Archive: Around Town

Hey there, my name is Clarabell. I am a six-month-old domestic shorthaired/ mix. I'm a gorgeous girl who is looking for a loving home, so please come and visit me at the SPCA to see if I'm the right cat for you!

Visit the SPCA Web Page

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After driving by the East Shore Skate Park numerous times the Osbornes finally decided to see what it was all about.  The former grocery store looked shabby and unwelcoming, in stark contrast to the beautifully kept historical Rogues Harbor Inn it shares a parking lot with.

"I live in Lansing, and my wife and I have driven by this building numerous times," Derek Osborne says.  "About four months about we decided to stop in to see what it's about, and we thought it was a nice place for kids to come to.  But later we said, 'I don't think I would drop my daughter off there because it looks pretty bad.  It looks like a rough place.'  We thought that was sad.  We thought this place could look a lot better and maybe more kids would come."

You could say that a bunch of drug dealers were operating in the Lansing Town Hall Saturday right under the nose of a Deputy Sheriff.  But instead of selling drugs, these dealers were collecting them.  53 people dropped off enough medications to fill three and a quarter garbage bags Saturday in Lansing alone.  Lansing was one of three drop-off points in Tompkins County for safe medication disposal.

"This is about the fourth collection we've done," explains Lifelong's Executive Director Diane Dawson, who led about a half dozen volunteers in Lansing.  "We've collected 4,100 pounds of medication, keeping them out of harms way away from young children, the elderly, keeping them out of the environment, out of landfills, out of compost.  It's a great community-wide effort."

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It was August 1981.  A train was hurtling through the darkness on an overnight run from Germany to Austria.  Victoria Stiles, a native of Germany, had settled into her compartment and was fast asleep.

“I was hogging the whole compartment. I had drawn the curtains and pulled out the seats, creating a huge bed for me and myself.  Around three in the morning I heard a loud scratching on the glass window and I yelled, ‘It’s occupied!’”

The person desperately searching for a place to rest was Milan Croata from Croatia. It’s a long story but suffice it to say that the two were married (to each other!) on December 30, 1982 and are now the happy co-owners of the Waterwheel Café in Freeville.

Hey there my name is Violet. I am a three-year-old domestic short haired/ mix. I'm a gorgeous girl who is looking for a loving home. Please come and visit me at the SPCA to see if I'm the right cat for you!

Visit the SPCA Web Page

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The Corporate Development Committee (CDC) of Lansing celebrated a crystal anniversary Saturday when it hosted its 15th annual auction and dance at the LakeWatch Inn.  The auction is CDC's main fundraising event, with the proceeds targeted at purchasing technology for the Lansing schools.  This year's auction grossed $27,648.  CDC members estimate that net donations will amount to between $22,000 and $22,500 for the evening.

CDC works closely with lansing School staff and teachers to determine what technology is needed, and then sets out to fund it.  Since it was founded in 1996 CDC has raised over $500,000.  Last year alone the organization purchased sensors, probes, software and data acquisition hardware used in Lansing science classes, fully equipped two Project Lead The Way computer laboratories, and funded two $1,000 scholarships for a male and female student planning a career in technology.

The Ithaca Board of REALTORS® PR committee organizes and sponsors a raffle every year to benefit a local not-for-profit organization.  This year, The Learning Web Youth Outreach Housing Scholarship Program was chosen to be the recipient of all proceeds raised from raffle ticket sales.  The raffle was a huge success and raised $2000 to benefit the Learning Web.

The check was presented to the Learning Web on Monday October 3rd at a modest reception at the Ithaca Board of REALTOR’s office in Community Corners. Members of the IBR PR committee, David Wahl, Co-Chair Kelly Cullen, and Co-Chair Lindsay Hart as well as the IBR Board President Rosemary (Ro) Rukavena presented the $2000 check to Dale Schumacher, Sally Schwartzbach, and Larry Farbman from the Learning Web.

Longmont, Colorado -- Sheriff Kenneth W. Lansing of the Tompkins County Sheriff's Office completed participation in the 101st session of the National Sheriffs Institute (NSI) held in Longmont, Colorado, September 18-24, 2011.  The NSI is the only national executive development program designed for sheriffs.  This no-cost program is co-sponsored by the National Institute of Corrections (NIC) and the National Sheriff's Association (NSA).  Lansing is the first Sheriff of Tompkins County to graduate from the NSI.

"Sheriff Lansing is a leader with vision for the Tompkins County Sheriff's Office," said NSA Director of Operations Fred. G. Wilson.  "It is an honor to have Sheriff Lansing join the more than 2,500 graduates of the NSI since 1973."

Beginning next week, Henry Stark's 'Food and Wine' column will be a weekly feature in the Lansing Star.  The column will appear in this space every week.  

Stark as written day trip articles, food and travel columns, feature articles, and restaurant reviews in the Ithaca area for over a decade. He has contributed food and wine related articles to the Ithaca College alumni magazine, Goodlife Magazine and serves as a columnist for CNY Connected, central NY's public broadcasting station.

Community leaders, friends, and family from all over Tompkins County gathered at Tompkins County Area Development offices Monday for the dedication of the Andrew J. Sciarabba conference room.  Sciarabba is co-founder of the Sciarabba & Walker accounting firm, as well as an active local developer for more than 25 years.  Tompkins Trust Company President & CEO and TCAD Vice-chairman Gregory Hartz made a brief tribute to Sciarabba before a plaque was unveiled.

"For me, early in my career Andy was truly a mentor and someone you looked up to for his leadership," Hartz said.  "That leadership was so centered around economic development. Anyone who knows Andy knows he has committed himself to economic development.  He's a true entrepreneur.  There are many projects around this community that many people don't realize have Andy's involvement in."

Lansing High School presents

A Midsummer Night's Dream

By William Shakespeare

In conjunction with this production, The Lansing High School Drama Club is promoting a "Community Read"  to help our students get excited about reading, Shakespeare, and theatre.  The Lansing Community Council, LTAPA and the PTSO have each pledged financial support to help make this dream a reality.  We are raising money to put an age-appropriate book in the hands of every student in Lansing Elementary, Middle and High Schools.  We will also donate books to the Lansing Community Library.

Help us get the word out about our day-long fundraiser at Barnes & Noble on Saturday, October 1st:

Fundraiser -October 1st, Barnes & Noble: Store Wide Book Fair

We will have a table in the front of the store from 10am until 9pm to promote our program,  sell tickets and pass out stickers to customers.  We will receive a percentage of the total purchase made by any customer sporting a sticker including food, drink - anything in the store.  We will perform the Pyramus & Thisbe scene at 7pm.  Through out the day there will be story reading, face painting, fairies in costume and more.   

All proceeds from this event will go to buy age-appropriate Midsummer Night's Dream books for every student in Lansing Elementary, Middle and High Schools.

READING, BOOKS, SHAKESPEARE - WHAT COULD BE BETTER?

Questions?  Contact:  Karen Veaner

607-592-1386   or  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Thank You for Your Support!