When you visit our website today, you will notice some striking changes: the layout will be cleaner, the photography more pronounced, the colors more welcoming, and the logo transformed. Over the coming weeks and months, you will see our content expand as new contributors join our team and new features appear on the site.
Today’s launch marks the culmination of nearly a year of planning, but it is also just the first of many steps forward leading into the summer months. This new platform will give us the space and structure to publish the work of our growing newsroom in a way that is focused, elegant, and distraction-free. Delivering news that is free of ads and paywalls has always been integral to our identity. We are taking that a step further by featuring full-size images and single-column articles that make reading the news an immersive and satisfying experience.
Moving forward, you will see the following new additions gradually appear as you return to Central Current now through July:
- Regular columns from a soon-to-be-announced contributor: a columnist with deep ties to Syracuse and Upstate New York.
- Photojournalism exhibits and photo stories that hold a mirror up to our community.
- Coverage from our new Report For America staff reporter on I-81 and public housing.

A note on the logo
Marwa Bailey’s striking line drawing captures the red-tailed hawk, a species native to Syracuse. Often seen soaring over the city and surrounding areas, the bird adds beauty to the skies while keeping a watchful eye as a pillar of the local ecosystem.
Shown carrying a bulletin, Central Current is proud to borrow its image as we deliver independent, in-depth, reporting to people building a life in Central New York.
Read more of Central Current’s coverage
Onondaga County gives $4 million to Clay neighborhood to connect to public water
Residents currently use well water which they are unable to drink. The town of Clay will now look for additional funding to complete an estimated $7.5 million project to connect the community to public water.
Syracuse, stakeholders kickstart new initiative to combat lead crisis. What does it look like?
The Lead Big Table will see government officials, health experts and community organizations come together to brainstorm ways in which they can eradicate lead from the community.
Sean Kirst: Corcoran runners gather to see John Hohm, a ‘city kid’ like them, enter sports Hall of Fame
When it mattered in a way that rose far beyond sports, a coach lived out everything he taught about loyalty and faith in community.
‘Wild, wild west’: New York’s lead reporting laws do not apply to private schools
Public health experts hope new legislation can change that.
Onondaga County elections guide 2026
Central Current has prepared a paywall-free election guide to help inform you about the candidates and issues shaping each race.

