Several years ago, Lowell Hodge bought the violin pictured above from a Rescue Mission thrift store, he said.
Hodge has struggled with housing in recent years, he said. He has taken up playing the violin on Erie Boulevard East for spare change from drivers.
On a recent day, in between playing his violin, Hodge held up a sign that read “Spare cheese? For a broke cracker.”
Homelessness in Syracuse has risen during the pandemic. From 2022 to 2023, homelessness rose 30%, according to CNY Vitals, a resource run by the Central New York Community Foundation.
Rents for housing have steadily risen, too. A recent report by the New York Times, based on a Zumper study, found the cost to rent a one-bedroom apartment in Syracuse had risen 22% in the last year, the biggest increase in the country.
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Without confidence in Le Moyne’s commitments to free expression, Palestinian-American student plans to ensure campus can ‘hear it from the source’
Le Moyne College pledges a commitment to “genuine dialogue,” but a student who has sought an exchange of ideas on Palestine with their school’s leader said she hasn’t found it.
‘All Are Welcome:’ All Saints Church rallies to remain a ‘safe space’ for LGBTQ+ Catholics
The parish, which ministers to the LGBTQ+ community, opposes the Syracuse Diocese opening a chapter of Courage International.
Democrats in CNY and labor unions disagree on how to regulate data centers. Why?
Unions and Democrats have long had a tight relationship. However, in Central New York, they are split on how to regulate data centers.
In November, you can vote on whether the Onondaga County executive will have term limits. How will it work?
This November, voters will have to turn over their ballots and decide: Do they want the county executive’s and comptroller’s term capped at 12 years, 16 years or not at all.
Sean Kirst: At birth, the doctors said Dave Murray might not live to be 5. A double lung transplant later, he just turned 70.
Born with cystic fibrosis, time and struggle taught Murray one especially vital key to daily life: Listening.




