TompkinsWeekly for the week of September 28th

Download the newspaper in Acrobat Format Here New Volunteer Outreach Effort Nationally the number of volunteer firefighters has been decreasing for years, and locally that trend makes it hard for local fire companies to respond to all of the calls. To reverse this trend, MBA students at Cornell’s Johnson School have launched a multi-year study to research why number are declining and to propose ways to recruit more volunteers. Full Story »   Hazards Persist at Ithaca Falls The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is once again removing lead-contaminated soil at the base of the gorge at the Ithaca Falls Natural Area, near the intersection of Lake and Falls streets in Ithaca. This time, the federal agency is taking out some 200 cubic yards of loose stone and lead-contaminated soil from a quarter of an acre of land. Full Story »   City of Ithaca seeks county funding for waterfront parks page 2 Tompkins County Legislators acting as an Expanded Budget Committee last week continued deliberations on County Administrator Joe Mareane’s recommended 2016 county budget, with presentations from six more county departments and agencies. Full Story »   Quilters find inspiration in adversity page 3 One evening in 2003 Aafke Steenhuis heard a loud bang in her front yard and went to investigate. A car had crashed into a large tree, killing two young people she’d known from her West Hill neighborhood. The crash and its aftermath were traumatic experiences for her, but they unleashed a torrent of art in the form of quilts. Full Story »   Local writer has some “Damn Good” stories to share page 5 Reading Steve Lawrence's local column over the years, I never thought of it as a sports column per se, but rather as a community column. Covering triumphs and defeats, births and deaths, personal stories woven with universal truths, Lawrence uses sports as a metaphor for life. The same can be said of his new book, for even as the stories recount very personal tales, they also show how we are all connected. Full Story »   Open Studio dates are a chance to meet the artists page 8 The 2015-16 season of the Community Arts Partnership’s Greater Ithaca Art Trail has begun. The trail’s two October Open Studio weekends, on Oct. 10 and 11 and 17 and 18, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day, give art enthusiasts the opportunity to take a self-guided tour of 37 artist studios that are open simultaneously throughout the county. Full Story »   About women and the choices they make page 9 Now playing at Cinemapolis, “Grandma” is a little movie with a big heart. Paul Weitz’s best film since “About a Boy” (2002), it gives Lily Tomlin not only the lead, but a compelling character to boot. Full Story »   Exhibit spotlights feminist activism page 11 The Wells College String Room Gallery announces the opening of “Practical Work,” a group exhibition featuring historical and contemporary examples of artwork made to advocate for feminist social justice causes. Full Story »