Seen at the New York State Fair
By NewsHouse Staff
September 3, 2015 - 11:20am
Photographers explore the the New York State Fairgrounds in search of moments and images that capture the annual event.

Midway rides. Fried foods. Animal exhibits. Live music.

For nearly two weeks at the close of every summer, the New York State Fair serves up these in hopes of generating memories for hundreds of thousands of people.

With a wide array or entertainment, exhibits and foods, the opportunities seem endless for nearly 1 million visitors expected during the 12-day event.

Challenges don't strap Syracuse leather craftsman
By Yufei Wu
May 22, 2015 - 2:10pm
Ralph Minnifield discovered his passion for leather crafting after retirement. And, he won't let any obstacles stop him from his work.

Ralph Minnifield never considered leather making his job.

He worked as a truck driver for pay and admired a sturdy leather backpack he once ordered from Jim DeWitt’s store on James Street in Syracuse. So when he retired in Syracuse from driving, he visited DeWitt — this time shopping for a leather-crafting mentor.

DeWitt is now one of Minnifield’s best friends.

“He taught me how to create and love what you are doing,” Minnifield said. “If there is anything he didn't know, he referred me to others who can help.”

The Stickmaker of Onondaga Nation
By Liam Daniel Pierce
May 6, 2015 - 2:57pm
Stickmaker and lacrosse player Alf Jacques carves world-renowned sticks for players using the tools in his Onondaga Nation shop.

Alfie Jacques, his black shirt freckled with wood chips and sawdust, tipped his workbench down from its side and examined a bent piece of wood.

“Every stick is unique,” Jacques said, eyeing the grain of this particular piece of Hickory. “There’s no two alike, even from the same tree.”

Humor and Heart: Ted & Amy's dynamic personalities propel radio show success
By Shaye Farrance
April 26, 2015 - 6:29pm
The two have hosted the morning show together for 26 years, cementing their status as radio legends in Central New York.

If you’re not from Central New York, you wouldn’t expect a discussion about colonoscopies on a top 40 radio station.

But if you are, you know that’s just an added bonus of listening to Ted & Amy.

Ted Long and Amy Robbins are the hosts Ted & Amy In The Morning, a daily radio show on the Syracuse radio station FM -93.1 (better known as “93Q”). The local community knows the two for their hilarious and heartfelt personalities.

Born and bred in Syracuse, Mark Muhammad hopes to make impact as school board member
By Tyler Piccotti
April 2, 2015 - 10:29am
Muhammad is familiar with the conditions of public schools and has close ties to the greater Syracuse community.

When Mark Muhammad was a young child, his father would drive him and other children around local neighborhoods in a garbage truck belonging to the Syracuse Department of Public Works. They took rakes, shovels and brooms and went to work cleaning up the clutter that lay on city streets.

But after a month went by and the mess returned, Muhammad would get frustrated and ask why they were doing it. No one else was out cleaning, and he couldn’t stand the work in the first place.

Tech Garden expands, supports new and mature businesses in Central New York
By Yufei Wu
March 3, 2015 - 5:41pm
New Tech Garden space provides resources, incubator space for growing technology businesses.

In February, the Syracuse Technology Garden expanded into an 18,000 feet space in AXA Tower, right next to the original location, to accommodate the growth of local innovative businesses.

Despite cold weather residents in Tipperary Hill celebrate Green Beer Sunday
By Mitti-Megan Hicks
February 24, 2015 - 1:58am
Syracuse is suffering through a brutal winter, but hundreds still gathered at Coleman's Irish Pub for Green Beer Sunday.

The freezing temperatures this past week did not stop one community located on Syracuse's Far Westside from celebrating their annual Green Beer Sunday.

Coleman’s Irish Pub, located in Tipperary Hill, started the tradition over five decades ago. 

"My grandfather started Coleman’s in 1933,” said parade organizer Beth Coleman Deehan. “This started 52 years ago just as a way to get some excitement when in the middle of a dreary winter and get people looking forward to spring.”

Creativity, competition flourish in robotics state championship
By Irfan Uraizee
February 11, 2015 - 1:48pm
Students formed teams, constructed robots and pitted them against one another in the statewide robotics competition.

The crowd roared at Onondaga Community College’s SRC Arena and Events Center.

“30 seconds left in the round. 30 seconds," an announcer blared into the microphone. "Blue team leads red team. Looks like it’s going to be a close one folks.” 

As female entrepreneurship at SU grows, programs needed to aid them fail to keep up
By Jocelyn Delaney
February 3, 2015 - 1:18am
SU female students show interest in starting their own companies, but the school fails to provide female-specific training on-campus or women-owned business competitions.

As a petite woman with not-so-petite breasts, Eileen Bell knew she wouldn’t find a cute bathing suit that also fit her body for spring break. That’s the thought that sat in her mind as she reunited with her friend Paige Chilson during winter break last year from Syracuse University and High Point University. Bell shared her frustration with Chilson.

SU machinist, Taxi Man spends free time driving his taxi cab
By Chase Guttman
January 30, 2015 - 5:17pm
A local Syracuse man rebuilt his taxi and offers people like SU coach Jim Boeheim rides.

A row of antique yellow-checkered taxicabs lined the road of Brooklyn’s dilapidated Box Street in June. The vehicles stood out with vivid hues on a street populated by warehouses. While this Checker Car Club of America’s annual convention might seem an oddity for most New Yorkers, it’s a tradition for 53-year-old Syracuse resident Phillip Arnold.