Saturday, July 24, 2010
Friday, July 2, 2010
Gun Ruling Reaffirms Second Amendment Right
Washington D.C. - Earlier this week the Supreme Court held that Americans have the right to bear arms anywhere they live.
In the 5-4 ruling, the High Court ruled that a 30 year gun ban in Oak Park Illinois and gun control laws in Chicago were unconstitutional. The narrow ruling expanded gun laws in state and local governments.
And gun supporters were pleased with this decision: “As a former Sheriff and a gun owner,” said Congressman Brad Ellsworth in a public statement, “This ruling is an important victory for the Second Amendment and responsible Hoosier gun owners.”
And Congressman Brett Guthrie of Kentucky agreed: “[Owensboro and Evansville] are border cities and there’s just a beautiful river between the two places,” said the Congressman, “So if...Evansville has the opportunity to change gun laws or or the city of Owensboro...this says you can’t do that there’s a national standard.”
While gun supporters agreed with the ruling, gun control advocates were not upset: “We are pleased the Court helped guide the government to what we think is a common sense solution to stopping gun violence,” stated Daniel Vice, Senior Attorney with the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence.
But Vice did mention, with rights come responsibilities and it is important to always be safe when owning a weapon.
Salon Gives New Meaning to “Oily Hair”
May 26, 2010
Liverpool N.Y.-- Bayberry Hairstylists in Liverpool was always used to cutting and styling hair. And what did they normally do when the cut hair hits the floor? They threw it out.
But once they heard about the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, they began to save the hair.
Hair Cleans Up Oil Spills
“I got up...on the internet and I came up with the Matter of Trust website,” said Karen Jordan, stylist at Bayberry Hairstylists, “I really wanted the spread the word to local salons.”
Jordan stated that she believed Bayberry Hairstylists was the first salon in the Syracuse region to start collecting the hair.
The program also collects used nylons. The hair is stuffed into the nylons to create what is called a “boom”. A “boom” is a nylon reinforced with hair and plastic mesh. These “booms” are designed to absorb the oil just as hair naturally absorbs oils.
The Matter of Trust program had become so popular that there is not just one warehouse to send the hair to. It changes every week for Bayberry Hairstylists.
Everyone’s On Board
All of the stylists and customers at Bayberry Hairstylists seemed to really enjoy the fact that the hair would be going to a good cause.
“Otherwise the hair would just be going in the garbage,” said Maureen Murphy, a stylist at the salon, “I think it’s great to clean up the environment.
And Murphy’s client Mary Comfort agreed with her hair dresser, “I was impressed they took the initiative...I feel like I’m doing a good deed as a citizen,” stated Comfort.
How it All Works
After the hair fell to the ground, a stylist swept up the hair and instead of putting it into a trash can, the salon employee would place the hair into a plastic bag.
The hair just needed to be free of any debris.
This past Wednesday, Karen Jordan shipped out ten pounds of hair to the cause. And salon employees said salons in America usually average one pound of hair per day.
N. Syracuse Woman Gives Back to Group that Gave Her So Much
By: Sara Sultanik / NCC News
Whether it was your birthday or a holiday, at some point in a person’s life they receive a gift. But what if this gift changed the way you live your life?
This is what happened to Mary Jane Damiano of North Syracuse. Three years ago, Mary Jane learned about Canine Working Companions, or CWC, a Waterville based organization that trains dogs to help the elderly or those with disabilities live a fuller, or independent life.
Mary Jane’s Story
Mary Jane Damiano was diagnosed with a disorder called Ataxia when she was on fifteen years old. The disorder, which affects her speech, balance, and coordination has left her confined to a wheel chair.
But three years ago, Emma, an energetic Labrador Retriever, came to live with Mary Jane as her “Canine Companion,” performing tasks for Mary Jane that she would have difficulty doing on her own.
“She helps me do laundry, she helps me pick clothes out of the drier and puts them on my lap,” expressed Mary Jane, “she opens and closes doors...and can call 9-1-1 in an emergency.”
Mary Jane also said, having Emma around is like having a family member or a friend and Emma is “...more like a person like a person than like a dog,” because everywhere Mary Jane goes, Emma can come along as well.
Training Dogs to Help Others
Emma graduated from the CWC canine development program and, with the help of trainers, learned how to help individuals with disabilities live a more independent lifestyle.
“Dogs do amazing things to help people more than just being good pets,” claimed Ellen Martin, a dog trainer with CWC, “dogs learn to become a useful part of society.”
But excellent dog training also comes at a price. Raising one service dog can cost an upwards of fifteen thousand dollars. Most of the money comes from donors but with the tough economy, CWC has been looking for extra funds to raise the pups.
That was where Mary Jane came in.
Giving Back
For the past few months Mary Jane has been working tirelessly to raise money for CWC.
“I hope other people can get service dogs,” stated Mary Jane.
Mary Jane travels with Emma to her local Petco store and allows customers to come up to Emma and pet her in exchange for a dollar donation to CWC.
Mary Jane just wants others to experience the love and support she has received from Emma each and every day. And so far, she has raised five hundred dollars.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
CNY Students Notice Teen Pregnancy Trend
By Sara Sultanik / NCC News
March 23, 2010
Syracuse, N.Y - The most recent statistics show that teen pregnancy is on the rise for the first time in decades.
The Guttmacher Institute for reproductive and sexual health announced recently that their most recent data, from 2006, indicated that teen pregnancy rates have gone up by three percent.
But what about in Central New York?
In 2005 there were more than 49,000 teen pregnancies in New York State. 2600 of those were right here in Onondaga County.
Employees at a local social welfare agency have said there are upwards of 250 pregnant and parenting teens currently enrolled within the four Syracuse City high schools.
And according to school officials, fifteen girls at Syracuse’s Nottingham High School are pregnant.
And the Students Notice
Sophomore Kahdejah Jones sat in Ms. Lucia Ashley’s Health 2 sexual education class taking notes on the female and male reproductive system.
Kahdejah knows about teen pregnancy first hand, her sixteen year old friend is a mother of five.
“She already had two and then she got pregnant with three,” said Kahdejah.
Kahdejah also stated that teen pregnancy in Syracuse is not thought of as a big deal because a lot of girls get pregnant.
But Ms. Ashley, Kahdejah’s sex education teacher wants to make sure students in her class see that teen pregnancy is in fact a big deal.
“Some [teens] take chances that could put them at risk for STDs and pregnancy,” Ashley said, “and we want to make sure they are educated about the risks.”
Ashley teaches a comprehensive sexual education curriculum with abstinence undertone. But she knows teens, and even pre-teens are engaging in sexual activity.
“I would wish that they would realize [having a baby] will not solve anything. It’s not going to make them feel loved, it’s not going to keep anybody, it’s not going to give them what they’re looking for. It’s just going to further problems,” Ashley claimed.
A Mother in Her Teens
Nineteen year old Tammy Wight gave birth to her baby boy Xavier seven months ago.
She never took a sex education class, she dropped out of high school before she would have taken the class.
But Tammy didn’t think taking the class would have prevented her from getting pregnant: “I was in the mindset I’m going to do what I’m going to do...” claimed Tammy, “...I just wanted to party...I thought I was acting like a grown up.”
But nothing has taught Tammy to be a grown up more than being a teen mom.
Some CNY Teens Make Pledge: No Sex Until Marriage
February 17, 2010
By: Sara Sultanik / NCC News
SYRACUSE -- Sex. A word that was once taboo now part of our everyday life.
Our media is flooded with sexual imagery from sex therapists having their own television shows, to vampires having sex, and of course, sensationalized teen sex and pregnancy with shows like The Secret Life of the American Teenager, and MTV’s documentary series, Teen Mom.
And according to the Guttmacher Institute, a research institute devoted to learning about sexual and reproductive health, nearly half of all 15 to 19 year olds have had sex at least once.
But some teens choose to steer away from the temptation of having sex and choose an alternative route: abstinence.
While some teens delay from engaging in sexual activity for many different reasons, in Central New York, some teens have decided to a make a pledge. A pledge to remain virgins until marriage.
“If you like it then you shoulda put a ring on it”
Sixteen-year-old Alexis Wilson of Jamesville made a purity pledge three years ago.
“It holds you accountable for certain situations. You can look down and say I have my purity ring on I can’t,” stated Alexis, whose father, gave her the purity ring on her thirteenth birthday.
Alexis claimed, however, that the purity ring, which has the words “True Love Waits”engraved into its silver setting, is not just about sex.
“For me, it includes drinking for me it includes sex, it includes things that are against gods will for me,” said Alexis.
Alexis, who is a devout Christian, stated purity pledges aren’t just about religion, it is a personal choice. But she did say that pledges are usually made by more spiritual people.
“God made me pure and I’m going to stay that way”
The purity pledge was more of a religious choice for seventeen-year-old Josh Knight who made the pledge when he was only twelve.
“God made our bodies pure so we shouldn’t be seeing anything that you shouldn’t be seeing because certain parts of the body are sacred. You shouldn’t be touching those places nothing like that,” stated Josh.
He does not pursue girls for fear that he will be tempted into sexual activity. He will wait until his wedding night.
“It’s going to create the strongest bond the first time so if you share that bond with your wife,” claimed Josh, “you have a strong emotional bond that’s going to last. It’s going to help your marriage.”
Do These Pledges Work?
The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health released a study in 2008 which found that purity pledges do not work in the long term. In fact, over a five year span, 80 percent of those who took a purity pledge five years earlier, claimed they never made such a promise.
But Alexis and Josh think they’ll be the exception.
“I think I’ll be different because I want to be an example for my future family, maybe my kids, and I’ll be an example now for my friends,” stated Alexis.
And Josh said, although sometimes he is pressured by friends, his choice remains clear:
“I’m committed to my choice and I’m not going to make a bad choice that’ll make life worse for me just because somebody else pushed me to do it.”
These are only two faces representing the purity movement in Central New York, but it is estimated that there are many more purity pledgers in the area, at least within the Christian community.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Tanning in CNY: Too Hot to Handle?
By Sara Sultanik / Good Medicine
SYRACUSE N.Y. -- With the cold weather and lack of sun light in the winter months here in Central New York, you may like heading to the tanning bed.
But a new bipartisan bill, the Tanning Bed Cancer Control Act could, if passed, change the way many people tan. The bill would allow the government to set controls on the amount of ultraviolet (UV) radiation emitted by the beds as well as set limits on the amount of time tanners can stay inside the machines.
All of this to reduce to risks of developing melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer.
A Triathlete’s Tale
Kelly Covert of Baldwinsville was only twenty-four when she was diagnosed with skin cancer and she stated she headed to the tanning beds a few times before she was diagnosed, “I dont think it was the only reason that i got skin cancer but it certainly did not help me at all and I would never do it again.”
Kelly is now an advocate for preventing young people from using tanning beds. She does not want people to end up in the same position she was in. She said, “You know the risks and they still do it which is shocking to me but i just people are going to make their own decisions but as long as they know what they’re up against...then that’s the choice that they have to make.”
Aren’t There Any Health Benefits to Tanning?
According to dermatologist Dr. Joyce Farah, this is not the case, “There are absolutely no health benefits to being in a tanning booth,” she said, “none that have been documented whatsoever.”
Dr. Farah claimed that even in cloudy cities such as Syracuse, 80 percent of the sun’s radiation still shines through so Central New Yorkers should still be getting a good amount of Vitamin D, even in the winter months.
But Isn’t Every Salon Different?
According to Joe Contini, owner of Hakuna Matata salon in Syracuse, his salon is different than most because his employees are certified under the International Smart Tan Network.
Contini said, “We need to put a little restrictions on tanning salons...people should be certified”
Contini claimed his salon will not allow individuals who are too fair skinned to tan at his salon.
But Dominick Barbano of Garbo’s Salon in Syracuse said it is ultimately the tanner’s decision, “Act responsibly, do it in moderation, you’ll be fine.”
It is unknown at the time if the Tanning Bed Cancer Control Act will be put into place. But experts have said, even if less radiation is emitted by these machines, tanners may come into the tanning salons more often to get the same skin tone.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Trenton CYO Basketball Clinic for a Cure
Don't Let the Holidays go up in Flames
By Sara Sultanik / NCC News
December 8, 2009
Cazenovia, N.Y. - When you come to Critz Farms in Cazenovia on a Saturday morning, the first thing that hits you is the smell.
It’s the smell of winter.
The cold, brisk air that smacks you right in the face.
But its also the smell of the pine, fir, or any other type of tree that could be taken home to be transformed into a Christmas tree.
And for some at the farm, cutting down a tree was a tradition.
“We’re here with our families to pick out or Christmas tree like we do every year,” said Jeff Sherman of Manlius.
But what many Christmas Tree shoppers did not think about were the fire safety risks associated with Christmas trees.
It Takes Less Than a Minute
Captain Tom Erwin of the Syracuse Fire Department stated it takes only about thirty seconds for a tree to become fully engulfed in flames.
“A lot of it is improper use of extension cords, improper use of light...or not keeping your tree nice, fresh, and watered,” said Erwin.
Captain Erwin also claimed if needles are falling off the tree at the lot, it’s best to move on to another, fresher tree.
Many Say It’s Worth the Risk
But many Critz Farms shoppers said they dont worry about the fire safety risk.
“It’s part of Christmas, you have to have a tree!” stated Ryan Coburn of Manlius.
And another shopper, Denis Branson of Fayetteville agreed: “Life is not without risk and as long as you manage risk, the smell and the season and the enjoyment hunting for the tree is worth it.
But Captain Erwin does not want the hustle and bustle of the holiday season to make anyone forget to take the extra fire safety precautions with their tree
Shopping Our Way Into a Better Syracuse Economy
By: Sara Sultanik / NCC News
December 1, 2009
Syracuse N.Y. – The holiday season is just beginning. And it’s time for the hustle and bustle of gift shopping.
But have you ever thought that shopping could help boost Syracuse’s economy?
Well it can.
“When you spend money at a locally owned business, almost twice as much money is recirculated in the community,” said Chris Fowler, organizer of Shop Syracuse First Week.
But what is Shop Syracuse First Week?
Shop Syracuse First Week is a weeklong event promoting locally owned businesses to try and pull shoppers away from the larger retail chains back into their own backyards.
“You have nothing to lose and everything to gain and you get that personalized intimate service that you may not get at a bigger store,” said Linda “Sparky” Mortimer, owner of Sparky Town restaurant , a participant in Shop Syracuse First Week.
Shopping Local = Shopping Expensive?
But some Central New Yorkers, like Mattydale’s Christina Stasko, claimed they would want to shop at the local boutiques, but they believed the products in the stores were just too expensive.
So when planning ahead for the holidays, Stasko thought the best deals were at the big retailers, not at the local independent businesses.
“Maybe if they were a little more competitive to the other discounting places...I have four kids so it’s a lot of money to spend for Christmas.
But Eva Higgins, owner of another Shop Syracuse First Week participating store, Eva’s Boutique said she sells items of all price points and she stated, “...stop and think where this money is going...if it comes back into the local economy, it helps everybody.”
There are over seventy local businesses participating in the event that runs through December 6, 2009. And many of these businesses have special deals and events planned throughout the week.
Keeping Kids Safe One Card at a Time
November 17, 2009
Syracuse N.Y. - Experts have said that thirty-four percent of parents cannot recall their own child’s vital statistics: height, weight, and eye color.
And if ever a child, with parents within that thirty-four percent, went missing, it makes it hard for investigators to ever find that child.
But in 2005, New York State started Operation Safe Child to raise awareness about Child Safety.
With the help of many New York State Police agencies and associations, between 2005 and 2008, close to 300,000 Safe Child Cards have been processed for children in New York State.
The Safe Child Cards allow the parents to have updated information about their children right in the palms of their hands in an ID card.
Cars, Cars, and More--Babies?!
Toddlers screaming at the top of their lungs. Young ones playing with balloons. Babies quietly sleeping in their carriers.
No this was not a day care.
Would you expect to see a swarm of young children at a car dealership on a Saturday morning?
Probably Not.
But Saturday, November the fourteenth was not your normal business day at the Bill Rapp Superstore in Syracuse.
“We’ve been in this community for fifty-five years now,” said Bruce Rapp, President of the Bill Rapp Superstore Car Dealership Franchise, “and it always makes us feel good to give back to the community that has been so good to us.”
And Bruce Rapp gave back.
He invited the Onondaga County Sheriff’s Department into his new Nissan Building to process New York State Safe Child Cards for any family that came into the showroom.
“It definitely makes it a lot quicker for us in an investigation if we have the child’s pedigree information, weight, eye color, any identifying features,” stated Deputy Robin Cox of the Onondaga County Sheriff’s Department Community Relations Unit.
And the Parents Agree
And Deputy Robin Cox was not the only one who believed the Safe Child Cards and Information Database were essential.
“I think it’s just an added measure of safety...as a parent you want to do everything you can to keep your kid safe and it’s one extra thing to know the Sheriff’s Department will have their information at their fingertips if it’s ever needed,” claimed Lisa DiMatteo, a mom who brought her son to the event.
But Deputy Cox just had one more wish for this program.
“I wish we could get every kid photographed,” added Cox, “we don’t always get as many kids as we hope to. Some events we’ll have two, some events we’ll have one hundred. I wish we could just get more out and spread the word that this event is available.”
And the availability of these events allow for the children who do go missing to at least have a better chance at being found.
LaFayette Students are Getting the "Big Picture"
Sara Sultanik NCC News
LaFayette, N.Y. - Ever feel like you didn’t belong in high school? There were so many cliques: the jocks, the nerds, and the popular girls.
And the topics you were learning in class were of no importance to you. So, you didn’t do your homework.
You didn’t see a reason to go to class.
But what if there was a high school where you could self-design your own curriculum?
That’s LaFayette’s Big Picture High School. A school designed for kids who were at-risk of dropping out of their public high schools because the traditional educational model just didn’t work for them.
And New York State Assemblyman Al Stirpe recently honored Big Picture High as the “October School of the Month” due to the school’s new way of learning.
High School in an Elementary School?
You walk in. See small children scurrying through the halls. It’s C. Grant Grimshaw Elementary School in LaFayette Central School District.
But if you peek around the corner, you’ll see people you may not expect. High schoolers. Big Picture High School is housed in a few rooms right there.
“It’s just an alternate,” said Megan MacDaniel, Internship Coordinator for the Big Picture School, “There’s students in high school right now where traditional education just doesn’t work for them.”
And that traditional education model didn’t work for the thirty students attending the Big Picture School this year.
“I think it’s way better than normal high school for me,” stated Randy Crouse, a 10th grader who wants to be a recording artist, “I wasn’t really good at getting work in on time in normal high school and a lot of stuff i learned up there, I didn’t think I could use for what I want to do.
Hands on Learning
But now Randy gets to go out into the real world twice a week to intern at a guitar shop. He is also going to start interning at a radio station sometime soon.
The Big Picture High School emphasizes hands on learning through an internship on Tuesdays and Thursdays each week.
This program is a way for at-risk students to know that education can be fun too.
“Drop out rates are abysmal. It hurts to watch kids crumble and become ignored and become statistics, and we want to fight against the statistics,” stated Big Picture advisor Ken Keech.
Big Picture has been a way for kids to stay in school, graduate, and go to college. Something they may not have been able to do without this program.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Proposed NY Legislation Could Mean Required GPS Systems in Trucks
October 27, 2009
By: Sara Sultanik / NCC News
Last year, a pedestrian bridge over route 690 in Syracuse had to be taken down because a truck that was too large to fit, drove underneath anyway.
On October 14, 2009, Governor Patterson of New York proposed legislation to make sure incidents like this do not happen again in New York State.
The Proposed Legislation will:
-Increase penalties for truck drivers who illegally use parkways.
-Allow for the confiscation of trucks stopped and ticketed at the discretion of officers at the scene.
-Require all commercial trucks to use enhanced GPS systems.
-Allow the state and affected individuals to get back many of the costs associated with a bridge strike from the trucking company or their insurance carrier.
There were 1400 truck/bridge collisions in New York State over the past fifteen years. And most truck drivers agreed that the mandated GPS systems would make the roads a little bit safer.
Trucking Their Way to Safety
The soft hum of engines sing through the many truck stops in the Syracuse area.
Truckers come through Central New York from all over the country but many do not use a navigation systems.
“I don’t need it, that’s what maps are for,” said Ivey Williams, a truck driver who travels across the country from California to the New York and New Jersey region.
But Gene Cilento, Syracuse Public Information Officer of the New York Department of Transportation said he thinks it’s reasonable to request the usage of the navigation systems.
“…Whether or not the trucking industry as a whole will go along with it is another question, it’s another added expense,” claimed Cilento.
But many truckers stated the new GPS units will help you to better know where you are going so truckers do not end up going under low bridges.
Two Certified "Green" Hotels in The Emerald City
By: Sara Sultanik / NCC News
Syracuse N.Y. - Ever think staying at a hotel could help the environment? Well, you may be able to this right here in Central New York.
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation along with third party accreditation by Audubon International/Green Leaf, recently announced the “Freshman Class” of certified “green” hotels in the state.
And two of these hotels are located right here in Syracuse.
“It’s Kind of Nice”
The early morning smell of omelets, pancakes, and coffee filled the lobby of the Sheraton Syracuse University Hotel and Conference Center.
But the lobby had much more to offer than just deep red velvet couches and the chatter of the many hotel guests. The lodging has taken many steps in order to live up to its new “green” certified status.
Recently, all of the lights in the Sheraton’s lobby were changed to more energy efficient florescent bulbs.
And the energy savings did not stop there.
The hotel installed two new boilers last year which, according Chief Engineer Peter LaPage, was 85 to 95 percent more efficient than the previous boiler because it used 25 percent less fuel.
Also, the hotel started a new building-wide recycling program, installed a new eco-friendly roof, and added LCD televisions to the guest rooms which use fifteen watts less energy than standard televisions.
The hotel also installed motion sensors in the guest rooms to control heat and air conditioning when the guests enter and exit the room.
The Sheraton noticed that although these new additions could be more expensive to install, in the long run, they will save money.
“...But to be able to keep those costs down,” said LaPage, “we can pass those costs onto our guests who can pay less and also have the knowledge that...it’s green, it’s nice, it’s a good thing to do, it makes them feel better.”
And many guests did support this “green” initiative.
Guests Like the Idea
Sharon Gallagher of Connecticut was a guest at the Sheraton this week and she did not even know about this new “green” status. But she was glad she found out.
“I think it’s important that people take care of the environment. I think it’s a good idea, I support it. More businesses should be green,” stated Gallagher.
Gallagher also mentioned that she would choose a “green” place to stay over a “non-green” lodging as long as the price difference between the two was not significant.
And Across Town...
On the 700 block of Danforth Street sits a smaller “green” certified establishment called Bed & Breakfast Wellington.
The quaint lodging has been privately owned by Wendy and Ray Borg for a little more than twenty years.
Much like the Sheraton, the bed and breakfast had many eco-friendly elements.
“It’s not hard to do,” claimed owner Ray Borg, “it’s just wanting to stand up and spend the money to do it.”
And they are spending money by adding new storm doors, using cotton sheets, putting timers on lights, and adding recycling bins to each of the guest rooms.
But they still have yet to replace their standard televisions.
“You can’t just do everything, you have to do things that count the most,” stated Wendy Borg.
And right now what counted the most was gradually changing the one hundred and thirty lights in the house to florescent bulbs.
The Borgs said they believe this new “green” certification legitimized what they have been trying to do over the past twenty years.
