Archive: Around Town

Consumers concerned by media reports of projected higher prices and reduced choices for supermarket meats can visit Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County online for ways to “find your farmer” and “fill your freezer” with high quality, locally produced meat. The website includes terms and definitions consumers should know when buying local meats in bulk; information on using the online MeatSuite directory of livestock farmers who sell directly to consumers; and details on how to rent freezer space in the Ithaca Meat Locker to store local meat purchases.

The MeatSuite is a free online tool created in 2013 by Cornell Ag Educators in the South Central NY region to help local livestock farmers increase their “freezer trade” (the sale of whole, halves, quarters of animals and bulk bundles of meat). Consumers can visit and enter their zip code to search for livestock farms and specific products located in their area. The site currently includes more than 200 listings of farms in many counties throughout NY State.

Engaged learning and outreach in Ithaca and central New York will be the focus of the ILR School's Ithaca Co-Lab, announced April 17 by Alexander Colvin, the Kenneth F. Kahn '69 Dean. Ian Greer, senior research associate in ILR, will serve as director.

The new program, modeled after the school's Buffalo Co-Lab, will provide students with opportunities to engage with and work alongside local community organizations. Greer said he will formalize plans for the co-lab this summer, and expects the program to begin late this year.

Have you ever seen a detective show where the police find an empty home, but the food on the table is still hot and a cup of coffee is steaming? That is what the Lansing school buildings are like right now. Getting personal items back to students and school property back to the schools is one of the logistical problems district officials are working on solving.

"Sometimes you walk around the school and it literally looks like people just left one day and didn't come back. There are lockers filled with things and there are a lot of things in the lost and found," Lansing School Superintendent Chris Pettograsso told the Board of Education Monday evening.

Senator Pam Helming recently announced Major Robert Squires of Webster as the 2020 New York State Senate Veterans' Hall of Fame inductee from the 54th Senate District.

Major Robert Squires served in the United States Marine Corps Infantry for more than 20 years. His service to our nation included two tours in Vietnam. For his brave and courageous service, Major Squire was awarded a Bronze Star, a Silver Star, a Gold star, three Navy Commendation Medals, three Presidential Citations, a Combat Action Ribbon, and the Purple Heart.

Salt Point Brewing Company is only two years old, yet it has managed to become a popular Lansing hot spot.  Almost immediately the brewery out-grew its location next door to the Rogue's Harbor Inn, and is in the process of building a new brewery/restaurant across the street from the town ball fields.  This Wednesday (May 20th) owners Chris and Sarah Hesse and Camilo Bohorquez will be hosting what they hope will be their first Community Meals Initiative event.  Sarah Hesse says the brewery will be distributing 300 free meals to people in need at the Barbecue Pavilion in front of the Lansing Town Hall.

"It could be anyone that doesn't have a takeout meal in their budget," she says. "We serve an incredible community here and we've been just completely overwhelmed by the love and support from our customers. I've just been really inspired by the outpouring of support that our customers are providing for us. They are literally keeping our lights on at this point.  As we're serving these meals and having these huge food events, we're thinking about the people in our community who don't have the extra room in their budget to be able to get take out. We want to be able to share our appreciation of the community with them as well."

Ithaca City School District (ICSD) Superintendent Luvelle Brown is pleased to announce that two district administrators will transition into new roles for the 2020-2021 school year.

Carlan Gray, who currently serves as an associate principal at Ithaca High School, will transition to the role of principal of DeWitt Middle School on July 1, 2020. Gray first joined the ICSD in 2005. Prior to her appointment as associate principal in 2018, she served as a high school biology teacher, science department chair, and master educator for science, math, engineering and technology (STEM). In addition to several district-wide professional development projects, Gray has also supported the ICSD by serving as a coach for the cross-country team.

A Cornell University administrator is leading a statewide effort to protect one of the most vulnerable populations from COVID-19. Rob Scott, director of Cornell Prison Education Program, has organized 14 New York colleges and universities to provide masks for every person incarcerated in the state – nearly 43,000 people – through the New York Consortium for Higher Education in Prison (NY-CHEP).

As Cornell classes moved online in early April, Scott and his colleagues at CPEP began to think about how to continue their work. Virtual instruction in prison is not an option; classes are taught in person, and incarcerated students do not have access to the internet.

Healthy Food for All, a non-profit program of Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County in partnership with local farms, will provide over 600 boxes of fresh locally grown produce throughout Tompkins County during the month of May to people in need. Approximately a third of the boxes will also contain locally produced eggs, beans, grains and nuts for homebound, high-risk and food-insecure elders, individuals, and families to provide essential micro and macro nutrients required for a healthy diet.

The funds needed to deliver 605 boxes throughout the month of May were made possible by a recent $12,057 grant from Community Foundation of Tompkins County and United Way of Tompkins County. This grant represents the fourth time that United Way and Community Foundation have recently come together to jointly fund a needed community project. Both grants were made possible thanks to donors to each organization's COVID-19 funds.

School via Internet has been a big adjustment for teachers, school staff, and especially for students.  Last Friday Governor Cuomo announced that schools across the state would remain closed for the rest of the school year.  But an Internet connection isn't the same as being in the classroom with a real teacher.  Lansing Middle School Dean of Students Stacie Kropp saw TV reports that some schools were holding parades to make as close to an in-person connection as possible under coronavirus restrictions.  She decided that Lansing should try it as well, and Last Friday nine buses led parades of teachers, staff, and school administrators all over Lansing.

"I saw a large disconnect starting to occur with the students," Kropp says. "We all were ripped from our routines and have had to build this plane as we flew it.  So much of teaching are the face-to-face relationships we make with kids and the connections we forge.  Teaching remotely just doesn't afford the same level of connection as a classroom.  We are doing the best we can and the kids are doing the best they can under some very stressful circumstances.  I felt if we had some sort of visible connection it would help bring back those feelings of unity. It has been incredibly isolating to be social distancing for so long, it was a means to provide some levity and togetherness."

Services provided by The YMCA of Ithaca and Tompkins County in response to COVID-19 impacts include a new partnership with Friendship Donations Network (FDN) to serve as a neighborhood food hub, phone-based welfare checks on area seniors done by YMCA staff members, the launch of online virtual workout classes along with resources for health, wellness, and youth development to be shared on the Y's website and social media channels, as well as the maintenance of the YMCA Outdoor Education Center.

The Y is also addressing the need for reliable access to the internet during this crisis by offering 'park and surf' WIFI access in its parking lot. Joining the YMCA in these efforts are the United Way of Tompkins County and the Community Foundation of Tompkins County.

Kim Cook and Mike Smith with donated Girl Scout cookies at TCAT headquarters
TCAT got a sweet surprise this morning when Girl Scout Leader Kim Cook of Spencer pulled her mini-van into the transit agency's parking lot. In the back of her vehicle were several boxes of Tagalongs, Thin Mints, Caramel deLites/Samoas and all other varieties of Girl Scout cookies. They were destined for the many TCAT employees who have been on the frontline of the coronavirus pandemic to make sure local residents have rides to pick up basic supplies.

"I would give you a hug if I could," a grateful Mike Smith, TCAT's assistant general manager, told Cook after they both unloaded 100 boxes of cookies destined for his staff of TCAT bus operators, maintenance crew and custodians. "We all appreciate this very much; this means a lot to us," said Smith.