Trenton CYO Basketball Clinic for a Cure

This was a package I produced while being an "on air" intern at WZBN TV-25 in Trenton, New Jersey.

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

By Sara Sultanik NCC News

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"

November 9, 2009

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.  

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

October 21, 2009

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.