Tim Knauss

1 week ago | syracuse.com | Tim Knauss

Syracuse, N.Y. – Three candidates competing to represent the Onondaga County Legislature’s 9th District have filed enough petition signatures to win independent party lines on the November ballot. Assuming the petitions withstand any potential challenges, the three candidates will appear on a total of six major- and minor-party lines. But in a district long dominated by Democrats, there will be no candidate on the Democratic line.

1 week ago | syracuse.com | Tim Knauss

Syracuse, N.Y. -- Most times, when city lawyers advise the Common Council to settle a lawsuit, councilors settle. Paying to settle a case avoids the risk of even greater costs after a trial. And it stops the meter on lawyer fees. But a few members of the Syracuse Common Council stepped in last October to block a proposed $825,000 settlement on behalf of Syracuse Police Officer Kelsey Francemone.

3 weeks ago | syracuse.com | Tim Knauss

Syracuse, N.Y. – The long reach of Van Robinson’s life as a Syracuse community leader was manifested at his funeral Monday, where tributes poured in from across New York state and beyond. Former President Bill Clinton and his wife, former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, sent a letter to Robinson’s widow, Linda Brown-Robinson, that was read to mourners at Bethany Baptist Church.

3 weeks ago | syracuse.com | Tim Knauss

Syracuse, N.Y. -- A housing developer has sued the suburban town of Van Buren after the town board refused his request for a zone change to build houses on lots smaller than one acre. Developer Dan Barnaba, president of Eldan Homes, claims in court papers that the town board erred when it denied a zone change that would have allowed him to build homes on lots of one-third acre. The smaller lot size would allow him to charge about $60,000 less for each home, compared with one-acre lots, he said.

4 weeks ago | syracuse.com | Tim Knauss

Syracuse, N.Y. — Van Robinson never ran for mayor of Syracuse, out of deference to his wife’s desire for at least a smidgeon of privacy. Even so, in five decades of political activism and leadership, Robinson knit together the community in ways that rival the influence of many mayors. Robinson died Saturday at age 87. His legacy remains. Robinson’s long quest to remove the highway viaduct that splits Syracuse helped public officials see the harm that roadways can inflict on city residents.