Each week, syracuse.com will look back at some of our most important and valuable journalism from the previous week. Here are six stories for the week of Aug. 24, 2025.
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The first days of classes this year across New York will test students’ ability to put away their high-tech habits in exchange for some old-school routines. But how will the state’s new ban on phones, smart watches, ear buds and other Internet-connected devices in schools work in real life? Syracuse.com spoke to two dozen Central New York high school students about how hooked they are to their phones, even while in classrooms.
More than a year after water samples for lead testing were botched, the city of Syracuse has not explained the extent of the error or how it happened. Records syracuse.com obtained via the Freedom of Information Law show that the improper sampling in the first half of 2024 accounted for up to 93% of the tests that exceeded standards. While the city publicly blamed two employees for bad samples, an internal investigation concluded there was a more systemic management problem in the water department.
After 12 years as Syracuse University chancellor, Kent Syverud announced Tuesday that he will exit in June 2026. Syverud, only the 12th chancellor in SU’s 155-year history, will leave the university next year with the number of student applications and overall enrollment at record levels. Syracuse.com spoke with some of his colleagues about his legacy.
Two years into head coach Fran Brown’s time at Syracuse, it’s clear he wants his quarterback to set the tone and maintain high standards for work ethic, accountability, preparation and professionalism. Those are areas where starting quarterback Steve Angeli has long thrived. He began watching game film and taking care of his body in middle school. He showed a willingness to put his team first in high school. He proved he could excel under pressure last year at Notre Dame. Angeli credits his mindset to his parents, who structured their own lives in order to put their three children first.
New York Attorney General Letitia James announced on Monday a settlement of allegations that the owners of Van Duyn Center for Rehabilitation & Nursing pocketed millions in taxpayer funds while leaving residents to suffer and, in some cases, die in unsafe conditions. The settlement requires Van Duyn and its owners, Efraim Steif and Uri Koenig, to pay $2 million to the state’s Medicaid fund and $10 million into a fund to improve care and staffing.
A judge said Wednesday she would approve a plan for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse to exit bankruptcy that sends millions to sex abuse survivors. The decision marks the end of more than five years of legal wrangling that started when the church filed for bankruptcy protections as it faced a growing number of sex abuse lawsuits. The abuse by clergy and others dates back decades.
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