Senator Chuck Schumer in Syracuse

New York Senator Chuck Schumer was in Syracuse today. Schumer is introducing new federal legislation that is promising millions of dollars to rejuvenate the West Side, also known as The Salt District.

People living on the West Side have been trying to make changes to the neighborhood for years.

“Everybody’s doing something,” says June Wright who has lived in this area since she was thirteen. “With a little bit of funding that they are saying we are going to get, it will help it all. Like the housing and people getting jobs. It will help with all the crime.”

The projects main goal is to decrease the number of abandoned homes in the area which can be an eyesore in the neighborhood, deterring buyers from moving in to vacant homes.

Wright’s son, Mark Wright Sr., hopes that the increase in funding will do more than fix the abandoned buildings.

“I hope it brings more people here. We need more life residents,” says Wright Sr.

Cuse Car

Today the Syracuse Common Council voted to make more homes for the CuseCar of Syracuse. The CuseCar also works with the Universal Brownfield Revitalization Corporation.

The vote was passed to designate one parking space for the hybrid car in the garage at Syracuse Hancock International Airport for a span of 3 years. Starting on April 13, 2009 until April 12, 2012, a CuseCar will be available for use. The council also passed two 1-year renewal options for the airport.

CuseCar is a community car-sharing program that provides its members access to alternative fuel vehicles sparing people the worry and expense of owning a car.

NCC News Reporter Nergish Sunavala found that peoples lack of interest in public transportation drives the need for the convenience of the CuseCar at the airport.

The CuseCar also has requests for locations from the Oncenter Complex and the Syracuse Chamber of Commerce.

The Return of A-Rod

Alex Rodriguez will report Monday to the New York Yankees' spring training complex in Tampa, Florida from surgery. A-Rod will continue his rehab from right hip surgery.

Yankees manager Joe Girardi said A-Rod's workout will include stretching, agility work, light jogging, fielding some grounders, hit off a tee and take soft toss swings.

The Yankees will open a series at Tampa Bay starting tonight, and Girardi says he expects Rodriguez to be at the game. The three-time MVP is expected to return to the lineup in May.

Buffalo Bills Defensive Back Going To Court

Buffalo Bills defensive back Donte Whitner has been formally charged with aggravated disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. These charges come after he was in an altercation outside of a Cleveland nightclub Saturday.

The 23 year old Bills player was handcuffed by police who also had to use a stun gun on Whitner outside the House of Blues. He forced his way past police and broke free from officers. Whitner was released until formal charges could be brought.

No court date has been set, but Cleveland police spokesman Thomas Stacho says and initial appearance should be made in the next two weeks.

Anti-Government Protests in Thailand

Two people are dead and 133 people have been injured in anti-government protests in Thailand. Thousands of troops fired warning shots and tear gas to turn the protesters back. Demonstrators were forced into neighborhoods where neighbors angry with the disruption fought against them.

The protestors are pressing Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to resign, and are largely supporters of ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. The more than 12 hours of street battles are just another aspect of the country’s ongoing political turmoil.

Some of the 6,000 troops that are deployed in Bangkok began moving toward the Government House where an estimated 5,000 demonstrators have been since March 26th.

Official celebrations for the Thai New Year were canceled and more than a dozen countries including the United States have issued travel warnings. These warnings urge citizens to avoid trips to Thailand and for those who are already in Bangkok, to stay in their hotels away from the protests.

Kongkrit Hiranyakit, chair of Thailand’s Tourism Council, says the violence threatens to slash the country’s tourism revenue. This could lead to the loss of 200,000 jobs in the tourism industry. The political turmoil could also lead foreign businesses once considering building factories or making other investments from doing so.

The recent demonstrations come just months after a group of rival protesters occupied Bangkok’s airports for a week. Political tensions have diminished since Thaksin was removed from office by a military coup in 2006 amid accusations of corruption and abuse of power.

When (Cute) Animals Attack

Zoo workers at Zoo Berlin say their polar bear enclosure is "already safe" and they're planning no more security measures despite a visitor's trespassing into the moat surrounding it.

A woman at the zoo hopped over a fence, through a hedge of thorns and scaled a concrete wall before jumping into a murky moat to swim with the polar bears on Friday.

One of the bears bit the woman's arms, legs and back before zookeepers rescued the woman with a life preserver. Bild, a German newspaper, reports that the woman is recovering in the hospital.

A similar incident happened last year when a man hurdled the moat at the same zoo. He wanted to get closer to the celebrity polar bear Knut, later explaining that Knut had
looked "lonely." He escaped unharmed when keepers lured Knut away with food.

The zoo says it will continue to rely on the common sense of visitors to ensure safety.

North Dakota Levee

A large part of Horace, North Dakota evacuated this morning. The town of 6,875 people was told by Mayor Mary Lee Nielson not to return because crews are still working.

Crews scrambling to fix a levee breach in North Dakota along the rising Sheyenne River say it appears to be under control.

National Guard helicopters dropped 1,000-pound sandbags into the breach and crew has been working to fix the gap in the levee in Valley City.

The National Weather Service said the Sheyenne is expected to crest Tuesday in Valley City about two feet higher than the record set in 1882. The Sheyenne River empties into the Red River.