TompkinsWeekly for the week of January 12th

Download the newspaper in Acrobat Format Here Climate Activist Takes a Hike Charles “Greenrider” Chandler, a climate activist, retired engineer and grandfather from Fort Bragg, Calif., is currently on a 22-day, 220-mile hike around Cayuga and Seneca lakes. He has created a GoFundMe website (www.gofundme.com/silentwinterhike) to raise money for We Are Seneca Lake (WASL), a group dedicated to preventing the storage of highly pressurized natural gas and liquefied petroleum gases in abandoned salt caverns adjacent to Seneca Lake. Full Story »   Legislature Leadership Reelected The Tompkins County Legislature voted to retain Michael Lane as chairman and Jim Dennis as vice chairman at its 2015 organizational meeting on Jan. 6. The two positions are filled each year by a majority vote of legislature members. Full Story »   Remembering when boats played a vital role in local commerce page 2 Last week, as part of First Friday Gallery Night, the Tompkins County History Center unveiled the second installation of “Captains, Commerce, and Community: The Impact of the Erie Canal on Tompkins County,” with a focus on boats and boat-building in the area. The first installation, which opened in September, showcased commerce, while the last installation, which will run until June, will explore the lives of travelers and community folk. Full Story »   Discovery Trail sees KDT as a priority page 3 Imagine: A program where elementary school students discover the world—here in Tompkins County—and gain experiences that inspire them to become more engaged students, better critical thinkers and lifelong learners. Full Story »   The most noteworthy films of 2014 page 7 As a rule, this writer doesn’t go in for “best of the year” lists. When it comes to movies, the exercise verges on the pointless, because many of most prestigious releases don’t even arrive in Ithaca until early the following year—and who wants to read about “the best of 2014” in March of 2015? Nor do the 35 to 40 movies reviewed here in a typical year amount to more than a tiny fraction of what should be considered. Full Story »   Teacher grants are awarded by IPEI page 8 The Ithaca Public Education Initiative (IPEI) has awarded 17 Teacher Grants totaling $25,000 for projects to be carried out during the 2014-15 school year. The grants are designed to enhance learning for some 1,700 Ithaca City School District (ICSD) students. Full Story »