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Second Chances

Syracuse advocacy groups want to ‘Ban the Box’ on job applications Anyone who’s applied for a job is familiar with it: the section of the application inquiring about criminal history. Many pass over this check box quickly, checking “no” and moving on. Yet others dread this box, considering it a death sentence for their chances at a position. “I started …

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Faith Beyond Walls

Pastor leads congregation, revival of business along South Salina Street From the wood-framed window of his office on the second floor, pastor Daren Jaime looks down on the 2300 block of South Salina Street. The cracked pavement that used to bear crack pipes and the trailing footsteps of prostitutes, now paves the way for small business owners with an added …

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South Side Achiever

Returning president of 100 Black Men of Syracuse continues to offer hope Sitting at his desk in the South Side Innovation Center, Vincent B. Love, 59, describes how he isn’t perfect. The Syracuse native — who grew up just down the street in Pioneer Homes — points out that he made some wrong decisions in his earlier years. However, one …

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'Banking Desert'

Many leave the neighborhood for their banking needs As Janeka Coker reflects on the struggles of opening up her business on South Salina Street, she laughs and exhales a deep sigh. “So far we’ve put our own money in, and it takes a lot. It’s a little bit of a struggle,” Coker said. Her full-service hair salon, Miraculous Beauty, has …

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Unfolding a Community's Prison Stories

In the quiet upper auditorium of Beauchamp Branch Library, a little more than a dozen neighbors and a criminal justice class from Onondaga Community College gathered Tuesday, March 26, for an intimate and sensitive dialogue sharing their ties to what has become a common American experience: prison stories. Calmesha Givens, Syracuse native, and Shannon Fernandez, a Syracuse University student from …

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City Offers Stop the Violence Forum

A call to action with a little help from Hollywood Mayor Stephanie Miner’s office, along with a number of various organizations including Mother’s Against Gun Violence, held a panel discussion featuring notable Syracuse figures and Hollywood actor Khalil Kain at the historic Landmark Theatre Thursday, March 21. The issue at hand? How to help prevent the rise in gun violence …

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Landing a Location

Small businesses must work hard to secure just the right office space Deborah Holloway sits with several accordion folders around her. Business is in full swing for the 2013 tax season. She peers over the mound of papers on her desk in her first-floor office and remarks how happy she is that the building has heat — and air conditioning. …

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Music Role Models

‘A lot of young girls don’t get the encouragement needed to pursue it’ As March of each year rolls around, we start to think about the impact of women on our world. Women have been leaders in just about all aspects of modern society, including politics, business and religion. Music is no different. For Women’s History Month, it is fitting …

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Just Getting By

Local employees share thoughts on proposed hourly wage increase For Kayla Corron, missing work is devastating. “I had kidney stones so I had to take work off all last week,” said Corron, 23, who works at the Dollar Tree on West Seneca Turnpike on the South Side. The day before Valentine’s Day she was back on the job, inflating hundreds …

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Strolling the South Side

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 …

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