During the last meeting of the year for the South Side region of Tomorrow’s Neighborhoods Today, residents discussed youth education, recent violence and the neighborhood’s appearance. In addition to South Side residents, representatives from the 100 Black Men of Syracuse, PEACE Inc., Syracuse Model Neighborhood Corporation and the Common Council shared their thoughts on the most pressing issues in the …

Senators, experts meet to raise awareness on dangers of using such drugs State senators David Valesky and Jeff Klein convened a roundtable of community leaders, health experts and law enforcement officers Thursday. Dec. 3, to discuss synthetic marijuana use in New York. With a panel of about 30, including two mothers who lost their sons because of synthetic cannabinoids, the …

From Syracuse’s West Side neighborhood, Tina Zagyva, 31, started as the coordinator for the city’s Tomorrow’s Neighborhood Today just before the Thanksgiving holiday. South Side residents can meet her Monday when she attends her first community meeting Dec. 7. As TNT coordinator, Zagyva serves as the front line staff assistant performing a variety of support duties for the organization, including …

In this issue, hear from Donna Reese about a new initiative she has launched with Aurora of CNY to reach out to local faith groups.In our cover story, meet a high school senior starting her own robotics club, and hear from students on how the first month of metal detectors at city high schools is going – plus much more. …

Syracuse City School District high schools reflect on metal detector use Syracuse high schools have been checking students daily for weapons for two months now, in response to the threat of gun violence locally and nationally, particularly at schools and colleges. Thomas Ristoff, director of public safety for the Syracuse City School District, said the purpose of the security checks …

Legally blind outreach specialist helps others regain employment For more than six years, Donna Reese has been a symbol for Aurora, a nonprofit that has spent more than 90 years serving individuals with vision or hearing loss. Reese lost her eyesight from glaucoma. It’s a disease with no early symptoms that damages the eye’s optic nerve and can result in …

Volunteer lawyers help people stay in their homes, avoid evictions What if Syracuse’s homeless issue were tackled by preventing people from becoming homeless in the first place? What if instead of trying to find temporary living space, someone created a program that targeted the reasons people end up homeless and used it to combat homelessness? The Volunteer Lawyers Project of …

In addition to being an excellent father, Garner was nominated by his brother Fred, for also helping to raise his niece & nephew Q: What did it feel like when you became a father? A: It was probably the best day of my life and the scariest day of my life combined. I was with my wife when she went …

After feeling like she didn’t belong, Laurie Muok created her own robotics team

The phrase “it’s as easy as riding a bike” isn’t one Mike Lyon uses. The Onondaga Cycling Club president said his 18-mile trek to work is a zig zag from Baldwinsville to the city. He avoids certain streets because he can’t safely share the road with motor vehicles, and there are no bike lanes for him to use along the …