FREE • EagleStarReview.com
Proudly serving Liverpool, Salina, North Syracuse, Cicero & Clay
PENNY SAVER: CNY’S BEST BUSINESS SERVICE DIRECTORY INSIDE!
Week of Dec. 11, 2024 Home of The Bustin Family
WORK BUY SELL TRADE GET IT DONE
Police investigate Liverpool business incident at Cicero community expanding Elementary Submitted photos
Liverpool keeps expanding and growing. The village is becoming more diverse with many places for people to shop or get services. Blue Moon Apothecary expanded on First Street. The establishment offers shopping, yoga, health services and tea. JRECK subs is a new addition to Old Liverpool Road. They will host a fundraiser for Liverpool Dollars for Scholars. Bricks Crossing on Second street offers Legos, new, used and retired, and they do trades and classes. “The Liverpool Chamber welcomes these new members to the chamber and to the community,” said Chamber Director Lucretia Hudzinski.
Olums in Liverpool nears completion Furniture/appliance store to open on Taft Road Empire Commercial Construction, a regional general contractor that specializes in turn-key retail, restaurant and small-project construction, is nearing completion of the construction contract for Olum’s Appliances and Go2Sleep Gallery in Liverpool. Empire partnered with Design Space Studios and BX2 Architecture for all design of the over 20,000-square-foot tenant space renovation in the existing one-story building located at 4979 West Taft Road in the Wegmans Plaza. Completion is expected sometime this month. “This new relationship with Olum’s continues to build-upon our extensive experience,” said Empire President, Josh Myers. “We look forward to successfully delivering this and future locations, continuing to
grow their footprint and 110+ year reputation as the area’s premier employee-owned and operated furniture/ appliance store.” The custom buildout of the existing 20,000-squarefoot space within Wegmans Plaza features a centrally located business office, appliances retail area, Go2sleep Gallery exclusively at Olum’s, public bathrooms, offices, storage, conference and breakroom. Olum’s Furniture and Appliances, celebrating over 110 years of service, offering furnishings for the home from bedroom accessories to home entertainment features to dining room furniture and more, along with decorative accents. For more information visit olums. com.
A Cicero Elementary School teacher is facing charges after the Cicero Police Department initiated an investigation regarding allegations she used physical force against a 5-yearold student in a classroom during school hours. At 3 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 26, the school’s special patrol officer became aware of the alleged incident. Cicero PD detectives reportedly determined that the suspect teacher, Margaret Bautista-Smith age 58 of Central Square, had allegedly slapped the 5-year-old female student in the arm causing redness and swelling. The school nurse and administration were immediately notified and it was repored that the injury did not require any medical attention. An investigation was then conducted with the full cooperation of the North Syracuse School District. After consultation with the Onondaga County District Attorney’s office Bautista-Smith was charged on Dec. 2 with endangering the welfare of a child, a class A misdemeanor and harassment in the second degree, a violation Bautista-Smith was issued appearance tickets returnable to Town of Cicero Court on Dec. 17.
Warriors now Legends
Only one Liverpool BOE opposed the new mascot name By Russ Tarby Contributing Writer When the Liverpool Central School District’s Board of Education met on Dec. 2, they voted 8-1 to change the district’s nickname from Liverpool Warriors to Liverpool Legends. The new mascot will make the scene starting on July 1, 2025. The lone board member to vote against the new name was Stacy Chilbert. She joined the board in 2023. Board members who voted in favor of the Legends name were President Nick Blaney, Vice President Jecenia Bresett along with Hayley Downs, Matt Jones, Kimberly Martin, Dan McKeever, Kimberly Melnick and John Solazzo. Since February, the Liverpool Mascot Committee has been meeting and studying mascot-name surveys of students and community members In April 2023, the New York State Board of Regents unanimously approved a ban on the use of Native American images as school mascots. School districts which use indigenous team names, logos, and mascots are to be entirely eliminated by the end of the 2024-2025 school year. While the Liverpool adopted a Roman Warrior logo 20 years ago, the NYS Education Department determined that the term Warrior remains connected to Native American culture, and must be replaced. On Nov. 20, the Mascot Committee recommended “Legends” as the new nickname for the district. A press release issued by the district last week applauded the change. “The choice speaks to the honor, strength and spirit that have always represented the hard work of Liverpool’s teams, clubs, programs and student body,” the district maintained. “It also aligns with the current district logo.” While some board members at the Dec. 2 meeting suggested a compromise, removing Warriors and not immediately replacing it while trying to meet with Native American representatives, the board decided to go ahead with the new nickname. “I feel like we’ve exhausted every possible route and as a community, we have to move forward,” said board member Matt Jones, who served on the Mascot Committee. “We are risking losing state aid if we don’t move forward on this.”
Trustees gather Monday By Russ Tarby Contributing Writer
In order to convene their monthly meetings around the upcoming holidays, Liverpool’s village government has rescheduled several board meetings. On Monday, Dec. 9, for instance, the planning board planned to meet at 6 p.m. rather than on its regular rotation of the fourth Monday of the month. Similarly, the zoning board of appeals also scheduled its December meeting at 5 p.m. on Dec. 9. The village board of trustees will convene at its usual third Monday of the month at 6 p.m. Monday, Dec. 16, at the village hall, 310 Sycamore St.
Volume 131, Number 50 The Star-Review is published weekly by Eagle News. Office of Publication: 2501 James St., Suite 100, Syracuse, NY 13206. Periodical Postage Paid at Syracuse, NY 13220, USPS 316060. POSTMASTER: Send change of address to Star-Review, 2501 James St., Suite 100, Syracuse, NY 13206.
SPORTS: Holiday party planned at Salina Library.
PAGE 2
Wake up to the Star Review in your inbox every Wednesday morning! Visit the Eagle Newspaper Facebook page to sign up for our NEW digital edition.
sports: Liverpool girls basketball routs Binghamton, 63-33.
PAGE 11
DEATH NOTICES ����������� 3
Obituaries ������������� 3,10
Editorial ��������������������� 4
PennySaver ���������������� 6
HISTORY ��������������������� 2,5
Sports ����������������������� 11