Onondaga County

Onondaga County officials are working to drum up excitement about a proposal to build an aquarium. But at least one county legislator is asking officials to slow down.

The system that includes 11 city of Syracuse libraries and 14 suburban libraries will also waive all fees and fines that 26,000 patrons currently owe. That amounts to $283,000, but is less than .3% of the operating budget.

The state health department announced this week that it is closely monitoring the rise of COVID-19 cases in central New York. The seven-day positivity rate for the region as of Wednesday was 8.6%, compared to a statewide average of 2.45%.

Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon presented some new ideas and talked about some old ideas as he outlined how central New York will rise from the pandemic in his annual State of the County speech Wednesday evening.

Onondaga County and the city of Syracuse have joined other communities across the country in offering a home to refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine.

Onondaga County lawmakers are the latest to agree to chip in some cash for the music festival, joining the city of Syracuse in offering $125,000 to help resurrect the music festival that spanned 35 years before shutting down in 2017.

In recent weeks, both Gov. Kathy Hochul and Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) hinted that central New York is close to landing a deal to bring a major tech industry to the area.

After a pandemic forced hiatus, the Special Olympics of New York is coming to Syracuse in February. Organizers are asking central New Yorkers to help make the yearly games, that feature competitive athletes with intellectual disabilities, memorable.