Hometown News

On the afternoon of June 2, 22 representatives from five local grassroots nonprofit organizations celebrated their completion of The Leadership Classroom (TLC). The year-long program is an initiative of the Central New York Community Foundation. Participants learn advanced leadership skills alongside other neighborhood leaders in an interactive setting. After participating in monthly training sessions designed to enhance their leadership skills, …

In the tangled green smell of trees and dirt, the cracking snaps of twigs and the chirps of robins and neighborhood children running through Kirk Park, students dug, planted and pulled at the expansive roots and shoots alongside Onondaga Creek in an effort to spread their message of making the world a better place for people, animals and the environment. …

It’s unavoidable to walk down any street on the South Side and not come across at least one vacant or abandoned property. It is a familiar sight for residents: windows boarded up, wooden steps broken, shingles on the verge of falling. The Greater Syracuse Property Development Corporation, commonly referred to as the Land Bank, might be just what the city …

The third annual event “Got Art” was hosted at the Museum of Science and Technology on Tuesday, May 7, to raise awareness of children’s mental illness. The theme of the night was “I can…” Through paintings, designs, stand-up speeches and video-taped performances, children showed their talents, reclaimed their dreams and broke down the stigmas given to youth with special needs.

Somali Bantu refugees find support, community at center on Burt Street While violence is an often-discussed problem for Syracuse and the South Side, the city and this neighborhood is a sometimes-unrecognized refuge from it, too. Many newcomers to America find a center on Burt Street to be a new start, and a peaceful alternative. “The mission here is to help …

A community garden was inaugurated at Syracuse Housing Authority’s Pioneer Homes Saturday, April 20. The garden was brought about through a partnership with Upstate Medical Hospital and the neighborhood as part of an initiative to promote healthy living through sustainable practices. The hope is that teaching residents, particularly at a young age, that planting your own food is not only …

Soccer League for youth begins this Saturday Tillie’s Touch is starting a Recreational Soccer League for children that reside within the city of Syracuse. The majority of the children can not afford to pay a registration fee or have equipment to play soccer. Tillie’s Touch is waiving their registration fee for any child/family that can not afford to pay and will provide soccer …

Dan Mumford wearing a pair of work gloves and a bright fluorescent yellow T-shirt with “Clean Up ‘Cuse” picked up trash in rotten yellow leaves, shoveled litter in stacks and cut down dry, dead branches. Holding a wooden big clamp to pick up litter, he turned to his 5-year-old son and said, “Hey Andrew. Can you pick up that trash …

A place of learning, peace and warmth P.E.A.C.E., Inc. enjoys a prime location off of South Salina Street, yet Reshana Blackshear and her team members say they are still tirelessly trying to make the community aware of the organization’s existence and purpose. “We want to know, how can we better serve you? How can we better serve each other? How …

Owners strive to make B&B Cocktail Lounge a bar patrons can call home When Bill Denham, 65, and Billy Ray McDonald, 70, opened up the B&B Cocktail Lounge on South Avenue nearly 23 years ago, they had one thought in mind: make it more than just a place to grab a drink. They wanted neighbors and friends on the South …