Archive: Around Town

The Sciencenter partnered with Beverly J. Martin Elementary School to honor and celebrate the legacy of educator and community leader, Beverly J. Martin. Beverly J. Martin's work spanned four decades as a teacher and principal of Central Elementary School. She was an inspirational presence, receiving numerous national and local awards. Martin offered a home for a science activity program at Central School, which was the inspiration for what eventually became the Sciencenter.

The celebration was kicked off at Beverly J. Martin Elementary School the afternoon of Thursday, April 11th. A plaque for Martin, which would become a part of the Sciencenter's Wall of Inspiration, was unveiled to attendees. Students also presented various science projects they worked on during the presentation, and Sciencenter educators engaged students with a liquid nitrogen demonstration.

Photo courtesy of British LibraryAs the world watched on Monday afternoon, a large fire broke out at the historic Notre-Dame Cathedral, causing the spire to collapse onto the roof. Laurent Ferri, the curator of the pre-1800 Collections in the Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections at Cornell University, the former 'conservateur du patrimoine' at the French National Archives, says the destruction of religious relics and rare works of art is a loss for all of the world.

"This is a tragedy," Ferri says. "Notre-Dame de Paris is a magnificent and iconic cathedral, built for the most part between 1160 and 1260. The cathedral was the setting of very important historical events, notably Napoleon's coronation in 1804. On April 26, 1944, a special mass attended by general de Gaulle was held in the cathedral to celebrate the liberation of Paris from the Nazis. Of course, destructions have occurred in the past, but it looks particularly catastrophic this time.

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced Taste NY sales increased to a record $17.8 million in 2018. Total gross sales of New York products from Taste NY events and locations last year, including the opening of six brand new Taste NY Markets in Welcome Centers across the State, increased by $1.7 million over the previous year. The continued year-over-year growth reflects increasing consumer demand for local food and beverage products.

"Taste NY continues to provide unprecedented support to our farms and food and beverage businesses, further bolstering the agricultural and tourism industries that are so critical to local economies across the state," Cuomo said. "New York is proud to connect consumers across the globe with fresh, locally grown products and we will continue to empower our farmers, growers and producers to expand their businesses while promoting tourism in every corner of this great state."

Since 2011 the 'Concert in the Courtyard' has been the tradition at Lansing High School, a fundraiser for Lansing Theater and Performing Arts Booster Club (LTAPA).  But you can't have a concert without a courtyard, and the high school courtyard is unavailable this year, in part because of construction, and in part because there isn't much courtyard left with the new chorus room filling a large part of the space.  So LTAPA is creating a new tradition that showcases Lansing performing artists.  The 1st annual 'Lansing Talent Showcase' will feature the talents of students, teachers and Lansing community members.

"We were trying to keep it to students and maybe faculty," says LTAPA member Denise Robinson. "But then we expanded it because this is our first year.  We wanted to get as many people involved as possible to get it going."

By Adam Kramarsyck

Hello there! My name is Jum. I'm named after the gorgeous beauty mark on my chin. I'm a pretty shy fella so please let me approach you. That doesn't mean that I don't like attention though! In fact, I'll likely come plop down in your lap for some snuggle time. I'd prefer to be an only cat with lots of human love.

Visit the SPCA Web Page

v15i14

Many exciting events are happening at the Lansing Community Library. Story time and board games, T'ai Chi and book club, youth computer coding, public presentations and digital assistance; a variety of programs are offered to interest all ages. Children's creations with marshmallow peeps make an appearance later this month. A book sale is happening in June. The awesome summer reading program begins soon. This summer, the library is also acting as a distribution site for a Summer Lunchbox program.

"Every kid should be looking forward to summer!" is the theme of the campership program that began last summer with the vision and leadership of Linda Pasto. Scholarships to Myers Park day camp are offered to families identified by teachers at the Lansing schools. fifteen students were able to enjoy a week of summer camp last year thanks to the Lansing PTSO, donations to Lansing Recreation, and the Kevin Snyder Memorial Fund. This summer, thanks to school board member Susan Tabrizi, a food component will be added to the campership program.

The Fine Arts Booster Group announced summer music scholarships awarded through the Rella and Barney Cohn Music Scholarship Fund. Established by Abby Cohn in memory of her parents, and in honor of the excellent music education available in the Ithaca City School District (ICSD), the fund will provide more than five music scholarships for summer study through the Ithaca Youth Bureau (IYB) Summer Band and Orchestra Program. The Rella and Barney Cohn Music Scholarship Fund is administered by IPEI with assistance from the Fine Arts Booster Group (FABG) and the Ithaca Youth Bureau.

Michael W. Allen, Boynton Middle School Band Director and Director of the IYB Summer Music Program, notes "The scholarships are a gift from their daughter to the youth in our community.  I am very thankful for these scholarships that allow students who might not otherwise be able to participate in the Summer Bands and Orchestra at Cornell University's Lincoln Hall. It's a great opportunity to be part of this special program."

The Ithaca Lions Club and Ithaca Free Clinic have formed a partnership to establish and operate an optometry and optician program to be housed at the Ithaca Free Clinic located at 521 W. Seneca St. in Ithaca. The Ithaca Lions Eye Clinic will offer free eye care services to Ithaca and the greater Ithaca community. The clinic will operate one day each month, providing free eye care services to uninsured and underinsured community members. The Ithaca Lions Eye Clinic will open on Wednesday, April 17, 2019.

Since 2006, the Ithaca Free Clinic has delivered free health care services to our community through 100% volunteer providers. In keeping with this volunteer-driven model, licensed optometrists and opticians in our community will perform free eye care services in the Ithaca Lions Eye Clinic. Members of the Ithaca Lions Club will volunteer to support the eye clinic throughout the month, provide management support of the eye clinic, and provide capital to operate the service. This ongoing Lions Club service project is a benefit to the Ithaca community because it provides free eye exams and eye glasses to uninsured and underinsured individuals in need of affordable and quality eye care.

Judy Drake, Don Barber
The Greater Tompkins County Municipal Health Insurance Consortium Board of Directors has appointed Elin Dowd as its first full-time Executive Director. Ms. Dowd will join the management team of the Consortium as its Chief Executive Officer as of April 15th.

Dowd most recently served in the Tompkins County Department of Human Resources, first as a consultant, then as HR Program Administrator. Elin's career includes positions of leadership in for-profit, non-profit, and public sectors. In addition to focusing on strategic planning and process improvement, Elin has worked for third party benefit administrators, managed large health care self-funded plans, and assisted in the administration of benefits for Tompkins County.

From the rooftops of New York City to the sidewalks of inner-city Buffalo, urban farms are sprouting vegetables, fueling businesses and helping grow vibrant communities across the Empire State. Working these small plots are farmers young and old, from backgrounds as diverse as their agricultural needs and challenges.

Specialists from Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) are helping urban farmers make the most of confined spaces and unique growing conditions.  In New York City, CCE Harvest New York urban agricultural specialists Sam Anderson and Yolanda Gonzalez travel from their Brooklyn office by bus, subway and ferry to deliver educational programming and on-site technical assistance in all five boroughs to commercial vegetable growers and nonprofits operating urban gardens.

You're driving on Triphammer Road, thinking about something that happened at work, or your kids, or your parents, or that jerk that cut in line at the mall.  You're not paying attention to your speed because you are used to all those years when the speed limit was 55.  Suddenly you see flashing numbers and you realize that you are well over the 45 miles per hour speed limit, and you immediately hit the brakes to slow down.  That's what most people do when they see radar speed signs.  And you may not have realized that the signs are collecting statistics on speeding that may impact municipal intervention like new stop signs, crosswalks, signage, or sidewalks, like a potential sidewalk project on Dart Drive that could cost taxpayers over half a million dollars.

"We know there are some fairly high speeds," Said Mayor Donald Hartill Monday. "We want to see what the distribution looks like."

By Adam Kramarsyck

Hello, my name is Bettina! I am a sweet middle aged lady with a very special face! I like pets on my head (not so much near my tail) and I have a purr that rivals all others! I'm also a social eater that looooves junk food! Can you picture it? You with a bag of McDonalds, me with a plate of meow mix and an afternoon on the sofa just vegging out and bonding? Sounds like my kind of party! I just want a loving home. How about yours?

Visit the SPCA Web Page

v15i13