Marshall Street saw several changes this summer, with some favorites leaving for good, others simply relocating a few doors down and new vendors entering the market.

Insomnia Cookies

Insomnia Cookies, formerly housed at 123 Marshall St., relocated to 137 Marshall St., the former home of Pita El Saha, in an effort to find a larger location.

Insomnia Cookies moved because the new location is larger and better able to accommodate crowds, said ReneeSarnecky, marketing manager for Insomnia Cookies.

During the summer, the company operated from a food truck at the corner of Marshall Street and South Crouse Avenue while preparations were made to relocate. Although the food truck was successful, Sarnecky said, it will no longer be used at this location.

The new location will have an updated look but will remain true to Insomnia Cookies, Sarnecky said.

“It is going to look like Insomnia Cookies, but it is going to be a new, more modern appearance with more seating,” she said.

The Syracuse University staple announced it would move and temporarily operate from a food truck on its Facebook page June 1.

Pita El Saha, the former occupant of the store, became available when the owner, Bechara Karam, decided to close the store and retire.

Zonies

Zonies, The Calzone King opened a new store on Marshall Street on Aug. 18 in Insomnia Cookies’ former location.

The company opened a store closer to Syracuse University to better serve its customers in the campus area with faster delivery times, said store owner Jamie West.

The store offers more than 50 types of calzones and also gives its patrons the ability to create their own. West said the store will eventually offer chicken wings, mozzarella sticks, breadsticks and cookies as well.

Zonies is located in what was formerly Insomnia Cookies at 123 Marshall St. Despite the size of the store, West said Zonies will provide seating and offer patrons the ability to eat in the store. He said benches are set up on the side, and there are plans to eventually provide additional seating.

Yogurtland

Frozen yogurt chain Yogurtland will open in late Augustin the former home of Brickstone Eatery at 147 Marshall St.

The store will feature more than 50 flavors of frozen yogurt and 35 toppings. Gluten-free, sugar-free and non-fat yogurts will be available. Additionally, all the flavors meetthe National Yogurt Association’s criteria for “live and active culture frozen yogurt.”

Co-owners Josh Weinstein and Brett Kinsler said in an email that the proximity to Syracuse University was a major draw to the new location, but it was not the only reason.

“The university makes this an ideal location for us, but the city of Syracuse itself was a huge draw,” Weinstein said. “It’s a great community that’s very family-oriented.”

Yogurtland currently operates 190 locations in the United States, Mexico and Guam, but the goal for the company is to expand to 1,000 total stores by the end of 2017, including 88 locations in the New York City area, according to a company fact sheet.

Cafe Kubal

Coffee shop Cafe Kubal will also open in Marshall Square Mall in mid-September.

The store will be housed in the old Follett’s Orange Bookstore, which closed Feb. 24, and will operate in conjunction with a thrift store known as 3fifteen.

3fifteen is affiliated with the Rescue Mission and Students in Free Enterprise, a Syracuse University student organization.

The cafe itself will keep with a vintage theme, as it will be almost entirely built out of refurbished items and materials from the Rescue Mission’s warehouse, said Cafe Kubal owner Matt Godard.

Pan Am Flight 103 bomber dies 

The only person ever convicted in the Pan Am Flight 103 bombing that killed 270 people, including 35 Syracuse University students, died May 20.

Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, a former Libyan intelligence officer, was charged in the Dec. 21, 1988, bombing over Lockerbie, Scotland. The 35 SU students on the flight were returning from study abroad programs in London and Florence, Italy.

Though al-Megrahi was sentenced to life in prison, he was released eight years into his sentence in 2009 after he was diagnosed with terminal prostate cancer. Doctors expected him to live for only three months.

Students killed in the bombing are honored annually with Remembrance Week, which takes place during the fall semester and culminates in a Rose Laying Ceremony. Thirty-five SU seniors are selected as Remembrance Scholars each year.

Laurie Fine files libel lawsuit

Laurie Fine, wife of former associate men’s basketball coach Bernie Fine, filed a libel lawsuit regarding ESPN’s reporting of sexual abuse allegations against her husband.

The lawsuit accused ESPN reporter Mark Schwarz and producer Arthur Berko of ruining Fine’s reputation by “maliciously publishing false and defamatory factual accusations,” according to the 44-page lawsuit. The lawsuit addressed broadcasts and written stories regarding a secretly taped phone conversation between Laurie Fine and accuser Bobby Davis.

ESPN stated that it stood by its reporting and filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit July 27. The motion is scheduled to be heard by Senior Judge Lawrence Kahn in Albany on Sept. 7.

University Avenue reconstructed

After several months of construction as part of the first phase of the Connective Corridor project, University Avenue became a two-way street July 2.

Previously, only southbound traffic was permitted on University Avenue between Erie Boulevard East and Waverly Avenue, but the street will now permit northbound travel as well.

A bike lane was also built into University Avenue. Pink bus stop benches were installed and a new parking lot was opened.

The conversion was originally planned to be completed in mid-November of 2011.

Destiny USA project cut short

Syracuse Mayor Stephanie Miner announced June 6 that the first phase of Destiny USA, the ongoing expansion project to the Carousel Center, would be the project’s last.

Pyramid Cos., the developer of the project, announced that it would not build the additional shops and luxury resort that were originally planned for the second phase of the project.

Under the developer’s agreement with the Syracuse Industrial Development Agency, Pyramid Cos. does not have to complete the final phase of the project. As a result, SIDA will not provide future funding.

This is not the first time development on Destiny USA has been delayed or canceled. Pyramid Cos. has paid a total of $2.5 million to the city of Syracuse in exchange for extensions on tax exemptions granted to Destiny USA.

SU officially moves to ACC

Syracuse University reached an agreement with the Big East conference to exit early and join the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2013 on July 16.

Because of the agreement, SU will leave the Big East conference a full year earlier. Originally, SU was not able to move to the ACC until 2014 due to a 27-month notice required to leave the Big East. SU will pay the Big East $7.5 million as an early exit fee. SU’s membership in the Big East will officially end July 1, 2013.

The University of Pittsburgh will also leave the Big East for the ACC. West Virginia University and Texas Christian University will left the Big East conference for the Big 12.

SU announced it would leave the Big East for the ACC in September.

Place of Remembrance, College Place renovated

During the summer, Syracuse University rebuilt and refurbished the College Place bus stop and the Place of Remembrance.

Heavy use and Syracuse’s cold weather caused the road in front of the College Place bus stop to deteriorate. As a result, the road was rebuilt and the old pavement and brick crosswalks were replaced.

The Place of Remembrance, a memorial dedicated to the victims who lost their lives in the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103, was also refurbished during the summer. The Place of Remembrance contains the Remembrance Wall, a limestone and granite wall that lists the names of the 35 victims.

The new wall will be made of limestone, which can better withstand outdoor elements and should be finished by the end of October, in time for the university’s annual Remembrance Week.

Board of Trustees reviews 2005 investigation of Fine allegations

In July, a special committee of Syracuse University’s Board of Trustees released a report evaluating SU’s response to child molestation allegations made against former associate men’s basketball coach Bernie Fine in 2005. The report concluded SU should have directly contacted law enforcement agencies upon receiving the complaint, but the university acted in good faith and did not attempt to conceal anything.

Last November, Bobby Davis and Mike Lang alleged Fine had molested them while they were ball boys at SU. Fine, who was fired by the university Nov. 27, has denied all wrongdoing and has not been charged.

Davis and Lang’s attorney, Gloria Allred, criticized the report, saying it’s not completely transparent and does not contain critical analysis.

— Compiled by The Daily Orange News staff 

Published on August 21, 2012 at 9:08 pm

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