Local entrepreneurs to showcase wares Nov. 15 The South Side Innovation Center (SSIC) is hosting its annual Holiday Market from 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 15, at the center, located at 2610 S. Salina St. Local businesses and community members are invited to sample new and unique food and retail products created by SSIC clients and tenants. The free event is open to …

Corcoran implements interim tests to determine whether students are learning concepts Corcoran High School was removed recently from New York state’s “priority school” list for schools with low graduation rates. Corcoran improved its graduation rate because more students passed the state’s Regents Examinations, which they must do to graduate. The rate improved after the school’s top two officials — then-Principal …

In our November issue, our cover story is on the recent Cardboard Challenge held at Beauchamp Branch Library where youth got to use their imaginations to turn the library into a cardboard arcade. Another feature article looks at the South Side’s unique Harlow Park founded by Carmen Harlow as an athletic space to honor athletes and youth. Also featured is …

I saw a report in October on CNY Central News. The report described a murder that was committed on the South Side on Calthrop Avenue. The reporter gave a description of the suspect: a black man in dark clothes.

A sea of brown cardboard boxes covered the second floor of Beauchamp Branch Library on a recent Saturday, decorated with cascading ribbons and hand-drawn logos. These weren’t ordinary packing containers. Every branch of the Syracuse City Library system hosted the Cardboard Challenge on Oct. 11, inviting children from across the city to showcase their own makeshift games, complete with corrugated …

Meachem Ice Rink opens after repairs just in time for new season After nearly four months of repairs, Meachem Ice Rink is back in business. According to Syracuse’s Parks, Recreation and Youth Programs Department, the repairs at 121 W. Seneca Turnpike had been a long time coming. “We’d known for a while that the rink was on its last legs,” …

Harlow Park provides a common ground for sports, community, history Syracuse parks have long been gathering places for individual neighborhoods, and although they provide a sense of identity, the committee on Parks, Recreation and Youth Programs is responsible for maintaining them all. There are 175 public parks in the city by the count of Common Councilor Bob Dougherty, who is …

Two sisters start their own salon with inspiration from their mother African-American sisters Samantha Coleman and Sakari McDonald have been changing the face of salon ownership since May when they opened up their salon, Pretty Girl Threadz. Salons capable of styling African-American hair can typically be found on Syracuse’s South Side, where a large part of the city’s black population …

The Dunbar Center is gearing up to reopen. The center held a community meeting Tuesday, Oct. 21, to hear input from residents about what programs and events it could offer in the future. For now, the center is offering a few programs for seniors, a small after school program and weekly Zumba classes, which began Wednesday, Oct. 22. Weekly Zumba …

South Side residents find fresh produce under a tent at Store for a Day A chill hung in the air as a light rain fell on the South Side one recent Saturday morning. With his back to a white tent and several crates of fruit, Howie Hawkins fretted that the damp weather would scare off potential customers of Store for …