Amsterdam, NY – Health officials in the Capitol Region are responding to the death of an Amsterdam High School junior from bacteral meningitis.
17 year old Matthew Martuscello died early Wednesday after contracting the disease on a band trip to California.
Fulton/Montgomery County Health Department officials are working with the Amsterdam School District to treat those who had close contact with Martuscello with a course of antibiotics.
WRVO – A team of State University Professors have been working with meteorological technology....tailoring it to help predict lake effect snow storms and their potential severity so the public can better prepare.
One of those professors is Robert Ballentine, an Associate Professor of Meteorology at SUNY Oswego. WRVO's Amy Cavalier has this report:
Amsterdam, NY – Health officials in the Capitol Region are responding to the death of an Amsterdam High School junior from bacteral meningitis.
17 year old Matthew Martuscello died early Wednesday after contracting the disease on a band trip to California.
Fulton/Montgomery County Health Department officials are working with the Amsterdam School District to treat those who had close contact with Martuscello with a course of antibiotics.
Syracuse, NY – The Veteran's Affairs administration has closed and consolidated a number of facilities across the country recently.
The VA is now studying trends in the veteran population in anticipation of more cuts in the future.
For now, Syracuse's VA medical center has been spared.
VA Medical Center Director James Cody says Central New York's veteran population is expected to decline by 20 to 50 percent over the next 20 years and may be subject to a reshuffle in the future.
Washington, DC – New York's Junior Senator says fiscal mismanagement on the part of the Bush administration will compromise the effectiveness of the newly created Homeland Security Department.
Democrat Hillary Clinton says if the president wants the states to take a lead role in homeland defense, he must release the funds to local agencies earlier than Spring 2003.
Clinton made her comments in response to an announcement by Bush officials on Tuesday that Homeland Security payments would be delayed.
WRVO – The first week of holiday shopping was better than expected. Consumers bucked analyst predictions, spending four to six percent more over the past "black friday" weekend than last year.
Retail Council Spokeswoman Rebecca Marion says analysts believe the threat of war, high home heating costs, increased property taxes, and a struggling economy will keep consumer spending down. However, she says it's still too early to make predictions.
Syracuse, NY – Executives at the Pyramid Companies say once the Destiny USA proejct is complete, the Regional Transportation Center in Syracuse will probably have to expand.
Pyramid Executive Mike Lorenz says the expanded mall and resort will draw in millions of extra visitors to the Salt City. He says he doesn't believe the RTC can handle the influx of people.
Officials at the two year old William Walsh Regional Transportation Center say they will indeed be able to handle to increased volume of visitors.
Syracuse, NY – Onondaga County legislators voted 14 to 5 in favor of a law banning smoking in public places.
Small businesses will have 2 years to comply with the new law, which bans smoking in restaurants, taverns, and other public entertainment establishments.
The legislators who opposed the bill said they were afraid that some smokers would venture outside the county for dinner and entertainment, hurting local business.
Syracuse, NY – After years of debate, the latest bill prohibiting smoking in public places will be up for a vote in the Onondaga County legislature today.
The Warner-Winslow Bill would prohibit smoking in public places, such as restaurants, taverns, and bowling alleys.
Smaller establishments with less than 50 seats would have two years to comply with the law.
Sources in the county legislature say passage of the ban is likely.
New York State – Starting today, schools in New York State must have Automated External Defibrillators, or AEDs, on site.
The device help those in cardiac arrest.
Dave Ernst of the New York State School Board Assocation says while his group applauds the AED mandate from a public health standpoint, they wish state lawmakers had given districts more notice.
The AED mandate passed the state legislature long after school district had shored up their budgets for the year.
New York State – Beginning today, all schools in New York State must have Automated External Defibrillators on site.
When used properly, AEDs can help someone who is in cardiac arrest.
Dave Ernst of the State School Boards Association says while his group applauds the mandate from a safety standpoint, they wish the state had given school districts more time to find funding for the devices.
The state legislature passed the bill long after school districts had shored up their budgets.
New York State – Starting today, schools in New York State must have Automated External Defibrillators, or AEDs, on site.
The device help those in cardiac arrest.
Dave Ernst of the New York State School Board Assocation says while his group applauds the AED mandate from a public health standpoint, they wish state lawmakers had given districts more notice.
The AED mandate passed the state legislature long after school district had shored up their budgets for the year.
New York State – Starting today, schools in New York State must have Automated External Defibrillators, or AEDs, on site.
The device help those in cardiac arrest.
Dave Ernst of the New York State School Board Assocation says while his group applauds the AED mandate from a public health standpoint, they wish state lawmakers had given districts more notice.
The AED mandate passed the state legislature long after school district had shored up their budgets for the year.
New York State – Starting today, schools in New York State must have automated external defibrillators on site.
The devices can help save someone in cardiac arrest.
Dave Ernst of the New York State School Board Association says while his group applauds the mandate from a public health standpoint, they wish the state had given districts more warning.
The state legislature passed the AED mandate after districts had shored up their budgets.
New York State – Beginning today, all schools in New York State must have Automated External Defibrillators on site.
When used properly, AEDs can help someone who is in cardiac arrest.
Dave Ernst of the State School Boards Association says while his group applauds the mandate from a safety standpoint, they wish the state had given school districts more time to find funding for the devices.
The state legislature passed the bill long after school districts had shored up their budgets.
New York State – Starting today, all schools in New York State must have Automated External Defibrillators on campuses.
AEDs can help save the life of someone who is in cardiac arrest.
Dave Ernst of the New York State School Boards Association says his group applauds the AED mandate from a public health stanpoint, but they wish state officials had given school districts more notice.
The state legislature approved the AED mandate long after school districts shored up their budgets.
It's a time to remember those who have died from the disease, support those living with HIV, and spread the word about how to prevent becoming infected.
Michael Crinnin of the group "AIDS Community Resources" says his agency will be working with churches to help spread the word.
He says it's only fitting since this year's celebration falls on a Sunday.
Crinnin says churches could play a key role in disseminating accurate information about AIDS.
Syracuse, NY – It's striking how many places in New York are named after ancient cities and classical figures.
In his new book, "Classical Place Names in New York State: Origins, Histories, and Meanings," William Farrell explores how places like Romulous, Ovid, and Manlius got their names.
He spoke with WRVO's Elizabeth Christensen.
CLICK on the icon above to hear the full interview.
Utica, NY – Advocates for the poor are out in force, making sure that those in need have food and clothing for the winter.
The Food Bank of Greater Utica is in the midst of it's largest drive for food of the year.
Kimberly Strong, President of the Board of Directors for the Food Bank, says the agency relies on these drives around the holidays to maintain an ample supply of food for the rest of the year.
Syracuse – Two anti-smoking bills will be presented to the Onondaga County Legislature Monday, but only one has the backing of the local American Cancer Society.
New York – The New York Public Interest Group identified about 100 unsafe toys in it's seventeenth annual toy safety survey.
Sean Vormwald of NYPIRG says campus chapters from across the state went to toy stores and shopped online, documenting unsafe toys. Members found choking and strangulation hazards, toxic materials, improper labeling, and dangerously loud toys.
Vormwald says the testing is done according to standards set by the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
WRVO – The state's powerful business lobby group...The Business Council of New York State...has issued a series of reports to highlight ways the state can reduce spending and avoid a tax increases.
The council's public policy institute is crafting the reports. The institute's Robert Ward is the author. In this interview with WRVO's Chris Ulanowski, Ward explains some of the biggest spending areas.
Oswego, NY – The Great Lakes are considered by many to be the nation's "North Shore."
But some, like Senator Charles Schumer, say the vast shoreline is neglected when it comes to issues of homeland security.
WRVO's Elizabeth Christensen investigated what is being done to screen individuals and materials entering the U.S. through the Great Lakes... and what the agencies responsible for security need to protect the public.
Syracuse, NY – Questions will be raised Monday night at an informational meeting in Syracuse on a controversial sewage treatment plant proposed for an inner-city Syracuse Neighborhood.