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International Polar Bear Day, a day organized by Polar Bears International, draws attention to the threats that polar bears face in the warming Arctic, as a result of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. The day is dedicated to reflecting on what can be done to help polar bears, and how carbon emissions can be reduced. Arctic warming has already had an effect. For example, in Western Hudson Bay there were about 1,200 polar bears in 1987, but by 2012 there were only 900. Climate change has lead to lower body weights in polar bears; lower body weight in females has affected their offspring, yielding smaller litters and causing fewer cubs to survive.
Warmer temperatures in the Arctic are detrimental to polar bears because they cause the loss of sea ice. Polar bears need sea ice to catch most of their prey—because that is where their prey resides. The number one food for polar bears is the ringed seal. It is high in fat—including beneficial omega-3 fatty acids—and calories, enough to keep polar bears healthy. Although ringed seals are the most prevalent, polar bears also eat bearded seals and other prey if it's available. In the summer, polar bears follow retreating ice, following their food source.
SU News
Syracuse basketball hosts Virginia Tech: 5 Key Things to Know (PS; $; Waters)
After surviving a near-catastrophic meltdown with an 88-85 win over Notre Dame on Saturday, the Syracuse Orange will look to win its third game in a row as it hosts Virginia Tech on Tuesday night at the JMA Wireless Dome.
Syracuse led Notre Dame by 29 points late in the first half, but had to hold on at the end as Notre Dame missed two potentially game-tying 3-point shots in the game’s final seconds on Saturday.
Syracuse’s record is now 18-10 for the year, giving the Orange its most regular season wins since the 2018-19 season. The Orange sits in 8th-place in the ACC standings with a 9-8 conference mark.
Virginia Tech (15-12, 7-9) has lost five of its last seven games. The Hokies are 1-8 on the road this season; the lone win coming at NC State.
This is Syracuse’s last home game of the season. The Orange will wrap up the regular season with games at Louisville this Saturday and at Clemson next Tuesday.
Prior to tonight’s game, Syracuse will hold its annual Senior Night ceremony. Mounir Hima, a 6-foot-11 center, is the only scholarship player who will take part in the proceedings. Hima is a fourth-year junior who is expected to graduate this spring.
The Syracuse-Virginia Tech game is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. on ESPNU.
Here are 5 Key Things to Know about the matchup:
Handling prosperity
Syracuse squandered almost all of a 29-point lead before holding on to beat Notre Dame, 88-85, on Saturday. (Dennis Nett | dnett@syracuse.com)dnett@syracuse.com
In its last two games, Syracuse has held halftime leads of 15 points at NC State and 20 against Notre Dame this past Saturday. In each game, the Orange frittered away the lead and barely hung on to win both games.
“We have to figure out how to keep that first half going into the second half,’' SU coach Adrian Autry said after the 88-85 win over Notre Dame. Syracuse gave up 56 points in the second half of that game.
While Syracuse came close to blowing big leads in its last two games, the Orange has done well to maintain its edge when leading at the half. In ACC play, Syracuse is 6-1 when leading at the half. The lone loss came against Florida State when the Orange had a 1-point halftime lead.
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Opponent Preview: What to know about Virginia Tech (DO; Bambini)
Syracuse picked up its second straight win Saturday, edging out Notre Dame 88-85 at the JMA Wireless Dome, where the Orange boast a 13-2 record.
SU jumped out a 29-point lead but a 9-0 run from the Fighting Irish, highlighted by a Julian Roper II 3-pointer at the first-half buzzer, foreshadowed the 3-point onslaught Notre Dame used to get back into the game.
Led by Markus Burton’s game-high 28 points and Braeden Shrewsberry’s six second-half 3-pointers, ND climbed back to cut the deficit to 3. With one more chance to tie the game, it missed, allowing Syracuse to secure the win.
The Orange now welcome Virginia Tech in SU’s final regular-season home game. Here’s everything to know about VT (15-12, 7-9 Atlantic Coast Conference) before it takes on Syracuse (18-10, 9-8 ACC):
All-time series
Syracuse leads 12-7.Last time they played…
Virginia Tech defeated Syracuse 85-70 behind 52 first-half points against the Orange on Jan. 28, 2023. The Hokies drained 11 3-pointers in the opening period, the second-most 3-pointers Syracuse conceded in a first half in 2022-23. It was also the most points a team scored on SU in the first half.The first-half onslaught created too much of a hole for Syracuse to get out of, though it managed to limit the deep shots with a second-half full-court press. Judah Mintz led the way for the Orange with 21 points, but the Hokies held Joe Girard III to just seven points on the night.
“Our defense was just not able to do anything in the first half to contain them,” said former Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim. “We were too far behind at halftime, basically.”
KenPom odds
Syracuse has a 51% to win, with a projected score of 77-76....
Beat writers split on whether Syracuse will defeat Virginia Tech (DO; Staff)
Despite being once comfortably ahead by as much as 29 points, Syracuse weathered a furious second-half Notre Dame comeback to beat the Fighting Irish 88-85 Saturday. Even at halftime, SU held a 49-29 advantage, but ND guards Markus Burton and Braeden Shrewsberry combined for 38 points to keep the contest close.
Judah Mintz tallied 21 points as every member of SU’s starting five finished in double figures. Chris Bell continued his recent hot shooting by canning four 3’s on 80% shooting while forward Justin Taylor scored 10 — his highest point total since Feb. 3 at Wake Forest.
Slated to play in its final home game of the season Tuesday, Syracuse hosts Virginia Tech in the first meeting this season. Despite capturing a historic 75-41 victory over cross-state rival Virginia on Feb. 19, the Hokies fell at Pittsburgh 79-64 last time out. VT point guard Sean Pedulla led all scorers with 26 points but Virginia Tech shot a lowly 40.7% from the floor and slumped to 10th in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
“They’re aggressive offensively and they run with pace so we have to be ready to play for 40 minutes. We just have to be ready because they’re explosive,” SU head coach Adrian Autry said about the Hokies during the ACC’s weekly coaches call Monday.
Here’s how our beat writers think Syracuse (18-10, 9-8 ACC) will fare against Virginia Tech (15-12, 7-9 ACC):
Cole Bambini (21-7)
Senior Day showdown
Syracuse 82, Virginia Tech 74
This is an interesting matchup. Syracuse, coming off an up-then-down win against Notre Dame, will host a Virginia Tech side that managed to beat Virginia by 34 but lost to Pittsburgh by 15. Both sides are perfectly capable of winning on Tuesday, but I think being at the JMA Wireless Dome has played to SU’s advantage greatly with a 13-2 record.
The Orange have to find a way to limit Pedulla and Lynn Kidd. The two are the Hokies’ main threats with the ball, but the team also has complementary 3-point shooters in Hunter Cattoor and Tyler Nickel. Maliq Brown will match up with Kidd in the front court, and with the return of Peter Carey, that can provide some relief if needed.
We know that this Syracuse squad has been very unpredictable when it comes to offense, but at home, it has been consistent. Taylor has the opportunity to build off the personal momentum from Saturday’s win and Bell has been in great form as of late. I think that will give Syracuse just enough of the edge to win its final regular-season home game.
Henry O’Brien (20-8)
What are Hokies?
Virginia Tech 79, Syracuse 78
Syracuse really doesn’t need a toss-up for its last home game of the season. You probably would rather have a weaker squad to face to get better seeding for the ACC Tournament. But Virginia Tech is just as intriguing and frustrating, picking up double-digit wins over Clemson, but also blowout losses versus Pittsburgh.
The Hokies have the 44th-best adjusted offensive efficiency per KenPom and shoot 79% from the charity stripe, a mark that ranks fifth-best in the country. With Cattoor having the 12th-best true shooting percentage in the country, he will be a nightmare for the Orange if they run the 2-3 zone.
Who knows what will happen Tuesday evening. It could be a blowout win for the Orange or another tight contest where they either pull out a win or a heartbreaking defeat. I think VT’s shooters and Kidd down low facing Brown will be too much for Syracuse to handle.
Tyler Schiff (22-6)
Late push
Syracuse 90, Virginia Tech 83
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Film Review: Analyzing Syracuse’s shaky 2nd half against Notre Dame (DO; O'Brien)
In its last two games, Syracuse has followed a familiar script. In tight wins over NC State and Notre Dame, the Orange shot at a high level and jumped out to double digit leads in the first half. But, both the Wolfpack and the Fighting Irish outscored SU in the final 20 minutes of play despite the Orange being able to hold on to victories in both contests.
The shaky second half against ND prompted head coach Adrian Autry to pause before he started his postgame press conference, saying that his team had to figure how to keep that first half play continuing throughout the whole game.
“In the first half, we didn’t give them any rhythm,” Autry said. “In the second half, they got going.”
Here’s how Notre Dame (10-17, 5-11 Atlantic Coast Conference) mounted a comeback against Syracuse (18-10, 9-8 ACC):
Same play kills SU twice
Postgame, Judah Mintz said the Fighting Irish were able to claw their way back because they found certain plays that worked against Syracuse’s defense. Autry went further and said the defense fell for the same play twice, which was unacceptable.
The play in question involved ND guard Braeden Shrewsberry knocking wide open 3-pointers against SU’s man defense with under nine and a half minutes to go in the contest. On the first 3-point make, the Fighting Irish rotated the ball around the arc before big man forward Kebba Njie received a pass at the left wing. Njie was being guarded by Maliq Brown, and Shrewsberry was the only Notre Dame player down at the hoop with J.J. Starling guarding him.
Once Njie bounce passed to Tae Davis, he moved down into the post while Shrewsberry cut up to the left wing. As Shrewsberry sped up, Starling fell behind and faced a hard, off-ball screen from Njie. With Shrewsberry now open, Davis threw back to the guard, who nailed his fourth triple of the afternoon.
Not even a minute later, Notre Dame was at it again.
Notre Dame vs. Syracuse Full Game Replay | 2023-24 ACC Men's Basketball
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Hunter Cattoor broke VT's 3-point record. Now, he's chasing his 2nd ACC title. (DO; Erlbaum)
After upsetting No. 2 Notre Dame and No. 3 North Carolina in the 2022 ACC Tournament, No. 7 Virginia Tech faced No. 1 Duke in the championship. Led by future No. 1 overall NBA Draft pick Paolo Banchero, the Blue Devils were expected to beat VT handily.
But Duke couldn’t stop Hunter Cattoor. The Hokies’ sharp-shooting guard scored 31 points on 11-for-16 shooting to lift the Hokies to an 82-67 win. Following back-to-back losses in the first round of the ACC Tournament, Cattoor had led VT to its first-ever conference tournament title.
“We still had the confidence in each other and individually that at some point, it’s gonna turn around and we’re gonna break through it. And that’s exactly what we did,” Cattoor said.
Cattoor, a fifth-year graduate student, has excelled in his time at Virginia Tech. The Orlando, FL, native broke the Hokies’ all-time mark for the most 3-pointers on Nov. 23, 2023, and has led them to a 15-12 (7-9 ACC) record. In his final collegiate season, Cattoor is looking to lift the Hokies to one last postseason push.
“It’s obviously hard to win road games in this conference and a big thing of that is just staying together and being able to go out there and execute the game plan for 40 minutes,” Cattoor said. “I think if we’re able to do that for these last stretch of games and going into the ACC Tournament, we’ll be able to put a good run together.”
Miranda Fournier | Design Editor
The first of the Hokies’ last four regular season games comes Tuesday versus Syracuse. The last time the teams faced, Cattoor scored 21 points on just 10 shots, draining six 3-pointers to help lift Virginia Tech to an 85-70 win.
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Early look at ACC tournament bracket: Syracuse's seed, opponent (PS; $; Waters)
In just two weeks from Tuesday, the ACC tournament will begin with three opening round games at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.
Most of the conference’s teams have only four regular-season games remaining. Some, like Syracuse, are down to just three games left on the schedule.
In that short amount of time, there is going to be a lot of sorting out of tournament seeds, byes and matchups.
Syracuse, which is 18-10 overall and 9-8 in the conference, is currently alone in eighth place in the league’s standings. A No. 8 seed would mean the Orange would get a first-round bye and face the No. 9 seed in a noon game on Wednesday, March 13.
As of Monday morning, the No. 9 seed would go to Florida State. The Seminoles have an 8-8 league record, following their 74-63 loss at Clemson on Saturday.
Really, though, very little is determined at this point. Syracuse could conceivably finish as high as fourth and as low as 11th.
Syracuse is part of a five-team cluster separated by just one game in the ACC standings. Clemson, Pittsburgh and North Carolina State each have 9-7 records, then comes Syracuse at 9-8 followed by Florida State at 8-8.
A look at the ACC schedule over the next two weeks shows several critical games between the teams battling it out in the middle of the conference standings, dreaming of a potential double-bye, dreading the possibility of falling into the first round and hoping to earn as high a seed as possible.
On Tuesday, Syracuse will host Virginia Tech, which sits right behind the aforemention five teams with a 7-9 record. The Hokies lost a key game at Pittsburgh on Saturday. But the Hokies are still in the hunt for a bye. After Tuesday’s game at Syracuse, Virginia Tech closes with home games against Wake Forest and Notre Dame plus a road trip to Louisville.
Also on Tuesday, Pittsburgh will travel to Clemson and N.C. State will be at Florida State. Next Tuesday, Syracuse will wrap up its season at Clemson, while Florida State will trip up to Pittsburgh.
If any of the seeds come down to tie-breakers, Syracuse could have an edge. The Orange has already completed season sweeps of Pittsburgh and N.C. State and owns a win over North Carolina as well.
Seeds may not be decided for any of these teams until the final weekend of the regular season, when N.C. State will be at Pittsburgh.
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Locked On Syracuse - Daily Podcast On Syracuse Orange Football & Basketball: Syracuse Basketball Can Make the NCAA Tournament on Apple Podcasts (apple.com; podcast; Locked on Syracuse)
Syracuse Basketball Can Make the NCAA Tournament
Syracuse out to keep faint NCAA hopes alive vs. Virginia Tech (cbssports.com; FLM)
Syracuse is trying to make a late push into the NCAA Tournament conversation.
At this point, though, any remaining at-large hopes seemingly would require the Orange to defeat visiting Virginia Tech when the ACC foes square off Tuesday night.
Syracuse (18-10, 9-8 ACC) enters having won two straight games, tight victories over North Carolina State and Notre Dame. The Orange have not won three in a row since closing the 2023 calendar year with five victories in a row.
Most recently, the team defeated the Fighting Irish 88-85 despite blowing most of a 29-point lead before hanging on for the win. Judah Mintz scored 21 points and Chris Bell added 18 for the Orange, who survived multiple game-tying 3-point attempts by Notre Dame in the final minute.
"We have to figure out how to keep that first half going in the second half," coach Adrian Autry said. "I was happy that we got another win."
Meanwhile, Virginia Tech (15-12, 7-9) enters having dropped five of its past seven games. That stretch does include a dominant 75-41 win against Virginia, but the Hokies were unable to follow up that performance as they fell to Pitt 79-64 on Saturday.
Virginia Tech shot 3-of-20 from 3-point range against the Panthers and were outrebounded 42-28. No Hokies player scored more than 10 points aside from Sean Pedulla, who poured in 26 points to go with eight rebounds and seven assists.
"They were better than we were today, needless to say," said Virginia Tech coach Mike Young, who added that "we had some great cracks at it, but I thought our lack of shot-making affected our defense a little bit. We needed to have an uptick in the second half, play better basketball."
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The Juice Online - Podcast: Syracuse goes for win No. 19 against Virginia Tech (r1vals.com; podcast; Juice on the Cuse)
Syracuse basketball plays its final game at the Dome for the 2023-24 season when it hosts Virginia Tech on Tuesday evening. The Orange has won three of its last four to get to 18 wins with three games left to go on the season.
We spoke about Syracuse's most recent win against Notre Dame on today's The Juice on the Cuse Podcast, presented by Rivals and Bleav. The Orange build a 29-point lead, and nearly lost it in the game's waning moments before hanging on for an 86-83 win.
Tuesday's matchup against the Hokies is an opportunity for a Quadrant 2 win. Virginia Tech has last five of their last seven, but is still 56th in NET.
We also speak with HokieHaven's Tim Sullivan about his thoughts on the game. He breaks down Virginia Tech's season to date, gives a scouting report, and also his predictions for the outcome of the matchup.
You can listen to our whole conversation by following “The Juice on the Cuse Podcast,” a Syracuse Orange podcast presented by Rivals and Bleav, by subscribing to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Syracuse men’s basketball: Chris Bell’s hot streak continues (TNIAAM; Lincoln)
With seven-and-a-half minutes left on the clock, and the Syracuse Orange up by four against Notre Dame, Maliq Brown picked out a clever pass to Chris Bell, who barely had to leave his feet.
Bell has practiced his three-ball thousands and thousands of times and makes it look easy, almost casual, using his elite technique to nonchalantly get the shot off in under a second. Cash money, Cuse up by seven.
Over the last four Syracuse basketball games dating back to the upset victory over North Carolina, Chris Bell has gone an impressive 17/29 from three, spearheading the Orange attack and leading them to a 3-1 record over that period. He’s also stepped up on the glass, grabbing 15 rebounds during this stretch, an improvement over his 2.3 per game average this season.
So what has changed for Bell to rocket his three-point shooting efficiency from 43% on the season to an astounding 59% in the last few games? It appears largely to be a change in usage and shot selection for the sophomore bucket-getter.
In the early stages of the season, many Cuse fans complained about the somewhat iso-heavy and disorganized approach that rookie Head Coach Red Autry allowed for in his offense. Most of the guards and wings in the team, including Bell, were given the ability to isolate and create on their own accord. This style did not suit Bell’s game.
In an early season matchup against Gonzaga, Bell went 2/18 from the field including attempting eight shots inside the three-point line. Conversely, in a January ACC matchup against Duke, Bell only took one shot throughout the entire game.
These inconsistencies in the Orange’s offense proved to be detrimental to Bell as his role would often change from game to game. The California native was also sometimes given the freedom to drive and create, often settling for difficult and contested pull-up two-pointers throughout many early games this season.
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https://www.si.com/college/syracuse...igh-on-syracuse-basketball-after-recent-visit (SI; McAllister)
Class of 2025 forward/center Matt Gilhool is one of the top players in the Northeast this cycle. He stars for William Penn Charter in Pennsylvania. He recently took an unofficial visit to Syracuse.
"I went up and I got to see the game against Notre Dame," Gilhool said. "I got to see the Jim Boeheim ceremony, so that was pretty cool."
The 6-10 big was impressed by the game day atmosphere at the JMA Wireless Dome.
"I thought it was cool," Gilhool said. "Definitely was a good game. There's a lot of people there. The place gets loud. The tribute was really cool. Seeing all those people who stayed to honor him. The impact he had was pretty cool."
Gilhool was offered by Syracuse back in August after a strong Elite Camp performance. Since then, he has remained in constant contact with the Orange. Especially his lead recruiter Gerry McNamara.
"I'm in contact with them pretty often," Gilhool said. "G-Mac, that's my guy. He's been the one recruiting me for a little bit now. He came to my school a good amount of times. We have a pretty good relationship."
This was Gilhool's third visit to Syracuse since the fall, including taking an official visit previously. The Orange remains one of the top options for him.
"I'm definitely a fan, definitely on the high side for sure," Gilhool said. "Definitely going to keep looking into Syracuse."
Next up for Gilhool is trimming his list, which he is looking towards the end of the spring for that. He does not have a decision timeframe in mind currently. Besides Syracuse, Penn State, Iowa and Washington are recruiting him hard.
Syracuse Basketball: 4-star PG has ‘great’ unofficial, ‘Cuse in mix for official visit (itlh; Adler)
Deron Rippey Jr., a 2026 four-star point guard, played lights out late last week in helping lead his New Jersey program to a state title, and he followed that up by heading to Syracuse basketball for an unofficial visit this past Saturday on Jim Boeheim Day.
The 6-foot-2 Rippey, who hails from Brooklyn, N.Y., is a top-25 national prospect and a top-five point guard in his class, according to several recruiting services.
During the 2023-24 season, he put forth a fabulous sophomore year for the Blair Academy in Blairstown, N.J. The Bucs went 22-4 in the latest campaign, winning both the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association ("NJSIAA") Prep A state championship as well as the Mid-Atlantic Prep League ("MAPL") tournament crown.
Congratulation’s To @BlairAcademyMBB For Winning The NJ A State Championship Tonight And Finishing 22-4 For The Season#CauseOverSelf#Mudita
TGBTG #WeWalkByFaithAndNotBySight
RippCityFamily#JobDonepic.twitter.com/tqtzkfrACs
— Deron Rippey Sr. (@rippey_deron) February 23, 2024
This past Saturday, as the Orange squeaked past Notre Dame and SU Athletics honored the storied career of Hall of Famer Jim Boeheim, Rippey was one of three ‘Cuse targets on the Hill for unofficial visits, along with 2025 four-star power forward/center Matthew Gilhool from the Philadelphia area and 2025 four-star forward Sadiq White Jr. from Charlotte, N.C.
Four-star PG Deron Rippey Jr. is impressed by Syracuse basketball.
On Monday, I caught up with Rippey’s dad, Deron Rippey Sr., by phone to discuss the 2026 prospect’s unofficial visit to the ‘Cuse.
The trip to Central New York was “great, real good,” the elder Rippey said. “Ron Ron had a great time.”
During his unofficial visit on Saturday, Deron Rippey Jr. had an opportunity to meet with the entire Orange coaching staff, players on the 2023-24 roster, and training, conditioning and medical staff members for the program.
I should note that ‘Cuse redshirt sophomore guard Kyle Cuffe Jr. also went to Blair. Additionally, Syracuse basketball freshman center William Patterson ran on the AAU circuit with the New York City-based New Heights Lightning in Nike’s EYBL league, and that’s the same grassroots program where Rippey plays.
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Duke’s Scheyer wants the ACC to implement measures to prevent court-storming after Filipowski injury (nbcsports.com; AP)
Duke coach Jon Scheyer wants the Atlantic Coast Conference to implement measures to prevent court-storming after star big man Kyle Filipowski was hobbled following a collision with a fan during a weekend loss at Wake Forest.
Scheyer said that Filipowski was “a little bit sore” following the incident, which left him sporting a bag of ice on his knee after banging his right leg into the leg of a fan running by him toward midcourt.
“Absolutely we shouldn’t wait until next year, something should be done right now,” Scheyer said during the weekly league coaches teleconference, adding: “At the end of the day, players and coaches and officials are the only people that belong on a court.”
Scheyer — who initially misspoke when he said Filipowski hurt his ankle — said that the preseason Associated Press All-American didn’t require any type of diagnostic internal imaging for his knee to search for a structural injury. Filipowski didn’t have a significant limp when he spoke to a few reporters after the game, though his status wasn’t immediately clear for the 10th-ranked Blue Devils’ game against an eight-win Louisville team.
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MBB: Links, News and Rumors 2024 Feb 26 (RX; HM)
MBB: Links, News and Rumors 2024 Feb 26
UPDATED: added statement from the ACC Commissioner
First, let's look at the latest AP Men's Basketball Poll...
AP TOP 25 MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL POLL
1 Houston (24-3) Big 122 Purdue (25-3) Big Ten
3 UConn (25-3) Big East
4 Tennessee (21-6) SEC
5 Marquette (21-6) Big East
6 Arizona (21-6) Pac-12
7 Kansas (21-6) Big 12
8 Iowa State (21-6) Big 12
9 N. Carolina (21-6) ACC
10 Duke (21-6) ACC
11 Auburn (21-6) SEC
12 Creighton (20-8) Big East
13 Illinois (20-7) Big Ten
14 Alabama (19-8) SEC
15 Baylor (19-8) Big 12
16 Kentucky (19-8) SEC
17 Saint Mary's (23-6) WCC
18 S. Carolina (22-5) SEC
19 Washington St (21-7) Pac-12
20 San Diego St (21-7) MWC
21 Dayton (21-5) Atlantic 10
22 Utah State (22-5) MWC
23 Gonzaga (22-6) WCC
24 Florida (19-8) SEC
25 S. Florida (21-5) American
Two ACC teams in the Top 25, and two more among "others receiving votes". That's not what we've grown accustomed to seeing from the ACC. Perhaps they're underrated once again and will dominate in the NCAA Tournament? We'll see...
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Other
Attention to detail mixed with optimism: Meet interim NYS Fair Director Julie LaFave (PS; $; Cazentre)
Julie LaFave, recently appointed the interim director of the New York State Fair, makes no secret of her fondness for the eternally optimistic character of Leslie Knope, played by Amy Poehler in the TV series “Parks and Recreation.”
This year LaFave is transitioning from a job as the fair operations director, where she handled day-to-day nuts and bolts on the fairgrounds, to the top post, where she will be much more in the public spotlight.
In her new role, LaFave will need to balance the concerns of both vendors and fairgoers and people who like the tradition of the fair and those who embrace change. She’ll also face public scrutiny over issues ranging from ticket prices to the concert lineup.
Addressing that new role, she cited a well-known Leslie Knope observation: “What I hear when I’m being yelled at is people caring loudly at me.”
LaFave’s appointment marks the second time in two years that the State Fair has an interim director.
She was named earlier this month to replace Sean Hennessey, who was appointed interim director in 2022 and promoted to the permanent director’s job just before the 2023 fair. Hennessey had replaced long-time fair director Troy Waffner, who was reassigned in 2022.
LaFave is a native of Saginaw, Mich. who came to Central New York in 2005 and lives in Syracuse’s Strathmore neighborhood. She started at the fair as operations director in 2023. Prior to then she had served five years as the city of Syracuse’s commissioner of Parks, Recreation and Youth Programs, and before that had worked in the parks departments of the Central New York towns of Cicero and Sullivan.
The fair operations job she took on May 1 of last year hadn’t existed before then. She oversaw things like concessions, staffing and events. She reported to Hennessey, the director.
“It was really the day-to-day stuff, not just for the 13-day fair, but year-round on the fairgrounds,” she said. In many ways, the job was similar to the role she played running the city parks department.
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The job fair at Destiny USA will have over 30 participating employers looking for candidates from all skill levels (David Lassman / The Post-Standard).David Lassman | syracuse.com
Houseplant Swap, Job Fair, Chili Bowl Fest: 10 things to do this week in Central NY (PS; Newcomb)
The weather isn’t getting warmer just yet, but you can get excited for spring coming with a few opportunities to learn about gardening and houseplants. Bring your houseplant cuttings and propagations on Saturday to the Petit Branch Library Houseplant Swap and meet plant-lovers while expanding your collection.
Gardeners or those aspiring to start one can also attend the Seed Swap on Saturday at the First Universalist Society of Syracuse. Participants can bring seeds to share, gardening questions for the experts, or advice to give to other gardeners.
But you don’t have to wait for the warmer weather to get outside. Have a bowl of vegan or meat chili by Chef Billy-Brendan Ginty and try a homebrewed root beer at the annual Thornden Park Chili Bowl Fest. There are activities for kids and heated outdoor seating too.
Know of an event that you would like to see featured on this list? Email us at least two weeks in advance at features@syracuse.com.
Tuesday
Blarney Stone String Art Workshop
Join this art workshop and learn how to create a Tipperary Hill traffic light string art piece. The host will walk participants step by step through the project. The event is in the banquet room at the Blarney Stone and is only accessible by stairs. A ticket includes all of the materials and instruction. It does not include food or drinks. Click here to purchase tickets.Where: 314 Avery Ave, Syracuse
When: 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
How much: $36
Wednesday
Destiny USA Job Fair
If you are looking for a job, you can get your resume ready and go talk to employers from over 30 local companies that are hiring. Employers from a variety of industries will be in The Canyon at Destiny USA looking for candidates with all different skill levels. Participating employers include St. Joseph’s Health, Lockheed Martin, NYS Troopers and Syracuse University. Click here for more information and a full list of participating employers.Where: 1 Destiny USA Dr, Syracuse
When: 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.
How much: Free
Thursday
Everson Ceramic Arts Lecture: Sana Musasama
Listen to ceramist Sana Musasama at the Everson Museum of Art’s 14th Annual Ceramic Arts Lecture. Musasama’s work is informed by history, women’s studies, culture and her international travel, where she works with survivors of sex trafficking each year. Musasama’s exhibition is also at the Everson from now until April 28. The event is free with museum admission. Click here for more information.Where: 401 Harrison St, Syracuse
When: 6:30 p.m.
How much: Free with museum admission ($14 for adults, $10 for seniors/students, $5 for children, $2 with EBT card)
Salt City Market: Tasting the Diaspora
Come by the Salt City Market to meet an expert in Black history and taste food from a chef specializing in Liberian food. Chef Naomi Cooper and Danielle Taana Smith will complete the last event in this three part February series. The event is a partnership between the market at the Department of African American Studies at Syracuse University.Where: 484 S. Salina St, Syracuse
When: 6 p.m. - 8 p.m.
How much: Prices vary
