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dailyorange.com
Remembrance Week 2019
By chance Students who switched tickets escaped Pan Am Flight 103 bombing By Jordan Muller
senior staff writer
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photo illustration by corey henry and talia trackim the daily orange photos courtesy of london, 1988 image collection; richard paul monetti famliy papers, special collections research center, steve lapierre, syracuse university libraries
n the afternoon of Dec. 21, 1988, Syracuse University student Matthew Trento walked into New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport, ready to make what he thought would be a routine connection between a Pan Am flight and a Piedmont plane bound for Syracuse. It was his first time in the United States in months. After studying abroad in London that fall, he was anxious to see his family. Trento had originally planned to leave for the U.S. a few hours later that day, on Pan Am Flight 103. But his mother, concerned about a potentially long layover in Kennedy, decided to switch him to an earlier flight, Pan Am Flight 101. He didn’t think much of the change. While he waited to board his next plane, though, parents of other SU students arrived at Kennedy, looking for their children. There were no reunions. As Christmas lights flickered in the Pan Am terminal, they were greeted by two words, frozen beside Pan Am Flight 103’s listing on the arrivals board: “SEE AGENT.” At 9:30 p.m., airline officials approached the parents, waiting in a lounge, and told them that their kids would not be coming home. They began to cry. Some prayed. Trento should’ve been on that flight, too. The number “103” was still printed on his travel documents. “I don’t think I really understood or comprehended the vastness of what happened,” Trento said, remembering, 31 years later, how he felt in the hours after Pan Am Flight 103 exploded midair. see chance page 4
city
Snow removal program to include Comstock, Euclid avenues By Marnie Muñoz staff writer
The city plans to add Comstock and Euclid Avenues to its expanded snow removal program starting this winter. Syracuse’s Common Council passed a $250,000 measure Monday to support the street additions. Once implemented, the one-year pilot program will cover 38 miles of city streets across all districts and will target high traffic areas.
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SU hosted a panel on “AllAmerican Terrorism” as part of Remembrance Week. Experts discussed how the media depicts terrorist acts and minorities. Page 3
Syracuse University also agreed to participate in the program Wednesday, said Corey Driscoll Dunham, chief operating officer for the city. The university will clear about two miles of city-owned sidewalks in several areas adjacent to campus, she said. SU’s participation will help the city refocus its efforts onto other streets in need of snow clearing services, including sections of Almond Street, Driscoll Dunham said.
It’s a public need, something we’ve heard from constituents a lot that they want to see happen Joe Driscoll
city councilor
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SU student Niko Benelli has made Carrier Dome construction into a campus meme. “Walt the Crane” now has more than 4,000 Instagram followers. Page 7
The measure was passed in a 7-1 vote at the council voting session, with Councilor Chad Ryan, of the 2nd district, as the sole opposition. Snow clearing efforts will be led by JSK Snow Services, a Syracusebased outdoors company the city has previously contracted with for the program. Plowing operations will take place during the winter of 2019-20 once the city receives three accumulated inches of snow, according to Syracuse.com. Concentrating efforts on the des-
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Freshman Noah Singelmann has moved positions and countries to join SU men’s soccer. One coach thinks he can become the “cornerstone” of the program. Page 12
ignated areas will help city residents who depend the most on safe public transportation, said Councilor Joe Driscoll, of the 5th district. A Syracuse native who used to walk to school himself, Driscoll said high school and college students were among the groups that stand to benefit most from the program. “It’s a public need; something we’ve heard from constituents a lot that they want to see happen,” he said. “Exploring other cities that have done see winter page 6