Today, Eagle Newspapers launched our redesigned cnylink.com. If you're reading this, you've probably already noticed that our website looks different and includes many new features.

You can now subscribe to any of our publications online, and I've taken to writing these short messages to keep in touch with readers. We've also added feedback forms that allow readers to register their complaints or kudos.

As always, our classified advertising and CNY Employment Guide - two of the most popular sections of our site -- are still available.

We hope you like what you see so far. Please drop me a line to let me know...

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With a new loan to finance the expansion of Carousel Center, the Pyramid Cos. is finally somewhere near the beginning of the first phase of building Destiny USA. The initial work will be done at Carousel, adding 800,000 square feet of retail to the existing mall, plus an open 350-foot canal.

This is very good news for Central New York. Even when it appears the Destiny project has stalled for good, a few well-placed dollars come in and keep the dream alive. That loan is one heck of a Christmas present for Central New York.

And Destiny, dream though it still is, will be the biggest and best gift we'll ever receive. As long as we don't find a way to screw it up first...

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Take just a moment to think.
What good would the community get from a new hotel in downtown Syracuse, even if it is built right next to the Oncenter? Fact is, there's plenty of hotel space in Syracuse, and many of the more posh places are showing low occupancy rates.
Yes, the Oncenter was an investment that we must capitalize on, but does that mean an expenditure of tens of millions of taxpayer dollars? The county legislature was correct to put off a vote on the plan to build this $60 million hotel. But chances are it will pass by the end of the year.
My prediction: Five years from now, the convention center hotel will be a financial shambles. It will be our proof that there's not as much money in the convention business as we might have thought...

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Prosecutors Tuesday used a videotape of Dr. Rafil Dhafir at his trial. On the tape, the good doctor is shown talking with two trustees of his Help the Needy charity, telling them that they should keep everyone -- including folks raising money -- from knowing exactly how Help the Needy spent donations.

I don't know where Dr. Dhafir spent the money Help the Needy collected. But as one of the first journalists to report on his arrest, I can tell you a few things about him:

1). He traveled extensively, speaking about Islam and later passing a hat for donations. An Islamic newspaper out of Australia recounts a speaking engagement there, and tells that people were donating their jewelry and other valuables after his speech. Some gave cash...

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Just before the November election that ended her career as a state senator, Nancy Larraine Hoffmann was here in our offices, talking about all of her accomplishments through two decades in Albany, and how we could be sure she was ready to put the brakes on unfunded state mandates if we gave her another shot.

One of the things she mentioned was how she was firmly against a recently passed law that required background checks for school bus aides. She then admitted that she supported and voted for the laws that required background checks for teachers, bus drivers, school aides and just about everyone else who works with children.

Of course, that got me thinking...

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What a year.
Perhaps 2004 won’t be recorded as a historic year when the books are written, but it was notable in our minds. It was a year in which we collectively woke to the dysfunction in Albany. We acknowledged that the state aid formula does, in fact, short-change some schools. We stopped ignoring the budget process that regularly shifts the burden of funding state programs on municipalities and, in turn, local property taxpayers. We realized that some of our representatives were more interested in their own careers than in protecting and fighting for our interests in the state capital...

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When I got to work this morning, I was met with guerilla positivism. The front door to our offices on Firestone Drive was covered with posters that pointed out some of the positive things about Syracuse.

Of course, the posters came down, but the message was pretty good, and I'm happy to see there are some folks proud enough to brag about Syracuse. The posters say things like: "A city surrounded by parks. Not the other way around." and "Irish bars o'plenty."

The unfortunate part about this whole thing is that there's no way of telling who is responsible. There's a website, www.syracuseprops.com, that gives no names or phone numbers...

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