HIT: Thursday's Juneteenth Celebration at the Booker T. Washington Center in Auburn was as educational as it was inspirational.

Juneteenth has its origins in a a June 19, 1865 observance in Galvaston, Texas, of African American Emancipation Day.

Today, the celebration takes many forms and is recognized on different days, but continues to recognize the roots of black freedom in the United States while emphasizing achievement and education.

As part of the local celebration, a storyteller visited Auburn with tales of slavery, the abolition movement and the value all Americans have within their communities.

HIT: The Auburn Enlarged City School District Board of Education is continuing to work to solve the district's high drop-out rate.

Eighty students entering ninth grade this fall will be closely monitored and provided with additional support as help becomes needed.

The larger plan involves identifying those students at risk of failing earlier - at the middle school level - and seeking out the support of parents to reinforce services available at school. In addition to helping struggling students learn to read and write, the school hopes to identify ways to strengthen the bond between students and the school community as a whole.

MISS: While it's still not a good idea, it will soon be a bit safer to leave your car unlocked as two car thieves head off to state prison.

In an inexplicable 10-day crime spree earlier this year, two young men stole small cars, big cars, pickup trucks and SUVs in Cayuga and Cortland counties.

They were caught only after speeding away from police in separate stolen vehicles - both of which ended up crashing. This pair not only stole and damaged other peoples' property, they put the safety of others at risk when they chose to flee from police.