Archive: Around Town

Pet of the Week Hey there my name Is Mittens. I am an adult female gray cat. I am a great cat who needs a home with loving people to take good care of me. Come and visit me at the SPCA today to see if I am the right cat for you.

Visit the SPCA Web Page

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"Before I start my talk tonight I would like to recognize a number of Lansing and Ithaca devoted and outstanding educators who are teaching their students the danger of hate," Fred Voss began at Tikkun V'Or Reform Temple last Friday as the congregation commemorated the 70th anniversary of Kristallnacht, November 9, 1938.  "They are educating them to show tolerance to all human beings, regardless of their color, their race, their religion, sexual orientation, or whatever the reasons are.  I hope this education will one day lead to prevent another Holocaust or genocide in the future."

He could have been referring to himself, except for one difference.  Unlike those teachers, Voss was in Germany on that fateful night, 'The Night of Broken Glass' when so many windows were smashed in Jewish homes and businesses that they sparkled as thousands of Germans simply stood there and watched.

The monuments in Dewitt Park were decked out for Veterans Day this week.  The holiday began as 'Armistce Day' in 1919 when President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the holiday to celebrate the end of World War I.  In 1938 it was codified as a legal Federal holiday to be celebrated on the 11th day of November each year.

In 1953 Kansas shoe store owner Al King wanted to expand Armistice Day to celebrate all veterans.  He convinced his Congressman to sponsor a bill, which was passed and signed into law by President Dwight Eisenhower in 1954.   Congress officially renamed the holiday 'Veterans Day' later that year.

McCune, Ainslie & Associates PT has been a fixture on the corner of Graham and Triphammer Roads in the Village of Lansing for 12 years.  The physical therapy firm has been part of the Tompkins County landscape for well over 20 years, and Tim Ainslie, an Orthopedic Clinical Specialist in Physical Therapy, has spent 22 of them helping people get well here.

In December Ainslie will be moving from Ithaca to Princeton, New Jersey.  "I'm getting ready for change," he says.  "I just found out this week that New Jersey has accepted me as a Physical Therapist (PT), so I will be licensed there.  I plan to continue being a PT, but I am not sure exactly in what role yet."

Sciencenter executive director Charlie Trautmann has been named to a second three-year term on the board of directors of the Association of Science-Technology Centers (ASTC), an international organization based in Washington, D.C. that represents 450 science centers in 42 countries serving over 60 million visitors annually and is dedicated to furthering the public understanding of science among increasingly diverse audiences. Trautmann holds one of 15 international seats on the board and represents small science museums.

In our final installment of our interview with Mbaka Oromo Principal William Kabbis, we talked about his impressions of America and Lansing in particular, about the Internet, and his interaction with lansing school children during his visit here.  Kabbis spent two weeks in Lansing visiting our schools and meeting people here who have contributed to the reconstruction of his school in Kenya.  (Click here for Part 1 of this interview.  Click here for Part 2).

LS: I saw your schedule and you are doing a lot.  Are you they taking you sightseeing?

WK: They are taking me to people I am talking to.  They are also taking me to see beautiful scenery.

I am learning a lot.  By talking to you I am learning a lot.  By seeing those things I am learning a lot.  I am learning from the questions you are asking me.  I am not just answering them.  Every day, by the end of the day I am a different person than I was when I woke up.

If you think that town politics are spooky you should have been at Lansing Town Hall on Halloween last Friday!  Ghosts, goblins, cowboys, super heros, princesses from Lansing Drop-in Center all showed up to divest the Town of candy.

24 trick or treaters arrived at the Town Hall on Halloween morning.   The Drop-in center brings kids to the Town Hall for Halloween every year.  They walked over from the Lansing Community Center, where the Drop-in Center is located, and lined up at town offices for their treats.   When they got back to the Community Center Carol Dornbusch entertained the pre-schoolers with songs and story telling.

This grave stone was seen in front of the old Lansing Central School District Office building on Halloween.  'Rest In Peace' was etched on the grave, placed in front of the troubled building that was recently abandoned for new offices at the elementary school.  Business Administrator Mary june King was the last to move out of the building, following Superintendent Stephen Grimm and the entire district office staff.  The building will be used largely for storage.

Pet of the Week Hey there my name is Kashi.  I am a spayed female calico cat. I am a great cat who needs a home with people who will take good care of me.  Please come and visit me at the SPCA.

Visit the SPCA Web Page

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What would Halloween be without the Lansing elementary school's Fall Parade?  Every year kids from K-6 parade along the track field in costume along with their teachers.  This year saw some spectacular costumes including matching mustard and catchup squeeze bottles, monsters, witches, and even an iPod.