WAER 88.3 News | NPR from Central New York

300 youth and ten-thousand trees in 15 years. That’s the impact of the Onondaga Earth Corps , which is holding an anniversary celebration and annual fundraiser this weekend.

Hundreds of Central New York current and former military service members attended a Veterans Day event at the Oneida Nation today, kicking off the holiday observance. The Oneidas thanked them for their service to the country, while emphasizing the bond the Oneida Nation has had with the US through the years.

People who enjoy the New York State Fair will once again have the chance to get a taste of the event in the middle of winter. The fairgrounds new Expo Center allows organizers to put rides, shows, food vendors and other staples of the summer event into a venue suitable for the cold season. State Fair Director Troy Waffner expects tens of thousands to come … and jokes he has to fill the huge event space in which New York State invested millions. " How do we fill this building? When the governor built it, he was pretty clear with his mandate: Fill it, or...he didn't say 'be fired,' but I assume that's what he meant at the end of the day. The first real year of booking it...the Winter Fair is a really standard in that in February." Waffner and Promoter Steve Becker say there will be an indoor Ferris wheel, along with a mini-midway, familiar food vendors, a variety of music acts, and fireworks Friday and Saturday nights. County Executive Ryan McMahon supports the event. He notes it helps

Central New Yorkers faces an election in November with dozens of local offices on the ballot for positions that decide things such as tax rates, education policy, and district lines. But voter turnout in elections with primarily local races has been historically low. In light of this, community groups and political researchers are asking what will get people engaged?

In this episode of Her Hilltop High, University Archivist Meg Mason tells us about past first year student traditions . This includes wearing beanies to identify yourself and sometimes getting salt thrown at you.

It’s not always easy to have a conversation with youth -- let alone those in poverty – about a positive future. The Good Life Youth Foundation in Syracuse is touting some of its success by using an approach that engages kids in their ‘cultural language.’

Residents in some Syracuse neighborhoods who’ve had concerns about problem corner stores for years are hoping new zoning rules might provide some relief. If you drive or walk through parts of the north, south, or near west sides, it's hard to miss the proliferation of stores, sometimes several within a few blocks.

Students at Moses DeWitt Elementary School tried something new at lunch Tuesday, but it had nothing to do with food. It’s called “Mix it Up at Lunch Day,” where students sit with a different group of peers at lunch.

The Central New York Poor People’s Campaign hopes to highlight contemporary injustice and discrimination by looking back on 400 years of history. The 1619 Project will hold open discussions on the lasting effects of slavery on Sunday.

Syracuse Common Councilors Monday are expected consider a sidewalk snow removal plan that nearly doubles the miles of sidewalks to be cleared for the coming winter. Last season, JSK snow removal was the only contractor who responded to the city’s call later in the season, and cleared 40 miles of sidewalk from February to April. DPW Transportation Planner Neil Burke told councilors at a committee meeting today that they used data to add 38 more miles of sidewalk to this year’s routes. “ If you look at the map, these routes all sort of snake back together. So we’re creating a useable network, year round for pedestrians: based on safety, based on traffic volumes, and based on where we know folks are going,” said Burke. Burke says they focus on major arterials and routes near schools, shopping centers, and doctor’s offices. Chief Operating Officer Corey Driscoll Dunham says they had a successful initial run last season, and expect to find even more efficiencies this year. “ The GPS units

Monday marks the traditional Columbus Day holiday, but some members of the community will instead be celebrating Indigenous Peoples' Day at Syracuse’s Inner Harbor. Organizers say there’s been a growing movement to change the commemoration. Andy Mager with Neighbors of the Onondaga Nation says they’re also trying to educate people about the slaughter and slavery brought about by Columbus and others that followed. "There's no effort to dishonor Italian Americans, but rather to say Christopher Columbus is not someone we as a community should be celebrating. Certainly there are many people from Onondaga and other indigenous peoples who are deeply pained by this celebration of Columbus Day, who feel it's another message that they don't matter, that the suffering that indigenous peoples have endured doesn't matter." Mager says seven states and hundreds of cities and towns have changed their commemorations to Indigenous Peoples' Day. He acknowledges any change gets more complicated in New

More than 50 Syracuse community members joined others across the nation Friday to protest the refugee camps along the Mexico-United States border. “Close the camps!, close the camps!, close the camps!... ” they chanted. Worker’s Center of Central New York organizer Kayla Kelechian says President Trump’s immigration policies are adding to a pre-existing problem. “ The Trump administration has abused and broken an outdated immigration system to divide communities, separate families, put children in cages, and create chaos at the border. Jeopardizing both our national security and our commitment to human rights.” said Kelechian. Also, longtime activist Ursula Rozum spoke to the crowd assembled in front of the federal building. “As a white family coming from Europe, we have never faced the kind of racial profiling and criminalization that we see immigrants of color facing today and for many, many decades. When we look at the criminalization of migrants right now, it’s an outgrowth of what

Refugee resettlement programs have to cover a lot, from teaching English to job training to housing assistance. But one aspect of well being is often overlooked: mental health.

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand made a stop in Syracuse Wednesday to announce legislation that aims to reverse decades of segregation and limited opportunity caused by I-81 through the city.

Senator Chuck Schumer stopped at Vera House today to call on senate leadership to allow a vote on the re-authorization of the Violence Against Women Act, or VAWA. The legislation expired eight months ago, and the House already passed a five-year extension.

Syracuse community members gathered outside of city hall Friday to recognize World Cerebral Palsy Day . On October 6, Syracuse and cities in over 80 countries around the world will raise awareness about the neuro-motor condition, and urge people of all abilities to exercise and play together.

An Onondaga County Lawmaker who supports the construction of a massive distribution center on the site of the current Liverpool Golf and Country Club says the public seems split 50/50. A public hearing was held this week at Liverpool High School.

A community group is trying to prepare city residents for the thousands of jobs the Interstate 81 construction project will bring. The Urban Jobs Task Force is holding a community engagement forum Monday evening.

The first episode of Her Hilltop High starts at the very beginning of Syracuse University in 1870. We'll look at many beginnings: The first building on campus, the first football game, and the first times the chimes rang from Crouse College.

The latest numbers from the US Census Bureau show the poverty rate in the City of Syracuse declined to 30 percent in 2018 to its lowest rate in a decade. Mayor Ben Walsh says that’s down about two percent from 2017. “ The fact that 30 percent of citizens in the city live below the poverty line is no reason for celebration. The progress that we're making in decreasing the number is reason to be encouraged, and gives us motivation that we are on the right track.”