Near West Side

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. 

November 7, 2017 - 12:55pm
Syracuse is home to nearly 12,000 people of Puerto Rican descent that, along with other Syracuse residents, are working to gather and deliver donations to the island after Hurricane Maria.

Nearly six weeks after Hurricane Maria decimated the island of Puerto Rico, the effects of the storm are still being felt on the island and in Syracuse. The city is home to nearly 12,000 people of Puerto Rican descent, according to the U.S. Census. These ties to the island have made Syracuse a hub for relief efforts. 

November 1, 2017 - 3:30pm
The owner of the supermarket wants to work with the Syracuse City School District to bring jobs back to the Near West Side by using Nojaim Brothers Supermarket's building to house the district's soon-to-be-outsourced food services.

Following the closing of Nojaim Brothers Supermarket in October, which resulted in the loss of approximately 50 jobs, owner Paul Nojaim plans to put the building that housed the store to good use. He said that he put his building in a pool to be considered as a location for the central kitchen that will hold Syracuse City School District’s outsourced food services.

September 5, 2012 - 2:20am
After years of moving around, Rick Destito returned to Central New York to try to breathe a new culture into the area by providing a space designated for artists and entrepreneurs.

When he left Central New York 14 years ago, Rick Destito had the same attitude many people still have. He complained about high taxes and the weather, and he yearned to leave town.

When he returned here a few years later, Destito had a new outlook and ideas about how to change people’s perceptions of Syracuse. He wondered if bringing what he admired in other cities to Syracuse could make it a better place to be.