Mother’s Against Gun Violence will team up with Corcoran High School and the Syracuse Onondaga Drug & Alcohol Abuse Commission to host the first ever panel discussion on the drug called “Water” from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 19, at Corcoran High School, 919 Glenwood Ave., Syracuse.

When members of the historically black Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. heard about the idea to have The Black Family Think Tank, they jumped at the task of putting it together. “This platform is very important to us,” said sorority senior, Cathiana Vital. “Without knowing the foundation of family, how can we prosper? We don’t want history to repeat itself.”

The Louisville-Syracuse men’s basketball game was the topic of the conversation at the Dunkin’ Donuts on the South Side during this March 6 discussion between Bob Eudell and Don O’Leary, two regulars of the coffee shop.

There are peace makers and there are piece makers, and it’s the latter group that meets weekly at Beauchamp Library. Sankofa Piece Makers have been using the library’s auditorium to create quilts and other hand crafts for about 10 years, helping people piece together the stories that highlight life.

On South Salina Street firefighters give us a glimpse into their job that doesn’t let up due to weekends. Captain Thomas Clarke, who has been with the department for 30 years, said their days usually consist of “checking vacant structures to make sure they’re secure, and ensuring that people and kids don’t go into them and start fires.”

A county environmental specialist explained the science behind green infrastructure Tuesday night, March 2, to a crowd of South Side businesspeople and environmentalists, just hours after Onondaga County Executive Joanie Mahoney unveiled a $3 million Green Improvement Fund. BJ Adigun, administrative director of green technology for the Onondaga County Department of Water Environment Protection, spent 80 minutes speaking and answering …

A panel of advocates for further investigation into civil rights murders explained why their cases were important, even after 40 years, to an audience that included children from the South Side. The Cold Case Justice Initiative presented the panel discussion, held Saturday, Feb. 27, on the Syracuse University campus. The justice initiative is made up of a group of law …

Students from various Syracuse University organizations participated in a Leadership Summit Saturday, Feb. 20, in SU’s Life Science Complex.

Click on the cover of The Stand to download a pdf version of the March 2010 issue. We’d love to hear what you think. Send comments and feedback to ashley@mysouthsidestand.com.