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When Tom Chapin does a benefit concert in Syracuse later this week to help Food Bank of Central New York , it turns out he's carrying on a decades-long tradition for him and his family. "It started in our family by my late older brother, the great singer-songwriter Harry Chapin. He always said the great thing about being 'quote: a star' is you have a bully pulpit. And just being a rock star can be pretty boring but maybe you can achieve some change. And he in 1975, along with Bill Ayers, founded Why Hunger, in those days it was called World Hunger Year. And that's 47 years ago and Why Hunger is still doing wonderful work." (NOTE: Extended Interview with Chapin & Lynn Hy of Food Bank below) Chapin notes through decades of being on the board of Why Hunger and doing benefit concerts, he's developed the opinion that the world can feed itself 10 times over, yet still in this nation 40 million people, including 15 million children, can't feed themselves. Why Hunger works with food banks

More than 900 Syracuse City school children will be going home with a backpack full of food every weekend thanks to a program that aims to fill gaps in hunger for under resourced families. It’s called “Blessings in a Backpack,” which has grown this year to include five schools.

The New York State Fairgrounds played host to the New York State Arms Collectors Association’s gun show over the weekend, which drew second amendment supporters and gun enthusiasts. The show has been in Syracuse since 1938. Well over 1,000 tables were set up for the buyers and sellers of the wide variety of guns, ammunition, knives, and more. One of the six directors of the show Doug Roberts says that although most of the transactions are business deals, many of them are historically driven. “It's more of a history lesson that you can touch,” Roberts said. “When we originally started in the 1930s and 1940s, it was primarily just antique arms. Today we have got civil war pieces up until Korean conflict. At the show right now, we have from the revolutionary war through the hot desert sands. So, the history lesson here is that you can touch and feel weapons that were carried or used at different wars.” Much of the show’s attraction is “what was”; many are interested in “what is” the

Health care isn't always a priority if you're homeless or in poverty. Many don't have access to care or can't afford it. But there's a collaborative effort to help some organizations fill gaps in care by offering medical and mental health services in locations you might not expect. In this episode of City Limits, Scott Willis profiles two programs that aim to put people on a path to recovery...and perhaps out of poverty.

Hendrick’s Chapel at Syracuse University opened its doors on this 9/11 to offer a time of reflection and meditation about the tragic events at the World Trade Center, Washington D.C. and Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

The Salvation Army is hoping to make inroads with a new generation of philanthropists. Echelon, a sub-organization of the Salvation Army, hosts programs and events throughout the year to raise money for the homeless and to foster engagement in the charity. CXTec executive and membership co-chair at Echelon Mike Kelly says that there is a place in the organization for young people who might not yet have the money to make large donations. “The average donor age in the Salvation Army is in their 70’s,” Kelly said . “That’s almost designed to mobilize the younger generation. It just focusses on awareness, letting people know what the Army is. It’s not a big financial ask. It’s hoping to reach kids that are coming out of college and maybe before there’s a lot of funds to give.” Echelon hopes new volunteers and future donors can help the charity maintain the force it needs to fight Syracuse’s notable homelessness problem. Kelly points out that the Salvation Army has an enormous presence in

The New York State Fair is officially underway for its 13-day run, and with it comes a few more changes in amenities and programming to improve the experience for fairgoers. Spokesperson Dave Bullard says there’s the most obvious addition… " When people walk out into the center of the fairgrounds, they're going to see something they haven't seen before. They'er going to see this massive building...90 feet tall at the peak, 440 feet long. It's a big, big building, and it's really going to be special for our non-fair business going forward." The Expo Center aside, Bullard says most fairgoers say they want more restrooms, seating, and shade. So, they purchased 300 more picnic tables, added some umbrellas, and the expo center includes six banks of restrooms. On the programming side, Bullard says they try to keep it fresh. "The heart of what we do to get people to come is to continue to change our programming. So, no one can come in and say, 'oh my God, it's the same thing I was here for

Farmworkers in Central New York and across the state are hoping to get Governor Cuomo’s attention when he opens the state fair on Wednesday. Rebecca Fuentes is with the Workers Center of CNY. " We know we're going to have this huge celebration of agriculture at the New York State Fair. we'll all go to see the dairy pavilion, the apples, everything New York offers. Let's remember who is behind that labor." Members of the Green Light New York Campaign held events Tuesday in Syracuse, Rochester, and Buffalo asking Cuomo to sign an executive order restoring the Standard driver’s license. Dairy farm worker Victor Hernandez says it would allow residents, regardless of immigration status, the freedom to drive to the hospital, grocery store, or to take their children to school. He spoke through an interpreter. "We are here, we are part of the community. This will make it easier for us to move, without fear of the police stopping us and calling border patrol. This will continue to be the cause

The results are in from a major community engagement effort to see what Syracuse residents and other stakeholders would like to see in a new police chief. Months of meetings and outreach culminated in the release of the 74-page report . The recurring themes of accountability and commitment to the community resonated with a pair of common councilors.

More than four out of five drivers older than 65 in New York State have never talked with anyone about increasing risks of traffic accidents as they age. A new AAA of Western and Central New York study has implications for safety on the roads due to more older drivers.

More than 1,000 Syracuse high school and college students were recognized with a picnic and music Thursday for spending the past six weeks working for numerous area companies and non-profit organizations.

Four hundred families in Syracuse will have a bit of an easier time getting their kids to school fed and ready to learn this year thanks to a partnership between Feed the Children and PriceRite. The Feeding Minds and Bodies campaign is offering crucial food, personal care, and school supplies to 100 families in need from each of the City school district’s four middle schools.

Onondaga County lawmakers made policy on Tuesday something that’s been unofficial practice for decades. They unanimously approved a measure that codifies the consideration of minority and women business enterprises, or MWBE’s for county contracts.

TCG Player is expanding its downtown office in the Galleries of Syracuse this summer into a headquarters like you’ve never seen before. The tech start-up will be renovating 44,000 square feet into an open floor, fantasy themed space complete with an enormous dragon hanging overhead with a two-story slide for a tail.

The 48 custom lanes have been dismantled and the Oncenter is definitely much quieter after the U.S. Bowling Congress packed up and left town last week.

The 19 th annual Syracuse Nationals Auto Show began Friday morning, and thousands from across the U.S. and Canada were there to drive onto the State Fairgrounds and secure their parking spots. The largest car show in the Northeast draws classic cars owners who often invest lavish amounts of money to trick-out their rides. Media spokesperson Bob McClean says the show helps to pump more than $13 million into the local community. "It comes obviosuly from hotel rooms, as well as restaurants, gasoline purchases and other shopping that goes on during the show. We're very proud that it has had that impact." Over the years, the show has raised $1.3 million for local charities. Art Schilling of Artie’s Party helped raise a significant portion of that donation with his friends who pinstripe and auction off some exquisite art work in the Horticulture Building. “Every one of us here are very grateful for the fact that we make a living basically playing with crayons. We're artists. On a personal

Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh is calling a railroad bridge inspection report “woefully inadequate” in order to determine if the railroad viaduct through the city is safe. The summary report comes two weeks after two 40-foot concrete sidewalls tumbled onto South Clinton Street. It’s clear Walsh is a bit frustrated by the lack of information regarding the condition of the structures beyond their “capacity to safely carry traffic” as stated in the report of an inspection performed two years ago. Given the July 5 th wall collapse, Walsh says the designation is clearly not sufficient to deem the bridges safe. “ Key sections of the report also call into question the reliability of the inspections performed. For example, the area of the collapse is described as in ‘fair to good condition.’ More troubling, only 13 of the 35 structures were characterized as ‘no safety hazards found.’ With that limited information provided, we can only conclude the remaining 22 structures pose some safety hazard to

The Urban Delights Farm Stand re-opened today in its first appearance this season at the Downtown Syracuse Farmers’ Market. Residents gravitated towards the fresh produce. Youth ranging from 15 to 21 years-old operate the stand as a summer job. They’re hired through Central New York Works or Jubilee Homes to garden and sell their crops around Syracuse. 19-year-old Karisa Kirby is one of ten workers who not only gain work experience, but also educate CNY’s youth about organic produce. “We have got a lot of kids that come and they have never touched soil in their life. They’re like, ‘What’s a compost?’” Kirby said . “One thing they know about is maybe collard greens but a lot of the vegetables they really don’t know anything about.” Some young adults such as Ira Dancil started this program with no gardening experience. But he and others now know what it takes to grow fruits and vegetables. “First they taught me how to plant seeds, then maintenance by weeding, so it keeps the plants

A nearly forgotten WWI monument on the southern edge of Downtown Syracuse will be rededicated Sunday to mark the 100 th anniversary of the regiment and battle it commemorates. WAER News met Curator of History at the Onondaga Historical Association Bob Searing at the monument in Billings park bound by S. Warren, E. Adams, and S. Salina Streets. A rededication ceremony will be held Sunday from noon to 3:00, with the official program from 12:30 to 1:30. It’ll feature a formal military call to assembly, posting of the Guard, Invocation and Benediction, in addition to several speakers, including writer Sean Kirst. A 100 th anniversary commemorative plaque will also be installed on the monument.

Syracuse Police are investigating what’s behind a rise in “spike” overdoses this week. Synthetic marijuana overdose cases across the city have increased from one or two per day, to upwards of 20, with more likely going unreported. Sergeant Rick Helterline says this may be due to what he calls a “bad batch.” “This stuff is just a mixture of chemicals. The people who are buying have no idea what's in there. It's not regulated in any way, it's not monitored. What we found recently is something that's in whatever they're using is causing more severe reactions than usual.” Reported overdoses are affecting a wide age range, from people in their teens into their 60’s. Officers are monitoring interactions this week in an attempt to track down the source of the batch. Helterline says the unpredictability of the drug is making it especially challenging to track. "We haven't been able to track the specific batch or specific brand that is causing this. The way they package it, it could be the same