Author: Luke Parsnow

Canadian singer-songwriter Ian Tyson once wrote about blackjack, “Never hit 17 when you play against the dealer, for the odds won’t ride with you.” When it comes to its casino expansion initiative as a vehicle for economic prosperity, New York seems very eager to keep hitting. But it’s a gamble that, at the moment, doesn’t appear to be paying off. Three new upstate commercial casinos opened this year: del Lago Resort and Casino in Waterloo; Rivers Casino and Resort in Schenectady; and Tioga Downs in the Southern Tier. All have failed to produce the amount of revenue that was initially…

On Dec. 7, 1941, a quiet, uneventful Sunday morning turned into a day that would live in infamy. A reluctant America, still weary from its involvement in World War I, turned into a united nation determined to defeat a new enemy. And a young country that hadn’t lived up to its potential entered a war that would forever change its role on the global stage. Yes, a lot changed on the day waves of Japanese bombers and submarines struck the unprepared Pacific fleet at Pearl Harbor, killing more than 2,400 Americans in one of the most surprising, daring and consequential…

Central New York leaders surely have more things to do than bandy it back and forth

Law would be a crucial step to preventing youth smokers in central New York

The Holidays are Increasingly Being Consumed by Consumerism

Upstate regions have made good pitches but incentives should not be kept secret

Independent Ben Walsh’s election as mayor a signal that Republicans and Democrats are out of touch

2020 election might end the recent string of victories of presidential incumbents

There is a fascinating Buzzfeed article I came across about a year ago titled “23 Facts That Will Totally Fuck With Your Perception Of Time.” Among the more interesting of those listed include the fact that the 10th U.S. president, who served from 1841 to 1845, has two grandchildren who are still alive today. Betty White is literally older than sliced bread. And the oldest living person (who died this spring) was born closer to the signing of the U.S. Constitution than to the current day. Crazy, right? I had the same kind of reaction about a month ago when…

I recently came across a December 2002 newspaper article from my hometown about a string of bomb threats that had occurred at my school over the course of several weeks. I was in fourth grade at the time and can’t remember these exact incidents, but that may be because there were other threats during my elementary school years following the Columbine school shooting and the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Fortunately, every school threat when I was a student, including one where it initially looked like anthrax had been found in a library book, was determined not to be credible. That…

After his office had successfully prosecuted the two most powerful figures in the New York state Legislature just 13 days apart, then-U.S. District Attorney Preet Bharara came to Albany in February 2016 to give several speeches attacking the climate of corruption in the state government. One of the more interesting things he said during his visit included a harsh critique of those in Albany who didn’t do anything wrong, but who also didn’t stop wrongdoing from happening. “There was a deafening silence of the individuals who, over the time period covered by our investigation, must have seen something, must have…

If you are a citizen of New York, you are asked this question every 20 years: “Shall there be a convention to revise the constitution and amend the same?”  That question is one of three statewide referendums that will appear on the back of every ballot on Tuesday, Nov. 7. Every 20 years, New York voters are asked whether a state constitutional convention should take place in Albany to see if anything should be changed or added to that document of laws and rights. Should a majority of New Yorkers vote “yes” on Election Day, a process will begin to…

On Oct. 12, Syracuse Police Chief Frank Fowler was asked at a news conference if the number of officers was adequate to properly ensure public safety in the community. He was not subtle in his answer. “The goal is to create an environment where you don’t have any murders or you have no or a minimal amount of crime,” he said. “That is the goal and we indeed need more police officers to provide that environment for our community.” Timing has an incredible ability to tell us things that we need to be told. While Fowler was speaking, officers from…

‘Runaway Trumpism’ threatens to hijack the Republican establishment in coming elections.

Budget increase could help stop senior homes from failing.