Ellen Abbott

Voters in New York have until Friday to register to vote in time for the state's June 23rd Primary. This year, voters will be able to either go to the polls, or vote by absentee ballot.

The state has mailed out absentee ballot applications to everyone eligible to vote in the primary. Onondaga County Democratic Elections Commissioner Dustin Czarny said more than 15,000 thousand voters have asked for an absentee ballot in Onondaga County.

Following a yearlong review, plans to merge five Catholic churches into one parish in Oswego will move ahead. But an historic church in the city Oswego will also continue to operate under different rules.

New York will allow religious gatherings of up to 10 people starting Thursday, but that size restriction makes it unlikely many services will get underway.

Pastor Darren Jaime of the People's A.M.E Zion Church in Syracuse isn't aware of any parishes that would fit the size requirement. It's nothing a church his size could do.

"Maybe you do ten only for three services. I don't know what the answer would be for those who have that threshold," Jaime said. "Certainly it's a start, but before we can embrace that, it's going to have to open up bigger than that."

St. Joseph's Hospital Health Center in Syracuse is one of 16 hospitals across the state taking part in a pilot program to determine the best way to reopen hospitals to visitors. Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Tuesday the pilot program will allow limited visitors in hospitals.

"It is terrible to have someone in the hospital, and that person is isolated, not able to see family and friends. I understand the health reasons, you're afraid of the virus spread," Cuomo said.

Cuomo hopes this two-week pilot program can assess ways to bring visitors into the hospital safely.

Amazon is at the center of what is arguably the biggest economic development project in central New York in decades. An Amazon executive made the announcement via video Monday during Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon's daily coronavirus news conference.

Anand Mehta, Amazon's regional director of operations, let everyone in on what's been a closely guarded secret since a distribution project was announced last fall, from a video monitor rolled onto the stage.

Economists are taking a closer look at unemployment numbers that are the worst since the Great Depression.

Russell Weaver is an economic geographer at the Cornell School of Industrial Relations. That means he dives into the unemployment numbers looking for trends in certain areas or populations. And so far, the numbers he's scrutinizing don't bode well for the poor and marginalized members of our society.

“A lot of the headlines in terms of this pandemic being a great equalizer, isn't necessarily so, in the way it's playing out," Weaver said.  

When New York State hits the unpause button, manufacturers will be one of the first businesses to get working again,  and central New York and Mohawk Valley businesses are getting ready.

Many manufacturers have remained operating during the economic pause caused by COVID-19. Randy Wolken, executive director of the Manufacturer's Association of Central New York said their surveys show a majority operating in some capacity.

Car buyers can get back into dealer showrooms in some areas of central New York. Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon said Tuesday the state will allow controlled scenarios for people who want to buy a vehicle from a dealer.

Visits to any dealership will be by appointment only, and a number of safety precautions will be monitored to keep dealers and buyers safe. Everyone must wear a mask, and paperwork would be signed in open areas.

As leaders in Washington continue negotiations over the next coronavirus relief package, New Yorkers are pleading for help. Tight budgets at the local and state levels could lead to tax increases and layoffs in the future.

Rep. Anthony Brindisi (D-Utica) has signatures of every major leader in his district, asking that the next coronavirus relief package includes help for state and local governments.

"Without aid from Washington, I fear for the worse," Brindisi said.

As New York state's coronavirus numbers improve, officials are looking towards the restart and recovery of the economy, which has been decimated by the shutdown of most businesses in the state. Local businesses are coming up with plans for restarting, but how and when they go into effect are still an unknown.

The Heritage Hill Brewery is perched at the top of a hill in the town of Pompey, in the middle of a 300-acre farm. Owner Dan Palladino says that gives them a unique opportunity to reopen his brewpub-restaurant outdoors sooner rather than later.

Like other higher education institutions, Onondaga Community College is finding recruiting students challenging in a time of the coronavirus. 

For the first time since March, certain hospitals in Upstate New York will be allowed to resume limited outpatient surgeries in the coming days and weeks. State guidelines will determine which facilities can once again start performing everything from general surgery to orthopedics.

The trends of COVID-19 patients in a county and whether there is a buffer of hospital beds are two of the main criteria hospitals need to meet in order to perform outpatient surgeries. According to Gov. Andrew Cuomo, central New York fits that criteria.

Rep. Anthony Brindisi (D-Utica) is calling on the federal government to give New York State its fair share of funding from the Paycheck Protection Program. Businesses in the state received the second lowest percentage of funding from the first round of the Paycheck Protection Program. During a virtual press conference late last week…Brindisi said that’s not right.

Wednesday is the 50th anniversary of the world’s largest environmental movement. While the coronavirus pandemic is overshadowing Earth Day 2020, environmental activists say it’s still a good time to reflect on how we are treating the planet. 

COVID-19 has claimed the lives of two more individuals in Onondaga County over the last day, bringing the death toll to 21. After Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon announced that Monday, he said there were nine new cases, the lowest daily total in a month.

The COVID-19 pandemic has “profoundly touched” every corner of central New York’s economy, according to a business impact survey conducted by CenterState CEO.

The pollen level in central New York has been rising over the last few weeks, and that means a lot of people will begin suffering the effects of seasonal allergies. Dr. Tucker Harris with St. Joseph’s Health treats patients for a wide variety of allergies. He expects his office to get busier in coming days, and one of the big questions he expects to hear?

"Is it COVID or is it allergies?," he said.

Blood plasma from recovered COVID-19 patients is currently being pumped into the veins of sick patients at Upstate University Hospital in Syracuse. A pair of women are the first to donate their blood plasma. Doctors hope it can help some of the sickest victims of the coronavirus. 

The isolation of quarantining during a pandemic brings a new set of challenges to families who care for individuals with Alzheimer’s disease. 

Volunteers in one of the poorest neighborhoods in the City of Syracuse are trying to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus in their community.

Upstate University Hospital in Syracuse has been testing patients for the coronavirus in its own lab since last week. This means tests come back much faster than the 2-4 day turnaround time that was the standard.