Mayor Sharon Owens is beginning her first term by trying to prevent last year’s budget brawl between the Syracuse Common Council and city administration.
Justice & Equity
Posted inSyracuse Housing Authority
New Syracuse Housing Authority board member — at least temporarily — cannot serve
New city Chief Strategy Officer Stephanie Pasquale cannot serve on SHA’s board. It’s unclear whether the city will move to replace her.
Posted inGovernment & Politics
Local advocates want to ‘melt’ Syracuse’s links to ICE. Will lawmakers listen?
A coalition of civil rights organizations is calling on common councilors to put companies facilitating deportations — like Flock Safety and Axon Enterprises — on the hot seat.
Posted inPolicing
Upstate county lawmakers are pushing legislation to enforce biometric surveillance disclosure. Will Onondaga County follow suit?
Recent downstate reporting revealed Wegmans is using biometric surveillance to scan customers’ faces. Some upstate legislators want to make businesses like Wegmans disclose surveillance tools to customers.
Posted inPolicing
A bill sponsored by a Central New York state senator could stop biometric surveillance at stores like Wegmans
State Sen. Rachel May, D-Syracuse, in 2025 sponsored a bill that could stop biometric data collection in places like grocery stores. Wegmans has began biometric surveillance of customers in New York City.
Posted inSyracuse Housing Authority
Section 8 has expanded for Pioneer Homes residents. Is Onondaga County’s housing stock ready?
In August, Section 8 expanded for Pioneer Homes residents. Just five families of 34 who took a Section 8 voucher to temporarily leave public housing have found new housing.
Posted inPolicing
Wegmans added facial recognition technology to NYC stores, won’t say if it plans the same for Central New York stores
Wegmans’ stores in New York City are scanning and storing customers’ faces, eyes, and voices.
Posted inSyracuse Housing Authority
Syracuse Housing Authority to close on financing for second phase of East Adams redevelopment
The redevelopment of public housing, valued at $1 billion, will be stretched across several phases.
Posted inSyracuse Housing Authority
Blueprint 15 taps Sarah Walton LaFave as executive director
The interim executive director at Blueprint 15 will stay on as its leader during the redevelopment of public housing on Syracuse’s Southside.
Posted inPolicing
Why Flock will get to keep Syracuse drivers’ ‘anonymized’ data even if lawmakers cancel their contract
Against the advice of his own working group, Mayor Ben Walsh granted Flock the right to keep Syracuse drivers’ anonymized data.
