Archive: Around Town

Hey there my name is Cora. I am a three-year-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!


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The Tompkins County community turned out in full force Thursday, June 30, to celebrate TCAT’s recognition as the best public transit system of its size in North America.

TCAT was recently named the 2011 Outstanding Public Transportation System in North America by the Washington, D.C.‑based American Public Transportation Association (APTA). TCAT won in its category (under 4 million annual trips) and the award was based on both quantitative and qualitative data it submitted in April to APTA for 2008, 2009 and 2010.

Ithaca YMCA and Kionix organized the coolest game in town and raised over $35K to help send local kids to camp

The Ithaca YMCA announced that the 19th Annual YMCA-Kionix Kids to Camp Golf Outing raised over $35,000 for kids in Tompkins County. The event, held on June 13, has grown substantially over time and now features over 160 golfers from all corners of the country.  Its purpose is to raise funds for the YMCA’s financial assistance program that supports many local children who would like to attend the Y’s summer camp, Camp Adventure, but whose families cannot meet the program’s full cost.

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When Tompkins County's only K-9 law enforcement dog, Major, passed away his trainer, Deputy Shane Spencer approached Sheriff Peter Meskill, and then Sheriff Ken Lansing about getting a new dog.  With County's budget crisis Lansing couldn't ask the County for funding.  But Spencer had an idea for a donation program.  They got the dog in April to make it in time to enroll in a training program.  Thanks to very generous donations the Department paid for him two weeks ago.

"We are limited as to the things we can do that way being a sheriff's department," Lansing says.  This is one we were able to do legally.  We had to move fast.  We had some money in a donation fund, and we had to get the dog as quick as we could.  Even though that money was there I didn't want to use it unless I had to.  If we had to I would have taken it out of my own pocket."

At 3:00 AM on June 28, a passerby called the SPCA emergency line to report that a dog was tied up outside of the Dorothy and Roy Park Pet Adoption Center. The on-call staff returned to the shelter and discovered a very large young male tan colored Labrador Retriever mix tied to a post with no identification, no information, no food and no water. The dog, underweight at 60 pounds, has been named Mickey and he is currently available for adoption.

This is the second case of animal abandonment at the SPCA in the last few weeks. On June 6, 14 adult cats, crammed into two pet carriers, were left on the doorstep.

In an ongoing effort to promote free and equal access to materials, the Tompkins County Public Library has announced plans to eliminate the collection of fees for placing items on hold.

Effective Friday, July 1, the Library will no longer charge patrons the currently collected fee of 50 cents per transaction to place an item from the Library’s collection or an item requested from one of the Finger Lakes Library System’s 33 member libraries on hold for future pick-up.

TCAT yesterday celebrated a major award from the Washington, D.C.-based American Public Transportation Association that recognizes TCAT as the best public transit system of its size in North America.

The celebration was at TCAT’s facility with music was provided by the popular Ithaca‑based band “Radio London.”

To celebrate the 90th anniversary of the official opening of Stewart Park as Ithaca’s first public waterfront park, the Cayuga Waterfront Trail Initiative, the Tompkins County Chamber of Commerce and the newly-formed Friends of Stewart Park will host a groundbreaking ceremony for the restoration of the Mayor Stewart Memorial Flagpole Garden, followed by a picnic and community party in the Large Pavilion at Stewart Park. The potluck organizers ask that attendees bring your own picnic and supplies. A trowel and gardening gloves are optional.

The Helen Thomas Howland Foundation as administered by the Community Foundation of Tompkins County awarded a grant of $5,000 to the SPCA of Tompkins County for operational support for the SPCA Annex. The SPCA Annex at The Shops at Ithaca Mall is a satellite adoption center which the SPCA opened in May of 2009.

At the time, the SPCA had no budget to operate the Annex yet worked with the Mall to open for two months and find out if it helped with adoptions during the height of kitten season.

Tompkins Trust Company and the Legacy Foundation of Tompkins County honored five local educators with a 2011 Raymond Van Houtte Teacher Award for improving education in Tompkins County.

Recognized in individual ceremonies were recipients Mary Cole, Cathy Moseley, Sandy Duncan, Randi Beckmann and Lana Craig.

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