Updated to announce prizes for this summer’s top winners

“When we came from Afghanistan, my wife was pregnant and she was in such a bad situation inside of the airplane,” said Arsalan Sultani, who was evacuated to the United States when Afghanistan fell last August. “I started to make a better life for my family. I want to do everything for them.”  Sultani, 25, served in the Afghan Armed …

How transgender and non-binary teens navigate the difficult terrain of transitioning

Director stresses importance of building relationships, challenges the concept of what it means to ‘be a man’ By April Santana Joe Horan was doing everything right — by society’s standards. He got married. He bought a house. He successfully coached the middle school basketball team. He had it all figured out. But when his relationship with his wife fell apart, …

By Eddie Velazquez New York Civil Liberties Union organizers and State Department of Transportation officials directed a community conversation over the weekend at STEAM at Dr. King Elementary School on the Interstate 81 project that will transform the aging viaduct in the next six years. State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) officials fielded questions April 30 from city residents and local elected …

The PSLA high school senior now sets his sights on 2024 Olympic Games

Exhibit of The Stand’s most popular community event showcases photos of Syracuse over the years 

How Sankofa Reproductive Health and Healing Center serves local mothers By Lizzy Reardon When she was 14 years old, SeQuoia Kemp was diagnosed with ovarian cysts and was told she would undergo surgery that week. She became hyper-aware of her reproductive organs and the constant pain. In preparation for her surgery, she refrained from eating and drinking. The repeated cancellations …

By Darian Stevenson Syracuse Common Council has appropriated up to $257,000 from the American Rescue Plan Act to allow an expansion on mental health providers to co-respond to 911 calls alongside police officers. In a meeting of the Public Safety Committee held April 5, Deputy Mayor Sharon Owens called the appropriated funds “expensive but needed.”  “As a community we’re proving …

Aging nuns move from convent of more than 30 years to give last gift to community By Darian Stevenson Three nuns have given up their living space to allow for renovations on Sarah’s Guest House, a nonprofit on Syracuse’s Southwest Side that serves as a haven for family members accompanying a loved one in need of medical care. Sisters Joan …