LHS sophomore to attend national YMCA conference
The time it took Samantha McCarthy to walk from her seat to the front of the room after hearing her name called at the YMCA Youth and Government end-of-the-year banquet seemed to be a full 10 minutes. The chairs were placed very close together, and she didn’t anticipate having to navigate through them. “They call out the alternates first, and I was sitting there thinking, ‘You know, it would be really cool to be chosen,’” said McCarthy, a sophomore at Liverpool High School and participant in the North Area Family YMCA Youth and Government program. “And they were done with the alternates and I was like, ‘OK, I’m not chosen. Whatever.’ I don’t know why I thought that.” To McCarthy’s surprise, her name was called. She had been selected to represent New York state at the YMCA Youth Conference on National Affairs, a national conference that will be held in North Carolina from June 29 to July 5. McCarthy, along with 20 other students from New York state, was selected after her performance at the statewide Youth and Government conference in Albany in March.
The I-81 conundrum: Highway reconstruction will cause hassle, but something must be done
Five years from now, the Syracuse skyline could look very different. Instead of an elevated highway heading into the city, the New York State Department of Transportation could construct an arterial boulevard. Or an underground tunnel. Or an iconic bridge. Truthfully, the DOT isn’t sure yet what the new Interstate 81 will look like. They just know that something needs to be done to replace the existing structure. “Bridges are designed to last for a certain period of time,” said Beau Duffy, public information officer for the NYS DOT. “The I-81 viaduct in Syracuse is reaching this point in time. Because repair and refurbishment of the bridge involves a significant investment, it makes sense, from a cost-benefit perspective, to look at potential alternatives for the future of the corridor.”
Eagle editors lauded
Editors at Eagle Newspapers were honored for their work at two recent awards ceremonies that celebrate the best journalism in Central New York and statewide.
Parishes in Park Saturday, and Masons mark 150
More than most civic groups, the Masons really respect and honor history. This weekend, the local lodge will celebrate some annals of its own. And as usual, the Masons will do it in style. The Liverpool-Syracuse Lodge No. 501 of Free & Accepted Masons will mark its 150th anniversary at 3 p.m. Saturday, May 11, by erecting a four-foot-tall obelisk monument in front of its building at 608 Oswego St., across from Johnson Park in the village. New York State Grand Master James Sullivan is expected to attend.
C-NS baseball pushes record to 13-0
Northstars add four more wins to perfect mark
The longer it stayed undefeated, the more a target the Cicero-North Syracuse baseball team would become – but at least so far, the state Class AA no. 3-ranked Northstars have turned back every possible challenge.
C-NS softball blanks Liverpool, edges B’ville
Warriors have easier time defeating Bees in 3-1 week
Just looking at the numbers, the Liverpool softball team has made up some ground on Cicero-North Syracuse – but has not yet caught up. In last Friday’s battle at Gillette Field, the Warriors’ pitching duo of Dana Nicoletti and Peyton Bellrose mostly contained the Northstars, but it still wasn’t enough as Liverpool lost a 4-0 decision.
Track Northstars handle West Genesee
C-NS boys win New Hartford meet; Liverpool next
To some degree, every Cicero-North Syracuse track and field season centers around the annual showdown with Liverpool. There’s even more on the line in 2013, though, as both meets this Wednesday – the boys at Bragman Stadium, the girls at LHS Stadium – feature undefeated sides within the CNY Counties League National division.
Liverpool track sides sweep Baldwinsville
Warriors use weekend meets to prepare for C-NS
Everyone on the Liverpool track and field teams is primed to take their respective shots at Cicero-North Syracuse on Wednesday, with the CNY Counties League National division titles at stake.
Liverpool boys lacrosse stops city foes
C-NS splits games with B'ville, Oswego
Defeats to Fayetteville-Manlius (lopsided) and Marcellus (a blown fourth-quarter lead) had the Liverpool boys lacrosse team in some trouble as April drew to a close. Another loss, to Corcoran last Tuesday night, may have demoralized the Warriors, and it trailed in the fourth quarter – but this time it was Liverpool staging the comeback and pulling out a dramatic 9-8 victory.
How sweet it is! Village trees bear sugary sap
Last month, my buddy Joe Romano gifted me with a quart of homemade maple syrup made from sap from old maple trees growing right here in the village. Actually, the syrup blends drippings from Liverpool silver maples and sugar maples down in DeRuyer, where Joe has a camp and a sugar shack. Anyhow, what you need to know is that the syrup’s sweet as sugar cane. A barely transparent chestnut brown, it pours evenly with consistency like soft honey. My pancakes never tasted so good! And it made me feel proud to know that this superlative confection comes from some of the same trees into which I’d carved my initials so many years ago.
C-NS girls lacrosse beats F-M in overtime
Northstars survive Hornets comeback from five-goal deficit
Emotions ran all over the place for the Cicero-North Syracuse girls lacrosse team in Thursday night's clash with Fayetteville-Manlius at Bragman Stadium. From calm control to frenzied worry, the Northstars felt everything, but just in time it found its best form, rallying to force overtime and eventually beat the Hornets 15-12.
Brewerton Food Pantry offers clients choice of meals
Every day, Central New York families are finding it harder and harder to put food on the table. The Brewerton Food Pantry saw a 14 percent increase in the number of families it serves between 2011 and 2012, and that trend seems to be continuing into 2013. “I registered two new families on Thursday, so we’re constantly getting new people,” said longtime volunteer Lauren Lalley. Pantry coordinator Deb Lombard agreed. “We’re getting a lot of people who are working; they’re just not making enough to pay their mortgage or their rent, their utilities, their doctor’s bills, and food seems to fall by the wayside,” Lombard said. “And some of them don’t get as much food stamp assistance as they used to. They’re cutting back on certain things. We try to meet the needs of those people as much as we can.” For that reason, pantries like the one in Brewerton are becoming more and more important — and more and more of a community undertaking. The pantry is a truly ecumenical effort. It’s housed at the Brewerton United Methodist Church, which has partnered with St. Agnes Roman Catholic Church, Calvary Baptist Church and Christian Church to run the operation, which covers Brewerton from the Onondaga-Oswego county line down to Cicero.
L’pool policeman Jerry Unger credited with cracking complex case
The crime occurred near Buffalo. The perp’s vehicle had been rented in Fulton. The suspect’s family lived in Syracuse. In spite of the disparate locales involved, Liverpool Police Officer Jerry Unger played a crucial role in cracking the case.
Major fundraiser for Operation Southern/Northern Comfort is this weekend
Reisie Murchison has every reason to believe in angels. “I met Norm, and his words were, ‘We’ll be there for you,’” Murchison said. “I remember like it was yesterday. I thanked him, he said, ‘You don’t understand. We’ll be there for you until the end.’ And he didn’t lie. Operation Southern Comfort came in and put me in a comfort zone. I felt comforted that all of these angels were around me doing everything they could. They fixed up everything.” Murchison will get to thank her angels in person this weekend. Thanks to an anonymous benefactor, Murchison, her daughter and her father will fly up to Syracuse from St. Bernard Parish, La., for the annual Crawfish Festival, the major fundraiser for Operation Southern/Northern Comfort.
Interfaith activists celebrate social justice at ACTS spring banquet in L’pool
Central New York boasts a rich history of social activism, and the Alliance of Communities Transforming Syracuse (ACTS) keeps that tradition alive. More than 300 ACTS members, honorees and supporters filled the ballroom at the Holiday Inn at Electronics Parkway on Thursday, April 25, at the group’s sixth annual spring banquet. “This is an incredible sight,” exclaimed Mark Spadafore as he gazed out at the crowd from the podium. “There are people from different communities, people from different races and people from different faith traditions. Everyone coming together like this shows us that we have power, and power can change things.”
North Syracuse BOE approves budget; taxpayers face 5.33 percent increase
The North Syracuse Central School District Board of Education voted to approve the $144,716,279 2013-14 budget for presentation to the public on May 21. The budget calls for a 5.33 percent tax increase, which requires a supermajority vote for approval. According to the presentation given Monday, April 22, the district’s fund balance represents 1.9 percent of its budget, and its reserves represent 1.3 percent. In other districts in the Onondaga-Cortland-Madison BOCES system, the fund balance is an average of 5 percent of their budgets, while the reserves make up 12.8 percent. Moody’s credit rating firm has given the district a poor rating. North Syracuse also spends less per student than 21 of the 23 districts in its BOCES system. Meanwhile, costs for the district have gone up by 4.3 percent since 2012-13. The largest increase is in benefits for employees (the state’s Teacher and Employee Retirement Systems), which climbed by 11.1 percent since last year.
A role model departs
Long-time Buffalo sports journalist served as my role model
Something really stopped me last week. Not the occasion of a birthday, for there’s one of those every year and it always happens to fall during a busy time where there’s little chance to really kick back and enjoy things, not with the deluge of games, tournaments and meets to keep up with.
Girls lacrosse Northstars roll to easy wins
C-NS rips past Central Square, Auburn, Carthage
Fueled by a close call with Baldwinsville on April 19, the Cicero-North Syracuse girls lacrosse roared past its next three opponents and improved its overall record to 6-3.
C-NS track stops B’ville, cleans up at meets
Boys Northstars win team honors at Arcaro Relays
Both of Cicero-North Syracuse’s track and field teams took large steps toward claiming the CNY Counties League regular-season titles thanks to last Wednesday’s sweep of its two meets against Baldwinsville.
Crunch take 2-0 series lead on Portland
Syracuse follows OT win with punshing Game 2 triumph
The American Hockey League playoffs did not start out well for the Syracuse Crunch - but when it mattered, the Crunch turned it around and built a two-games-to-none lead in its opening-round series against the Portland Pirates.