sutomcat
No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
- Joined
- Aug 15, 2011
- Messages
- 26,391
- Like
- 114,730
Welcome to National Cheese Pizza Day!
National Cheese Pizza Day is dedicated to the pie shaped flatbread with toppings, first eaten in Naples in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. At the time, this coastal city was not part of Italy, but its own kingdom. The working poor, or lazzaroni, lived outside or in small homes, and needed cheap food. Pizza consisted of flatbread with toppings such as tomatoes, garlic, cheese, oil, or anchovies, and it was sold by street vendors and informal restaurants, and eaten for any meal. Naples became part of Italy in 1861, and in 1889, Queen Margherita and King Umberto visited Naples and tried pizza. Legend has it that she loved mozzarella pizza, which included mozzarella cheese, red tomatoes, and green basil—the colors of the Italian flag. The pizza then took her namesake. But, pizza didn't end up becoming popular in the rest of Italy until the 1940's.
SU News
The silver aluminum bleachers were a signature component of the JMA Wireless Dome until they were replaced this year by new individual blue seats. (Dennis Nett | dnett@syracuse.com)
What happened to the JMA Wireless Dome’s old metal bleachers? (Mike’s Mailbox) (PS; $; Waters)
The Mailbox isn’t just a column geared toward the readers. It’s powered by the readers.
You set the agenda. You’ve got a question or concern? This is your sounding board/soapbox.
This is especially true of this week’s lead-off question, which focuses on the uniquely fan-centered topic of the JMA Wireless Dome’s new seating. But with a twist.
While the Syracuse football opener against Ohio last Saturday gave Orange fans a chance to experience the JMA Dome’s new blue seats, one reader wanted to know what happened to the old metallic bleachers that were a signature component of the Dome.
Let’s get started.
(If you have a question for the Mailbox, email it to mwaters@syracuse.com).
Q: What did Syracuse University do with all of the old metal seats at the Dome? Many of us have a commemorative piece of the old Dome roof, but is there going to be any opportunity for fans to bring home a row of seats as a memento?
Scott R.
Mike: When the Baltimore Orioles left Memorial Stadium and moved into Camden Yards, my father bought the seats from the section where he had held season tickets for many years. Those seats are still at my parents’ house.
So I get why some Syracuse fans might have wanted to bring home a piece of the Dome’s bleachers. However, that’s not part of the University’s plan.
When the JMA Wireless Dome’s renovation project began, the plan was that the old aluminum bleachers would be recycled or used as seating at area schools.
And that’s exactly what has happened.
The Dome’s old benches are being used in sports facilities as East Syracuse Minoa High School and SUNY Cortland. Any bleachers that didn’t go to ESM or Cortland were recycled.
...
Keeping Up With The 315 9-4-24 (ESPN; radio; The 315)
Brian Higgins discusses the significance of the upcoming Georgia Tech match-up given that they are ranked, picks a winner for game tickets, and provides an update on basketball recruiting.
London Jemison photographer Jimmy Zanor/Norwich Bulletin / USA TODAY NETWORK
Syracuse Basketball: 4-star big in top 70 and latest rankings for key 4-star targets (itlh; Adler)
Syracuse basketball continues to aggressively pursue various 2025 four-star prospects.
The Orange has at least one verbal pledge to date in the high school senior class, and more commitments could potentially be on the way in the coming months.
Lately, the 'Cuse staff has hosted several 2025 recruits on visits and made the list cuts of a few targets in this cycle.
What's more, on Wednesday, the fall recruiting period began. That means we could see Orange coaches out and about checking in on 2025 recruiting targets, whether during open gyms at their respective high schools or making in-home visits.
The latest national rankings for Syracuse basketball 2025 recruits
.
MADE Hoops, an organization that features numerous top-flight recruiting analysts and scouts, has posted to its Web site a set of national rankings for the top-150 prospects in the 2025 class. Let's have a look at where Syracuse basketball targets reside.
Shon Abaev
Four-star wing/small forward
Calvary Christian Academy in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Abaev, offered by the Orange in late April of this year, took an official visit to the program last weekend.
MADE Hoops 2025 national ranking: No. 21
London Jemison
Four-star wing/small forward
St. Thomas More School in Oakdale, Conn.
Jemison, who has the 'Cuse in his top six, was offered by Syracuse basketball in late September of last year and took an official visit in late December of 2023.
MADE Hoops 2025 national ranking: No. 28
Acaden Lewis
Four-star guard
Sidwell Friends School in Washington, D.C.
Lewis, offered by the Orange in late April of this year, has the team in his top eight and unofficially visited Syracuse basketball on August 1.
MADE Hoops 2025 national ranking: No. 33
Sadiq White Jr.
Five-star forward (per the industry-generated 247Sports Composite)
IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla.
White verbally pledged to the 'Cuse in late May of this year and has unofficially visited Syracuse basketball twice.
MADE Hoops 2025 national ranking: No. 38
Kiyan Anthony
Four-star shooting guard
Long Island Lutheran High School in Brookville, N.Y.
Anthony was offered by the Orange in November of 2022, took an official visit to the Hill last October, and has the 'Cuse in his top six. Per reports, he was scheduled to have an in-home visit with Syracuse basketball on Wednesday.
MADE Hoops 2025 national ranking: No. 57
Derek Dixon
Four-star guard
Gonzaga College High School in Washington, D.C.
Dixon, who has the Orange in his top six and could make his college decision soon, was offered by the 'Cuse last June and took an official visit to Syracuse basketball in late September of 2023.
MADE Hoops 2025 national ranking: No. 62
...
Syracuse Basketball: Top scout heaps praise on 5-star Sadiq White, 4-star London Jemison (itlh; Adler)
A top national scout has dished out some love to a Syracuse basketball verbal commit and a key recruiting target.
In a recent piece, 247Sports director of scouting Adam Finkelstein examined the top 2025 forwards on Nike's EYBL circuit this spring and summer. Two top-flight prospects who he included in his article are five-star Sadiq White Jr., a top-20 national prospect, and four-star London Jemison, a top-40 overall player.
The 6-foot-7 Jemison, a wing/small forward, was offered a scholarship by the Orange staff in late September of last year. He went on an official visit to Syracuse basketball in late December of 2023 and has the 'Cuse in his top six, along with Alabama, Kansas, Louisville, Vanderbilt and Virginia.
The 6-foot-8 White, a power forward, verbally pledged to the Orange in late May of this year over other finalists Alabama, Southern California, Georgetown, LSU, Tennessee and Texas. He has taken two unofficial visits to the Hill thus far.
A top expert hails the AAU performances of two prospects with Syracuse basketball recruiting ties.
This spring and summer in the EYBL league, Jemison was a standout with the 17U team of the Boston-based Expressions Elite. White, meanwhile, starred for the Charlotte, N.C.-based Team United in the same 17U division.
...
UNC considers six options, including two off-campus sites, for Smith Center replacement :: WRALSportsFan.com (wralsportsfan.com; Murphy)
The University of North Carolina is considering at least six options for replacing or renovating the Dean E. Smith Center, the home to the Tar Heels' men's basketball program.
The six options: Bowles Parking Lot, Odum Village, Smith Center Renovation, Smith Center Replacement, Friday Center and Carolina North.
All the plans can fit a 16,000-seat arena, according to the final report issued by the Physical Master Plan Working Group commissioned by Chancellor Lee Roberts in the spring. The group's recommendations were due August 1, but were just made public by the university.
The school hired a Kansas City-based architecture firm for more than $200,000 to produce a site planning study. The firm's findings were due July 31, but have not yet been made public.
There are no cost estimates or project timelines outlined in the report.
All the sites can handle post-game traffic within 60 minutes without new roadways, and parking for the on-campus sites can be handled with existing lots and garages.
Each plan presents challenges, according to the report.
The Bowles Parking Lot site would require a non-traditional training layout, the replacement of 620 parking spaces and work on a 40-foot storm sewer and a campus-wide chilled water line. The Bowles Parking Lot is located next to the Smith Center.
The Odum Village site conflicts with UNC's current Campus Master Plan land use. Odum Village once was the primary graduate student and family housing spot for the university, but it has fallen into disrepair since its closure in 2016.
The renovation plan and the replacement would require the men's basketball team to play off-site during construction and would require the construction of a new natatorium for the Tar Heels' men's and women's swimming teams. The swimming venue is located next to the Smith Center.
The Friday Center and Carolina North are both off-campus locations. Neither are within a safe walking distance from campus. The Friday Center site would need structured parking to accommodate arena and mixed use needs. All existing uses on the site would need to be relocated.
The Carolina North site needs further study of utility infrastructure to get an estimate of costs and schedule. Carolina North is a research and mixed-use academic campus planned for 250 acres two miles north of the main campus, according to the school.
...
Other
The Allyn Family Foundation plans to convert empty office space in the historic Chimes Building, center, in downtown Syracuse into 152 mixed-income apartments. The Salt City Market, right, is a food hall and apartment building the foundation opened in 2021. (Rick Moriarty | rmoriarty@syracuse.com)Rick Moriarty | rmoriarty@syracuse.com
Rents revealed for proposed mixed-income apartments at Syracuse’s historic Chimes Building (PS; $; Moriarty)
The Allyn Family Foundation has released new details on the mixed-income apartments it plans to build in the iconic Chimes Building in downtown Syracuse.
The former office building at 500 S. Salina St. will contain 152 apartments on floors 2 through 12, with a mix of income qualifications.
Here’s what the rents will be:
- Eleven apartments (10% of the units) will be for people receiving Section 8 housing assistance or have incomes that make them eligible for Section 8 vouchers. Their rents will be $925 for one-bedroom units to $1,100 for two-bedroom units.
- Thirty-nine apartments (23%) will be for people with 60% to 80% of the area median income. Their rents will range from $1,000 for one-bedroom units to $1,250 for two-bedroom units.
- Fifty-one units (33%) will be for people with 80% to 100% of the area median income. Their rents will be from $1,250 for one-bedroom units to $1,500 for two-bedroom units.
- Fifty-one units (33%) will be market-rate apartments with no income restrictions. Rents for those apartments will range from $1,500 to $2,000.
Construction of the apartments is expected to be completed in early 2026. People can put their names on a waiting list for the apartments at the project’s website, www.seedsyracuse.org.
Chimes Syracuse LLC, an affiliate of the nonprofit foundation, bought the building for $8.2 million in July 2023, with plans to redevelop the mostly vacant building.
The Allyn Foundation is the same organization that built the Salt City Market, a food hall and apartment building that opened in January 2021. It contains 26 mixed-income apartments, directly across West Onondaga Street from the Chimes Building.
...
More apartments coming to former Syracuse shoe factory. Some must comply with affordable housing rules (PS; $; Moriarty)
The former Nettleton shoe factory is getting more apartments, a move by its owners that will require the building to comply with Syracuse’s new affordable housing requirements.
A. E. Nettleton Co. closed its 5-story factory at 301-319 N. State St. in 1984. New owners converted its top three floors into 42 loft-style apartments featuring tall ceilings and brick walls in the late 1980s, making the building among the first industrial properties in the city to go residential.
Its first two floors were converted into retail and office space. But the weak post-pandemic office market has left its second floor nearly entirely vacant.
So, the building’s current owner, KP 301 Nettelton LLC, a Brooklyn-based real estate investment company, has filed plans with the city to convert the second floor into 22 apartments.
The move will bring Nettleton Commons’ total number of apartments to 64.
“In the current state of office space in the country, this is a better use for the building,” James Knittel, a principal at in-ARCHITECTs speaking for the owners, told the Syracuse Planning Commission on Aug. 19.
The commission voted 4-0 to approve the company’s plans.
The addition of 22 apartments means the building will have to comply with a new zoning ordinance adopted by the city last year. Called Rezone Syracuse, the ordinance requires new or renovated apartment buildings with 20 or more units to make at least 10% of the apartments affordable for people with below-median incomes. (The requirement is 12% for apartment buildings with 75 units.)
That means seven apartments in Nettleton Commons will have to meet the affordability requirement.
Monthly rents at Nettleton Commons range from $1,100 to $1,600.
The owners, who are from Brooklyn and New Jersey, initially submitted their plans in March but put them on hold while they evaluated the impact of the city’s new requirement, Knittel said.
“The owners wanted to take a breath and make sure that they were moving forward the way they wanted to move forward,” he said. “It’s a dollars and cents thing and they had to think about it for a little bit.”
...
Syracuse mushroom foraging: His forest finds feed fine diners across CNY
Zach Papaleoni, New York State-certified wild mushroom forager, goes mushroom hunting in Whiskey Hollow Nature Preserve in Central New York. Video by ...
youtu.be
Syracuse mushroom foraging: His forest finds feed fine diners across CNY (video) (PS; Featherstone)
Zach Papaleoni recently walked through Whisky Hollow Nature Preserve in Van Buren, scanning the forest floor. He bent down and plucked a small, tan-colored mushroom from the ground and twirled it in his fingers, examining the fungus from every angle.
“I don’t know this one,” he said, dropping the mystery mushroom into a canvas satchel. “But we’re going to take him back and we’re going to research. There are so many species out there, I get stumped all the time.””
In his spare time, Papaleoni is an expert mushroom forager certified to sell wild mushrooms in New York State. He founded Spore to Fork Mushrooms two years ago to supply wild and cultivated mushrooms to about a dozen CNY restaurants, including The Krebs, The Century Club, Apizza Regionale, Lemon Grass, Rosalie’s, and Funk ‘n Waffles.
Unfortunately, mid-August isn’t the best time of year to forage mushrooms—spring and fall are ideal—but it had rained heavily a few days earlier and Papaleoni was optimistic something edible might be popping up—or “pinning” to use a foraging term—on the forest floor.
“We may find some chanterelles, or chicken of the woods, or oyster mushrooms,” he said, “and we might find nothing.”
...
Syracuse-based Metro Mattress files for bankruptcy (PS; Tampone)
Metro Mattress, a bedding retailer based in Syracuse, filed on Wednesday for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in federal court.
The company cited expansion into new markets and recent downturns in the industry as the main reasons for the filing, according to Furniture Today, an industry news site.
The company plans to continue operating its stores in New York, but shut down its locations in New England. Most of the chain’s locations are in New York.
“The company has a strong business model in our core New York market and will continue our normal business operations in that market,” CEO Dino Cifelli said in a statement, according to Furniture Today. “We have made the tough decision to exit the New England market. This strategic step allows us, with the support of our vendors and loyal customer base, to pave the way to a robust future.”
The company listed 100 to 200 creditors in its bankruptcy filing and assets of more than $8.88 million. It listed total liabilities of about $23.7 million
Chapter 11 bankruptcy is not a liquidation or an indication that a business is shutting down. It gives companies protection from creditors while they restructure.
Firms that file for Chapter 11 often emerge eventually and continue operating.
Metro Mattress customers in New York should not expect any disruptions in service, Furniture Today said. The company will continue to honor existing warranties and commitments.
Cifelli took over as Metro Mattress CEO in March. He previously held senior leadership roles at Raymour and Flanigan Furniture, Furniture First, Sleepy’s, and Levitz.
In the release announcing his appointment as CEO, the company said it had over 70 stores in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Hampshire and New York.
The company also said it had three warehouse locations and 280 employees.
