Utica’s Saranac Brewery partners with other top brewers for new canned vodka cocktails

Syracuse, N.Y. — Roads in downtown Syracuse will close starting Thursday for the sizzling Syracuse Bacon Festival. The festival begins Friday at noon but roads close starting Thursday at 1 p.m., according to a news release from the City of Syracuse. Live music will be played and over 20 food vendors will offer at least one bacon-related dish.

Last week, 43 new businesses filed to operate in Central New York. Thirty-three of them were in Onondaga County and 10 were filed in Cayuga and Madison counties. Four businesses filed to cease operating in Onondaga and Cayuga counties.

This weekend will be a great time to watch the Perseid Meteor Shower shoot across the sky, so remember to dig out your binoculars from the garage. Bring them along to see Kenny Chesney at the Amp (you’ll want them, since the only tickets left are on Allegiant Lawn) on Thursday. Other concerts include Courtney Barnett at Beak & Skiff, Ronnie Leigh and Nancy Kelly at the Fulton Jazz Festival, a Led Zeppelin cover band and a ’90s R&B cover band. Also, a live band will serenade Salsa dancers on the deck of Hamilton Inn on Friday. There are outdoor pursuits too: a couple of bike rides and the 79th Scottish Games.

Syracuse, N.Y. — Rebecca Riley - owner of Peace, Love, Cupcakes in Syracuse - read the online post about a bakery refusing to make a cake for a lesbian couple a month before their wedding. The couple, Desirie White and Jess Dowd, of Berwick, Pennsylvania, posted emails Tuesday from...

Syracuse, N.Y. -- Eric Mower, who turned his Syracuse-based ad agency into one of the largest independent marketing communications firms in the country, has sold ownership of the company to his employees. The agency said Wednesday that Mower transferred 100% ownership of the company to a newly formed employee stock...

Syracuse, N.Y. -- Breeze Airways is giving travelers another nonstop option to Florida. The airline, which started up last year and entered the Syracuse market this summer, said Wednesday it will launch year-round, nonstop service from Syracuse Hancock International Airport to Tampa International Airport beginning this fall. The weekly service...

This weekend marked the return of one of Central New York’s most unique art and cultural institutions, “Shakespeare in the Park,” which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. Over the last two decades, the program has brought the legendary English playwright’s work to life on the stage...

Recently in the news was the decision for smoking to be allow in several designated areas at the New York State Fair. “Any product that is legal to smoke in New York state can be smoked in the designated area,” and that will include medical marijuana and vaping.

Syracuse, N.Y. – You can shut off those overworked air conditioners at night this week. After a record-breaking start to August, Central New York will see highs in the 70s or low 80s. Nighttime lows will dip into the refreshing 50s. “High heat and humidity are behind us,” the...

The Board of Directors of FOCUS Greater Syracuse is proud to formally announce the 2022 honorees for the Wisdom Keeper celebration. FOCUS Greater Syracuse will honor Calvin L. Corriders, regional president for the Syracuse market for Pathfinder Bank; and Pamela M. Brunet, executive director of Leadership Greater Syracuse as the 2022 Wisdom Keepers.

Bob Faulkner is trying to get rid of 80,000 unwanted guests to the Petit Library in Syracuse. They aren’t patrons or disruptive visitors to the Wescott area library on Victoria Place. In fact, Faulkner is trying to save this mob and move them to a better home. The buzz...

The Syracuse Rose Society (SRS) (Syracuserosesociety.org) Executive Board has taken note of the many community submissions regarding how to use a $100 million to $200 million county budget surplus (”We asked how you would spend Onondaga County’s $100M surplus. You had a ton of ideas,” July 13, 2022). The suggestion of a botanical garden is intriguing and would beautify the city, and an aquarium would be fun and educational to visit for those who can afford to go there. Neither will be tourism draws for years. The SRS would like to point out that the E.M. Mills Rose Garden in Thornden Park is ranked by the American Rose Society as second-best garden in the nation. Visitors come to see the rose garden from all over the country. When the Syracuse Parks Department and a full slate of volunteers work together, Rose Day in June is spectacular. Unfortunately, if you go to the garden now, you will wonder: “What happened?”

NY Cannabis Insider’s conference schedule for the rest of 2022 is now available! Get tickets to our NYC meetup on Aug. 23, our Syracuse half-day conference on Sept. 23 and our full-day conference in Tarrytown on November 4. With legalization of adult-use cannabis, New York has taken a strong...

Syracuse, N.Y. — Potentially deadly Eastern Equine Encephalitis has been discovered in mosquitoes in Madison County. The infected insects were collected from a trap on Smith Ridge Road in the town of Sullivan, according to the Madison County Health Department. It’s the first sign of the virus in Madison...

Syracuse, N.Y. — The name, image and likeness situation in Syracuse is about to get a lot more interesting. A group called the “315 Foundation,” has been in the planning stages for about 10-11 months, its organizers said. And though the people in charge prefer that it not be called a “collective,” what they’re planning in the bold new NIL era will allow Syracuse athletes to benefit from a growing trend in the industry.

Cicero, N.Y. – A local developer is proposing a $250 million project that would turn Lakeshore Yacht and Country Club into a mix of hundreds of homes, stores, restaurants and a luxury hotel on Oneida Lake. The proposal for Lakeshore Village includes more than 500 apartments, townhomes, luxury condos...

Carole Anderson Callender, 76, of Liverpool, died Sunday, July 31, 2022, at St. Joseph’s Health Hospital in Syracuse. Born and raised in Bridgeport, Conn., she was a resident of Liverpool for the past 45 years, according to her obituary. She earned a master’s degree in special education from Syracuse University and worked in education for 35 years.

Syracuse, N.Y. — About 25 firefighters were called Wednesday afternoon to a house engulfed in flames in the city’s Valley neighborhood. The fire at the two-story home at 217 Searlwyn Road was reported at about 2:18 p.m. Firefighters first saw the front of the house consumed by the fire with smoke pouring from the top floor, Syracuse Fire Department District Chief Mark Hatch said.

Mary Jo Coleman, 81, of Syracuse, died Monday. She grew up on Tipperary Hill in Syracuse and attended St. Patrick’s School. After she graduated from high school, Coleman entered the Order of Sisters of St. Joseph. She served the order for 30 years and was a social worker in the Syracuse City School District.

Syracuse, N.Y. ― Officials have revealed the matchups for the Empire Classic with Syracuse facing Richmond in the event’s opening night double-header. The Orange will play Richmond on Nov. 21 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. The Syracuse-Richmond game is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. In night’s second game, St. John’s will take on Temple.