Archive: Around Town

[ITHACA, NY] The Tompkins County Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce the official opening of Friedman Electric at 245 Cecil Malone Drive. An official ribbon-cutting ceremony will take place Tuesday, August 29th at 10:00 AM.

In business for over 65 years, the independent family owned company has locations through out Northeast and Central Pennsylvania including Scranton, Wilkes Barre, Exeter (its headquarters), Stroudsburg, Hazelton, State College, Bloomsburg, Selingsgrove, Brodheadsville, Athens and Bethlehem. The Ithaca location at 245 Cecil Malone Drive features a 3,000 square foot lighting showroom for consumers, designers, architects and contractors, 6,500 square feet of warehouse space and a large counter area for electrical parts and products serving electrical contractors

Bound For GlorySomeone once told Phil Shapiro that he is a maker of magic.  "I like to make magic," he says.  "It's an important part of my life.  I've never been rich, but I've never been looking for dollars.  I've always been looking for magic."  He says part of that magic is bringing a community together, which explains why this Sunday has been declared 'Bound For Glory Day' by the City of Ithaca and Tompkins County.

Shapiro is celebrating the 40th anniversary of the show's first broadcast on WVBR with a special broadcast from Anabel Taylor Hall on the Cornell campus.  Shapiro's guest performer will be Josh White Jr., son of the great blues master, Josh White.  White does contemporary folk, as well blues, including his father's songs.  This special show will include local luminaries who will be on-air between 9:00 and 9:30 between White's sets.

For the seventh year Hurf Sheldon took a week off from work to teach sailing.  He brought it on himself.  "It started many years ago when I asked Steve Colt if we could have a sailing program and he said, 'We should.  When are you going to start it?'" Sheldon recalls.  But it must have been a good idea, because even the weather has cooperated.

There was a lot of excitement when the winning raffle ticket was picked.  The prize was a 1988 Saab Convertible, Turbo in excellent condition that has been displayed around town all summer.  While 200 $50 tickets were available, only 121 had been sold, so the odds had improved.  175 $50 tickets had also been sold for a second raffle with a $2,500 prize.  And a third raffle promised 50/50 - half for the winner and half for the Lansing Community Library Center (LCLC).

The area around the Lansing Residential Center in South Lansing was speckled with State Police vehicles Sunday when four 16 year old girls escaped from the limited security facility that serves court-placed delinquent girls.  The girls bolted while being escorted between buildings soon after 10am, running across the street and across a field toward Armstrong Road.  Two of the girls, Deanna Diaz of Brooklyn and Kristina Cardinal of Remsen, NY, were captured almost immediately by Residential Center staff.

"The next big action will be lowering Pyramid Drive," says Village of Lansing Mayor Don Hartill.  Workmen will dig out the road as much as a couple of feet with an excavator.  Hartill says 123 loads will be taken out so the road can be properly graded and enlarged to a five lane road from Triphammer Road to the Tops entrance.  "They're going to close it, period," he said.

Ask IMOAsk IMO

 Lansing's Advice Column

Dear IMO,

Our daughter is preparing to head off for her first year of college. My wife and I are considering the purchase of a used car. This will allow our daughter to drive the four hour trip when she wanted or needed and give us a break from the long drive. We discussed this idea with her, and she was thrilled . . . that is until she found out it would be a used Volvo wagon.

We told her the car was safe and would handle the wintry road conditions. She expressed her gratitude for the idea, but wanted to get something sportier and asked if she could take the money for the Volvo add some of her own, and buy a used car more to her liking. Her mother and I are opposed to this decision, and are looking for some advice and ways to convince her that the Volvo is the way to go.

Sincerely,
Bob

Pet of the WeekHi I’m Cliff, a male hound mix. I am playful and loving and I love to go for long walks. I was brought to the spca because someone in my family developed some allergies to me. It would be better if there weren’t any cats in my new family because I like to play chase and they don’t. please come and visit me at the S.P.C.A.

Visit the SPCA Web Page


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Pet of the WeekHi I’m Baby! I am really an adult black cat. But I am not bad luck that’s just a myth. I am a small girl who is a very cute cat. So please come and meet me at the S.P.C.A.

Visit the SPCA Web Page


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Ithaca … Animal lovers and compassionate hearts are invited to a candlelight celebration of the lives saved since the Tompkins County SPCA became a No Kill animal shelter on Wednesday August 16th from 8:30-9:00pm at the Bernie Milton Pavilion on the Ithaca Commons. Festivities will include prayers, poems, a proclamation from the Mayor of Ithaca, candle lighting, and a few of our animals’ success stories– pets that in other communities might not have been given the second (third or fourth) chance they received here in Tompkins County.

Humane societies and animal organizations nationwide will be holding candlelight vigils on National Homeless Animals Day in August to bring attention to the tragic situation of dog and cat overpopulation. The overpopulation crisis condemns millions of companion animals to death every year. Taxpayer dollars are spent in the millions each year to euthanize homeless and unwanted animals.

Dan SegalTwo of the earliest images I can recall are the silver foil on Hershey's Kisses and the puffy geometry of the Kalmia latifolia flower.  Considering this is a garden column, it's the latter we'll explore here (and I'll resolve the subliminal chocolate craving later).

I have asked many friends and some customers what's the earliest botanical memory they can muster.  What amazes me most is how many people have very early flower and plant memories.  A friend told me recently that as a young boy, he decided for the first time that plants were cool when he discovered a colony of Jack-in-the-Pulpit on his grandfather's property in Pennsylvania. Another friend recalled dim memories of walks on trails with his grandmother, who was an herbalist and showed him wild plants that could be used for all kinds of things, from tea to food to medicine.  A nursery woman who grew up near Philadelphia remembered painting her face with pokeweed fruits.  With any luck, my kids will remember touching the touch-me-not capsules of Impatiens capensis, and the magic of spring-loaded seed dispersal.

Ithaca, N.Y., August 1st, 2006 -- Office Depot announced that the Company would celebrate the opening of its first store in Ithaca on Thursday, August 3, 2006. The store is located at 725 S. Meadow St.

“Office Depot is strongly committed to enhancing the quality of life in the communities in which we conduct business,” said Joe Tompkins, manager of the new Office Depot store. “We are excited to open our first store in Ithaca and very pleased that we can assist these critically important non-profit organizations in their efforts to make a meaningful difference in the lives of children and families in this area.”