Save 81: Powerful forces fight to keep interstate through city. Plus, SU women pull an upset (Good Morning CNY for Dec. 2)

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Weather

High: 50; Low: 33. A bit warmer, windy, some rain. See the 5-day forecast.

Photo of the Day

A well wisher kneels to pray at a memorial on the sign of Oxford High School in Oxford, Michigan on Wednesday.

TEEN CHARGED IN FATAL SCHOOL SHOOTING: Ethan Crumbley, 15, was charged Wednesday with murder, attempted murder and terrorism causing death for a shooting that killed four fellow students and injured at least seven others at the high school.

What’s Trending

Save 81: Powerful forces masked as a grassroots movement: Save 81 presents itself as a diverse, grassroots coalition of residents, employers and community groups who want to keep Interstate 81 traffic flowing through downtown Syracuse for decades to come. But in reality, Save 81 is an elusive group of business owners and suburban politicians who want to keep traffic and money flowing into their hotels, the Destiny USA shopping mall and other businesses. Here’s a look at the people behind the organization.

Hochul pushes for Interstate 81 funding in Washington visit

2 WNY counties declare Covid emergencies; why not Onondaga County? Two large Western New York counties have imposed new emergency orders in the past 10 days to slow the spread of Covid-19, but Onondaga County has so far resisted. Here’s why.

New downtown: 80s swag, local art, stuff for witches: Three new stores opened at the McCarthy Mercantile in Downtown Syracuse this week, bringing a little more art and vintage to the multi-vendor indie marketplace.

Publisher pulls Alice Sebold’s “Lucky” memoir: If you hadn’t read Alice Sebold’s bestselling memoir “Lucky” before the exoneration of the man convicted of raping her in 1981, you might have a harder time finding a copy now. Simon & Schuster, the publisher of “Lucky” under the Scribner label, has stopped releasing copies in all print and digital formats. The news came hours after Sebold penned an open apology letter to Anthony Broadwater, the Syracuse man who spent 40 years wrongfully convicted of her rape.

Looking Ahead

Plan your weekend: The holiday season is getting into full swing, and there’s loads to do both indoors and outdoors this weekend in Central New York. Here are a dozen events you shouldn’t miss.

Jingle all the way: If you want to run with Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen, head to Seneca Falls, where thousands of runners will gather to run merrily through the streets for a holiday 5K. After a year’s hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic, “It’s A Wonderful Run” will return later this month to “the real Bedford Falls.”

Sports

Fayetteville-Manlius’ Evelyn Kawa dives for a loose ball with Jamesville-DeWitt’s Madison McKenney at Fayetteville-Manlius High School on Wednesday.

F-M tops J-D: The Hornets won, 49-34. See a photo gallery from the game.

Orange women stun No. 18 Ohio State: Teisha Hyman scored a career-high 30 points in a signature win for the Syracuse women’s basketball program, a 97-91 upset of No. 18 Ohio State on Wednesday in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge at the Carrier Dome.

SU’s Priscilla Williams says she will redshirt 2021-22 season

“HOLY MOLY! What a freaking game”: The Syracuse men’s basketball team outlasted Indiana for a thrilling double-overtime victory Tuesday night in the 2021 Big Ten/ACC Challenge. Tons of reactions from social media labeled the back-and-forth slugfest as an instant classic; some even said it was a candidate for college basketball’s “Game of the Year.” Here’s a glimpse at what fans, players and the media were saying.

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