Archive: Around Town

New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) Commissioner Joan McDonald today kicked off the highway and bridge construction season with a message to New York motorists to use caution in highway maintenance and construction work zones. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has designated April 7-11 as National Work Zone Awareness Week, with the theme “Work Zone Speeding: A Costly Mistake.”

“Safety for the traveling public and for our workers is our top priority,” Commissioner McDonald said. “The cost of speeding through a highway work zone could be as simple as a traffic ticket with a heavy fine – or it could be as costly as taking your own life or the life of one of our construction workers. Motorists must slow down and pay extra attention when driving through work zones.”

Tompkins County Public Library is celebrating its 150th anniversary and National Library Week by recognizing patrons with a gift of amnesty from fines and collection fees for overdue items.

From April 14 through April 19, patrons who visit the Library’s Circulation Desk will be eligible to have fines of $24 or less removed from their accounts.  Patrons returning overdue items will have all fines associated with that item waived, including collection charges.

	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.

Do you live to eat or eat to live? We heart patients have to pay more attention to the latter option if we have much sense. I’ve been passing on what I learned about diet a few years ago, which is to avoid saturated fats. Yes, cholesterol, too, but let’s keep it simple: Just sticking to foods that have two grams or less of saturated fat per serving does the job.

Now, wouldn't you know it, new research questions this rule. My favorite news magazine, The Week, recently had a digest of an authoritative article that you need to read. So here it is.

Read more ...

Last month Ithaca High School’s FIRST Robotics Team 639, Code Red Robotics, successfully defended its 2013 Buckeye Regional Championship title in Cleveland, Ohio, amongst 54 teams from across North America.  The team has now qualified for the International Championships in St. Louis from April 24-26, for the third consecutive year, where less than one percent of FIRST teams worldwide compete.

“It's the most stressful, infuriating, exhausting, and greatest weekend of my life,” says Wade Engelhart, a Code Red senior and four year veteran.

Many people wonder what the wooden building is, next to the Field School House in the Town Hall complex.  Last year they found out, when they attended an exhibition called 'A Peek at the Past', which documented Lansing industry, churches and schools.  It was part of the opening celebration at the East Shore Festival of the Arts (ESFOTA).  This year the Lansing Historical Association plans an encore exhibition titled 'Defenders of our Freedom'.  The display will document Lansing 'hometown folk' who served in military conflicts from 1775 to 1945.

"We have some nice surprises," says Fannie Welsh, who is putting the exhibit together.  "We're fortunate: Lou Emmick, who served in World War II will be here Friday night.  And he's contributed various special things, including a World War II flight suit that Emmick brought home from the Philippines.  It is leather, lined with sheep skin to provide warmth in the unheated war planes.  Welsh says she hopes to display a World War II Navy uniform and some pictures of World War II WACs (Women's Army Corp)."

Some say the annual CDC (Corporate Development Committee of Lansing) dance and auction is the event of the season.  You'll get no argument from the crowd that packed the Lakewatch Inn this weekend for an evening of Saturday night fever.  This year there were three notable differences from past years: by 8pm there wasn't a single empty space in the parking lot.  The Lake Watch Inn was packed, making it almost impossible to walk through some areas.  And the usual auction tables were nowhere to be found, replaced by computer bidding stations.  (And a fourth thing: mullets!)

"The on-line auction was a success; especially considering that this is the first year we have done it," says CDC member Bonita Lindberg.  "Educating the community on the new format was an ongoing process.  In the end we had over 120 different bidders register and submit at least one bid."

Greetings, my name is Luci Bella! This is sadly my third time at the shelter, through no fault of my own. I'm a lap cat and am looking for my new forever human companion. I'd prefer to be the only pet in the home, but I have so much love to share you won't need anyone else! I also love drinking water straight from the faucet - everyone says it's quite charming. At only eight years young, I have a full lifetime to share with my new person. Could that lucky person be you? Come in and meet me today!

Visit the SPCA Web Page

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After seven years the Lansing Harbor Festival is gone, but a new event, Celebrate Lansing, is replacing it.  Community Council President Ed LaVigne says the Community Council wants to focus on the community and families in particular, shifting the festival to a more inward-looking family-focussed theme.  The new celebration will have many similarities to the Harbor Festival including taking over all of Myers Park on the second Saturday in August.

"As the Lansing Community Council evolves it is now going on to the next level," says LaVigne.  "The Lansing Harbor Festival was a wonderful celebration.  It was Karen Veaner's brainchild and she should be commended for it along with all the hard workers and volunteers from the Lansing community.  Now that we are a bonafide 501c3 nonprofit we can say 'what do we want to do for the next phase?'  So the Lansing Community Council sat down and said we need to get back to the basics and celebrate the wonderfulness of Lansing."

Tom Reed’s office opened its 6,000th constituent case, marking a milestone that while Reed says rarely makes headlines, is the most important part of the job.

“Our first and most important job is to be a resource for everyone in the district to help navigate through bureaucratic red tape and confusion,” Reed said. “However big or small a constituent case is, we have a great team in the district ready to answer questions and get the help constituents need. I can’t stress enough how important each constituent’s case or question is – caring for their needs is our priority. Our door is always open.”

Cornell Plantations announced that the F.R. Newman Arboretum will open to vehicular traffic on Friday, April 4, 2014 at noon.  The F.R. Newman Arboretum is a place for the scientific study and public exhibition of a diversity of trees and shrubs.

These plantings, all hardy to our area, help foster Plantations’ scientific, educational, and plant appreciation efforts. Here, visitors can learn about and enjoy native species, as well as species imported from similar climate zones around the world.

It is April, and that means it is also Alcohol Awareness Month.  This month was designated Alcohol Awareness month in 1987 by the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (NCADD).  This was done with the hope of helping reduce the stigma that people with substance abuse problems (and their loved ones) face and thereby making it easier to step forward and receive treatment.  This year’s theme is 'Help for today. Hope for tomorrow', which speaks to why it’s important to address this issue on many levels.

So why is this important to our area?  The hope is for this message to reach members of the community, especially youth, before they get to the point of having an alcohol problem.  Children who start drinking at a younger age are not only at risk for alcohol problems as they get older but are at a higher risk of having issues with other substances as well.

United Way of Tompkins County (UWTC) announced it has established a Financial Stability Fund that will assist at-risk young adults and their children to achieve financial stability by eliminating barriers to employment.

UWTC has found that young people who have successfully completed steps towards continuing their education and exploring employment opportunities with the support of community programs may face financial barriers that cannot be met by personal or existing community resources. This may include funds for a car repair, a bus pass, uniform, childcare, or a final certification or training. The Financial Stability Fund will serve as a bridge for young adults as they continue their work toward receiving a degree, establishing employment, and improving their financial stability.