Archive: Around Town

Historic Ithaca and the City of Ithaca have received a $367,000 New York State grant for exterior restoration of the Cascadilla Boathouse in Ithaca's Stewart Park.

Announced in December 2018, the funds were awarded from the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation/Historic Preservation Development program as part of Governor Andrew Cuomo's highly competitive Regional Economic Development Council (REDC) Initiative. The Cascadilla Boathouse grant was one of 101 projects funded to the tune of more than $65 million through the Southern Tier Regional Economic Development Council; nineteen Tompkins County cultural, economic, and quality-of-life projects received more than $4 million in REDC grants.

With over a foot of snow dumped on Lansing over the weekend, most of us probably thought about plows and snow shovels in the aftermath. I spent some time in our yard while the sun was out Tuesday and saw quite a bit of beauty to photograph!

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The Lansing-Ithaca Rotary Club held its third Grocery Store Run December 12 at Lansing Market to benefit the Lansing Food Pantry. $2400 was raised for the Lansing Food Bank through the sale of raffle tickets. Cornell Sprint Football Team Coach Willie Evans was the winner.

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If you have been flying recently you probably noticed that TSA agents are on the job, providing security at the Ithaca Tompkins Regional Airport.  About 15 local TSA agents man the airport, and while it is business as usual at the check-in line, they are not getting paid because of the partial federal government shutdown that exceeded the record for federal shutdowns at 34 days (today) and counting.  Lansing Food Pantry Director Toni Adams decided to do something about it.  She reached out to Lansing Town Supervisor Ed LaVigne, who put her in touch with Airport Director Mike Hall with the result that the Food Pantry has been providing food fr TSA agents who choose to avail themselves of the service.

"This has been phenomenal, even to the point of offering to meet on individual basis to help them out," says Hall. "From a practical point of view it's not like having your salary.  But from the standpoint of a moral point of view, a support point of view, making the agents feel like they're valued, it's terrific.   was talking with them yesterday and they all said how much they appreciate it.  Not all of them have taken advantage of it, but they all appreciate it.  As a gesture from the community it's absolutely terrific."

Dear Margaret: A friend of mine recently turned to religion and will no longer associate with me. She preached to me and invited me to attend her church for several weeks. After my kindly refusals, she has given up on me converting to her way of worshipping and apparently our friendship. She and I were close and I came to depend on our friendship. This has really thrown me off course. I don't know if there is anything I can say or do, short of converting to her religion, which can repair our relationship. And I definitely do want to resume our companionship. How can I best resolve this problem?
Torn

Aurora, NY- Wells College Has Named Charles Kenyon As Interim Dean Of Students, To Serve In That Capacity Through The 2019–2020 Academic Year. As Interim Dean, Kenyon Will Provide Leadership In All Areas Of Student Life, Including Activities And Programming, Residence Life, And Diversity And Inclusion. He Will Begin His Position On Feb. 4, 2019.

Kenyon Comes To Wells With An Extensive Background In Managing Student Affairs And Student Development Programs. He Served As Associate Vice President For Student Affairs And Dean Of Students From 2003 Through 2017 At The State University Of New York College At Buffalo, Where He Was Responsible For Student Developmental Services, Student Conduct Management And Division-Wide Assessment And Planning Efforts. In That Role, He Supervised The Offices Of Student Judicial Affairs, Career Development, Counseling And Health Services, As Well As Programs For Disabled Student Services, Volunteer And Service Learning And Three Pre-College Programs.

I had a great time taking photos of some of the exhibits at the Corning Museum of Glass. I highly recommend planning a visit to make a glass project, tour the museum, and stop by their gift shop!

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By Doug Scott

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 and looking for a calm home where she can take her time getting used to the new environment. Ava is shy at first, and likes to retreat to a hiding spot like her carrier, 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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The Sophie Fund on Thursday applauded New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo's 2019 "Justice Agenda" for including a proposal to strengthen suicide prevention infrastructure through state and local partnerships.

"While there is much still to be done, we truly thank Governor Cuomo for his commitment to preventing suicide in our state and for taking concrete actions in order to do so," said Scott MacLeod, a co-founder of The Sophie Fund. "The governor understands the importance of addressing this challenge at the community level and with results-oriented strategies."

Dear Margaret: I'm recently engaged to a woman with two small, pre-school children. I feel close to these boys and think they feel the same about me. The problem comes when it's time to discipline them. Neither of us believe in aggressive, physical discipline, just to take that off the table. However, if I even raise my voice when they are misbehaving it causes a rift between my fiancé and me. I think this is something that can get pretty tricky as our relationship and marriage progresses, but I don't know how to approach it without causing a heated argument.
Caught in the Middle

In its ongoing anti-bullying and Social Emotional Learning (SEL) initiative this year, Lansing School Superintendent Chris Pettograsso updated the Board of Education Monday on a series of 'community conversations' the district is hosting on topics related to bullying.  Pettograsso said the first of the series was to be held yesterday.

"About a month ago we found out one of the barriers was that we are all coming with different levels of education around mental health, around what bullying means, around the dignity act," she said. "So we're providing a series of educational community conversations for the public.  Starting on January 17th we will have a New York State Dignity Act and anti-bullying presentation by Don Budman. He gave the same presentation for our committee."