Hometown News

South Salina Street is being rebuilt as South Side’s financial hub City officials, including Common Councilor Khalid Bey, want to see Syracuse develop a business corridor on South Salina Street. Bey, who represents the council’s 4th District, said he believes that the growth of small businesses along the street would boost Syracuse’s tax base, as South Side residents spend their …

I am all for advancement for the South Side of Syracuse. I am tired of my side of town being known as a war zone and a drug market. I had concerns about a chess/ amphitheater park being built adjacent to my house. So far those in charge of the park have assured me that they are doing the best …

Syracuse Housing Authority to celebrate 75th anniversary When Wylene Bass first moved into Pioneer Homes with her family more 50 years ago, it was more than just good service that attracted her: It was the way people treated her. After growing up in Edison, Ga., where overt racism was still a fact of life, she was shocked to find a …

Every first Monday the South Side Tomorrow’s Neighborhood Today holds a meeting for residents, councilmen, business owners and organizations to discuss current neighborhood issues. At this month’s meeting, held Monday, Jan. 6, at the South Side Innovation Center, attendees voted on neighborhood projects, expressed concerns on the neighborhood’s poor reaction to current snowy weather conditions and heard updates from the …

The Cut-A-Thon is a memorable day for a child. Parents come to this event to see their children smile. Barbers volunteer their time to give free haircuts, and local businesses donate food and money to make the Cut-A-Thon possible. The Cut-A-Thon is an event organized by Al Lyda every year for the last 20 years. “There was nothing going on …

Green Party gains support, pushes alternative third-party platform Even if they failed to capture decisive political ground in the November elections, local Green Party politicians are pledging to push for issues such as job creation that they say will help the South Side. “During the upcoming year, one way or another, we’re going to make the governor and the state …

Christopher O. Graham graduates Air Force Airman Christopher O. Graham graduated from basic military training at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, San Antonio, Texas. The airman completed an intensive, eight-week program that included training in military discipline and studies, Air Force core values, physical fitness, and basic warfare principles and skills.

Founder Vanessa Johnson will permanently move to Accra, Ghana One day in 1989, Vanessa Johnson saw an African-American boy acting out in front of her art gallery. After chastising him for his behavior, the two made a deal: If he would go to school and complete his homework, she would pay him to work at her store. After he told …

Sharon Owens upholds her commitment to helping those in need Thirty years ago, Sharon Owens got off the “wrong track” and onto the right one — and she has continued helping others do the same in one form or another ever since. As she nears her half-year anniversary as CEO of the Southwest Community Center and the Syracuse Model Neighborhood Facility, Inc., …

The Rev. Regina Reese-Young brings new personality to South Side church The woman holding the microphone jubilantly calls out: “Somebody say praise the Lord!” Dis- satisfied with the crowd’s lukewarm response, she urges them. “Come on, say it like you mean it!” The Rev. Regina Reese-Young is addressing the more than 50 people who have come to welcome her as the …