FREE • EagleStarReview.com
Week of Jan. 29, 2025 Home of The Ellsworth Family
Proudly serving Liverpool, Salina, North Syracuse, Cicero & Clay
PENNY SAVER: CNY’S BEST BUSINESS SERVICE DIRECTORY INSIDE!
C-NS sweeps meets by Phil Blackwell
No one could catch up to Cicero-North Syracuse in either the girls or boys editions of last Friday’s Salt City Athletic Conference Metro division championship meet at SRC Arena. Picking up 148 points the favored girls Northstars got away from second-place Liverpool, who had 109 points, while the C-NS boys gained 137 points well clear of the 100 from runner-up Baldwinsville. Anna Eells led C-NS winning three different field events, including the high jump where she topped 5 feet 4 inches, the long jump with a top leap of 18’2” and the
triple jump where her 40’11 1/4” led to another victory, Todd taking third place with 33’6 1/4”. A 1-2 sweep of the 55-meter dash had Jaydin Mackey, in 7.43 seconds, beat Stephanie Todd’s 7.59, while in the 55 hurdles Aaliyah McDonald won over Mackey by threethousandths of a second, both officially posting 8.13. No one caught Mackey in the 300-meter dash, though, as her 41.22 seconds edged the 41.34 of Liverpool’s Mia Wright. McDonald took third place in 42.97 and Callie Bednarski (44.08) was fifth. In the 600-meter run Evelyn Maglente prevailed in 1:39.97 to top a field which included Gianna Melfi (1:43.86)
in fifth place.The Northstars were also second in the 4x400 relay in 4:15.26 and fourth in the 4x800. Sophia Graham went 3:00.29 for third place in the 1,000-meter run matching Cameron Sisk’s third in the 1,500-meter run in 5:03.17, while Kennedy Jones grabbed fourth place in the 3,000meter run in 10:48.04 edging teammate Mya Patti’s 10:48.31. Sparking C-NS on the boys side, Dante Melfi and Dom Petrera went 1-2 in the 1,000, Melfi winning in 2:44.25 exactly one second ahead of Petrera’s 2:45.25 before Tyler Graham beat the field in the 600 in 1:26.97 as Ben Rose Track l Page 2
LHS musicians named to ensembles
WORK BUY SELL TRADE GET IT DONE
Moratorium on multi-family dwellings rejected By Russ Tarby Contributing Writer
A
t the Dec. 16 meeting of the Village of Liverpool Board of Trustees, Brow Street resident Lisa Desimone presented a petition signed by 110 villagers requesting a moratorium on any building projects designed for housing three or more family units. The petitioners are concerned about a developer’s plan to construct a pair of two-story buildings featuring four “townhomes” each, at 103 Vine St. On Dec. 31, Mayor Stacy Finney sent a letter to Desimone and two of her neighbors acknowledging receipt of the petition. “The Village Board of Trustees will take no action on this moratoria,” Finney wrote. “All further approvals or denials will be handled by the Village of Liverpool Planning Board,” she concluded. Desimone was disappointed with the trustees’ decision. “At least they could have explained why they took no action,” she said. “No reason was given.” Noting that the mayor pointed neighbors to the planning board, Desimone characterized the issue as “a hot potato. It’s like they’re passing it back and forth,” Desimone said. At the planning board’s Dec. 9 meeting, it continued a public hearing about the “townhomes” proposed at the corner of Brow and Vine streets by Michael Dougherty of Park & Vine Holdings and Taber Rowlee of the Rowlee Construction Company. That hearing was expected to be continued at the board’s next meeting on Jan. 27. Brow Street residents have repeatedly voiced concerns about anticipated traffic congestion and parking problems. While the trustees made no mention of the moratorium at their Jan. 22 meeting, they did schedule a public hearing for 6 p.m. on Feb. 10 to consider a proposed new local law decreasing the maximum speed limit on Brow Street to 15miles-an-hour. The Village of Liverpool Board of Trustees includes Mayor Stacy Finney and trustees Rachel Ciotti and Michael LaMontagne – Trustees Melissa Cassidy Matt Devendorf were absent on Jan. 22.
December police report
Submitted photo
Liverpool High School seniors Ethan King, left, and Austin Barnhill have been honored by the National Association for Music Education (NAfME) with selections to All-Eastern Division Honors Ensembles. Liverpool High School seniors Austin Barnhill and Ethan King have been honored by the National Association for Music Education (NAfME) with selections to All-Eastern Division Honors Ensembles. Barnhill, who plays the tuba, was named to the All-Eastern Division Honors Orchestra while King, who plays the trumpet, was named to the Eastern Division Honors Con-
cert Band. More than 2,000 student musicians from across the Northeast applied for the Eastern Division Honors Ensembles. The pair will perform during the Eastern Division Honors Ensembles Festival to be held April 24 to 27 in Hartford, Connecticut. The festival is hosted by the Connecticut Music Educator Association.
At the village board’s meeting on Jan. 22, Police Chief Jerry Unger reported that his officers made 423 traffic stops and issued 352 citations for violations of the state’s vehicle and traffic laws in the month of December. Officers stopped 21 tractor trailers in the village last month, and issued 22 local law traffic tickets for being overweight. Thirteen accidents were investigated here in December. Officers made 21 residential checks and 335 business checks last month, while responding to a total of 1,081 incidents and calls for service, an average of 34.8 calls per day. The LPD arrested 91 individuals last month on 111 criminal charges.
Lions Club member receives Albany Lions Eye Institute Silver Award By Janelle Davis
Johana Russell, a dedicated member of the Syracuse Host Lions Club, has been awarded the prestigious Albany Lions Eye Institute Silver Award, recognizing her outstanding contributions to vision care and community service. Russell’s connection to the Lions Club began in her childhood when she received her first pair of glasses through the organization at age nine, sparking a lifelong commitment to service. “What I do every day is passion for me, and to have acknowledgement from the club means the
world to me, and keeps my drive going,” Russell said. Her journey with the Lions Club has taken her from volunteer work in Panama to becoming an active member of the Syracuse Host Lions Club alongside her husband, Lion Douglas Russell. Russell’s dedication to vision care programs has been particularly impactful. She has participated in numerous vision screening initiatives for both children and adults, including campaigns with the Metropolitan Lions Club of Medellin, Colombia, where teams
evaluated more than 700 children daily. “These screenings can detect eye diseases as early as six months of age, and the prognosis can be very good if detected before five years of age. By doing this, we have saved many children’s eyesight, which is remarkable,” Russell said. Her recognition stems particularly from her work promoting the Albany Eyes Institute’s services throughout the region. Together with her husband, Russell has been instrumental in raising awareness about the institute’s comprehensive eye care services among
local clubs, ensuring that children and adults who cannot access eye care services receive the support they need. Beyond vision care, Russell is passionate about environmental initiatives, reflecting the Lions Club’s broader mission areas which include diabetes, childhood cancer, hunger, and environmental protection. At home, she maintains eco-friendly practices through recycling, gardening, composting, and avoiding harmful insecticides. She plans to propose several projects involving native tree planting to her local club.
Russell’s background in nursing and her early exposure to community service have shaped her approach to humanitarian work. “Through all these experiences, I have learned to value what I have. Every day I try to practice more empathy and focus more on the solutions than on the problems,” she said. Drawing inspiration from senior Lions Club members, including those in their 90s and 100s who remain active in service, Russell continues to embody the organization’s spirit of dedication and community impact.
She values being part of what she describes as a “big family” that spans nearly 200 countries, united by a shared commitment to service. The Albany Lions Eye Institute Silver Award acknowledges not only Russell’s specific contributions to vision care but also her embodiment of the Lions Club’s core values of service, compassion, and community engagement. Russell’s ongoing work continues to make a significant impact in Syracuse and beyond, inspiring others to join in the mission of serving those in need.
Volume 132, Number 5 The Star-Review is published weekly by Eagle News. Office of Publication: 2501 James St., Suite 108, Syracuse, NY 13206. Periodical Postage Paid at Syracuse, NY 13220, USPS 316060. POSTMASTER: Send change of address to Star-Review, 2501 James St., Suite 108, Syracuse, NY 13206.
cnyspca pet of the week: Ceelie needs her time to shine.
PAGE 10
sports: C-NS girls hoops goes 2-0 in home tournament.
PAGE 9
Editorial ��������������������� 4
PennySaver ���������������� 6
history ������������������������ 4
Sports ������������������������� 9
Obituaries ��������������� 3,8