Onondaga County

Near Westside Initiative faces uncertain future, partners continue green revitalization
By McKenna Moore
November 14, 2017 - 4:47pm
After 11 years of funding, Syracuse University will be pulling its support from the Westside Initiative, an organization committed to revitalizing the neighborhood

When the Near Westside Initiative was founded in 2006, Syracuse University played a large role financially and administratively. Now, SU is pulling its support from the cooperative revitalization effort and taking its funding with it. This could limit future residential rehabilitation and revitalization plans that can be done in the Westside neighborhood. 

Onondaga County addresses flaws in their criminal justice system after $2 million settlement
By Laritza Salazar
April 28, 2017 - 5:08am
After a $2 million settlement was awarded to five New York counties, Onondaga County still struggles to meet demands of the criminal justice system.

The violation of the constitution has come at a price for New York state. In 2007 a lawsuit, Hurrell-Harring v. New York, was brought against five New York counties: Onondaga, Ontario, Schuyler, Suffolk and Washington.

The lawsuit sought to ensure that a lawyer represents every poor criminal defendant at their initial court appearance and that lawyers are adequately prepared to contest the charges being brought, to reduce the caseloads of public defense attorneys and to ensure criminal defendants received proper defense.

RecycleMania encourages competitive recycling
By Jackie Homan
April 19, 2016 - 5:57pm
Syracuse has come in 48th place in the eight-week competition which keeps track of the recycling data of 207 schools nationwide.

It started 15 years ago with a friendly competition between two rival Ohio colleges. Both Ohio University and Miami University had similar recycling programs, and both wanted to increase their recycling rates in dining halls and dorms. So the schools’ recycling coordinators decided to motivate students by channeling their competitive spirits — and RecycleMania was born.

“We didn’t know if it would work or not,” said Stacy Wheeler, president and co-founder of the tournament that became RecycleMania. “After the second week, I realized that we had created a monster.”

Syracuse-area man looks to move past heroin addiction
By Mary Anderson
October 6, 2015 - 6:30pm
A Central New York man recounts his struggle with heroin addiction and staying sober.

On a crisp January night, *Brent trudged through the snow, carrying his flat-screen TV to trade for cash. Hours later, he stood in his bare apartment, alone, with his newly purchased heroin needles.  

After a marathon of doping through the night, Brent decided that he could not continue down this path and called the Syracuse Behavioral Healthcare for detoxification services. Since the morning of Jan. 25, 2015, Brent has been clean. 

Before the votes are tallied, Election Day 2014
By Valerie Crowder
November 4, 2014 - 10:41pm
Democracy in Action students cover local, state and national races for the mid-term elections in Onondaga County.

Through the Democracy in Action project, undergraduate and graduate students in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications share voters' Election Day stories through photos, audio, video and text.

Students went to the polls, speaking with voters in Syracuse and the surrounding suburbs, where they heard voters' opinions about electronic voting scanners; met families casting their ballots together; and witnessed local traditions, such as Syracuse's annual Election Day spaghetti dinner.

Former Syracuse media director pleads not guilty in video case
By Tyler Greenawalt
January 16, 2013 - 12:05am
A recently-fired media director for the SU athletic department is at the center of a unlawful surveillance case involving over 100 student-athletes

The former Syracuse University athletics media director pleaded not guilty Tuesday to the charges he secretly videotaped athletes in the locker room from the spring of 2010 to fall 2012. 

Prosecutors charged Roger Springfield, 57, with four counts of unlawful surviellence. The videos were taken in the locker room of the football and men's lacrosse team, and involves at least 108 male victims, according to Onondaga County District Attorney William Fitzpatrick.

Onondaga County’s Save the Rain program exceeds 2011 goals
By Veronica Magan
September 20, 2011 - 9:45am
The Save the Rain program has set up 51 projects so far in 2011 to capture stormwater across the city as part of their Project 50 initiative.

During the Onondaga County Department of Water Environment Protection open house Saturday, Save the Rain’s program team announced the success of Project 50. Presented last March by County Executive Joanie Mahoney, this ambitious plan set the goal of constructing 50 green infrastructure projects before the end of 2011.

Portraits of Election Day 2010
By NewsHouse Staff
November 2, 2010 - 11:59pm
Syracuse University students recorded stories of politics, passion and people across Onondaga County on Election Day 2010.

Hundreds of thousands of New York voters made their voices heard on Election Day 2010, keeping Democrats in power within the state while Republicans took control nationally in the U.S. House of Representatives. 

The waste in our water
By Julia Terruso
October 12, 2010 - 2:53pm
The “Save the Rain” campaign joins the clean-up effort to stop the flow of sewage into Onondaga Lake.

Chris Gandino grabbed a quillback from out of a tank, slipped his finger between its lips and peered into the fish’s mouth. “I’m checking him for tumors and lesions,” Gandino said as the fish flopped from side to side in his hand. 

Gandino, who has worked at Onondaga County fisheries since 1987, sees fewer lesions these days.

Bullrush tramples Orange on Homecoming
By Kyle C. Leach
October 3, 2009 - 3:30pm
Mistakes on offense proved deadly for Syracuse Saturday, as the Orange fell to undefeated South Florida in the Big East opener for both teams.

Plenty of Homecoming and Big East talk filled the Carrier Dome with the air of expectation on Saturday, only to see the turnover-prone football team leave the door open and the South Florida Bulls ran right on through.  USF (5-0, 1-0 Big East) defeated Syracuse, 34-20, getting two rushing touchdown from Mike Ford while freshman B.J. Daniels accounted for two passing scores. The Orange fall to 2-3 overall and 0-1 in the Big East.