Following a long weekend out of town, your editor has returned to CNYRadio.com HQ.  As has been the case after some previous trips away, we're back with a quick recap of some items missed during the time off.

SYRACUSE -- Out of the dozens of ESPN Radio affiliates nationwide, only 16 were invited to the network's Connecticut headquarters for its second annual "Audio Avenue" event on Wednesday.  Among those 16: Syracuse's ESPN Radio CNY 97.1 and 100.1 (WSGO/WTLA/W247BC/W259AX).  The locally-produced Upon Further Review broadcast live from the event that afternoon.

SYRACUSE -- The Mars Hill Radio Network, headquartered at WMHR in Syracuse, is bringing renowned teaching minister Alistair Begg to Central New York next week to meet with fans of the religious radio network. Begg's syndicated "Truth for Life" show airs weekdays and Saturdays on the extensive Mars Hill Network.

SYRACUSE -- This spring marks 65 years of broadcasting for Syracuse University's WAER 88.3FM.  To mark the milestone, the NPR affiliate officially announced the opening of the "WAER Hall of Fame."  At a ceremony last week in Washington, DC, legendary newsman Ted Koppel was honored as the Hall of Fame's very first inductee.

SYRACUSE -- National Public Radio "Political Junkie" Ken Rudin is heard on radios nationwide every Wednesday during Talk of the Nation, and next week, local fans will have the chance to see and hear Rudin speaking in person. WRVO Public Media is selling tickets for Rudin's appearance in Syracuse next Thursday, May 31.

UTICA-ROME -- Country music star Josh Thompson will know Central New York fairly well by mid-June: a week before he's scheduled to appear at the State Fairgrounds in Syracuse, he'll be performing at Frogfest for Utica-Rome country station Big Frog 104 (WFRG).  Out of 24 years of Frogfests, this will be the second-ever to charge admission, a change which started last year, as the station added a rodeo to the concert.

SYRACUSE -- After more than a dozen years at NewsChannel 9 (WSYR-TV), Roger Mirabito is moving onto a new job in the public relations field. And producer Kristy Smorol at CNY Central (WSTM/WTVH/WSTQ-LP) is making a similar move after seven years with the station, according to the Syracuse Press Club.

SYRACUSE -- We first told you last week of Utica Observer-Dispatch blogger Don Laible's series of "where are they now" type interviews with sports broadcasters who got their start in Utica. Little did we know then, that the series wasn't over: Liable started off this week with a two-part series about The Score 1260 (WSKO) afternoon host Brent Axe.

SYRACUSE -- When longtime "60 Minutes" correspondent Mike Wallace passed away last month, he was remembered for his reputation as a "bulldog" in journalism, grilling newsmakers with tough questions. What many Central New Yorkers may not realize, is that the original notes from Wallace's earliest interviews are on file right here in town.

SYRACUSE -- If you're familiar with HTML, Photoshop, web design and video editing, there could be a job for you at Clear Channel's Syracuse cluster. They're advertising an opening for a Digital Content Director to oversee the cluster's station websites.