Archive: Around Town

The School Success Transportation Coalition (SSTC) is one of the first recipients of the Excellence through Equity Recognition Awards.  The HOPE Foundation initiated these awards to highlight some of the great ongoing work in this community that supports educational excellence through equity.  The Community Foundation's Tompkins Today and Tomorrow Fund administered the 2014 awards.  The $1000 award will be used to help families attend community events at their children's school such as concerts, Math Night and Beauty and The Beast performances.  

The award recognizes work to help students and families get to Ithaca City School District (ICSD) school buildings for meetings, PTA events, basketball games, enrichment activities etc.

The Tompkins County Legislature has awarded spring 2014 tourism grants in five grant categories in the latest round of the County’s tourism grant program. The Legislature approved the awards, totaling around $358,000, at its April 15th meeting.

Tourism grants are funded entirely by Tompkins County room occupancy tax dollars. Not-for-profit organizations and municipalities are eligible for the funding to support a variety of events and tourism-related projects that hold potential to attract additional visitor spending and overnight stays, while enhancing local quality of life. Since completion of its 2020 Strategic Tourism Plan in 2012, Tompkins County has placed special emphasis on supporting projects that align with strategic priorities including promoting winter and mid-week activity, as well as advancing goals related to established and emerging types of tourism for Tompkins County: arts, culture and heritage tourism; agricultural and culinary tourism; tourism related to outdoor recreation and our outstanding natural features; edu-tourism; downtown Ithaca; sustainability tourism; sports tourism; and under-tapped niche markets.

The Ithaca High School and DeWitt Middle School Technology Student Association (TSA) clubs have launched a crowdfunding campaign in an effort to make it possible for all club members to attend the 2014 TSA national conference, regardless of their financial situation. Held in Washington, D.C. this year, the TSA national conference brings together 5,000 of the best and brightest technology students from around the United States and from other countries for five days of wide-ranging competitions. The campaign goal is to raise $5,000 in order to enable all interested Ithaca TSA club members to attend.  The campaign runs through May 16, 2014.

William Sauve, Ithaca High Technology and Engineering Education instructor and TSA adviser said, "The students have all been working hard to prepare for the national competition, and we have high hopes that this crowdfunding campaign will eliminate cost as a barrier for all our students to make the trip."

United Way of Tompkins County held the first annual Youth Venture Community Panel on Monday, April 28 at the Ithaca College Business School. This panel showcased three Social Ventures created by high school students at Dryden Central School and the Lehman Alternative Community School. The Youth received constructive feedback from four community panelists. All three teams successfully completed the Community Panel and will receive seed funding from the Ithaca College and Cornell University Student United Way teams to help launch their Ventures.

United Way of Tompkins County partnered with Ashoka’s Youth Venture, Lehman Alternative Community School and Dryden Central Schools to implement the inaugural United Way Youth Venture program this past Fall. Youth Venture inspires and invests in teams of young people to start and lead their own social ventures. This enables young people to learn that they can lead social change and be powerful long into adulthood. United Way of Tompkins County Youth Venture is made possible by a generous grant from SimplexGrinnell.

A 40 foot long mural depicting downtown Ithaca was unveiled at a private showing Tuesday at the Downtown Visitor Center in the Ithaca Commons.  The unveiling marked the relaunching the information hub for the 2014 summer travel season. An invitation-only preview was held Tuesday, and the mural opened to the public the next day.

“We’re ready to surprise visitors and community members with this colorful new statement to Ithaca’s fun, beautiful, artistic and playful nature,” said Jodi LaPierre, Visitor Services Manager at the Ithaca/Tompkins County Convention & Visitors Bureau. “Our partnership with the Downtown Ithaca Alliance and Community Arts Partnership fuels and promotes a lot of the local events depicted in this new mural, so having it prominently on display at our shared downtown space is a great way to show everyone that together, we are a driving force that is refreshed and ready for the big summer season.”

You wouldn't know it was only the first hour.  The beer tasting room at the Rogue's Harbor Brewing Company had a party vibe as a group of tasters stood around the bar, laughing, chatting and sampling the beer.  The very first growler of the brewery's unique root beer also sold within that first hour.  All indications were that the new tasting room will become a popular staple of the Finger Lakes Beer Trail.

"There is a very devoted crowd of people who come and seek this stuff out," says Brewer Chris Williams.  "I see this place now as a waypoint in the beer trail and the wine trail and the cheese trail.  From Route 81 they can come off and they get to go to Cortland Beer, Hopshire, Bacchus, Scale House, and come here.  I call this the Beer Trail spur.  Then they can keep going and they're on the wine trail.  Maybe we'll see a lot more people hanging out here around three and staying to go next door to the restaurant when it opens at four."

	A few years ago, my heart stopped functioning properly. A cardiac artery was blocked, and I felt some strange and scary symptoms. The blockage was relieved with a stent, and the hospital that installed it included a detailed lecture to all such patients. They don’t want to see us again. Heeding that information has kept me healthy, and I want to share what I’ve learned. To the reader who asked why this column hasn't appeared lately, I’ve been moving, which is an all-consuming endeavor for most folks, let alone an old man with heart trouble. So writing happens in moments of down time, which are rare. The other reader apparently hasn’t noticed my absence. Be that as it may, I’ve wanted to share a great recipe.

A common dinner entree at our house is baby chickens. That’s what we call them, because I used to raise chickens for market, so I know that so-called Rock Cornish Game Hens are rarely a Plymouth Rock/Cornish Game cross, and they’re never hens. They're usually a white hybrid, both sexes, butchered at barely four weeks. The size sold as halves for barbecues are only six weeks old. Hens are females a year old or more, and they are sold as an ingredient in canned chicken soup and pet food.

So baby chickens it is, and they’re delicious. And cheap, at Aldi.

Line an iron skillet with nonstick foil, set it in the oven, and start heating it to 400-425. No iron skillet? A metal pie plate will do, or a small baking pan, as heavy as possible.

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My name is Patrick. I’m six years old and I was found roaming the streets of Groton, NY. I've gone from being a stray to a vaccinated, microchipped, neutered, ready-for-adoption cat! I'm loving, affectionate and curious. I'd much rather spend time with you and explore my environment than play with toys. Petting is always appreciated! I also get along fine with other cats. Could your home be my fur-ever home? Can you see me as an adorable addition to the family? Come meet me today!

Visit the SPCA Web Page

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Scholar, author and self-described prison abolitionist, Dr. Angela Davis  lectured at Cornell last Friday. Her question to Tompkins County residents and students from several colleges was, 'Are prisons obsolete?'  It’s the title of her new book.

A highly diverse crowd packed the Statler Hall Auditorium and welcomed Davis, who works to combat all forms of oppression in the US and abroad, with a standing ovation as she entered the stage and continued to applaud many times during her talk.  Students from Ithaca College, Syracuse University, as well as Cornell responded as she called out to current and past students, one of whom is now an associate professor.

LANSING UNITED METHODIST CHURCH will hold its Annual Spring Rummage Sale Friday, May 9, 8 a.m. (outside) 9 a.m. (inside) to 8 p.m.; and Saturday, May 10, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. The location is on Route 34B and Brickyard Road, six miles north of Ithaca, one mile north of the light in South Lansing. The sale features clothing and accessories for all ages, furniture, tools, housewares, crafts, costumes, toys, games, sports equipment, books, computers, and lots more. Bargains abound in this long running community recycling project. $1.00/ bag clearance on Saturday! Come and bring your friends for truckloads of treasures!

Donations
Donations may be dropped off Sunday, May 4 at 3 p.m. through Tuesday, May 6 at 6 p.m. Please not televisions, appliances, sleeper sofas, mattresses, pillows, magazines, infant/toddlers car seats, exercise equipment or encyclopedias.

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The Tompkins County Solid Waste Division is implementing a minor change at the public drop off area of the Recycling and Solid Waste Center.

Effective May 1st, 2014, the bays for garbage and recycling drop off will alternate side-by-side, allowing customers easier access to both. It replaces the current set up of two garbage bays, followed by three bays for single-stream recycling.

United Way of Tompkins County announced that it has exceeded the 2013-14 Community Campaign goal of $2,088,000 by receiving donations totaling $2,100,652 to date from over 5,400 businesses and individuals. This is approximately $30,000 more than was raised last year.

Volunteers, donors, and community supporters gathered on Friday, April 25 for the Community Campaign Celebration and Volunteer Appreciation Breakfast at the Country Club of Ithaca to celebrate the 10th consecutive year the community campaign has exceeded goal. These dollars will strengthen programs focused on education, income, and health.