Wegmans scans your face. Syracuse votes to ban it today. The county? Not yet.

The Syracuse Common Council votes today on whether to ban facial recognition and other biometric surveillance in city businesses. Also this week: SU men's lacrosse is heading to the Final Four, Camillus is getting a $2M biking and walking trail, and the Regional Market finally has a real renovation path forward. Let's get into it.

The Syracuse Common Council votes Monday on legislation that would ban businesses in the city from collecting biometric data, including facial recognition, fingerprints, iris scans, and gait patterns. Councilors Corey Williams, Jimmy Monto, and Chol Majok are sponsoring the bill, which goes further than Onondaga County's disclosure-only requirement. The proposal was triggered in part by Wegmans' deployment of facial recognition cameras in New York City stores earlier this year. "I despise this technology," Councilor Monto said flatly. "I don't think it has any place anywhere." The vote was tabled at the May 4 meeting per city charter rules and is now ready for a decision.

Edit: I spoke with a city representative after this post was published. They brought attention to a May 5 article about Onondaga County's response, which is worth clarifying. The county did pass something, but it's a disclosure requirement: businesses that scan your face have to put up a sign saying so, but they can still scan your face. It’s headed to County Executive Ryan McMahon’s desk now, where he can either sign it or veto it. If McMahon vetoes the bill, the County Legislature has 45 days to hold a vote over whether to override the veto, according to the county charter. That requires two-thirds of the legislature’s vote, and since two-thirds of the legislature voted to pass the bill, it’s likely to eventually be adopted.

What was voted on today was that businesses in the city of Syracuse are banned from scanning, period.

The CNY Regional Market, a 90-year-old institution, has taken its first concrete step toward a long-overdue renovation. CEO Bill Fisher has outlined a $35 million phase-one plan that includes building modern cold storage warehouses, repurposing 40,000 square feet of historic space, and connecting the market more closely to the city's north side. A larger master plan extends toward $75-100 million over the next decade. State funding is a key piece of the equation.

The take: The Regional Market is one of the most beloved things CNY has. It almost died quietly under bad governance. The fact that it's now moving forward with real capital plans is genuinely good news.

The Village of Camillus is moving ahead with a 5-mile biking and walking trail that would connect the Empire State Trail to the village and beyond. Mayor Dick Waterman called it "a big deal" for attracting tourists and improving connectivity along Ninemile Creek and through Camillus Mills. The $2 million project would link the village to the broader Erie Canal trail network, one of the most underutilized tourism assets in CNY.

The take: The Erie Canal trail system is quietly one of the best things in this region. Every connection point added makes the whole network more useful.

Joey Spallina did it again. Playing at Hofstra University on Long Island on his home turf, the SU star scored three goals and added three assists Saturday as No. 6 seed Syracuse topped No. 3 seed North Carolina 13-11 in the NCAA quarterfinals. The Orange are headed to Championship Weekend in Charlottesville, Virginia, for the second consecutive season. Syracuse had lost to UNC twice during the regular season before flipping the script when it counted most. The men's lacrosse semifinals are Saturday, May 23, on ESPN2.

The take: SU has now beaten every team that beat them during the regular season. See you in Charlottesville.

The Village of Liverpool Police released a statement after a video of an arrest circulated widely on social media. A use-of-force review is underway. Details of the original incident are still developing.

Summer arrived about three months early, and we are not apologetic about it. Monday hits 91°F, the hottest day of the year so far by a wide margin, and only a 20% rain chance. Drink water, apply sunscreen, and enjoy it. You’ve earned it after this past winter. Tuesday stays warm in the upper 80s, but a 75% chance of rain means storms are likely by afternoon, so plan outdoor activities for the morning. Wednesday cools sharply into the low 70s with lingering storm chances as a cold front pushes through. By Thursday, it's a completely different week, mid-50s and mostly dry. The Memorial Day weekend forecast isn't locked in yet. Check back on Thursday.

Browse the full list of things to do in Syracuse this week here.

This week's trio is all from the CNY SPCA in Mattydale (5878 East Molloy Road, Mon-Sat 11 AM-4 PM).

Java is an adult male Labrador/Husky mix. The shelter puts it best: he has the friendly soul of a Lab and the adventurous spirit of a Husky. Add a pair of striking blue eyes to that combination, and you have a very handsome dog who walks nicely on leash and loves a good game of fetch.

Trooper is an adult male Labrador Retriever. He is a medium-sized, smart, playful, and friendly. A medium Lab with good energy is rarely a gamble.

Bailey is an adult female Saint Bernard. Saint Bernards are gentle, deliberate dogs, and Bailey looks the part. If you have the space and patience for a big, calm presence in your home, she is worth meeting.

Bond, Schoeneck and King is one of New York State's largest full-service law firms, with its flagship office right here in downtown Syracuse. They're looking for a labor and employment associate with 2-5 years of law firm experience to join the team. Litigation background required, L&E experience preferred. The firm has earned national rankings in that practice area for years running.

Lockheed Martin is hiring an early-career AI/ML engineer in a fully remote role. A 4x10 schedule, three days off per week. You'll work on machine learning applications with an emphasis on LLM frameworks (LangChain, OpenAI, Cohere), MLOps fundamentals, knowledge graphs, and cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP). No security clearance required. Salary range is $73,200-$129,030 depending on location, with a full benefits package including 401(k) match. If you want to do serious AI/ML work at a defense-scale company without leaving your couch or cutting your weekend short, this is the one.

C&S Companies, the Syracuse-based planning, design, and construction firm, is hiring a full-time Payroll Coordinator to manage multi-state payroll processing across its family of companies. You'll handle bi-weekly payroll runs, garnishments, pre- and post-payroll reporting, and year-end support. Five years of payroll experience preferred, ADP knowledge a plus. Pay is $30-$32/hour.

Saab's East Syracuse operation is hiring a Director of Product Support to lead its customer service, field and technical support, depot operations, and sustainment program management functions. This is a senior leadership role with 15+ years of experience required, 5+ in management, with a background in defense, surveillance systems, or high-technology programs. Secret clearance required (or ability to obtain). Compensation range is $165,700-$223,800. If you have the resume for it, there are not many opportunities at this level in CNY.

UPS is hiring warehouse workers in Syracuse to load, unload, and sort packages. $21/hour base pay, weekly paychecks, and a benefits package that is legitimately hard to beat at this pay range - $0 healthcare premium, a defined-benefit pension plan, 401(k), paid vacation, and paid holidays. Physically demanding work, but the compensation and stability make it one of the better blue-collar opportunities in CNY.

That's a wrap for this week, Syracuse. See you next Monday. If you have any comments or feedback, respond to this email! 🍊🧂