Archive: Around Town

Photo Courtesy Wells College
Aurora, NY - Wells College announced Rebecca Haag '74 will be the 2019 Commencement speaker. Haag's long-standing passion for social change and years of professional experience—from advocating for women's rights, to helping those living with HIV/AIDS, to her current efforts on issues of food security and poverty—are sure to bring inspiration to the class of 2019 and many guests in attendance.

Wells' Commencement ceremonies will take place at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 18, 2019 outside the front entrance of Macmillan Hall on the Wells College campus in Aurora, N.Y.

The Alcohol & Drug Council of Tompkins County announced last February that it had secured a site on North Triphammer Road that will be the first in Tompkins County to provide open access addiction treatment services, eventually including a 40-bed medically supervised detox and stabilization unit.  On hearing about the plan, some neighbors in the Village of Lansing approached the Village trustees with fears about the proximity of a detox facility to their homes.  But Alcohol & Drug Council officials say they have been and will continue to be transparent about their plans, and the fears neighbors have expressed may be based on stereotypes.

"I think there is a lot of mis-perception around what that looks like and what that is," says Executive Director Angela Sullivan. "Hollywood hasn't helped us in some ways.  How medically supervised withdrawal and stabilization work is that it is for people with mild to moderate diagnoses of addiction.  People who have serious diagnoses and other complicating medical factors still need hospital-based detox.  I think when people think detox, they thing that hospital-based detox model.  This is a community-based detox model.  That involves a shorter stay in the detox facility.  They receive counseling, connections to resources, and once they become stable they are counseled on employment, education, and other supports and alternative activities to those that they were doing when they came in."

Tompkins County Legislator Mike Sigler told the Town Board Wednesday that the Town of Lansing was awarded a $5,000 grant that will be used to plant trees at Myers Park.

"Stewart park got awarded $10,000 for a study," explained Sigler. "I said that doesn't seem fair that Stewart park gets money but none of the town parks get money.  So I put together a $50,000 program in the last budget.  Every village and town in the County can apply and get $5,000."

If you happened to run into a soothsayer recently who cautioned you to 'Beware the Ides of March' go home (if you're not already there), get back in bed, and hide under the covers until tomorrow.  In the Shakespeare tragedy, Julius Caesar didn't heed the warning, and the next thing he knew Marcus Junius Brutus was stabbing him to death.  The real Julius Caesar died on the Ides of March.  He should have learned from Popeye the Sailor Man that it doesn't pay to have friends named Brutus!

It wasn't always a bad day.  In ancient times, Kalends, Nones and Ides referred to dates in relation to lunar phases.  'Ides' referred to the first full moon of any particular month, usually falling around the 13th, 14th, or 15th of the month.  But when Caesar was assassinated in 44 BC at the age of 55 the Ides of March became infamous.

School Business Administrator Kate Heath told the Lansing Board of Education Monday that district employees will be participating in a wellness challenge .  Heath said she touched base with Lansing's wellness coordinator Melissa Pope to make sure Lansing will be participating.

"Dryden has thrown down the gauntlet for a walking challenge," Heath said. "They have challenged Lansing and Trumansburg in a BOCES-wide district wellness initiative that starts in April and goes into May.  We will compete district to district."

By Adam Kramarsyck

Do you love tortoiseshell cats? Well then why don't you take a look at Ava, a beautiful tortoiseshell girl in black and gold! She's only 5 years old. Ava is shy at first, but if you let her come to you, then you just might get to see her roll over on her side and rub her face against your hand! (It's super adorable!) Ava has been spayed, vaccinated, and microchipped. She would prefer a quiet home without particularly boisterous dogs or children, though a calm sort of either one could be OK. Come visit Ava today!

Visit the SPCA Web Page

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Dear Margaret: I'm dating a guy who is head over heels about me. He's very attentive, showers me with praise and thinks to bring me small gifts every so often. The problem is, he seems to be overly attentive. He wants to be around me all of the time AND gets very jealous if someone else pays attention to me. At first it was flattering. Now it feels creepy and scary. If I even smile at a clerk in the checkout line at the grocery store he starts accusing me of being unfaithful. I don't want to make too much of this, but I also don't want to feel worried when someone of the opposite sex is merely being friendly. How can I approach this subject with him without making a big deal out of it?
With Jealous Boyfriend

Standing from left are Tammy Reese, Anita Vitullo, Dr. Kimberly Townsend, and Lorie Schneider. Seated form left are Margaret Robson, Holly Adams, Darlene Endy, and Dorothy Willsey. Not pictured are Mary Smith, DVM and Michela Hugo.

WCNY is announced its seventh annual Makers: Women Who Make America honorees. Ten women were honored March 8, in the Wesleyan Chapel of the Women's Rights Historical Park in Seneca Falls.

The awards first started in collaboration with the PBS documentary "Makers: Women Who Make America." Since then, WCNY has continued the Makers Awards as a way to celebrate the achievements of Central New York women and inspire others to follow their examples. The awards are sponsored by the Lockheed Martin Employees' Federated Fund, Girl Scouts of NYPenn Pathways, Prevention Network, and the National Park Service.

From left to right: Monica Touesnard, Miriam Nussbaum, Suzanne Nussbaum, Jane Jones, Ralph Jones, Steven Manley, Mark Chao
On March 3rd​Annual Spelling Bee IPEI celebrated its 21st annual Adult Spelling Bee at the Ithaca High School Wellness Center Gym.  A crowd of 250 spectators joined the fun as the ​IthacaSTEM Hexaplexes​, sponsored by Westhill Graphics, the designer of this year’s​ Bee program​, won the competition by correctly spelling tintinnabulation, pizzicato and anodyne, among other challenging words. The winning team included Mark Chao, Suzanne Nussbaum and Miriam Nussbaum.

IPEI Executive Director Steven Manley shared, "The generosity of the Ithaca community and its support for education for all our students is made visible through IPEI's grants supporting arts, science, math and cultural learning in every school, and every classroom. We're so proud to be a resource for our innovative teachers." "The IPEI spelling Bee is a highlight of our year and a great way for families, local business and organizations to come together and have fun while showing support for local education."

On Friday, March 1st from 6AM-7PM Dave Ashton and Jen Mattison of Lite Rock 97.3 took over the airwaves for the Wine & Dine Radiothon. Offering a different restaurant and wine or beer pairing every hour to listeners with the highest bid with all the proceeds going directly to the United Way of Tompkins County. Each restaurant had donated a $200 gift certificate and each winery/brewery donated a case of wine or craft beer. The auction raised $5,250.00 has raised over $25,000.00 in the past five years.

"I am thrilled to have been able to continue this community tradition. Our listener support and backing from the many local businesses who donated made this event possible," Ashton says. "The money raised through the Wine & Dine Radiothon for the United Way of Tompkins County will help fund their remarkable work in our local community."

By Adam Kramarsyck

Hi, I'm Athena! I'm black and white and cute all over. I'm only a year and a half old. I love to get attention from humans, especially when it's MY decision,-- typical cat!. I have lived with another cat before and did well, so I might do just fine with a feline friend, given a slow introduction. I'm on a special diet to keep my bladder healthy, but I have no other ongoing health concerns. Are you the special person I've been waiting for?

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