10 stories that made a difference: Journalism brings hope, changes
The Mohawk Valley region – specifically Oneida and Herkimer Counties – has seen many highs and lows this past year.
Reporters at the Utica Observer-Dispatch and Herkimer Times Telegram, as well as our USA TODAY Network New York colleagues, have highlighted high school football runs, dove through records to publish investigative reports, and told firsthand stories about topics that matter most in the community.
A new hospital opened in downtown Utica while reporters in Herkimer looked at police disciplinary records. The Whitesboro High School football team battled its way to the state championship game, scoring the appreciation of the region.
A horrific incident marred a Proctor High School football game, where a heroic security guard was shot in the head attempting to break up a fight outside the stadium. Staying in Utica, a former school superintendent and a school board member – a former Utica mayor – were indicted on charges as 2023 came to a close.
Here are some of the works that made a difference in 2023, told by Mohawk Valley journalists and our New York State Team.
Wynn Hospital opens in downtown Utica
The Wynn Hospital in downtown Utica officially opened at 6 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 29, with its first patient arriving in the emergency department at 6:30 a.m., while the pitch blackness of the night still hovered over the city. The 106-year-old former St. Elizabeth Medical Center in Utica and the 66-year-old Faxton St. Luke’s Healthcare hospital in New Hartford slowly shut down over the course of the day.
Our reporters have followed the Wynn Hospital over the years, since it was perceived to opening day. They continue to follow the goings-on at Wynn, along with the discussion on how best to utilize the two former hospitals.
Read more about the opening of Wynn Hospital here.
Looking at police disciplinary reports
A Herkimer police officer shot his gun inside the police station, once caused a car crash and was consistently late for his shift. Another village officer used a Taser on a pregnant woman during a shoplifting response and on another occasion left his loaded gun unattended.
These concerning incidents are detailed in police disciplinary records obtained by the Herkimer Times Telegram roughly three years after we requested them.
In June 2020, the state legislature repealed Section 50-a of the state's Civil Rights Law, which had long been used repeatedly and extensively to keep New York police disciplinary records from being released.
The USA TODAY Network and partners, including MuckRock, filed requests with every police agency in the state.
The Times Telegram initially filed a Freedom of Information law request for Herkimer's police disciplinary records on June 17, 2020. The records were eventually released in early 2023, after a court battle.
Our reporters dug through the records, reached out to the department for comment and talked to outside parties about the various records unearthed.
Read more about the Herkimer Police Department disciplinary reports here.
Whitesboro football plays in state final
The Whitesboro football team may have lost its final game of the year – falling to defending champion Somers in the New York State Public High School Athletic Association's Class A football championship game in early December – but the players should keep their heads held high.
The team galvanized not only the village, but also the county and region.
Take a look at photos from the championship game here and read the story here.
Heroic security guard shot in head
Security officer Jeff Lynch was shot in the head while trying to break up a fight outside a Proctor High School football game in September. Lynch was treated and released from the hospital and has started his journey to recovery.
The 16-year-old accused of shooting Lynch will be tried as an adult. The case has already started to make its way through the legal system.
Our reporters have kept readers abreast of the shooting and its aftermath, including accolades Lynch has received.
Read more about the incident here.
Former school superintendent, mayor indicted
Utica schools Superintendent Bruce Karam was officially fired in late November, a little over a year after being placed on paid administrative leave. Karam faces charges of grand larceny and public corruption.
Earlier in November, Karam and former school board president and former Utica mayor Louis LaPolla were indicted by a grand jury on charges related to Karam’s alleged use of nearly $15,000 worth of school district resources, including staff time, to send out political mailings and invitations to a fundraiser being held by LaPolla.
LaPolla is accused of knowing about Karam’s behavior. He was also arrested in September after a federal indictment on six counts of mail fraud related to his fundraising for a scholarship fund in his wife’s memory.
This is an ongoing story, and one Observer-Dispatch reporters will continue to follow.
Read more about the indictments here.
Honoring Stone Mercurio
Friends and family of 18-year-old Stone Mercurio are working to create a skatepark in his memory at the former Rod Mill site in Rome. Mercurio, a Clarkson University student, died April 18. He was an avid skateboarder and felt Rome was lacking a real skatepark, according to documentation about the skatepark.
The skatepark – dubbed the SFM Skatepark – is planned to be built at Bellamy Harbor Park, in close proximity to the Navigation Center. Numerous fundraisers have been and will be held in support of the project. State and local money also has been contributed.
The Observer-Dispatch will continue to follow this story – a story of how a community is rallying behind the memory of a late youth – through to its completion, which hopefully will include the building of the skatepark.
Read more about the proposed skatepark here.
Food insecurities
According to the Food Bank of Central New York, this past October, 2.1 million pounds of food were distributed – a 27% increase in comparison to last year. As a result of inflation, food insecurity rose significantly in 2023. To add to the fiasco, food pantries, fresh distribution sites, and soup kitchens find themselves scraping to find volunteers to lend a hand.
This story helped shine a light on a “hidden crisis” to leverage the holiday spirit and help gain local support. Several food assistance programs are running out of food and the ALICE class − asset limited, income challenged, employed – is left in the crossfire.
Read more about food insecurity here.
Esports arena
Herkimer College unveiled a state-of-the-art Esports Center in November, ushering in a new era for the program. The sport has grown rapidly over the last decade, with esports even being brought up as a potential Olympic sport.
Esports, involving professional or semi-professional competitive gaming, is a billion-dollar industry and has seen tremendous growth in recent years, both in terms of viewership and revenue.
Herkimer College is just one of the handful of area colleges that have started esports programs in the region.
For more on the Herkimer College Esports Center, click here.
Immigration issues
Oneida County and greater Mohawk Valley representatives vehemently opposed New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s proposal of possibly sending asylum seekers to state-owned and operated areas, including colleges this past spring.
Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente Jr. issued emergency orders against migrants and the homeless (thought to be a way around sending migrants around the state) this past spring.
The county has renewed the two emergency orders every few weeks, though the state has not publicly stated it will send anyone to the Mohawk Valley.
Read some more on the emergency orders here.
Sauquoit Creek flood buyout program changed
Whitesboro will have more control and flexibility over the federal Sauquoit Creek home buyout program, officials announced in a letter in late April. The April 20 letter sent to residents involved in the buyout said officials had started looking into ways to expedite the program prior to more flooding in the area in early April, though the new flooding pushed the process forward.
Over 130 property owners in Whitesboro and Whitestown submitted applications for the $20 million federal property buyout program announced in late 2020 for residents living in flood-prone areas along the Sauquoit Creek.
The process is slow and arguably tedious, but our reporters will continue to follow it as it unfolds, and homeowners are helped.
Read more about the process here.
This article originally appeared on Observer-Dispatch: Highlighting the 2023 stories that made an impact in Utica, Herkimer
