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WRVO News: Most-viewed stories of 2025 from central New York

WRVO | By WRVO News
Published December 31, 2025 at 8:37 AM EST
A colorful heat map of New York state showing population density changes by county, with legends indicating growth and decline.
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New demographic data released in 2025 reveals significant population shifts across New York state.
Cornell University
A wide shot of a residential street in Oneida County showing downed trees, scattered debris, and damaged power lines following a severe storm.
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Damage at a home in Clark Mills, in Oneida County after a storm moved through the area in the early hours of June 22, 2025.
Ellen Abbott / WRVO
Two vertical banners hanging on a light pole on a college campus. The left banner is green with white text reading 'ESF Welcome Students' and 'Class Gift 2012' with an oak leaf logo at the top. The right banner is white with gray text reading 'ESF' and 'State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry' with an oak leaf and acorn logo. Bare trees and evergreens are visible in the background against a clear blue sky.
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SUNY ESF faces a $6 million deficit, leading to faculty and staff early retirement offers.
Jessica Cain / WRVO
FILE - Genetically modified chestnuts are labeled, weighed and bagged before being placed into cold storage at the State University of New York's College of Environmental Science & Forestry in Syracuse, N.Y., Sept. 30, 2019. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus, File)
4 of 10  — Climate American Chestnuts
FILE - Genetically modified chestnuts are labeled, weighed and bagged before being placed into cold storage at the State University of New York's College of Environmental Science & Forestry in Syracuse, N.Y., Sept. 30, 2019. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus, File)
Adrian Kraus/AP / FR171451 AP
A woman with shoulder-length blonde hair wearing a black blazer over a red top stands in an office, holding a folder and phone while looking upward. Behind her is a wall-mounted flat-screen TV and informational posters. The office has blue-gray walls and a dark door visible on the right side.
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Rep. Claudia Tenney introduced a bill targeting federal funding for NPR and PBS.
Payne Horning (file) / WRVO News
"A roadside speed monitoring sign on a sunny day with a blue sky. The pole-mounted display shows a yellow 'SCHOOL' sign at the top, followed by a white 'SPEED LIMIT 25' sign, and a yellow 'YOUR SPEED' radar feedback sign with a digital display below. A traffic light is visible below the signs. Trees, power lines, and a road are visible in the background.
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A school zone speed camera in Syracuse, where thousands of warnings were issued this year.
Ellen Abbott / WRVO
A solar-powered license plate reader mounted on a black pole against a blue sky with white clouds. The fixture consists of an LED light housing on the left and a rectangular solar panel with visible mounting straps on the right, both attached to the pole with metal brackets.
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Syracuse lawmakers are reviewing the use of license plate readers like this Flock Safety unit.
FlockSafety
Military personnel in camouflage uniforms and tactical gear loading their backpacks and equipment into the storage compartment of a white bus.
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Members of the 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, a part of the 42nd Infantry Division, leave Hancock Field Air National Guard Base, to march in the Army Anniversary Parade in Washington, D.C.
New York State Division of Military & Naval Affairs
A man with a gray beard wearing a black t-shirt, baseball cap, and blue jeans stands on a wet bridge holding a megaphone in one hand and raising a large American flag with the other. Other protesters with flags are visible in the background on the rainy overcast day. The bridge has concrete barriers along its sides.
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Oswego veteran Matt Gordon has used social media to advocate for veterans' rights.
Matt Gordon
A man wearing sunglasses and a light blue button-down shirt stands at a wooden podium outdoors, speaking to a gathered crowd. Behind him are several people standing on a green lawn in a waterfront park setting with decorative lampposts, large trees, and a body of water visible in the background under a partly cloudy blue sky.
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City of Auburn Mayor Jimmy Giannettino delivers remarks in Emerson Park on the shores of Owasco Lake, July 26, 2024.
Abigail Connolly / WRVO

As 2025 draws to a close, WRVO News looks back at the stories that resonated most with listeners across central and upstate New York. This year was marked most significantly by the loss of federal funding for public media. This development began as a legislative proposal and ended as a reality with lasting implications for WRVO and the communities we serve. Our top ten list also tracks other notable developments in the region. We reported on demographic shifts in new population data and the $6 million deficit at SUNY ESF. We documented the local impact of severe weather in Oneida County, the rollout of Syracuse’s school zone safety program, and the advocacy of an Oswego veteran on TikTok. Our coverage also highlighted soldiers from the 42nd Infantry Division who traveled to Washington, D.C. for the Army’s 250th anniversary parade. From legal battles over Owasco Lake to these major events, these stories represent the most-read news reports from across our coverage area in 2025.

  1. New data tracks population across New York state
  2. Officials confirm Oneida County tornado as storms leave 3 dead; Hochul declares state of emergency
  3. SUNY ESF offering early retirement to faculty and staff to close $6 million deficit
  4. Public comment period open for new chestnut tree
  5. Tenney introduces bill that would end federal funding for NPR, PBS
  6. Nearly 60,000 drivers get warnings for speeding in Syracuse school zones
  7. Syracuse lawmakers look to remove license plate readers after data sharing concerns
  8. Army National Guard soldiers from New York to march in Army anniversary parade
  9. Oswego man takes TikTok by storm in fight for veterans’ rights
  10. Second lawsuit filed against NYS Department of Health over Owasco Lake rules and regulations

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