Daniel Schwarz, senior policy analyst at the NYCLU, presented to Syracuse lawmakers about the dangers of biometric surveillance.
Patrick McCarthy
Patrick McCarthy is a staff reporter at Central Current covering government and politics. A graduate of Syracuse University’s Maxwell and Newhouse Schools, McCarthy was born and raised in Syracuse and attended Nottingham High School.
Before joining the Central Current team, he worked as a writer at Friends of the Rosamond Gifford Zoo and wrote concert reviews for syracuse.com | The Post Standard. McCarthy also served as a contributing writer for TriplePundit, a publication focused on sustainability and corporate responsibility. In his role with Central Current, he provides access and transparency to elected officials – helping raise accountability and connecting readers to the decisions that shape Central New York.
Patrick McCarthy can be reached at pmccarthy@centralcurrent.org
Posted inCNY Decides 2026
President Donald Trump has been pushing Congress to pass the SAVE Act. What would its passage mean?
As Democrats campaign to flip control of the U.S. Congress, Republicans hope to heed Trump’s calls to pass a controversial voter ID law before the upcoming midterm elections.
Posted inCNY Decides 2026
Is Central New York becoming a blue bunker for Congressional Democrats?
National and local experts expect New York’s 22nd Congressional District to stay blue. Candidates say different.
Posted inInterstate 81
Local advocates hope to avoid environmental inequality from I-81 demolition with new air quality monitors
Wary of past harm, three monitors will be installed at Syracuse community centers to boost residents’ air quality awareness as the I-81 viaduct comes down.
Posted inNews
Syracuse lawmakers table local law banning biometric surveillance in some public places
Three city councilors want to block businesses in Syracuse from collecting, storing, and sharing customers’ biometric information through proposed legislation that exempts financial institutions.
Posted inNews
Pulitzer-winning poet and Gazan refugee Mosab Abu Toha criticizes Le Moyne president for letter about his speech
An email issued by President Linda LeMura to the college’s community avoids mentioning Abu Toha by name but called attention to his use of the word ‘genocide’ in a speech at Le Moyne.
Posted inCity of Syracuse
110 years after Ireland’s Easter Rising, Syracusans still gather to ‘read the names’
Since 2019, the city of Syracuse has commemorated the 1916 Irish rebellion with a flag-raising ceremony and reading of the proclamation of the Irish Republic.
Posted inPolicing
Syracuse lawmakers move to ban biometric surveillance in public places
The proposal by the two members of the Syracuse Common Council follows the discovery that Wegmans introduced biometric surveillance technology in New York City stores.
Posted inCity of Syracuse
Syracuse University lawyers ask appellate judge to restore tax exemption to student center
The city did not send an attorney to argue against Syracuse University’s ask for a panel of judges to reinstate the university’s full tax exemption and strike down a local court ruling that upheld the partially revoked exemption.
Posted inNews
Mayor Owens has ‘no immediate considerations’ to replace vacant community position on surveillance technology group
One of the city’s five community stakeholders has vacated his seat on the Surveillance Technology Working Group, but a city spokesperson said that Mayor Sharon Owens isn’t actively seeking a replacement.