Syracuse Common Council Race Heating Up
By Erich Berckman
October 12, 2009 - 1:49pm
Important election upcoming for vacant Common Council positions

A possible shift in power may occur in the Syracuse Common Council, as two of the most influential councilors will be vacating their positions. Democrats Stephanie Miner and Van Robinson, who have both reached their term limits, will be pursuing other positions in the election this fall.

Miner was recently chosen as the Democratic mayoral candidate for the important election coming up this fall. Robinson has chosen to run unopposed for council president. 

President Obama wins the Nobel Peace Prize
By Brenna Wilson
October 9, 2009 - 1:49pm
President Obama becomes the third sitting American president to win the prize.

President Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize Friday, nytimes.com reports. The honor comes after the president was only in office for nine months.

The award, which was announced in Oslo early Friday morning, recognizes the president for his “extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples” and his efforts to rid the world of nuclear weapons.

Obama and Afghanistan
By John Mangano
October 8, 2009 - 1:32pm
Obama and team discussing how many troops needed in Afghanistan

According to CNN President Barack Obama will begin discussing how many troops are needed in Afghanistan tomorrow with his security team.  General Stanley McChrystal, the lead commander in  Afghanistan, called for an additional 40,000 troops for the effort.  Conservatives are urging the president to move forward with this surge of troops.

Public opinion shifts in favor of health care overhaul
By Danny Fersh
October 7, 2009 - 2:43pm
New poll shows dramatic change in recent weeks

According to the latest Associated Press – GfK poll, the American public is split evenly – with 40% in favor and 40% opposed – on federal health care legislation. 

This comes just weeks after a September poll reported that 49% of Americans opposed congressional health care proposals while just 34% supported them. 

Nine Mile Point 1 power plant closed down today
By Christopher Hein
October 5, 2009 - 5:19pm
High water levels in the reactor cause the Nine Mile Point 1 nuclear power plant to shut down today.

The Syracuse Post-Standard has reported that the Nine Mile Point 1 nuclear power plant in Scriba, N.Y. closed down today.  Operators had to manually shut down the plant because of high water levels in the reactor.  The plant closed around noon today.

Rio de Janeiro wins bid to host 2016 Summer Olympic games
By Christopher Hein
October 2, 2009 - 3:33pm
Rio de Janeiro beat out Chicago, Tokyo, and even Chicago to win the bid for the 2016 summer games. Chicago was eliminated in the first round of voting.

For the first time ever, South America will host its first ever Olympic games.  This afternoon, Rio de Janeiro was announced as the hosting site for the 2016 Summer Olympics. 


According to Espn.com, nearly 50,000 people erupted in a celebration after Rio was announced the winner. 


There were three rounds of voting that took place to decide the winner.  Surprisingly, Chicago was eliminated in the first round leaving Madrid, Tokyo, and Rio in the race for...

Violence drops in Iraq, 4,000 U.S. troops set to withdraw in October
By Kristina D'Amore
September 30, 2009 - 7:02pm

The United States will withdraw 4,000 more troops from Iraq by the end of October, said the U.S. military commander in Iraq today during a congressional hearing. CNN.com reports that U.S. Gen. Ray Odierno spoke to the House of Representatives Armed Services Committee about the troop withdrawal and a decrease of violence in Iraq.

AIDS detection and treatment improves world wide
By Andrew Reich
September 30, 2009 - 3:59pm
More people are getting treatment for H.I.V. and AIDS around the world.

NYTimes.com reports, the amount of people being tested for H.I.V. has doubled in several countries over the past year. This has contributed greatly to not only the detection of AIDS, but to people being treated.

Onondaga Community College's enrollment sets record
By Matthew Phifer
September 29, 2009 - 4:23pm
Syracuse.com reports that Onondaga Community College enrollment is up by 14%.

According to Syracuse.com Onondaga Community College’s enrollment has reached a record of more than 12,000 students.   That is an increase of 14% over last year.