Feb. 11, 2026

From Foster to Family: One Path to Adoption in New York State

Sponsored by Hancock Estabrook, LLP

For a lot of adults thinking about growing their family, adopting a child from foster care is one of the most meaningful—and surprisingly doable—paths out there. In New York State, thousands of kids and teens are still in foster care, hoping for permanent, loving homes where they can finally feel safe, supported, and settled. The foster-to-adopt process is designed to walk caring people through each step with clear guidance, support, and plenty of resources along the way.

Who Can Adopt?

If you’re single, partnered, married, or part of a blended or nontraditional family, New York’s adoption system is open to you. If the idea of giving a child stability and a fresh start speaks to you, the state has built a system that helps you move forward with confidence.

New York’s adoption laws are intentionally inclusive. Foster parents in New York must be over the age of 21 However, there are no requirements around being married, owning a home, making a certain income, or having fertility struggles. Single adults, unmarried couples, same-sex partners, and families of all shapes and sizes are welcome. . That said, prospective foster and adoptive parents do need to show they’re emotionally ready, financially stable, and able to provide a safe, nurturing home. This is confirmed through background checks, child abuse registry clearances, and medical evaluations. These steps are all about keeping kids safe and making sure families are prepared for what’s ahead.

Getting Started

Most people start by attending an orientation session through their local Department of Social Services (DSS). These sessions give you a real, honest look at fos-

ter care and foster-to-adopt—both the challenges and the rewards. You’ll learn about trauma, emotional needs, and what day-today life can look like, all in a low-pressure setting where you can ask questions and see if this path feels right.

Many people choose dual certification, meaning they’re approved as both foster and adoptive parents, which opens up more possibilities. Either way, you’ll have a team—social workers, case managers, and support staff—guiding you throughout the process.

Application and Home Study

Once you apply, the home study begins. A licensed social worker will meet with you several times, visit your home, talk with everyone in the household, check references, and have in-depth conversations about your background, values, and readiness to parent a child who may have experienced loss or trauma. It’s not about judging you—it’s about preparation, reflection, and setting everyone up for success.

You’ll also complete required pre-service training (usually 10–12 sessions or more). Topics include trauma-informed parenting, attachment, child development, behavior management, cultural awareness, and how kids process grief and loss. Many families say this training is eye-opening and empowering, and it’s a great way to connect with others on the same journey.

Foster Placement

Once you’re approved as a foster parent, you may be called upon to foster a child in need. It is important to remember that while the child is in foster care, the Department of Social Services has legal custody of the child, and the primary goal of foster care is reunification with the child’s biological family whenever possible. Therefore, there may be an extended period of fostering before a child is legally freed

(Photo: Vanessa Loring/Pexels)

for adoption, and in some cases, the child may be removed from your home and returned to their biological family. A child is legally freed for adoption when the child’s biological parents voluntarily surrender their parental rights, or their parental rights are terminated by Court order. This process can take a year or longer. Depending on the length of time a child has been placed in your home, foster parents may have certain legal rights, including the ability to participate in court proceedings related to the child’s custody.

Adoptive Placement

There may be children, particularly older children, who are already freed for adoption and seeking permanent, forever homes. Your caseworker will share profiles of these children including details about their personalities, interests, needs, and whether they’re part of a sibling group. The goal is a good fit—matching the child’s needs with your strengths, lifestyle, and capacity. When a potential match looks promising, visits start slowly. You might begin with short, supervised meetings, then move to longer visits, overnights, and weekends. This gives everyone time to build trust and adjust. If things continue to feel right, the child moves into your home in a pre-adoptive placement. This supervision period usually lasts at least six months and includes regular check-ins and ongoing support.

Finalizing the Adoption

After the child is free for adoption and the supervision period ends, it’s time to make things official. An adoption attorney helps file paperwork with Family Court or Surrogate’s Court. A judge reviews the case, confirms the adoption is in the child’s best interest, and issues the final Order of Adoption. From that day on, the child is

legally your son or daughter, with a new birth certificate, new name, if desired, and full legal rights—a forever family.

Costs, Timelines, and Financial Support

One big advantage of foster-to-adopt in New York is cost. Going through a public agency usually means no fees for applications, training, or home studies.

Even after finalization, support doesn’t stop—New York offers post-adoption counseling, support groups, respite care, and other services.

Many children also qualify for foster care and adoption per diem subsidies, the amount of which varies depending on the child’s unique circumstances, until the child is 18 or 21 years old. The placement may also qualify for Medicaid coverage, childcare help, and reimbursement for one-time adoption expenses, including legal fees up to $2,000. These supports can make a huge difference, especially when adopting children with special needs.

Life After Adoption

Adopting from foster care can be challenging. Some children carry the effects of trauma and loss, and parenting them takes patience, flexibility, and heart. But the rewards are enormous—watching a child heal, grow, and feel secure, celebrating firsts and milestones, and building a family rooted in love and resilience. With New York’s strong support system, financial assistance, and experienced professionals, this journey is not only possible—it’s deeply supported.

Footnote: This essay is sponsored by Hancock Estabrook, a local law firm with offices in Ithaca and Syracuse. Their support reflects a shared commitment to strengthening families and increasing awareness of foster care and adoption opportunities throughout New York State.

N ews line

Shawna Black Named Chairperson of TCAT Board of Directors

By Mikayla Rovenolt

Tompkins County’s top elected official and long-time public transportation advocate, Shawna Black, presided over her first meeting of the year on Jan. 28 as 2026 chairperson of the Tompkins Consolidated Area Transit (TCAT) Board of Directors.

Black was also elected as 2026 chairperson of Tompkins County Legislature. She has served on the TCAT Board since fall of 2023 at the recommendation of the county. Black was in line to succeed former Ithaca Mayor Laura Lewis, who served as the 2025 board chair.

Black noted TCAT’s progress in its post-pandemic recovery in rebuilding ridership, with 2025 ridership reaching 2.9 million annual rides, about 80 percent of what it was in 2019. This represents a slight increase over 2024’s 2.85 million rides.

Adding to TCAT’s hope for continued growth were double-digit ridership increases in November and December in addition to a demand for more service as displayed by full buses at peak times.

Black said TCAT’s emphasis on acquiring more buses and improving staffing to meet that demand is paying off and, “I am honored to be part of that.” Black added that thanks to a heavy recruitment push plus the addition of 11 new buses in 2025,

and with two more yet to arrive later this winter, TCAT continues on the path toward recovery.

“I am excited about the future of TCAT,” Black said in a statement. “For the first time in many years, we have the operators, mechanics, administrative staff and an ever-improving fleet of buses that we need to grow ridership. Our amazing staff along with leadership are paving the way for a successful 2026.”

T ake n ote

X Grant Opportunity Available for Literacy and Education Initiatives

The Friends of the Tompkins County Public Library (FOL) has announced it is accepting applications for the Community Organization Grant (COG) to support programs or projects that improve reading, literacy, education and skills-building. Examples of initiatives that improve skillsbuilding include vocational and job training, continuing education, career development, life skills and others.

Applications can be submitted by nonprofit organizations, civic and educational groups and government agencies serving Tompkins County residents. The project or program requesting grant funding can occur at any point in 2026. Awarded grant amounts usually

range from $100 to $1,000, according to FOL.

“The primary beneficiaries of these grants should be those who do not read or are limited in their reading skills with priority given to those programs or projects that target low-income or high-needs populations, and that actively encourage learning rather than passively giving away books,” the COG description states. “Grants should enhance FOL’s mission, which is to encourage a public that can and will use the library and understands its value as a community institution.”

The deadline to submit an application is March 31 and must be sent by email to FOLtcplCOMgrants@gmail.com. The grant application and further instructions can

Local activist groups have taken legal action against the Town of Lansing Zoning Board of Appeals and TeraWulf, the developer behind the proposed Cayuga Data Campus in Lansing.

As TCAT’s governing body, the board is composed of directors recommended by its local underwriters: Tompkins County, the City of Ithaca, and Cornell University. Each is allowed to recommend three people to serve on the board. Nominees are then considered for election by the TCAT board, which rotates officers annually. Lewis, who served on the board at the

Continued on Page 6

be found at www.friendsoftcpl.org/grants.

Within two-to-four weeks, FOL will announce which applicants are selected to receive funding for their initiatives.

FOL states that individuals can request more information or discuss a proposal by contacting Dave Ritchie, FOL committee chair, by phone or text at 607-280-5840 or through the email for submissions.

Since FOL was founded in 1946, it has worked to support high-quality library resources for Tompkins County residents. The organization focuses on encouraging reading, fundraising, awarding grants to libraries and community organizations, advocating for library funding and promoting volunteerism.

R o V enolt , r EP ort E r mack @ ithacatimes com

J ake S exton , a d M inistrativ E c oordinator jake @ ithacatimes com

M a R k S y V e R t S on ,

& M ark E ting lisa e @ ithacatimes com a nna l ee , a dv E rtising & M ark E ting anna @ ithacatimes com

f r EE lanc E rs : Barbara Adams, Charley Githler, Stephen Burke, Bill Chaisson, Ross Haarstad, Steve Lawrence, Marjorie Olds, Peter Rothbart, Austin Lamb, Clement Obropta, Jake Sexton, Kira Walter, Vasant Alex Laplam, and Ceili Ayoung

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(1972–1978) and The

Shawna Black, chair of the Tompkins County Legislature, is now the chairperson of the Tompkins Consolidated Area Transit (TCAT) Board of Directors. (Photo: TCAT/provided)

IN UIRING PHOTOGR PHER Q A

By Mark Syvertson

QUESTION OF THE WEEK: “SURE, THE ACTION AND THE ADS ARE APPEALING BUT WHAT'S YOUR GO-TO SNACK FOR THE BIG GAME?”

NOTE: If readers wish to participate in the Ithaca Times’ Inquiring Photographer column, contact Mark Syvertson at marksyvertsonphotography@gmail.com

“I’d have to say Buffalo

– Brian

“My favorite is guacamole with chips, regardless of the event.” – Esther

“I

Ithaca Residents Demand End to City’s Flock Camera Contract

By Philip O’Dell

Dozens of residents flooded Ithaca City Hall during the Feb. 4 Common Council meeting, demanding the city deactivate its Flock cameras over fears the technology infringes on privacy and personal rights.

Local activist group Flock Off Ithaca organized a demonstration outside City Hall, encouraging attendees to bring signs and register for the meeting's public comment period to share their concerns.

Flock Safety is a private security firm serving over 6,000 U.S. communities through contracts with law enforcement and businesses to provide solar-powered license plate readers and gunshot detection technology.

The Ithaca Police Department’s license plate reader program, originally funded in the 2023 city budget, operates the cameras across dozens of locations in the city. Launched in partnership with the Tompkins County Sheriff’s Office (TCSO) under the state-funded Gun Involved Violence Elimination (GIVE) initiative, the program utilizes state resources for equipment and technical assistance. IPD remains under the Common Council’s mandate to provide implementation updates.

Ian Palansky, lead of the Cornell American Civil Liberties Union’s criminal justice committee, said the chapter formally denounces the regional use of Flock cameras “due to their invasion of privacy, lack of oversight, and potential for serious abuses.” Palansky argued the technology violates the rights of both citizens and immigrants, ultimately advising the city

to terminate the contract and decline any renewals with Flock.

Palansky said Flock’s guidelines allow data—totaling roughly 130,000 monthly data points on Ithaca residents—to be retained for 30 days and accessed by anyone with system authorization. He said Flock data is shared with over 90 police departments, including agencies that cooperate with federal entities like U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. He argued this directly conflicts with Ithaca’s sanctuary city status.

Pointing to a lack of oversight, Palansky cited recent logs where six searches were justified only as “police investigation,” three lacked any justification, and another three— which retrieved over 8,000 data points— were labeled simply as “surveillance.” He

claimed that while officers are required to provide a written reason for tracking movements, the justifications are never vetted, which poses a risk of unchecked abuse. He noted that law enforcement agencies have a history of misusing Flock technology, citing a 2024 incident involving a Kansas police chief accessing the system at least 164 times to stalk an ex-girlfriend.

Numerous attendees voiced their opposition to the city’s agreement with Flock, urging the Common Council to deactivate the cameras immediately and terminate the contract without renewal.

Town of Ithaca resident Fran Spadafora Manzella expressed worry that data from Flock cameras could be shared with ICE or used against domestic violence survivors. She inquired if any studies show the amount of crimes solved due to Flock cameras. She noted that Syracuse cancelled its own contract with Flock.

Mary Anne Grady Flores said she never expected such pervasive surveillance to become a reality in the city. She said the subject was personal as a mother who worries for the safety of her Latino children. Flores called for the cameras to be “taped up immediately.”

Adam Chandler urged the city to immediately disable local Flock cameras and microphones by wrapping them in plastic. He warned officials to remain vigilant, citing an incident in Evanston, Illinois, where the company allegedly reinstalled equipment days after the city had canceled

chicken dip.”

really like this Tex-Mex mix they have at Target.”

“I’m going to go with rye bread dip.”

Ross

“Can I say beer? Beer’s a snack, right?”

Eliot

Citing privacy concerns, residents are demanding Ithaca end its contract with Flock Safety, the company behind the city’s AI-powered license plate readers.

There are dozens of Flock cameras in use across the City of Ithaca. (Photo: Mark Syvertson/Ithaca Times File)

County Legislature Discusses SNAP Changes Under H.R.1 Bill

By Mikayla Rovenolt

Expanded SNAP work requirements under federal bill H.R.1 will impact Tompkins County, according to Deputy County Administrator Bridgette Nugent.

At the Feb. 3 Tompkins County Legislature meeting, Nugent said the expansions will impact work participation and community engagement requirements, and that they’ll apply to a broader group of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program recipients. Able-bodied adults without dependents (ABOD) must now engage in qualifying work or activities for 80 hours per month, which can include employment, work-in-training programs, job search or job readiness activities, or participation in approved volunteer community service programs. These can be combined to meet the 80 hour requirement.

“This expansion affects able-bodied adults without disabilities, recipients aged 55 to 64, and parents with children who are not under 14 years old,” Nugent said. “Additionally, exemptions previously available to veterans, the homeless, and youth aging out of foster care are being removed. Counties will continue to be responsible for assisting affected recipients to comply with these new federal requirements in order to help them retain their benefits.”

The county share of SNAP administrative costs will increase from 50% to 75% for Fiscal Year 2027, adding $170 million in recurring annual costs for counties outside New York City. “So that’s statewide,” Nugent added. The governor’s current state budget

does not alter the current law requiring counties to pay these administrative costs.

The H.R.1 bill also applies fiscal penalties. The current state SNAP payment error rate exceeds 10%, exposing New York state to a maximum fiscal penalty of 15% of total SNAP benefit costs. The total SNAP benefits cost for NYS is $1.2 billion, and penalty costs must be paid starting in Fiscal Year 2028 under the H.R.1 bill.

Before COVID-19, NYS error rate averaged at 5.5%, but rates have increased nationwide since 2020. Nugent said that based on 2024 data, NYS error rate reached 14.1%, which puts the state in the higher penalty rate. States with the lowest payment error rates will not contribute to these costs.

As of December 2025, Tompkins County has 6,953 individuals in 4,447

UPS DOWNS&

Ups

Ithaca Welcomes Refugees posted to social media thanking local businesses and groups for the surge of support to IWR in response to ICE’s actions in Minnesota and nationally. IWR gave their gratitude to 18 organizations, including Wide Awake Bakery, Protagonist Books and Coffee, Greenstar Co-op, the Botanist Coffee House, Kitchen Theater Company, Moosewood Restaurant and others.

Downs

On Monday, three students were transported to the hospital after a school bus crashed in Truxton, Cortland County. First responders found the bus tipped over with 11 elementary schoolaged children, the bus driver and a bus aide inside. The three students were brought to the hospital for two head injuries and a hand injury.

HEARD SEEN&

households receiving SNAP. Of those households, 3,500 households include at least one member who falls within the population subject to these new requirements. County Commissioner Brittanie Earle said the Department of Social Services (DSS) is helping households that may qualify for an exemption obtain necessary documentation.

“It is difficult at this time to quantify how many recipients may experience a reduction,” Nugent said. “Impacts will begin after the SNAP waiver expires at the end of this month, followed by a three-month grace period. We’re looking at May where we will start to see these impacts to benefits.”

To meet the demands of an increased workload, Earle said the county will need to fill five vacancies and create an additional welfare examiner position. SNAP case workers have around 500 cases, which Earle expects expanded requirements to increase by around 20% to 25%.

Nugent said her office will stay informed on state and federal guidance on H.R.1 implementation, and that Tompkins County must prepare for increased administrative responsibilities and costs. Earle said SNAP changes will require 1,700 individuals to either need an exemption or be subject to the new work requirements. She said DSS staff will work with individuals up for recertification to determine if they meet the exemption.

DSS encourages SNAP recipients concerned about benefits to reach out to their case workers. If an individual does not know who their case worker is, she said DSS will help people contact the right person.

Heard

Between Feb. 13 and 28, local businesses will be celebrating educators and support staff as part of the annual Ithaca Loves Teachers event. During that period, local businesses will offer more than 150 exclusive deals and experiences. The celebration is organized by Visit Ithaca in partnership with the Tompkins Chamber and Downtown Ithaca Alliance.

Seen

Ithaca College’s Unity Center will welcome Cecil J. Williams to campus as its MLK Celebration Week Keynote Speaker. Williams is a photographer who documented the Civil Rights Movement throughout South Carolina and the American Southeast. The keynote is free and open for the public to attend on Wednesday, Feb. 11 at 6 p.m. in Emerson Suites on IC’s campus.

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.”

QUESTION OF THE WEEK

Is the City of Ithaca doing enough to tackle its housing crisis?

Yes.

No.

I don’t care.

Should Ithaca end its contract with Flock and disable its license place reader cameras throughout the city? Visit ithaca.com to submit your response.

New SNAP work requirements under federal bill H.R.1 will impact Tompkins County. (Photo: Tompkins County)

Deputy County Administrator Bridgette Nugent at a November 2025 Tompkins County Legislature meeting. (Photo: Mark Syvertson/Ithaca Times File)

Tompkins County Communities Receiving Over $51 Million in State Funds for Infrastructure, Housing

By Philip O’Dell

State Sen. Lea Webb (D-52) announced a massive wave of state investment for Tompkins County, totaling over $51 million to overhaul local infrastructure and expand affordable housing opportunities.

Infrastructure Funds

Webb announced Tompkins County will receive over $47 million from the Regional Economic Development Council (REDC) to support multiple infrastructure projects. Webb said these state funds will help create more places to live and support local business goals.

“This funding represents a meaningful commitment to the future of Tompkins County by expanding housing opportunities, strengthening infrastructure, supporting local businesses, and promoting sustainable growth,” Webb said. “These REDC investments will revitalize neighborhoods and ensure our region remains a place where families can succeed for generations to come.”

Tompkins County was awarded $2 million through NYSERDA’s Building Cleaner Communities Competition to fund the construction of the new Tompkins County Center of Government. The facility will be located at the corner of North Tioga and East Buffalo streets in Ithaca’s DeWitt Park Historic District.

In a separate downtown initiative, Ithaca Neighborhood Housing Services Inc. will receive $382,648 from the Regional Council Capital Funds Program to transform a vacant medical office and a city-

owned parking lot. The redevelopment will create a new mixed-income housing complex specifically for seniors and will include an on-site childcare center.

The Village of Lansing secured $572,139 through the Climate Smart Communities Program to improve local pedestrian infrastructure. The grant will fund the installation of more than 3,300 feet of new sidewalks along Uptown and Craft Roads, promoting safer and more walkable connections within the village.

Webb also shared information on funds related to the SouthWorks project to transform the former Morse Chain factory site into a thriving neighborhood. The $38 million award through the state’s ACHIEVE Competition is designed to jump-start regional growth by turning blighted industrial areas into useful, mixed-use spaces. To support the residential side of the project, the Town of Ithaca will receive $5 million to build the necessary infrastructure—like roads and utilities—for new housing on five acres of the site. DMK Endeavors was awarded over $1 million to help build out the facility and open a First Learning childcare center, ensuring the redeveloped area provides essential services for local families.

Housing Funds

Three communities and an affordable housing nonprofit in Tompkins County will receive a combined $4,723,491 in funds from a state grant program dedicated to providing housing to those in need. Webb announced a combined $4,723,491 will be bestowed from New York State Homes and Community Re-

recommended her for another three-year term. She also serves as this year’s vice-chair of the Tompkins County Legislature.

newal Grant Programs (HCR) to the Town of Danby, Village of Groton, Town of Dryden, and Ithaca Neighborhood Housing Services, Inc. A grand total of $9.2 million will go to Broome, Cortland, and Tompkins counties.

HCR is New York state’s affordable housing agency that works with public and private partners to create housing opportunities for state residents.

The local investments include nearly $2.9 million in Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) divided among the Towns of Dryden and Danby and the Village of Groton for housing rehabilitation and critical infrastructure support. Specifically, the CDBG funding includes $1.5 million to support existing housing in Dryden, $700,000 for housing rehabilitation in Danby, and $675,000 for similar rehabilitation efforts in Groton.

INHS secured over $1.8 million across several specialized programs, including funds for manufactured housing replacement, homebuyer down payment assistance, and emergency repairs for elderly homeowners and residents with disabilities.

Specifically, INHS was awarded $178,000 for accessibility modifications through the Access to Home program and an additional $178,000 from the RESTORE grant to fund emergency repairs for elderly homeowners. From the NYS HOME grant, INHS will also receive $419,491 to provide homebuyer down payment assistance and an additional $1,073,000 to fund the replacement of manufactured housing.

HCR is part of a $25 billion, five-year housing plan from New York state to increase the housing supply by creating or preserving 100,000 affordable homes.

his term and serves as the board’s secretary-treasurer this year.

As part of HCR, the NYS Access to Home Program bestows financial assistance for accessibility modifications, allowing low- to moderate-income individuals with disabilities to live independently at home rather than in institutional settings.

The NYS HOME Program uses federal funds to expand affordable housing by helping local governments and non-profits build, repair, or purchase homes for lowincome residents.

The RESTORE program aims to provide funding for homeowners aged 60 and older to fix emergency repairs and code violations, helping seniors live safely and independently in their own homes.

recommendation of the City of Ithaca since 2018, received a unanimous vote by fellow directors to remain on the board. Tompkins County selected the former mayor as its nominee. Lewis will fill out the remaining year left by former County Legislator Susan Currie, who retired in December.

Deborah Dawson is also returning, recommended by Tompkins County. Dawson served on the TCAT board from 2019 through 2021 and again since 2023, including a term as chair in 2023. The county

The City of Ithaca is expected to soon make a recommendation to fill a third seat, which Lewis previously held. The two previously nominated by the city are Ducson Nguyen and Nick Klein.

Nguyen has served on the TCAT Board since 2016. Nguyen is City of Ithaca Common Council 2nd Ward Alderperson, and a software engineer. He has one year remaining on his term.

Klein, a city and regional planning professor at Cornell, began serving the board in 2025. Klein, has two years remaining on

Shan Varma and Chris Bomysoad are returning to the board this year, having previously been recommended by Cornell.

Varma, the university’s human resources director for Campus and Student Life, joined the board in 2024. This year, Varma will serve as the TCAT Board’s vice-chairman, which puts him in rotation to become chair in 2027.

Bomysoad joined the board in April of 2025 and is returning with one more year left to his term. Bomysoad is Cornell’s director of Finance, Administration & Enterprise Performance.

Cornell also nominated L. Rebecca Hann, whom the TCAT board unanimously elected in December. Hann was recently appointed as the university’s vice president for Budget and Planning after she served the position on an interim basis since June of 2025.

Black will also assign board members to committees to focus on high-level aspects of TCAT’s operations. Committees meet monthly to consider staff updates and review proposals before making recommendations to the full board.

As new board chair, Black leads the

In January, State Sen. Lea Webb (D-52) announced a massive wave of state investment for Tompkins County. (Photo: Mark Syvertson/Ithaca Times)

SHAWNA BLACK

ITHACA RESIDENTS DEMAND

its contract. He also called on the council to collaborate with residents to pass Community Control Over Police Surveillance (CCOPS) legislation to ensure permanent oversight of local technology.

Anne Johnson said she downloaded IPD search audit logs from its transparency portal that Flock provides. She claimed IPD conducted thousands of nationwide searches through Flock’s national camera network in June, July and September of 2025. She noted some of these searches spanned over 90,000 cameras, arguing Ithaca’s local data is shared nationally, leading to potential privacy violations. Johnson cited a letter from U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, claiming Flock requires agencies to share their own data before they can access the national database. She said IPD logs showed three searches in January justified simply as “surveillance” and three others with no reason provided at all. Johnson argued this lack of accountability contrasts sharply with the Tompkins County Sheriff’s Office, which requires staff to enter specific case numbers for every search.

Laurie Konwinski, chair of Immigrant Solidarity, stated that the immigrant community in Ithaca is living in fear due to the pervasive presence of Flock cameras. She noted that some residents now feel compelled to cover their faces in public to avoid detection. Kiwinsky said the current political landscape has shifted since the city’s contract was signed in 2023 and immigrants feel more vulnerable due to recent federal immigration crackdowns.

Mayor Robert Cantelmo said discussions concerning the Flock camera system are expected in the coming weeks.

Alderpersons Robin Trumble, Jorge DeFendini, and Hannah Shvets voiced opposition to the city’s use of Flock cameras, with Trumble announcing his resolution to terminate the contract that could reach the floor on Feb. 11. DeFendini pledged to vote against any future renewal and expressed a commitment to work with alderpersons on measures to deactivate the cameras while still under contract. Shvets argued that removing the cameras and ending that contract are essential steps to upholding Ithaca’s sanctuary city status.

On Oct. 7, 2025, the Tompkins County Legislature moved to accept the

2025-2026 GIVE grant in a 9-4 vote. The state funding will primarily support the county’s gunshot detection devices and Flock Safety license plate readers. TSCO and Cornell University operate their own Flock cameras throughout the county and its campuses, respectfully.

Tompkins County resident Amanda Kirchgessner wrote a resolution to the county legislature that would expand the use of FLOCK to track ICE and publicly shared the purpose of the resolution during the Feb. 3 Legislature Meeting. The resolution requests that the county uses FLOCK technology to track the movements of ICE and law enforcement. Kirchgessner emphasized it is not about tracking individuals or immigration but is about transparency within law enforcement.

“We already have trusted leadership in place,” she said during the council meeting’s privilege of the floor. “We trust our lawfully elected sheriff to uphold our constitutional rights and our lawfully elected district attorney to prosecute unlawful conduct by policing agencies. This resolution doesn’t replace that leadership; it strengthens it with objective data. In a moment when public trust is fragile, Tompkins County

has an opportunity to lead.”

Local law enforcement has said that the cameras have already proven to be beneficial public safety tools. Ithaca Police Chief Tom Kelly told the Ithaca Times in September that the Flock system enhances public safety by generating otherwise unavailable investigative leads and minimizing unnecessary police interactions through more targeted enforcement.

According to the Ithaca City Police Department’s transparency portal, the agency currently operates 22 license plate readers that detected around 130,000 vehicles over the last 30 days. The website states IPD’s policy prohibits using the technology for immigration enforcement, personal use, or harassment. The system captures vehicle and license plate information for a 30-day retention period, while IPD insists the technology does not utilize facial recognition and requires a valid law enforcement justification for every search. IPD shares data with the police departments of Cornell University, Groton Village, Ithaca College Campus, and Trumansburg Village, as well as the New York State Police, NYS Crime Analysis Center Network, and Tompkins County Sheriff’s Office.

The Talk at

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

By Ithaca Times Readers

Support for Josh Riley’s Pushback Against ICE

“The news out of Minnesota is heartbreaking. No community should have to fear violence and even murder carried out in the name of law enforcement, and no family should lose loved ones because leaders choose intimidation and fear over accountability. Basic human decency demands better.

That’s why Congressman Josh Riley’s tough response is appreciated. He condemned the violence, criticized Donald Trump’s anti-immigrant push that has fueled it, and made clear that we cannot allow paramilitary-style tactics to terrorize American communities. His actions—voting to block additional ICE funding, demanding a full and transparent investigation, calling for the impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and fighting

to unmask ICE agents—show that he understands accountability isn’t a slogan; it’s a responsibility.

I am grateful that our representative in the U.S. House has spoken with moral clarity and is willing to stand up for the Constitution and for human dignity. It gives me greater confidence that our values can have a voice in Washington.”

— Joyce Thompson, Valatie

NY

RE: Flying the Friendly Skies

“ Saying it doesn’t make it happen. It’s a nice thought, but coming from the Trump administration, it’s ironic.

I remember flying in the late 1960s as a young child. We dressed like we were going to church. (I remember one time my Mom could not get my hair under control so she used hairspray on me but when that wasn’t working, Mom realized she spray my hair with Right Guard deodorant.) I also remember as a family of four, we rarely sat together and my parents never made a fuss. The only bad thing about flying in the 1960s was the smoking.” — Tom Janowski, ithaca.com

RE: Friends of Stewart Park, and Birds

“ I visited Stuart Park for the first time in twenty years last summer. I couldn’t believe how bad it looked. I stood along the lake and saw what use to

be a beach is now weeds. Just think, sixty years ago people use to swim there.” —

Michael Smith, ithaca.com

RE: Former Collegetown Fire Station Site Slated for $16.5M

Apartment Development

“ Pencils out to $147,000 per bedroom. Seems exorbitant. Guessing this is due to excessive regulations and requirements not to mention unpredictable reviews and permits. Only way to lower housing cost is to build more housing. Only way to build more housing is to make it easier/cheaper to build. Wonder if the Tompkins County Historian that we read about yesterday gets to delay or belabor this project so as to add several thousand $ to cost of each bedroom.” —

Steven Baginski, ithaca.com

RE: Multiple Closures Among Downtown Eateries

“What’s outrageous is people thinking Trump’s policies have anything to do with restaurants closing. Maybe the business owners should look at themselves and their operation before blaming outside elements. The city of Ithaca has not done much if anything to draw foot traffic on the commons especially with their newly enacted parking fees on the weekends.” — Steven Jones, ithaca.com

Concern Regarding Traffic Safety Near Boynton Middle School

“ I just drove on Cayuga St. at 3pm by Boynton Middle School and I am HORRIFIED at the mess off traffic/

parked cars/children crossing the street! Not only is it an accident(s) waiting to happen, it is children’s lives at stake and at the very least there should be an officer on duty to control the mayhem where Cayuga St. meets Lake St. I simply can not believe this has been going on for so long! Something must be done before someone gets seriously hurt or worse!” —

Suzanne Pedersen, Ithaca NY

RE: Poll: Does Ithaca need more affordable housing services like INHS to serve its residents?

“The average community member cannot afford the rents in Ithaca. I work to Wegmans . $18 an does not cover the expenses beyond rent. There is no way single people can live in Ithaca let alone a senior.” — Gina Strachan, ithaca.com

RE: Tompkins County Legislature Urges State to Deny Water Permit for Lansing Data Center

“ NY State is taking away the county and local sales tax revenue, now 4%, 1% a year over the next four years, at which time it will be gone. A data center would carry a huge property tax assessment Tompkins residents will sorely need, aside from the jobs the center building and operation would require, many high paying. Two dozen people showing up at a legislature meeting out of about 105,000 county residents is hardly an overwhelming objection. TC, already not affordable for many, will become less affordable unless we change

Continued on Page 18

In a 2015 Ithaca Times op-ed, then-Mayor Svante Myrick wrote,

“We must remain a place where diversity and community are celebrated, where education and innovation are encouraged, and where artistic talent and natural beauty are abundant.”

Voices Through the Gorges

A Story of Generosity in an Age of Doubt

By Warren Douglas Allmon

These seem like dark times for many valuable and beloved institutions in our country. This is true for science in general, and museums of science and natural history in particular. Federal funding is almost certain to decline in the coming years, and the very meaning of scholarship, preservation, and objective truth that are at the core of these organizations is being questioned.

But amidst this darkness, I share a story of generosity, hope, and the triumph of both community and individual action. At the start of 2025, my organization, the Paleontological Research Institution (PRI) and its Museum of the Earth in Ithaca were threatened with closure, because our largest donor, of over 20 years, had suffered a severe financial setback and could not honor their pledges. Now, a year later, thanks to more than 2300 people from across the country, we have paid our $3 million mortgage and are at the beginning of a path to financial recovery and continued public service.

Founded in 1932, PRI holds one of the nation’s largest collections of fossils, and is the only collections-based natural history museum between New York City and Buffalo. We are an important educational and community resource for Ithaca and central New York. We are also a major provider of professional development for K-12 teachers across the state and beyond, especially in climate change, and our online Earth science content is viewed by more than 1 million people around the world every year. We are a world-renowned resource for researchers from the US and abroad who use our enormous specimen collection to study evolution, environmental change, and biodiversity.

As befits this broad reach, those 2300 individuals gave to PRI for many reasons, many of which they shared with us. They gave because they love or work with fossils, or because they want to support science education, or teachers, or they value PRI’s role in the Ithaca community, or our service to Cornell. Some said that they wanted to do something unifying in

WE THE PEOPLE: A CELEBRATION

a time of national division, or that they wanted to support science and rational discourse when both are under threat. One theme we heard repeatedly was that PRI has changed lives — for families, for students, for kids curious about the natural world.

This extraordinary success marks an important milestone, but our work is not finished, nor ever truly complete. Like all not-for-profit museums, we are entrusted with long-term responsibilities: caring for an irreplaceable collection, supporting the staff who make our work possible, and maintaining facilities that serve the public every day. Meeting those responsibilities will require building strong partnerships and sustained philanthropy. For now, however, we are simply grateful. We offer our deepest thanks to everyone who donated, visited, wrote, volunteered, or shared our story over the past year. Because of you, PRI has the stability to look ahead, and we fully intend to be here for another 93 years.

We continue our commitment to our multifaceted mission this week with the 20th year of celebrating the birthday of Charles Darwin. A listing of events is at www.priweb.org/DarwinDays.

And as a small expression of our appreciation to the community, the Museum of the Earth will be open from February 16th to 22nd for Gratitude Week, a special choose-your-own admission week created to give back to the community that helped keep our doors open. We invite everyone to come visit, explore, and celebrate with us.

More information about PRI — and the history of the Earth and its life — is always available at www.priweb.org .

Warren Douglas Allmon is the Director of the Paleontological Institute in Ithaca, NY, home of the Museum of the Earth.

The Energy Transition: A Declaration of Economic Independence

By Paul Fenn

In an era defined by climate challenges and geopolitical uncertainty, energy democracy — achieved through community-owned renewable energy in the built environment—emerges as a powerful catalyst for achieving a long-awaited energy transition.

Historically, energy systems in the United States have concentrated power in large corporations and distant governments. Fossil fuel dependence tied communities to volatile global markets, environmental degradation, and limited local control. This structure positioned citizens as passive consumers rather than active decision-makers.

The energy transition reverses this imbalance. By transitioning to renewable power, heat and transportation energy technologies, communities gain direct control over how all energy is produced, distributed, and governed. Local ownership transforms energy from a distant utility into a shared public endeavor. This presents the possibility for inclusive climate action based on equity, resilience and prosperity.

A central framework supporting this shift is energy democracy, which integrates the transition to clean energy with expanded community participation and ownership. Locally owned energy projects enable residents to invest in, plan, and manage their energy systems either individually or collectively according to their wishes and abilities. Community members and neighbors decide where projects are located to create locally sourced and used energy that physically reduces energy dependency while economically benefiting those who use and own it.

Unlike centralized fossil fuel systems, renewable energy technologies are well suited to distributed, small-scale models that invite civic engagement and shared responsibility. Economically, locally controlled energy reduces vulnerability to price volatility and weather or systemcaused supply disruptions, increasing community resilience. Community-owned

energy projects also create stable local jobs in renewable and efficiency installation, maintenance, and innovation, helping build diversified local economies. In underserved areas, these projects can provide reliable power and new income streams, supporting long-term economic stability and self-determination.

The energy crisis and the climate crisis require a concerted transition of all energy technologies. Fuels and services for electricity, heat, vehicles and waste cause 75% of all greenhouse gas emissions worldwide and are the cause of widespread energy poverty. In our time, technological convergence is bringing previously separate energy uses into a single energy ecosystem. What used to be gasoline cars, natural gas heaters, and electrical loads are increasingly becoming electrical, networkable appliances. By focusing energy democracy on energy localization the City and Town of Ithaca can demonstrate an economically viable energy transition for other communities to replicate, as called for by the United Nations in announcing its 2030 goals.

Realizing widespread local energy independence requires intentional policy support and civic commitment. Incentives for community ownership, streamlined permitting for local projects, and education that builds technical and democratic capacity are essential. Becoming stewards of energy transition also means that we have to become students of what energy transition looks like, from managing existing electricity and natural gas supply contracts to the work of energy transformation: locally generated, efficiently installed, shared onsite and neighborhood renewable energy systems that bring palpable economic and climate benefits.

The first step is changing how the current energy system works, where the only ones who have the information and knowledge to make an energy transition are the ones selling us gas and power.

The energy supplier’s alignment with

The Enduring Voice of Malcolm X — 1964

Curated by Roy Allen: Director of Strategic Partnerships — Ithaca Times, Finger Lakes Community Newspapers, www.ithaca.com

CURATORS’S NOTE: The following are excerpts of his speech — the entire speech totals more than 8,600 words and can be found online at www.edchange.org.

Many voices have shaped the nation we call America. This week we feature human rights activist — Malcolm X, from his speech “The Ballot or the Bullet, ” originally delivered at the Cory Methodist Church in Cleveland, Ohio on April 3, 1964 and again on April 12, 1964 at the King Solomon Baptist Church in Detroit, Michigan. In a time of deep division, voices from the past can help guide us toward greater unity. These speeches were not delivered in silence— they were spoken across physical and philosophical divides, sustained by courage, and animated by hope. They remind us that freedom is not meant to be a solo act, but a shared civic experience of hope and sacrifice. Today, many Americans believe we are more divided than ever. This is not true. America, since its founding has as Dickens once wrote, experienced “the best of times and the worst of times”. This year, 2026, will be no different.

The Ballot of the Bullet 1964 — Malcolm X — Cleveland, Ohio & Detroit Michigan

“Mr. Moderator, Brother Lomax, brothers and sisters, friends and enemies: I just can’t believe everyone in here is a friend, and I don’t want to leave anybody out. The question tonight, as I understand it, is “The Negro Revolt, and Where Do We Go From Here?” or What Next?” In my little humble way of understanding it, it points toward either the ballot or the bullet.”

“Although I’m still a Muslim, I’m not here tonight to discuss my religion. I’m not here to try and change your religion. I'm not here to argue or discuss anything

that we differ about, because it’s time for us to submerge our differences and realize that it is best for us to first see that we have the same problem, a common problem, a problem that will make you catch hell whether you’re a Baptist, or a Methodist, or a Muslim, or a nationalist. Whether you’re educated or illiterate, whether you live on the boulevard or in the alley, you’re going to catch hell just like I am. We’re all in the same boat and we all are going to catch the same hell from the same man. He just happens to be a white man. All of us have suffered here, in this country, political oppression at the hands of the white man, economic exploitation at the hands of the white man, and social degradation at the hands of the white man.

Now in speaking like this, it doesn’t mean that we’re anti-white, but it does mean we’re anti-exploitation, we’re antidegradation, we’re anti-oppression. And if the white man doesn’t want us to be anti-him, let him stop oppressing and exploiting and degrading us. Whether we are Christians or Muslims or nationalists or agnostics or atheists, we must first learn to forget our differences. If

Five Generations of Ithacans, as Told by Melissa Holland

By Marjorie Olds

Melissa Holland: “I have been lucky enough to have my family around me for most of my life. At least a few generations in Ithaca or nearby at different points. A few times my family managed to have five generations of family in town together, all related to my Grandmother Annie Scott.”

“Annie Johnson Scott was born in Oklahoma on June 19, 1920 and lived on her maternal grandparents’ farm with her siblings and multiple cousins. Grandma and her older sister, Rosie Johnson Melton Henry, moved to Ithaca in 1934 when Grandma was 14 years old to live with their Dad, Bill Johnson, and their stepmother. According to my great-grandpa Bill’s youngest sister, my great-great aunt Bernice Johnson Miller, great-grandpa Bill moved out of Oklahoma after breaking up with great-grandma Melissa, and surviving one of the race-riots in Oklahoma. Great-grandpa Bill Johnson got a job cooking for fraternities at Cornell. Other family members followed, including greatgreat aunt Bernice.”

“Until Grandma Scott moved to Ithaca, she spent most of her life with her mother’s family. After her 1934 move, Grandma spent most of her time with her father’s family mainly in Ithaca, since most of her paternal relatives left Oklahoma for the Northeast too. Grandma spent the rest of her life in Ithaca and built her own family. In 1959, her first grandchild, Lisa Gould Collins, was born to her daughter, Alice Scott Gould, and her son-in-law, John.”

“My grandfather, Edward Scott, commemorated the birth of the first “Scott” grandbaby by gathering the five generations in Ithaca of my Grandmother’s paternal line for a picture. The photo looks like everyone gathered on Aunt Bernice’s porch steps, where my Grandmother’s Grandma Johnson (my great-great grandmother) stayed. Newborn baby Lisa Gould, is surrounded by her mother, Alice Scott Gould, her grandmother, Annie Johnson Scott, her great-grandfather, Bill Johnson and her great-great grandmother, Emily Guest Johnson. In this 1959 photo, Grandma Scott is the link bridging the multiple generations together. She became

the new grandma sharing the day with her own grandmother.”

Marjorie Olds: How many generations is that?

MH: “It makes five generations.”

“In the summer of 2006, I was able to get another five generation family picture in Ithaca. This time, Grandma Scott was the matriarch of the generations. My sister, Terri (the second “Scott” grandchild) was now the centering new grandmother sharing her grandbaby with her own grandmother. The photo was taken at Grandma Scott’s house on Cascadilla Street during a reunion with her nephew and great nephews visiting from Oklahoma after 63 years apart. Baby Aliyah Carrier is surrounded by her mother, Yvette Lewis Carrier, her grandmother, Terri Holland Lewis, her great-grandma, Patricia Scott Holland Dean, and her great-great grandma Annie Johnson Scott.”

“Having multiple generations around is wonderful, but can be confusing. Watching the kids grow up trying to figure out why so many women were called “Grandma.” Figuring out the “Aunt” situation was hard enough (due to Aunts, Great-Aunts, Great-Great Aunts and Great-Great-Great Aunts, all being alive at the same time). I wasn’t alive to see Grandma Scott’s Grandmother. I do remember the thrill of seeing Grandma visit with her Aunt Bernice and her Uncle Perry. Grandma Scott was our family matriarch and it was exciting for me to see her look up to her aunt and uncle.”

“Living with multiple generations of your family gives you a living history. You can see where some of the traditions in your family come from and how certain family traits originate. But sometimes, when you live in it, you don’t always notice or remember to ask questions. I did try to pay attention to the stories of my great aunts and great-great aunt. Even though I paid attention, there are so many things I realized I forgot to ask or forgot the answers they provided. I do know I had something many people will not have, time with many generations of my family. The stories that I do remember and know, I try to pass to the next generations that want to hear about them and share the pictures that have been passed to me.”

(Photo: Wikipedia — Ed Ford — Staff Photographer World Telegram)

Ithaca High Reopens Hall of Fame, Honors Nine After Long Hiatus

By Steve Lawrence

Ihad a “let’s catch up” meeting a while back with Kari Burle (Ithaca High’s Athletic Director), Shane Taylor (Assistant AD) and Kaitlyn Ward (Media Specialist) to strengthen the pipeline, if you will, from Little Red Athletics to the various Ithaca Times platforms. Meetings in which everyone seeks the same outcome are generally enjoyable and I appreciated the opportunity to get to know this relatively new behind-the-scenes “team.”

I learned that after a long hiatus, Ithaca High would induct into its Hall of Fame nine new members. The ceremony marked the first hall of fame induction since 2018, and it was fun for me to flash back 55 years, when I first interacted with one of the Hall’s new members. We’ll save him for last.

Burke, in the department’s press release, stated that “The Hall of Fame Class of 2026 represents excellence, integrity, and lasting impact. We’re proud to celebrate individuals whose contributions continue to inspire our community and set the standard for generations to come.”

The excellent football and lacrosse teams of the mid-70s were well represented, starting with Mike Biondi, who was a first-team All-STAC quarterback, and a two-time All-STAC midfielder for the lacrosse team. Mike went on to play both sports at Ithaca College, and was a starting free safety on the 1979 national championship team.

Thomas Schwan was also a two-sport standout during that era, and was firstteam All-STAC in both football and lacrosse. He played both sports at Ithaca

College, and had a stellar 24-year career as a Section II high school lacrosse coach. Charlie Estey was a teammate of both Biondi and Schwan, excelling in football (All-STAC) and lacrosse, and also continued his playing career at Ithaca College. He has maintained a solid connection to

sports in the areas of youth development and coaching.

Jeff Stark won numerous STAC titles as a gymnast (high bar and still rings), and went on to compete at the collegiate

WANTED: COMMUNITY READERS

Your Voice Matters—Now More Than Ever

Become volunteer readers for Sounds of Democracy , a new, community-driven media literacy and civic engagement initiative that turns local journalism into shared listening.

As our nation approaches the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 2026—and continues through September 2037, the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Constitution— Sounds of Democracy will create a living audio archive of essays, letters to the editor, and news stories originally published in our local papers.

In an era of social and political dis-ease, Sounds of Democracy offers a simple but powerful act: listening to one another . Please contact Roy Allen , Director of Strategic Partnerships, at Roy@ithacatimes.com for more information. We look forward to hearing from you.

Finger Lakes Community Newspapers — The Ithaca Times, Trumansburg Free Press, Ovid Gazette, Interlaken Review, News Chronicle, Tompkins Independent and Prime Times.

Left to right: Kari Burke, Jeff Stark, Thomas Schwan, Charlie Estey, Lindy West, Bill Bryant, Mike Biondi, Brett Avery, Jake Avery, Nick Avery, Chris Affolter, Logan Todhunter and Shane Taylor. (Photo: Joe Scaglione)

FLX Strong, CLEAN File Lawsuit Against Lansing ZBA, TeraWulf to Block Data Center

By Philip O’Dell

FLX Strong and Cayuga Lake Environmental Action Now (CLEAN) filed a petition on Jan. 29 in Tompkins County Supreme Court to block the proposed data center in Lansing, claiming the Town of Lansing Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) overstepped its authority.

The two advocacy groups filed the Article 78 petition against ZBA and project developers TeraWulf Inc., its subsidiary Lake Hawkeye, property owner Cayuga Operating Company, and applicant Fred DelFavero.

TeraWulf entered a long-term lease agreement in August 2025 with the property owners of the former Cayuga Power Plant. The proposed “Cayuga Data Campus” development at 228 Cayuga Drive is within the Industrial Research (IR) District of the town’s zoning code.

A data center is a facility that houses large-scale computing machines that work together to process, store, and share data. The facilities have been instrumental for creating artificial intelligence platforms like ChatGPT.

TeraWulf CEO Paul Prager previously said the proposed facility will engage in activities, such as scientific simulation and modeling, algorithm development and testing, machine learning research and experi-

mentation, data intensive computational research and engineering analysis and investigation. Operations will not include mining cryptocurrency or hosting websites.

FLX Strong and CLEAN’s petition challenges ZBA’s decision to allow TeraWulf to proceed with building a data center as a general processing facility.

ZBA members voted 3-2 in favor of the data center falling under the general processing category of its zoning rules during their meeting on Dec. 22, 2025.

In a joint statement, FLX Strong and CLEAN allege ZBA’s proceedings were “marked by bias, legal defects, and procedural irregularities that cannot be allowed to stand.” The two groups claim ZBA “effectively rewritten the Town Code under the guise of interpretation” to approve the data center.

“The decision is damaging both in the short term, by treating a data center as a permitted use by right, and in the long term, by opening the door to treating any type of business as ‘general processing,’ no matter its character,” according to the statement. “This is an alarming precedent for our community.”

In their filing, the two groups claim ZBA stretched a legacy industrial category meant for “light manufacturing and assembly” to fit modern digital infrastructure, which allowed the project to bypass rigorous envi-

ronmental reviews and proceed as a permitted as-of-right use.

Petitioners contend this interpretation sets a dangerous long-term precedent that collapses the town’s carefully drawn zoning distinctions. Because nearly every modern business processes some form of information, the lawsuit warns that the ZBA’s logic could render almost any commercial use a form of “general processing,” stripping the Town Board of its legislative authority to control local development.

The filing further alleges the decision was marred by “procedural defects” and a rushed timeline. Despite a public hearing featuring 43 speakers, ZBA reached its conclusion in just 12 days—far short of the two months allowed. This compressed schedule, the petition claims, curtailed essential deliberation on a novel land-use issue with significant community and environmental implications.

The lawsuit alleges ZBA Chairperson Jack Young was biased in favor of the data center’s approval before casting the tie-breaker vote. The petition claims Young expressed hope for the data center’s approval in private emails months before the vote. The petition also cites the chairperson’s public comments where he “prejudged the core legal question—whether a data center was a permitted use under the Ordinance.” Arguing that this “prejudgment” violated procedural due pro-

cess, the petitioners are asking the Tompkins County Supreme Court to annul the ZBA’s determination. The legal action seeks to remand the matter for a new, impartial hearing that excludes the chairperson.

The lawsuit follows the Tompkins County Legislature’s 14-1 approval of a resolution on Jan. 20, requesting New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) to reject TeraWulf’s water withdrawal permit and mandate a comprehensive new environmental review for the proposed data center.

During the Jan. 20 legislature meeting, over two dozen residents raised concerns about the data center project and its potential risks to utility rates, water quality, human health, and local wildlife.

Legislator Deborah Dawson said the resolution seeks to hold the “TeraWulf family of entities” accountable by requiring accurate information and a precise explanation of the project’s intended water usage.

ZBA CHAIR’S RESPONSE

Young clarified ZBA does not hold approval authority in this matter and was not voting on whether to approve or reject the TeraWolf proposal. Instead, ZBA’s involvement was limited to an administrative review, and its role was limited to interpreting

Local activist groups have taken legal action against the Town of Lansing Zoning Board of Appeals and TeraWulf, the developer behind the proposed Cayuga Data Campus in Lansing. (Design by Kaiden Chandler for the Ithaca Times)

Cayuga Lake Environmental Action Now (CLEAN) is concerned that TeraWulf’s proposed data center operations will negatively impact the environmental health of the region, particularly the waters of Cayuga Lake. (Photo: Tompkins County)

the zoning code based on an appeal from the code enforcement officer. He said ZBA is not tasked with examining issues, such as noise, property values, or pollution. The board did not grant an approval but rather provided a formal opinion on how the code enforcement officer interpreted specific definitions within the local code.

“We weren’t voting yes or no to TeraWulf or to the data center,” Young said. “We were just interpreting the zoning code.”

As a member of the code review committee, Young explained that the group proactively reviewed the code following TeraWulf’s initial announcement.

The petition alleges that the appeal passed by a narrow margin with Young casting the tie-breaking vote for the developer. Young maintains that his voting record demonstrates impartiality. Young said he previously broke a 2-2 deadlock to deny a related warehouse appeal and voted against a research lab proposal. Young argued that had his goal been to ensure TeraWulf’s success, he would have approved the warehouse project. He said he could not have predicted whether his subsequent vote on the final general processing appeal would be the deciding factor.

The petition highlights a Sept. 4, 2025, email from Young to the Town Supervisor Ruth Groff, sent before the ZBA appeals were pending. In the message, Young reportedly stated that the town “could use the money” from the project and expressed a personal hope that the data center would eventually be approved. The petitioners claim the exchange shows a predetermined bias toward the development before the board's formal review began.

Young countered that the email predated the appeals by two months and stemmed from his research for the Town Zoning Advisory Committee, conducted at Groff’s request.

“This work wasn’t related to the eventual appeals heard by the ZBA, and was done at a time when everyone in the Town government appeared to be assuming that a data center was an allowed use in the proposed location,” Young said. “It’s unrelated to the substance of the interpretive appeals that were eventually filed with the ZBA, and is clearly stated as a personal opinion.”

Young said the full quote from the email reads, “Bottom line — we could use the money, and if this new project can deal with water, noise and (possibly) heat issues, I personally hope it will eventually get approved. (Based solely on what I know about it so far, of course.)” Regarding his comments cited in the petition, Young said the TeraWulf project might be a good idea if all externalities can be addressed. He clarified that his stance was based on a hypothetical scenario rather than finalized plans.

Young said his position on the TeraWulf proposal will depend on the company’s ability to mitigate local impacts. He stressed that he would oppose any project that creates hazardous conditions or fails to address onsite waste disposal. Young said it is impossible to take a definitive stance for or against the development until a detailed, concrete proposal is submitted for review.

“I don’t think I would have an opinion on TeraWulf until after it’s gone through planning board review and they have come up with a final proposal,” Young said.

Young said the town planning board is responsible for reviewing the full TeraWolf application. He anticipates it will be an extensive and systematic process, likely taking about a year, with a special meeting dedicated to the proposal every month. The planning board will address externalities and public concerns.

Don’t Let Ithaca Lose Its Storytellers

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

The proposed “Cayuga Data Campus” development at 228 Cayuga Drive is within the Industrial Research (IR) District of the town’s zoning code. (Map: Town of Lansing)

A Sold Out Screening & The Future Of Namgyal: Ithaca’s Monastery May Broaden Community Engagement

By Kira Walter

Namgyal-Ithaca is the North American seat of the Dalai Lama’s personal monastery, and this is largely a secret. Despite the institute’s astounding significance as an emblem of perseverance through religious persecution, many Ithacans have yet to visit the location off Danby Road. College students, a demographic most in need of meditative space, decentering stress and competition, may never encounter the resources Namgyal offers. But perhaps, this is soon to change.

On Feb. 1, coordinators at Mindful IC partnered with Monastery volunteers to screen Wisdom Of Happiness, a 2024 documentary in which His Holiness Tenzin Gyatso reflects directly on how to build a peaceful mind in the 21st century. The free screening at Cinemapolis was followed by a panel discussion about the value of being compassionate

during a period of escalating polarization and the monastery’s future.

The 90 minute free event sold out, with over 150 attendants eager to hear what advice the 14th leader of Tibetan Buddhism imparted upon those arriving at the potential brink of humanity. The Dalai Lama discussed self-love with existence as a basis and open communication as the only way to create mutual understanding. He addressed climate change, a need for more females in power, and the brevity of materialistic life. Confronting the internal enemy to end cycles of suffering could be achieved through training the mind.

This training, including potential educative measures regarding Buddhism, was a staple of the conversation directed by long-time volunteers Deana Bodnar and Sue Crowley in the movie’s aftermath.

Crowley, a secretary on the monastery’s board described new initiatives being taken to welcome those curious about the faith.

“There’s a lot of outreach that’s recently been happening,” she said. “We’ve been speaking with the Ithaca chamber of commerce, Visit Ithaca and the convention center. They are now including us in all of their advertising.”

After a spontaneous meditation at Namgyal’s original downtown location in the ‘90s, Crowley recognized she was a buddhist. She’s been one for over 25 years now, as the monastic community has grown and re-rooted in South Hill.

She explained that His Holiness first visited Ithaca as a young man, invited by a friend who traveled to Dharamsala, India. It was here the spiritual leader first sought exile following the 1959 Chinese invasion of Tibet. His central institution still remains in Dharamsala where roughly 200 monks continue practice, but his interest in Ithaca as an educational oasis provided the grounds for a seat here. In 1992, the branch was established.

“A lot of people who come in ask why we aren’t in LA or New York,” Crowley said. “But His Holiness didn’t necessarily want the monastery in a big city. He wanted to see his North American seat in a place where people had ample access to education.”

With over 30 years in Ithaca, the North American seat has since grown into an expansive 28 acre property with a shrine room, main house and residences for monks traveling in. A new library and learning center built in 2023 is open Wednesday through Friday from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Open meditation takes place Monday, Wednesday, Friday starting at 5:15 p.m and lasting till 6 p.m. All are able to peruse books, utilize study areas, or walk the “eightfold path” through surrounding forestry. Courses and events are hosted here with an extensive calendar.

Arts & Entertainment

The inside of the Namgyal Monastery. (Photo: Casey Martin/Ithaca Times File)

On Feb. 1, coordinators at Mindful IC partnered with Monastery volunteers to screen Wisdom Of Happiness, a 2024 documentary in which His Holiness Tenzin Gyatso reflects directly on how to build a peaceful mind in the 21st century. (Photo: Kira Walter/Ithaca Times)

CCO’s World Premiere of “at Dusk, it Dawned on Her”

By Peter Rothbart

Every concert season, the Cayuga Chamber Orchestra commissions a Central New York composer to write a piece for them. This reflects Music Director Guillaume Pirard’s ongoing commitment to bringing new music and new music makers to our concert halls. This year’s commissioned composer is Laura Cetilia, whose “at dusk, it dawned on her”, premieres on Saturday, Feb. 14 in Ithaca College’s Ford Hall. The piece reflects her intense interest in the music of Morton Feldman, whose “Madame Press Died Last Week at Ninety” is also featured on the program.

Morton Feldman is probably one of the most influential 20th century composers you have never heard of. His compositions share the values and perspectives of Abstract Expressionist artists such as Mark Rothko and Jackson Pollock. His philosophy reveals the influence of John Cage. Samuel Beckett wrote the libretto for his sole opera.

A master of extending time to the point of stasis, he established a style of writing that emphasized small sparks of sound and slowly shifting harmonic textures that seem devoid of movement.

To understand Feldman, you must quiet your mind to understand his time. Try to suspend your sense of time by withholding your expectation of change.

“From

the Cradle”

Cayuga Chamber Orchestra

Saturday, Feb. 14 at 7:30 p.m.

Whalen Center for Music

Ford Hall

Ithaca College

Ithaca, NY

Tickets: www.ccoithaca.org or at the door

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

continued from page 8

our attitudes toward development.” — Henry Kramer, ithaca.com

“Mr. Kramer. Agree that TC in is unaffordable and residential property owners carry majority of tax

Listening to slowly evolving, almost watercolor-like blends of harmonic shadings. Musical motives are micro-sized Webernlike, yet distinct, colorful, and resistant to development. They are quiet interjections over quiet backgrounds that seem to last forever.

Written in 1970 as an elegy for his piano teacher, “Madame Press Died Last Week at Ninety” is one of Feldman’s earliest pieces to adopt this style of writing. It is also one of his shortest.

Laura Cetilia explains that her music “rarely follows a narrative, instead it attempts to express a singular, mysterious moment.” In an interview with me, she acknowledged that she has been profoundly influenced by Feldman, so much so that she suggested that Pirard program Feldman’s work along with her own piece.

The similarity between Feldman's style and Cetilia’s “at dusk, it dawned on her” is apparent, the slow movement of time, individualistic evocations of motives and an introspective approach to texture. Both composers restrict the pitch material from which their colors are derived. Cetilia’s predilection for minor and major second intervals as well as perfect fourths lends cohesiveness to her work. But Cetilia takes Feldman a step further, her independent motivic interjections accumulate over time rather than develop.

Pirard and Cetilia share an affinity for projecting sound from a variety of locations within the concert hall. She physically divides the orchestra, distributing her musicians onstage to create a stereophonic imagery; flutes are on opposite sides of the stage which causes their dissonant half steps pitches to shimmer in our ear. When the horns enter on a unison pitch, again from different sides of the stage, their sound widens without thickening.

burden. Cornell is partly responsible but so are the tens maybe hundreds of thousands of millions of dollars in corporate tax abatements granted to developers. Including a recent multimillion dollar abatement to a solar company for a project in Lansing. The solar company is owned by a mega fossil fuel company. Agree that development could mitigate residential tax burdens but that

The strings remain divisi for most of the piece which contributes to the intimacy and transparency of their sound. Their independent micro-motives randomly pop like bubbles bursting. Through some clever rhythmic writing–pitting two notes against three or three notes against four–these bubbly outbursts gradually organize themselves to propel the piece towards its conclusion.

Also on the program is Richard Wagner’s “Siegfried Idyll”, a one-movement tone poem from 1870, written as a birthday present for his wife Cosima. That Wagner’s music can be overbearing, bombastic, obsessively, and therefore excessively romantic is a given. But this piece is different. This is a gentle and quieter Wagner, the uber-Romantic composer at his most intimate and tender moment.

Mozart’s Symphony No. 40 in G minor, K. 550 rounds out the program. Mozart was a restless soul whose 40th symphonic outing reflected his inner tumultuousness. Written in G minor, it is one of only two of his symphonies set in a minor key. It follows Classical era form; four contrasting movements with two adhering to sonata structure and two based on dance forms. It is an intense and passionate work throbbing with emotions tempered by classical forms. The piece prefigures the evolution of the Classical era’s emphasis on form and balance, to the Romantic’s era’s emphasis on emotional expression.

It opens with a roiling string melody, like water rushing downstream after a storm. The Andante second movement, in a related major key, provides a bit of respite from the intensity of the first. The dance-like Allegretto third movement revolves around a syncopated rhythm in the melody that hints at a dancer stumbling and recovering. The swashbuckling

is currently not the case in TC bc of the large amount of corporate abatements that have and never will be paid back (the abatements are typically for 20 years after which the developers can sell and the abatement doesn’t transfer to the new owner). The local zoning boards could amend their zoning codes for data centers and require them as part of the permitting process to build

Laura Cetilia’s “at dusk, it dawned on her”, premieres on Saturday, Feb. 14 in Ithaca College’s Ford Hall.

(Photo: Provided/Julie Fowells)

pace of the finale comes from another dance form, the bourrée, and uses it as a launch pad for a rapidly rising arpeggiated line that sounds like a rocket; a trademark technique developed in the Mannheim Orchestra and called cleverly enough… a Mannheim rocket.

Peter Rothbart is a 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 is the Director of the Ageless Jazz Band and remains active as a classical, jazz, and pop musician.

their own power plants. E.g., you want to build a data center? Then b.y.o. power source. This article cites nearby wind and solar power sources, assuming (incorrectly) that those sources would be available to the proposed data center but often the energy is already committed to other things.” — Laura Ingalls, ithaca.com

K-HOUSE Set to Reopen in Former Watershed Space

By Mikayla Rovenolt

The popular Ithaca karaoke lounge and bar, K-HOUSE, is set to reopen at 121 West Martin Luther King Jr. Street, the former location of The Watershed and The Downstairs, on Feb. 17. They will reopen alongside Farm to Feast providing snacks and bites for karaoke goers.

Founded by Alina Kim, new K-HOUSE will open with an expanded, arts-forward, day-to-night format that includes a café, live music venue, community arts space, and a network of pop-up karaoke locations across Ithaca. They also have a new name: K-HOUSE Karaoke and Arts Hub.

After closing its Lansing location last year, the popular venue originally planned to open next door, but owner Alina Kim said the decision to move into the Exchange Building became clear after the closure of The Watershed and The Downstairs was announced at the end of 2025.

“It made more sense to come into an already existing space, rather than try to rebuild something from the ground up,” Kim said. “There’s such a big legacy in this space, especially with being friends with Ashley and having so many aligned visions. It just made a lot of sense to step into this space.”

Planned programming includes karaoke seven nights a week (beginning at 4 p.m. most evenings), live music, open mics, community events, private rentals, and celebrations. The former Downstairs space, now known as Room K, will host live music performances, workshops, and private events for up to 60 people.

Farm to Feast NY, led by owners Jason Windsor and Mary Buell, will also be present at K-HOUSE to provide food to both event and casual goers. The café is designed for takeout and dine-in service and will feature locally roasted coffee, signature shokupan bread and ramen, and fresh dishes highlighting local ingredients.

“Alina had told some people before meeting with us and actually sitting down, she was like, ‘I met the people that are going to run the kitchen, but they don’t know it yet,’” said chef Jason Windsor. “It turned out to be a pleasant surprise that we all wanted to work together.”

Farm to Feast NY will initially operate as a weekday café serving breakfast and lunch, with plans to expand into dinner service over time. On Saturdays and Sundays, the café will offer a rotating brunch menu, occasionally paired with live programming. Initial café hours will be Wednesday through Sunday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m..

Another new addition to the K-HOUSE lineup is Q Space, a daytime pilot initiative in Room K designed in collaboration with the local queer and trans community. Developed alongside collaborators Tilia Cordata and Just Alex, Q Space will operate weekday hours and focus on co-working, creative workshops, and community connection.

During their pilot phase, Room K will operate from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Monday through Wednesday, with co-working and open space on Mondays and Wednesdays, and crafting, writing, poetry, and creative workshops on Tuesdays. Additional queerfocused afternoon and evening programming will rotate throughout the month.

“It’s a reimagining of the return of my first location, my first beloved baby, and expanding it to something that is more arts forward, more day to night,” Kim

said. “I have something available during the daytime as well as throughout the evenings, and a much bigger focus on community. Using this space as a community art space, I want to do a lot of collaborations, creative collaborations with artists in town, and so I’m just using karaoke as a familiar pastime at K-HOUSE.”

Along with their pilot programs, K-HOUSE is also introducing the Pop-Up Club. Rather than offering private karaoke suites within a single building, the downtown version expands access through a group of local venues hosting private karaoke rentals throughout Ithaca.

Confirmed Pop-Up Club partners include Mama Goose, Treehouse Studio & Lounge, Mix Art Gallery, NRE Space, and Community Support & Transition.

To kick off their opening, K-HOUSE has events lined up. On Feb. 17 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. K-HOUSE will host its first Open Mic Night in Room K and Band Camp: Musicians Networking Night will take place Feb. 18. Feb. 20 will feature WUTCG, Trust Fund Ozu, Low Indigos, and Angela Marion in Room K, show starting at 9 p.m.. This last event is for people 21 and older, and has a cover fee at the door.

“We have something every night of the week,” Kim concluded. “We’re experimenting and doing some of the same stuff that was similar to what was here before and kind of consolidating it with our programming and hopefully we’ll have a nice response to it.”

K-HOUSE, a popular Karaoke bar, closed its Lansing location last year. It is set to reopen in downtown Ithaca next week. (Photo: Provided/Alina Kim)

K-HOUSE and Farm to Feast are opening a new location at the former Watershed and Downstairs space at 121 West Martin Luther King Jr. Street. (Photo: Provided/Alina Kim)

board’s executive committee. This year, the committee includes Lewis (immediate past chair), Varma, Klein, and TCAT General Manager Matthew Rosenbloom-Jones. Other committees and members for the year include Black (chair); Varma; Klein; Lewis; and the city’s yet-to-be-named representative for the Audit Committee. For the Budget Committee, Dawson (chair); Nguyen; Bomysoad; and Hann. The Hu-

A NATION SPEAKS

we have differences, let us differ in the closet; when we come out in front, let us not have anything to argue about until we get finished arguing with the man. If the late President Kennedy could get together with Khrushchev and exchange some wheat, we certainly have more in common with each other than Kennedy and Khrushchev had with each other.

If we don’t do something real soon, I think you’ll have to agree that we’re going to be forced either to use the ballot or the bullet. It’s one or the other in 1964. It isn’t that time is running out — time has run out! 1964 threatens to be the most explosive year America has ever witnessed. The most explosive year. Why? It's also a political year. It’s the year when all of the white politicians will be back in the so-called Negro community jiving you and me for some votes. The year when all of the white political crooks will be right back in your and my community with their false promises, building up our hopes for a letdown, with their trickery and their treachery, with their false promises which they don’t intend to keep.”

“In this present administration they have in the House of Representatives 257 Democrats to only 177 Republicans. They control two-thirds of the House vote. Why can't they pass something that will help you and me? In the Senate, there are 67 senators who are of the Democratic Party. Only 33 of them are Republicans. Why, the Democrats have got the government sewed up, and you’re the one who sewed it up for them. And what have they given you for it?”

So it's time in 1964 to wake up. And when you see them coming up with that kind of conspiracy, let them know your eyes are open. And let them know you — something else that’s wide open too. It's got to be the ballot or the bullet. The ballot or the bullet. If you’re afraid to use an expression like that, you should get on

man Resources committee is composed of Lewis (chair); Klein; Varma; and the city’s yet-to-be-named representative and the Transit Service Committee includes Nguyen (chair); Bomysoad; Klein; and Lewis. Non-board members are Tom Knipe, executive director of the IthacaTompkins County Transportation Council (ITCTC); and former long-term TCAT Board Members, Jennifer Dotson and Frank P. Proto.

The Planning Committee is an ad-hoc committee that members of the board will

out of the country; you should get back in the cotton patch; you should get back in the alley. They get all the Negro vote, and after they get it, the Negro gets nothing in return. All they did when they got to Washington was give a few big Negroes big jobs. Those big Negroes didn’t need big jobs, they already had jobs. That’s camouflage, that’s trickery, that’s treachery, window-dressing. I'm not trying to knock out the Democrats for the Republicans. We’ll get to them in a minute. But it is true; you put the Democrats first and the Democrats put you last.”

“So, what I’m trying to impress upon you, in essence, is this: You and I in America are faced not with a segregationist conspiracy, we’re faced with a government conspiracy. Everyone who’s filibustering is a senator — that’s the government. Everyone who’s finagling in Washington, D.C., is a congressman — that’s the government. You don’t have anybody putting blocks in your path but people who are a part of the government. The same government that you go abroad to fight for and die for is the government that is in a conspiracy to deprive you of your voting rights, deprive you of your economic opportunities, deprive you of decent housing, deprive you of decent education. You don’t need to go to the employer alone, it is the government itself, the government of America, that is responsible for the oppression and exploitation and degradation of black people in this country. And you should drop it in their lap. This government has failed the Negro. This so-called democracy has failed the Negro. And all these white liberals have definitely failed the Negro.”

So, where do we go from here? First, we need some friends. We need some new allies. The entire civil-rights struggle needs a new interpretation, a broader interpretation. We need to look at this civil-rights thing from another angle — from the inside as well as from the outside.”

“We need to expand the civil-rights

serve on as needed.

Black said that the board continues to welcome feedback from riders and interested members of the public to attend the board’s regularly scheduled meetings, which are held both virtually and in person at TCAT’s 737 Willow Avenue facility. This year, the meeting time has been shifted from the fourth Thursday evening of every month to the fourth Wednesday in the afternoon from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. to accommodate directors’ and staff’s schedules.

struggle to a higher level — to the level of human rights. Whenever you are in a civil-rights struggle, whether you know it or not, you are confining yourself to the jurisdiction of Uncle Sam. No one from the outside world can speak out in your behalf as long as your struggle is a civil-rights struggle. Civil rights comes within the domestic affairs of this country. All of our African brothers and our Asian brothers and our Latin-American brothers cannot open their mouths and interfere in the domestic affairs of the United States. And as long as it’s civil rights, this comes under the jurisdiction of Uncle Sam.

But the United Nations has what’s known as the charter of human rights; it has a committee that deals in human rights. You may wonder why all of the atrocities that have been committed in Africa and in Hungary and in Asia, and in Latin America are brought before the UN, and the Negro problem is never brought before the UN. This is part of the conspiracy. This old, tricky blue eyed liberal who is supposed to be your and my friend, supposed to be in our corner, supposed to be subsidizing our struggle, and supposed to be acting in the capacity of an adviser, never tells you anything about human rights. They keep you wrapped up in civil rights. And you spend so much time barking up the civil-rights tree, you don't even know there’s a human-rights tree on the same floor.”

“The black man in the black community has to be re-educated into the science of politics so he will know what politics is supposed to bring him in return. Don't be throwing out any ballots. A ballot is like a bullet. You don’t throw your ballots until you see a target, and if that target is not within your reach, keep your ballot in your pocket.”

“The economic philosophy of black nationalism is pure and simple. It only means that we should control the economy of our community. Why should white people be running all the stores

The board will continue to combine their November and December meeting into one year-end meeting the first week in December. For more information, please see TCAT’s Board and Committees’ page. Citing their dedication and expertise, the board in December voted on a Resolution of Appreciation for both Currie, and Denise Thompson, who also left the board in December. Thompson, Cornell’s assistant director for Off-Campus Living, served on the TCAT board since 2018 at Cornell’s recommendation.

in our community? Why should white people be running the banks of our community? Why should the economy of our community be in the hands of the white man? Why? If a black man can’t move his store into a white community, you tell me why a white man should move his store into a black community. The philosophy of black nationalism involves a re-education program in the black community in regards to economics. Our people have to be made to see that any time you take your dollar out of your community and spend it in a community where you don’t live, the community where you live will get poorer and poorer, and the community where you spend your money will get richer and richer.”

“Brothers and sisters, always remember, if it doesn’t take senators and congressmen and presidential proclamations to give freedom to the white man, it is not necessary for legislation or proclamation or Supreme Court decisions to give freedom to the black man. You let that white man know, if this is a country of freedom, let it be a country of freedom; and if it’s not a country of freedom, change it.”

“Lyndon B. Johnson is the head of the Democratic Party. If he’s for civil rights, let him go into the Senate next week and declare himself. Let him go in there right now and declare himself. Let him go in there and denounce the Southern branch of his party. Let him go in there right now and take a moral stand — right now, not later. Tell him, don’t wait until election time. If he waits too long, brothers and sisters, he will be responsible for letting a condition develop in this country which will create a climate that will bring seeds up out of the ground with vegetation on the end of them looking like something these people never dreamed of. In 1964, it’s the ballot or the bullet. Thank you.” Next week, we will celebrate the first black woman to be elected to the United States Congress — Shirley Chisholm and her 1969 speech — "Equal Rights for Women”

SHAWNA BLACK

2/11 Wednesday

Paint and Sip at Veraisons | 6 p.m. | Veraisons, 5435 Route 14, Dundee, NY |

2/12 Thursday

Karaoke with Elephant Sound |

8 p.m. | 23 North Restaurant and Bar, 23 Cinema Dr. | Show off your singing chops during Karaoke Night! Great food, great drinks, great FUN! | Free |

2/13 Friday

Valentine’s Weekend Getaway

| Glenora Wine Cellars, 5435 State Route 14, Dundee, NY | More information available online. |

Cupid Cups at Toast Winery | 10 a.m. | 4499 NY 14, Rock Stream, NY |

Galentines Day!! | 11 a.m. | Tabora Farm and Winery, 4978 LakemontHimrod Road, Dundee, NY |

Winter Wine and Food Pairing at Silver Thread Winegarden | 12 p.m. | Silver Thread Winegarden, 9564 State Route 414, Lodi, NY |

Live Music - Son Henry | 6 p.m. | Hopshire Farm and Brewery, 1771 Dryden Road | “Queeraoke” | 8 p.m. | The Rhine House, 632 W Seneca St. | Free |

The Just Us Band celebrates Valentine’s Day | 8 p.m., 41 Lakefront Hotel, Trademark Collection By Wyndham | $23.18 |

2/17 Tuesday

Open Mic Night! | 7 p.m., 2/17

Tuesday | Center for the Arts of Homer, 72 S Main St. | Free |

Concerts/Recitals

2/11 Wednesday

Arts and Empowerment Student

Recital at Hockett Family Recital Hall | 7 p.m. | Free |

Midday Music for Organ: Jeffrey Snedeker (CU Music) | 12:30 p.m. | Anabel Taylor Chapel, 548 College Ave. | Free |

Simon & Garfunkel Through The Years In Concert | 7 p.m. | MerryGo-Round Playhouse, 17 William St., 2nd Floor | $50.00 - $60.00 |

2/12 Thursday

Cayuga Chamber Orchestra Family Concert Series | 4 p.m. | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 E. Green St. | Get swept up in the magic created by great stories and live music as the CCO and Tompkins County Public Library (TCPL) join forces for our annual Family Concert & Storytime Series. | Free | Arts and Empowerment Faculty Showcase | 7 p.m. | Hockett Family Recital Hall, Ithaca College, 953 Danby Rd. | Free |

Piano-ongoing: The Piano Music of Makiko Nishikaze (CU Music) | 7:30 p.m. | Barnes Hall, 129 Ho Plaza | Free |

2/13 Friday

Guest Recital: Rebecca Haas: The Song Blanket at Hockett Family Recital Hall | 7 p.m. | Free |

Makiko Nishikaze: Chamber Works (CU Music) | 7:30 p.m. | Barnes Hall, 129 Ho Plaza | Free |

2/14 Saturday

Cayuga Chamber Orchestra Presents From the Cradle | 7:30 p.m. | Ford Hall, Ithaca College, 953 Danby Road | $15.00 - $45.00 |

2/17 Tuesday

Black History Month Celebration Concert | 7 p.m. | Ithaca College School of Music, Theatre, and Dance, 953 Danby Rd. | This performance will feature POC students and allies performing a variety of musical works by composers of color. Sponsored by the Ithaca College Musicians of Color Organization. | Free |

2/18 Wednesday

Student Recital: Williamson Studio Recital at Nabenhauer Recital Room | 7 p.m. | Free |

Matthew Bengtson, fortepiano and John Haines-Eitzen, cello (CU Music) | 7:30 p.m. | Barnes Hall, 129 Ho Plaza | Free |

Stage

2/11 Wednesday

An Intimate Evening with JJ Grey & Mofro at the State Theatre of Ithaca | 8 p.m. | State Theatre of Ithaca, 107 West State St. |

2/13 Friday

Comedy Improv Show starring the Puzzled Players | 8 p.m.| 19 Madison Ave, Binghamton, NY | The Puzzled Players present the premier comedy events and the ONLY Comedy Improv Shows in the Greater Binghamton area. | $15.00 |

2/14 Saturday

“Love Letters” | 7:30 p.m. | St. John’s Little Theater, 210 N. Cayuga St. | Performance of “Love Letters” by A.R. Gurney staring Sara Bouchard and George Dulaney | $10.00 |

COOKIE CABARET Fundraiser| 8 p.m. | Endicott Performing Arts Center, 102 Washington Ave. | Freeee |

Art

2/12 Thursday

New Year/New Work | 12 p.m., 2/12 through 2/15 | State of the Art Gallery, 120 W State St. | Free | Teen Valentine Crafts | 3:45 p.m. | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 E Green St. | Get creative this Valentine’s Day! | Free |

2/13 Friday

Heart-Shaped Charcuterie Board Workshop with Graze & Gather | 6 p.m. | Lakewood Vineyards, 4024 State Route 14, Watkins Glen, NY |

Galentine’s Craft Party at SewGreen | 5 p.m. | 112 W Green St. | Celebrate friendship with a Y2K-themed Galentine’s Craft Party, featuring nostalgic DIY projects and beverages from Open Spaces Cider. | Free |

Figure Drawing Friday at CSMA | 6 p.m.| 330 E. State St. | Drop in for a figure drawing session |

Boozy Chocolate Truffles Workshop | 6 p.m. | 11 Wedgewood Dr. |

Boozy Chocolate Truffles Workshop for Valentine’s Day at Ivy Creative Designs Studio |

2/14 Saturday

Create and Celebrate: Lunar New Year Crafts | 2 p.m. | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 E Green St. | Free |

Special Events

2/13 Friday

Wine and Dine Radiothon 2026 |

6 a.m. | Lite Rock 97.3, 1751 Hanshaw Rd. | The Wine & Dine Radiothon is held annually by Cayuga Media Group to support the impact United Way of Tompkins County has in our community. |

INTUIT : Tim Merrick + Bryna Silbert + Ralph Turturro | 5 p.m. | Corners Gallery, 903 Hanshaw Rd. Suite, 101A Suite 101A | Information Available Online. | Free |

2/14 Saturday

Do You Feel the Love | 2 p.m. | Press Bay, 116 W Green St. | Whether single

or taken, come celebrate love this Valentine’s Day with Circus Culture staff and friends! | $10.00 - $25.00 |

2/17 Tuesday

Let’s Talk - Black History Month | 12 p.m. | Virtual | Discussing cultural preservation with Khuba International | Additional information available online | Free |

Barnyard Bonanza | 4 p.m. | Cortland Free Library, 32 Church St. | Join our special guest, 2025 Cortland County Fair Queen Court, as they share a farm story, craft, and activities. | Afro-Cuban Traditional & Folkloric Dance Class | 7:30 p.m. | Treehouse Studio, 119 S Cayuga St. | Taught by Adolfo Castillo and Lisbet Lopez, accomplished professional dancers from Guantanamo, Cuba. Class is for all levels. Live percussion accompaniment. | $20.00 |

Sports

2/11 Wednesday

Ithaca Gymnastics vs Cortland | 6:30 p.m. | Ben Light Gymnasium |

2/13 Friday

The Buzz vs. Norwich Sea Captains | 3 p.m. Friday and Satuday | LECOM Events Center, 115 N. Main Street, Elmira, NY | $24.89 |

Ithaca Wrestling vs Wilkes University | 6 p.m. | Ben Light Gymnasium

Cornell Women’s Basketball vs University of Pennsylvania | 6 p.m. | Newman Arena at Bartels Hall |

Cornell Women’s Polo vs Garrison Forest | 7 p.m. | Oxley Equestrian Center |

2/14 Saturday

Cornell Squash vs Yale University | 12 p.m. | Belkin Squash Courts |

Ithaca Track & Field at Kane Invitational at Ithaca, NY | 12 p.m. |

Cornell Wrestling vs Binghamton University | 1 p.m. |

Cornell Women’s Basketball vs Princeton University | 5 p.m. | Newman Arena at Bartels Hall |

2/18 Wednesday

Ithaca College Swimming & Diving: Bomber Invitational | 10 a.m., 2/18 Wednesday | Kelsey Partridge Bird Natatorium | Ithaca College Swimming & Diving vs Liberty League Championships | 10 a.m. | Kelsey Partridge Bird Natatorium |

Books

2/11 Wednesday

Writing Group | 6:30 p.m. | Cortland Free Library, 32 Church St. | We are all writers! At least we are as soon as we start writing! |

2/12 Thursday

History Buffs’ Book Club | 6:30 p.m. | Cortland Free Library, 32 Church St. | Do you enjoy history? Join us at the library to discuss the history of Religion.

Build-A-Blind-Date with a Book | 4 p.m.| Buffalo Street Books, 215 N. Cayuga St. | People will have the chance to bring a book and take a book. We will have stations with sustainable materials for people to make their own blind date. |

2/15 Sunday

Meet & Greet with Author Marisa Loretta | 12 p.m. | Buffalo Street Books, 215 N. Cayuga St. | Get your books signed and meet author and artist from Upstate NY, Marisa Loretta. | Free |

2/17 Tuesday

Comic Book Club Meeting — "Romantic Comics from Archie to Zapper!" | 7 p.m. | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 E Green St. | Join us for the meeting of the Comic Book Club of Ithaca, as we extend the Valentine's season with a survey of romantic comics and stories. | Free |

2/18 Wednesday

Forensics for Writers Workshop | 4 p.m. | Buffalo Street Books, 215 N. Cayuga St. | Join Mary Jumbelic, M.D. for her workshop, “Forensics For Writers,” focusing on the techniques she utilized with writing her most recent work, Speak Her Name (2025). | Free |

Grayhaven Book Club: James | 5:30 p.m. | Grayhaven Motel, 657 Elmira Rd | We’ll be discussing our third selection, “James” by Percival Everett | Free |

2/15 Sunday

A Night at the Opera | Cinemopolis | One showing at 2:30 p.m. | The Marx Brothers run amuck in the world of opera when Otis B. Driftwood (Groucho Marx) meets aspiring singer Ricardo (Allan Jones), who is determined to win the love of fellow performer Rosa (Kitty Carlisle). Aided by Fiorello (Chico Marx) and Tomasso (Harpo Marx), Otis attempts to unite the young couple, but faces opposition from the preening star Lassparri (Walter Woolf King), who also has his sights on Rosa. Traveling from Italy to New York, Otis and friends rally to try and win the day. | All Ages | 91 mins | Free |

2/18 Wednesday

to figure things out — we’re here for you. | Free |

2/12 Thursday

Book Bedazzling | Buffalo Street Books, 215 N. Cayuga St. | Come bedazzle books! $5 with a purchase of a book or $10 if you bring your own book! |

2/13 Friday

Cortland Free Library, 32 Church St. | Join us for our Valentines party filled with stories, songs, snacks, a game and craft. Program geared to ages 3 to 7 years, but all families are welcome. | Online registration is required |

2/15 Sunday

Com mittee Meeting | 9 a.m. | Common Council Chambers, 3rd Floor City Hall, 108 E Green St. |

Nirvanna The Band The Show The Movie | Cinempolois | Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie is a 2025 Canadian time travel mockumentary-adventure film directed by Matt Johnson from a screenplay by Johnson and Jay McCarrol. The film is based on Johnson and McCarrol's 2007–2009 web series Nirvana the Band the Show, as well as its 2017–2018 sequel television series, Nirvanna the Band the Show. | R 95 mins | Showing All Week | Wuthering Heights | Cinemopolis | A bold and original imagining of one of the greatest love stories of all time, Emerald Fennell’s “WUTHERING HEIGHTS” stars Margot Robbie as Cathy and Jacob Elordi as Heathcliff, whose forbidden passion for one another turns from romantic to intoxicating in an epic tale of lust, love and madness. | R 136 mins | Showing All Week |

Move When the Spirit Says Move | Cinemopolis | One showing at 2:30 p.m. | Dorothy Foreman Cotton was a bold, highly effective civil rights leader, who educated thousands in their citizenship rights and inspired generations of activists with her powerful freedom songs. The only woman on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s executive staff, Dorothy was a charismatic, courageous and consistently overlooked key player in the Civil Rights Movement. | NR, 87 min |

Kids

2/11 Wednesday

Animal Feeding | 4 p.m. | Sciencenter, 601 1st St. | Join an Animal Keeper to observe snakes, lizards, frogs, and fish snacking on their preferred prey.

LGBTQ+ Youth Group | 4:30 p.m. | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 E Green St. | Join us at LGBTQ+ Youth Group to do crafts, play games, and socialize. Whether your lesbian, gay, bi, trans, questioning, or just trying

DO YOU FEEL THE LOVE

SATURDAY, FEB. 14 AT 2 P.M. AND 7 P.M.

Circus Culture, 116 W Green St. | Whether single or dated, come celebrate love at the circus this Valentine's Day! Bring your kids, your grandparents, and your neighbors to see Circus Culture staff and friends perform tight wire, unicycle, aerials, juggling, and more. This is a fundraising event and all proceeds will go towards our scholarship fund. General admission tickets are $10. For those who have the means and would like to support us a little extra, there is a $25 ticket option! If you need access to subsidized tickets, please email production@circusculture.org. (Photo: Ithaca Times)

Baby & Toddler Storytime | 10:30 a.m. | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 E Green St. | Caregivers and their children are invited to join Cassie for music, rhymes, movement and books. Storytime will be followed by a playtime from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. | Free | Douglass Day 2026! | 12 p.m | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 E Green St. | All ages welcome! | Free |

Spanish Storytime | 4 p.m. | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 E Green St. | Children of all ages and their caregivers are welcome to join us for Spanish storytime — songs, rhymes, stories, and crafts — completely in Spanish! | Free |

2/14 Saturday

Math Fun with MathHappens! | 10 a.m. | Sciencenter, 601 1st St. | Join us for playful, informal math learning with the MathHappens Foundation! Families and kids can explore handson activities that make math fun, creative, and connected to everyday life. |

Study Buddies | 10:30 a.m. | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 E Green St. | The study buddies program is brought to you for Ithaca students, by Ithaca students. High school student volunteers will be matched up with younger students for homework help and general tutoring. | Fee |

Second Saturday Family Fun: Valentine’s Party | 10:30 a.m. |

Science Connections: Encouraging Young Engineers and Scientists | 2 p.m., 2/15 Sunday | Sciencecenter, 601 1st Street | Free |

2/16 Monday

Baby & Toddler Playtime | 10 a.m. | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 E Green St. | Baby & Toddler Playtime is an unstructured play and social time for children and caregivers offering a warm, child-friendly space with books and age-appropriate toys. | Free | Sit! Stay! Read! | 3 p.m. | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 E Green St. | Children are invited to practice their reading skills by sharing a story with a truly non-judgmental listener — a dog! | Free |

Preschool Art Studio: Bonus Winter Break Session | 10:30 a.m | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 E Green St. | Toddlers and preschoolers will have the opportunity to have open exploration and discovery with a variety of arts & crafts materials! | Free |

Notices

2/11 Wednesday

Common Council Committe of the Whole — Special Topic Work Session | 6 p.m. | Common Council Chambers, 3rd Floor City Hall, 108 E Green St. |

2/12 Thursday

Ithaca Urban Renewal Agency Neighborhood Investment

Healthy Aging Day | 10 a.m. | YMCA of Ithaca and Tompkins County, 50 Graham Rd. West | Designed for older adults and caregivers, take part in workshops and events from local health organizations, classes and demonstrations from YMCA programs. | Free |

Mahjong Teaching and Playing Session | 6 p.m. | Newfield Public Library, 198 Main St. | Join two local Mahjong players for a session where you can learn and play this fun game, just in time for Chinese New Year! We will have 2 sets at the Library, but feel free to bring another set if you have one! | Free |

2/14 Saturday

Valentine’s Day Bake Sale | 10 a.m. | Newfield Public Library, 198 Main St. | Valentine’s Day Bake Sale, with lots of treats & other gifts! All proceeds benefit the library. | Free |

2/15 Sunday

Pancake Breakfast to benefit Danby Volunteer Fire Company | 8 a.m. | 1780 Danby Rd. | Pancake Breakfast to benefit Danby Volunteer Fire Company. | $12.00 |

Migrant Advocacy And Support Benefit | First Unitarian Society Annex, 208 E. Buffalo St. | 12 p.m. | Free |

Pet Clinic | 6 p.m. | Southside Community Center Gym, 305 S Plain St. | Pet Clinic |

Common Council- Committee of the Whole Session B | 6 p.m., 2/18 Wednesday | Common Council Chambers, 3rd Floor City Hall 108 E Green St. |

LOVE IS A DRAG: QUEER LOVE POETRY & DRAG SHOW

SATURDAY, FEB. 14 FROM 7 TO 9 P.M. Buffalo Street Books, 215 N Cayuga St. | Love is a drag but we'll make it worth your while with some queer poetry and a drag show with some amazing artists! Collecting donations for families of people abducted by ICE in Minnesota. Masks are required. (Photo: Ithaca Times File)

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ITHACA HIGH REOPENS HALL OF FAME

continued from page 12

level — first at Northern Michigan, then at SUNY Cortland. He served as a USA Gymnastics judge for 40 years, and is also an accomplished rock climber and … are you ready for this... a unicyclist!

Logan Todhunter — a star swimmer during the Roy Staley dynasty years — was a team captain and the Ithaca Journal’s Athlete of the Year in 2008. She was a collegiate All-American (winning numerous Division III national championships) and competed in the U.S. Olympic Trials.

Lindy West was a three-sport athlete, excelling in soccer, softball and bowling.

NAMGYAL

continued from page 17

Diana Dimitrova, director of international student and scholar services at IC, similarly discovered Namgyal-Ithaca in its downtown founding. As a self-identified 12+ year Ithaca transplant, she recalls feeling the presence of monks responsible for founding the Ithaca branch.

“I heard many stories from everyone who remembers growing up around Tibetan families and friends, supporting the refugees who’ve come to town,” she said. Now, Mindful IC operates within the Office of Religious and Spiritual Life, offering Monday night Qigong, retreats, guest taught classes and other “de-stress” opportunities. The department serves as a vital bridge between the school’s Buddhist neighbors.

Although many establishments exist in close proximity to Namgyal, access is still limited by transportation, something the board is also remediating.

“We’ve talked with the convention center

As a soccer goalkeeper, she led the Little Red to two STAC and Section IV titles, she led the softball team in batting average, hits, home runs and RBI, and as a bowler, she averaged a lofty 202 as a three-time team MVP. She went on to compete for Ithaca College, and served as a coach at Ithaca High for several seasons.

Chris Affolter was, in the words of the department’s release, “A two sport athlete, as dominant in football as he was in lacrosse.” He was a team captain, a high school All American, and went on to play Division 1 lacrosse at Duke, where he was a 4-year starter and a team captain. His love for the game was carried on through his two daughters, who both played collegiate lacrosse.

about buses coming up.” Crowley said with excitement. “We’ve included tours of this area as a place people can come and stop.”

Partnerships forged, new developments in foot traffic suggest the monastery may get more publicity in years to come. Nonetheless, while Namgyal has always maintained the position of being open to visitors outside the sangha, bringing in new practitioners is not necessarily a top priority for the monastery.

When asked how such a venerable institute has stayed arguably under the radar, Crowley clarified the place’s mission, comparing it to Dharma centers more focused on spreading Buddhist philosophy.

“Dharma centers are very public places that actively seek people coming in. They have monks that speak English, offer general talks and programs. This is a monastery, and just like at Christian monasteries, monks aren’t well known for their socializing. Many of them have come on three year trips, then go back to India,” Crowley said. “Monasteries are by their nature,

Jim Avery provided me with a whole lot of material over the years, and he was inducted posthumously. His two sons and his nephew were there to accept the award on his behalf. Jim was a monster in the pool, and was recognized as a three-time high school All-American, and was an All-State pick in 1977. Jim was a member of the two-time national championship program at Indian River Community College, and went on to become a D-1 swimmer at Auburn.

Jim — who passed 2 years ago — was a personal friend, and I enjoyed writing about his sons, and about his ongoing connection to the sport as a Masters Swimming coach.

Speaking of personal friends, I went to

inwardly focused. We always welcome people but we don’t have a process for it.”

The discussion of Namgyal’s objective to provide resources with a general inviting not recruiting stance on Tibetan Buddhism sparked a larger conversation about emotional education. Some felt, in accordance with the movie’s theme of preparing for a difficult century, that teaching an open heart and other Buddhist values through school systems has become imperative.

Silke Ullmann, teacher at the Ithaca Language School and long-time resident, was particularly passionate about spreading the Dalai Lama’s messages of care on an institutional level. She reiterated that now is the time to decenter competition and take care of fellow beings, even if that means being more forward about introducing Buddhist theology outside the monastery.

“I believe that the Dalai Lama has a gift to speak to the inner wisdom of humans,” Ullmann said. “He’s an outside teacher, but he reflects the inner teacher we all have. This inner teacher hasn’t been tapped into

the same high school (Owego Free Academy) as did Bill Bryant, and it was a lot of fun to watch him go on to become an All American wide receiver at Ithaca College. Were it not for an injury in rookie camp, he would have played in the NFL. Bill went on to an incredible, 50-year career as a high school coach, athletic director and administrator, and during his 22-year run as Ithaca High’s AD, I called him a hundred times for story ideas, and I never came up empty. Bill's knowledge of what was happening was surpassed only by his passion for creating positive experiences for young athletes.

Congrats to all. “...excellence, integrity, and lasting impact” indeed.

much lately. It is actually made of love and compassion and caring about each other.”

She addressed a need to proliferate his message and distribute films like this at local schools, not taking a preachy approach about the religion but rather exposing young people to a philosophy of kindness first. By protecting community before personal interests and building better emotional palettes for connection, new generations will be more equipped to take on the concerns His Holiness addressed in Wisdom Of Happiness. Although practitioners of the faith are famously known for a passive attitude towards indoctrination, perhaps we’ve entered an era where directly teaching compassionate ideologies is necessary for salvation.

“In the last few years, the focus has been about antagonism, rivalry, corruption, greed, having power over somebody and the Dalai Lama does the opposite,” Ullmann said. “He says look into your own soul, make sure you are okay, love yourself and spread that love. I believe in that.”

an energy transition outcome is necessary. That’s why America’s cities and towns need a new business model for implementing energy transitions — an entity responsible for managing the current supply decisions that is aligned and positioned to navigate a decisive change in how energy is chosen, sited, owned and used. Most importantly, we need an energy manager whose own business model is also aligned to reducing the sale of grid power and pipeline fuels and thus will not have reason to resist or neglect this mission.

For this reason, the City and Town of Ithaca have each adopted two local laws

and a Distributed Energy Resources Plan to implement a new energy transition service for residents and businesses of the Tompkins country region: Tompkins Green Energy Network or T-GEN.

T-GEN has two programs. By combining your energy buying collectively through “Community Choice Aggregation,” Ithacans can take responsibility and gain leverage to chart your energy future while allowing individuals to opt-out. Transitioning to “Own Your Power” is a second, opt-in, service to help you own and operate onsite renewable energy systems: an opportunity to emancipate yourself from energy poverty through individual or cooperative ownership of the means of producing most of your

power, heating and transportation energy needs. This fusion of democratic selfgovernance, voluntary participation and business model alignment defines the pathway to a real energy transition.

Paul Fenn is the CEO and President of Local Power. Paul Fenn is widely recognized for multiple innovations in energy policy, law, and finance, data analysis, program design, and engineering. As the creator of the original “Green Bond” — now used throughout the world to finance renewable energy projects — as well as Community Choice Aggregation — now used by municipalities throughout the U.S. to take responsibility for energy, Fenn has changed how democratic institutions transform

energy. The American Solar Energy Society gave Fenn its award “for leadership and significant contribution to the widespread adoption of solar and renewable energy technologies.” Local Power LLC the administrator of Tompkins Green Energy Network (T-GEN — tompkins-GEN.com), with its mission to enable the municipalities to implement community wide local energy transitions. Fenn will explain T-GEN’s Town and City Community Choice Aggregation and Own My Power programs respectively at back-to-back meetings at 6:00 PM on the CCA Program and at 7:00 PM for Own Your Power on February 18 at Ithaca Town Hall for the Town of Ithaca and February 19th at the Greater Ithaca Activities Center for the City of Ithaca.

Indulge in fun and tasty treatschocolate, candy, and choices that are allergy-friendly, dairy-free and Fair-Trade.

Local and imported cheeses are perfect for themed charcuterie boards. Decadent petit amors, sweet mini bundts, cupcakes, cakes, and more are in GreenStar's Bakery dessert case.

Floral and Gifts

Check out our great selection of fresh bouquets and floral arrangements and locally made gifts. Buy a GreenStar gift card in-store or online to be mailed!

Mon. Cinnamon Rolls

Tues. French Toast Bake

Wed. House-made Scones

Thurs. Turkey Gravy and Biscuits

Fri. Frittata

Plus scrambled eggs or tofu, potatoes, sausage, breakfast pizza, breakfast burritos, and more. Vegan options too!

Who’s Your Neighbor?

A Local Directory of Faith Communities, Faith-Related Service and Interfaith Activities

Many Ithacans are seeking connections that might accurately be called faith. Some return to their roots while others seek roots they may never have experienced. We hope our directory will provide a resource residents, students and visitors find useful in their journey.

Agape Bible Church https//agapeithaca.org

Baha'i Community of Ithaca www.ithacabahais.org

Bread of Life Anglican Church breadoflifeithaca.org

Cedar Cabin Sangha (Buddhist, Plum Village practice) cedarcabinsangha.blogspot.com

Christ Chapel https://www.christchapelithaca.org

Christ the King Fellowship Presbyterian Church ctkspencer.org

Congregation Tikkun v'Or (ithaca Reform Temple) www.tikkunvor.org

Danby Community Church danbychurch.org

First Unitarian Soclety of Ithaca https://unitarian.ithaca.ny.us

518 Yoga Gathering suzannejanene@gmail.com

All Eyes and Ears on Racism AEER aeerforjustice@gmail.com

Catholic Charities Tompkins/Toga www.catholiccharitiestt.org

First United Methodist Church of Forest Home, Ithaca, N.Y Forest Home Chapel https://www.foresthomechapelumc.org

Hillside Alliance Church hillsideithaca.org

Ithaca Monthly Meeting Religious Soclety of Friends https://ithacamonthlymeeting.org

Lansing United Methodist Church LansingUnited.org

Living Hope Fellowship https://www.lhfithaca.org

New Life Presbyterian Church newlifeithaca.org

Sacral Transformations and Bralded Root Waters Healing Sanctuary https://sacraltransformations.com

St. James AME Zion Church https://www.facebook.com Stja mesamezionithaca Forest Hermitage - Solo, Outdoor Retreats for Women https://staceysmithhypnosis.com

Integrative Mental Wellness https://www.psychologytoday.com/ profle/1449445

Pure Essence Vibrations www.pureessencevibrations.com

Finger Lakes Anam Ca A Center for Spiritual Direction www.fingerlakesanamcara.com FAITH-RELATED SERVICE

Greater Lansing-Ithaca Interfaith Community LansingUnited.org/events

Ithaca Kitchen Cupboard IthacaKitchenCupboard.org

Ithaca Sunday Squares Visitlthaca.com

St. Luke Lutheran Church and Lutheran Campus Ministry stlukeithaca.org

Temple Beth-El https://www.tbeithaca.org

Trinity Lutheran Church www.trinityithaca.org

Vineyard Church of Ithaca ithacavineyard.org

First Presbyterian Church of Ithaca www.firstpresithaca.org

The Twelve Tribes www.twelvetribes.org

Bethel Grove Bible Church bg.org

First Baptist Church in Ithaca www.firstbaptistithaca.org

St. Paul's United Methodist Church stpaulsithaca.org

Second Wind Cottages https://www.secondwindcottages.org

Wisdom’s Goldenrod Center for Philosophic Studies wisdomsgoldenrod.info

Namgyal Monastery Institute of Buddhist Studies Namgyal.org

Moonlight Epiphanies https://moonlightepiphanies.org/

Shared Journeys sharedjourneys.net

The Foundation of Light www.thefoundationoflight.org

For more information, visit www.whoisyourneighbor.org and www.madeofclay.org

Critter Times: Tales from the Animal Kingdom

Artist and Advocate: A Celebration of Local Creative Expression

Critical Allies: An Invitation to International Students to Share their Ithaca Experience

Edible Capital: A Tasty Approach to Funding Local Food Businesses

Friends of the Times: Transitioning a Legacy Local Newspaper to Community Ownership

Innovations in Science: New Ideas for a Healthy Nation - Research and Application

As we approach the 250 anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, the Ithaca Times is exploring a bold idea: community

Inspired by beloved, community-rooted institutions like the Green Bay Packers football and the Rochester Red Wings baseball teams, we’re inviting you, the dedicated friends of the Ithaca Times, to help craft a future where your local newspaper remains independent through ownership by the people it serves. This is a moment rooted in participatory democracy — and you’re invited to become part of the story.

LansingArea PerformanceHall