TompkinsWeekly for the week of July 6th

Download the newspaper in Acrobat Format Here 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. Full Story »   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. Full Story »   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. Full Story »   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. Full Story »   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. Full Story »   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?” Full Story »   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. Full Story »   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. Full Story »