TompkinsWeekly: July 2015

Sunday, July 26, 2015

TompkinsWeekly for the week of July 27th

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Nurturing New Careers at CU
Life Changing Labs (LCL) is a not-for-profit organization started by Peter Cortle in 2011 to support Cornell’s top entrepreneurially minded students. This summer, six “incubator companies” were chosen from 100 applicants, and are using the available resources to get their businesses off the ground. All six companies will present their final product pitch on July 31 in hopes of winning the first place prize of $1,000.

Moth-Stalkers Are on the Prowl
Jason Dombroskie is a flesh-and-blood Golden Guide to the world of insects—and specifically moths. On July 22, the manager of Cornell University’s Insect Collection and coordinator for the university’s Insect Diagnostic Lab led a daylight tour and nocturnal journey into the world of moths

Still no decision on Old Library developer page 2
The Tompkins County Legislature remains unable to reach a decision on selecting a preferred developer for the county’s Old Library property.

Database learns to identify birds page 3
Google learned three years ago that a network of computers could teach themselves to recognize cat faces by watching millions of YouTube stills. More recently, the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, along with the Visipedia research project, enlisted members of the birding community to do something perhaps more useful: to identify 400 common bird species of the U.S. and Canada from uploaded photos.

GrassRoots Festival in pictures page 5
The Finger Laqkes GrassRoots Festival of Music and Dance put on a great show for its 25th anniversary this year.

Dairy to host Farm City Day page 8
Farm City Day celebrates calves and cows and everything in between. The Carey family of Groton will open their farm at 305 Lick Street on Saturday Aug. 1, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Visitors will be able to get up close to the livestock at all ages and stages, from new-born through milking cow.

Looking for clues to a great man’s past page 9
Given that Ian McKellen was announced to play an elderly Sherlock Holmes, not only iconic but hot these days (due to one Benedict Cumberbatch), and McKellen’s star status as both Gandalf and Magneto, audiences might think “Mr. Holmes” (now playing at Cinemapolis) was meant as another summer blockbuster.

Make your voice heard on climate change page 10
You probably believe either or both of the following: Congress will never act on climate; or we have little influence in the matter.

Sunday, July 19, 2015

TompkinsWeekly for the week of July 20th

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East Hill Project Breaks Ground
Years of persistence and patience finally paid off for Josh Lower with the July 13 groundbreaking ceremony for Collegetown Crossings, a six-story apartment complex that Lower has been planning for almost a decade. Dozens of community members came out to celebrate the occasion, with 15 special guests invited to grab a shovel and dig in.

Outdoor Dining a Village Asset
July evening sunlight was shining warmly on the Dey family, of Ovid, as they awaited their meal outside of Little Venice restaurant in Trumansburg, and some of the party enjoyed pints of beer.

Sustainable food policies targeted page 2
Now more than ever, society is becoming more knowledgeable about the food we produce and consume every day. The conversation has grown exponentially from the days of simply examining the benefits of organic versus non-organic produce. Today, we question the impossible-sounding ingredients listed on the package and want to know where the food we purchase comes from. The resounding question these days: Is it local?

County honored again for effective use of technology page 3
Tompkins County once again has been recognized as one of the nation’s top digital counties by the Center for Digital Government and the National Association of Counties (NACo). The award identifies best technology practices among counties nationwide, recognizing leading examples of counties that use technology to improve services and boost efficiencies.

Candidates to run for city council seat page 3
Two candidates have tossed their hats into the ring for the 2nd Ward seat on Ithaca’s Common Council in this year’s local elections.

Local talent on display at Artist Market page 5
This year, art collectors have another opportunity to “See it Live, Buy it Local” at the 25th annual Ithaca Artist Market, held on Friday, July 24, from 2 to 8 p.m. at the Ithaca Farmers Market. The Artist Market fills all 88 booths in a once-a-year event.

Teens on the outside looking in page 8
As the opening sequence tells us, dope can mean drugs, a stupid person, or something cool, fly. And writer/director Rick Famuyiwa’s “Dope” (now playing at Cinemapolis), is more than fly; its smart take on teenage comedy is kissed by a sweet insanity.

A different take on the Sherlock legend page 9
Here’s a puzzle for you: How do you take a dense and sprawling Victorian murder-mystery novel, complete with Gothic moors, ghost dog, creepy butler and the most famous detective in English literature, and stage it with three actors in under two hours? Director Mark Shanahan and his stalwart cast solve the mystery for us with the Hangar Theatre’s family-friendly production of “The Hound of the Baskervilles”.

Sharing is key to an effective transportation strategy page 10
Golden sunshine and sweet summer breezes can bring out our most generous selves. Can a “sharing mood” about transportation bring out the best in our whole community? Here are five ways it already has, and how you can get in on the summer fun.

Sunday, July 12, 2015

TompkinsWeekly for the week of July 13th

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Shared-Use Kitchen Planned
David Hall has big plans for the former Oasis Dance Club, located at 1230 Danby Road. As its new owner, Hall is planning a shareduse kitchen to anchor the space, and is dreaming big about what else this new venture might become.

Survey Tracks Local Youth Trends
Results are in from the fall 2014 Tompkins County Youth Survey, conducted biannually with middle and high school students in Tompkins County’s six school districts. There is good news about county youth in the Survey Summary of Highlights, published recently by the Community Coalition for Healthy Youth.

Legislature approves TC3 budget page 2
The Tompkins Counsty Legislature, by unanimous vote, on July 7, adopted the 2015-16 operating budget for Tompkins Cortland Community College (TC3).

Skate Park expansion is underway page 3
The first public concrete skate park in Central New York is about to become the most up-to-date skate park in this region.

American Ethical Union honors Steingraber page 5
The American Ethical Union has honored Sandra Steingraber, Distinguished Scholar in Residence in the Ithaca College Department of Environmental Studies and Sciences, for her “commitment to rescue our nation’s land, water and people from unsustainable, damaging corporate practices.” Steingraber was presented with the 2015 Elliot-Black Award at the organization’s national assembly on June 29.

Friendship blooms under difficult conditions page 9
For the first 10 minutes of “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl” (currently playing at Cinemapolis), I wanted to bolt the theater. With chapter titles, ironic voice-over narration, a dad who is a stay-at-home sociology professor dressed like a Pacific Islander and whipping up exotic meals, the movie seemed to scream low-rent Wes Anderson. Self-consciously precious, but without Anderson’s inimitable style.

Wind power and energy independence page 10
Did you know wind turbines are being designed and manufactured here in Tompkins County? At Weaver Wind Energy, we are rethinking energy distribution and creating a sustainable business model in the process. Weaver Wind is dedicated to the creation of reliable small wind systems and every one of our machines is designed and assembled in the Village of Freeville, just a few minutes from Ithaca.

Monday, July 6, 2015

TompkinsWeekly for the week of July 6th

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Plans in Place for Emergencies
In Enfield a map is being assembled of farms in the town, and what equipment they could offer in the event of an emergency. In Ithaca firefighters have been trained to do ice, water and rope rescues. In the Town of Ulysses and the Village of Trumansburg officials and responders are updating a joint emergency plan.

Deadlock on Old Library Site
The Tompkins County Legislature is currently deadlocked on a decision selecting the preferred developer for the County’s Old Library site.

Local woods are touted for lumber page 2
Work by local residents shows that many trees overlooked in our forest have valuable lumber as well as other special uses; recognition of the value of these woods could add incentive for protecting the diversity of the forest—diversity that is critical to the health and long-term survival of the forest.

Marriage equality celebration planned page 3
The June 26 decision by the U.S. Supreme Court that legalized marriage in all 50 states regardless of gender or sexual orientation set off an explosion of rainbow colors in public and on social media everywhere. The White House, Cinderella Castle at Disney World and Niagara Falls were among the many landmarks lit with rainbow colors to mark the occasion.

Defibrillator program launched page 5
As part of its ongoing commitment to community health and safety, Tompkins County government has launched its new Public Access Defibrillator program, installing automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in all County facilities, and training more than 100 County staff to operate the devices and perform CPR for those who suffer sudden cardiac arrest.

What if our feelings had feelings? page 8
There is a meme traveling Facebookland which begins “Pixar 1995: What if toys had feelings?” and continues on with bugs, monsters, etc, ending with “Pixar 2015: What if feelings had feelings?”

Sex and angst and rock ‘n’ roll page 9
It’s a timeless and painfully familiar story: children reach teenagehood, their hormones seethe, their changing bodies betray the desires they’ve barely come to understand and they must make their bumpy way to adulthood in a world where adults don’t seem to have a clue. Add to that the quality of late 19th century sex education and it’s a wonder the children don’t burst into flames of righteous teen angst (not to mention utter confusion) on the spot.

Documenting the fight against environmental racism page 10
This is the third essay on the topic of environmental racism in this series. The first appeared in Tompkins Weekly on Dec. 8, 2014, and the second on Jan. 26, 2015. Both were based mostly on the United Church of Christ’s reports linking toxic waste and race, the first one published in 1987, then updated in 2007.

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