John Smith

Syracuse University’s Athletic Department continues to reflect on the life and legacy of Dick MacPherson, who died Tuesday.  The department includes his grandsons, who offered some memories, along with the Athletic Director.  One quality they all seem to agree on is that Coach Mac was a genuine person who made everyone feel important, on and off the field.  Richard 'Macky' MacPherson says he was like a father and his interests went far beyond football.

What are the prospects that Republican State Senator John DeFrancisco of Syracuse will challenge Governor Andrew Cuomo for Governor? 

DeFrancisco says he first wants to see if he can gain enough support from republican committee members and is traveling across the state to get the word out about his vision for the state.  He feels that it’s a critical time for him to decide whether or not to run.

"While population throughout the United States is growing, we had a net loss.  That means are voting with their feet.   They're expressing how they really feel by leaving the state.  That confirms what I've heard from  especially small business owners and people worried about their job, and seeing their kids not coming back to the state.” 

The Senator says that voters want to be confident about elected officials and thinks Cuomo has a credibility issue.

"If you talk to most New Yorkers who have any  involvement in politics, I would like to find out who, give me one person...have them call me, who trusts Andrew Cuomo to be truthful when he says something.  It's just not the case.” 

DeFrancisco feels that Cuomo likes to take credit for projects such as the recent expansion of the subway system on 7th Avenue in New York.  However, he alleges that the Governor distanced himself from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority when problems occurred.

“… but, then, you don’t a few months later say that it’s not you (Governor Cuomo) that’s running the Metropolitan Transportation Authority; it’s all (Mayor Bill) de Blasio’s fault, even though you appoint the Chairman to that group and you have a substantial influence over the majority of that group.  So, that’s the type of thing, I think, that people get tired… I know I do, of hearing things one day and then a totally opposite spin on something the next day because it achieves a political result.”

The City of Auburn is celebrating the life of abolitionist Harriet Tubman and her tireless efforts to guide slaves to safety.  The 2nd annual Harriet Tubman Freedom Music Festival will be held tonight in the city.  Executive Producer and music composer Sean McLeod a puts his heart and soul into the festival.  People will hear his voice and music at the festival that he refers to as A Soundtrack for Harriet Tubman. It's the result of his hard work that's truly been a long journey.  He first wrote music for a play about Tubman in 1990 and then he was commissioned in 1993 for a re-adaptation into a musical.

A Co-Director of Cornell Law School’s Asylum and Convention Against Torture Appellate Clinic feels there’s not much more the federal government can do to further screen or vet refugees and immigrants.  Professor and Acting Immigration Lawyer Steve Yale-Loehr says he understands the need to evaluate the screening process as a matter of National Security.  But he says the rules are already stringent for refugees to gain entry into the U.S.

Full-time elected officials can often ride-out their popularity to keep them in office, indefinitely.  That’s why you might not expect a politician now in her third term to propose term-limits.  However, that’s precisely what the Onondaga County Executive is proposing.  She also wants county elected officials to hold one job.