Irish Jack Murphy crosses his final finish line
Before I even started kindergarten, my family lived in Liverpool on Salina Street in an upstairs apartment rented by Mary Landers and squeezed between two thriving businesses, Steve’s tavern to the north and Irish Jack Murphy’s auto repair shop to the south. Jack was a master mechanic, but I knew, even as a 5-year-old, that he was much more than that. Jack was a champion race-car driver! On May 2 at St. Joseph’s Hospital, Jack crossed his final finish line. He was 85 years old.
BASCOL receives grant for inclusive summer program
This summer, kids who participate in Before and After School Child Care On Location (BASCOL) in Liverpool will have the opportunity to take part in the ultimate summer experience, regardless of their needs or ability. Thanks to the National Inclusion Project, which awarded BASCOL a $10,000 grant, the child care program will present “Let’s All Play: Inclusion in Recreational Programs” at Long Branch Elementary as well as St. Ann’s School in Syracuse.
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.
John Unger and his great 1966-67 Northmen teams to be inducted to C-NS Baseball Wall of Fame
Former North Syracuse High School and Syracuse University star John Unger and his 1966-67 North Syracuse Northmen baseball teams, which won an eye-opening 43 straight games en route to back- to- back sectional championships, will be honored Friday, May 10 when Cicero-North Syracuse High School and the Northstar Baseball Booster Club hold their second annual Baseball Wall of Fame inductions at 6:30 p.m. at the Gillette Road Middle School varsity diamond.
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.
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.
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.”
Skunk problem remains a low priority for village
In August 2008 several Third Street residents appeared before the Liverpool Village Board to complain about skunks inundating the neighborhood. In April 2011 in two separate incidents, Liverpool Police officers shot and killed two skunks which had been behaving strangely in village yards in broad daylight. Last summer, two longtime Liverpool residents complained to the mayor and trustees that the odious infestation had become unbearable. Salina’s animal-nuisance wildlife trapper told one resident that he was “overwhelmed” by the extent of the skunk problem across the town and unable to prioritize village properties threatened by the pesky polecats.
Liverpool Public Library to hold budget hearing
The Liverpool Public Library Board of Trustees will be conduct a public hearing on Wednesday, at 6:30 p.m. May 1 just prior to their regular board meeting to discuss the expenditure of library funds for the fiscal year 2013-14 and the budgeting thereof.
North suburbs to host meeting on I-81
At the request of the towns of Salina and Cicero and Onondaga County Legislator Kathleen Rapp, staff from the Syracuse Metropolitan Transportation Council will provide an overview of The I-81 Challenge at 6 p.m. Wednesday, May 1 at the Holiday Inn in Liverpool (441 Electronics Parkway). The meeting will include a brief presentation from SMTC staff that will provide background information about The I-81 Challenge.
April is National Donate Life Month
Superintendent Richard N. Johns of the Liverpool school district issued an open letter to teachers, students, parents and community members on March 26 announcing his leave, just months before he was due to retire. Johns’ departure comes for a good reason: he needs a new heart. “If it was of my own choosing, I would certainly perform my job for many more years, however, factors have emerged which will not allow me to do so,” Johns said in his letter. “I am currently working with a medical team at Strong Hospital to explore receiving a new heart.” Johns is one of about 800 patients in the Central New York region waiting to receive organ transplants. The month of April is National Donate Life Month. Hospitals across the country promote awareness and education, working to expand the organ donation registry.
Something new due on Old Liverpool Road
A new gymnasium will open for business later this year on Old Liverpool Road. It’ll be located a stone’s throw from Onondaga Lake, but its name will pay homage to a faraway ocean. Pacific Health Club, Inc. of Oswego received approval from the town of Salina Planning Board to open a facility at 604 Old Liverpool Road, where the old Bresee Chevrolet and Burdick Chevrolet dealerships sold thousands of cars and trucks. In November 2011, town voters rejected a proposal that would’ve allowed the town itself to buy the property for a new town hall and town highway operations.
SAS holds first-ever Battle of the Bands at SRC Arena
Up-and-comers in the Central New York music scene will compete for prizes as well as the coveted title of “Best Band” this weekend, and they’ll support a good cause at the same time. Stand Against Suicide will host its inaugural Battle of the Bands on Saturday, April 20, at the SRC Arena at Onondaga Community College. Doors open at 11 a.m. and bands begin competing at noon. Tickets are $7 for students and $12 for adults. Eighteen bands will compete for a chance at the title as well as prizes.
North Syracuse Family Festival is May 25
The North Syracuse Family Festival will take place from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, May 25, in Lonergan Park, 524 South Main St. (behind Stickley furniture), North Syracuse with free entertainment for young and old.
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