A high school student’s gift for performance and vocal ambition drive her to succeed The first time Tonaisa Hurt stood up to sing a solo in front of her church congregation, it was because her mother had slipped her $20 to do so. But her anxiety at performing in public fell by the wayside. Tonaisa has been singing and dancing …

As the research associate professor in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department of Syracuse University, Peter W. Plumley often asked his freshmen class why they decided to take on an engineering path. In response, he often hears back “because I was in an engineering design competition in sixth grade.” Those answers became the biggest driving force for Plumley, along with …

A new Tops location recently opened on South Salina Street on Syracuse’s South Side, much to the liking of residents there. For years, shoppers would have to travel to places like Nojams or Wegmans and even corner stores to get their groceries. This was a burden on many South Side residents who are disabled, low income or don’t have access …

Ministry worker: “We won’t turn our eyes or hearts away from them” Over the past five years, St. James Roman Catholic Church, on the South Side’s southernmost edge, has developed a special relationship with Syracuse’s homeless population. The church works with other organizations — including such South Side institutions as the Oxford Street Inn — to provide food and basic …

South Sider invites in musicians to sing, record and mostly have fun Meet Ozell Cooper. Ozell lives on the South Side. He is a musician and singer and a longtime self-employed carpenter. Ozell used his skills to build a studio in his basement and a rehearsal hall in his garage. He christened the rehearsal space “Coop’s Boom Boom Room.” The …

Local radio host stays true to roots despite growing use of preprogrammed content Dr. Rick Wright purrs into the microphone with such suave vocal tones you’d think you were being serenaded. “You’ve reached the Old Skool hour.” Wright’s “Old Skool Sunday” radio program, which features classic R&B, began 12 years ago. Today, the show broadcasts Sundays from 1 to 7 …

South Side residents stop in to the Southwest Community Center this morning to vote in the 2012 Election.

Professors, teaching artists, graduate teaching fellows and community supporters connected with 98 students for the third Writing Our Lives conference held Nov. 3 at Nottingham High School. Students were led into 16 writing sessions ranging in topics from political-writing and academic writing to poetry, self-reflection and graphic novels. “What a great opportunity to have [the students] here to just write …

Parents make a difference by getting involved with dance program For Akilah Cage, a former South Side resident who runs a dance program for youth citywide, support from the parents of her young students has made all the difference in the success of her work. “With parental involvement, it allows the kids to feel just as good as they do …

Viccarra Coker cares for mothers and their children in drug court Viccarra Coker, a 31-year-old licensed practical nurse from the South Side, says all she has ever wanted to do was help people in her community. So when a program began seeking someone who could link young mothers in drug court with medical services for their children, Coker knew the …