Week of April 16, 2025
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Earth Day cleanup set Toppled tree Second Street home damaged by fallen tree By Russ Tarby Contributing Writer
An earth Day cleanup on Onondaga Lake is planned for April 26. The Onondaga Lake Conservation Corps is looking for volunteers to participate in the 6th Annual Earth Day Cleanup on Saturday, April 26 from 10 a.m. to noon. Participants will pick up debris along Onondaga Lake’s southwest shoreline and learn from Audubon NY, Onondaga Audubon, and Parsons staff about the lake’s birds, other wildlife, and the importance of healthy habitats in the Onondaga Lake watershed. Volunteers should wear shoes or boots, long pants and sleeves, and bring work gloves. Plastic bags will be provided. The event will take place rain or shine. Volunteers will meet at Honeywell’s Onondaga Lake Visitors Center, 280 Restoration Way in Syracuse, and then drive a short distance to Harbor Brook. The 6th Annual Earth Day Cleanup is spon-
sored by National Grid. Space is limited and registration is required for the Earth Day Cleanup. Visit act.audubon.org/a/onondaga-lake-conservation-corps-earth-day-cleanup- saturdayapril-26-10-am to register or call 315-365-3588 or email montezuma@audubon.org with questions. “Onondaga Lake is a conservation success story,” said Chris Lajewski, program director of the Onondaga Lake Conservation Corps. “The Earth Day Cleanup is a great opportunity for the Central New York community to experience the restored habitats and remove debris that has washed up on the shoreline and wetlands during the winter months. We look forward to working with dozens of volunteers and having a huge impact that will benefit Onondaga Lake’s nesting Bald Eagles, waterfowl and other wildlife.”
Trustees adopt $4.5 million budget
Property taxes to remain flat at $12.95 per thousand By Russ Tarby Contributing writer At their monthly meeting on Thursday, April 10, the Liverpool Village Board of Trustees approved the 2025-2026 village budget totaling $4,551,936. That figure falls just short of a million dollars more than last year’s budget of $3,574,315. The trustees – Rachel Ciotti, Matt Devendorf, Mike LaMontagne and Mayor Stacy Finney – voted unanimously to approve the annual budget. Trustee Melissa Cassidy was absent on April 10. Last year’s budget called for a raise of the property tax assessment from $11.95 to $12.95 per $1,000 of assessed property value. This year, there will be no tax increase. While local budgets are often increased by purchases of vehicles and/ or major capital improvement projects, no such expenditures are foreseen next year. The single largest budget line in the village is always the police department. Next year, the village will spend $1,294,504.45 for police services, salaries, benefits and expenses. Because recent hiring has lifted the LPD to eight full-time officers and two part-timers, the department’s budget has increased dramatically. Village taxes had remained flat at $11.95 per $1,000 of assessed value since 2011. Last year, that went up to $12.95 so as an example a village property assessed at $100,000 will receive a tax bill for $1,295. Along with the taxes, village property owners
Greg Craybas
must also pay a $130 annual sewerfund assessment. Expenses which were struck from the new budget included a new $58,000 police vehicle, $20,000 in engineering fees and a summer DPW employee who would have earned $7,000. “We came up with a very lean budget,” Ciotti said. Taxable values decreased this year by $3,389,495 because exemptions for senior citizen-owner properties increased from 43 to 97, which represents a loss of $43,000 for the village, according to Village Clerk Mary Ellen Sims.
Seven DWIs in March
Police Chief Jerry Unger reported via memo that his officers made 357 traffic stops and issued 354 citations for violations of the state’s vehicle and traffic laws in the month of March. Seven arrests were made for Driving While Intoxicated last month. Officers stopped 17 tractor trailers in the village in March, and they wrote 13 local law traffic tickets for being overweight, which is three more than February. Eight accidents were investigated here in last month and six parking tickets were issued. Officers made 22 residential checks and 249 business checks last month, while responding to a total of 823 incidents and calls for service, an average of 26.5 calls per day. The LPD arrested 97 individuals last month on 112 criminal charges.
A tall tree came crashing down on Moe Clayton’s house and outbuildings located at 616 Second St. on Saturday evening, April 5. The aging tall tree that came down was located on next-door property at 612 Second St. According to Zillow.com.,the home at 612 -- which is currently vacant -- last sold for $105,000 in February 2025, but the new owner remains unidentified. Liverpool Mayor Stacy Finney, who lives a halfblock away on Birch Street, said Clayton’s buildings sustained significant damage. “You can see the damage from the Birch Street side of the house and from his backyard,” she said on Sunday. The mayor had some advice for village residents who may be facing possible damage from trees located in neighbors’ yards. “If someone has a neighbor with a tree that is damaged and is in danger of falling on their property, they can have an arborist assess it,” she said. At a village tree committee meeting on Monday, April 7, the village arborist, Theresa Link of Onondaga County Soil & Water Conservation District, said that the best thing for people to do is contact their insurance company to let them know that a neighbor’s tree appears to be in danger of falling on their property. “Then their insurance company will arrange something with the tree owner’s insurance,” the mayor said. “Please reach out to the village arborist with any questions.” Link can be reached by phone at 315-457-0325 or via email at tlink@ocswcd.org.
Liverpool, C-NS boys lacrosse to meet undefeated by Phil Blackwell
Though it was only mid-April, the boys lacrosse battle between Liverpool and Cicero-North Syracuse Tuesday afternoon at Bragman Stadium would really boost the confidence of whichever unbeaten team won it. The Warriors were 3-0 in the wake of last Saturday’s game against Section II’s Bethlehem, where it pushed past the Eagles 12-7 almost entirely on the backs of Brady Michaud and Chris Matott. Earning six goals for the second consecutive game plus an assist, Michaud could damage Bethlehem because Mattot was next to him, dishing out four assists to go with his four goals. Outside of that duo, only Danny Dunn and Tyler Donahue were able to score, but Dunn helped both Matott and Michaud picking up five assists as Brendan Caraher got two assists. Andrew Gabor finished with 10 saves. C-NS only played once last week, going to East Syracuse Minoa on Thursday and, making it four victories in a row, rolling past
the Spartans by a score of 13-7. Again well-balanced in its attack, the Northstars were led by three-goal hat tricks from Quinn Empey and Adrian Sweeney, Empey also getting a pair of assists as goalie Noah Samphier stopped 10 of ESM’s 17 direct shots, equaling what Gabor would do against Bethlehem. Jack Putman scored twice to go with his two assists and Luke Deinhart also managed two assists. Single goals went to Emmit Porter, Karsen Pritchard and Blake Fefee as Dominick Sommers added an assist. Back on April 5, C-NS defeated Indian River 12-3 with Empey’s four goals a strong follow-up to the six he scored against General Brown two nights earlier. Fefee scored three times, with Deinhart notching two goals. Donovan Chaney had four assists and Sweeney three assists as they both notched single goals, joining Porter. As if battling C-NS wasn’t enough, Liverpool also had to face West Genesee on Thursday afternoon and Skaneateles on Saturday just as the Northstars traveled south to face Section IV’s Johnson City.
Liverpool flag football earns win by Phil Blackwell
For more than a week, the Liverpool flag football team waited to get on the field again following its 14-14 tie with Baldwinsville on April 1 where it rallied from a 14-0 second-half deficit. Then the Warriors resumed action last Thursday night at PSLA-Fowler High School Stadium where, remaining confident, it improved on defense, only allowing a single touchdown. Meanwhile, Liverpool found the end
zone three different times and earned an 18-6 victory in the first of three straight road games that will include trips this week to Sherburne-Earlville and Fayetteville-Manlius. Cicero-North Syracuse will get a look at F-M first on Tuesday night. This comes before facing another first-year program from Central Square on Thursday in a game made up from last Tuesday night’s postponement due to heavy snow on the Bragman Stadium turf.
Volume 132, Number 16 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.
schools: LCSD hosts Second Annual Autism & Neurodiversity Night.
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sports: Liverpool girls lacrosse earns first wins of season.
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Editorial ��������������������� 6
Obituaries ���������������� 10
history ������������������������ 7
PennySaver ���������������� 8
letters ������������������������ 6
Sports �������������������� 2,13