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Week of Dec. 20, 2023 Home of The Kozubowski Family
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Local residents to deliver holiday cheer Amending ordinances
Trustees set public hearing for Jan. 22 about new local laws
SANDY CALLAHAN
Liverpool Mayor Stacy Finney, new full-time police officer Morgan Baumler and Police Chief Jerry Unger. By Russ Tarby Contributing Writer
A pair of area residents are delivering gift sets to local retirement facilities this December. Jason Klaiber Staff Writer
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elcoming any help that comes their way, two local friends are looking to spread holiday cheer this month by distributing packaged gifts to senior citizens. The event, which is being called “Share the Season’s Holiday Sparkle,” will revolve around the delivery of Mint Bliss Gift Sets to Loretto Sedgwick Heights and Bishop Rehabilitation & Nursing Center, both of which are located on James Street in Syracuse. The giveaway was the idea of East Syracuse resident Ellen Eber, a Mary Kay independent beauty consultant. She sees it as a spinoff of “Adopt a Grandparent,” a seasonal initiative started in Rochester by another representative of the same cosmetics marketing company.
Eber said that generous gesture has been “wonderfully successful” in that part of the state, and so it crossed her mind to draw as much as possible from her personal inventory and share similar products with elderly folks in the Syracuse area. The gift sets contain festive stickers, a three-fluid-ounce tube of mint foot lotion for fragile skin, and a neutral but colorful and “cutesy” holiday card wrapped with a bow. Eber proceeded to ask her longtime friend, Kenneth Fike, if he would pitch in by donning his big red suit, hopping on his sleigh and personally delivering the packaged gift sets—a request he immediately obliged. Fike, who went to Liverpool High School with Eber in the early 1980s, is known to make appearances as Santa Claus, and he did so for Lights on the Lake from 1996 to 2015, presenting gifts for
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the millionth, two millionth, three millionth and four millionth cars that visited the two-mile-long drive-thru show. Catering to event planners, Fike’s business of one has a Facebook page called “Santa’s Magical Moments,” and he said this year has been his busiest yet. He stops by group homes, nature centers, town tree lightings, and shopping centers and said he’s always glad to touch people’s hearts and have an uplifting effect. Fike will be dropping off gifts to the Bishop and Sedgwick retirement facilities as Santa Claus between the hours of 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 21. His plan is to get into character and head on over with a portable speaker playing holiday music. Upon his arrival, he will sit in either the general meeting area or foyer at each location to hand out the gifts and do a meet-and-greet Cheer l Page 2
Santa, Firefighter Elves to visit Cicero residents
On Saturday, Dec. 23, starting at 10 a.m., the Cicero Fire Department will once again escort Santa and his Firefighter Elves throughout the Cicero Fire District to visit with residents and spread some holiday cheer. As a result of the size of the district, the department has created three different zones which will run at the same time and visit the strategic pre-planned “Santa Stops.” As Santa and his team prepare for this event to make sure it runs smoothly, they are working with
Santa’s IT department to create a live link for each zone that can be shared and viewed by followers to verify they are running on time. It is important that followers review the outlined schedules which are attached ahead of time and make sure to arrive early at the nearest “Santa Stop,” as each zone is unable to make individual stops, which will cause additional delays. Remember that those members on this detail are volunteer, giving up their Saturday morning, afternoon to
provide this opportunity to the residents of the town of Cicero. While on this detail, in the event an alarm(s) is received, it is the priority of these crews to answer the alarm(s) which may ultimately cause a delay in the schedule(s) or even the decision to cancel and/or postpone this detail. Also, make sure to take a few minutes to not only thank volunteers for making this detail possible, as well as for their continued dedication of protecting the residents of the town of Cicero.
At its Dec. 11 meeting, the Village of Liverpool Board of Trustees introduced two proposed local laws, one amending the village noise ordinance and another amending the zoning code regarding accessory structures. Three Oswego Street residents attended the meeting and expressed their hope that, if passed, the new local laws will benefit their neighborhood. “We’re fully aware of the issues that have been raised,” said Mayor Stacy Finney. At the Nov. 27 village planning board meeting, the same neighbors protested an application made by Dr. Bryan Popovici to build a large garage at his property at 717 Oswego St. They complained about years of construction projects disturbing their neighborhood with noise, floodlights and garbage. “There are many, many issues,” the mayor said on Dec. 11. The trustees will conduct a public hearing about the proposed local laws at 7 p.m. Jan. 22, at the village hall. Finney encouraged the neighbors to air their concerns at that time.
Another new officer
New full-time police officer Morgan Baumler was sworn in by Finney at the start of the trustees’ December meeting. Baumler, concluded his phase 2 training with the Camillus Police Department on Dec. 5. Now Baumler will begin
field training that will last until mid-February. He’ll then start covering shifts. Another new officer, Joseph Ottaviano, was sworn in on Nov. 20. “The addition of these two officers will bring the department to five full-time officers, still two short of the approved seven officers,” Chief Jerry Unger said. Another applicant – Robert Llamas – is presently undergoing background checks and training. Unger said that an academy hosted by the Onondaga County Sheriff ’s Office will begin in February.
Nine accidents in November
At the village board’s monthly meeting on Dec. 11, Unger reported via memo that his officers made 61 traffic stops and issued 47 citations for violations of the state’s vehicle and traffic laws in November. Nine accidents were investigated last month. Six parking tickets were issued in November. Officers made 42 residential checks and 131 business checks while responding to a total of 337 incidents and calls for service. The LPD arrested six individuals last month on seven criminal charges.
Overnight parking ban in effect
From now through April 15 parking along most village streets is banned from midnight to 8 a.m. In the village business district, parking on the street is prohibited from 2 a.m. to 8 a.m.
Man charged with weapon possession following pursuit by deputies By Russ Tarby Contributing Writer
A sleeping motorist at the intersection of Buckley and West Taft roads, awoke suddenly last week after an Onondaga County Sheriff ’s deputy and a North Syracuse Police officer appeared on the scene. The deputy had been on routine patrol at about 9:45 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 13,
when he noticed a vehicle stopped at a green light at the intersection in the town of Clay. The deputy approached the car – a 2015 Chevy Equinox – and noticed the driver had passed out at the wheel. “While looking into the vehicle, the deputy noticed a loaded handgun with an extended magazine on the passenger seat,” said sheriff ’s office spokesman Sgt.
Thomas Newton. The driver, identified as 20-year-old Stani Juma of Syracuse, then woke up as deputies and a North Syracuse Police sergeant were attempting to get his attention. Juma was directed to exit the vehicle, but he failed to comply with those directions, Newton reported. Juma proceeded to drive away, striking a sheriff ’s
patrol car behind him and then struck another patrol vehicle. Juma left the scene in his Chevy, heading toward the village of Liverpool. Deputies pursued him along with the Air 1 helicopter flown by the sheriff ’s aviation unit. Air 1 is equipped with Night Sun, a light source capable of delivering 30 million candlepower.
The deputies finally managed to stop Juma in the village at Hiawatha Trail, where he fled on foot. Juma was caught by deputies and taken into custody. The firearm – a Taurus 9mm – was recovered next to a fence where Juma was arrested. Juma was charged with several crimes including second-degree criminal possession of a loaded fire-
arm, third-degree criminal possession of the weapon’s ammo clip, tampering with physical evidence, criminal mischief, fleeing an officer in a motor vehicle and driving while intoxicated. Deputies also issued several traffic tickets including reckless driving and leaving the scene of an accident. Juma was remanded to the Corbett Justice Center to await arraignment.
Volume 131, Number 51 The Star-Review is published weekly by Eagle News. Office of Publication: 2501 James St., Suite 100, Syracuse, NY 13206. Periodical Postage Paid at Syracuse, NY 13220, USPS 316060. POSTMASTER: Send change of address to Star-Review, 2501 James St., Suite 100, Syracuse, NY 13206.
‘tis the season: Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.
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