TompkinsWeekly for the week of April 20th

Download the newspaper in Acrobat Format Here Town Targets Tainted Water In the heart of Jacksonville, on State Route 96, lie several vacant lots. Houses once stood on those lots— Greek revival and cottages— where families resided and children played with neighbors. Full Story »   IC Adjuncts File Union Petition Part-time faculty at Ithaca College have filed their petition with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to join Adjunct Action, a project of Service Employees International Union (SEIU), Local 200 United. Full Story »   Visiting artists/activists help create a tribute to migrant workers page 2 Public works of art can be beautiful, inspiring, informative and promote positive social change. Some do all of these things and more, and that’s the case with a recently completed mural on the walls of The Classrooms@GreenStar at the corner of West Buffalo and North Fulton streets in Ithaca. Full Story »   Charter Days is a towngown celebration page 3 The statues of Ezra Cornell and Andrew D. White face one another across the Cornell University Arts Quad, polarized by time and individual character. Each year, freshly- painted foosteps trace the immortal moment when, as Cornell legend has it, the two founding patriarchs rise from their pedestals, stride stiffly toward one another, and offer congratulations on the continued chastity of their citadel of higher learning—that is, should a virgin cross the quad at midnight. Full Story »   Local heroes recognized by the Red Cross page 8 The American Red Cross of Cortland County and the American Red Cross of Tompkins County honored 13 people and two dogs for their heroic actions during the past year at the fifth annual Real Heroes Breakfast on April 15 at Great Peak Mountain Resort in Cortland. Full Story »   Spring Writes puts the focus on local literary luminaries page 9 Writers, readers and book-lovers will all be busy April 30 through May 3, as the Community Arts Partnership presents the 2015 Spring Writes Literary Festival. Full Story »   The many benefits of composting page 10 Composting turns food scraps, grass clippings and dead leaves into a garden resource. By reusing all the nutrients in organic matter, the compost process diverts refuse from the landfill and creates a reusable byproduct in the process, beneficial to your garden and the planet. Full Story »