Team 1 Rundown Rationale

By Callan Gray (NCC News)

November 17, 2010 8:00 pm

Headlines:

These headlines were chosen for the newsworthiness of each story. The Syracuse School District budget plans was one of our top stories that has good proximity and discusses many of the influential people in the school system in Syracuse. The story about Honeywell cleaning up the Camillus waterbeds was teased because it is an interesting and informative story as well as very local. The blood pressure story was teased because a significant amount of Americans suffer from high blood pressure, making it relevant to a wide audience.

A2- OCC SU

This story was about a new program making it easier for Onondaga Community College students to transfer to Syracuse University after two years. The story lead the newscast because it is a breaking story and relevant to a good portion of the Syracuse academic community. The program was actually announced at 10 a.m. the morning of our cast, so only about an hour before we went on air. The story was both informative about the new program and similar programs SU has been involved in. This is important for the community to know so that community members can determine how the new action will affect them.

A3- Consumer Prices

Segueing out of the OCC SU story we used a story about the state of inflation in the United States. The original flow was to go from the OCC story to one on the budget deficit in the Syracuse School District and then go into this story. But with that flow I ended up with 3 readers in a row, which would cause me to lose the listener. I therefore put this one above the Syracuse School District story, breaking the flow from education to the economy. Instead the flow because the OCC story and then stories on the economy. This story was a reader about the current state of inflation in America. It is timely since the results were just released and it has relevance because many Central New Yorkers are affected by the poor economy in the state and nation. It also gives listeners an idea of the trend the economy is taking.

A4- School Budget

This story segued out of the Consumer Prices story nicely since it talks about how the poor economy is affecting the Syracuse School District, which has a budget deficit of $50 million dollars. The angle on the story was about how the cause of the deficit is New York State’s financial problems. This story is timely since the report was released Tuesday by Superintendant Lowengard at a day long meeting, if you weren’t at the meeting you wouldn’t have heard of the shortfall yet. It also has good proximity and affects all of the people within the Syracuse School District.

A5- Casino

This story continues the theme of the economy by discussing a plan Governor Paterson has to create jobs and bring hundreds of millions of dollars to the state. While the other stories discussed the problems with the economy, this one offers a solution adding a different perspective to the newscast. The story is about a casino Paterson would like to build that would be run by the Mohican tribe. It is not the most local story, which is why it is further down in the newscast. But it is still relevant to the area because if the casino were built, it would mean more money for the state, which could help Central New Yorkers in the long run. This is also a story that guarantees a follow up over the next few months when a decision is made.

A6- Cigarettes

This story flowed out of the Casino story well because it also has to do with an Indian Nation, the Cayugans. The story was about Cayuga County returning cigarettes it confiscated from the Cayuga Nation. The story is towards the end of the newscast because it broke yesterday but because it broke during the afternoon, it is still timely enough to include in the cast. This story is also timely because of the debates over the last few months about whether or not cigarettes should be sold on Indian reservations. The story is most relevant to smokers and those people who live in the Cayuga Nation. But this could be interesting to the citizens of Cayuga county in the sense that it could cause them to pay more attention to what county officials do.

A7-Honeywell

This story is about Honeywell International cleaning up polluted areas in Geddes and Camillus. This story is relevant because it is timely, since it was just announced; it is relevant because of the environmental impact it will have; and it affects a lot of people since it is taking place over two towns. The story was placed here because it acts as a transition between the Indian reservation stories and the next two stories based on health. It really did not flow with the rest of the class so it acted as a good break to recapture the listeners attention who may have gotten bored with the cast- its an attention grabber.

A8- Four Loko

This story was about how the FDA was making a decision on the health effects of Four Loko. The story was timely because the verdict was being made later the day and it was relevant because in previous casts we had covered the health risks of Four Loko. This story acted as a follow up to those stories. It was also relevant because the drink is so widely used on college campuses and Syracuse has a strong student base. The story was placed at the end of the cast because it is not a breaking story and is more of a public interest story. It also began the health block, which included this story and the next.

A9- Blood Pressure

This story was about a new procedure that would permanently reduce high blood pressure for those people on which medication has no effect. It was a human-interest story that flowed nicely from the Four Loko Health story. Many people throughout the United States suffer from high blood pressure so it was definitely relevant to put in the cast even though it did not have a direct local tie. It was also timely since the results of the trial run of the procedure were released the day of the cast.

Tease- We teased the Empire State Games being cancelled and the weather forecast.

B1- Empire State Games

This story was about the New York State Empire State Games being cancelled. This story was sports related so it worked well as the kicker. It was timely because it the decision to cancel the games was just made. It also affects all of the athletes in the state, including those in Central New York, so it had a wide audience. It would also appeal to the greater community, outside of athletes because the cancellation is a cost saving measure for the state.

Weather

We prepared extra weather with the weekend forecast but that was not read. The rest of the weather was read however and we still got out on time.

End of Show

Floaters

Z1-Hunter

We just had one floater since we only had 29 seconds of back time; I calculated this one 20 second floater would be enough even if we had extra time. The floater was about a hunter from Syracuse who’s body was found after he disappeared. The story was not used in the cast because the body had been found a few days prior. It was still local however and was an ongoing investigation so it was still relevant. Audiences would be interested in this story because of its human interest.

Syracuse school district faces $50 million dollar budget gap

by Kimberly Caruba (NCC News)

Nov. 17, 2010, 7:25 p.m.

SYRACUSE, N.Y. - The Syracuse school district is facing a possible $50 million budget gap for the next school year that could result in eliminating 750 jobs.

Who to blame

Vice President of the Board of Education, Patricia Brady, said that a decrease in state funding is not the only reason for the gap.

"We had an increase of 400 children this year, and the state did not reimburse us for the increase of enrollment," Brady said.

Joining forces

Brady said that they are hoping to form a coalition with the city and county so they can go to the state with the problem. The board is also looking at ways to become more efficient and for other sources of revenue.

"About 80 percent of our budget is positions, so we will be looking at everything," Brady said.

Members of the coalition include:

• Say Yes to Education
• City
• County
• School Board
• Union Representatives
• State and National consultants

The board cut 450 jobs last year to balance this year's budget.

New law to lessen teen tobacco usage

By Rochelle Scott (NCC News)

A new proposition was made to aid in the lessening of tobacco use in teens within the Central New York area. From this law, students found in possession of the narcotic would be written up and the drug confiscated.

Students in the areas surrounding Oneida high school would gather in bundles of up to 20, to smoke tobacco at what is commonly known as "Cancer Corner". It was because of this main area why this proposal was drawn up.

Yet this proposal was met with people claiming that the police force could be doing more for this by taking on bigger companies like the city’s cigarette factory.

Although seen as a positive in the eyes of Oneida mayor, Leo Matzke’s eyes, Oneida Healthcare’s Paula Daher thinks that the force should be tracking down the real threat on society such as those dealing the drugs to children rather than children themselves.

"I think it is absolutely pointless...take on bigger things rather than children who, in spite of their habits, still continue to attend class and aren't dealers in the neighborhood themselves."

The mayor and other people for this proposal believe that this is beneficial to all because:

• Teen and children use prevention will lessen in future years
• It lowers overall health care costs
• Influences other neighborhoods to follow suit

The effects on teens vary but in the long run they acknowledge the fact that tobacco use is unhealthy by fleeing the scene when caught.

The Oneida Common Council will meet today to finalize this proposal.

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Onondaga County residents being encouraged to get flu shots

Flu season has arrived

By Ethan Kwassman (NCC News)

Nov. 17, 2010, 8:00 pm

SYRACUSE, N.Y.- Flu season has arrived in Onondaga County.

Dr. Cynthia Morrow, the county's health commissioner, said some health care providers are reporting that they are starting to see patients with the flu. Morrow says that if people haven't gotten their vaccines, now it's a great time to go out and get vaccinated.

The 2010-2011 version of the vaccine protects against three different flu viruses, including the H1N1 virus. According to the state Health Department, the overall level of flu activity statewide is low.

Other noteworthy details regarding the flu:

• The Onondaga County Health Department has confirmed three cases of influenza
• Public health officials are recommending all people 6 months and older get vaccinated
• Flu vaccinations will be administered at clinics through Tuesday, Nov. 23
• Residents can schedule appointments online or by calling 435-5752

Morrow says that the flu does not usually peak until February or March.

"The flu is showing up a little bit earlier than usual this season," Morrow said.

Health Department Medical Director Quoc Nguyen says that the low flu activity shouldn't be a reason for people not to get vaccinated.

"It just started, so we don't yet. You can only pass judgement when the season is over, you know how many cases you have," Nguyen said.

Nguyen also says that the inclusion of the H1N1 virus is crucial because the swine flu caused so much illness last year.

"We already have the H1N1 swine flu in this year's vaccine. Whether the virus does us a favor, by not mutating too much, we don't know yet," he said.

Listen to my reporter wrap on this story for Newscast #7 below:

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SU And OCC Announce New Transfer Agreement

By Gino Zarrillo (NCC News)

November 17, 2010, 7:10 p.m.

SYRACUSE, N.Y.-- Syracuse University and Onondaga Community College announced a new agreement today that will make transfer to SU easier for OCC students.

The new agreement will guarantee OCC students with good grades admission to SU for their junior year, according to the Post-Standard. In their freshman year, prospective transfers will also be given an estimate of what their financial aid package will look like at SU. Syracuse University has also reached a similar agreement with Georgia Perimeter College in Atlanta.

"The students are always looking for a four-year degree," said Nina Hudson, admissions office representative at GPC. "They're looking to see how they can earn their bachelor's degree. So by these schools coming together with Georgia Perimeter College, I think there's going to be a big impact for the students as well as for the college."

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Team 2 Rundown Rationale

by Maddie Dockery (NCC News)

November 17, 2010, 5:00 p.m.

Team 2 consisted of Kit Rodophele as the anchor, Gino Zarrillo as the live reporter, and Rochelle Scott as the recorded reporter.

A2: SCSD Budget Deficit

I decided to lead off with Kit’s anchor actuality about the Syracuse City School District’s $50 million budget deficit because it was an important story about a local school district. Kit got a great soundbite from Dick Strong, the President of the School Board. I think a lot of people would be interested in this story, especially if they have children who go to school in the SCSD.

A3: SU Transfers

We followed Kit’s anchor actuality with another school-related story, this one a wrap by Gino. This story was about a new agreement between Syracuse University and Onondaga Community College, which will guarantee admission to OCC students who maintain good grades for two years. SU also reached a similar agreement with Georgia Perimeter College in Atlanta. I thought this story would appeal to a lot of people in the area, as it deals with both education and money.

A4: Laundry Money

Our next story was a local reader about a Syracuse man who stole $176,000 from his job over a time period of 17 years. The man was an accountant for the Syracuse Housing Authority and he stole the money from laundry machine tokens. I thought this story flowed nicely out of A3 because it still involved Syracuse, and it was also about money.

A5: Oneida Tobacco

Next we had a wrap from Rochelle about a new law that would forbid minors from possessing tobacco. The law was proposed by the City of Oneida, which is not far from Syracuse, and would likely interest many people here. This story kept with the law/crime theme that was also present in A4.

A6: Four Loko

I decided to follow that story with a reader about Four Loko, because it also involves a ban. As a class, we have been following Four Loko in the news for a few weeks now, so I thought it was appropriate to include it in the newscast again. This particular story was about Senator Charles Schumer’s announcement that caffeinated alcoholic drinks will likely be banned as soon as this week. This story would be of high importance to many college students, among who the drink is very popular.

A7: Rangel Guilty

Next we stuck with the law/government theme with an anchor actuality from Kit. The story was about New York Congressman Charles Rangel, who was found guilty of 11 out of 13 ethics violations. Kit got a soundbite off of ABC Newscall from one of the representatives on the ethics subcommittee. This was more of a statewide story, which transitioned well into the rest of the A block.

A8: Catskill Casino

The next reader stayed with the government theme. The story was about an announcement from Governor David Paterson, saying that he is working to reach an agreement to approve construction of a casino in the Catskills. This story also mentioned the effect the casino would have on the state’s economy, which is important to a lot of people.

A9: Economy

We followed that story with a reader that gave perspective on the national economy. The Commerce Department says that the construction of new homes and apartments fell sharply last month. It was the housing industry’s poorest showing since April 2009. I thought this flowed really nicely out of A8 because it stuck with the economic theme, while giving more of a national viewpoint.

A10: Empire State Games

Our final story of the A block was a reader about the cancellation of the 2011 Empire State Games. The Games were canceled because of New York State’s $9 billion budget gap. Like the last few leading up to it, this story was also about the economy. I also thought that by putting this story last, it made the A block come full circle, as it started and ended with stories about budget gaps. We ended up dropping this story because we were running short on time.

Kicker: Royal Wedding

The kicker was about Prince William’s engagement to his longtime girlfriend Kate Middleton. I thought it was important to include this story because so many people are enthralled by the royal family, especially since Princess Diana’s death. The story was heartwarming because Prince William gave his fiancé his late mother’s engagement ring.

B2: Weather

Kit read all of the weather, including the weekend forecast. She ended the newscast right on time.

Floater 1: Canal Traffic

The first floater was about an increase in traffic on the New York State canal system. This story was interesting because traffic along the waterways has increased, despite a decrease in commercial traffic. We did not end up using this floater.

Floater 2: Cafeteria Manager

The second floater was about a former cafeteria manager for a school in Buffalo, who admitted to stealing $40,000 from the school over a 6 year span. This story was very similar to A4. I thought it would have worked well with the rest of the rundown because it is about crime and money. We did not end up using this floater either.

Honeywood to spend millions on cleanup

by: Chet Davis (NCC News)
November 17, 2010 6:30 p.m.

Honeywell International has agreed with the state to cap its waste beds in Geddes and Camillus for safer recreational use.

The agreement will force Honeywell to reach deep into its pockets, possibly millions of dollars. Ironically, the company isn’t even responsible for the polluted area. AlliedSignal Corp. dumped chemical products into waste bends from the byproduct of soda ash for at least 40 years. In 1999, the two companies merged.

According to Diane Carleton, Public Affairs Director of the Department of Environmental Conservation, said the land doesn’t pose a health risk.

“It isn’t really a danger to people, but it’s more of a danger to the environment,” Carleton said. “We want to clean the whole area up because those are chemicals that were contaminated and they need to be removed.”

In addition, the company will spend more than $2 million on other improvement projects including:

• Building a boat launch along the southwest shore of Onondaga Lake ($250,000)

• Paying for future lake water study of phosphorus and oxygen levels ($150,00)

• Paying Onondaga Soil and Water Conservation for an employee to oversee stormwater management of the Onondaga Lake watershed ($100,000 per year for three years)

• Helping find a solution to reduce or eliminate mudboils in southern part of Onondaga Creek Valley ($250,000 a year for five years)

• Allowing fishing for at least five years on its property on Nine Mile Creek and Tully Farms Road. May also need to construct public parking and trails to fishing areas

Carleton said the project will take about 10 years to complete.

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Honeywell International Will Spend Millions On Cleaning Polluted Areas In Camillus and Geddes

Honeywell International reached an agreement with the state Tuesday night in regards to cleaning up polluted wastebeds in Camillus and Geddes. The waste beds are on over 670 acres of land near Onondaga Lake. The land was polluted for years by its previous owner, Allied Signal Corporation, who merged with Honeywell International in 1999.

The Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) says that the agreement calls for several million dollars to be spent on capping polluted wastebeds and improving the area. Honeywell plans to use a green-solution, by planting willow shrubs on the wastebeds. The willow shrubs will help to absorb water that would otherwise carry salts into Onondaga Lake and Nine Mile Creek. Under the agreement, Honeywell also:

• Building a boat launch on the southwest shore of Onondaga Lake
  
• Allow public fishing on its property near Nine Mile Creek and its property off Tully Farm Road
  
• Pay over $150,000 for future Onondaga Lake observation

• Pay a $100,000 fine to New York

Diane Carleton, Regional Public Affairs Director for the DEC, says the land does not pose a threat to anyone, but Honeywell International must still take action.

"It isn't really a danger to people, but its more of a danger to the environment," Carelton said. "We want to clean the whole area up becasue those are chemicals that were contaminated, and they need to be removed."

Carleton said the agreement the state made with Honeywell International will be closely monitored for years to come. Honeywell International must run all operations through the DEC, ensuring the wastebeds are cleaned up properly.

"Its not as though they have free range to go and do whatever they want to cleanup," Carelton said. "The cleanup and proposals for the cleanup get monitored by the DEC."

Carelton said the wastebed cleanup will take about 10 years.

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Team 3 Rundown Rationale

By Kevin Belbey (NCC News)

November 17, 2010, 3:30 pm

Team 3 consisted of myself, Kevin Belbey, as producer, Kimberly Caruba as anchor, Ethan Kwassman as a reporter with a recorded wrap, and Chet Davis as a reporter with a live wrap. We had mostly local stories, but also had three national stories to end A block. As far as pacing, I made sure there was at least one reader in between each set of stories that had soundbites.

A1: Headlines

For the Headlines, we teased three stories spaced out throughout the newscast. The three stories we teased were A2, A4, and A7.

A2: Flu

With no breaking national or local stories, I decided to lead with Ethan Kwassman’s recorded wrap story about the Onondaga County Health Department encouraging residents to get the flu vaccine. Ethan was able to interview the Medical Director, Quoc Nguyen, and get the latest updates on the number of Syracuse residents with flu. Great story, Ethan.

A3: Cigarettes

Keeping it local, we went to a reader about Cayuga Indian Nation receiving over 7,000 cigarette cartons taken away from them two year ago when they got in trouble over tax evasion charges.

A4: Budget Gap

The next story stayed local but went back to a story with soundbites. Kimmie did a terrific anchor-actuality story about the Syracuse School District facing a possible 50 million dollar budget gap for the next school year.

A5: Weeks Renovations

In A5, we transitioned back to a reader about Weeks Elementary School. The school was originally supposed to have renovations this winter, which would have forced students to relocate during the school year, but the renovations have been postponed. It had a good flow from the last story by staying education-related.

A6: Clean Up

Next, we stayed local and went with Chet’s live wrap about Honeywell International agreeing to spend millions to clean waste beds in Camillus and Geddes. Chet did a very good job with the story.

A7: Four Loko

From there, we went with a Four Loko reader which I thought could bridge the gap from local to national because it is a beverage used by those in the Syracuse area, and has also been a hot topic in New York state. In response to the FDA preparing to ban their drink, Four Loko has decided to pull caffeine from its drink to make their drink safer.

A8: Speaker of House

Heading back to a story with soundbites, we had Kimmie’s second wrap which was about John Boehner, as he was expected to be voted Speaker-to-be.

A9: Republican Resignation

We closed out the block with a reader in case we needed to drop something if we were over on time. We wound up being good on time, so Kimmie read the story about a Republican National Committee strategist who quit and left a scathing letter of resignation on his way out.

A10: Tease

We had a quick tease, mentioning the kicker story and the weather

B1: Kicker-Harry Potter

We had a 20 second reader about the release of the seventh Harry Potter film Thursday night. Regal Cinemas in Carousel Mall has already sold out 13 midnight showings and even added a 3 am showing due to such high demand to see the movie on opening night.

B2: Weather

Kimmie finished up the newscast with the weather by reading tonight and tomorrow’s weather forecast and the current temperature and conditions. Preparing to time out perfectly, the extra weather didn’t need to be read and Kimmie did a good job of checking out the clock as time ticked down.

End of Show

Kimmie read the close and finished our newscast on time.

Floater1: Camillus Hunter

The first floater was a 20 second reader about a 79 year old man from Camillus being found dead after going missing on a hunting trip. The floater didn’t need to be used.

Floater2: SU Hoops

The second floater was a 10 second reader in about the results of yesterday’s Syracuse University basketball game and a couple stats from the game. This floater also didn’t need to be used.

Team 4 Rundown Rationale

by: Lauren Fabrizi (NCC News)

Oct. 17, 2010, 2:56 p.m.

Our two-person team consisted of myself, Lauren Fabrizi, as producer and Marquise Francis as anchor. We used reporter wraps from Tim Killian and Andrew Kanell.
Music & Heads:

I teased a local (A2), national/international (A7), and state (A9) story to cover multiple aspects of the newscast.

A2 Syracuse Budget:

Our first story was about the Syracuse school district budget. I chose to lead with this live wrap from Andrew because it was a local story, and very newsworthy as the projected $50 million budget gap for next year is a record high. Andrew got a nice sound bite from the vice president of the Syracuse School Board.

A3 SU Transfers:

Our next story was an anchor actuality on an Onondaga Community College and Syracuse University program that will allow OCC students to easily transfer to SU after two years. A similar program was also established between SU and Georgia Perimeter College. I used this story after the school district budget story because the 'school theme' flowed nicely. Marquise obtained a good sound bite from a Georgia Perimeter College admissions officer.

A4 Laundry:

Keeping with local news, the following story was a reader on a Syracuse Housing authority accountant who stole $176,000 in laundry machine token money over the course of 17 years. I used a reader here to keep the pace going well.

A5 Honeywell:

Another local story covered Honeywell International and how it plans to clean up hundreds of acres of polluted wastebeds near Onondaga Lake in Camillus and Geddes. The story was a recorded wrap done by Tim. I decided to use this story next because it kept with our 'local' flow. Tim obtained a good sound bite from the public affairs director for the Department of Environmental Conservation.

A6 Catskills:

Moving from local news to state news, our next story was about a casino in the Catskills. To keep up with good pacing, I used a reader to cover this story. It discussed how New York Gov. Paterson is working to approve the construction of an Indian-owned casino in the Catskills.

A7 Cholera Outbreak:

Transitioning from state news to national/international news, Marquise's anchor actuality on the cholera outbreak in Haiti was next. This was a newsworthy story as the cholera outbreak is a timely occurrence, and also, because it has killed over 1,000 Haitians, with over 17,000 hospitalized. Marquise used a sound bite from an International Relations spokesman, found on ABC newscall.

A8 Four Loko:

The next story went from international news to national news. A reader was used to cover the alcoholic beverage Four Loko, and that its manufacturers will be removing caffeine and two other ingredients from its content. This was a newsworthy story in that Four Loko has been in the news recently.

A9 Empire State Games:

Our last story before the break returned to state news. Another reader was used to cover the cancellation of the Empire State Games because of New York's $9 billion budget gap.

A10 Tease:

I teased a story on the engagement ring that Prince William gave his fiance along with the weather.

B1 Royal Wedding Ring:

A reader was used for the kicker, which described how a jewelry store in Manhattan is making replicas of the engagement ring that Prince William gave to his fiance, Kate Middleton. I used this story for the kicker because it is timely as Prince William has recently proposed to Middleton, and because it is a light-hearted human interest piece.

B2 Weather:

The weather covered today, tonight, tomorrow, and weekend weather. But in order to end the show on time, only the current weather condition was needed.

B3 Music & Close:

After reading the current weather, Marquise finished his close just as the music came up, finishing the show very close to on time.

Z1-Z3 Floaters:

Three floaters about cigarette sales in Caygua County, a Buffalo school cafeteria manager, and an amateur golfer were not needed.

Overall, the show ran very smoothly. We printed our scripts before the deadline, and made it to the control room with over 5 minutes to spare. Because A5-A7 ran longer than estimated, I dropped the A8 reader on Four Loko, and Marquise read only the current weather condition to get us out on time.

Syracuse School District Budget Deficit

by: Kit Rodophele (NCC News)

November 17, 2010 1:28 p.m.

The Syracuse school district is predicting a 50 million dollar budget gap next year. The new Syracuse budget coalition, a group that includes Say Yes to Education and the Syracuse School District's Board of Education, are now looking at a long list of potential budget cuts and ways in which to bring in more revenue.

Some ideas include:

-Going after specific education grants
-Restructuring special education to reduce the number of students who get services
-Persuading the state to more equitably distribute aid to high-need districts
-Closing district schools
-Increasing class sizes

Closing the Gap:

Though there has been speculation of massive job cuts to close the gap, the President of the School Board, Dick Strong, says that the coalition has not yet decided on what cuts will need to be made, but closing the gap is the main focus and the coalition will make that happen however they can.

"In large, urban districts, we have budget gaps, and we find ways to figure it out. Will we figure this one out? Probably not to the success we have in the past, but the goal is to close the gap," said Strong.

Strong said that every year, people have to learn to cope with disappointing budget cuts and that, though parents and students may be upset by the cuts recommended by the coalition this year, sacrifices in all areas need to be made in order to close the gap.

Syracuse University transfers

New agreements with two community colleges makes it easier to transfer into SU

By: Marquise Francis (NCC News)

November 17, 2010 12:36pm

SYRACUSE, N.Y. - Onondaga Community College and Syracuse University announced at ten this morning a new program that will make it easier for students to transfer to SU after two years at OCC, according to the Post Standard. The agreement between the area's two largest schools will guarantee admission for OCC graduates to SU as long as they maintain a 3.0 GPA and good academic standing.

An identical agreement between SU and Georgia Perimeter College in Atlanta has also been enacted. Admissions Office Representative for Georgia Perimeter College, Nina Hudson, feels like the partnership is great for the students. "Students are always looking for a four year degree," Hudson said. "They're looking to see how they can earn their Bachelor's degree. So by these schools coming together with Georgia Perimeter College, I think it's going to be a big impact."

SU will also give entering OCC freshmen an estimate of what their financial aid package will be at SU. “This gives families the opportunity to do serious financial planning at the same time the student is doing serious academic planning,” said Don Saleh, SU’s vice president of enrollment management.

Each year about 60 students transfer to SU from OCC, according to Saleh, and with the new agreements this number is sure to rise. No further representatives from Syracuse Univeristy or Onongada County College were availible for comment at the time of this story.

Syracuse Schools Facing Budget Troubles

By Andrew Kanell (NCC)
November 17, 2010, 11:30 a.m.

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- The projected $50 million budget gap Syracuse schools are facing next year is a record high. That has prompted the distrcit to seek advice from outside consulting firms about the budget for the first time.

Vice President of the Syracuse School Board, Patricia Body, says the state of New York's own financial problems are the cause of Syracuse's predicament.

"Because the state had a shortfall," Body said, "they held back our share of funding so that they could balance their budget and that kept making us fall behind."

The budget shortfall may be exacerbated by the current economic climate, but Body considers it to be a deep-seated problem.

"The formula for the state is proportionally not fair because the suburbs have a higher tax base and urban schools do not," she said. "So often times the urban school need more money, but the state's funding doesn't allow that."

Body hopes that urban schools receive more money once Andrew Cuomo takes over as governor. In the meantime, here are some proposed solutions to the budget gap:

- Increasing class size.
- Reducing employee benefits.
- Taking away automatic pay raises for teachers.
- Closing certain schools.

The Superintendent, Daniel Lowengard, has until January 12 to prepare a budget, at which point he will take it to the School Board for approval.

To listen to an NCC radio news report on this topic, as well as soundbites from Patricia Body, click below.

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Special Olympics heading to Central New York

by Kevin Belbey (NCC News)

Nov. 10, 2010, 7:30 p.m.

SYRACUSE, N.Y. - For the second consecutive year, the Special Olympics Winter Games will take place in Central New York. Bryan Norris, the Director of Competition for the New York Special Olympics, says that Central New York was a natural fit for the games.

"We look for a community that has the ability to host our events logistically, and then we also look for the community's support," said Norris. "We've definitely gotten that and see that first hand, with he outpouring of volunteers and the financial contributions that we've received."

The six events and locations during the games are:

• Floor Hockey at the OnCenter
• Figure Skating at the War Memorial
• Speed Skating at the War Memorial
• Nordic Skiing at Highland Forest
• Snowshoeing at Thornden Park
• Alpine Skiing at Toggenburg Mountain

The Olympics begin February 4th with an opening ceremony and continue through the 6th.

Fire Task Force Proposal Put On Back Burner

By Gino Zarrillo (NCC News)

November 10, 2010, 7:45 p.m.

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Onondaga County Legislator Thomas Buckel's proposal to assign a task force to area fire departments has been put on hold once again.

The 57 fire departments located throughout Onondaga County spend nearly $30 million each year. In an effort to reduce that number, Buckel's proposed task force would examine response procedures in order to determine how the departments could operate more efficiently.

More time needed

For the second time in as many months, the Public Safety Committee has asked for more time to review the proposal before implementing it. The committee called for the extra time after speaking with several local fire chiefs who have voiced their lack of enthusiasm over the proposal.

"It's a good idea, but it's just not ready yet," said James Green, Fire Chief of the Dewitt Fire Department.

Impact on procedures

As legislators are hoping, the fire departments are not letting the proposal get in the way of their jobs. Green thinks the impact on his department will be minor.

"I don't anticipate any changes directly to our procedures. I understand that the proposal is more to evaluate."

Legislature is hopeful that the proposal will be in place by the end of the year.

National Grid teams up with Verizon

by Kimberly Caruba (NCC News)

Nov. 10, 2010, 7:32 p.m.

SYRACUSE, N.Y. - National Grid has selected Verizon Communications to manage its internal voice and data networks. Alberto Bianchetti, a media representative for National Grid, said that choosing Verizon is the first step in transforming their information systems business.

"We have six different networks because we grew through mergers and acquisitions and we will be consolidating that into one global network to suport our telecommunications, voice, [and] data systems," Bianchetti said.

Jobs lost and gained

National Grid will eliminate twenty-three jobs from its internal networking staff, fourteen of which are stationed in Syracuse. But Bianchetti said that Verizon plans to hire.

"It's expected that the National Grid employees who are currently in those roles will have every opportunity to apply and be considered by Verizon," Bianchetti said.

More jobs may be added than lost in the deal between National Grid and Verizon Communications:

• National Grid will cut 23 jobs
• 14 of those jobs are in Syracuse
• "It's expected" that some of those fired will be re-hired by Verizon
• Verizon plans to add up to 20 jobs, some of which will be in Syracuse

Verizon positioned to gain more

National Grid is still in the process of outsourcing five other areas of its information services, and Verizon is also a bidder in those components.

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Alberto Bianchetti.

Team 3 Rundown Rationale

By Rochelle Scott (NCC News)

November 10, 2010, 7:30 pm

This week’s newscast consisted of Kevin Belbey as the anchor with me as producer, Chet Davis as our recorded reporter and Kimberly Caruba as our live reporter. We got everything together with good timing.

In regards to pacing, I tried to place our readers between both anchor actualities and between wraps.

I thought our headlines hit the most popular topics or something that will hit home for the listeners. This had the:

• · Absentee ballot count for the 25^th congressional district
• · National Grid’s team-up with Verizon Wireless to expand and maintain its network
• · Special Olympics will head to central New York next year.

A2: Absentee Ballot Count

We began the newscast with Davis’ report on the 25th district’s absentee ballot count. Here he spoke with Liza Lowery, Republican Ann Marie Buerkle’s spokesperson on how her campaign is staying positive. This story was a pivotal one because the election is still fresh in people’s minds.

A3: Neighborhood Watch

Residents on Syracuse’s northside have banned together to help strengthen their community’s togetherness in combating crime. With crime levels on a rise, members of the area have taken matters into their own hands by keeping lights on and barring up windows. I felt this was a good transition because it flowed well from the local story previously and provided a good break-up from the actuality given afterwards

A4: Special Olympics

Our anchor, Belbey did his actuality story on the Special Olympics, heading to Central New York next year February. This story kept was good because information was just released on it and it kept with the flow of local stories for a greater cause.

A5: Centro Bus Route Reduction

Centro bus routes are to be reduced starting next year January due to the government’s reduction in sent funds. This story was made into a 20 second reader and due to lack of information on the topic, it worked perfectly as a reader. Also it served as a good break-up from the actuality from Belbey and the wrap from Kimberly to come. I feel that this is something that should be mentioned because most people in the area make use of the Centro buses.

A6: National Grid

Next up was Kimberly Caruba’s report on National Grid’s team-up with Verizon for network maintenance. National Grid feels that this is one of the first steps to ensure that their information systems transform into something even bigger and greater. Kim spoke to media representative of National Grid and said that this will be good for the current employees as well. This still kept local and was a good header for the reader following on cigarette warning labels.

A7: Cigarette Warning Lables

This story was something that was added at last minute because initially there was a wrap in the rundown that was later taken out at last minute with a lot of time left over. This story was based on the Food Administration and Department of Health and Human Services initiative to warn people the consequences of smokine. The labels will be finalized in June of next year. This story was a good story because not only did this stay local, but it could be applied to a national level as well, providing a good transition for the national anchor actuality given by Belbey.

A8: Presdent Obama Arrives in South Korea

This story was found on the wire where Presdident Obama met for the G-20 World Summit to help stabilize the global market with other nation leaders. Belbey found audio from ABC Newscall that worked quite well with the topic. It was a report by a reporter on a debate on international spending and the creation of jobs. This was a good story because it was National and spoke on the topic of global community interest, something quite similar to the reader given previously.

A9: Unemployment

This story was placed in the rundown from the wire to go with the national flow on job market. I thought this was a good way to tie up the newscast before the break.

A10: Teaser- Weather and Tree

A11: Kicker

The Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony was changed a bit this year with a new addition to the celebration. Here an 80 year old tree was donated from Loretta where children interested in lighting the tree were given the opportunity to. This was a light story and I thought it was well incorporated into the flow of the rundown.

Weather:

Our weather only consisted of today’s and tonight’s forecast because we didn’t have time to add the weekened ahead.

Close:

We ended right on time…Thank you guys for Rocking it!!