Articles by Steve Yablonski

The Port City is looking for the best possible ways to spend $10 million in Downtown Revitalization Initiative money. Nearly 100 residents gathered to lay the foundation for how that money might be put to use as well as it leveraging other funding and services. Oswego won just shy of $1 million in State funding from the NYS Regional Economic Development Council awards Dec. 8. The mayor announced that in 2016, the city decreased its overtime expense by nearly 30% in comparison to 2015.

Ruth Gruber, an American journalist who stumbled into one of the great rescue stories of the Holocaust when the U.S. government appointed her to escort nearly 1,000 Jews across U-boat infested waters to the shores of the United States, died Nov. 17 at her home in Manhattan. Residents who have a 315 or 680 phone number will soon need to enter the area code for all calls – including calls within the same area code.

Karl Haist returned to the champion’s podium in a big way at the Great Pumpkin fest in October. Parades are noted as slow with many breaks. That wasn’t the case as nearly 30 Modifieds, Small Blocks, Sportsmen and Pro Stocks started off at City Line Road, headed to East Tenth Street and then up the Utica Street hill before turning on to West First Street, right on Bridge and headed back to the Oswego Speedway pits. The Marching Bucs competed in the New England School Bands Association competition held at Wakefield High School in Massachusetts. They won the entire show with a score of 88.3 and received a gold rating.

In less than 80 days, the Oswego Speedway underwent a major overhaul for Super DIRT Week, with renovations that would typically take crews a year to complete. Since the “New Stage” was announced, construction crews have been scattered throughout the Oswego facility putting in 10- to 12-hour workdays to transform the timeless Oswego Speedway in advance of the 45th Annual NAPA Super Dirt Week.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who asked the New York PSC to adopt a Clean Energy Standard benefiting the state’s nuclear power plants, helped facilitate the transaction between Exelon and Entergy. An 8-year-old gives her change to help balance Oswego’s budget. West Nile and EEE were also making news.

On July 14, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that Downtown Oswego was selected as the winner of the $10 million Downtown Revitalization Initiative in Central New York. Black bears sightings across Upstate New York increased in 2016. They were seen in Fair Haven, Oswego and Mexico as well. Super DIRT Week, Oct. 5-9, would move to the historic Oswego Speedway in 2016. A 4-month-old boy, a 7-year-old girl, an adult male and two dogs were rescued from a burning home.

“It is my pleasure to announce that the city of Oswego successfully submitted its proposal to be considered for the Downtown Revitalization funding and we hope to take full advantage of this extraordinary opportunity provided by Governor Andrew Cuomo,” Mayor Billy Barlow said at the start of June. Standing in front of the Safe Haven site at Fort Ontario Park, Rep. John Katko outlined progress on legislation he introduced to advance the designation of the site towards National Park status.