Are Energy Drinks Really Worth the Buzz?

That extra boost might be giving you more than you bargained for.

By: Tracy Kracker, NCC News















Energy drinks are a fast-growing, five billion dollar industry, and a popular fist choice source of caffeine for anyone needing a boost or a buzz. Matija Popovich is one of them. When Popovich needs help staying awake delivering sandwiches until three o’clock in the morning, he reaches for an energy drink, instead of coffee.

“It’s not like an addiction, oh I need one. It just makes the job you do easier, whatever you do, focus or physical,” Popovich said.

The industry is focusing on young adults like Popovich. Research says people 18 to 24 are nearly twice as likely to use energy drinks. But they might come with more than consumers bargain for. One eight ounce serving of an energy drink can have up to as much caffeine as four cans of coke. But, cardiologist Dr. Michael Gabris said excessive caffeine can be dangerous.

“It won’t lead to heart attacks, but caffeine can cause a racing heart beat. It can lead to dizziness, light-headedness, and in high doses, it can cause you to faint,” Gabris said.

Heavy use can lead to even more caffeine consumption. Nutritionist Michelle Gallant said caffeine can be addictive.

“When you get into those higher doses, you’re not getting the stimulant effect of it anymore. You’re kind of avoiding the withdrawal from the caffeine,” Gallant said.

Despite these risks, young adults are still turning to energy drinks for that extra boost. And, they found a new use for drinks them as mixers with alcohol. But, the blend of a stimulant with a depressant comes with its own dangers. Energy drinks can mask some of the clues telling a person they are drunk, which can lead to more drinking. Dr. Kate Carey is a psychologist who studies alcohol use among college students.

“What people say is when they use it at the same time, they’re feeling alert. They keep drinking,” she said, “and, when the energy drink wears off, the alcohol hits them hard.”

Alex Bercheck is a graduate student at Syracuse University. He said his favorite drink is Red Bull and vodka, which he calls the devil’s drink.

“Alcohol gives you ideas to do all these stupid, crazy things you usually don’t have the energy to do because you’re like, ‘oh, I’m drunk.’ But,” he said, “with Red Bull vodka, you get the energy and stupid ideas.”

Wiihab

Wiihab Helps Therapy Woes in Central New York
Westbrook Shortell, N-C-C News.

Wii Would Like to Play

For the past two years Nintendo’s new gaming system has really revolutionized the gaming industry. The Wii has a unique remote. It’s wireless, enabling the player to experience a different kind of gaming. In games like Wii sports, it allows the player to actually mimic real life movements.


Wii is Making P.T. Less Like Physical Torture and More Like… Playing Video Games

It’s the free motion and mimicking that therapy is taking advantage of. At the Nottingham Senior Retirement Community, the Wii is helping its residents regain their independence. Rita Fahey, a Nottingham resident used to love to play golf. She said “… I used to play at least two or three eighteen holes a week.” When the first video game came out Rita was 57. But she said she is using the Nintendo Wii to get back out onto the links. “I think it’s given me a lot of metal therapy as well as physical therapy because it reminds me that I loved to play golf and be outside exercising and walk and when you walk on a long golf course you're getting a lot of exercise”

Kelly Van Auken-Mason, an Occupational therapist at the Nottingham, said important core excercizes can be accomplished on the wii and patients can have a good time doing it. “ The trend right now in therapy is the core, the trunk, the stability and that really is vitally important for this population. A lot of the core excersizes we do are kind of boring… You can actually do that on the Wii with the golf shot because you’re getting a lof of lateral movement and they’re actually having to balance their body more”

WiiHab Helping turn Strokes Into Strikes

At the SUNY Upstate Medical Center, the Wii is helping stroke patients get better. Bob Maybee Jr. was an avid fisherman. He took ESPN crews out on Onondaga lake and Oneida lake to shoot video for Bass Master tournaments. A few months ago, a stroke immobilized the left side of his body, chanign his life forever. A few days before playing the Wii, he couldn’t even stand. Now, with help, Maybee is able to play almost half a full game of Wii bowling. Donna Simms, a certified recreational therapist, said the Wii is helping stroke patients reestablish pathways in our brain damaged by strokes. “Every time [patients] do [Wii] movements they are challenging their brain to do something to create a new path to go in a place that they haven’t been able to go and asking their brain to Find another route. “ Simms said the button sequences and then the actual movement of the remote are what reestablishes the pathways.

Are Medical Students Losing Their Marbles?



While patients are learning how to regain their independace, A preliminary study at the Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center is finding video games are actually improving med students performance in practice surgeries. Dr. Marshall Simth and Kavil Kahol had a group of students play the game Marble Mania for one hour before performing a practice laporoscopic gall bladder surgery. The students who did play the game scored almost fifty percent higher on the surgery than those who didn’t. Dr. Smith said, “There is a 92 percent correlation between the game and a surgeon… the test didn’t really measure cognitive skills decisions, it measured psycho motor skills and that was very good.”

Wii want results

The medical world is now unlocking secret levels with te healing powers of the Wii. Patients like Bob Maybee and Rita Fahey are using the Wii for their own benefit. What parents once thought of as a nuisance is now changing people's lives.

Downtown Living is a Growing Trend Among Syracuse Residents

By: Chelsea Pizzi, NCC News, Syracuse

For years, businesses and homeowners have been turning out the lights and leaving downtown Syracuse, but now, the trend is reversing with big changes in neighborhoods around Armory and Clinton Square, and in Little Italy.

They Buy a Lifestyle

"When people by downtown they pay more per square foot than if you buy in the suburbs, but you buy a lifestyle," said Ann Clifford, owner of Enlighten Realty in Armory Square.

An urban revival is currently underway downtown with new building projects, and new pioneers are discovering downtown life can be both a curse and a blessing.

"There is more activity down here," said Clifford.

Typical Downtown Resident

The typical downtown resident is either a young professional or an empty-nester.

Rick Albright said his condo in the Loews Building is where he lives during the work week because his hour-long drive from his home in Canandigua got to be tiring.

Buyers are paying up to $2,000 monthly mortgages for one and two bedroom condos, and taxes are a little over $3,000 a year.

Albright said he also purchased a second condo downtown in the new Jefferson Clinton Commons. Ground was just broken on this new development two weeks ago. It will be located across the street from the MOST near Armory Square.

Buyers are paying up to $500,000 for two bedroom condos in the JCC.

Jay Dietershagen is a bartender and part-owner of Al's Wine & Whiskey--convenience was the selling point for him. He can see his newly purchased $220,000 condo in Center Armory from his position behind the bar.

"A lot of people, they're like, 'oh, you're gonna live at work,' and the reality is, I live at work now, so the fact that I can run home and make a sandwich, or take a shower, or do whatever I have to do--the convenience is so key for someone like me," said Dietershagen.

Paying More for Quality

"Quality is selling best," said Clifford.

High ceilings, exposed brick, granite counter tops, and hardwood floors are common expectations from a downtown buyer.

David Tiberio is the owner of cheapbooks.com, and rents an apartment on East Water Street for $1,700 a month.

"If you go into a suburban home and rented some place there--they usually don't remodel it for someone like me--who wants to pay more for a quality place," said Tiberio.

"It's good for the area--clean up the whole area and every body's happy," said Cosimo Zavaglia, a downtown developer.

Zavaglia is a trail-blazing developer, he has developed several buildings in the past and more recently renovated 466 Salina Street--an old bowling alley turned luxury apartment building.

Downfalls

While the perks to living downtown are closeness to restaurants, bars and shopping, some every day necessities are limited--like parking and grocery stores.

"You have to go out in the suburbs pretty much to do your grocery shopping--there's a store down here that's small and not open a lot of hours," said Albright.

That store is C.L. Evers Grocery in the Amos Building--the only downtown grocery store.

"The experience is worth the little extra inconvenience," said Clifford.

"I couldn't ask for anything more than to be where I am right now," said Dietershagen.

Residents say the limited services do not outweigh their excitement and comfort over their downtown lifestyles, and they say they are optimistic for further downtown growth as the Downtown Committee has more than twenty development projects in the works.

Boxing in Syracuse

By Ginger Whitaker, NCC News.

Syracuse Tradition

In Syracuse, the name "Rinaldi" is synonymous with boxing and has been for decades. Three generations of the Rinaldi's work in family-owned boxing gyms. Over the years, getting young kids into the boxing gym has become a priority.
Damian Rinaldi, the North Side gym's head coach, has trained lots of its kids. According to Damian, keeping kids committed to training is often a challenge. "A lot of kids come and go. Not a lot of kids stay because it is tough...but the ones that do stay excel and they do very well," he said.

Making Bonds

Despite the challenging nature of training for boxing, many teenagers find it to be life-changing. Ken Layton, a junior at Liverpool High School, has been boxing for six months. "It requires a lot of discipline on everyone's part, even people coaching you," said Layton. According to him, the bonds made in the gym are strong. Damian agrees and said win or lose, they're a team. "To work for months and training and training and to lose is a horrible feeling and it's tough on everybody as a team. We train as a team, we go to fights as a team," he said. There are many kids on this team. There's barely room enough at Rinaldi's other gym on the West Side for kids to move around the ring.

Academic Training

Training at the Rinaldi gyms is not limited to the physical, but also includes the academic. Currently, three classrooms are being built at the West Side Gym so kids can get in more study time before and after boxing classes. Trainer Frank Alagna said he'll sometimes check report cards to ensure kids stay on track. He understands. As a young teen Alagna was sent away to reform school but later on, it was Rinaldi's boxing gym that saved him, he said.

"Ray's Kids"

Alagna calls himself one of "Ray's kids" and says Ray encouraged him to go to college - something he's also encouraging his young boxers to do. "I know where they're coming from...when they look at me, they see a reflection of themselves. Where I go, they can go. Where I am, they can be," said Alagna.

Having young kids learning to box is something that brings a smile to Ray Rinaldi's face. "We don't make boxers out of these kids, we make good, normal citizens," he said. Ray said the more kids come in, the more they improve. He also said their success does nothing but make him proud.

Cornell Big Red Clinch Title

Third title of all time, 1st in 20 years
By: Josh Pick, NCC News

ITHACA, NY - Cornell is the Ivy League champ for the first time in twenty years. The Big Red stopped the domination by Penn and Princeton by running through the conference slate undefeated, finishing the season with only their second twenty win season of all time (22-6).

IVY LEAGUE CHAMPS

Cornell clinched the title at Newman Arena with a win against Harvard. When the final buzzer sounded, the "Red Sea" of almost 4,500--Cornell's only sellout this season--stormed the floor to celebrate. The atmosphere was electric as the team, followed by Coach Donahue (with his 4 year old son in his arms) cut the nets.

TEAM TALKS ABOUT WINNING

The players talked afterward about winning the championship. "We made it, so I'm happy," said Louis Dale, the Ivy League Player of the year. Ryan Whitman, the son of Minnesota Timberwolves head coach, Randy Whitman, joined Dale on the league's first team. Jason Hartford is a senior. His reaction was one of total glee: "It's a dream come true. Growing up, you watch it, and you want to get there, and we're there now," said Hartford. Coach Donahue thought the night couldn't have ended any better way: "Cutting down the net with my son in my arms, in front of 4,000 fans...it can't get any better," said Donahue.

OLDER FANS BASK IN CHAMPIONSHIP

Some life-long fans were able to take in the game, as well. Sandy Kuntz has been coming to games for over fifty years. She said this team has brought about a different level of excitement to the community: "Everyday goes by...we hear people talking Cornell basketball, and we haven't heard that in a really long time, so it's really special to us," said Kuntz. John Perko has volunteered for Cornell Athletics for sixty-one years. He said this win means more than just a basketball game: "Winning the championship is euphoric...very proud to the community, proud to the university, and proud for the alumni," said Perko.

NOT SO FAST, CINDERELLA

For fans in Ithica, getting out of the cold and following their team to Anaheim was special. But when they got there, they found out the slipper doesn't always fit for Cinderella--Stanford got ahead early and cruised to a 77-53 victory.

FUTURE LOOKS BRIGHT

However, the future looks bright for Cornell. They only lose one player, Jason Hartford, while returning two all-league players. Expect the Big Red to do big things next year.

Alternative stress therapies gaining popularity in CNY

By: Ashley Kalena, NCC News

The American Psychological Association says one-third of Americans are living with extreme stress, a number that is up by 48% in the past five years. The demands of work are changing. Northwestern National Life reports one-fourth of employees view their jobs as the number one stress factor in their lives.

Imbalanced Body

In the past some people turned to prescription drugs to control their stress but our culture of over medication has driven more and more people to alternative and more natural therapies that soothe the nerves and relax the mind without side effects. Virginia Waldron, a hypnotist at Gatekeeper Alternative Therapries in Fayetteville says too much stress makes the body imbalanced. "“Our current lifestyles are very much constantly on guard, constantly ready for the next fight or flight or whatever and that sends all sorts of chemical responses to the body."

Alternative Stress Therapies

66% of Americans say they’re likely to seek help for their stress. So its no wonder the stress reduction industry is booming. Tai Chi, meditation, Pilates and hypnosis are just some of the ways people are relaxing these days in a growing trend.

Karen Loeffler, Manlius, has been teaching Pilates for eight years. Loeffler said that with everyone being on the go these days, you need an exercise that can be done anywhere and Pilates fits that requirement. "You go on vacation, you go away for work, you can do it wherever you go because all you need is your body.”

Donna Klein, Skaneatles, has been practicing transcendental meditation for 37 years. Klein said the key to relaxing is establishing a way to calm your body down. “When your body is doing TM, your body is resting so deeply, that it’s throwing off stress.”

Do it yourself

Tai Chi and Pilates are something that can be done on your own once you’ve taken some classes and the same goes for meditation. The breathing exercises in hypnosis can always be practiced without being hypnotized.

Wrestling has a hold on CNY

Area training facility grooms wrestles, keeps them safe

By: Doug Plagens-NCC News

LIVERPOOL- Today's world of professional wrestling involves the same cartoonish bodies and off-screen controversey it did decades ago. However, today's performers are challenged by higher-risk maneuvers, which are often accompanied by objects like tables, ladders, and folding chairs. Because of this, wrestlers are laying their bodies on the line more than ever, and predetermined outcomes are not nearly enough to ease the pain.



"Wrestling is the most demanding sport I've ever been in," said "Main Event" Jason Axe, a wrestler for the Central New York-based Squared Circle Wrestling, or 2CW as it's affectionately known.

Another 2CW star, "Redneck Gordy Wallace" agreed with Axe, saying that "I don't know what people think, but you fall on concrete, it's concrete. You fall on boards, it's boards," Wallace said.

But where do these performers learn their crafts? Central New York has one training center, which is affiliated with 2CW and located in Liverpool. The head trainer is Derek Martel, a college professor and aeronautical enginner by day, and a wrestler named Zaquary Springate III by night. The training center has been in place for nearly a decade, and despite all the physical risks in wrestling today, Martel says his school has avoided any serious injuries.

"It's technique and it's being safe and we've never really had anyone seriously injured up here because I run a safe school. I teach them how to protect themselves; protect their opponent, and it's really all in technique," Martel said.

But other everyday people participate in the wrestling business as well. Wallace is a retail manager, and Axe is a college student. 2CW star Isys Ephex is a disc jockey. But while normal people can be professional wrestlers, the wrestlers themselves note that it takes a special kind of person to enter the squared circle.

"People might do it because, hey, there's a big paycheck in it. There's not," Wallace said.

Wrestler J.D. Love was a bit more blunt.

"You've got to be pretty messed up [to be a wrestler]," he claimed.

Because wrestlers are no strangers to injury risk. Martel, as if he were shrugging off the injury risk, says it's usually just "bumps, bruises, cuts, slices, gashes...", but Wallace has another story.

"One of my partners in the ring; something happened where he accidently slipped on my leg and snapped the bone right in half," Wallace said.

Ephex once pinched his sciatic nerve in a match, and lost movement in his left leg. However, he was forced to wrestle again the next day.

And the injury risk runs longer than a single match, or a weekend of matches. The pain caused by wrestling can last a lifetime.

"All the nagging injuries start piling up and it just hurts all the time. Your back hurts all the time and your leg hurts a lot," said J.D. Love.

Because, as Isys Ephex notes, "A wrestler goes into a match knowing he's going to get hurt, and it's going to suck the next day, but he's okay with it."

It's all about a dedication to the business and the art. J.D. Love says there is nothing better than wrestling. "It's a rush," Love said. "It's the best play you can have...getting the crowd in your hands."

But because such an injury risk exists, perfection is important in the ring.

"You pretty much have to be perfect to a 'T', because one slip up, and you could really hurt someone," said wrestler Joel Gertner.

But to this day, many people seem to not understand that falling through a table or bleeding from the face cannot be "faked". Wrestlers prefer matches being called "choreographed", not "faked", anyway.

"I'll throw you off the top rope, and you'll land in the ring, and you tell me if it's fake," said Love.

But wrestlers continue to endure the pain, and train to perfect their art. As Isys Ephex said, "The most beautiful things in wrestling hurt, but it's all pain you're taught to deal with."

THE lOCAL MUSIC SCENE

Justin Udo

Syracuse, NY

March 28, 2008

Here in Syracuse aspiring artists are trying to make it big while balancing their work and their music. There are new acts popping up all the time. These artists are at a constant struggle to build a fan base, distribute their music and find good venues to play at.

Local Talent

Jamel Hammonds works a 9-5 job each day. He is also a rapper. When he finishes his job he goes to the studio to record a track or he is getting ready for a show. He says "you gotta pay the bills but this music has been with me since I was a little kid, I just try to make it work as best I can"

Jamel works at the Sound Garden. This is an independent music store. After putting an album together Jamel and any other aspiring act can set up a distribution agreement with Sound Garden.

Mike Watson a manager at Sound Garden says "if there is an artist with just original music brings it in drops it off, we sell it for them. If it sells that's awesome we call you to get it back in.

Watson says there is no shortage of local talent, but sometimes local artists struggle to find a good venue in the area.

Local Venues

Funk and Waffles is one of a few that opens up its stage for various local acts. We caught up with Jamel as he was getting ready to do a show there. He said he was a little exhausted from a long day of work but the getting on stage and doing a show is just what he needs to relax a hard days work.

The lights dim. Jamel and his group Poseidon take the stage to give a show. They rock the house for about fifteen minutes. When he leaves the stage Jamel smiles and says time to go to the studio.

In the studio Jamel and his group put and impromptu rap instrumental together. They gathered in a small circle and started a cipher (a small group where MC's say spontaneous rap lyrics). When the guys finish rapping, I asked them what is making it to them. They unanimously said having a voice in that is heard and inspiring new music in the community.

Stress Relief Getting Unique

Central New Yorkers now turning to new trends in relaxation.

By Karin M. Davenport, NCC News

With an economic recession on the horizon and people scrambling to make more morey, job stress is on the rise. The American Psychological Association says job stress is up forty-eight percent over the past five years. Depression, one side effect of stress, is considered the disease of the twenty-first century, responsible for more sick days than any other factor. Now, all this stress is causing people to turn to new trends to help themselves relax.

Stressful job? Stressful worker.

Seventy-five percent of Americans say money and work are the leading causes of their stress—up almost twenty percent from 2006. Virginia Waldron, a hypnotist at Gatekeeper Alternative Therapies in Fayetteville, says the current on-the-go lifestyles of many Central New Yorkers helps contribute to peoples’ stress.

“Our current lifestyles are very much constantly on-guard. Constantly ready for the next fight or flight or whatever. And that sends all kinds of chemical responses to the body,” she says.

Stress can lead to many chemical responses—headache, fatigue, upset stomach, and tension are just a few. But in the long run, constant stress can lead to serious health problems, such as heart attack, stroke, and depression.

Self-Contained Exercises Growing in Popularity

People who work long hours such as firefighters, doctors, and teachers have little time to go to the gym—what used to be considered the traditional stress reliever. As a result, trends like hypnosis, meditation, pilates, and tai chi are catching on in Syracuse. All four methods require some initial instruction; then participants can practice them on their own time. Another benefits of these new trends is that they do not require heavy exercise equipment, so they can be done anywhere, in very little time.

“[People] don’t want to go to gyms, they don’t want to lift weights, they don’t want to run. So I think tai chi is growing in popularity [for that reason],” says Marty Morganstein, a Tai Chi Instructor at the Taoist Society of Central New York.

Karen Loeffler, a Pilates instructor in Fayetteville, says her lessons are becoming popular because they do not tire people out like strenuous exercise; yet they still provide stress relief.

“[Pilates] doesn’t tax your body like some of the other exercises do. It’s very challenging and you can do it in an efficient amount of time,” Loeffler says.

Cost Pays Off in Health Benefits

Some of these new techniques can be pricey—a set of meditation classes can run up to five thousand dollars. But after just a few classes, instructors say students of all four new methods should notice an improvement in health, balance, and attitude.

The Wii Makes It's Way Into Some Unlikely Places

By Andrea Berry, NCC News


(SYRACUSE) If you don't know the Nintendo Wii from experience then you might remember some of their wacky commercials featuring the two Japanese gentlemen who graced the doorsteps of small town America, remote controls in hand. If you've played the Wii then you know just how fun and intriguing they are. Even though video games are usually associated with young kids and teens, this highly coveted gaming system is bucking the trend and finding itself in the hands and hearts of a much different fanbase.

Alternative Medicine

91 year old Rita Fahey of Syracuse plays two 9-hole games of golf every week at The Nottingham Senior Retirement Community in Syracuse. Before making The Nottingham her home, golf was a major part of Rita's life. "I would play anywhere between two or three 18-hole games a week... I was an above average player" she said, and it shows. By Wii standards, Rita is nearly a golf pro with her score of almost 800 (a score of 1000 is considered professional). But for Rita, Wii golf isn't just for entertainment.

Back in December of 2006 Rita suffered a fall which broke her hip. She was on the road to recovery at the Nottingham when she fell again, breaking her other hip. Now Rita is nearly healed and her therapist Kelly VanAuken-Mason attributes much of Rita's success to playing the Wii. "When we first started doing the Wii we had her sitting in an arm chair, but we had to have her walker in front of her... She got more comfortable with the game... now she is totally able to do it on her own. Her endurance has significantly improved, before she could only stand up for maybe a hole and sit back down now she can almost standup for the duration of a nine hole game, which is fantastic." VanAuken-Mason says using the Wii for rehab is ideal because it forces the patient to focus on the game rather than the monotony of conventional rehabilitation exercises.

An Unlikely Prescription

The Wii may make for an unconventional approach toward physical rehab, but recreational therapist Donna Sims at SUNY Upstate Medical Center has seen the results first hand. Patient Bob Mabee Jr. of Syracuse came into SUNY Upstate not long ago after suffering from a stroke which affected his left side. Sims says shes been using Wii Bowling as a way to work with Mabee in order to force him to use the left side of his brain. Today with the help of his therapists Mabee is able to stand, something he couldn't do just days ago. "Instead of standing around doing nothing, you're doing something... you feel like you're getting something done" Mabee said.

For Sims, the Wii is just another piece of the therapy puzzle. "Every part of therapy puzzle is important... the fact is that if you enjoy doing something your going to go and do it more." Which is exactly what rehabilitation is about. Sims says the thought of conventional therapy often makes patients cringe but with the Wii they are taking their minds of the pain. "Every time they do those movements they are challenging their brain to do something to create a new path to go, in a place that they haven't been able to go and they are asking their brain to find another route [neurological pathway]... so by doing it we are challenging them in that way." Sims added that games like Big Brain Academy will benefit her patients who suffer from dementia because its a specifically tailored cognitive skills activity. "Its asking them to go quickly and be accurate and if they get it wrong it gives them another opportunity in another way... And that is forcing their brain to think and to act more quickly... That is going to encourage that rerouting just because they are working that muscle." Like any muscle, Sims said, the more you work it the better its going to get.

Video Games for Homework?

Well, not unless you're a surgical student. Arizona researchers Kanav Kahol and Marshall (Mark) Smith conducted a study of surgeons in training, using the Wii game Marble Mania. The game requires fine muscle movements of the hand, similar to those used in laparoscopic surgery. To monitor the students, a Wii remote was modified with a laparoscopic instrument (see image) to simulate surgery.

The researchers found the students who had trained using the game scored 48% higher in practice operations than the students who hadn't. So, does that mea if you're a good gamer you'll be a good surgeon? "Not necessary" Smith said. "There are many components that go into surgery and we only tested this one aspect, not anything on anatomy or decision making." Smith added that the results of the study were significant enough to warrant future studies on a larger scale.

Syracuse Experiencing Rebirth

Young Professionals and Suburbanites Move Back Downtown

Melissa J. Hipolit NCC News Syracuse Reporting

March 24, 2008

(Syracuse) Downtown Syracuse is but a whisper of what it was fifty years ago. Real Estate broker Ann Clifford remembers a time when everybody went downtown for everything. “When I was a child, you would walk down Salina Street and there would be four groups of people walking this way, and four this way…I mean, it was crowded,” said Clifford. But it might surprise some folks to find out things ARE picking up.

Young Professionals

Among the city’s five hottest neighborhoods, Armory Square and Little Italy are seeing some of the most growth, especially among young professionals. “There’s a lot of single professional people that live downtown,” said Clifford.
Jay Dietershagen just purchased a condo in Centre Armory for 220 thousand dollars. The 28-year-old works as a bartender in Armory Square. He moved downtown after living in the suburbs, and he likes the convenience. “I walk to work, I walk to lunch, I walk home, I take a nap, I take a shower…you know, I don’t need to leave downtown,” said Dietershagen.

Downtown Living

Clifford estimates the average monthly tax and mortgage payment on a condo downtown is 1250 dollars. She says rents for nicer apartments range from 1000 to 2200 hundred dollars. “When people buy downtown, they pay more per square foot than if you buy in the suburbs, but you buy a lifestyle…they don’t have to drive everywhere…they can go out to dinner, they can go out to music,” said Clifford. Dietershagen bought into that lifestyle when he moved downtown. “I like to have a drink after work…or two, or three…all the good restaurants are within walking distance for me,” said Dietershagen.

Other Residents

Many of the new living spaces downtown are in rehabbed historic buildings, and young people aren’t the only ones buying in. Rick Albright’s permanent home is in Canandaigua, but his business is in Syracuse. He used to own a second home in the city, but now owns a condo in the Loew’s building on W. Jefferson Street. “I put a lot of hours in at work, so the fact that I don’t have to come home and deal with cutting the lawn, or takin’ out the trash…or the usual things that go with owning a home,” said Albright. His twenty-five year-old son also lives downtown in Centre Armory. “I spent a lot of time down here with him and enjoyed it myself…so I decided to move here also,” said Albright.

Jefferson Clinton Commons

The two will soon be moving just around the block to the new Jefferson Clinton Commons. Albright and his son each bought a condo in the soon to be constructed building. Condos there are selling for up to 450,000 dollars.

Drawbacks to Living Downtown

There are some drawbacks to living downtown. Groceries are hard to come by, like those found at the C-L Evers gourmet market in the Amos building. The store carries the basics, but it’s pricey. “That’s probably the biggest drawback…there is no grocery shopping that’s walk to or easy to to get to…you have to go out in the suburbs pretty much to do your grocery shoppin’,” said Albright. For a store like Wegmans or P and C to open downtown, experts say the number of residents living there will have to nearly double. Another problem is the lack of parking downtown. Many of the new apartments don’t provide parking spaces for residents. Dietershagen would like more entertainment options. “If we had a movie theater down here…and, like a concert venue…a better live music venue,” said Dietershagen.

Little Italy

In spite of these obstacles, some experts say the Little Italy neighborhood could be the next Armory Square, especially since the city made streetscape improvements. Developer Cosimo Zavaglia says it was the right time for him to invest in a property there. “I was willing to take the chance. I think it’s gonna be up from now—more people invest money to improve the property,” said Zavaglia. He was one of the first developers to remodel a building downtown into upscale apartments. His new rehab project, 466 N. Salina Street, involves converting a 75-year old one-time bowling alley into upscale apartments. “Nobody can afford to build a place like this—12 foot ceilings—you know…would be so costly,” said Zavaglia. Zavaglia is also proud of his hardwood floors, stainless steel appliances and granite countertops as being nice. The condition of the neighborhood is another matter. The view from a bedroom in one of his apartments is of a dilapidated building and yard overrun with weeds. “Salina is really rough still,” said Clifford.

Rebirth

But for someone like Clifford, who has been working for over 10 years to revitalize her city, it’s projects like these that give her hope. “It’s wonderful to see it come alive again…some lights on at night, and so on—it’s great,” said Clifford. She knows the city will never be what it was in her youth, but the new residences show promise that it will one day regain some of the old hustle and bustle.

Youth Boxing in Syracuse

Boxing Gets Kids Off Streets

Central New York Gym Offers Teenagers a Refuge from Violence

By Anala Tuenge, NCC News

Syracuse-- March 28, 2008

Teenagers in Syracuse's run-down neighborhoods often get into trouble, but there is a place they can go that will give their life focus and direction. Coaches at the North Area Athletic Club's boxing gym have been reaching out and pulling kids in off the street for more than 50 years. It was and still is Ray Rinaldi's idea. "We don't make boxers out of these kids. We make good citizens out of them," Rinaldi said.


A Life-Changing Commitment


Ken Layton, a Liverpool High School junior, said he has become a better person since joining the club six months ago. "I'm more outgoing. I feel better about myself physically," Layton said.


Damien Rinaldi, Ray Rinaldi's grandson, is one of the head boxing coaches. He said the kids' commitment to the program extends beyond the gym. "Outside here, you can't go out and drink and smoke dope with your friends," Rinaldi said.



And it's not just about the boxing. Trainers here want to make sure students hit the books as hard as they hit the heavy bag. They're building three classrooms at the West Side gym, and they require the kids to bring in their report cards so they can monitor their academic progress.

"It's great to see the progress, especially in their grades and their attendance in school. Everything just seems to go up," Damien Rinaldi said.

A Success

Frankie Alagna is one of the program's success stories. He boxed in Ray Rinaldi's gym after serving time in a reform school ten years ago. With his new skills in the ring, Alagna joined the Army, boxed three years on the military team, and finally went to college. He said kids relate to him because he was one of them. "I know what they're coming from. I know what they're thinking. When they look at me, they see a reflection of themselves," Alagna said.

Alagna said the kids have an agressive nature, but he insists boxing doesn't encourage violence but rather shows t here is a time and a place to fight. "If someone on the street wants to fight them, they know it's the wrong place," Alagna said. "We've taught them the only time it's right to fight is in that ring."

Alagna hopes in the years ahead to pass down the lessons of this neighbhorhood gym to his three month old son, what has been for generations of young boxers a pathway off the streets and a chance at a bright future.

Economic Woes Strengthen a Town's Hope for Change

By Andrea Berry, NCC News

(FULTON) The sound of bustling machinery and the scent of chocolate would normally fill the air over Fulton, New York this time of year. But like a lot of small towns across the U.S., Fulton is struggling from an economic downturn which residents hope will turn around with the next President.

In the last decade, Fulton's industrial market thrived. But when Nestle, Sunoco and Miller Brewing Company left town five years ago, so did the jobs. According to Fulton Mayor Ronald Woodward, Sr., Nestle's payroll alone contributed $22 million a year to the community. Today the unemployment rate is 9.2% and with the population roughly 12,000, the situation is dire. "We lost all our industry, our taxes are real high, we need to do something to draw industry back into New York State" said Fulton city worker Jerry Schremp just after voting for Hillary Clinton in the New York primaries.

Promises Promises

What is a campaign without a handful of promises? Apparently, dialogue. Back in 2000 during her run in New York State for the U.S. Senate, democratic Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton visited small towns across the upstate New York, including Fulton. With her visit came the promise to bring 200,000 jobs back to the towns that suffered the most -- A promise that helped her win, but wasn't kept. In fact, the region saw a net loss of nearly 27,000 jobs in her first term. During a Presidential primary debate, moderator Tim Russert of NBC's Meet the Press

brought the issue to the forefront. Clinton blamed the republican win in the White House for tying her hands. In her Presidential campaign, Clinton is promising 5 million jobs nation wide. Candidate Barack Obama proposes a plan to re-tool old industry in order to remain globally competitive and a tax cut for middle class Americans. Candidate John McCain admits some blue-collar jobs won’t be coming back to harder hit towns and proposes instead a re-training program for the unemployed to prepare them for a changing job market.

Hot Coffee and Conversation

Residents gather at Mimi's Drive-In to grab a bite and catch up on the talk of the town. The economy often comes up in conversation. In this election year, townspeople debate which presidential candidate will best help Fulton get back on it's feet. "I'm more satisfied with Obama than Clinton for a lot of reasons...but I think we need somebody new in there to start a new direction and I don't think we can [do that] with another person with the same Rolodex thats been in there forever" said retired SUNY Oswego philosophy professor, Robert Carnes. "But I don't see any of them talking specifics" he added.

A New Hope

With the presidential election a mere eight months away and the democratic race heating up, candidates are in a pinch to please the remaining primary voters. But for Fulton, more is needed than dialogue and empty promises. In November, residents here will hope for a president who will bring back jobs to a town hungry for industry.