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Central New York’s emerging drone industry is taking some major steps forward, as construction of the infrastructure is complete for the unmanned traffic management drone corridor which runs from Syracuse to the Mohawk Valley.

State officials say the 50-mile stretch of land is the most advanced drone testing corridor in the nation.  Mike Hertzendor is CEO of NUAIR, which manages the corridor. He said wrapping up the infrastructure is a big deal.

Democrats were only able to pick up one seat in the Onondaga County Legislature on election night, despite running challengers to most of the Republican incumbents. That keeps Democrats in the minority, bringing their total to six out of 17 seats, even though they have a 30,000 active voter advantage over Republicans in the county. Democrats were able to break up the Republican supermajority in the legislature. 

Politicians will be digging deep into the early voting statistics from this year, the first year it has been available to voters in New York state, and it could alter some strategies in races going forward.

A Veterans Day tradition continues today in a small dentist's office in Syracuse.  Dr. Joan Laura’s office in Eastwood will be open for veterans looking for free dental care.

This is Laura's eighth year treating vets, and what started as a trickle of veterans into her office has grown to upwards of 50 people every year. 

"Over the past seven years, I’ve treated 722 veterans and donated over $45,000 of treatment.”

Laura offers basic dentistry, cleanings, fillings, extractions. She said vets often don’t have good dental care.

Researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center published new guidance Friday for doctors looking to diagnose lung injuries caused by vaping.

The article, published in the journal Lancet Respiratory Medicine, examined a series of patients who came to URMC with “respiratory failure of unknown origin” and a “history of e-cigarette or vape use.”

In a Democratic presidential primary race, more progressive and left-oriented ideas seem to be supplying most of the energy, and the candidates seem keen to court it. This week, Grant Reeher speaks with Matt Bennett from the Washington D.C. based think tank Third Way, wo thinks that moderates hold the keys to defeating President Trump, both in the primary and in the general election.

The National Toy Hall of Fame at the Strong Museum inducted some longtime favorites during a ceremony Thursday.

The class of 2019 includes the collectible card game Magic the Gathering, Matchbox cars, and the coloring book.

Christopher Bensch, vice president for collections for the Strong, said the newest honorees were chosen from a group of finalists that included My Little Pony, Jenga, Nerf Blaster, Masters of the Universe, Care Bears, Fisher-Price Corn Popper, the top, the game Risk, and the smartphone.

Microsoft has selected the city of Syracuse as the location for a new smart cities technology hub. It will provide help to startup tech companies, digital literacy and workforce training, and development of artificial intelligence.

Sweeping reforms that will end cash bail for all misdemeanor and nonviolent felony charges in New York state take effect in January. But some law enforcement groups are objecting, saying the changes go too far and could jeopardize public safety. 

The new law still allows cash bail to be set in the cases of those accused of violent crimes. It is expected to significantly reduce the number of pretrial prisoners in the state’s jail system. 

A state appeals court in Seneca County has upheld New York’s elimination of religious exemptions to vaccine requirements.

The ruling from State Supreme Court Justice Daniel Doyle rejected claims that eliminating the exemptions was an unconstitutional infringement on religious rights.

Democrat Chol Majok is now the first former refugee to be elected to the Syracuse Common Council. The demographics of the council are changing after Tuesday’s election. 

There were mixed reactions Wednesday from New York's politicians and political parties on this year's election results.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo said he's pleased that Democrats gained a county executive seat in Monroe County, where incumbent Republican Cheryl Dinolfo was defeated by Democrat Adam Bello. Bello will be the first Democratic county executive there in nearly 30 years.

While Republicans maintained control of Onondaga County government, Democrats will stay in control of Syracuse city government.

Republicans retained a firm grasp on Onondaga County government after the votes were counted Tuesday. But while the GOP still has control over the legislative and executive branch, it did lose one county-wide seat.

Nearly 2,000 people sent ticks to a citizen science tick testing program run by Upstate Medical University in Syracuse this year. The data collected will help scientists figure out how and where tick-borne diseases are transmitted to humans.

Tuesday is Election Day, but for the first time, more than 8,000 residents in Onondaga County already voted during New York State’s nine days of early voting. Local elections commissioners are split on the success of the new rollout. 

State health department officials, testifying at a Senate hearing Monday, say they still don’t know the exact cause of the vaping-related respiratory illness that has sickened over 1,800 people across the nation, including 156 New Yorkers, and caused 38 deaths.

This weekend was the transition back to Eastern Standard Time. Moving the clock back for an extra hour of sleep is a good thing, right?

Not necessarily.

"Getting an extra hour of sleep, that is great, initially," said Dr. Gregory Carnevale, "But our body actually thinks we're an hour behind, and it leads us to think we're not getting enough sleep or getting too much sleep, and we feel jet-lagged as a result of it."

The USDA released long-awaited regulations on CBD last week that will provide more federal regulation of the growing of hemp plants, where CBD comes from.

Meanwhile, in New York, a bill that would regulate CBD is in limbo. The State Legislature has approved it, but Gov. Andrew Cuomo hasn’t acted on it yet. 

The very fact that incumbent Utica Mayor Rob Palmieri can run for reelection again is one of the reasons his opponent, Utica Common Councilor Joe Marino, is trying to unseat him. In a controversial vote two years ago, a narrow majority of the council voted to extend term limits for the mayor and city councilors from eight successive years in office to 12, thus enabling Palmieri to seek a third term.

It has been almost 16 years since Syracuse common councilors had a salary increase. The council is now reviewing whether pay raises are needed.

Current trends have led to an influx of startups and established businesses investing in fertility technology, and though this is an encouraging prospect, there are still a lot of unknowns.

Kate Clark, a journalist for TechCrunch who has written about technology in the infertility field, joined “Take Care” to discuss the tech and businesses she’s seen, why this new interest is happening and where we’re headed.