Sarah Hall
Editor, Eagle Star-Review
315-434-8889
Ext: 310
Recent Stories
Voters approve Liverpool school budget
In Liverpool, voters approved the budget by a vote of 1,151 to 651. The $135 million budget, which restored several positions cut in previous budgets as well as foreign languages at the seventh-grade level, called for a 4.71 percent tax increase, which, accounting for PILOTS, new construction and other factors, falls within the tax cap.
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.
North Syracuse BOE candidate profiles
North Syracuse will hold its budget and board of education vote Tuesday, May 21. Residents will vote for three BOE members; four candidates are running. The polling places are open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.; if you live north of Route 481, vote at Cicero Elementary on Route 31. Residents living south of Route 481 should vote at the district office, 5355 W. Taft Road, North Syracuse. The budget itself is $144 million. The estimated tax increase is 5.33 percent; the tax impact is about $23.10 per $100,000 of assessed value. The budget includes full-day kindergarten. The full budget can be found at nscsd.org. Read on for profiles of the candidates.
Liverpool BOE candidate profiles
Liverpool will hold its budget and board of education vote Tuesday, May 21. The polling place, open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., is Liverpool High School, 4338 Wetzel Road, Liverpool. Voters will choose three representatives for BOE; three candidates are running. The budget itself is $135 million and represents a 4.71 percent increase over last year's budget. The tax levy increased by 5.2 percent; the tax impact is estimated at 4.2 percent. The full budget can be found at liverpool.k12.ny.us. Read on for profiles of the candidates running for BOE.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Local FDs hold open houses for Recruit NY weekend
All across the country, men and women volunteer to help others on their worst days. In Onondaga County in particular, most of the fire departments and EMS services are staffed entirely by volunteers. In order to keep those agencies staffed, fire departments across the state will hold open houses this weekend to encourage residents to volunteer for the fire service. The state-wide recruitment drive, Recruit NY, will be held April 27 and 28 at the tail end of National Firefighter Week. Nearly all departments will open their doors to anyone interested in learning more about how the departments operate or how to apply to be a member. The program aims to bring fresh faces to the departments and to showcase what local departments are doing. The events will include opportunities to speak to firefighters, try on turnout gear and breathing apparatus, obstacle courses and more.