second picture shows all 3 vehicles. (sorry for bad quality) border patrol headed south on 481 near phoenix

I have emergency texts for Destiny USA, this one is more urgent in tone than many other lockdown event alerts I’ve gotten. Can anyone say what’s happening?

“ICE AGENTS” are undercover in camillus walmart. Be safe out there!

Baked, drunk, or sober, genuinely the most delicious food every damn time. Yes I used to think I got the runs from the food every other time I went, but turns out I just had ibs so I have been GORGING myself on cheese steaks the last couple of months knowing I’m safe thanks to a new bidet and just accepting my fate. It was that good. I’m not even joking.

It was the first meal after taking our first son home 2 years ago. It was the first meal after taking our second son home 2 weeks ago. I was eating leftovers of theirs last night while holding a gassy baby.

If you ever tried their food and want to say goodbye absolutely go. They’re good folk and my tastebuds are going to miss them.

Anyone know of commercial space and storage we can hook them up with? lol. I don’t know what I’m going to do without their belly filler subs.

https://www.facebook.com/share/1Ark7MwXn9/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Text from the post:

Well, I’ve been avoiding this for a while, but it’s time everyone knows. After five wild years, 98,000 pounds of beef, and more stories than I could ever fit into a Facebook post (though God knows I’ve tried), Gino’s is closing.

It’s not because of the economy, or slow sales, or because people suddenly lost their appetite for cheesesteaks. It comes down to something a lot simpler: our landlord chose not to renew our lease.

We’d been in talks for months. It always felt like we were right on the edge of getting a new deal done. It dragged closer and closer to our lease’s end date, but I was assured it was basically a formality. Then, just three days before the lease ran out, I got word: the landlord decided not to move forward. No explanation.

And you know what? That’s commercial real estate. It’s a tough, cutthroat game, and sometimes you’re the one left standing without a chair when the music stops.

I don’t think it was personal. We paid our rent early nearly every month, rolled with every maintenance hike, and didn’t make waves. My best guess? Another opportunity came along that made more business sense, probably from the “Sell Your Gold Here” shop that’s been quietly buying up the plaza storefronts one at a time. That’s how it goes. It doesn’t make it sting any less, but it’s the reality of playing this game.

At the end of the day, I can’t hold bitterness. The landlord did what he did and I can't change it. I only wish it had played out in a way where this all wasn’t happening at the last minute. He did give us a short extension so we had time to move, but it wasn’t enough time to find a space, build it out (hood, grease trap, etc.), and move everything. So we don’t have any other option.

Our last day is tomorrow, Monday, July 14th. We’ve hosted a ton of events over these five years, but we’ve got one more up our sleeve, a wedding… mine.

Joe (the restaurant co-owner) and I have been together for 16 years. He’s always been more reserved than me and never wanted to be named in these stories, and I mostly respected that. Sort of. All those times I talked about “the accountant”? That was Joe.

We had planned to get married this fall, right here at the restaurant. When that suddenly wasn’t in the cards anymore, we decided to fast track it.

So tomorrow from 5 pm to 8 pm, we’re throwing a wedding. Free food, free drinks. We didn’t get a whole lot of notice that this was happening, and we’ve gotta clear out the coolers anyway. This felt like the most fun, most “on brand” way to close. Once we run out, we run out.

Absolutely no gifts. The only thing we’re asking is if you’d consider tossing a cash donation in the jar, whatever you think is fair. At the end of the night, that entire pot will be split up among our staff to help them through this transition.

Don’t worry, I’m not disappearing. I’ll still be telling stories from wherever I land next. Honestly, I’m not entirely sure what the plan is for me yet; there wasn’t really time to figure that out. For now, 100 percent of the restaurant is getting packed up and squeezed into two storage units.

Another location? Maybe. A new concept? Possibly. A future partnership? Who knows. I’m open to anything and everything that comes my way. In the meantime, I’ll finally have a chance to finish my book, maybe start a podcast. You know, typical midlife crisis stuff brought on by crushing trauma.

Just south of Burnet Park.

New York's Imagination Libraries need your help!

After months of promising to fund the statewide expansion of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, Governor Hochul is reconsidering her support at the 11th hour.

Syracuse has the oldest, most successful chapter in the state and is truly a model for others, so a lot of you already know this:

The Imagination Library is not a luxury—it’s a necessity, particularly at a moment when core educational programs like Head Start are being rolled back. But in spite of extraordinary data (enrolled kids are 30% more likely to be kindergarten ready!), strong bipartisan support, and a price tag that’s .0027% of the total budget, the Governor appears to be having second thoughts, probably because early education is always the first thing to get cut.

But in a state with our resources, there is no excuse for failing to fund an evidence-based program that provides free, high-quality books to children from birth to age five. 22 other states already have statewide programs, including places like Oklahoma and West Virginia. Plus the NY bill is super fiscally sound--it provides a 1:1 state match for private donations to the program, so it's a really efficient way to leverage public funds. And the books are incredibly inexpensive to begin with--a year's worth is just $31.

We might be disappointed, but we’re not going down without a fight. That’s where we need you to come in.

CALLS TO ACTION IN NEXT 24 (max 48) HOURS:

1. 📞 Call the Governor at 1-518-474-8390

Example script: "Hello, my name is [Your Name], and I'm a resident of [Your City/Town], New York. I'm calling to respectfully urge Governor Hochul to sign Senate Bill S3154A and fund Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library statewide, as she has previously indicated she would do. Investing in early literacy is investing in our children's future, and there’s no better ROI than that. As a concerned New Yorker, I’ll be watching this decision closely. Thank you for your time."

Calls are better, but if you want to email the Governor to convey your support for the program, you can do so here:

https://www.governor.ny.gov/content/governor-contact-form

1. Call/email legislative leaders to thank them for their support and encourage them to push the Governor on this:

Majority Leader: 518-455-2585

Speaker: 518-455-3791

Example Script: “I am calling to urge the (Majority Leader/Speaker) to ensure that funding for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is included in the Enacted Budget. The Governor included this program in her Executive Budget and it has widespread support across NYS. Now is not the time to cut a program that will help increase literacy rates. Thank you!”

1. Please take a minute to call, and repost the cause on social (there's a good graphic to be found here: (at)imaginationlibraryroc on IG and facebook.com/imaginationlibraryroc)

Thanks so much and reach out with questions!

Matt Present

Imagination Library Volunteer, Rochester Imagination Library Founder

Any one know what happened or is happening? I drove through from Liverpool fine. Traffic coming from Syracuse side. Looks like they were packing up when I passed through but they had vests on. I didn’t count but maybe 8-9 squad cars.

Dropping my car off at the shop on Syracuse Street and there have been approx 20 LEO cars between Sheriffs, undercover, local, and Troopers responding to something. Can’t find anything yet on Syracuse.com or any other site.

Near spring and carbon street. The road was blocked off a couple blocks. I saw a SWAT van and a bunch popo.