Archive: Around Town

The Board Development Committee of the YMCA of Ithaca & Tompkins County announced slate of newly appointed Board of Directors appointees for 2013.  These volunteers were selected based on their varied backgrounds and specialized areas of expertise in order to assist the Y in its future visions to best serve the community.

“After extensive interviews and critical planning, our Board will be better represented, mirroring our membership and the community at large”, said Board Development Committee Chairman, Scott Pronti.

TCAT bus operators occasionally face delays due to traffic, weather and other circumstances outside their control, but a toddler wandering off alone in search of his dinosaur was a new one for bus operator Jack Shawley.

Shawley was driving the Route 30 bus on the Parkway in the Village of Cayuga Heights one midFebruary morning when a  2 to 3 year old boy – all alone – clad in a coat but with untied boots, was toddling atop the snow bank between the sidewalk and the road.

This weekend we are going to lose an hour as we 'Spring Ahead' into daylight savings time.  Don't forget to set your clocks before you go to bed on Saturday or you'll find yourself an hour late for everything on Sunday.  Officially Daylight Savings time begins at 2am Sunday (March 10), which becomes 3am.

This year Daylight Savings Time ends on November 3rd.  So mark your calendar to 'Fall Behind' at 2am that Sunday.

The First Congregational Church of Ithaca, United Church of Christ, recently formed a covenant with the Rev. Dr. David Ashby who will serve as its Intentional Interim Pastor. His first sermon will be delivered on Sunday, March 10 at 10:00 a.m. at the 309 Highland Road location, and a reception will follow.

Rev. Dr. Ashby is a member of the Interim Ministry Network and has considerable training and experience in intentional interim ministry, including being the co-founder of an Interim Pastor Peer Group which has met monthly since 1999. A longtime resident of Dundee, Ashby was ordained in the Presbyterian Church in 1982 and has served in several pastorates in the area.

Hi! My name is Squiggles, and I'm ready to warm your heart and home! I arrived at the shelter with my 17 closest feline friends after the SPCA Animal Control officers found that we had been abandoned in an apartment, having had no care for a few days! I was really shy when I first got here but when I warmed up to my new surroundings I proved myself to be a funny, charming girl! I've already made many of the staff members fall in love with me so please come meet me. I'd like to work my charms on you, too!

Visit the SPCA Web Page

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The Friends of the Ithaca Youth Bureau (FIYB) announced Monday that it has received a $1,500 CVS Caremark Community Grant.  FIYB's’s mission is closely aligned with CVS Caremark All Kids Can, the company’s signature philanthropic program committed to helping children of all abilities be the best that they can be in life.  The grant from CVS Caremark will allow children with disabilities to participate fully in the summer camp program operated each year by the Ithaca Youth Bureau (IYB) in Stewart Park and Cass Park.

The funds will support the Ithaca Youth Bureau’s RSS Camp Inclusion Program, which utilizes recreation to promote independence and quality of life for individuals with disabilities.

The Fine Arts 'Word' Boosters; Ellie Hobbie, Anne Hobbes and Linda Loomis; correctly spelled 'bezoar' to win the Ithaca Public Education Initiative (IPEI) Adult Spelling Bee on Sunday, March 3, and have their name engraved on the Fuzzy Bee Trophy. They advanced to the championship words by winning one of four preliminary rounds along with The Discovery Trail, We Spell Krazy Good, and Two Engineers and a German.  At the start there were 24 teams sponsored by numerous businesses, organizations, and individuals.

"We congratulate the Fine Arts 'Word' Boosters who were spelling in the ninth bee, and all participants who joined together in Ithaca High's Bliss Gym. Yet, the real winners are the students and teachers of the Ithaca schools since IPEI is focused on enhancing educational opportunities," expressed Jennifer Engel, IPEI's vice president.

High School Student Awarded HOBY Honor

Meeta Shrivastava is the 2013 winner of the HOBY (Hugh O’Brien Youth Leadership)Award.  The vision for HOBY is to motivate and empower individuals to make a positive difference within our global society through understanding and action based on effective and compassionate leadership.

The core values of HOBY are volunteerism, excellence, organizational integrity, diversity, innovative thinking, community partnering, and lifelong learning leadership opportunities.

Conflicting information from various sources has done a good job of confusing the general public about what the risks of sequestration might be, what impact it might have on our local economy, and specifically how it will affect aviation at our regional airport.

I want to assure you that it is business as usual at the Ithaca Tompkins Regional Airport. As always, safety, service and convenience are our goals and even though there is uncertainty about sequestration and what it really means, we will continue to service this community with safety always as our top priority.

The Tompkins County Youth Services Department, along with community partners, has completed a needs assessment of residents between the ages of 0-24 to identify current trends, needs and resources. Youth Services Director Amie Hendrix presented highlights of the findings to the Tompkins County Legislature at its March 5 meeting.

The needs assessment is a rich source of information about the status of youth in Tompkins County and will be used for planning not only by the Youth Services Department but also by other private and public entities.

Last weekend The Ithaca Sciencenter began celebrating its 30th anniversary.  The Sciencenter has come a long way in those three decades, morphing from a volunteer-run organization with portable exhibits to a full fledged museum that not only creates its own exhibits, but sends them to other museums as well. 

"We're trying to inspire kids.  We take that very seriously," says Sciencenter Executive Director Charlie Trautmann.  "We can do what the schools can't.  We don't necessarily have to teach them how to do the science.  We provide the props -- our exhibits -- for kids to learn and families to talk to each other about."

Hi! I'm Ruthie! I am a wonderful Shepherd mix who came to the SPCA as a stray. I'm wiggly, happy, and just brimming with playful energy! Because of this, I would be best at a home where I can get plenty of exercise. Not much is known about my previous life, but the folks at my shelter home think I must have had a rough beginning and therefore need socialization to help me learn the world isn't a scary place. I could also use a dog savvy home to help continue my manners education the kind folks at the SPCA have begun with me.

Visit the SPCA Web Page

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