Archive: Around Town

The Lansing courtroom was packed Wednesday with friends and family who wanted to be there when the Town Board passed a resolution honoring Joan Holden for more than 20 years of service supervising youth employees at Myers Park.  Supervisor Ed LaVigne read the resolution, which was passed unanimously, and Parks & Recreation Supervisor Patrick Tyrrell presented a plaque that will be installed on the entry building in Myers Park.  LaVigne noted that Wednesday was also Holden's 90th birthday, and the room erupted in an enthusiastic rendition of 'Happy Birthday To You'.

"It is your birthday, right? And Joan, you've got to write a book cause you're 90 and you're, you look 65 if you, if that," LaVigne said. "So I don't know what you're doing, eating, smoking, chewing, but whatever you've got, you need to pass it around."

Starting March 1, 2020, New York's ban on single-use plastic bags will take effect. Just this week, the state Department of Environmental Conservation released its final regulations to govern the ban.  Yesterday Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced a statewide education and outreach campaign to ensure that New Yorkers are aware of the March 1 ban on single-use plastic bags.  The BYOBagNY campaign, spearheaded by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, includes TV and radio advertisements, social media, Google Ads, and events hosted by Feeding New York State food banks across the state.

"Right this minute, plastic bags are hanging in trees, blowing down the streets, filling up our landfills and polluting our lakes, rivers and streams—all hurting our environment," Cuomo said. "Twelve million barrels of oil are used to make the plastic bags we use every year and by 2050 there will be more plastic by weight in the oceans than fish. We took bold action to protect our environment and ban these environmental blights and with this campaign we're going to make sure New Yorkers are ready and have all the facts."

By Adam Kramarsyck

Hey! Hey! Hey you! I'm Spats. I'm happy to let you know when I'm ready for attention, hint hint, I'm always ready. I'm looking for a home without other cats and can easily fill your life with all the feline lovin' you'll ever need. Considering that I've had my fair share of cat battles, I'd prefer to stay inside from now on. I'm really just ready to find a forever home that wants an outgoing and adorably vocal guy. Come visit me today and I'll tell ya all about myself.

Visit the SPCA Web Page

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The Tompkins County Workforce Development Board and Tompkins County announced that Natalie Branosky has been appointed to lead the community's workforce development efforts as well as serve as Director of the Workforce Development Board. Branosky's appointment was confirmed by the County Legislature at its meeting February 4th.

In making the appointment, County Administrator Jason Molino cited Branosky's more than 20 years of experience in providing policy analysis, research and advisory services in the fields of workforce development, economic development for cities, labor market policy, social innovation and inclusion.

New York's state parks, historic sites, campgrounds, and trails welcomed a record-breaking 77.1 million visits in 2019. The estimated attendance is up nearly three million visits from 2018, an increase of 4 percent. It reflects an overall increase of 33 percent - or more than 19 million visits annually - since the Governor took office in 2011.

"The NY Parks 2020 initiative has revitalized our State Parks and historic sites, and improved them by adding new crown jewels to the system like Shirley Chisholm Park in Brooklyn," Governor Andrew M. Cuomo said. "Tourism is booming in New York and these beautiful sites are drawing visitors to all corners of the state, offering affordable opportunities for outdoor recreation and to experience our natural treasures while providing an economic boost to local communities."

Photo by Phillip Griffiths, Cornell Univeristy
A Cornell University researcher has developed a new, flavorful and highly productive cherry tomato – that ripens green.The new variety, dubbed Jaded, was created by Phillip Griffiths, associate professor of horticulture at Cornell Agritech, who bred it from four heirloom tomato varieties. With a smooth and tropical flavor, Jaded's skin becomes translucent like a gooseberry and adopts a golden hue when ripe, signaling it's ready to pick.

"Challenges [in breeding a green tomato] came in knowing when it was ripe," Griffiths said, "but also the perception of people to green as a color in tomato, because when people think of sweeter types of products, then green doesn't necessarily come to mind."

By Adam Kramarsyck

Meet Cho! He's as handsome as he is bashful. He's looking for some folks with a nice and quiet home. Cho has a history of fighting with cats outside, so would do best when kept indoors only. He's happy to solicit your attention once he's gotten comfortable with you, but it might take him awhile. Come visit him today and take home a cat who's special enough that you'll be willing to work for his love.

Visit the SPCA Web Page

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Ithaca City School District Superintendent Dr. Luvelle Brown has been selected by the New York State Council of School Superintendents ("The Council") to receive the 2020 Appreciation Award. This annual award is given in recognition of the extraordinary efforts by members of The Council to improve public education and serve the children in New York State.

This year, the Appreciation Award will be presented to two individuals, Brown and Superintendent Dr. L. Oliver Robinson of the Shenendehowa Central School District, who together established The Council's Commission on Diversity and Inclusivity. As co-chairs, Brown and Robinson continue to lead the commission in its efforts to promote equity, cultural responsiveness, and inclusion in public school.

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced Tuesday that food pantries on or partnered with SUNY's 64 colleges saw more than 316,000 visits in 2019. In 2017, the Governor's No Student Goes Hungry Initiative mandated that all SUNY state-operated and community colleges establish a food pantry on or in affiliation with their campus to combat student food insecurity, a pervasive problem on college campuses across the United States.

"New York will not stand idle as student hunger threatens to rob our young people of a healthy and prosperous future," Cuomo said. "Providing access to consistent, nutritious meals removes a major barrier faced by so many highly-motivated students pursuing higher education. This initiative helps ensure that upward social mobility is a realistic, traversable path for every person who pursues a college degree in New York."

Lansing Town Supervisor Ed LaVigne says that kids who choose to enter trades instead of going to college should be equally valued, and notes that if attitudes toward entering the trades don't change there will be nobody left to build or fix things.  With that in mind LaVigne visited the TST BOCES welding classroom last week to make connections with welding instructor Randy Jackson.  His idea is to find ways to partner the BOCES program with Town Recreation Department offerings and finding other ways the Town can support BOCES Career and Tech programs.

"We may have kids in school that are struggling in fourth and fifth grade because they haven't found their voice yet," LaVigne says. "They find that they could look at a machine and know exactly what they're going to do with it, because they see that type of education is available. How do we introduce them to that? They say, 'I want to go there. I feel comfortable there. I'm good at this.' It's a different type of genius that we haven't really embraced yet."

Last year the Lansing Volunteer Fire Department responded to 930 emergencies, 398 of therm fire calls, and 532 medical emergencies.  Department members gathered at the Lakewatch Inn Saturday to celebrate the individuals who responded to those calls, including 15 men and women who responded to more than 70 calls in 2019.  Each year the Department hosts the banquet to honor volunteers for their service to the Lansing community.

Chief Scott Purcell thanked department members and their families for the sacrifices they make to keep Lansing safe.  Then Tompkins County Department of Emergency Response former Director and current Fire Coordinator Lee Shurtleff swore in the 2020 officers.  Shurtleff noted that Chief Scott Purcell was being installed as an officer for the 20th time.