Back in the late 1990s, the North Side of Syracuse became overrun with drug addicts and prostitutes. Burglaries and muggings were common there. Shootings and stabbings increased as crack dealers fought turf wars over street corners.
Before long, the blight spread to Eastwood, East Syracuse and Mattydale. How long, Liverpool folks wondered, will it be before it affects us too?
The answer was, oh, about 10 or 15 years.
In 2008 Mark Clark was shot to death at a house he rented on Cleveland Street in the village. His slaying remains unsolved. In 2009 a Clay woman, whose city-bred boyfriend was an admitted heroin addict, was charged with second-degree murder after dumping a newborn daughter into a trash bin outside the Hiddenbrook Terrace Apartments on Pearl Street.
In October 2013 a city man got someone to give him a ride to a home on Second Street where he stabbed to death two young women, who had recently relocated here from Syracuse, and pushed another down the stairs. A couple weeks ago a Syracuse Police Department SWAT team descended on South Roosevelt Avenue, just west of the village, where a city man suspected of a downtown murder had holed up in a house out here. Route 370 was closed to traffic for several hours before the man, who was said to be armed, surrendered peacefully.
And just last week, a Camillus man wanted for domestic abuse crimes was busted here after alert Liverpool Police Officer Sean Pierce spotted him at the Sunoco A-Plus mini-market on Oswego Street. It should have been a routine arrest once Pierce made the ID, but the suspect bolted into the street and was struck by an oncoming truck.
That didn’t stop him. The bruised 22-year-old suspect then tried to steal the truck! Pierce added a few charges including attempted robbery to the guy’s growing list of alleged offenses.
Sunoco A-Plus for sale
Speaking of the Sunoco A-Plus at 500 Oswego St., that prime village property is up for sale.
Local realtor Eddie DeLong is accepting offers for the commercial parcel that sits conveniently on the corner of Oswego and North Cypress streets. DeLong represents an owner who’s also selling a gas station in Westvale, at the corner of Terry Road and West Genesee Street.
For information on these properties and their prices, contact Ed DeLong at Realist Real Estate, 927 Seventh North St.; 451-5419.
Guinness-braised short ribs!
After the kitchen closed at The Retreat on the night before the SU-Duke game, head chef Todd O’Hara made a beeline for the Guinness Stout tap behind the bar where he filled a plastic bucket.
“Hey, Todd, is that for medicinal purposed or for culinary purposes,” I asked.
“I’m making Guinness–braised short ribs,” he informed me.
Next night I ordered the ribs, and they absolutely melted in my mouth. The meat practically fell off the bone, tender and juicy.
As a beverage, stout’s coffee-roasted flavor can be intimidating, but as a recipe ingredient, stout rules! Bravo, Todd…or, as I should say, sláinte!
Slow Supper Sunday
Speaking of slow-cooked meals, the Café at 407 hosts a Slow Supper Sunday at 6 p.m. Feb. 16, to benefit Ophelia’s Place. The four-course meal will feature fresh ingredients including local greens and cheeses complemented by New York State wines and craft brews, and chef Laura Hahn is cooking up a special soup. Tickets cost $75; 451-5855.
Meanwhile, live music continues at Café at 407, at 407 Tulip St. Bluesman Chad Bradshaw performs at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 13, and folksinger Larry Hoyt entertains there at 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 14.
Colleen remembers Pete
Colleen Kattau’s music has been described as “power and beauty steeping in a fine tea.” Liverpool Public Library’s Seventh Annual Folk Music Series continues with Colleen Kattau & Some Guys playing a free concert at 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 16, at Liverpool Public Library, 310 Tulip St.,
A bi-lingual singer/songwriter and fervent anti-war activist, Colleen’s songs deal with immigration issues, militarism and feminism. Her newest CD, “In My Name,” features 11 tracks with titles such as “Peace-Loving Nation,” “Word Bomber” and “Mama Don’t Allow No Hydrofrackin.’”
Colleen will dedicate Sunday’s performance to the late Pete Seeger whose life embodied the spirit of love, justice and the connection between food and music and clean water, earth and air! The theme of this year’s folk series is Protest Songs – Music With Meaning.
