Archive: Around Town

Wells College got a 'shout out' from the Today Show's Hoda Kotb on the January 11 morning show. While in New York for an alumni networking event, a number of Wells College staff stopped by the set, where Kotb approached and spoke with them and recorded her shout out.

"Hey, Wells College! I'm wearing red for you," the host said amid cheers, acknowledging the College's official colors and tradition of wearing red on Wednesdays. "We love you at the Today Show." This is the second year that Wells has made an appearance on the morning program.

I think I'm a bit like you.

My recreation funds are limited, and if I'm going to spend it on an evening, a meal, or a movie, I kinda want to be sure those funds will be spent wisely. Wasting money on a poor restaurant or a rotten wine just doesn't do – however finding a delightful place with great service and generous servings of excellent fare – that's what makes this column so much fun.

I have passed Little Venice a thousand times. The awning looked nice enough, but the front just didn't look like "my kind of place" – and so I drove by. Over, and over.

Digital interactions have become an important part of life, especially for young people who are growing up in the digital age.  But how is their average 6.5 non-homework of daily screen hours affecting their concentration, development and off-line relationships?  The Lansing PTSO (Parent Teacher Student organization) sponsored two showings of the film 'Screenagers' by physician Delaney Ruston to kick off an ongoing discussion about the impact of cell phones and other digital devices and activities to engage parents, community members, and students from 4th grade to high school seniors.

"This is the largest parenting issue of our time, and we're all trying to figure it out together." PTSO President Kristen Hopkins said at Monday's Board Of Education meeting. "What better way to do that than to have a conversation about it?  One of the ideas that came out of the documentary was a 'Tech Talk Tuesday'.  That resonated with the Wednesday night audience that I was a part of.  We started that in November and it's been going strong every Tuesday, including during the break, for the last six or seven weeks."

The idea came from the movie, and, indeed, the Screenagers Web site has its own Tech Talk Tuesday, a blog with posts on various topics that cover ideas like when it is appropriate for a child to get his or her first cell phone, how data is inconclusive on how much screen time actually decreases communication skills in real life, and how a parent's comfort level talking to their kids may be the culprit, or how kids deal with rules about using digital devices at home.

Ithaca ranked 13th best of 415 American college cities and towns in a recent analysis by the financial Web site Wallethub.  The analysis shows that Ithaca is a great place for students, but they'll pay for it.  The city ranked 12th of 202 small cities, ranking high in 'social environment' and 'Academic and economic opportunities, but scored 312th in 'wallet fitness'.  Overall, Ithaca scored 61.57, a high score in the rankings.  The best college town  in America is Oxford, OH, with low scores in all three categories and an overall ranking of 71.11.

"Just as department stores serve as anchors within a mall, a college or university serves as an anchor institution for a city," says Associate Professor if Higher Education and Director of the Center for teaching Excellence at Southern Methodist University Michael S. Harris.  "Higher education institutions serve as a focal point for increasing the education level of the local workforce, home for the arts and culture, and as a source of employment.  Faculty, staff and students provide a strong consumer and support base for local businesses, parks and nonprofits."

Dear Margaret: My life has taken an unexpected turn and I'm unsure how to proceed. I have taken a job in a new city about 500 miles from our current location, and my wife of twelve years has decided not to make the move with me. Her reasoning is that she has a fulfilling and lucrative job where we are and she feels it's not fair of me to up and ask her to relocate. I'm stunned. I always thought we were of the same mind and I don't know how to react or what to make of this. I haven't wanted to broach the subject of what she thinks this means for our marriage for fear she will tell me it is over. I feel unsteady and need advice on what to do.
Marriage in Limbo

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