Archive: Around Town

DJ Kitty is 8 years old and was brought to the shelter from the wilds of Dryden, where he had been hanging around for a few days in the bitter cold. He's actually a pretty quiet guy, so where his name came from is anyone's guess. He's happy to meet you, purrs and head butts in greeting, is relaxed and purr-y if you pick him up, and we think DJ would do fine in a home with children of any age. He also gets along fine with other cats and should easily transition to a home with other pets. Take this sweet boy home to provide music in your ears as he purrs his way through life!

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What makes a winter garden beautiful? How did rhododendrons and azaleas from China make their way into Cornell’s backyard?  Why is a north-facing slope ideal for growing conifers? Besides love, what did the rose symbolize in ancient mythologies?  Answers to these questions and other fascinating stories can now be told by Cornell Plantations thanks to the Stanley Smith Horticultural Trust which granted Plantations $20,000 to develop interpretive signs and books for their Botanical Garden.  Over the course of the next year, Cornell Plantations will be adding six new interpretive signs around the Botanical Garden, and six new interpretive booklets in Plantations’ Young Flower Garden.

Valentine’s Day is a little sweeter for kindergarten teacher Carol Engels of R.C. Buckley Elementary in Lansing, N.Y. Engels was selected as the winner of the 2014 Winter Recess Prize, an annual drawing that promotes Ithaca’s Winter Recess Festival and rewards one teacher and school with $700 in office supply gift cards. Engels gets $300 for her classroom, her school shares the rest.

The 8th annual Winter Recess 'Teachers Week' runs Feb. 14-23, at locations across Ithaca and Tompkins County. The festival was created as a “thank you” to teachers across the state. More than 5,000 educators and families are expected to attend. The event includes free or deeply discounted shopping, dining and recreation, along with social events, contests, family fun and county-wide recognition for teachers and school district employees.

New York State Senator Mike Nozzolio recently conferred at the State Capitol with Kathryn Boor, Dean of the Cornell College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Boor updated Nozzolio on the world class research taking place at the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva. The research and innovation pioneered at the Experiment Station is playing an integral role in supporting job growth and economic revitalization in our area.

On Sunday, January 26, 2014, Joe Koch earned his Eagle Scout Badge and Medal ceremony with his family, friends and community members. This is the highest rank a Scout can achieve in the program Boy Scouts of America makes available to youth.

Joe, the son of Sandra and Andrew Koch, first became a member of Pack 48 worked his way from being a Tiger at the age of 6, crossed over to the Troop and advanced through the seven ranks in the Lansing Troop 48. Joe, now a sophomore in high school, accomplished this honor at the age of 15 all the while participating in the Lansing School swim team and Ithaca swim team competing at a very high level. He is a high honor role student in Lansing High School where he shines in the History Club, another one of his passions.

Lansing High School Junior Elena Gupta attended the first ever Congress of Future Medical Leaders in Washington, DC on February 14-16, 2014.  The Congress is an honors-only program for high school students who want to become physicians or go into medical research fields. The purpose of this event is to honor, inspire, motivate and direct the top students in the country who aspire to be physicians or medical scientists, to stay true to their dream and, after the event, to provide a path, plan and resources to help them reach their goal.

Gupta was nominated by Dr. Connie Mariano, the Medical Director of the National Academy of Future Physicians and Medical Scientists, to represent New York based on her academic achievement, leadership potential and determination to serve humanity in the field of medicine.

Cayuga Pure Organics Owner Erick SmithThe Finger Lakes Climate Fund has awarded its eighth carbon offset grant to a local business.  Late last spring, a dreadful fire destroyed the barn at Cayuga Pure Organics (CPO) in Brooktondale, NY along with all the equipment they used for cleaning and packaging organic dry beans and grains grown at their farm and by other local farmers. 

As the only major supplier of organic beans in the region, CPO had become a key player in efforts to rebuild a secure local food system.  Facing bankruptcy, the company launched a fundraising campaign and its customers, fans, and dozens of local food advocates responded with more than $87,000 in donations to help them rebuild.

U.S. Congressman Tom Reed was in Danby this weekend to show his support to local hunters at the Danby Pirates Club.  The stop was a chance for a casual vist to swap stories with fellow hunters who were conducting a predator hunt Saturday afternoon.  He spoke briefly, thanking hunters for controlling the local predator population and saying he continues to fight attacks on the Second Amendment.

"Obviously we live in a state that is, in my opinion, going down a path of taking our second amendment away from us," Reed said.  "The SAFE Act is something that I stand for the repeal of.  Down in Washington we are fighting federal legislation all day long that keeps coming at us to infringe upon our guaranteed individual constitutional rights in the second amendment.  I can assure you we're going to stand firm in the fight to push that back."

Carter is a friendly, outgoing boy, who always seems to have a smile on his face. Being only 3 years old, strong, and athletic, he would be the perfect exercise buddy. Carter would like to be the only pet of the household and is a little nervous around young children. His new owner will need to manage his environment and his behavior to ensure that he continues to be the great dog that we know he can be. He has a lot of love to give and is sure to make his new owner a proud and happy adopter!

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	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.

Ever wish you could have a real, normal, additive-laden hot dog? They’re pretty much off limits to us heart patients, of course. Just read the package: One hot dog may contain five milligrams of saturated fat. All that fat is what makes ’em seem so juicy, but can we get a decent hot dog? Well, yes.

At Lansing Market, I looked through the Oscar Meyer offerings and made a happy discovery. Not the Turkey Franks at 2.5 mg. saturated fat per dog, because they contain dark meat and skin. Maybe the Chicken Breast hots, at 1.5, which is under our limit of 2, and fine if you’re eating just one hot dog. For feasting, though, my new fave is Oscar Meyer Extra Lean, at only 0.5 mg satfat each. I can eat all I want without worry, and enjoy a sinful treat.

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Chris AllingerThe Falls Restaurant in Trumansburg had been collecting donations for “T-Burg Takes On Pediatric Cancer” since last February and had raised over $2,500. Two weeks ago someone stole the donation jug with all the money in it. Falls Restaurant co-owner Fred Van Derzee said Monday, “There might have had to have been two people, you know one for lookout. The thing weighed at least 70 pounds, so it wasn’t light.”

“T-Burg Takes On Pediatric Cancer” is a local organization that focuses on the families of affected children between the ages of 0-18. After witnessing several of their friends children struggle with cancer, Fred and Tracy Van Derzee were inspired to start raising money for this cause.

This past year the Lansing Central Schools IT Department assigned each High School and Middle School student a school-monitored Google account. With these accounts, students now have access to many of the learning experiences that the 'cloud' has to offer. Students in Dan Ferguson's Global History II classes have had the opportunity to learn World History while utilizing Google Apps for Education. These applications in addition to the use of Chromebooks, has enabled teaching and learning to transcend the walls of Lansing High School.

Using Google Apps for Education, each student has access to assignments, class materials, including texts, videos, and a free suite of productivity tools.  Ferguson’s students have been able to complete homework assignments online, read and listen to assigned articles, and most importantly, complete collaborative assignments in the virtual world.