Archive: Around Town

The Wake Up Q's Chris Allinger told his audience Tuesday that the money that went into his backpack hit $32,000.00 so far! The numbers are expected to rise as the collection boxes are returned from sponsor locations, and on line donations are added in.

"Because I only asked for $3.00 from everyone I met, people really felt like they could participate" says Allinger, "the whole community came together, giving a little and coming out with a lot. The children of this County will have something in the house on weekends and holidays."

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by Rochelle Davis

Hi there, I'm Patty Mayonnaise! I'm as cute as can be and can't wait to find my new perfect person. I've been through a lot during my two years before I arrived at the shelter which has left me nervous around new people and other dogs. Because of this, I would be happiest in a quieter home without children or other dogs. Once I get to know you, I love sitting in laps, learning new tricks, and going out for long meandering walks. If I sound like the right match for you, come in and say hello today!

Visit the SPCA Web Page

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Sara Johnson, Historic Ithaca's program manager at its Significant Elements architectural salvage store since 2011, has been named by the Board of Directors as interim executive director. Alphonse Pieper, who served as executive director since 2008, stepped down on September 10. Johnson's tenure will begin immediately and continue until a permanent executive director is found. A search is underway by the Board of Directors to fill the position.

An upstate New York native, Johnson received her undergraduate degree from Cornell University and has completed coursework for a Master of Art from Cornell's Graduate Program in Historic Preservation Planning. Johnson interned with Historic Ithaca in 2007-08 and returned in 2010 to serve as Preservation Associate. She currently lives in the Town of Ithaca.

Today, Friday, is the last day of the fourth and last Walkin' The Country.   Q Country 103.7's Chris Allinger's is walking through all of Tompkins County to raise money to feed children in need, and plans to end up at the Ithaca Wegman's at the end of today.  Lansing was the halfway point Wednesday, when Allinger stopped at the Lansing Community Center to meet people, accept donations and break for lunch.  There he talked about future plans for raising money for the Food Bank of the Southern Tier, and the generosity of this year's donors.

"I think possibly because this is the last one, we're seeing more people and higher donation numbers," Allinger said.  "That's helping.  One of the things we're very excited about this year is that our four-year total will likely go above $100,000 this year.  $100,000 raised for the food bank in four years of walking the country.  So we're excited about that."

James Brown, President of United Way of Tompkins County (UWTC), welcomed a crowd of supporters to Stewart Park Wednesday for the 13th Annual Stephen E. Garner Day of Caring and the 2015/16 Community Campaign Kickoff.  Kimberlee Swartz, UWTC Board Chair, shared her remarks on how United Way of Tompkins County makes a difference in people’s lives by supporting essential education, income, and health programs.

Brown thanked the community and volunteers for their generous support of the Day of Caring Food Drive and presented a new video by Well Said Media – formerly Moving Box Studios – that highlights the interconnectedness of United Way and our community. UWTC is also accepting grant applications for the Hunger and Food Security Fund and the Youth and Philanthropy Program. Brown also thanked Cornell University and its Alumni Affairs and Development office for including UWTC in its upcoming Homecoming 2015 events on September 19th.

Buddy Bench Dedication
The Groton Rotary Club generously donated a buddy bench to the elementary school playground this year. A welcoming place to go on the playground, those who sit on the bench communicate to others that they are looking for someone to play with.

Nick H. explained it this way, "A buddy bench is for when you sit on a bench and wait for some buddy to come over there. It is a good way to get buddies, I think every school should have a buddy bench, not that many people in the world have buddies."

Life on a dairy farm can be hard to imagine for those who have not worked in such a field. Many people understand that dairy farming requires a copious amount of hard work-but what exactly do dairy farmers do throughout their day?

My name is Julia Fouts, and as Tompkins County Alternate Dairy Princess, I will explain what my family, and many others, do throughout their career. First off, each day the cows must be milked, fed, and kept comfortable; those chores are routine, and take up several hours.

Next are seasonal chores. From late spring to early fall, many dairy farmers plant and harvest crops for their cows. Planting and harvesting includes long days in the field, maintaining machinery, and storing all the feed that is collected.

IPEI, the Ithaca Public Education Initiative, awarded the first ever Connecting Classrooms Grants to groups of Ithaca City School District (ICSD) teachers last spring and many of the funded activities continue during the new school year. One such example is the "Caroline Wilderness Campus Curriculum Initiative" led by Caroline Elementary School Principal Mary Grover and involving classroom teachers from all grade levels and the school's music and art teachers.

Last May Caroline held its first annual daylong "Celebration of Learning" throughout the school's unique, outdoor space known as the "Wilderness Campus". According to parent Terezka Korinek: "Awe-inspiring student work was shared throughout the day.  It was an integrated, school-wide opportunity for PreK-5 th grade students to showcase various projects that resulted from their learning about a particular nature, science or engineering topic."

Every year I wrestle with Time Warner to get my costs down, as they continue to raise prices for cable TV.  I don't begrudge them the Internet piece of my monthly bill, but I believe the cost of television is much too high.  While you can usually get a better price from them if you insist, especially if you threaten to drop the service, it is an annual hassle that doesn't make you feel warm and fuzzy toward the company.  it take a chunk of your day, working up to the words they don't want to hear: I am going to cancel my TV service.'  That begs the question, what happens if the cable company calls your bluff?

A lot of people are dropping cable TV.  USA Today reported that residential Time Warner Cable video subscribers fell by 38,000 in the last quarter of last year.  More and more viewers are choosing to forgo traditional TV packages for content they can stream over the Internet. 

by Rochelle Davis

Lucky Miss Betsy was brought to the SPCA by a kind person who found her during a snow storm. She's quite a sweet cat, and very pretty too, but because she can get easily overstimulated, she should not go to a home with children. Because she's not so fond of other cats, Betsy would prefer to be the only cat in the home. Could that home be yours? Betsy has been spayed, vaccinated, microchipped, and is ready to go to her forever home. Ask an adoption counselor about how to adopt her today!

Visit the SPCA Web Page

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Ithaca High School (I.H.S.) Biology teacher Carlan Gray was honored with the 2015 Raymond C. Loehr Innovative Science Teaching Award at the Ithaca City School District (ICSD) Convocation on September 8. Managed by the Ithaca Public Education Initiative (IPEI), the award was presented by Loehr’s son Stephen Yale-Loehr and Christine Sanchirico, IPEI’s executive director.

The audience of district staff members gave Gray a standing ovation as she walked onto the Kulp Auditorium stage. She accepted the award while giving thanks to three parts of her life as an ICSD educator. A graduate of Cornell with both bachelor’s and master’s degrees, Gray is appreciative of the impact of the local institutions of higher education on her teaching and continued learning.