Walking With Hearts in Mind:

About 1,500 walkers laced up their sneakers and raised $200,000 for the American Heart Association.

One Dead After Shooting in Johnson City:

One woman is dead and two others injured after a shooting just before midnight, say Johnson City police.

BCC Students Ready for Action:

If you were driving down Front Street at about two this afternoon, you may have noticed police and emergency crews all over the Broome Community College campus.

But it wasn’t an emergency, it was just an exam.

New Adoption Center Gives Pets a Second Chance:

After more than one hundred pets drowned at the Johnson City Petco last September, their new adoption center gives dozens more a fresh start.

Record Crowd at Zoo’s Egg Hunt:

A record crowd of over one thousand people made it to the third annual Eggs-stravaganza at the Ross Park Zoo.

Sweet Treats for Easter:

Watching Leopold Schreiber work with chocolate is like watching Michelangelo work with stone.

The Montrose candy man has been turning sugar into sweetness for over 50 years.

(VIDEO) – This is theatre.

The men and women in Elizabeth Ingram’s All-Star C.A.S.T. Workshop deal with a complex array of physical disabilities and mental illnesses.

But don’t ask Ingram what they are, she doesn’t ask.

“When you stop labeling people you know it’s..oh god it’s good,” said Ingram,  “And you begin to see ‘wow that person is thinking in a way that I couldn’t have dreamt about.”

The West End actress traded London for Syracuse and runs the workshop.

Maureen Quigley rehearses with her 22-year-old son Hank. She says the group really "listens" to her son.

Ingram’s perspective about going beyond any one label energizes parents like Maureen Quigley.  Her 22-year-old son Hank has a rare muscle disorder called 5q Minus Syndrome.  The rare disorder caused him to be born with very little muscle tone.   The illness makes it impossible for Hank to speak without the help of a computer.

“When somebody can’t speak for themselves, they’re not always listened to.  And, I’ve had to be his voice, and his dad has had to be his voice a lot,” said Quigley, “It’s just so great to be in an atmosphere where someone like Lizzie is saying he doesn’t need to speak, we’re all hearing him.”

In fact, Hank does plenty of speaking.  As Captain Hook, he barks his orders on stage using a tablet computer.  Words that he wrote himself.

Ingram asks the SU students who volunteer to help out the workshop to have the same expectations for the actors.

“She always says well how do you treat them if it was someone in your real life,” said Rachel Frost who has been with the group for all four years, “Why are you treating them in a different manner.  You know we’re all the same and I’m going ‘oh yeah, we are all the same.’ There isn’t that line of us and them, we’re all together.”

Personal Connection

Ingram’s motivation to keep the group going goes beyond just the cause, for her, it is personal.

Liz Ingram and her daughter Becci on stage together. Ingram says Becci "was very wise." © 2012 Photo By Steve Bottari

Ingram’s daughter, Becci, was born with Down Syndrome.  Before coming to Syracuse, Becci would recruit her friends and family together to take part in “her plays.”  Becci often adapted Shakespeare for her own group, “The Buckingham Players.”

Ingram said her daughter was “very wise, she taught her a lot.”

“She wrote wonderful poems about having a disability and about how you have to fight and you have to explain to people,” said Ingram, “She learned how to say, ‘it’s because I have Down Syndrome,’ And then people would understand the myth, and it would have exploded.”

Later, as the workshop in Syracuse began, Becci continued to act until she died 12 years ago.  Ingram continues on each day with the memory of her daughter reminding her of the importance of the workshop.

“The theatre was a place she could be herself,” said Ingram.

Growing Demand

The Center for Disease Control shows that mental and physical disabilities like Autism and Down Syndromeare growing as diagnostic tools become better and more people see doctors.

Ingram has to make cuts despite growing demand for the program. It's gone from five actors to 47.

With that surge, the demand for programs like Ingram’s is rising exponentially.

In 20 years, the group has grown from five actors to 47.

Ingram said that growth is not sustainable without more money and manpower.  So far, Liz has managed the program on her own with solely volunteers from the community and no grants.

Without any help, she’s going to have to cut another group for next year.

“The parents are distressed beyond belief,” Ingram said, “This is going to be the second time I’ve had to cut back.  They are upset because this evening is one of the bright lights in the actor’s lives.”

Kayla McKeon has been rehearsing with Liz for 11 years. She says there's no Syracuse Stage without Liz.

Ingram hopes she will find another teacher to keep the bright lights shining – on what has been for 11-year veteran actress Kayla McKeon – a life-changing experience.

“If I didn’t have Liz in my life, I don’t know where I would be.  There’s no Syracuse Stage without Liz,” said McKeon.

For the actors in the workshop, the show must go on.

This was the final message of a two-hour long workshop with the Poynter Institute’s journalistic maven, Al Tompkins.

Tompkins spent two hours showing us how we can make our stories better, even when they fall apart.  He showed us how to boil down any story to a three word focus: “noun” “verb” “object.”

Al Tompkins visits with SU students. He stays to talk with every student who wants to speak to him.

But, just as Tompkins pointed out, it will be the emotional points that will stick with me the most.

In his final thought, he mentioned some familiar feelings I’ve heard while working in newsrooms.

“You here from some old timers that the media just sucks right now,” said Tompkins to a nodding crowd, “They say it’s nothing like back in the good old days, you’re gonna starve, it’s a terrible thing..”

Tompkins suggestion to us.

“Ignore it!”

He said he couldn’t imagine a better job than being a journalist. He said journalism lets him go out to new places, learn, and get the chance to teach people every day.

I couldn’t agree more.  The reason I’m willing to lug around a quarter of my weight in equipment, spend some extra hours searching for the perfect quote, and probably spending too many hours in a small room with a computer and microphone — is the chance my story might affect someone else.

It might teach them something.

Tompkins brought up television news pioneer, Edward R. Murrow, mid-way through the workshop.  It was Murrow who said, “Television is the world’s largest classroom.”

He admitted it’s a scary time with things like the economy and wars overseas, but that just means the world needs us even more.

And he didn’t deny that the business is tough. It’s not easy being a journalist with shrinking newsrooms and more responsibilities loaded on the reporter.  But, he told the room full of eager journalists not to let that stop us.

“Don’t let other people tell you, you can’t,” said Tompkins, “You can.”

Ultimately, he told us to do what makes us happy, and if we can, try to make the world better.

And Tompkins added if journalism is what makes you happy, and you’re having trouble, call him or send an email.

“I’m here to help journalists,” he said, “that’s what I do.”

Tax Exemption Extended in New York State:

New York State won’t take so much from your pocket for your purchases starting this Sunday.

Feeding the Mind:

Over 700 students from across the state put their heads together to compete in the annual Destination Imagination tournament.

Cabot Oil Pledges Millions to New Hospital:

It’s all smiles at the Community Foundation of Endless Mountains.

Celebrating St. Pat:

Over five hundred good Irish brothers and sisters gathered for St. Patrick’s Day at the Church which bears his name.

Some say the neighborhood is “lost,” but for the first time, individuals and business owners are joining together to try and bring back the Westside.

(This is part two of a two-part series, view part one here)

Jobs, jobs, jobs

In a place where nearly half of all people live below the poverty line, local business owners say the community needs jobs above all else.

Kaleysha Delgado said working at Nojaim's helped get her to nursing school.

“In neighborhoods like this, 70 percent of the youth don’t get their first job. So we’re one of the few type of industries that hire young people,” said Paul Nojaim, who owns the local supermarket, “It’s imperative to give them the opportunity and it’s imperative not to give up on them.”

Paul Nojaim is no stranger to the Westside or what it takes to grow up there. His grandfather moved from Lebanon a century ago with not a penny to his name. He ended up opening Nojaim’s Grocery store, and that tradition has continued for 93 years.

“My grandfather came from a place where you couldn’t rise up unless you were already a member of the aristocracy,” said Nojaim, “He taught us about opportunity and I feel a connection to these new immigrants who are just starting out.”

Nojaim said he’s willing to help anyone interested in working hard.

“A young person comes to me,” said Nojaim, “And has put that type of effort, and comes to me and says, ‘By the way, can you help get me into college? Can you help me meet someone in the medical field?’ You betcha I’m gonna do it.”

He pushes his students academically which helped all of his seniors at the store graduate from high school last spring.

It’s a high achievement considering two out of five high school students drop out on Syracuse’s Westside.

Down the street, businessman Jan Maloff recently opened a new restaurant, Consuelos BBQ and Tacqueria. He said he can’t keep up with the community’s demand for work.

“The people in this neighborhood desperately need jobs.”, said Maloff, “They want to work. I’ve had over 300 people vying for three jobs.”

Working for a change

Kaleysha Delgado started working for Paul Nojaim during her senior year of high school. She’s now getting ready to graduate Onondaga Community College as a nursing student. She said she wouldn’t be where she is without her job at Nojaim’s.

“This has been my only job,” said Delgado, “And I really appreciate that I got this job. …It really helped me out a lot all these years that I’ve been in college too.”

For Willauer Mateo, a sophomore at Syracuse’s Institute of Technology High School, he just started working at Nojaim’s last month. Still, he has hope with the new job that he will be able to get ahead.

“To have this job,” said Mateo, “It means the future for me because I need the money and I need to start paying for my stuff.”

Jamie Osorio has always cooked for her family on the Westside. She hopes to run her own restaurant someday.

Down at Conseulos Tacqueria, 27 year-old Jamie Osorio has been able to take advantage of her love of cooking. She’s lived on the Westside all her life, and has been cooking for her family since she was 12 years old. She believes the job is just the start to a bigger and better career.

“I’d like to own my own business soon,” said Osorio, “Hopefully I’ll buy Jan out.”

Multi-million dollar investments

Syracuse’s Westside neighborhood tops the list in the city when it comes to vacant lots and vacant homes. More than a third of properties are considered vacant. The homes, in particular, can become shelters for squatters or worse, the drug activity that plagues the community.

But for the last six years, the Near Westside Initiative has made it its mission to revitalize the community by fixing up vacant homes and filling in vacant lots.

The Initiative’s principal backer is Syracuse University, but receives federal, state, and private funding as well. The initiative has invested more than $50 million back into the community.

The Near Westside Initiative has helped fix homes and even build new "super green" homes on the Westside.

The Initiative partners with organizations like Home Headquarters to help fiscally responsible residents put money down on a house, or actually fix up or build new “super-green” homes in the neighborhood.

But people at the Initiative say they can’t do their work without help from business leaders like Paul Nojaim.

“They don’t just hire people from the neighborhood and say here’s your $10-$15 bucks an hour,” said the Initiative’s director, Maarten Jacobs, “They want to nurture and grow those people into successful kind of people in the neighborhood.”

In the summer, Nojaim partners with CNY Works, a state labor organization, to hold a summer work program on the Westside called Food Works. Food Works helps teach students about all aspects of the food business from production to nutrition. Students are taught by local farmers, doctors, and other professionals.

Students are paid an hourly wage by CNY Works. Many of the teachers are volunteers so the rest of the overhead costs are taken care of Nojaim’s Grocery.

Paul Nojaim said it’s important for students to be a part of programs like Food Works. He said students need to have the opportunity to make connections with professionals who can help them get into their desired field.

“They can say they want to be a doctor or a lawyer,” said Nojaim, “But without the connectivity, they have no opportunity to get there.”

Ten years ago, Nojaim had little hope his store would survive. But now, as new businesses prepare to move in and homes are rebuilt, he sees a light at the end of the tunnel.

It’s a change Westside residents are already coming to see, and many say they hope, the rest of Syracuse will soon to discover.

Copyright 2008 Photo by Lloyd Morgan

Grief — the sadness felt after losing a loved one — is being considered for part of the diagnosis of depression under a set of proposed, new guidelines for doctors.

The proposed classification could allow millions more people to be diagnosed for depression. It is controversial, say public health experts, because that could drive up costs and affect how people are treated by private and public health plans.

If the definition of depression is broadened, said John Palmer, who was a public trustee for the public programs Medicare and Social Security, the public health programs “will have to find a way to cover them.”

The controversy surrounds the 2013 release of the fifth edition of a book called the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, or DSM-V. It outlines every accepted mental disorder, including depression. The manual includes detailed descriptions of symptoms so doctors and nurses identify the patient’s problem.s

But some mental health experts say the manual’s proposed expansion on depression goes too far. Now, someone experiencing mild depressive symptoms for up to two weeks after the death of a family member or friend is excluded from the diagnosis of depression. Mild symptoms include sadness, appetite loss, sleeplessness, or lack of concentration.

The proposal for the new manual is to eliminate that exclusion.

The implications for public and private health insurance plans are broad, said SU’s Palmer, who has experience with crafting health care policy. Insurance plans and policy makers may have to adjust coverage to cater to the larger demand, said Palmer.

“You’re more likely to see a shrinkage in coverage,” said Palmer, “Some plans may limit the number of therapy sessions a person could have in one year, for example.”

Meanwhile, the debate over the proposal to expand depression’s diagnosis continues to heat up.

Dr. Allen Frances chaired the task force for the edition used now. He called the plan “reckless” and said it could end up classifying normal behavior as a disorder. “The boundary between normality and mental disorder is inherently fuzzy,” said Frances, “A very small change could affect millions of people”

Frances credits his colleagues with a genuine desire to make more help available to the grieving. But, he suggests, that the greatest beneficiaries of the new definition will be drug companies. They do not influence the process, he said but, he added, “Drug companies are on the sidelines, salivating, waiting for these drug guidelines to be made official.”

In addition, doubters say the current definition gives doctors enough leeway to help the bereaved with severe symptoms of depression. For example, patients could be immediately treated if they experienced symptoms such as suicidal thoughts, any thoughts of hurting themselves, or an extreme slowness in thought that becomes physical.

The new edition’s task force disputes worries that it is turning grief into a mental illness.

The task force’s spokesperson says it is trying to eliminate an arbitrary restriction that has kept doctors from providing complete care.

Supporters of the new definition say it is the right thing to do. Dr. Sidney Zisook, a research psychiatrist and advisor to the task force, says doctors don’t have to wait two weeks to treat patients’ who have lost their jobs or spouses in divorce.

“Why should bereavement be any different?” asks Zisook.

He says the change is not meant to make grief less normal or turn it into an illness. He argues the new definition will allow doctors to help distressed people.

The debate is just the beginning of an approval process that has already produced more than 8,000 responses about all of the manual’s proposed changes. The American Psychiatric Association, which manages the task force, is now sorting everything out. The history of the debate can be found at the task force’s website.

“Some of these proposals may not even make the final cut,” said Dr. Roger Peele, a member of the task force. “There’s a long way to go.”

(This article was originally published for DemocracyWise. DemocracyWise is an award-winning, student-run web service that provides in-depth coverage on a variety of political issues in New York.)

As of March 2, I am now the weekend reporter for WBNG Action 12 news in Binghamton, N.Y.  I’ll be reporting Fridays and Saturdays from the Southern Tier through at least April.  Beyond that, the future is still uncertain.

I’m excited to have the chance to report for Action 12 and tell the stories of the people of the Southern Tier.

Below are the stories that I’ve been able to do so far for Action 12 News.

Helping St. Pat Sing:

Binghamton Univ. Students Display Education:

Taking the Plunge into Goodyear Lake:

(VIDEO) –

But, what if taking all those pills, vitamins and over the counters included, could cause more trouble than the original disease.

Taking multiple medicines is called Polypharmacy, and it can be dangerous for some of the most vulnerable in our population — the elderly.

The most vulnerable

The elderly consume 40 percent of prescription drugs in America despite being only 13 percent of the population.

Seniors are disproportionally at-risk for problems from Polypharmacy. The 40 million people over 65 years-old make up just 13 percent of the population, but they take 40 percent of the prescription drugs in the U.S.

“Drugs are often interacting with each other,” said Patrick McDonnell who studies Polypharmacy from the College of Pharmacy at Temple University. “People who are older are especially at risk because their older bodies can’t handle as many drugs.”

McDonnell said there is a five percent chance of an adverse drug effect for patients taking one to three prescriptions a day. But once you are taking six drugs or more, the chance is up to 50 percent.

The elderly take an average of eight drugs a day.

A prescription for disaster

The Institute of Medicine says adverse drug effects injure or kill 1.5 million annually. Adverse drug effects are the leading cause for elderly hospitalizations.

Dr. Sharon Brangman, the head of geriatrics at Upstate Hospital, says as people are living longer they are becoming more medicated. She says pills have become the easy solution for some doctors to treat their patients.

“We’re a very pill-oriented society,” said Brangman, “Our expectation is that there is a pill that will solve any problem that we have.”

But the problem is that prescriptions can have very different effects for elderly patients. And sometimes that can be dangerous.

Seniors are being prescribed more pills from more doctors than ever before.

“Most of these meds were tested one at a time, in very healthy people. So when we start to add them on, and when we’re adding them to aging body and adding them on in a situation where someone has multiple chronic issues, they can have very different reactions,” said Brangman.

Since patients today are usually seeing more than one doctor, she says it’s important that patients be upfront with every doctor about the medications prescribed by other physicians.

Brangman says it’s imperative that patients discuss every pill with doctors at every visit. Seniors should let doctors know of any side-effects, and be cautious about taking a pill for a side-effect that could be “mimicking” a disease.

Preventing adverse drug effects

79 year-old Barbara Martin takes 22 prescriptions a day, not even counting her vitamins. She has learned how to keep her medicine straight to help avoid a potential catastrophe.

“I don’t like being on so many pills. I don’t think anybody would,” said Martin, “But I’m still on my feet so they must be doing something.”

She keeps lists of all her medications. One is a long print out on a regular 8 1/2 x 11 piece of paper, and then she has a handwritten index card that she keeps with her at all times.

Doctors and pharmacists say taking this simple step alone could prevent some of the more egregious Polypharmacy issues.

“If people had more communication with their doctors and pharmacist,” said Christine Camille, an independent pharmacist in Syracuse, “Most of these errors could be prevented.”

Camille says the pharmacy has become the first and last defense for preventing adverse drug effects. She says she spots at least two to three errors a day.

Camille also says people need to watch out when taking over the counter medicines, herbal supplements, and vitamins. These can react just as poorly with other medicines.

St. John's Wort, an herbal supplement used to treat depression, should never be used while taking prescription anti-depressants.

For example, St. John’s Wort, an herbal supplement used to treat depression, should never be used while taking prescription anti-depressants.

Or nasal decongestants should not be used by people who have a heart problem or high blood pressure because they can actually raise a person’s blood pressure.

“People tend to think that because they can buy it without prescriptions that there is nothing wrong with taking them,” said Camille, “But then they don’t realize what they can do to their other medications prescription wise. That becomes a problem.”

Looking ahead

Although Polypharmacy remains a growing problem, there is hope that new, improved electronic records will help limit adverse reactions.

Tom Dennison, director of the Lerner Center for Public Health, said electronic records could make errors in prescriptions disappear.

“When the physician writes a prescription, they would enter it into the system,” said Dennison, “If they order the wrong dose or a dose that doesn’t make sense, the computer will flag it.”

Experts say electronic records will allow doctors and pharmacists to access a patient’s complete medical profile at any time. A process that used to take days or weeks, could take just seconds.

That’s the goal of proposed legislation from Gov. Andrew Cuomo  to create what are called “health exchanges” online where individuals and small businesses can shop for a health plan that fits them.

According to the new healthcare law, all states must have exchanges in place by 2014.

“This is a dynamic and flexible proposal that will protect consumers and help bring down the cost of health care for families, businesses, and taxpayers,” Cuomo said in a statement in early Feburary when he released the proposal.

Cuomo’s plan is meant to give New York a headstart on the health exchanges before states are required to create them in 2014.  The exchanges are required under the new federal healthcare law enacted in 2010.  The law is a centerpiece of President Barack Obama’s administration.

Nationally and in New York, it is under attack by Republicans, who raise concerns about the cost, complexity and government oversight. And the law does not tackle the rising cost of health care.

“We need to have more definitive guidelines from Washington,” said Scott Reif, spokesman for state Sen. Dean Skelos, R-Rockeville Centre.  “The federal government has not been clear on how they’re going to pay for it.”

The exchanges would expand coverage for at least 40 million Americans without health insurance.  Among them are  2.6 million uninsured New Yorkers, according to a recent study by the state.  In Central New York, about 856,000 people are without insurance, the study found.

“Health exchanges will change how people get health insurance when they don’t have it through a job,”said Sarah Collins, a senior vice president at the Commonwealth Fund. It is an independent research institute on health care headquartered in New York City. Her work is focused on studying how to provide affordable health insurance to all Americans.

“Exchanges target the worst parts of our insurance system by helping individuals and small businesses negotiate for affordable and quality plans,” said Collins.

The exchanges would work like this: the state and federal governments will mandate basic levels of care such as mental health and pediatric care. Insurance companies will put their plans online for comparison shopping. Individuals and businesses will be able to choose insurance plans based on a four-tier rating system — Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum — of increasing coverage. Those who can’t afford a plan will get federal subsidies to help them purchase one.

In Massachusetts, health exchanges insured millions of individuals. Today, 98.1 percent of Massachusetts residents are insured — the largest percentage of insured individuals in any state.

Massachusetts spent $25 million to start its exchange, the Health Connector. Now the Connector is self-sustaining with an annual budget of $30 million.

New York has already received $28 million from the federal government to help open its exchange.   The New York exchange will have to be self-sustaining by Jan. 1, 2015.

But some New York small business owners aren’t convinced the exchanges will work for them.  Bill Delavan runs a commercial real estate business in Syracuse. He criticizes the new law’s requirement that everyone buy health insurance.

“I think it’s a totalitarian act to force people to buy insurance,” said Delavan. But, Delavan said, he would wait and see if the exchange brings any savings to his four-employee business.

Among New York state lawmakers, Gov. Cuomo’s plan for an exchange is receiving some bipartisan support.  State Sen. James Seward, R-Oneonta, chairs the state Senate Insurance Committee.  Seward describes the plan as “sound”  and has the ability to help individuals and small businesses.

But he admits that his Republican colleagues are not lining up behind him. Many of his Republican colleagues are concerned with potential costs and the unanswered questions, Seward said.

“I’m in an awkward position,” said Seward. It’s unclear, he said, when the state senate will take action.  It could be that there are so many questions unanswered,” he said, “we may still put it off.”

Mike Durant, the New York director for the National Federation of Independent Businesses, agrees. There a just too many questions over the legislation, he said.  Among those are how members will be grouped, the kinds of care mandated, and how the exchanges will be funded.

Supporters admit the exchange on its own will not save money.  But, supporters argue, that exchanges will be paid for partly through changes in payments to healthcare providers from Medicare, the tax-supported health insurance for the elderly, and Medicaid, the tax-supported health insurance for the poor and disabled.

But Durant of the small business group isn’t buying that explanation. “To say that it’s going to be helpful or lower the costs for small businesses,” said Durant, “how can you say that when we don’t know what’s going to be covered.”

(This article was originally published for DemocracyWise.  DemocracyWise is an award-winning,  student-run web service that provides in-depth coverage on a variety of political issues in  New York.)

“I see myself as being a spectator and a reporter.” said Carey. She believes reporting and commentary don’t necessarily contradict. “The more well trained a writer is at reporting, the better they will be at analysis.”

Carey said she wasn’t shy of expressing her opinions growing up in Oregon. But now she wants to learn to take herself out of the argument and learn good reporting skills. She said she wants to combine her political and reporter sides to make her a versatile writer that can back up opinion with reporting.

“I really need to move myself from being in the picture to being an objective reporter,” Carey said.

Elizabeth Carey, 27, will report on political issues for DemocracyWise, a website contributed to by students at Newhouse.

However one of her news writing professors, Steve Davis, said she’s already a skilled reporter.

Carey stood out in her final assignment on immigration reform said Davis. She wrote about the proposed Dream Act. The bill would provide a path to citizenship for children who grew up illegally in the U.S.

It was her first-rate research skills creating a thorough report, Davis said. He said Carey didn’t let personal feelings get in the way.

“She clearly had an opinion on the Dream Act,” said Davis, “but she did a good job writing a professional story that avoided advocacy.”

Carey has left her mark outside the classroom too. Carey’s friend from home and classmate at Columbia University, Aimee Higby, said she always backs up her arguments with facts. Carey is not close-minded, said the former classmate, and is always open to other views and perspectives. Carey’s nature could make her a good commentator or reporter, Higby said.

“She can get worked up about a cause and get pretty fiery,” said Higby, “ I see her dabbling in both straight journalism and commentary.”

Carey will be looking forward as she covers political issues for DemocracyWise, a website contributed to by students from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University.