Archive: Around Town

Saving the planet can be daunting.  Getting others to help is even harder.  The trick is to make it easy.  Easy to get rid of things you no longer want, easy to get things you are looking for.  That sounds simple, but when you are turning over entire houses as well as furniture, household goods and computers, there is a level of complexity that requires a plethora of different skills.  For the past eight years the Ithaca ReUse Center has made all that look easy.

"We want it to be easy for people," says Executive Director Diane Cohen.  "It has not been easy for us.  But if we can make it appear easy to the public, that's what we want.  Drive up, drop it off, here's your receipt, thank you very much.  Hopefully people will look to our stores first when they're shopping for furniture or building materials to see if they can not only do the right thing, but save some money while they're doing it."

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There is a long line to get on the carousel.  Most of the riders are less than eight years old, and all of them are girls.  They love the carousel -- some try to get right back on after their turn has come to an end.  This is a scenario that sounds familiar to parents, but there the similarity ends because these girls leave the carousel a good 30 or so  pounds lighter, and they repeat this ride three times a day in well spaced intervals.  These girls are dairy cows and the carousel is a 61 foot diameter milking carousel.

"You always look towards the future," says Skip Hardie, one of four partners that own Walnut Ridge Dairy, one of North Lansing's larger dairies.  "The anticipation is that this farm will continue to be successful and grow.  We built the last milking parlor in 1989.  I won't say we never thought we'd grow too big for that, but that's what happened.  This is a lot bigger than we need today."

by Sarah Post

Hi, I'm Rudy - a calm, easy-going pup who can't wait to find my new person. I love food (I'm a hound!!), exploring the world with my nose, playing fetch, and lounging in laps. I get along fine with other calm dogs, but would rather not live with a boisterous canine friend. I also wouldn't mind middle school-aged children or older to keep me company and play with. I do have some special medical needs that the adoption staff would be happy to fill you in about, but they don’t slow me down one bit. If I sound like the perfect companion for you, come say hello today. I can’t wait to meet you!


Visit the SPCA Web Page

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Lansing's Corporate Development Committee (CDC) Tech Boosters raised over $20,000 last Friday from online auction, corporate donors and ticket sales for the Hoedown Dance Party, Fantasy Casino and BBQ Dinner.  About 100 supporters showed up to the Lakewatch Inn wearing western garb to gamble, dance, and just have fun.  CDC has raised a half million dollars over the past 18 years to fund technology donations to the Lansing schools.

This year saw a change to the name of the organization that added 'Tech Boosters' to the name, to make it clearer what the group actually does.  its sole function is to donate technology to the schools for student use.  Last year CDC donated 90 new Chromebooks so every student in the fourth grade had the use of a computer.  The CDC also provided smart boards for Lansing classrooms, and purchased seven graphinc calculators for students whose families could not afford the required devices.  The organization has provided microscopes to the science department, heart rate monitors for physical education, computer animation software for the art department, and a digital audio and video broadcasting center.  It also funded a lab for Project Lead the Way and provided the start-up funding for Lansing's robotics club.

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The Coalition for Safe Medication Disposal announced that the Slaterville Fire Station will again host a collection event for unwanted medications on Saturday, April 30 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

Tompkins County Sheriff's Deputies will be on-site to take custody of outdated or otherwise unwanted pharmaceuticals for safe destruction.  This event is being done in conjunction with the Drug Enforcement Agency's Take-Back Initiative.

The Ithaca Y has the largest golf outing in Tompkins County.  The Kids to Camp Golf Outing is 28 years old,  serving our community by raising money to support camper scholarships at the YMCA camp programs.  The event started with modest goals to help with the kids' needs and has grown to be the largest event in Tompkins County. The event utilizes two golf courses and hosts 180+  players.

For the previous 11 years, the event was led by title sponsor, Kionix Inc.

Frank Towner, YMCA CEO, states, "We could not have grown to this present level without their support and belief in our cause."

This year will start a new collaborative chapter, with the kids remaining in focus.  The YMCA Kids to Camp Golf Outing is being sponsored by Incodema Group, which is comprised of four, state of the art manufacturing organizations. These business segments include Incodema3D, EMT, Newcut, & Incodema.

by Sarah Post

Miss Precious has had a few setbacks over the past months: first, she was impacted by a house fire last summer, and second, she was surrendered by her people to the SPCA, although that could actually be a GOOD thing! Her flea infestation when she arrived was likely a pretty unpleasant part of her life, as well, and as soon as someone falls in love with her things should begin to look up for this very sweet and deserving girl. She is happy to make the acquaintance of anyone who would care to give a few rubs and scritches. Just picture her with all her fur grown back, snuggled happily on your lap and purring. With spring already begun, she'd probably love to sit at a window and watch the returning birds, too!


Visit the SPCA Web Page

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The Lansing Robotics team faced its most difficult challenges this year, and most satisfying rewards.  The team built and programmed its robot to compete in FIRST Tech Challenge competitions in the region state and a competition in Pennsylvania.  They brought their creation to Monday's Board Of Education meeting to talk about the year's achievements and plans for the future.

"This is our third year and it's the best we've ever done despite all the challenges that we have had to take on, like new programs, new materials, new rules, and new team mates," Team President Amanda Van said.  "After this season the Lansing Bobcats Team 7743 are no longer considered underdogs.  We've cemented ourselves as a really solid team that is a really big threat now."

The New York State Thruway Authority, the New York State Department of Transportation and the New York State Police  yesterday kicked off the 17th annual National Work Zone Awareness Week. This initiative seeks to remind motorists to use extreme caution when driving through work zones to ensure the safety of both motorists and construction workers on highways across the state.

The National Work Zone Awareness Week campaign coincides with the beginning of highway construction season and aims to prevent work zone fatalities by encouraging safe driving through work zones and construction sites. Work zones often have reduced speed limits, closed or shifted traffic lanes and people working on or near the road, making it that much more important for motorists to be aware of their surroundings.

Students and teachers across the Ithaca City School District (ICSD) are learning about West African culture, history, music and life through Sulley Imoro's workshops this month.  Jonathan Keefner, music teacher at Enfield Elementary School, is the lead teacher for the programming in eight schools reaching over 800 students through "Introduction to West African Drum and Dance", an Ithaca Public Education Initiative (IPEI) Connecting Classrooms Grant.

In addition to the school-based activities, Imoro and his daughter Ayisha will be featured Sunday, April 17 at 3:00 p.m. in the Beverly J. Martin Elementary School Library for a free and open to the public "African Drum and Dance Celebration Concert". M'Bangba Culture Trupe, Moxie Kumba and Ithaca College Drum and Dance Ensemble will also perform.

Pearl Harbor - A 2007 Moravia Central High School graduate and Moravia, New York native is serving in the U.S. Navy as part of a crew working aboard one of the world's most advanced nuclear-powered fast attack submarines, USS City of Corpus Christi.

Seaman Eric Sweeney is a sonar technician serving aboard the Pearl Harbor-based submarine, one of 40 Los Angeles-class submarines making it the backbone of the submarine force.

A Navy sonar technician is the eyes and ears of the submarine while underway.

"I enjoy working with computers and servers and listening to the different sounds in the ocean," Sweeney said. "You hear things you wouldn't expect, like the sound shrimp make. It sounds like snapping fingers. You hear that more than anything else underway."

The Tompkins-Seneca-Tioga BOCES Energy Management Service provides a comprehensive and customized approach to district energy consumption and savings by enhancing existing local school district energy management efforts. From tracking consumption to selecting equipment, and everything in between, the service aims to provide quality solutions based on existing conditions, and has a proven record of realizing significant savings for participants.

According to the EPA, one out of every four dollars spent on energy in U.S. schools is wasted. This represents $1.5 billion annually. Since energy costs can total as much as 1.5% to 3.5% of a school district's annual budget, reducing a district's energy expenditures stretches school financial resources.