Ellen Abbott

Last year was a record year for attendance at the Rosamond Gifford Zoo in Syracuse. Several factors combined to make the zoo the place to go last year.

Madison County hopes to become a hub for the recycling of agricultural plastics.  It's a waste that's created on farms that's been a problem for years.

It's only a matter of time before the ash tree population in central New York is decimated by the Emerald Ash Borer. A task force is at work getting ready for the invasion of the deadly insects, that are now in massive numbers only two counties away from Onondaga County.

Upstate New York's struggling economy will get a boost if plans proposed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo in his State of the State speech in Albany Wednesday move ahead.

Gun control legislation is on the lips of many politicians in the wake of the Newtown, Connecticut school shooting.  But New York's senior senator says that while he supports some gun control, he doesn't want any legislation to go too far.

Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) wants to make it harder for phone hacking rings to rip off New York state businesses. Schumer is hearing from New Yorkers about dozens of businesses that are racking up huge phone bills because of these hackers.

The United as One Coalition is taking its case for an Onondaga County jail oversight board to county lawmakers.  Coalition members want the Onondaga County Legislature to create a board that they say could ultimately save lives.

If you have an old cell phone stashed in a drawer that you don't use any more, you can help a soldier overseas keep in touch with home.  Central New York's "Cell Phones for Soldiers" annual collection drive continues, as does the need.

Members of the 113th Congress will be sworn in January 3 -- and part of the new Congress will be a familiar face returning to Washington to represent the Syracuse area in a redistricted seat.

What used to be the Sainte Marie Among the Iroquois Museum on Onondaga Lake will be transformed into a new kind of museum in the next year. The new Great Law of Peace Educational Center will tell the story of upstate New York's Native Americans, from their point of view.

In the midst of treatments, tubes and needles, there's a place for patients at the Golisano Children's Hospital in Syracuse to go and find some peace.  A one-of-a-kind multi-sensory room takes kids away from the stress of a hospital setting.

Some of the larger hospitals in New York state are worried about one aspect of the Affordable Care Act: academic medical centers are slated to lose millions of dollars in a particular kind of Medicaid payment over the next few years.

There could be some surprises for taxpayers in 2013. Many of them may find themselves with a bigger tax bill next year.

The new iteration of the New York state Senate will look different in 2013 with the new power sharing agreement in place between Republicans and breakaway Democrats, and two central New York lawmakers will be in the thick of it.

Central New Yorkers make the most trash over the holiday season, which only makes recycling all the more important this time of year, says one of the region's recycling agencies.

The name of each victim followed by a chime. That simple gesture was the cornerstone of a service of prayer, healing and hope at Temple Concord in Syracuse this morning.

Onondaga County lawmakers have taken the first steps to moving the 185 year old Van Duyn nursing home off county tax rolls.

Students from the Southside Academy Charter School in Syracuse marched around the neighborhood this morning to make a statement that bullying won't be tolerated in their school.

He won't be sworn in until January, but congressman-elect Dan Maffei is carefully watching the fiscal cliff negotiations in Washington.

At the end of this week, the biggest Christmas giveaway in central New York takes place and the high numbers of families who signed up for the annual Christmas Bureau shows an economy that's still hurting.

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is optimistic that the President Barack Obama and leadership of the House of Representatives will cut a deal to prevent the so-called "fiscal cliff."  New York's junior senator predicted there would be progress soon during a visit to Syracuse Friday.

Friday night a new symphony orchestra is unwrapped for central New York, as the orchestra that replaces the bankrupt Syracuse Symphony Orchestra takes the stage for its official debut.

Some supporters of the new state Senate coalition between Republicans and the Independent Democrat Caucus say it will keep upstate New York concerns on the table. Some area politicians believe that wasn't the case when Democrats had control of the New York state Senate in 2009 and 2010.

There's been a dramatic increase in the number of car deer collisions in Madison County this year, and authorities there are urging motorists to keep an eye out for the animals.

New York state has a variety of programs intended to save taxpayer dollars by helping governments share services or eliminate certain government entities altogether. A New York state Assembly hearing in Syracuse this week tried to find out whether these programs work.

With the holiday gift buying season fully underway, advocacy groups say there are toys on store shelves across New York state that are dangerous to young children. The New York Public Interest Research Group has come up with it's yearly list of treacherous toys for the season.

The newly-created New York state Senate leadership coalition has further divided Democrats. Governor Andrew Cuomo has offered his conditional support, and at least one other party leader -- Democrat state party co-chairwoman Stephanie Miner -- agrees.

Albany received an earful from hundreds of students, parents educators and community members Wednesday about recent cuts in funding for education. The "Educate New York Now Express" has been rolling across the state, picking up supporters and support for their plea to lawmakers to reinvest in public education.

World AIDS Day was remembered in Syracuse this morning during a service of remembrance. Participants say they are worried that the disease, which has been around for over 30 years now, has become forgotten.

While the balance of the New York State senate remains unclear, as votes continue to be counted in a pair of close Senate races, activists are calling on a breakaway political coalition to stick with the Democrats. A coalition of union and community groups believe some important issues depend on it.