G-Mac is home. Baseball is back. Easter eggs incoming.

On March 24, Syracuse University officially named Gerry McNamara as the next head coach of the Orange men's basketball. The 42-year-old, who helped lead SU to its only national title in 2003 alongside Carmelo Anthony and holds program records for career 3-pointers (400) and minutes played (4,799), returns after two seasons at Siena, where he engineered a dramatic turnaround, won the MAAC Tournament, and nearly knocked off top-seed Duke in the first round of March Madness. He replaces Adrian Autry, who was fired after three disappointing seasons and a five-year NCAA Tournament drought. McNamara's first words: "I love this place... We are going to build something special here."

The take: The hire brings energy and credibility back to a program that desperately needed both. The real test? The transfer portal and NIL market. G-Mac knows it — he said so himself.

🔗 Read more at ESPN

Micron Technology is hosting its inaugural Community Week in Central New York from March 30 through April 3, with a series of free public events centered on STEM education, workforce development, and community engagement. The week kicks off Monday morning at Syracuse STEAM High School with new investment announcements through the Green CHIPS Community Investment Fund, a joint $500 million commitment between Micron and New York State aimed at building workforce pipelines and supporting local infrastructure. Events throughout the week include hands-on STEM activities, construction and trades career info sessions, and tech talks on AI and semiconductor manufacturing.

The take: The groundbreaking happened in January. This is where it starts feeling real for everyday CNY residents: jobs, training, and money coming this way.

🔗 See the full Micron Community Week lineup

After word got out that I-81 construction would eventually force some of Syracuse's most beloved summer festivals to relocate, city officials held a joint press conference this week to calm the panic. Mayor Sharon Owens made it simple: "We love our festivals. Our festivals love being here. Let's enjoy 2026." Construction timelines near Clinton Square aren't finalized, and the earliest disruptions would happen in late 2026 or early 2027. The city has approved $3.5 million to upgrade Progress Park at the Inner Harbor as a backup venue for future years, and the DOT says they've built contract requirements to protect major community events throughout the project.

The take: Breathe easy for now. The Taste of Syracuse, Juneteenth, and the Crawfish Festival are safe this season. Start thinking about the Inner Harbor as a legit festival venue, because it's coming.

🔗 Read more at WRVO

After three road games in Worcester, the Syracuse Mets open the 2026 home season Tuesday, March 31, at 4:05 p.m. at NBT Bank Stadium against the Toledo Mud Hens. It's Taco Tuesday, it's opening week, and it comes loaded with new perks: a new $149 Fan Pass for unlimited admission all season, a "Local Eats: A Taste of CNY" initiative that invites local restaurants and food trucks to take over the third-base concession stand each homestand, and a new Chevy All-American Music Series featuring local bands pregame. Easter Sunday (April 5) brings a pregame egg hunt and Kids Eat Free Family Sunday, with kids getting in free all week.

The take: The Mets front office keeps making NBT Bank Stadium feel more like a community hub than just a ballpark. The local food truck rotation alone is a big deal.

🔗 Get tickets at SyracuseMets.com

The Liverpool Central School District is facing a multimillion-dollar budget shortfall heading into the 2026-27 budget season. District officials are weighing tough decisions on programs and staffing as they prepare to present options to the community. Liverpool is one of the larger suburban districts in Onondaga County, serving thousands of students from Liverpool, Baldwinsville, and surrounding areas.

The take: If you have kids in the district, or just care about how suburban school districts weather the post-COVID funding cliff, this is one to watch closely. Budget vote season is coming.

🔗 Read more at CNY Central

April arrives with classic CNY bipolar energy. Monday starts mild, upper 50s, but rainy and breezy. Tuesday drops back into the mid-40s, and Wednesday (April Fools' Day, appropriately) brings morning rain followed by afternoon thunderstorms. Keep the umbrella close for the first half of the week. By the weekend, skies should start clearing, with Easter Sunday (April 5) setting up to be the most pleasant day of the stretch, highs likely in the 50s, mostly dry, good egg-hunt weather. Pack the kids' rain gear for midweek. Save the Easter best for Sunday.

🐰 Breakfast with the Bunny at the Rosamond Gifford Zoo, 9:30 AM & 11:30 AM. The last chance before Easter to get the full bunny breakfast experience at one of CNY's favorite family institutions — pancakes, eggs, pastries, and a photo op with the big guy himself. Zoo admission included. | From $20/kids, $30/adults | Tickets

🎭 Bat Out of Hell – The Musical at the Landmark Theatre, 7:30 PM. Jim Steinman's legendary catalog — "Paradise by the Dashboard Light," "Two Out of Three Ain't Bad," the whole thing — turned into a full theatrical rock spectacle with motorbikes on stage. This was rescheduled from earlier this season, so if you missed it, tonight's your night. | Tickets

🔬 Micron Community Week kicks off today. A full week of free, public events tied to CNY's once-in-a-generation economic moment. Today's programming starts at Syracuse STEAM High School with new Green CHIPS investment announcements. Runs through Friday, multiple locations. | Free | Details

⚾ Syracuse Mets Home Opener vs. Toledo Mud Hens at NBT Bank Stadium, 4:05 PM. Taco Tuesday. Kid-Stravaganza. The debut of the Local Eats food truck rotation along the third-base concourse. First pitch of the 2026 home season — and if temps don't crack 53°, your ticket rolls over to any April or May home game. | Tickets

🏛️ Know Your Rights – Know Your Resources Community Training at the 443 Social Club, 7:00 PM. A free, community-run event to help CNY residents understand their legal rights and connect with local resources. All are welcome — this is the kind of thing that matters most to know before you need it. | Free | Details

🎨 Iconoclasts: Laurent Craste at the Everson Museum of Art, through May 24. The American museum debut for French-Canadian ceramist Laurent Craste, whose porcelain work subverts the expected in ways that are genuinely arresting. A new reason to finally make it to the Everson this week. | Free with admission | Details

🍺 Trivia Night at Meier's Creek Brewing (Inner Harbor), 7:00 PM. Syracuse Trivia Company runs the show every Wednesday at one of the city's freshest breweries, right on the edge of Onondaga Lake. Teams of up to 7, new theme each week, and the beer list is excellent. A perfect reset for the middle of the week — especially on April Fools' Day, where at least one question will make you feel like an idiot. | Free | Details

🎨 FIFTEEN MINUTES: Homage to Andy W — Street Gallery NY by MIDOMA x CNY Arts, through April 9. A self-guided outdoor gallery walk across four downtown storefronts, featuring work inspired by Warhol's legacy. Free, walkable, and a genuinely interesting excuse to wander a stretch of downtown you might not usually hit. | Free | Details

🔬 Micron Community Week: Career Pathways Day. Thursday programming focuses on construction and skilled trades — the actual jobs that will build the Clay megafab. If you know someone weighing a career move or a student figuring out next steps, this is worth checking out. Free and open to all CNY residents. | Free | Details

📷 Arcanite Pictures: Oracle in the Aperture at Light Work, 316 Waverly Ave, through May 22. If you missed the opening reception last week, don't let that stop you. This exhibit spotlighting emerging documentary photographers is quietly one of the best things on view in the city right now. | Free | Details

🎶 Pat McGee at the 443 Social Club, 7:00 PM. The singer-songwriter has been a cult favorite since the '90s, known for his emotional, acoustic-forward sound and a die-hard live following. One of those rooms where everyone already knows every word. | Tickets

🎨 Last day: Stay Fresh Artist Series 032 – Anthony Beckham, Downtown Syracuse. The illustrator and painter whose quirky, humor-forward characters have been turning heads since March wraps up today. Free, and worth a stop before it comes down. | Free | Details

🛍️ CNY Regional Market, 7:00 AM – 2:00 PM. The Saturday ritual. Produce, baked goods, local crafts, and the best people-watching in Onondaga County as spring slowly starts feeling real. | Free | Details

🍁 Last weekend: Critz Farms Maple Syrup Celebration, Cazenovia. Your final shot at this annual tradition — watch maple syrup get made from tap to bottle, then dig into an all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet. Perfect family Saturday before Easter. | Details

🐣 Easter Egg Hunts Across CNY — It's Go Time. Saturday, April 4, is the Saturday before Easter, which means villages all over the region are hiding eggs. Here's where to take the kids:

Note: Several of these are recurring annual events — confirm dates and times with organizers before heading out, as some finalize details close to Easter.

🐣 Easter Brunch at the Rosamond Gifford Zoo, 9:00 AM, 11:00 AM & 1:00 PM. Three seatings, a full Easter brunch spread, and a meet-and-photo with the Easter Bunny. Mimosas and Bloody Marys for the 21+ crowd. Zoo admission included. | From $26/kids, $44/adults (members) | Tickets

⚾ Mets Easter Sunday vs. Toledo at NBT Bank Stadium. Pregame egg hunt on the field and Kids Eat Free Family Sunday — the kind of afternoon that turns into a family memory without you even planning it. | Tickets

🎨 Last day: Joyce Kozloff – Contested Territories, 1983–2023 at the Everson Museum. Four decades of map-based work exploring how geography, ideology, and power shape the world we think we know. If it's been on your list all month, today's the day. | Free with admission | Details

The CNY SPCA in Mattydale is under new leadership and making real progress on animal care and adoptions. Here are three pups currently waiting for their people at 5878 East Molloy Road. Open Monday-Saturday, 11 AM-4 PM.

Kona is a chocolate Lab mix who showed up as a stray near Seneca Knolls and has since become an unofficial staff favorite at the CNY SPCA, which, if you know Labs, is not surprising at all. She's friendly, gentle, and has already charmed her way through an off-site adoption event like a natural. Fully vaccinated and spayed, she's ready to go from shelter regular to couch regular. 🐾 Meet Kona and Apply to Adopt

Skye is a Husky mix who wandered in from the Town of Geddes and, according to the SPCA, is still "revealing his personality." Which, honestly, is just Husky for "I will tell you about myself on my own schedule, and not a moment sooner." He's athletic, handsome, and looking for someone patient enough to earn that classic Husky loyalty. 🐾 Meet Skye and Apply to Adopt

Mr. Beaver is a guinea pig, not a beaver, though he does have the distinguished air of someone who takes his dam-building very seriously. He's a gentle, shy guy who is deeply bonded to his best buddy Patches, and the two would love to be adopted together. He's not big on strangers, but if you're patient, he can be won over with a well-placed scritch. The name alone is worth the adoption fee. 🐾 Meet Mr. Beaver and Apply to Adopt

📍 CNY SPCA, 5878 East Molloy Road, Mattydale | cnyspca.org | Open Mon-Sat, 11 AM-4 PM

A senior leadership role overseeing all IT strategy and operations for one of Central New York’s longest-standing healthcare systems. This position owns everything from Epic EMR performance to cybersecurity, infrastructure, and digital transformation—acting as a key advisor to executive leadership. Salary range: $150,000–$175,658. Ideal for someone who’s led hospital IT teams, understands clinical workflows, and can balance big-picture strategy with day-to-day system reliability in a 24/7 care environment. 🔗 Apply Now

The Mets are hiring for the 2026 season at NBT Bank Stadium. Flexible schedules, great game-day energy, and you get to be there when the Local Eats food truck program launches. Entry-level friendly. 🔗 Apply Now

A senior leadership role reporting directly to the Chief Lending Officer, overseeing all loan servicing (consumer, mortgage, and commercial), debit and credit card programs, fraud management, and a loan quality control program. Salary range: $145,767–$242,946. 7 🔗 Apply Now

A hands-on leadership role running day-to-day warehouse operations for one of Central New York’s fastest-growing beverage distributors. You’ll lead a team on the floor, managing inventory flow, enforcing safety standards, and keeping orders accurate and on schedule using WMS tools and handheld scanners. Pay range: $60,000–$80,000 with consistent overtime opportunities. Best fit for someone with warehouse leadership experience who’s comfortable operating equipment, coaching a team, and keeping a high-volume operation running efficiently. 🔗 Apply Now

An entry-level role that’s a solid foot in the door with New York State, offering strong long-term stability and clear paths for advancement. You’ll handle core office operations: answering phones, managing data entry, organizing files, sorting mail, and scheduling meetings and essentially, keeping day-to-day administrative work running smoothly. Pay range: $36,232–$44,828 with a full state benefits package, including pension, generous PTO, and tuition assistance. Ideal for someone reliable, organized, and looking to build a career in public service without needing prior experience. 🔗 Apply Now