10 New Speed Cameras & The Airport's Micron Plan

Hello, Syracuse

Somewhere between Halloween candy and Thanksgiving dinner, a few of my neighbors decided it was already Christmas. With weather this warm, I get it. The holiday spirit is going national too: the Rockefeller Center tree is a 76-foot Norway spruce from Madison County. Before that, Syracuse men's basketball opens its season tonight at the Dome. I'm curious to see what Gerry McNamara has built this year. Get outside this week too, while the warm weather sticks around. Let's get into it.

Looking for trivia nights this week? We published a full guide to every trivia spot in Syracuse.

Syracuse launches a "Lead Big Table" to get the lead out

Mayor Sharon Owens announced the Lead Big Table, a team-up between the city, Onondaga County, health experts and community groups to end lead poisoning in Syracuse. More than 1 in 10 Syracuse kids tested have elevated blood lead levels, and a 2026 Rockefeller Institute study found nearly 77% of the city's service lines contain lead. The city's pipe replacement timeline has already stretched from five years to about 10, and the water commissioner told the Common Council it could take more than two decades. Owens plans to talk with Newark, which replaced more than 23,000 lines in three years, and wants to bring on more than one contractor to speed things up.

$4 million to bring public water to a Clay neighborhood with undrinkable wells

Onondaga County is putting $4 million toward connecting about 72 parcels along Caughdenoy Road, Fancher Road and Manhattan Drive to public water. Residents there have been living on bottled water, filters and UV lights because their wells aren't safe to drink, and neighbors have found chloroform in their water. The full project is estimated at $7.5 million, so the Town of Clay still has to find the rest through grants. No timeline has been set.

NY private schools don't have to test their water for lead

New York has required public schools to test their drinking water for lead every three years for about a decade. Private schools have never been held to that rule, and none of the 33 private schools Central Current contacted in Onondaga County publicly report results. A pending state bill, S7777, would require every school to test and install filtered water stations before the 2027-28 school year.

Syracuse's airport is getting ready for the "Micron effect"

Syracuse Airport Authority Executive Director Jason Terreri sat down with NewsChannel 9 to talk about how Hancock is preparing for the growth Micron is expected to bring. The airport's 20-year master plan calls for expanded parking, a new cargo facility and room for drones and other advanced air mobility. Terreri expects passenger and cargo traffic to climb as cities tied to the chip industry need direct connections to Syracuse. The airport is also still working to land more airlines, including bringing Southwest back.

Ten school zone speed cameras go live with a warning period

The City of Syracuse is activating ten school zone speed cameras as part of its School Zone Traffic Enforcement program. A 30-day warning period started November 1, so drivers caught speeding will only get a warning notice for now. After that, it's a $50 fine set by New York State, plus a $25 late penalty if it goes unpaid. Tickets are mailed to the vehicle's registered owner, and signs are posted at every camera location.

The state shuts down National Grid's plan to heat the Inner Harbor with wastewater

New York has rejected National Grid's proposal to heat and cool buildings at the Inner Harbor using heat pulled from wastewater, the water that goes down household drains and toilets. The utility had planned to build a facility across the harbor from the county's new aquarium, connected to a network of pipes and pumps serving nearby apartments and businesses. The project was one of National Grid's pilot thermal energy networks in New York.

Hochul says NY's free school meals are safe despite federal cuts

Gov. Kathy Hochul says New York will keep fully funding universal free school meals even as federal food assistance gets cut. The state budget puts $395 million toward the program this year, up $55 million from last year. About 2.7 million students statewide get free breakfast and lunch regardless of family income, and the state says families can save up to $1,600 per child a year. Schools have served about 75 million free meals since September.

Nobody knows yet how many PFAs aka "forever chemicals" Micron will release

Micron's chip plants will bring PFAS, the so-called forever chemicals, to Central New York, but no one is sure how much will end up in the air and water. Micron says it will follow every regulation, though some question whether the rules go far enough to protect public health. Onondaga County recently held a five-hour, invitation-only conference on the issue with about 70 officials, researchers and industry reps. County Executive Ryan McMahon says the county is offering $1 million for research into how to treat PFAS.

Di Lauro's Bakery has a new owner after 118 years, and the bread isn't changing

After 118 years in the Di Lauro family, the North Side bakery has been sold to Anthony Mondello. Mondello is a former corporate retail manager whose family made Sunday stops at Di Lauro's. He already knows the first question customers will ask, and no, he's not changing the bread. "I think learning the Di Lauro's way is the only way to make this work," he said. "118 years speaks for itself."

New York opts into the federal school choice tax credit

Gov. Hochul opted New York into the federal scholarship tax credit created by last year's One Big Beautiful Bill Act, making her the second Democratic governor to do so. Starting January 1, individuals can donate up to $1,700 to a scholarship-granting organization and get it back as a dollar-for-dollar federal tax credit. Families earning up to 300% of the area median income can use the scholarships for private school tuition and other education costs. Supporters say it brings money to students without touching public school budgets, while teachers unions have blasted the decision.

This year's Rockefeller Center Christmas tree is from Madison County

The 2026 Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree is a 76-foot Norway spruce from West Edmeston, a tiny hamlet in Madison County. The 11-ton tree is set to be cut down on November 5 and arrive in Manhattan on November 7. When the lights go on in New York City this year, that's a CNY tree.

Nash Cards opens at Township 5 on Friday

Trading card fans in CNY have another place to shop. Nash Cards opens its doors at Township 5 in Camillus on Friday. Stop by and see what's in the cases. I’m guessing they will be stocked up with Pokemon cards.

429 N Franklin St #105, Syracuse - $889,900

2 bd | 2 ba | 1,923 sqft

This Franklin Square condo sits inside Mission Landing, the 1904 Monarch Typewriter Company building, and it comes with something you almost never see downtown: about 1,000 square feet of private outdoor space. One patio has a cedar barrel sauna, a hot tub and a copper outdoor rain shower right off the primary suite. The other has an outdoor kitchen with a Blaze grill and a fire pit, both on natural gas. Inside, it's 12-foot ceilings, exposed brick, a curved granite island and a butler's pantry wine bar, and downtown dining is a 3-minute walk.

Robert Searing (@theghostofoldbobsearing) caught a great one. An old painted sign on a downtown building, only partly visible for years, is coming into view as the parking garage next to it gets torn down. It turns out it's a Bartels Crown Beer ad. Bartels Crown was brewed right here by the Bartels Brewing Company in Syracuse during the 1930s and 1940s, roughly 1933 to 1942.