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TUESDAY
sept. 2, 2014 high 83°, low 63°
t h e i n de p e n de n t s t u de n t n e w s pa p e r of s y r a c u s e , n e w yor k |
N • Branching out
dailyorange.com
P • London underground
Syracuse University plans to expand its presence in the Middle East with two administrative appointments. Page 3
A Pastabilities line cook pursues a career in hip-hop and raps about life experiences. Page 11
S • To a draw
SU women’s soccer has historically struggled against UConn, and the two teams tied 1-1 at the SU Soccer Stadium on Monday. Page 16
After the storm STAN PRUE, a Department of Public Safety officer, stands in the gravel parking lot near Skytop Field on South Campus where he was struck by lightning last year. He wears corrective glasses after suffering nerve damage in his left eye. margaret lin photo editor
One year later, DPS officer still faces the effects of lightning strike
Restaurant to replace Cosmos By Dylan Segelbaum staff writer
Cosmos Pizza & Grill, a Marshall Street institution endeared by Syracuse University students, faculty and staff for more than 50 years, has closed and will soon turn into a Thai and Vietnamese restaurant. Sweet Basil Thai & Vietnamese Cuisine is planning on opening in mid-September, said Stan Tran, the restaurant’s head chef and the owner’s son-in-law. The restaurant’s menu will be half Thai and half Vietnamese food, and will be open seven days a week — likely from 11 a.m.–11 p.m. to start, he said. Eventually, Tran said, the plan is to offer delivery.
As soon as they give us a green light, we can open. Stan Tran
By Brett Samuels asst. news editor
S
tan Prue stood in the gravel parking lot near Skytop Field on South Campus on Thursday and surveyed his surroundings: an office building, some parked cars, a bus that kicked up a cloud of dust as it turned around. It felt eerie to be back, he said. It was the first time he’d put his feet on the ground of the parking lot where he was struck by lightning one year ago. As he spoke, a red SUV rolled up next to him and the driver rolled down the window. It was an old man and woman looking for directions to the Gebbie Hearing Clinic. Prue told them they had just passed it and it was back up the road a bit. “That’s what I miss the most, is interacting with the community,” he said. On Sept. 1, 2013, Prue, a Depart-
ment of Public Safety Officer, and his partner, DPS Senior Detective Ed Weber, were on Orange Watch patrol duty. They parked their car at Skytop and Prue got out to stretch. At 11:55 p.m., a bolt of lightning struck Prue, launching him a few feet away. One year later, Prue is still recovering mentally and physically from the accident. With the hopes to eventually return to SU as a DPS officer, Prue says the outpour of support during his rehabilitation has served as motivation in his recovery. As an ongoing side effect of being struck, Prue still has trouble with his memory. He remembers pulling the car into the lot the night it happened, and the next thing he recalls from that night is being worked on by officers and paramedics while he was on the ground. “It was an eerie feeling because I didn’t know what happened,” he said. “Still today what I remember
is mostly just what people tell me.” Prue spent the next 15 days at Upstate University Hospital. Some of the time in the hospital was spent try-
ing to process what had happened and “getting back to basics,” because he had suffered nerve and brain damage. see prue page 4
PRUE AND SARAH BULLOCK, a physical therapist at Upstate University Hospital, work on improving his strength. Prue still sees doctors and therapists three days a week as he recovers from injuries after being struck by lightning one year ago. courtesy of upstate medical
head chef at sweet basil thai & vietnamese cuisine
The restaurant is being relocated from Mattydale, which is about 10 minutes north of SU, where it was strictly a Thai place. “We don’t want to spread ourself too thin,” said Tran, a 2003 SU alumnus. “We want to concentrate on one restaurant.” Founded in 1963 by George Cannellos and Demo Stathis, Cosmos, at 143 Marshall St. next to Insomnia Cookies and Verizon Wireless, was known for its breakfast food and as a hangout spot for generations of SU students. The pizza shop’s future has been uncertain since mid-May, when a sign appeared in the window saying the restaurant was closed for “maintenance and improvements.” In July, a “for sale” sign was put up. Cannellos died Jan. 11, 2013 and Stathis on July 27 of this year. Tran said he did not know why see cosmos page 4