of us off guard is that most homes up here at the time in '98 didn't have generators and so that was a huge deal.

Everybody had to really hustle to find generators and a way to power their house to keep their house from freezing.

- [Eric] The hustle led to a community coming together.

Flooded basements were tackled with teamwork.

The elderly were shoveled out.

Food was shared, firewood split and generators passed back and forth between neighbors.

Fire chief, Matt Timmerman remembers how things went down in 1998.

He's certain the community would come together again in such a situation, but he's also certain that things would be less stressful on everyone, including emergency responders, if residents were better prepared.

Here are some tips to put in place should a show or ice storm strike the region again.

- Yeah, so at home, certainly having some additional food on hand, whether it's in your freezer or in your cabinets.

Having some other things on hand are also good investments, so flashlights, a collection of batteries if you're gonna be in your vehicle.

So if you make sure that you have a blanket, gloves, hat, things like that to keep in your vehicle in case you get stuck off the road or you can't make it home for example.

Having a generator is important, so that's critically important that if you have a generator, make sure that you run it outdoors and far enough outdoors that the exhaust doesn't come back inside your house.

So whenever there's wires down around your home, you need to treat them with extreme caution.

Stay away from them, keep the kids and the pets away from them and really critically important not to touch and not to move them off your property.

If you happen to have a teenager in the house that's bored, send them down the road to your neighbor and have him shovel out or him or her shovel out the driveway so that your elderly neighbor doesn't have to.

Crack some of the faucets in your home just to keep water moving a little bit.

That will help reduce the chances that your pipes will freeze.

If you don't need to be out on the road, stay home.

Don't go out on the roads.

That reduces the impact on emergency services and we don't need to go out because you've gone into the ditch or had an accident.

The fact that we were a community is what really critically got us through these big storms, being able to rely on each other to get through.

Actually it was pretty nice to be a part of the community at that time.

I mean, the weather was terrible and it was cold, but the feeling of community that we had where we all pulled together and got each other through, that's what carried the day.

- [Eric] Many of us have memories from the storms of 1977 and 1998.

Here's to keeping those memories behind us and a safe and happy winter in front of us.

For "WPBS Weekly," I'm Eric Cleary.

(grand music) - We said we love to inspire and we hope this next story will do just that.

This next piece originally aired in June and was shared over and over again on Facebook.

It's the story of one man who gives back to his community, expecting nothing in return.

His name is Tom Jones and just about everybody knows Tom.

(people applauding) - Here in the Village of Pulaski, everybody knows Tom.

He's a local hero.

He rescues cats, all nine of their lives and he's a friend to dogs, too.

So in the Village of Pulaski, everybody knows Tom.

- Take care.

- See you Tom.

- See you at the office.

- Take care buddy.

- Everybody knows Tom.

- Everybody knows Tom.

- Everybody knows Tom.

- Everybody knows Tom the cat man.

- [Joleen] Tom the cat man is a legend in the Village of Pulaski.

Actually he's a legend throughout most of Oswego County.

He is Tom Jones and it's not unusual to see him walking dogs, saving cats and serving the people of his community.

He is a true humanitarian and catatarian or whatever.

- One day I was walking by myself and I saw this cat had a ripped ear, so I asked the neighbor if I could get a cage and catch it and I took it to the vet's and got him fixed and that's how I started.

And I started rescuing cats ever since.

- [Joleen] Cats have always been a part of Tom's life.

Just one glance in this book and you'll discovered all of the cats he's owned over a lifetime.

- [Tom] There's Tinkerbell when I was 16.

- [Joleen] His living room walls continue the story, one of faith, rescue and friendship.

While he's only owned about 16 cats in his lifetime, he's rescued far more, somewhere close to 50 and with each one, a story.

- I got a call from a lady in Ellisburg, gosh knows how she found out who I was, but they had this cat they couldn't keep in the house and it was a cold winter day.

- A very brutally cold, snowy wintery day and I had a feral cat out here, your cat, Joleen, Teddy Bear, who had been very friendly all summer and kept hanging around here.

I had no place to take him indoors.

I called Tom sort of out of desperation and he came out from Pulaski and drove all the way up here.

- It was a horrible day so I went up to Ellisburg and picked him up and I kept him until I met you.

- [Joleen] Yes, me, the voice of this here story.

I met Tom volunteering at a local food pantry and, of course, we started talking about cats.

- And you told me how you were hunting for a cat and I said, "I got the perfect cat for you."

And I said, "When you see him, you're gonna want him immediately."

I don't think you believed me, but guess what?

He went home with you.

- [Joleen] Yes, yes he did.

Teddy Bear or Chunk for short is officially our cat, but this story isn't about Teddy, it's about Tom and how the community at large thinks the world of him.

- He does a lot for, give you an example, we have a new pastor in our church and I don't know how our pastor found out, but he found out about Tom being the cat man and he called on Tom to clip his cat's toenails.

And Tom went over there and did it.

The cat bit him, but he did it anyway.

So, I mean, he's known in the community for his caring for animals and people.

- You see him walking around town, walking the dogs.

He'll stop and have a nice conversation with you.

He's truly a Pulaski legend around here.

- Even that day on the phone when I talked to him about Teddy Bear and coming to get him, he was very patient with me and the willingness and generosity of the man just blows me away.

- It blows me away.

Really it does.

I never expected this at all.

I can't believe how it's grown to this length, you know.

I just enjoy rescuing animals and I love people.

I love being around people so anyway, someone will come up to me and say, "You remember me, you gave me a cat?"

And, you know, I don't remember them, but that's how it goes.

- [Joleen] It is how it goes.

He's helped so many people.

Some escape his memory, but not all of them.

- Well, there was an old lady, Mrs. Van Pat, God rest her soul, she's gone now, but I met her through cats.

She loved animals, too.

She took care of every stray in town, so I went down and trapped them all and took them to the shelter and she had there cats of her own, but she couldn't, one of them had an ear infection, so I used to have to come down and put ear drops in his ears and I used to take her to wherever she had to go, but she lived by herself.

And her and I just connected and I visited her until she passed away.

So that's my passion.

It's time to give back, so why not.

Some people go away and ask me to take care of their dogs and cats, so I do.

Over the years, maybe 10, 15 people, I take care of their animals for them when they go away.

I just enjoy doing it and I don't want any money.

If they wanna give me something, fine, it goes to the shelter.

Yes, she does.

I'll do it till I can't do it anymore.

- [Joleen] And when that happens, Tom, the people you've helped will be there for you.

In the Village of Pulaski for "WBPS Weekly," I'm Joleen DesRosiers.

- The production crew here at WPBS is a team of seven, led by executive producer, Tracy Duflo.

When the team sat down to brainstorm the various segments we would bring to you in this show, recording live bands in our home studio was at the top of the list.

Coyote and Crow is just one dozens of musicians who have visited the WPBS studios.

Here they are with one of our personal favorites, "I Seen Red."

- Hey, what's up?

We're Coyote and Crow and here we are with "I Seen Red."

♪ I seen red, I've been blue ♪ ♪ That's on me, but I don't love you ♪ ♪ Yep, they'll say baby, that's a shame ♪ ♪ Yep, they'll say maybe I'm to blame ♪ ♪ I've been hurt, I've done my share ♪ ♪ That's on me, baby I don't care ♪ ♪ Yep, they'll say baby, that's a shame ♪ ♪ Yep, they'll say maybe I'm to blame ♪ ♪ I've been up, I've been down ♪ ♪ Baby, I've been getting 'round ♪ ♪ Yeah, they'll say baby, that's a shame ♪ ♪ Yeah, they'll say maybe I'm to to blame ♪ ♪ I'm so nice, I've been lied to ♪ ♪ I seen red and I've been blue ♪ ♪ Yep, they'll say baby, that's a shame ♪ ♪ Yep, they'll say maybe I'm to blame ♪ ♪ I seen red, I've been blue ♪ ♪ That's on me, and I don't love you ♪ ♪ Yep, they'll say baby that's a shame ♪ ♪ I've been hurt, I've done my share ♪ ♪ That's on me, baby I don't care ♪ ♪ Yep, they'll say maybe I'm to blame ♪ ♪ I've been up, I've been down ♪ ♪ Baby, I've been getting 'round ♪ ♪ Yeah, they'll say baby, that's a shame ♪ ♪ I'm so nice, I've been lied to ♪ ♪ I seen red and I've been blue ♪ ♪ Yep, they'll say maybe I'm to blame ♪ - That does it for us tonight.

We hope you've enjoyed this special look back edition.

With Ray the robot, we've educated.

With tips on preparing for a storm, we've informed.

And sharing the likes of at least one local hero, we've inspired.

With crucial input and guidance from the WPBS community advisory board, as well as shared content from other stations, WPBS is able to fulfill its mandate with strong local programming and outreach events.

If you have a story idea you'd like to see us cover, please drop us an email.

We'd love to hear from you.

That's it for now.

Good night my friend.

(triumphant music)