CITY RECEIVES $10 MILLION FOR DOWNTOWN
REVITALIZATION
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COUNTY BACKS CONTROVERSIAL 237-ACRE DRYDEN DEVELOPMENT
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ITHACA COLLEGE HOSTS IZZY AWARDS, HONORING INDEPENDENT JOURNALISTS PAGE 6
ITHACA COMMUNITY CHORUS CELEBRATES
50 YEARS PAGE 17
ANNUAL SPRING BOOK SALE RETURNS THIS WEEKEND PAGE 19
By Philip O’Dell
Attorney General Letitia James filed a notice of appeal April 1 to the New York Court of Appeals, seeking to overturn a March 5 ruling that declared the state’s source-of-income discrimination law unconstitutional.
On April 17, a spokesperson for the New York Attorney General’s Office told the Ithaca Times that the state filed the notice of appeal April 1 in Tompkins County Supreme Court, moving the case to the state Court of Appeals.
The New York Supreme Court’s Appellate Division ruled that the state’s 2019 law violates Ithaca landlord Jason Fane’s Fourth Amendment protection against unreasonable searches.
The notice filed in Tompkins County Supreme Court lists respondents that include Ithaca landlord Jason Fane, Ithaca Renting Company, Fane Enterprises Inc., and associated limited liability companies such as Commons West, Collegetown Plaza, Cityview, Collegetown Center, and Collegetown Court.
State attorneys sued Fane and his firms, Ithaca Renting Company and Commons West, in October 2022, alleging the entities barred residents who rely on housing assistance. According to the filing, the refusal to honor Section
A recent record fair drew hundreds of vinyl collectors and sellers to downtown Ithaca. Design by Kaiden Chandler for the Ithaca Times.
8 vouchers violated the 2019 statutes designed to protect renters from being denied housing because of how they pay rent.
The March 5 appellate ruling examined two decisions out of Tompkins County: a June 2023 dismissal of the state’s claims and a December 2024 judgment, ruling the 2019 state requirement was unconstitutional.
After the ruling, James said her office
By Lorien Tyne
T
he Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (THUD) has awarded $5,101,000 in grants to member organizations of the NeighborWorks network, which includes the Ithaca Neighborhood Housing Services (INHS).
NeighborWorks America is a public nonprofit organization headquartered in New York with nearly 250 partnering members across the country. Since the organization was established by Congress in 1978, it has worked on expanding affordable housing options,
economic development and opportunity and making neighborhoods safer.
INHS is one of 16 member organizations receiving grant funding and has been awarded $398,000. INHS’ mission is to expand affordable housing opportunities for residents in Cayuga, Chemung, Cortland, Schuyler, Seneca, Tioga and Tompkins Counties.
U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), ranking member of THUD, was involved in the development of the FY26 THUD appropriations bill, in which $158 million was allocated to NeighborWorks America, according to a press release from Gillibrand's
was evaluating the decision but stopped short of saying whether she would appeal. “Every New Yorker deserves access to safe and dignified housing regardless of their income or background. Housing vouchers help thousands of New Yorkers stay in their homes, make ends meet, and raise their families,” James said. “My office has always fought to protect New Yorkers’ right to housing. We are reviewing today’s decision.”
Continued on Page 7
office. The enacted bill rejected President Donald Trump’s budget request that proposed an 83% cut to NeighborWorks funding.
“NeighborWorks America is focused on improving the lives of New Yorkers across the state and Americans across the country,” Gillibrand said in the press release. “Their goal is to even the playing field for so many by expanding housing stock, revitalizing neighborhoods, and creating economic opportunities. I worked hard to secure this funding and am thrilled to announce that they will keep on doing critical work throughout New York and beyond.”
com
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By Mark Syvertson QUESTION OF THE WEEK:
“WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE LOCAL BAND?”
NOTE: If readers wish to participate in the Ithaca Times’ Inquiring Photographer column, contact Mark Syvertson at marksyvertsonphotography@gmail.com
By Mikayla Rovenolt
In an April 23 press conference, New York sec. of State Walter T. Mosley announced Ithaca as the Southern Tier’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) grant recipient, awarding $10 million to support downtown housing and economic development.
Moseley also announced the villages of Margaretville and Stamford each received a $4.5 million NY Forward grant.
“Building the foundation and delivering for generations of New Yorkers requires taking actionable measures,” Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a release. “The Downtown Revitalization Initiative and New York Forward programs bring the brightest ideas to life, and the Southern Tier will thrive with these investments in Ithaca, Stamford and Margaretville to increase recreational opportunities and further generate economic growth for their communities.”
The NY Forward grant, signed by Gov. Hochul in 2022, aims to invigorate downtowns in New York’s smaller and rural communities. NY Forward builds on the success of the DRI by adopting the same “Plan-then-Act” strategy.
The DRI grant, launched in 2016 by then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo, provides $10 million to a municipality in each of New York state’s 10 designated economic regions to support downtown revitalization projects.
According to the DRI website, localities must be certified under Gov. Hochul's Pro-Housing Communities Program to receive funding from either the DRI or NY Forward program.
After becoming certified, localities have exclusive access to up to $750 million in State funding, including DRI and NY Forward. Since the launch of the Pro-Housing Communities Program, funds awarded to Pro-Housing Communities throughout the state have supported up to 20,000 more homes. According to the governor’s office, more than 400 communities across New York have been certified. According to a state press release, many projects funded through DRI and NY Forward support Gov. Hochul’s affordability agenda. The DRI has invested in the
creation of more than 5,000 units of housing, more than 2,000 of which are affordable or workforce housing. The programs committed $9 million to 12 projects that provide affordable or free child care and childcare worker training.
The DRI and NY Forward have also invested in the creation of public parks, public art and art, music and cultural ven-
of state routes in Ithaca.
“This is an achievement, make no mistake about it, but I want you instead to think of this as a new beginning for Ithaca,” Cantelmo said. “You're here today to watch the beginning of Ithaca's downtown renaissance. We are going to build hundreds of new units of housing along our west MLK corridor, we are going to nurture our existing businesses, we are going to catalyze new businesses and we are going to create opportunities for the Ithacans of today and the Ithacans of tomorrow.”
“You're here today to watch the beginning of Ithaca's downtown renaissance. We are going to build hundreds of new units of housing along our west MLK corridor, we are going to nurture our existing businesses, we are going to catalyze new businesses and we are going to create opportunities for the Ithacans of today and the Ithacans of tomorrow.”
— Ithaca Mayor Robert Cantelmo
ues that provide free outdoor recreation and entertainment opportunities.
Ithaca has been denied this grant eight times, but Mayor Rob Cantelmo remained hopeful. In his comments during the press conference, Cantelmo said this grant will help revitalize areas of Downtown Ithaca, including housing on W. Martin Luther King Jr St., supporting new and existing business, supporting a new zoning code later this year and aid in the rehabilitation
In a statement from the governor’s office, “this effort builds on more than $400 million in recent public and private investment while addressing pressing needs for housing, retail revitalization and multimodal connectivity. Through the DRI, Ithaca will cultivate a cohesive, arts-driven urban center that fuels innovation, supports local entrepreneurship and secures economic vitality for generations to come.”
“To the committees, to the teams that worked with you, to the consultants, we want to thank you,” Mosley said. “Thank you for making NY Forward and DRI a possibility, something that’s tangible, something that will continue to keep us moving forward as we drive to the future.”
By Philip O’Dell
Following months of public opposition and the developer’s revised plan, the Tompkins County Department of Planning and Sustainability determined the Trillium Woods Farm subdivision, a 237-acre project in Dryden, will not have a signi cant countywide impact if the town implements environmental and agricultural protections.
Town Planning Director Ray Burger said on April 10 that the complete application, including site plans and special use permits, was submitted to the Tompkins County Department of Planning and Sustainability for a 30-day review of potential countywide impacts.
In a formal response letter issued April 17, the Tompkins County Department of Planning and Sustainability determined the proposed subdivision will not have a signi cant regional impact. Katherine Borgella, the county’s commissioner of planning and sustainability, informed Town Planner Gina Cassidy that while the Trillium Woods proposed subdivision poses “no signi cant county-wide or inter-community impact,” the department still recommends several conservation measures for the project.
e letter says a cluster development design would preserve the site's extensive natural and agricultural resources. is includes protecting two unique natural areas (UNAs): the Freeville Fire Tree Swamp, which serves as the headwaters for Owasco Lake, and Trillium Woods, which contains rare plant communities.
e Tompkins County Environmental Management Council described the Freeville Fir Tree Swamp as the only site of its kind in the county, containing oldgrowth hemlock and balsam r. e area has historically supported the American globe ower, a species listed as threatened globally and in New York.
e letter says the town can acquire an easement on an abandoned railroad bed on the property to extend the Dryden Rail Trail. It says the eastern portion of the site sits within a priority agricultural resource focus area, urging a design that allows for continued farming on high-quality soils. Residents and two di erent town organizations raised concerns regard-
ing the impact 12 new lots would have on the maintenance of Hile School Road, which is currently partially unpaved and seasonal.
e letter outlines regulatory requirements for future development on the speci c parcels. It notes the presence of NYSDEC wetlands and FEMA ood hazard areas on several lots, which may necessitate state permits, local oodplain permits, or mitigation e orts. e department also advises that any proposed septic systems must be coordinated directly with the Tompkins County Whole Health Department.
Burger said the Dryden Planning Board on April 23 declared its intent to serve as lead agency for the environmental review of a proposed subdivision but delayed further action on the project. Burger said the board will begin considering the sketch plan for the application during its May 28 meeting.
Burger said the planning board will now deliberate the proposal, while the process will involve a sketch plan and public hearings.
“We have a pretty robust subdivision review process,” Burger said.
e developer New York Land & Lakes LLC submitted a revised proposal March 26 for the Trillium Woods Farm subdivision, located at the intersection of Hile
The Samaritan Center of Catholic Charities Tompkins/Tioga has kicked o its annual Soap for Hope collection drive of personal care products. The drive runs through June 8 and collects items that the Samaritan Center distributes throughout the year to clients. Information about donation bin locations and accepted items can be found on Catholic Charities’ Facebook page.
The City of Ithaca announced that the Seneca Street Garage, which closed on April 10 due to safety issues, will remain closed while repairs and long term planning take place. The sidewalks surrounding the garage will be closed until sca olding can be set up to protect pedestrians from any debris coming from the deteriorating building.
School and Ed Hill roads. e plan, represented by Alan Lord Surveying Services, features 18 residential parcels ranging from 3 to 28 acres and utilizes existing roadways to avoid new road construction. e 20-lot total includes an existing home and two conservation tracts: a 10-acre area to protect the trillium woods and a 56-acre wetland parcel to be transferred to the adjacent Wetland Trust Inc.
e revised Trillium Woods Farm proposal outlines a 237-acre site comprising 85 acres of agricultural meadows, 78 acres of mixed woods, and 74 acres of designated wetlands. Located at 172 Ed Hill Road, the property houses a single-family home and a pole barn, with an overgrown former railroad bed running through its western portion.
e land features a New York State Class 1 wetland and two UNAs. While these environmental designations are planning tools rather than legal protections, the developer’s plan seeks to preserve 194.3 acres, or roughly 82% of the total property.
Situated in the town of Dryden’s rural agricultural zoning district, the site could yield up to 60 parcels under conventional regulations if new roads are built. Instead, the developer has proposed a conservation subdivision consisting of 15 building lots on 115 acres, with construction con ned
Tompkins County is accepting applications through May 21 for the 2027 County/City Community Agencies funding request process, which is open to not-for-pro t agencies working in health and human services. This year, the county is prioritizing applications that align with the priorities in the Community Health Improvement Plan, such as nutrition, food security, housing stability, chronic disease prevention and others.
Construction on Stewart Avenue Bridge in the City of Ithaca began on Monday, April 27 and is scheduled to nish in mid November. The construction is for a major rehabilitation of the Stewart Avenue Bridge over Fall Creek, which includes replacing degraded structure, painting, concrete deck, sidewalks and more.
IF YOU CARE TO RESPOND to something in this column, or suggest your own praise or blame, write editor@ithacatimes. com, with a subject head “U&D.”
OF THE WEEK Is the closure of the Seneca Street Garage causing a parking shortage in downtown Ithaca?
Greeny? Visit ithaca.com to submit your response. Continued on Page 7
By Mikayla Rovenolt
The Park Center for Independent Media (PCIM) hosted the eighteenth annual Izzy Awards at Ithaca College on April 22. This year’s Izzy Award “for outstanding achievement in independent media” was shared by one outlet, Texas Observer; journalists Gwynne Hogan and Haidee Chu, writing for The City; and documentary filmmaker Abby Martin and Empire Files.
The winners were honored for undertaking and producing “path-breaking and in-depth investigative reporting” in 2025. This year’s Izzy judges also recognized three outlets for honorable mentions: Prism, 404 Media, and Drop Site News.
The Izzy Award is named after I. F. “Izzy” Stone, the muckraking journalist who launched I.F. Stone’s Weekly in 1953 and challenged McCarthyism, the Vietnam War, racial injustice, and government deceit.
This year’s judges included former PCIM director Raza Rumi, Esther Kaplan, Victor Pickard, Patricia Rodriguez, Robin Andersen, Eleanor Goldfield, and PCIM’s first cohort of student judges, Vivian Rose, Elle Wilcox, Jackie Vickery, Prakriti Panwar, and Ryan Johnson.
The nominations and judging process were overseen by current PCIM Distinguished Director, Professor Mickey Huff, and Marcy Sutherland, PCIM’s Communication and Research Coordinator. After 17 years of service, founding director of PCIM Jeff Cohen retired from the judges panel this year.
The Texas Observer was honored for its reporting about Texas life, including mass overdoses in Austin connected to war on drugs policies in the state; an ICE prosecutor operating a white supremacist X account; and state and federal agencies mislabeling of Venezuelan migrants as Tren de Aragua gang members.
The Texas Observer has been a leading non-commercial, independent print news outlet in Texas since 1954. In 2023, the Texas Observer nearly shut down just shy of its 70th anniversary, but a worker-led crowdfunding effort saved the nonprofit publication.
The Texas Observer also uses its platform to publish first-person writing by those directly harmed by state policies and employs open-source investigative techniques to identify political extremists.
Senior reporter Gwynne Hogan and data journalist Haidee Chu at The City collaborated to make the first reports about ICE’s use of 26 Federal Plaza in New York City as a detention center back in May 2025.
According to a release, this work was acknowledged for its “first-of-its-kind reporting.” Their migrant-centered reporting showed readers some of the first photos of ICE arrests in NYC, capturing the human story of these events. Hogan and Chu revealed that even when migrants were showing up for court dates or immigration check-ins, they risked being arrested by ICE, detained, and deported. If such appointments were skipped, the same migrants were determined “criminals” and subject to deportation.
Hogan and Chu published a series of articles that established facts on the ground and directly led to reforms. Using leaked videos and data analysis, they proved that migrants were being held for days at 26 Federal Plaza in what were considered inhumane conditions, without access to food, lawyers, or bathrooms.
The DHS denied migrants were being held there, but the story showed that by July 2025, 415 people had been held there for two days or more. The City compiled their own database to use as a reference point, drawing details from ground reporting, as well as court records. When a federal judge ordered ICE to curtail such
detentions and improve conditions, he cited the evidence exclusively reported by The City.
Abby Martin and Empire Files were honored for the work on the documentary “Earth’s Greatest Enemy.” This self-produced documentary “establishes the US military as earth’s greatest enemy and its greatest intersectional issue on the global stage.”
While exempt from international climate agreements, the Pentagon is the world’s single largest institutional polluter — spewing carbon, contaminating water, and scarring landscapes across the globe.
The film follows and intertwines the stories of those affected by the US military in their health, their livelihoods, and their protests. Martin traveled across the world, interviewing vendors of military-grade weapons, and attending a meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP). She spoke with many homeless veterans, attended protests organized by veterans, and talked to people with lifelong health conditions caused by U.S. military operations, creating a full picture of the harm caused.
Combining investigative journalism, visuals, and stories from impacted communities, Martin’s film challenges audiences to rethink the hidden costs of a global military empire and its planetary consequences.
Huff inducted Cohen into the Izzy Hall of Fame as its fourth member and first
induction in nearly a decade. Cohen said he was honored to receive the recognition. He served PCIM from 2008 to 2018, during which he was an associate professor in the Roy H. Park School of Communications and an endowed chair.
Cohen was a media critic, columnist and campus lecturer before he arrived at IC. In 1986, he founded national media watchdog FAIR and oversaw its academic studies of balance and diversity in broadcast news. He also helped launch FAIR’s magazine, Extra!, and its radio show, “CounterSpin.”
In the 1990s, he co-wrote the nationally-syndicated Media Beat column; he’s also written columns for major dailies such as Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, USA Today, Arizona Republic, Boston Globe, Miami Herald, Newsday and Oregonian, and online on websites like CommonDreams, HuffingtonPost and Alternet.
Cohen has appeared regularly on national TV and radio and was a political commentator on all three cable news channels. He was senior producer for MSNBC's “Donahue” until it was canceled on the eve of the Iraq war. He is the author or co-author of five books, including “Cable News Confidential: My Misadventures in Corporate Media.”
For more information on the Park Center for Independent Media, visit https:// www.parkindymedia.org/ and www.ithaca. edu/indy.
continued from page 3
The legal dispute originated in 2020 when two individuals seeking housing lodged formal grievances against Commons West. According to the March 5 ruling, the pair claimed the company declined their rental applications solely because they intended to pay with Section 8 assistance.
The March 5 ruling detailed how the property owners contended that being forced to accept Section 8 vouchers required them to consent to warrantless inspections of their properties and records. State attorneys countered that the housing statute does not specifically authorize such searches.
The appellate judges held that a law is unconstitutional if it indirectly pressures
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to 42.3 acres of designated building envelopes.
To mitigate environmental impact, the proposal leaves all wetlands and 100-foot buffer areas undisturbed. The developer plans to donate 56 acres of wetlands to The Wetland Trust Inc. for permanent preservation and set aside 10 acres of trillium woods as parkland. Building envelopes are designed to protect all but 1.1 acres of the existing forest.
The project also maintains 60 acres, or about 72%, of the property’s current agricultural fields for continued farming. According to project documents, land within the building envelopes may remain in agricultural use until construction begins, preserving much of the site's 113 acres of prime and significant farmland.
The revised proposal follows months of opposition from residents and local advisory bodies, including the Dryden Conservation Board, the Dryden Agricultural Advisory Committee, and the Tompkins County Environmental Management Council. These groups voiced concerns that the development could impact the property’s environmental and agricultural integrity.
In a Jan. 12 letter to the Dryden Planning Board, the Tompkins County Environmental Management Council recommended modifications to the project to protect local ecological resources.
individuals to waive their rights to secure a benefit. The court noted that while the state law does not explicitly order inspections, it effectively mandates them by requiring participation in the voucher program.
In 2019, New York amended its State Human Rights Law, prohibiting housing discrimination based on a person's lawful source of income. It includes all forms of lawful income, including government housing assistance, Social Security, child support, alimony, and foster care subsidies. The law holds property owners, brokers, realtors and management companies accountable for discrimination across most housing types, excluding owner-occupied two-family homes, single-sex room rentals, and senior housing.
The New York attorney general’s website says the 2019 law prohibits landlords from rejecting applicants or advertising units with phrases such as “no Section 8/ no DSS/no SSI,” “no payment programs,”
“Every New Yorker deserves access to safe and dignified housing regardless of their income or background. Housing vouchers help thousands of New Yorkers stay in their homes, make ends meet, and raise their families.”
— Attorney General Letitia James
or “apartment has not yet been approved for any vouchers subsidies.” Under these anti-discrimination statutes, property owners cannot deny housing, alter rental terms, or restrict access to shared amenities—such as rooftop terraces—based on a resident's lawful source of income.
The website says prohibited practices include a landlord's refusal to count a family member's Social Security benefits toward income eligibility. Another prohibited act involves broker steering applicants toward inferior units once they disclose their use of housing vouchers. The website says agents may not demand proof of employment as a prerequisite for applying, nor can property owners increase advertised rental rates specifically because a tenant uses government assistance. Evidence for discrimination claims includes photos of applications, copies of written correspondence with property owners and the identities of individuals and companies involved.
No further information regarding the case has been released as of April 27.
To prevent damage to the ecosystem and water recharge areas, the council requested the board exclude the swamp from development and seek a permanent conservation easement. This recommendation would require the removal of three and a half proposed lots.
Regarding the Trillium Woods area, the council stated the site contains the densest population of white trillium in the county. The council advised the planning board to exclude the entire woodlot from the project, noting the current proposal divides the woods into five subsections for sale.
The advisory board maintained that the lot plan overlaps with state and countydesignated wetlands and flood areas. The council requested that both natural areas be managed as non-developable conservation easements by the town or a designated organization.
During a Jan. 27 meeting, the Dryden Conservation Board passed a resolution asking the Planning Board to form a subcommittee to review the Trillium Woods proposal. The resolution recommended the committee include the developer and members from the Planning, Conservation, and Agricultural Advisory boards. This group would evaluate the project's impact on town environmental and economic resources during the State Environmental Quality Review process.
Board members claimed the site is unsuitable for housing because it sits between two of the town’s three active dairy farms. Board members cited potential conflicts with agricultural operations, including the proximity of a new 8-million-gallon
manure lagoon at Beck Farms located 200 feet from the proposed development. The board noted that noise and odors from the 4,000-cow dairy operation and bunker silos would likely lead to resident complaints. Additionally, the project would remove 85 acres of tillable
land, requiring local farmers to travel at least 10 miles for replacement acreage. The board stated this shift would increase operational costs, traffic and pollution, while contradicting town comprehensive plan goals regarding housing density and farmland protection.
By Ithaca Times Readers
Tioga County Public Land Could be Sold to Renewable Energy Developers
“The NYS Senate passed legislation to sell 600,000 acres of NYS forest which is public land to renewable energy developers. The bill is now in the Assembly Standing Committee on Environmental Conservation. There are four cosponsors of Assembly Bill 10483.
The Senate version of this bill eliminates county and public interaction on these contracts.
Senator Rachel May (Syracuse), the sponsor of the Senate Bill states, “Local people often organize to make sure [energy projects] are not on their prime farmland… so there is a push to put these kinds of facilities in places that are out of the way. And that means figuring out a way to get transmission lines through… often through state reforestation lands.”
Tioga County has 10,006 acres being
considered for sale.
This plan could lead to disruption of the intended purposes for reforestation land namely watershed protection and timber production. Environmental effects of these actions are unknown.
State and local communities should be working together to find other sites, such as parking lots, brown fields, rooftops and highway medians for the development of solar farms and other forms of renewable energy.” — Nathaniel Taylor, Spencer NY
“Cayuga Medical Center nurses voted in favor of union representation in February of this year. However, hospital administration has not honored the vote with timely meetings and has held only a single meeting in 3 months. Further, in defiance of federal law, CMC management has interfered with nurses discussing union business in the workplace and from posting union flyers. The hospital administration has continued to obstruct the union even after free and fair elections. We, the community of patients, support our nurses. We trust our nurses to care for us. Can we trust CMC management when CMC management has fought nurses every step of the way in their efforts to secure a safe environment for
both patients and staff?
Nurses’ priorities are the health and well-being of their patients. Why does CMC stand in the way?” — Lee Roy Rogers, Ithaca NY
It Should be Cheaper to Live in Ithaca
“It's very expensive to live in Ithaca. The average value for a home in Ithaca is $346,000. A living wage in Ithaca is now $25 an hour. And the minimum wage is $16 an hour. And to live comfortably is a lot more than $25. Most people in Ithaca make a lot less than the living wage. My point is that it should be cheaper to live in Ithaca. Some people have to work 2 or 3 jobs to support themselves or a family. And teachers can make between $20-$50 normally $20 or lower and that's not normally enough. Most people have to pay way over $600 in bills.” — March Hugo, Ithaca NY
“To the Council and the Office of the Governor:
I am writing to submit a formal objection to the continued allocation of Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) funds within the Southern Tier, specifically regarding the recent $10 million award to Ithaca. Hasn’t New York learned from “Cortland’s Rising?”
*In the mythical context, “Phoenix Rising” refers to the legendary firebird that cyclically dies in a burst of flames only to be reborn from its own ashes. Metaphorically, it describes emerging from a period of intense hardship or failure stronger
and more resilient than before.
While these programs are marketed as community revitalization efforts, they operate as mechanisms of displacement and gentrification. I am formally requesting a stay on the distribution of these funds, as well as the $15 million sought from the Commissioner of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA), based on the following grounds:
1. Failure of Equitable Growth and Community Displacement
The DRI’s “Commerce Through Education” model has prioritized SUNY-driven market expansion at the direct expense of long-term, low-income residents. In Ithaca and Cortland, these developments have created a “land grab” environment where local dwellers are being pushed into homelessness—referred to by some officials as “collateral damage”—while general retail and affordable housing options vanish.
2. Financial Disparity and Utility Crisis
There is a gross misalignment between state spending and local economic reality. Awarding an additional $10 million to Ithaca while neighboring Cortland residents face $1,000 monthly utility bills and a median income at 65% of the state average is fiscally irresponsible. Funding should be frozen until utility protections and rent-burden safeguards (for the majority spending over 50% of income on housing) are established.
3. Lack of Fiduciary Oversight and Conflict of Interest
The prioritization of private property improvements, such as the $2,000,000
By Stephen Burke
Scott Sherwood has a business degree and years of work experience managing people and projects.
He also has years of volunteer service with non-profit organizations aiding people in recovery and in mental health treatment. Along the way he recognized a couple of key elements in the worlds of work and recovery: where they overlap and where they don’t.
“Employment is a major key to any recovery,” Scott said. “It’s a catalyst for personal growth and healing.” But there can be stigma attached to recovery, and employers might consider a worker in recovery a particular risk.
Meanwhile, sometimes a person in recovery will take a job before they’re ready, hurting themselves or the employer.
Scott started Service In Unity as a new kind of employment agency to address these issues.
Service In Unity hires people in recovery or mental health treatment. It hires them directly. It defuses the issues of an employer taking a risk, or a work candidate facing stigma, by making the candidate an employee of Service In Unity itself, then placing them with a prospective employer for a position, usually temporary or part-time, with the possibility of becoming permanent.
The prospective employer pays a negotiated amount to Service In Unity, which then pays the worker.
Service In Unity hires individuals, whom it refers to as staff, by “recruiting from recommendations by treatment providers,” Scott said. This helps ensure that the worker is ready for work, thus fully abetting a participating workplace, and that the worker can readily continue their personal program of treatment..
“We prioritize the physical, mental and emotional well-being of our staff above everything else,” Scott said. When Service In Unity places staff, it requires from the workplace a guarantee of “a supportive, stigma-free environment.”
In return, Scott said, the workplace gets “an amazingly loyal, hardworking person. When you believe in somebody and help them at the start, they feel value. They feel ownership, and they remember.”
The deal doesn’t work if both sides aren’t happy. But with Service In Unity as the actual employer (“a W-2 employer,
with insurance, payroll, workers comp, all the nuts and bolts,” Scott said), there’s no vulnerability for anyone. Either side can walk away if not happy.
Scott had the idea for Service In Unity about five years ago. The idea progressed to a Limited Liability Company, recognized by state law, in pursuit of 501(c)(3) status, allowing for tax exemptions for donors.
“Funding is issue number one,” Scott said, even with his organization’s low overhead and scrupulous budgeting.
There have been grants, and Scott anticipates more as Service In Unity becomes known: not just publicized, but understood for what it does, with its unique approach and structure. “At the beginning,” Scott said, “my business background told me that when you have a new idea, research it,” and see who might be doing it already, maybe doing it differently or better than you have considered. He didn’t find anyone doing anything like it at all.
Financing is difficult to get for any non-profit. With no collateral or consistent source of revenue, banks consider them a special risk. Scott did personal banking with Alternatives Federal Credit Union and went to them for a line of credit: small, he said, basically just to guarantee he would never miss a payroll as an employer. (”Payroll is sacred,” he said.)
“As a new non-profit with new ideas but no funding or resources, I don’t think any other financial institution would even have talked to me,” he said. “But I knew about the good work Alternatives does. They helped a lot of people I knew. I thought that even if they ended up telling me no, at least they would listen and they’d try.”
Alternatives was encouraging and pleasant, and ultimately said yes, but it wasn’t a gimme, Scott said. “I mean, they’re still a credit union. I had to present budgets, projections, benchmarks I had hit and expected to hit. I had to work it, but they worked with me. They’re creative and innovative, and I consider them a strategic partner.”
Scott illustrated Service In Unity’s mission with a hypothetical that is probably all too real. “Say you haven’t worked in six years,” a situation difficult to broach in a job interview. “What you’ll hear from me is, I accept you as you are. I’ll back you
By Roy Allen — Director of Strategic Partnerships — Ithaca Times
Athriving democracy depends not only on the structures that govern it, but on the knowledge, engagement, and shared responsibility of its people. “We the People” is more than an opening phrase in the Constitution; it is a living promise that each generation inherits both the rights and the duties of self-government. To sustain that promise, the nation must invest in educating its youth about the history of civil rights, recognize the enduring economic contributions of Main Street America, and prioritize civic engagement initiatives that prepare young people to actively participate in shaping the future. This holistic approach celebrates participatory democracy as both inheritance and obligation, ensuring that tomorrow’s citizens possess the historical awareness, economic literacy, and practical habits necessary to uphold and perfect our union.
Understanding the history of civil rights is foundational to preserving and advancing democracy. The struggle for equality in the United States has been long, complex, and unfinished. From the abolitionist movement and the Emancipation Proclamation through the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, to ongoing efforts for equal protection under the law, each chapter reveals how ordinary citizens—through petitions, marches, litigation, boycotts, and moral persuasion—worked to expand the meaning of freedom. When young people learn this history by visiting places like Montgomery, Selma and Birmingham and listening to speeches by Frederick Douglass and Martin Luther King Jr., court decisions, and personal testimonies, they gain more than facts; they acquire a framework for understanding injustice, resilience, collective action, and the nation’s capacity for self-correction.
This education counters cynicism by showing that progress, though never inevitable or painless, results from courageous participation and vigilance. It cultivates empathy and critical thinking, challenging students to confront difficult
truths about inequality and discrimination while celebrating the courage of those who overcame them. Without this knowledge, future generations risk taking hard-won freedoms for granted or failing to recognize when those freedoms are threatened. By studying how civil rights advancements strengthened the entire nation economically, socially, and morally, students develop the informed perspective essential for meaningful dialogue and advocacy in their communities. Equally vital is an appreciation for the role of small businesses in shaping the economic and cultural fabric of Main Street America. These enduring, often family owned, enterprises: neighborhood diners, barber shops, independent bookstores, hardware stores, and local manufacturers—represent far more than commerce. They serve as anchors of local identity, sources of community pride, engines of economic stability, and informal civic hubs where neighbors gather, exchange ideas, and build social capital. Teaching young people about their impact highlights the interconnectedness of economic vitality and civic life. Small businesses create stable jobs, foster apprenticeships and skill development, circulate wealth locally through the multiplier effect, support tax bases that fund schools and infrastructure, and demonstrate resilience during economic downturns. In an era of rapid globalization and technological change, they offer tangible examples of entrepreneurship, financial responsibility, long-term stewardship, and economic adaptation while preserving traditions that define local character. When students understand these contributions—perhaps through field trips, interviews with owners, or local economic analyses—they are more likely to support and sustain such businesses. This awareness shifts young people from passive consumers to active participants in a shared economic ecosystem, fostering a deeper commitment to preserving the institutions that support local prosperity and social cohesion. Recognizing Main Street’s role reinforces that participatory
Curated by Roy Allen: Director of Strategic Partnerships — Ithaca Times, Finger Lakes Community Newspapers, www.ithaca.com
Many voices have shaped the nation we call America. This week we feature George W. Bush, the 43rd President of the United States (2001-2009), eldest son of George H.W. Bush and former Governor of Texas. He was instrumental in the formation of the Department of Homeland Security in response to the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. His 2001 speech to a Joint Session of Congress declared the “war on terror” and set the stage for the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, both of which have contributed to a seemingly endless stream of problems in the Middle East. Curator’s Note: The following is an abridged version of Bush’s speech, found in its entirety online at https://georgewbushwhitehouse.archives.gov.
George W. Bush: Address to a Joint Session of Congress — September 20, 2001
Mr. Speaker, Mr. President Pro Tempore, members of Congress, and fellow Americans, in the normal course of events, presidents come to this chamber to report on the state of the union. Tonight, no such report is needed; it has already been delivered by the American people.
We have seen it in the courage of passengers who rushed terrorists to save others on the ground. We have seen the state of our union in the endurance of rescuers working past exhaustion. We’ve seen the unfurling of flags, the lighting of candles, the giving of blood, the saying of prayers in English, Hebrew and Arabic. We have seen the decency of a loving and giving people who have made the grief of strangers their own.
My fellow citizens, for the last nine days, the entire world has seen for itself the state of union, and it is strong. Tonight, we are a country awakened to danger and called to defend freedom. Our grief has turned to anger and anger to resolution. Whether we bring our enemies to justice or bring justice to our enemies, justice will be done.
On September the 11th, enemies of
freedom committed an act of war against our country. Americans have known wars, but for the past 136 years they have been wars on foreign soil, except for one Sunday in 1941. Americans have known the casualties of war, but not at the center of a great city on a peaceful morning. Americans have many questions tonight. Americans are asking, “Who attacked our country?”
The evidence we have gathered all points to a collection of loosely affiliated terrorist organizations known as al Qaeda. They are some of the murderers indicted for bombing American embassies in Tanzania and Kenya and responsible for bombing the USS Cole.
Al Qaeda is to terror what the Mafia is to crime. But its goal is not making money, its goal is remaking the world and imposing its radical beliefs on people everywhere. The terrorists’ directive commands them to kill Christians and Jews, to kill all Americans and make no distinctions among military and civilians, including women and children.
The leadership of Al Qaeda has great influence in Afghanistan and supports the Taliban regime in controlling most of that country. In Afghanistan we see Al Qaeda’s vision for the world. Afghanistan's people have been brutalized, many are starving and many have fled.
Tonight the United States of America makes the following demands on the Taliban. Deliver to United States authorities all of the leaders of Al Qaeda who hide in your land. Release all
foreign nationals, including American citizens you have unjustly imprisoned. Protect foreign journalists, diplomats and aid workers in your country. Close immediately and permanently every terrorist training camp in Afghanistan. And hand over every terrorist and every person and their support structure to appropriate authorities. Give the United States full access to terrorist training camps, so we can make sure they are no longer operating. Our war on terror begins with Al Qaeda, but it does not end there. It will not end until every terrorist group of global reach has been found, stopped and defeated.
Americans are asking “Why do they hate us?” They hate what they see right here in this chamber: a democratically elected government. Their leaders are self-appointed. They hate our freedoms: our freedom of religion, our freedom of speech, our freedom to vote and assemble and disagree with each other. These terrorists kill not merely to end lives, but to disrupt and end a way of life. With every atrocity, they hope that America grows fearful, retreating from the world and forsaking our friends. They stand against us because we stand in their way.
We will direct every resource at our command—every means of diplomacy, every tool of intelligence, every instrument of law enforcement, every financial influence, and every necessary weapon of war—to the destruction and to the defeat of the global terror network. We will starve terrorists of funding, turn them one against another, drive them from place to place until there is no refuge or no rest. And we will pursue nations that provide aid or safe haven to terrorism. Every nation in every region now has a decision to make: Either you are with us or you are with the terrorists.
From this day forward, any nation that continues to harbor or support terrorism will be regarded by the United States as a hostile regime. Our nation has been put on notice, we’re not immune from attack. We will take defensive measures against terrorism to protect Americans. These efforts must be coordinated at the highest level. So tonight, I announce the creation of a Cabinet-level position reporting directly to me, the Office of
Homeland Security. These measures are essential. The only way to defeat terrorism as a threat to our way of life is to stop it, eliminate it and destroy it where it grows. This is not, however, just America's fight. And what is at stake is not just America’s freedom. This is the world’s fight. This is civilization’s fight. This is the fight of all who believe in progress and pluralism, tolerance and freedom.
We’re in a fight for our principles, and our first responsibility is to live by them. No one should be singled out for unfair treatment or unkind words because of their ethnic background or religious faith.
Tonight I thank my fellow Americans for what you have already done and for what you will do. As long as the United States of America is determined and strong, this will not be an age of terror. This will be an age of liberty here and across the world. Freedom and fear are at war. The advance of human freedom, the great achievement of our time and the great hope of every time, now depends on us.
It is my hope that in the months and years ahead life will return almost to normal. We'll go back to our lives and routines and that is good. But our resolve must not pass. Each of us will remember what happened that day and to whom it happened. We will remember the moment the news came, where we were and what we were doing. I will not forget the wound to our country and those who inflicted it. I will not yield, I will not rest, I will not relent in waging this struggle for freedom and security for the American people. The course of this conflict is not known, yet its outcome is certain. Freedom and fear, justice and cruelty, have always been at war, and we know that God is not neutral between them. Fellow citizens, we’ll meet violence with patient justice, assured of the rightness of our cause and confident of the victories to come. In all that lies before us, may God grant us wisdom and may he watch over the United States of America. Thank you.
Next week, we will celebrate Barack Obama, the 44th President of the United States and his address to the Democratic National Committee in 2004 — titled, the Audacity of Hope.
Chris Herren brings message of sobriety and second chances to Ithaca
By Steve Lawrence
When a former pro athlete does 200 speaking engagements per year, one might presume that the presentation might sound a bit stale. I have been to many such events, and the athlete usually talks about all the good decisions he or she made, what a great career they had, and it’s a story of triumph from youth sports to the pro ranks and beyond.
At William George agency, former NBA player Chris Herren gave an inspirational talk on addiction, recovery and long-term sobriety.
(Photo: Provided)
By Steve Lawrence
In 1977, American Youth Hostels and the New York City Board of Education combined efforts to organize a bicycle ride that covered all five boroughs. The aim at that time was to “increase ridership, remove barriers to cycling and empower youth to learn to adopt healthy habits.” The organizers were pleased that they drew 250 participants.
Since then, the TD Five Boro Bike Tour has morphed into the world's biggest cycling event, and on Sunday, May 3, the event will once again – as it has for decades - draw 32,000 riders. One of those riders will be Lenny Rosenfield, a Brooklyn native who now lives in Ithaca. When he was 43 years old, Lenny decided that he wanted to be a part of the 5 Boro Bike Tour. He told me, “I never raced, but I love to ride so I signed up.” Now, 38 tours later, the 81 year-old Rosenfield has
Imagine the sharpest, most passionate young journalists you’ve ever met (the ones who stay late chasing a story because they believe in this town) slowly packing their bags. Not because they want to leave… but because local rents force them out.
That’s the quiet heartbreak happening right now. Our best new writers, the ones who grew up here or fell in love with Ithaca in college, are being pushed toward cheaper cities just to survive.
The Rising Star Fund rewrites their story into a happy ending by sponsoring a simple monthly housing stipend (a hand up, never a handout) so they can keep living here, keep writing here, keep falling deeper in love with Ithaca… and keep telling the stories that make this city our home.
When a young journalist can afford to stay in Ithaca, you get:
● Fresh, fearless voices loyal to your local paper
● Someone at every city council meeting who believes local news matters
● The next great Ithaca story written by someone who actually lives here
● Your $25, $50, or $100 a month doesn’t just pay their rent.
● It keeps storytellers in our community and stops local brain drain.
● When our younger generation thrives, Ithaca’s future stays bright.
Keep local talent in Ithaca by donating today to the Rising Star Fund
(an initiative of Pathways to Equity, Inc a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization)
For more info: roy@ithacatimes.com
seen a lot. He said, “I have ridden solo, ridden on a tandem but I have not done it
By Austin Lamb
Binghamton resident Jess Bennett began selling vinyl and CDs in 2019 as a way to save up for an engagement ring. After making enough to afford not just a ring but help fund their wedding, and because “it was kind of fun,” Bennett and their wife Kaia O’Neill have since sold vinyl, CDs and cassettes as Sweet Baby Angel Records.
They were among many vinyl sellers across the Northeast who trekked to Ithaca on April 25 for a record fair. From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., record enthusiasts, lifelong collectors, and the vinyl-curious streamed in and out of a first-floor ballroom in the Downtown Ithaca Conference Center, hoping to find rare editions, new favorites, and physical copies of their favorite albums.
The event was organized by NY Record Fairs, which holds its “shows” twice a year at locations across New York, including Ithaca, Binghamton, Syracuse, Utica, and Woodstock, according to its website.
Sellers sat at four rows of tables stretching the length of the room, showing off their collections of vinyl, CDs, cassettes, DVDs and hand-made signs organizing boxes and crates by artist, genre, decade, and even vinyl quality.
Rochester resident Dan Michalski, wearing a shirt advertising his enterprise Dan
the Man Media, has sold records, toys, and video games for at least 10 years. Nostalgia, and a desire for tangible objects, are reasons people still buy physical media, he said.
“I think people want to collect something in this age where everything is digital,” Michalski said. “So it gives them a chance to still have something that they might have a memory associated with, and that's why they would want it."
Michalski said he noticed an escalation in demand for vinyl in the 2010s, which has leveled out in the 2020s. Younger customers, he said, sometimes go for CDs as more accessible and affordable options.
According to the Recording Industry Association of America, U.S. vinyl sales surpassed $1 billion in 2025 and increased 9.3%, the 19th consecutive year of growth. CD sales, meanwhile, decreased by 7.8%.
Syracuse resident Jason Tsistinas, who’s sold vinyl for a decade, noted the physical connection that vinyl and CDs provide listeners, of flipping through a CD booklet or liner notes — especially for a generation raised on earbuds and streaming.
"You're not going to do that if you're just streaming with your earbuds in,” he said. “So I think there's always going to be a cer-
tain amount of the population that gravitates towards that."
Tsistinas said he’s been collecting vinyl since the ‘90s, when he was a college student buying albums with cover art he thought was cool, not knowing what they’d sound like beyond genre labels that only explain so much. He’s glad to see younger listeners, like the girls who bought 45s he was selling at the record fair, taking similar chances.
“That kind of made me the happiest, because I was like, maybe they'll like it, maybe they won't, but at least someone's experimenting in the same way that I did — like, 'Oh this looks interesting, this looks cool, what's this sound like?'"
Some artists and genres, sellers said, are in more consistent demand. Bennett said pop and rock, for example, are in constant demand, while other other customers have niche interests such as Japanese house music. Bennett said they keep a list of what customers are looking for so that Sweet Baby Angel, which specializes in hard rock and metal, can stay on top of trends. Their
favorite part of selling vinyl is when customers find what they’re looking for, such as a girl at the fair who snagged Bennett’s Nick Drake CD, letting out an audible gasp as she grabbed it.
Owning physical media is also a way for a listener to express their individuality. O’Neill, Bennett’s wife, said she said she learns much more about a person through their record collection than a 10-minute conversation. She loves when people give Sweet Baby Angel their collections, which happened when her boss gave them her records, many of which were warped and spent years in an attic.
“That changed my entire perspective of her,” O’Neill said, noting the presence of hard rock and soul in her boss’s collection. "She played the shit out of them. I was hearing her talk about them and tell me about each album, just how much she loved them, and I'm like, man, this is not what I expected from a rather hard-ass kind of boss.”
Bennett jumps in. "What did you say, like, 'I bet she was a lot of fun when she was younger'?" they said.
Angry Mom Records employee Seven Caso, holding a vinyl copy of Raw Power’s “Screams from the Gutter,” said he came to the record fair to find that very album.
"It's just cool that it's mine,” he said, noting it’s difficult to find records by the Italian hardcore band.
Inside the crowded ballroom, Caso said the record fair turnout is encouraging. Demand for CDs, he said, has gone up, in part because they’re affordable compared to vinyl. Another reason, he said, is “the techno hellscape that we live in,” referring to streaming services that pay artists fractions of a cent per stream in royalties. What started as a convenient way to listen to music, Caso said, has now gone too far, with
too much money going to billionaire tech companies.
“It's just, like, so not fun,” he said. “Nothing's fun.”
Cornell students Mino Furtado and Julia Gniazdowska, who attended the NY Record Fairs show in Ithaca last fall, returned this spring.
"I'm always just looking for physical media,” said Furtado, who has a turntable in her room.
Today, she’s looking for a variety of music. "I was thinking of getting some Dinah Washington. I'm always looking for Julie London. And I'm always looking for Kate Bush."
Furtado said she loves fairs and stores that offer a variety of selections and an opportunity to learn. "It's such a mixed bag, and so you can really learn a lot, which I appreciate," she said. "It's not even just
about looking for the finds, but also just seeing stuff that catches your eye."
The event, Gniazdowska said, provides music lovers with a welcoming, communal environment.
"You can talk to everyone who's here, learn about their music taste, learn about so many different spheres you might as well have had no idea existed in the first place," she said. "So, I think that's really beautiful."
Having grown up around her dad’s huge collection of CDs, Gniazdowska said she wants to build a collection of her own that represents her taste — to have, she said, “music that I love just always around me."
At the record fair, Gniazdowska bought a CD of "Beautiful Garbage,” a 2001 album by American rock band Garbage, which she didn’t yet have in her collection.
Although Furtado and Gniazdowska said they stream music regularly, each has reasons to listen to CD or vinyl. Furtado mentioned the visual appeal and stylistic thought that goes into a physical copy. S, and she thinks physical media is making a comeback among younger audiences.
Gniazdowska said listening to a CD or vinyl allows her to appreciate an album the way the artist intended. Owning a physical copy, too, is a reliable alternative to streaming.
“On the two weeks out of every month I lose my AirPods, my walkman goes everywhere with me,” Gniazdowska said.
Three hours into the fair, NY Record Fairs founder Jack Skutnik stands by a shelf of vinyl by the ballroom entrance. Skutnik, who lives in Binghamton, has slicked-back gray hair, a gray goatee, and swears by vinyl as having a superior sound, “no doubt about it.” He’s listened to records since age five, when his parents bought him a small
turntable. Rock, classical, heavy metal — he likes it all, so long as it’s good music.
Skutnik gestures around him, noting the bulk of customers are under the age of 45.
"What do you see here? Lots of people are interested in vinyl,” he said. "And it's younger people, see? So there's a future. If it was full of guys like me, the future wouldn't be very long.”
Skutnik is aware all of this could change. But for now, looking around a ballroom bustling with buyers, he’s focused on the present.
"At some time in the future, it might die — but right now, no," he says. "What is the song? 'The Future's So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades.'"
Managing Editor Maddy Vogel contributed reporting to this story.
By Mikayla Rovenolt
Just a few blocks from the Commons, Saoirse Charity Thrift Shop opened in June 2025 as a used clothing store benefitting Saoirse Pastures, a local animal rescue and sanctuary. All proceeds of the volunteer-run thrift shop, located at 1201 N. Tioga St., go to the sanctuary’s shelter and rescue efforts.
Less than one year in, the thrift shop has been successful in its aims, said Shannon Hamilton executive director and co-founder of Saoirse Pastures. Because the sanctuary is reliant on grants and donations, Hamilton said she wanted to find a way to do something to be a little more self-reliant within the Ithaca community.
“We are thrilled that we can contribute to Saoirse Pastures’ financial success but also give back to our community in addition by expanding on our sustainability efforts as we keep goods out of our landfills and by providing low cost items to the people in our community,” she said.
Hamilton said the idea for a thrift shop came to her through seeing what other sanctuaries and rescues were doing, such as Wags to Riches in Watkins Glen Austin Pets Alive! in Austin, Texas.
With just over 500 square feet of space, Saoirse Charity is a small thrift shop, but Hamilton said she and the volunteers make the most of the space.
“I would say the majority of the spaces are for clothes, and then we have a home wear section,” Hamilton said. “I tell people that if they have a question about something, just ask, and I can let them know if we can take it or not.”
In the summer months, Hamilton said the shop has a small garage-like attachment where she can store larger furniture, but the space is still very limited. Hamilton said the shop does not accept electronics, because they often take up too much space, so she refers electronics donations to the Ithaca ReUse Center.
By Mikayla Rovenolt
PETA is spotlighting the nation’s most compassionate places to stay with its inaugural Hospitality with Heart Awards. Farm Sanctuary, located in Watkins Glen, has made the list.
The immersive experience offers 275 acres of serene views just a short distance from Sugar Hill State Forest, allowing guests to interact with some of the 400-plus animals rescued from the meat, egg, and dairy industries.
The sanctuary rescues a variety of animals including, but not limited to, cows, pigs, turkeys, chickens, sheep, goats, and more who call the sanctuary home.
Farm Sanctuary has been rescuing and advocating for animals abused in the agriculture industry for over 40 years and offers a variety of accommodations, including cabins, luxury cabins, and tiny houses, with complimentary vegan breakfasts and guided sanctuary tours every morning. Guests can also enjoy walks along the river by day or stargazing by night, and can participate in interactive activities, including bathing cows or taking goats for walks.
“Farm Sanctuary is a stunning retreat offering picturesque views, delicious vegan cuisine, cozy cabins, and the unique opportunity to meaningfully bond with rescued farmed animals,” said PETA Founder Ingrid Newkirk. “Every winner on PETA’s list proves how easy it is to travel kindly, leave animals in peace, and make humane, healthy choices along the way.”
Other winners on PETA’s list, in no particular order, include The White Pig in Schuyler, Virginia; Deer Run on the Atlantic in Big Pine Key, Florida; The Cozy Cottage at Grateful Meadows in West Point, Virginia; The Gray Barn at Woodstock Farm Sanctuary in High Falls, New York; Pebble Cove Farm Inn and Animal Sanctuary in Washington; and Rancho Vegano in Tucson, Arizona.
Each winner will receive a framed certificate from PETA, “along with bragging rights,” PETA representatives said.
Hamilton said the shop is always looking for volunteers and interested individuals can reach out to her at saoirsepastures@ gmail.com.
“Our goal is to be, you know, as interconnected and intertwined in the community as possible,” Hamilton said. “We have 68 residents currently at the sanctuary that we care for.”
Saoirse Charity Thrift Shop is open Fridays and Saturdays 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with donation hours the same as operating hours. The thrift shop is on Instagram @saoirses_ charity_thrift, where Hamilton posts updates about items and hours.
PETA, whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat, wear, or use for entertainment,” points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. PETA’s free vegan starter kit can help those looking to make the switch. For more information, please visit PETA.org.
Cricket was originally adopted from the SPCA as a kitten and has gone back to them through no fault of her own. She's a lovely girl who has lived with other cats, although the SPCA is not totally sure how she feels about them. If you're willing to do a slow and thoughtful introduction, she may be happy to have another cat around. She's also lived with dogs, although she'd prefer to not have to do that again. They made her a little nervous in her previous home. She's still a young girl who enjoys playing with jingly balls and snuggling up on a comfy chair, couch or even your lap. If you think Cricket might be the house panther for you, stop by the SPCA adoption center Wednesday-Sunday 12-4:30 (Thursday 12-6:30) to meet her and her friends
Slurms MacKenzie is the kind of kitty who enjoys taking life at his own pace, and he's happy to help you to discover your peace as well. Slurms is looking for a Zen household that's able to give him space to settle in slowly, and big windows for bird watching. He's also got a keen sense of curiosity. We also know that this quiet dude is FIV+, which means that his immune system is more susceptible to things that another cat would brush off, and will require biannual wellness checkups. His outdoor excursions may have come to an end, but with enough gentle attention, tempting meals, and warm napping spots, we're sure that he'll feel content with this change in his life as an indoor only guy. He'd also thrive best as your one and only cat; he's just too commanding to share the spotlight! Come on over to the SPCA adoption center Wednesday-Sunday 12-4:30 (Thursday 12-6:30) and meet the dude himself!
1. Which of the following is not a kind of mollusk?
A. Snail
B. Octopus
C. Leech
D. Clam
2. True or False: New York is home to an endangered species of snail found nowhere else.
3. True or False: Snails exhibit "handedness" just like being right- or left-handed.
By Mikayla Rovenolt
On May 15 the Cornell Botanic Gardens and Lab of Ornithology will host another Birds and Blooms event from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m at the F.R. Newman Arboretum. Birds and Blooms is a series of guided walks alternating between the arboretum and Sapsucker Woods.
Kara Peet, student and public engagement coordinator for Cornell Botanic Gardens, will lead the walk alongside Lab of Ornithology public programs coordinator Peter Leipzig. They said their goal is to highlight birds and bird habitats found at Sapsucker Woods and in the F.R. Newman Arboretum.
On average, Peet and Leipzig said there are 15 participants in these tours through the woods and arboretum. Peet said she wants people to know that nature is for everyone and that these tours showcase that.
“You don’t need to be an expert to get outside and enjoy the nature around you,” Peet said.
Peet and Leipzig said tour attendees can expect to learn about a variety of Upstate New York birds, from resident birds to breeding birds , as well as plants necessary for birds as nesters and pollinators. Birds and Blooms guides also highlight plants in bloom in the month a tour takes place.
“Since the Birds and Blooms series spans several months, people can expect to learn
about both resident and breeding birds of the area,” Leipzig said. Leipzig and Peet both said the walks focus on plant and animal interactions as well as native plants as part of our larger ecosystem and attendees can expect to see and hear New York’s only migratory woodpecker, the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker as well as Blue Jays that are here all year.
Birds and Blooms brings together the Cornell Botanic Gardens and Cornell Lab of Ornithology for a learning experience that celebrates local animals and their habitats. (Photo: Provided/Steven Rappaport)
This year’s Birds and Blooms series is connected to the Keeping Common Birds Common exhibit at Cornell University’s Mann Library.On display from April 16 to Dec. 31, the exhibit features portraits of birds by wildlife photographer Marie Read, who takes photos in biodiverse habitats maintained by the Botanic Gardens.
“This exhibit shows how managed landscapes that integrate principles of habitat conservation and native plant gardening have a key role to play in protecting and nurturing the beautiful birds that visit our backyards, neighborhoods, parks, fields, and forests, with
the hopes of keeping these common birds common forever,” Leipzig said.
For Leipzig and Peet, these tours allow the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Cornell Botanic Gardens to highlight the interconnectedness of birds and their habitats. The Birds and Blooms tours happen once a month from April to September. Space is limited and pre-registration is required for each individual tour date and can be done online at https://events.cornell.edu/event/birds_and_ blooms_2026
4. Invasive Zebra and Quagga mussels found in Cayuga Lake originated in southeastern Europe. How did they get to the Finger Lakes?
A. Released from aquariums
B. Ship's ballast water
C. Swam across the ocean
D. Fell out of an airplane
5. Snails and slugs secrete sticky slime, called mucus, that is used for what purpose?
A. Lubricating a surface for ease of movement
B. Keeps them from drying out
C. Communication with other snails
D. All of the above
6. True or False: A slug has more teeth than a shark.
7. True or False: Fossil mollusks from the Finger Lakes region show that Upstate New York was once underwater.
8. What is the scientific study of mollusks called?
A. Malacology
B. Molluscology
C. Conchology
D. Slimology
Trivia Answers on next page
Participate in Migratory Bird Day by going outside to watch, listen, and record birds in your area. Use eBird to log species and Merlin Bird ID to help identify them. Make your home bird-friendly by creating safe habitats, providing clean water, and planting native plants.
Brian Collins, DVM Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine
By Mikayla Rovenolt
Q:What are the benefits of getting a pet chipped?
A:The number one benefit of having a pet microchipped is to be able to identify them if they are lost. A microchip is a permanent method of identification that can link a pet to their owner’s contact information. Microchips are administered by a veterinarian or veterinary technician. Similar to administering a vaccine, they are placed under the skin of a cat or dog in the area between their shoulder blades using a large needle. Afterward, the microchip has to be registered in an online database, or it is useless. If a dog or cat are found and taken to a veterinary hospital or shelter, it is routine for them to be checked for a microchip by passing a hand-held scanner over their body – not just in the area of the shoulder blades in case the microchip has moved or if it was placed in another location. If an owner moves or if ownership changes to another individual the information can be updated in the database of various pet recovery organizations. Less commonly, a microchip could help in cases of disputed ownership or if a pet were stolen. While a name tag is also recommended, another benefit is that a microchip cannot be lost like a name tag can.
TRIVIA ANSWERS
1. C. Leech. Leeches are annelids, a group that also includes earthworms. Mollusks are a wildly diverse group of animals with over 86,000 species, including octopus, squid, snails, slugs, clams, mussels, and lesserknown creatures like chitons and scaphopods.
2. True! The Chittenango ovate amber snail lives only near one specific waterfall at Chittenango State Park. Its habitat is now closely protected, and there is a captive breeding colony of these snails at Cornell University.
3. True! In snails, "handedness" is called chirality, and it is seen in the direction the shell coils. Over 90% of snails are righthanded. Snails can only reproduce with
people chip both cats and dogs, even if the cats are indoor only?
A:Yes, it is recommended that all dogs and cats receive a microchip. Dogs and indoor cats can escape through an open door or a through a window that has no screen or where the screen has fallen off. Dogs slip out of their collars or harnesses or escape from fenced- in backyards. Pets have been lost while their owners are traveling such as escaping at rest stops, car accidents, housefires, and natural disasters (tornados, hurricanes, earthquakes, wildfires, etc).
Q:What are some reasons people choose to not chip their pets?
A:Some people may have concerns about privacy because they may misunderstand how microchips work. They are only connected to an identification number and do not contain private information. They are not tracking or listening devices. Though in general they are reasonably priced, cost may be a concern, especially with multiple pets. There may be concerns about the pain of implanting the microchip. Most pets handle it very well, with distractions like petting or offering treats. With some pets we elect to implant the microchip while they are anesthetized for another procedure such as spaying or neutering. There may be concerns about possible negative health consequences. No medical procedure is completely risk-free, but the American Veterinary Medical Association endorses them due to their greater overall benefits.
Q:Is there an age for cats or dogs where it is best to chip them?
other snails that coil the same way, so it's very hard for lefties to find a mate!
4. B. Ship's ballast water. Cargo ships from Europe brought the larvae of these mussels across the Atlantic in their ballast. When ballast was emptied in North America in the late 1980s, the mussels began to spread throughout the Great Lakes and into connected bodies of water.
5. D. All of the above!
6. True! Slugs have 25,000 microscopic teeth arranged on an organ called a radula. The teeth give the radula a sandpaper-like texture, which slugs and snails use to scrape up or rasp off food particles.
7. True! The fossils of many different marine mollusks, including clams and nautiloids,
A:We usually don’t place microchips until about 8 weeks of age which often coincides with their first veterinary visit. However, we will often wait until they are being spayed and neutered, but we don’t want to wait too long and risk them being lost without permanent identification. Otherwise, pets can be microchipped at any age.
Q:Is there a time where you would not recommend getting a pet chipped?
A:There are very few situations where I would not recommend a microchip. However, I wouldn’t recommend a microchip for animals who have skin problems such as an infection or inflammation where placing the microchip would be uncomfortable or have increased risk of developing an infection at the site of the implantation. We could revisit the option when the skin is healthy again. I would want to discuss the pros and cons of a microchip in animals who have a disease that suppresses the immune system or in animals who have a history of cancer. 6. What is important for people to know about chipping their pets? Overall, the one-time cost of a microchip is one of the best investments you can make in caring for your pet. There are minimal possible risks associated with them which are greatly outweighed by the benefits. Please ask your vet to check your pet’s microchip at least once a year to make sure it is working properly. Microchips are usually required for pets to travel with their owners internationally, but they are still recommended in all cases.
can be found throughout the Finger Lakes. During the Devonian Period (350 million years ago), our region was submerged in a shallow sea, where these animals were common.
8. A. Malacology. The word comes from the Greek malakos, meaning "soft" (the word mollusk is from the Latin mollis, also meaning "soft.") Conchology is a field within malacology; specifically, the study of shells.
Haonan opens the cat room on Friday mornings. He cleans up litter boxes, floors, and any messes the cats made overnight. Every week new cats arrive, so he is always learning new names and personalities. He also talks with visitors, telling them about the cats we have and the cafe in general. Other than loving cats and wanting to spend more time with them, Haonan plans on adopting one or two in the future and wants to get some experience. The Alley Cat Cafe is also such a wonderful and cozy place to be. After he finishes volunteering on Friday mornings, he usually spends the rest of the day there, “a wonderful end to every week!”
Pet Themed Week of May 3-9
May 3-9 is National Pet Week which focuses on responsible pet ownership and regular veterinary care. This week is also Be Kind to Animals Week, designed to acknowledge and appreciate the efforts made to ensure animal safety
By Peter Rothbart
Ithacans will celebrate 50 years of music-making by several of our local concert-performing organizations this year. e rst celebratory concert brings the Ithaca Community Chorus and Chamber Singers to St. Paul’s United Methodist Church on May 2 for a performance of English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams’ A Sea Symphony (Symphony No. 1). e Cayuga Chamber Orchestra joins the full chorus onstage under the direction of Gerald Wolfe, the chorus’s conductor since 1990 (Paul Gibbons was the founding director).
Soloists Alison Wahl and Jean Bernard Cerin join the massive production, singing texts from American transcendentalist poet Walt Whitman’s seminal poetry collection, “Leaves of Grass.” Whitman continued writing and editing his groundbreaking work for 60 years. Vaughan Williams took 6 years to complete A Sea Symphony. Wolfe relates a well-known anecdote: “Vaughan Williams had lived with the symphony on paper for so long that in rehearsal he had been overwhelmed by his rst hearing of it, remarking that the sound of the orchestra playing the rst chords and the chorus
A Sea Symphony by Ralph Vaughan Williams
St. Paul’s United Methodist Church
402 N. Aurora Street, Ithaca, NY
Saturday, May 2, 2026
7:30 PM
Tickets: https://acithaca.org/groups/ icccs/tickets/
entering with the words ‘Behold the sea itself,’ had nearly blown him o the podium.” Expect to be equally awestruck by the sheer power of the opening horn fanfare, majestically representing the sea’s strength, followed by the chorus’s declamation embracing the glory of nature.
Walt Whitman is considered the father of transcendentalism, a philosophy and way of living that nds spiritual connections to nature through solitude and the commonality of humanity through democratic spirit. Vaughan Williams (along with fellow composer Gustav Holst) is considered the father of the modern English school of composition, disengaging from the overwhelming in uence of Wagner’s German-in uenced school. Vaughan Williams brie y studied with French Impressionist composer Maurice Ravel and intensely studied several works of his English predecessor Edward Elgar, who never fully threw o the yolk of continental romanticism.
Vaughan Williams’ harmonic straightforwardness, repetitive rhythmic structures, and reliance on singable modal melodies re ected his own philosophy that, “…the composer must make his art an expression of the whole life of the community.” He didn’t just embed English folksongs into his work. Folksongs were more personal, an expression of his own spirituality and connectedness with nature as a way of life. e folk-like characteristics of his music and its emphasis on the spiritual experience tied to the music became a de ning characteristic of the English school of composition. He embraced Whitman’s emphasis on democracy and equality as a life choice; many of his compositions were written with amateur musicians and vocalists in mind. An admitted agnostic, he served as the president of the English Folk Dance
and Song Society as well as the music editor of the English Hymnal.
A Sea Symphony is a four-movement classically structured work about an hour long, that integrates the full chorus and soloists throughout every movement, rather than relegating them to a climactic last movement, as Beethoven did in his Ninth Symphony. e chorus is embedded in every aspect of the work, as are the soloist parts, a very democratic gesture re ecting Vaughan Williams’ lifelong commitment to the participatory basis of transcendentalism.
Vaughan Williams sets excerpts from four of Whitman’s poems from “Leaves of Grass” that address a sense of awe and wonder at the majestic incomprehensibility of the eternal sea. Brought together, the four poems, written in Whitman’s characteristic free verse, serve as metaphors for a person’s search for solitude and resolution as he/she faces an unfathomable eternity.
In the rst movement entitled “A Song for All Seas, All Ships,” listen for the endless sea swells as ships of all nations set sail or motor out. Vocal highlights feature baritone Jean Bernard Cerin evoking the songs and thoughts of the sailors. e second movement nocturne is called, “On the Beach at Night Alone,” Soprano Alison Wahl, an accomplished classical as well as
folk singer, may have the perfectly delicate and lilting voice to express the solitude found on the shoreline as she sings about man’s inner nature. e Community Chorus, hinting at the role of a Greek drama’s chorus, comments on the souls lost at sea. “ e Wave” is a scherzo third movement and evokes thrilling images of ships riding the stormy waves as the chorus celebrates humanity’s resilience and perseverance. e climactic nale, entitled “ e Explorers,” is the most spiritual attestation of the work. It explodes with spiritual positivity and existential hope, an almost cosmological a rmation of the “oneness” of the universe, incorporating Adam and Eve and their “myriad progeny” and the unanswerable questions about existence that drive mankind to explore.
Wolfe has complemented Vaughan Williams’ mammoth work with three songs composed by American composer Samuel Barber, mostly known for his iconic Adagio for Strings. “ e Coolin ( e Fair Haired One),” from poetry by James Stephens, illustrates the rapturous thrill of a romantic assignation in the outdoors. Emily Dickinson’s “Let down the bars, O Death!” portrays death not as a nality but as a transition to a gentler, more serene state. No doubt Wolfe nds the poem in
By Clement Obropta
Heavy is the head that wears the halo in David Lowery’s “Mother Mary.” Anne Hathaway plays the titular pop star, a Madonna-esque monument of religious imagery and sadness who crawls into the country estate of her former friend and costume designer, Sam Anselm (Michaela Coel), like a stray dog seeking shelter from a rainstorm.
Lowery’s seventh mainstream film, “Mother Mary” continues the “A Ghost Story” filmmaker’s predilections for eerie atmospheres, philosophical magical realism, and supernatural events that verge on the inexplicable. “Mother Mary” is ambitious, frightening, and unbelievably compelling, considering most of the film is a two-hander between Hathaway and Coel that finds the two swapping ghost stories of their own in the costume designer’s atelier.
From the minute Mary shows up on Sam’s doorstep, she’s shaking, withdrawn, gaunt, and pale — a woman visibly haunted by some unspeakable trauma in the not-so-distant past. Though she tries to turn her away, Sam eventually relents to Mary’s needling desperation for an eleventh-hour costume for her big comeback show at the Palladium. Not an easy proposition, considering that a few years ago, Mary took credit for Sam’s work and, in so doing, inadvertently cut her
Rated R
Directed by David Lowery
Currently playing at Cinemapolis
120 E Green St., Ithaca
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
continued from page 8
Crescent Commons and the $600,000 Building Redevelopment Fund, suggests a “pay for play” culture that benefits a
friend out of her life. The remainder of the film unfolds in that chapel-like barn that serves as Sam’s workshop as they exhume ghosts both real and metaphorical in their mission to make Mary a dress worthy of a song that, as Mary loftily asserts, “might be the best song ever written in the history of songs.”
From the director who wove a dusty Arthurian fable into a spellbinding tapestry of self-discovery and the inexorable doom of destiny, “Mother Mary” is a showbiz story like you’ve never seen or heard before. It’s overwritten, overdesigned, and overloud, with an edit that collides through space and time like pinking shears cutting through cloth. In other words, it’s exactly what you’d hope for from a film about a pop megastar losing her mind. It invites comparisons to Darren Aronofsky’s “Black Swan” and 2024’s incredible “Smile 2,” which also use horror as a vehicle to explore the thousand impossible pressures compounding on the weary minds of insecure starlets.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, a trailer for the new Billie Eilish concert film screened before this one, but watching “Mother Mary” once might possibly spoil you for any concert film from now until the end of time. Lowery’s film isn’t about the concert scenes, but what we do see are intricately choreographed and mesmerically designed, complete with original songs by FKA twigs, Jack Antonoff, and Charli xcx, as Lowery skillfully uses his comparatively small $20 million budget to evoke a musical artist as big as Beyoncé.
Watching this back-to-back with “The Devil Wears Prada 2,” due out in theaters next week, would undoubtedly be the most wild double feature of the year, not least because of how “Mother
select few developers rather than the public interest. We demand a full audit of how these funds are being used to “purge” communities of their most vulnerable residents.
4. Notice of Legal Action
Mary” brazenly sprints counter to all of Hathaway’s natural proclivities as a performer. In the first role since “Les Misérables” that has required more of her than just charisma and charm, Hathaway delivers an otherworldly performance of holy suffering and terror, even before the film makes a left-turn into overt horror. Cinema was made so we can watch Anne Hathaway writhe around on the floor of a barn like a woman possessed, the most raw and feral display of modern dance since Luca Guadagnino remade “Suspiria.”
Mary is driven by her devotion to her millions of fans — her career is built on unbearably sad, depressing songs that require Mary to be miserable in order for her fans to connect to her music. She comes to Sam not only hoping to be reinvented but to be clarified and ultimately redeemed, if she can, to find some sort of new purpose in her music lest her old one consume her completely. “I can’t quit,” she admits offhandedly to Sam. “I don’t know how to do anything else.”
For her part, Coel plays Sam as a mad genius, her bug-eyed stare and penchant for eerie soliloquies providing the perfect counterbalance for Hathaway’s shivering vulnerability. I’m not sure the core relationship is deep enough to support the story being foisted upon it, but Lowery, Hathaway, and Coel sell the existentialist redemption of “Mother Mary” with such poise and intelligence that once you’re on the film’s wavelength, it hardly seems to matter.
“Mother Mary” is a film that I’m eager to watch over and over again, not just because I don’t completely understand parts of it, but because there is something deeply compelling, almost “Mulholland Dr.”-like in its construction, which has more pleats and layers than the sublime Iris van Herpen dress we see in the climax. Somewhere in the film’s dizzying protoplasm of séances, dreamy ballads, and haute couture, there’s the cathartic feeling of a curse being lifted.
Clement Obropta is a film columnist for the Ithaca Times.
Please be advised that a legal stay is being filed to halt the Ithaca DRI funding and the pending $15 million OTDA grant under Commissioner Barbara Guinn. We will seek a court-ordered review of the systemic “unraveling” of these communities and the lack of protections for current residents against state-sponsored gentrification. The “Rising” of these cities should not come from the ashes of the lives of the current residents. We demand an immediate freeze on funds and a public hearing regarding the human cost of these initiatives.” — Jack Rinaldi, Ithaca.com
By Mikayla Rovenolt
The Tompkins County Public Library’s annual spring book sale will return for the next three weekends.
(Photo: Provided/Ithaca Times File)
The Friends of Tompkins County Public Library will hold its annual Spring Book Sale over three weekends in May at 509 Esty St., Ithaca. The sale opens Saturday, May 2, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
On all other days, sale hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.: Sunday through Monday, May 3-4; Saturday through Monday, May 9-11; and Saturday through Tuesday, May 16-19. Prices start low and drop each weekend. Free parking is available across the street.
“We try to get books in the hands of everyone, whether you make a lot of money or whether you make no money, we try to get the books in the hands of children and adults,” coordinator Chris Hallam said. “We promote literacy throughout the community and are involved in a lot of different programs. We have grants for not-for-profits that have to do with literacy, so that they can get books or materials that they need.”
Each book sale offers up to 250,000 gently used books, DVDs, CDs, comics and graphic novels, puzzles, games, and other items, organized into more than 70 subject categories. The large children’s section, also
organized by subject, includes more than 32,000 items.
“[The sale] means everything to me. I grew up here, so I've been coming to this book sale since I was about four years old.”
— Event Coordinator Chris Hallam
Collector’s Corner offers rare and antique books, first editions, collectible vinyl records, art, ephemera and vintage toys and games, with many items priced at $10 or less. In order to serve as many people as possible, on May 2, each shopper may purchase a maximum of 50 items at a time. After
checking out, customers must leave the building, but may rejoin the line to come in and shop again as many times as they wish. There are no purchase limits on other sale dates.
Special shopping days:
• Wednesday, May 13, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.: older adults and persons with disabilities
• Wednesday, May 13, 4-8 p.m.: students (age 16+ with valid school ID)
• Monday, May 18, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.: Dime Day (every item on the main floor is just 10 cents)
• Tuesday, May 19, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.: Bag Day (BYO standard reusable bag and fill it for just $1)
Proceeds from the book sales held each spring and fall are used to fund the Friends of the Library’s annual grants that support Tompkins County Public Library, Finger Lakes Library System, and other libraries in the Finger Lakes region, as well as local non-profit organizations for literacy and reading projects, and scholarships for library science students.
“[The sale] means everything to me,” Hallam said. “I grew up here, so I've been coming to this book sale since I was about four years old. That's about 60 years. It's just amazing and fun. We have a great time and I love to see the looks on people's faces when they find that special book they were looking for.”
on a unicycle.” (He pointed out that some participants have done so.) Lenny continued, “I have done the ride in very hot and dry conditions, and I have been soaked to the skin. The temperature has ranged from 40 to 80 degrees, and I have worn everything from a ski jacket and long johns to a T-shirt.” With a wink, he said, “One year,
a group of us rode with some counterfeit credentials, and when it came time for the group photo, someone said, 'We can't take this photo, we're all wearing the same number!'” The presumably reformed scoundrel laughed and added, “I can tell that story, because I'm pretty sure the statute of limitations has expired!”
I asked the ambitious octogenarian if he did any other rides on a regular basis, and he replied, “I have done the AIDS Ride numerous times – the 100-miler
about three times and the 50-miler recently.” I asked him what his training regimen looked like, and he offered “I'm a fair-weather rider, and I usually ride 10 to 20 miles, two to three times per week.”
Lenny pointed out that such training is useful, given the Five Boro ride covers 40 miles. In his words, “It's not a race, and there are many stops along the way. Medical stations, port-a-jons, and a few parties along the way.” Those parties continue on the Staten Island Ferry, as
several hundred riders pack the numerous vessels on each of their numerous trips back and forth.
Asked how many more times he planned to do the tour, Rosenfield said, “Well, this is number 38, so I might as well go for 40.” As Lenny popped up out of his chair, shook my hand and bounded off to do some training, I was convinced that 40 tours is well within the realm of possibility, and if I was a betting man, I'd bet on 45.
continued from page 9
democracy extends beyond voting booths to everyday economic decisions that sustain vibrant, self-reliant communities. However, knowledge alone is insufficient. To truly prepare the next generation to inherit the nation, there must be intentional investment in civic engagement initiatives. These programs—student government, mock elections, community service, debate clubs, public forums, service-learning projects, and local advocacy—bridge the gap between theory and practice, allowing young people to experience democracy in action. By participating, students develop essential skills such as leadership, collaboration, problem-solving, research, articulation, and navigating bureaucratic processes.
continued from page 9
100 percent.” After you’re hired and put to work, he said, “Now the last day you worked is yesterday. That’s a basic, fundamental win.
“Today I have seven people on payroll, in all forms of recovery, getting a paycheck.
“We’re just getting started, but we’re growing, and we’re changing people’s lives. I think too often people underestimate what they can do.”
Chris Herren — who spoke to a gym packed with about 700 people at the William George Agency last week — told a life story that started out all sunshine and rainbows, detailed a long list of painful memories, and took its time in getting back to the “feel good” chapters.
Herren's early life was one of promise. One injected with the pressure of high expectations, but promise nonetheless. Like his older relatives, Herren was drawn to basketball. His father, brother and uncles were good, but Chris was exceptional. He was the pride of Massachusetts — the Boston Globe's Athlete of the Year — and one of the most coveted recruits in the nation. Loving the idea of playing close to home, Herren thanked the head coaches from Duke, Kentucky and Florida and signed on the dotted line
In a time of declining institutional trust and rising polarization, such hands-on experiences rebuild the habits of democratic participation and cultivate a sense of agency—the belief that individual voices matter. Investing in these initiatives, whether through school curricula, nonprofit partnerships, or public-private funding, strengthens social bonds by bringing together individuals from diverse backgrounds to work toward common goals, fostering mutual understanding and respect. Civic engagement counters passive media consumption and combats alienation that can fuel extremism or withdrawal. When young people organize voter registration drives, testify before city councils, or restore historic Main Street buildings, they witness the tangible impact of their efforts, reinforcing that democracy is a collective endeavor rooted in shared responsibility.
continued from page 17
keeping with the evening’s overall transcendental zeitgeist. “To be Sung on the Water,” a poem by Louise Bogan, connects the gentle undulations of a rowboat at night, rising and falling as it meets the sea swells. Solitude predominates; the repetition of the musical waves underscores a feeling of loneliness and a sense of loss.
Both soloists have Ithaca connections. Baritone Jean Bernard Cerin is at home
to play for Boston College. The upward arc continued.
Two failed drug tests later, Herren was expelled, unsure if his basketball dream was over. Then, famed coach and secondchance advocate Jerry Tarkanian called and Herren packed his bags for Fresno State. He played brilliantly, and many voices told him he was likely a first-round draft pick. Other voices — the ones pulling him back into an ever-escalating drug obsession — could not be purged, and while he did get drafted by the Denver Nuggets, extra money and fame and attention did not serve him well. Cocaine would find its way into his life, then heroin, then OxyContin.
Herren would get traded to the Celtics — a hometown hero had come home — and to those on the outside in, Chris was poised to make millions and bask forever in the adoration of his fans forever. More drugs, four overdoses, seven felonies, the loss of an NBA career (he played in Europe for a few years, a faster downhill
Ultimately, preparing the next generation requires integrating historical awareness, economic understanding, and active participation into a cohesive educational vision. Educating youth about civil rights ensures they appreciate the value of equality, justice, and the ongoing quest for a more perfect union. Highlighting the contributions of small businesses underscores the importance of local economies, community identity, and the material foundations of freedom. Supporting civic engagement initiatives empowers young people to take ownership of their roles as citizens, translating knowledge into sustained action. Critics may claim such education risks bias or detracts from other subjects, yet a well-designed, nonpartisan curriculum—focused on primary documents, economic fundamentals, measurable outcomes, and open deliberation—
singing and producing in a variety of idioms, including film, concert music, opera, and folk music. A faculty member in the Cornell University Department of Music, he collaborates with Kuwento Mizik, a duo that mixes classical, folk, and pop music with adaptations of traditional Haitian folktales. He is also active in the Lisette Project, which focuses on early Haitian classical music.
Alison Wahl, a classically trained soprano and composer who has taught at the Ithaca College School of Music and has set poems by Wallace Stevens to music. She has soloed with the Chicago
slide, the loss of self-respect as a husband and a father. The standard drug-induced train wreck of a life. In his words, “The drugs opened doors I could not close. I couldn't find myself, so I would just lose myself.”
That chapter of Herren's life is easily researched, but the reason he does 200 speaking engagements a year is that the now-50 year old has been sober for 18 years, has run a residential treatment program for nearly that long, and brings an abundance of passion and authenticity to his mission.
I had an opportunity to interview Herren before his presentation, and the fact that he was moving gingerly was not due to the fact that he is 50 years old, rather it was because he was three days removed from running the Boston Marathon as a fundraiser for his foundation. I asked him if he agreed that self-respect is a cornerstone of mental well-being, and if doing these speaking engagements restored that self-respect piece by piece,
avoids prescribed conclusions while equipping students for self-governance. The alternative, civic illiteracy, carries far greater costs: low voter turnout, susceptibility to misinformation, and weakened community bonds.
“We the People” is not a static declaration; it is an ongoing commitment. Each generation must learn, engage, and contribute to the democratic experiment. By investing in this comprehensive education today, we ensure that tomorrow’s citizens are not only informed but inspired to uphold and advance the ideals that define the nation. This is how we celebrate participatory democracy—by faithfully transmitting the knowledge, values, and practices that allow “We the People” to remain sovereign. Only through such deliberate stewardship can the republic endure and flourish for generations to come.
Symphony Orchestra, the Boston Pops, and the Rochester Philharmonic, among other large orchestras. She has established herself as an intimate and lyrically expressive folk singer and guitarist in the singer/songwriter tradition.
Peter Rothbart is professor emeritus of music at the Ithaca College School of Music, Theatre, and Dance, where he taught electroacoustic and media music for 40 years. He continues to perform as a classical, jazz, and pop musician and directs the Ageless Jazz Band.
and he told me that it absolutely does. He said, “Ego is a monster, and I still go to meetings to continually surround myself with sober people.”
Herren's presentation started with a 20-minute documentary that covered the spectrum of his athletic brilliance, balanced with news footage of his arrests. When he took the microphone, it was clear that while he had told this story thousands of times, when he looked at the faces of the 100-plus residents at the agency, he sincerely was looking for some connection. He wove in some painful family history, lamented lost time and opportunity, and became very emotional at times. He leaned into his mission, making eye contact, and there was that word again—authenticity. It was a powerful experience.
As the crown dispersed, a young man approached me, apparently mistaking me for an organizer, or as a PR guy. He said, “Please tell Mr. Herren that [...] his speech really helped me.” You got it, young man. If I see him, I will surely tell him.
Bars/Bands/Clubs
4/30 Thursday
Brassquatch! The Fall Creek Brass Band Musical | 7 p.m. | The Cherry Arts, 102 Cherry St | $15.00
5/3 Sunday
Cornell Wind Symphony Concert
| 3 p.m. | Bailey Hall, 230 Garden Ave | Free
Jazz Social at the Regent Lounge | 5 p.m. | Statler Hotel Regent Lounge, 130 Statler Dr | Free
4/29 Wednesday
Piano and Strings II | 7 p.m. | Hockett Family Recital Hall, Ithaca College Ithaca College Chamber Orchestra | 8:15 p.m. | Ithaca College School of Music, Theatre, and Dance| Free
4/30 Thursday
Anastasia Inglima, mezzo soprano at Hockett Family Recital Hall | 7 p.m.
Concert Band and Wind Ensemble at Ford Hall | 8:15 p.m.
5/1 Friday
First Friday Community Event | 5 p.m. | Seward House Museum, 33 South Street
Faran, Vasquez, and Serebryany Trio at Hockett Family Recital Hall | 7 p.m.
Cornell Symphony Orchestra Concert | 7:30 p.m. | Bailey Hall at Cornell University, 230 Garden Ave | Free
Stanley Jordan | 8 p.m. | Boulton Center for the Performing Arts, 37 West Main Street | $68.00 - $90.99
5/2 Saturday
Ellie Babbitt, soprano at Hockett Family Recital Hall | 2 p.m.
Civitasolis Reed Quintet at Hockett Family Recital Hall | 5 p.m.
OSFLs & the Chorus perform Haydn’s masterpiece, The Creation | 7 p.m. | Park Church, 208 W. Gray Street | $0.00 - $59.00
The Kingston Trio | 7 p.m. | Boulton Center for the Performing Arts, 37 West Main Street | $76.00 - $83.10
A Sea Symphony by Ralph Vaughan Williams | 7:30 p.m. | St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, 402 North Aurora Street | $0.00 - $25.00 Houses of the Holy | 8 p.m. | LECOM Event Center, 155 N. Main Street
The Steel Wheels | 8 p.m. | Hangar Theatre, Breanna Annonio, viola at Hockett Family Recital Hall | 8:15 p.m.
5/3 Sunday
Zoe Galgoczy, viola at Ford Hall | 12 p.m.
Grace Gonoud, clarinet at Ford Hall | 2 p.m.
Cornell Wind Symphony Concert | 3 p.m. | Bailey Hall| Free
Simon Stainbrook, horn at Hockett Family Recital Hall | 4 p.m.
Chloe Farkouh, mezzo-soprano at Hockett Family Recital Hall | 6 p.m.
5/4 Monday
Handbell Choir at Hockett Family Recital Hall | 7 p.m.
Clara Warnaar, percussion at Nabenhauer Recital Room | 6:15 p.m.
Composition for Multimedia Class at Iger | 7 p.m.
First-Year Composition Recital at Ford Hall | 7 p.m.
German Diction Recital at Hockett Family Recital Hall | 7 p.m.
Old Greeny Fringe Fest at The Cherry Arts | 3 p.m., 4/29 Wednesday | Old Greeny Fringe Fest is a weeklong, fringe festival in celebration of the weird, wacky, and whimsical,
rooted in the legend of Old Greeny-the cryptid of Cayuga Lake.
Last Universal Common Ancestor (LUCA) | 6 p.m., 4/29 Wednesday | Greenstar Pavilion, 770 Cascadilla Street | Homegrown Theater Company Explores Magic and Renewal | Free RENT | 7:30 p.m., 4/30 Thursday | Cider Mill Stage, 2 Nanticoke Ave | RENT Book, Music, & Lyrics by Jonathan Larson You fall in love, nd your voice, and live for today.
Dave Alvin & Jimmie Dale Gilmore - Almost Acoustic Duo | 8 p.m., 5/1 Friday | Center for the Arts of Homer, 72 S Main St |
MayFaire | 10 a.m., 5/2 Saturday | Ithaca Waldorf School, 20 Nelson Road | Bring your own picnic and enjoy maypole dance performances, live music, a marionette puppet show, crafts for kids, a cake walk, eld games and more at our outdoor festival of spring! | Free Summer Musical Audition
Workshop | 3 p.m., 5/2 Saturday, 140 Desmond Street | Perfect your audition at Songbird Studios! | $50.00 Dances of Universal Peace | 7:15 p.m., 5/2 Saturday | 391 Turkey Hill Rd | The Dances of Universal Peace are an interfaith spiritual practice. We sing and dance and pray for peace in an Uplifting social experience.
Ecoscape- A Walking Musical Meditation | 1:30 p.m., 5/3 Sunday | Cornell Lab of Ornithology| Explore the sounds of Sapsucker Woods
through a walking lecture and meditation with Aaron Pond from the BORBS group. | Free
Pandora Dance Spring 2026 | 6 p.m., 5/3 Sunday | State Theatre of Ithaca, 107 West State St |
Flag Twirling Parade Class | 5 p.m., 5/5 Tuesday | Ithaca Community School of Music and Arts | Join the fun in the Ithaca Festival Parade! Learn an exciting, upbeat routine you will perform | Free
Artwork by Treacy Ziegler | 11 a.m., 4/29 Wednesday | Center for the Arts of Homer, 72 S Main St | I work in the multi-mediums of painting, printmaking and sculpture with drawing as the primary basis for seeing. (Click on images for gallery: drawing, monoprints, sculpture, paintings)
America 250 Art Contest for Kids | 10 a.m., 4/30 Thursday | New eld Public Library| Stop into the Library to participate in the kids art contest sponsored by the local DAR chapter! Details and instructions can be found at the Library or on our website! | Free Ileen Kaplan and David Watkins: Black and White and... | 12 p.m., 4/30 Thursday | State of the Art Gallery, 120 West State Street | Painter Ileen Kaplan and Photographer David Watkins explore the use of black and white and touches of color to create abstract, graphic and representational pieces. | Free
Art For Community | 5 p.m., 5/1 Friday | First Unitarian Society of Ithaca Art Parlor, 306 N. Aurora Street | Let There Be Light! Art For Community, photography by Frank Muller, watercolors by Tommy Beers. | Free Ithaca Gallery Night | 5 p.m., 5/1 Friday | Ithaca Gallery Night, 171 East State Street | Ithaca Gallery Night is a monthly event happening on the rst Friday of every month where
galleries and art venues present new art exhibitions. | Free
World Cinema at Lifelong - Spring 2026 Film Series | 1:30 p.m., 5/5
Tuesday | Lifelong, 119 W. Court St. | World Cinema Spring 2026 – 12-Session Film Series: April 7 – June 23, 2026 - 1:30 PM – 5:00 PM
Sub-Basement Docs: Rock, Flight, Light | 5:15 p.m., 5/6 Wednesday | Kiplinger Theatre, Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts, 430 College Ave. | Join PMA for Sub-Basement Docs: Rock, Flight, Light. Followed by a Q&A with the lmmakers, Suraj Kushwaha, Meena Haribal, and Esther Grace Brenner. Hosted by PMA/Anthropology Assistant Professor Natasha Rahej | Free
120 E Green St, Ithaca New movies opening the week of April 29. Contact Cinemapolis for showtimes and continuing films.
The Devil Wears Prada 2 | Almost twenty years after making their iconic turns as Miranda, Andy, Emily and Nigel—Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci return to the fashionable streets of New York City and the sleek o ces of Runway Magazine in the eagerly awaited sequel to the 2006 phenomenon that de ned a generation. | PG13 120 mins Vieques: A Living Archive | Vieques Archivo Vivo, is a 2025 documentary lm about the Puerto Rican people’s struggle against U.S. led militarization in the archipelago. Its director, Juan Carlos Rodriguez, describes the lm as “an autoethnography in a twofold sense: it is a re ection on the life of the lmmaker and on the struggles of the Vieques people.” Join CUSLAR for a screening and live Q&A session with the director. | NA 95mins Hokum | When reclusive novelist Ohm Bauman (Scott) retreats to a remote Irish inn to scatter his parents’
ashes, the sta ’s tales of an ancient witch haunting the honeymoon suite take hold of his mind. Soon, disturbing visions and a shocking disappearance draw him into a nightmarish confrontation with the darkest corners of his past. | NA 107 mins
Cruising | When New York is caught in the grip of a sadistic serial killer who preys on patrons of the city’s underground bars, young rookie Steve Burns in ltrates the S&M subculture to try and lure him out of the shadows.| NA 102 mins
Modern Fables for Complicated Times | Modern Fables for Complicated Times is a visual album that features multiple short lms with recurring nocturnal animal characters. It braids music, poetry, space-travel visuals and our character’s mental health challenges in a fablesque animal-character-story-world that energetically confronts isolating modern life here on planet Earth. | NA 60 mins
Ithaca College Women’s Tennis vs New Paltz | 4 p.m., 04/29 Wednesday | Wheeler Tennis Courts, Ithaca College
Cornell Men’s Heavyweight Rowing vs Oregon State University | TBA, 05/01 Friday | Cayuga Inlett
Cornell Men’s Lightweight Rowing vs Columbia University | TBA, 05/02 Saturday| Cayuga Inlett
Cornell Men’s Heavyweight Rowing vs Columbia University & Holy Cross | TBA, 05/02 Saturday | Cayuga Inlett
Cornell Men’s Baseball DoubleHeader vs Columbia University | 11:30 a.m. & 2:30 p.m., 05/02 Saturday | Booth Field, Cornell University
Cornell Men’s Baseball vs Columbia University | 12 p.m., 05/03 Sunday | Booth Field, Cornell University
Sew What? Sashiko Patch Workshop | 6 p.m., 4/29 Wednesday | Hammerstone School of Carpentry, 720 W Green St | Sew What? Sashiko Patch
Sewing Workshop, learn to mend your clothes with Japanese style stitching with the Sustainable Spinster during Old Greeny Fringe Fest! | $15.00
GO ITHACA Open Hours | 2 p.m., 4/30 Thursday | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 East Green Street | Our program makes sustainable commuting accessible and a ordable for everyone.
Adult Bow Making Workshop | 5:30 p.m., 5/1 Friday | 4-H Acres| Adult Longbow Making Workshop! | $325.00 - $334.75
Supporting Our 4-H Fundraiser at the Farm Bureau Auction! | 8 a.m., 5/2 Saturday | Broome County Fairgrounds, 2594 Main St | Supporting Our 4-H Fundraiser at the Farm Bureau Auction!
Valley Arts4All 2026 | 10 a.m., 5/2 Saturday | Riverfront Park, 100 Riverfront Park Rd | Valley Arts4All is back this spring!
Spring Ephemeral Walk | 1 p.m., 5/3 Sunday | will be sent, after you sign up. | Spring ephemerals are harbingers of the changing season. They pop up before early before trees have leafed out and ll the forest with a short burst of color. | $20.00
Silent Book Club Meeting at Chapel Sanctuary / Pond | 6 p.m., 4/29
Wednesday | Bring any book and come read with us! You’re welcome to come and go anytime during the meeting. Just grab a snack, settle down and read, talk at the end and be on your merry way!
Queer Horror Book Club - Grey Dog
| 6 p.m., 4/29 Wednesday | Bu alo
Street Books, 215 North Cayuga Street
| A fan of queer horror? Looking to get into the genre? Join us for a discussion on Grey Dog | Free
Why Our Moral Views Keep Changing with Audun Dahl | 5:30 p.m., 4/30 Thursday | Bu alo Street Books, 215 North Cayuga Street | Join Professor of Psychology, Audun Dahl in conversation with colleague David Pizarro*, to celebrate the launch of his new book! | Free
Cypher Circle Poetry Open Mic | 7 p.m., 4/30 Thursday | The Treehouse Studio and Lounge, 119 S. Cayuga Street - third oor | Poetry and Spoken Word Open Mic | Free
My Father and the Silver King Launch: Gail Holst-Warhaft |
5 p.m., 5/1 Friday | Bu alo Street Books, 215 North Cayuga Street | Join Gail Holst-Warhaft for the launch of her new book piecing together her father’s story from family letters, and memories.
Friends of the Library BOOK SALE
| 8 a.m., 5/2 Saturday | Regina Lennox Book Sale Bldg, 509 Esty St | Friends of the Library Book Sale starts.| Free
Poetry Reading + Conversation with Susan Michele Coronel & Dawn Leas | 2 p.m., 5/2 Saturday | Bu alo Street Books, 215 North Cayuga Street | Join authors Susan Michele Coronel & Dawn Leas at Bu alo Street Books for a poetry reading | Free
YS Graphic Novel Book Club | 4 p.m., 5/5 Tuesday | Tompkins County
Public Library, 101 East Green Street | Join us for YS Graphic Novel Book Club!
Comic Book Club of Ithaca | 6:30 p.m., 5/5 Tuesday | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 East Green Street | The Comic Book Club of Ithaca -- the
oldest continuously running comic book club in the country -- is a registered non-pro t organization.
Open Mic Night! | 7 p.m., 5/5 Tuesday | Center for the Arts of Homer, 72 S Main St | Want to play music to a live audience? Have you crafted a poem or short story you’d like to share or want to tell some jokes? Come join us Tuesday nights for a weekly Open Mic!
America 250 Art Contest for Kids | 10 a.m., 4/30 Thursday | New eld Public Library, 198 Main St | Stop into the Library to participate in the kids art contest sponsored by the local DAR chapter! Details and instructions can be found at the Library or on our website! | Free
Moving Day Finger Lakes | 10 a.m., 5/2 Saturday | Stewart Park, 1 James L Gibbs Drive | Moving Day is the Parkinson’s Foundation’s annual walk in Ithaca, NY. Join 250+ participants for movement, demos, exhibits, and a walk in Stewart Park. Funds raised support Parkinson’s research, care, and resources. | Free TTRPG for Tweens & Teens | 1 p.m., 5/2 Saturday | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 East Green Street | Curious about tabletop role playing games, but feel overwhelmed by the process of learning all the rules and putting a campaign together?
Spring into the Gardens! | 1 p.m., 5/2 Saturday | Cornell Botanic Gardens, 124 Comstock Knoll Drive | Celebrate spring and National Public Gardens Week at Cornell Botanic Gardens! Our Learning by Leading Student Teams will lead family-friendly fun and learning for all ages. Join us to learn about plants, connect with nature, and boost your well-being as we welcome the emerging spring season! | Free
Light and Shadow Workshop for Kids with Arthur Groys | 2 p.m., 5/2
Saturday | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 East Green Street | During the session, Arthur will introduce young participants to the art of shadow theater and demonstrate several puppet-theater techniques.
Cayuga Heights 5K and Fun Run | 9 a.m., 5/3 Sunday | Cayuga Heights Elementary School, 110 E Upland Rd
Karaoke for Carnegie | 3 p.m., 5/3
Sunday | Ithaca Beer Co, 122 Ithaca Beer Dr | Opus Ithaca School of Music invites you to a family-friendly fundraising event with karaoke, games, light bites, and both silent and live auctions! | Free
Read to Dogs | 3 p.m., 5/6 Wednesday | New eld Public Library, 198 Main St | Children are invited to the New eld Library to practice their reading skills by reading to one of Cornell Companion’s volunteer therapy dogs! | Free
2026 Tri-State Symposium on Reproductive Health Sciences | 12 p.m., 4/30 Thursday | Cornell University, 144 East Ave |Tri-Repro 2026! | Free
Nancy Massicci’s Retirement Party | 4:30 p.m., 4/30 Thursday | K-House Karaoke and Arts Hub, 121 West Martin Luther King Jr St | Nancy Massicci joined the Community Foundation of Tompkins County in 2015 as its rst Vice President for Development. She will be retiring at the end of April 2026.
Movie Night Fundraiser for Stewart Park Featuring Listers | 6 p.m., 4/30 Thursday | Tompkins Center for History and Culture, 110 N. Tioga St. | Friends of Stewart Park invites you to our Movie Night Fundraiser featuring LISTERS: A Glimpse into Extreme Birdwatching | $25.00
Moving Day Finger Lakes | 10 a.m., 5/2 Saturday | Stewart Park, 1 James L Gibbs Drive | Moving Day is the Parkinson’s Foundation’s annual walk in Ithaca, NY. Join 250+ participants for movement, demos, exhibits, and a walk in Stewart Park. Funds raised support Parkinson’s research, care, and resources. | Free Chicken Bar-B-Que Fundraiser | 12 p.m., 5/2 Saturday | Eagles Club, 161 Cecil Malone Dr | Chicken Bar-B-Que fundraiser to bene t the New eld Community Good Neighbor Fund on Saturday, May 2 at noon until sold out. Tickets are $12 and available at the New eld Town Hall or any CGNF Board member. | $12.00
Green Saturday | 12 p.m., 5/2 Saturday | NRE Space , 402 W. State St | Get ready for a fun- lled day at the free FingerLakes CannaMarket in Ithaca, NY! Join us for giveaways, great conversations, and the chance to meet top cannabis businesses. Celebrate cannabis culture in the heart of the Finger Lakes region! | Free Citizen Pruners: Hands-on Workshop | 5:30 p.m., 5/5 Tuesday | CCE-Tompkins Education Center, 615 Willow Avenue | The Hands-on Workshop, led by Ithaca’s City Forester Jeanne Grace, will allow participants to practice the pruning techniques they learned in the previous classes or sharpen their existing skills. | $0.00 - $40.00
Community Conversations: Collegetown | 9 a.m., 5/6 Wednesday | St. Luke Lutheran Church, 109 Oak Avenue | Join your neighbors in Collegetown for hyper-local networking, conversation, and advocacy at St. Luke Lutheran Church! | $2.25
13th Annual Mac ‘n Cheese Bowl | 4:30 p.m., 5/6 Wednesday | Ithaca Farmers Market, Steamboat Landing, 545 3rd Street | About 20 Tompkins County eateries serve up their nest mac ‘n cheese, and you vote for the best! | $0.00 - $20.00
CVE SINGS!
SUNDAY, MAY 3, 2026 AT 4:00 P.M.
Cayuga Vocal Ensemble , 309 Siena Drive | Under the direction of Sean Linfors, Cayuga Vocal Ensemble will celebrate their 50th anniversary season with music that will feature double-choir pieces: J.S. Bach's motet, Ich lasse dich nicht and Steve Stucky's Music of Light. The choir will also perform a new work, Jahaań, by contemporary composer Reena Esmail. This uplifting 5-movement work accompanied by four-hand piano and percussion features arrangements of Marathi, Gujarati, and Malayalam folk songs all touching on the feeling of home. The composer writes: “the music of these vibrant folk traditions in India, and I wanted choirs all over the world to experience them too.” (Photo: Provided)
PANDORA DANCE SPRING 2026
SUNDAY, MAY 3 AT 7 P.M.
State Theatre of Ithaca, 107 W State St. | Spring Into Motion is Pandora’s Spring Showcase! From contemporary to hip hop, we will be showcasing our dancers' talents through a wide variety of student-choreographed pieces. Please enjoy what our dancers have worked so hard on this semester! (Photo: Provided)
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The annual business meeting of the Trumbulls Corners Cemetery Association will be held on Tuesday, 05/12/2026 at 6:30pm at the Trumbulls Corners Community Church, 628 Trumbulls Corners Rd. Newfield, NY. All lot owners and other interested parties are invited to attend.
Donate your car, truck, or SUV to assist the blind and visually impaired. Arrange a swift, no-cost vehicle pickup and secure a generous tax credit for 2025. Call Heritage for the Blind Today at 1-855-484-3467. (NYSCAN)
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YOU MAY QUALIFY THROUGH NEW RELIEF PROGRAMS (800) 944-9393 or visit NYProgramFunding.org to qualify. Approved applications will have the work completed by a repair crew provided by: HOMEOWNER FUNDING. Not affiliated with State or Gov Programs. (NYSCAN)
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The Village at Ithaca is proud to announce an inspiring new o p p o r t u n i t y d e s i g n e d t o d e e p e n
n d e r s t a
n community bonds, and connect participants to a powerful chapter of American history. This year, the Village is working with Jeff Furman, a human rights and democracy activist, in proposing a transformative educational trip for twelve loc
,
l high school students to Montgomery, Alabama an experience rooted in reflection, learning, and cultural engagement. Montgomery, Selma and Tuskegee stand as the cornerstone of the Civil Rights Movement, offering visitors a chance to walk in the footsteps of those who reshaped the nation. Through guided visits to historic landmarks, museums, and memorials, participants will gain firsthand insight into the courage, resilience, and vision that defined this pivotal era. Mr Furman’s experience from past trips to the area were not only history lessons, but deeply motivating experiences leading to dialogue, empathy, and personal growth. This is the opportunity he and the Village want to share with young people.
Founded in 2002 by Cal Walker and Karl Graham, The Village at Ithaca has long been committed to empowering youth and families through education, mentorship, and community-building initiatives. This proposed trip aligns closely with that mission by creating an i m m e r s i v e
leadership activities that connect past struggles for justice with present-day challenges and opportunities.
In addition to its educational value, the trip offers a chance to build lasting relationships. Traveling together fosters a sense of unity and shared purpose, strengthening the supportive network that defines the Village community. Students will return not only with new knowledge, but with a renewed sense of responsibility to lead, serve, and make a difference. We are hoping that this becomes an annual trip and we might eventually be accompanied by other organizations.
To bring this vision to life, the Village at Ithaca is seeking support from i n
Contributions of any size will help offset travel costs, program fees, and accessibility for all participants. Individual donors can play a direct role in opening doors for young people, while corporate sponsors have the opportunity to invest in meaningful community impact and youth development.
Donors can contribute financially, sponsor a student, or partner with the Village to expand the reach of this initiative.
The Village at Ithaca invites you to take part in this journey—help send the next generation of leaders to Montgomery, and ensure that the lessons of history continue to inspire change today
Participants will engage in discussions, group reflections, and
Together, we can make this transformative experience possible.
Donations and inquiries can be made on our website - QR Code is below.
Thank you:
Meryl Phipps - Executive Director
Jess Brock - Director of Community Outreach and Engagement
Jeff
Furman - Human Rights & Democracy Activist
