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The Ithaca Times Presents...
The Year That Was
POLITICS · DEV ELOPMENT · THE EN V IRONMENT · PUBLIC SAFETY · HIGHER EDUCATION
By Nick R ey nolds, featu r i ng r eporti ng from M att Bu tler, Ja i m e Con e , Cassa n dr a N e g l e y , J a i m e S w i n n e r t o n , A u s t i n L a m b , Va u g h n G o l d e n & I s a b e l l a G r u l l o n P a z
2018,
unlike last year, h a rd l y s e e m s like a fresh start. As Tompkins County enters the first full year of its second century of existence, we come into a year following a dozen of some of the most exciting and action-packed months of this city – and this county’s – history. Our local political structures have been turned on their head. Our economy is redefining what economic development looks like in a global age. And we are becoming more and more engaged in every facet of our way of life, from our criminal justice system to the way we act and communicate with each other. After years of planning, we’ve begun down the path of a new energy revolution in Tompkins County, with much more work remaining to be done.
In 2017, our citizens identified challenges and began to address them. This coming year, we will see the results of our actions. For the historians of tomorrow, 2017 could be considered a turning point in Tompkins County’s history. Yet, as we move into 2018, much still remains to be decided. We will see how the decisions of our legislators will begin to address the housing crisis and the worst issues of the opioid epidemic. We will begin to see how our friendly tax abatement policy begins to pay off, and look to results from a brave and ambitious alternatives to incarceration program matched by few counties nationwide. We will look to new leadership, both in the police department and in county administration, to guide us into an era that, at the federal level, looks only more uncertain by the day.
The Year In Headlines >>
To understand how we’ve set ourselves up for these challenges, it’s important to remember the foundations we’ve built for ourselves and how we’ve gotten to where we are today. Here are some of the biggest headlines from what might be considered as one of the most important years in our area’s history.
The Year In… Politics
The Resistance Takes Hold
An activist community already emboldened by the presidential campaign of Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders in the wings, progressive frustrations began to boil last winter as many across the region wondered where their parties had gone wrong – and what they could do to reverse the things that had come to pass with the election of Donald J. Trump to the presidency. Groups like Tompkins County Progressives and the New York Progressive Action Network began to organize in the coming months, working to consolidate the momentum they had built at the local level into a continuing political movement at the
Predictably, most among the staunchly liberal population Tompkins County were not too thrilled when the final results rolled in on Election Day in November 2016.
Above: A scene from the Women’s March on Ithaca, which took place on January 21 2017. (Photo: Casey Martin)
IHS Athletic Director Resigns Over Stolen Funds | Office Of Human Rights In Turmoil Th e
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grassroots, in the hopes they could begin to affect significant and lasting change. Then, in January, word began to spread nationally of a Women’s March, a protest of a president whose misogynistic comments and his party’s policies on women’s health polarized an entire nation. It was to take place on January 21, in Washington, D.C., and would be replicated in cities all over the country. In Ithaca, more than 10,000 or so descended upon the city, shutting down streets for several hours and marking the start of what one day may be considered a defining moment of a new progressive movement in the United States. In the coming months, even more would take place: A March for Science took place, as local educators and scientists began to actively push back against what they perceived as a “war on facts.” Progressive political candidates, some emboldened by the march and others, through their involvement with the local progressive groups, elected to run for office. In county and city government, resolutions speaking out against the policies of the federal government began to appear on meeting agendas with even more regularity. Republican Congressman Tom Reed, an early ally of the president, has had his offices across the district and in Ithaca occupied several times by those upset with his policy stances. And as more began to engage with the political process, more and more began to change... The Year Of The Woman
In 1917, New York State became the 12th state in the union to allow women the right to vote, two years before the passage of Universal Suffrage for all women across the United States. One century later, the Tompkins County legislature, informed by extensive research conducted by The History Center of Tompkins County, declared 2017 to be “The Year Of The Woman” early on, in order to recognize all the contributions of local women both in fighting for suffrage in the 19th and 20th centuries but to pledge a commitment to equality and a just society in the future. How appropriate that designation turned out to be. After the success of the women’s march, two of its organizers – Amanda Champion and Shawna Black – declared themselves as candidates for the Tompkins County Legislature. Several other women, from Anne Koreman in Ulysses to Jennifer Karius and Carolina Osorio-Gil, also ran for County Legislature. And in the towns across the county, numerous women from Groton to the City of Ithaca all decided to run for office and take on leadership roles in their political parties. The results were clear: after election day this November, the legislature had as many women as it did men for the first time in its history. Local Races Explode… Then Settle Down
Though equal representation on the legislature was the obvious story of the 2017 election, one of the biggest stories had to come from the sheer number of people who chose to run not just locally, but around the region. At one point, six of the available seats on the Tompkins County Legislature were up
Above: Beekeeper Peter Borst, a local beekeeper who this year, toiled to help counter a rapidly declining bee population. Right: Congressman Tom Reed, under siege after a town hall at the Southside Community Center back in February. (Photos: Casey Martin)
for grabs in contested races. In the city, a number of political newcomers in the first, second and fifth wards decided to run, though all their bids were unsuccessful. (Laura Lewis, the alderpersonelect in the fifth ward, was a member of Democratic party leadership in the ward for years.) And regionally, backed by groups like former state senate candidate Leslie Danks Burke’s Trailblazers PAC, candidates in small, irregularly contested races saw comparative success both in voter turnout and in getting elected. Though the races began with much enthusiasm, as the year dragged on, the drama began to settle itself. Former Town of Ithaca Supervisor Herb Engman, who came out of retirement to run against Shawna Black, dropped out just as quickly as he had entered. A threeway race for East Hill’s legislature seat between Henry Granison, Carolina OsorioGil and David Shapiro, was all but decided in the primary. And in the city, established candidates like Cynthia Brock won handily while the promise of a contested race for second ward alderman Seph Murtagh was eliminated after his challenger, Josh Dolan, moved out of the ward. As Congressman Reed’s Profile Expands, A Race To Unseat Him Begins
With the election of President Trump and a new Republican-dominated Senate and Congress in place, it seemed all but inevitable that significant changes – particularly in regards to health care and the tax code – would be coming online in 2017. And situated in a position to have a profound impact on these policies was none other than Tompkins County’s very own congressman, Tom Reed, who as a member of
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Trump after the 2016 presidential primaries was a polarizing one, and his appointment as vice chairman of the president’s transition team did little to curry favor with the district’s more left-leaning constituents. Though his endorsement did little to hurt him in that year’s election against candidate John Plumb, his alignment on issues like the GOP tax bill and on the healthcare vote earlier this year has so far, proved to be a rallying cry for those looking to challenge him. Going into 2018, Reed is looking at as many challengers as people have fingers as each looks to rally support – and finances – from arguably the most challenging geographic congressional district in New York State. The list, in no particular order, stands as such: Karl Warrington, Max Della Pia, Rick Gallant, Tracy Mitrano, Ian Golden, J.G. Hertzler, Eddie Sundquist, Brian Clasby, Charles Whalen and Linda Andrei. Gallant, the early frontrunner, has since lost key members of his staff to the Golden campaign as the schoolteacher has decided to focus on his day job first and foremost. Mitrano, while so far not a significant fundraiser, has gained some vocal support and signed a former CIA employee as her communications manager. Sundquist, a Jamestown native, has consolidated some support and has proved a successful fundraiser and Della Pia, early on, gained an endorsement from Tompkins County legislator and former Congressional candidate Martha Robertson. With Reed having a record-breaking year in fundraising and up for re-election in the midterm elections this November, it remains to be seen who will consolidate the necessary support in time to mount a district-wide challenge against Reed this fall.
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the Congressional Ways and Means Committee and as a voting member from the crucial state of New York became a crucial figure in national discussions on healthcare and the economy this past year. Reed became a perennial guest on the morning news circuit this year for his work on the tax code, both with television appearances on national networks like MSNBC and with the publication of op-eds in influential publications, like The Hill newspaper in Washington, D.C. He also became a point of particular attention in the liberal backlash on display nationwide to start the year, gaining significant amounts of national attention for continuing to hold town halls with constituents (including several in Tompkins County) while some of his fellow Republican members of Congress chose not to. Though Reed had not faced a serious challenge since Ithaca’s Nate Shinagawa ran against him in 2012, the Congressman’s early endorsement of then-candidate Donald
For months (or one could argue, years), a loud contingent of Dryden residents had voiced dismay at a number of moves by their local government. There was the purchase of a parcel of land with taxpayer money on Pinckney Road some saw as unnecessary. Then a solar facility was proposed on land adjacent to the Pleasant Grove Cemetery, a move many fearing the loss of their village’s “rural character” saw as threatening. Add those elements to the politically engaged Dryden community and the fact it was an election year and you have yourself the recipe for an intense campaign season in small town America. Seizing on the issue of solar, the Dryden Independence Party – which has gained a fair amount of political momentum in the past several years – pulled together a group of candidates to mount runs for Dryden’s contestable seats on the Town Board (including the Town Supervisor’s seat) and the County Legislature, weighing heavily on what they perceived as misconduct on the issue by the sitting board. Through a sophisticated online operation that included videos and political cartoons that circulated throughout social media, the group mounted a campaign that was very vocal even by local standards, soliciting attention from people across Tompkins and even Cortland Counties. In the end, the Democrats won handily. But it was a remarkable year for the opposition in a town that, as blogger Simon St. Laurent noted in an interview with the Ithaca Times for an article earlier in 2017, seemed to
Violent Crime Spikes | A Death In The Gorge Prompts Action. Ezra’s Tunnel Closed
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be becoming a political outgrowth of the City and Towns of Ithaca. New York Denies A Constitutional Convention
In 2017, New York State residents were given an opportunity they get only once every 20 years: to elect to open up the New York State Constitution and select delegates to revise the document, something that has not been done since 1967. Locally, support for the convention was highly visible. Ithaca Mayor Svante Myrick, as well as multiple members of the County Legislature, publicly came out in favor of a Constitutional Convention. Cornell President Emeritus Henrik Dullea was a vocal supporter of a Convention and statewide, publications including the Ithaca Times came out heavily in favor of such a measure, citing problems with voter rights, property tax levies and political corruption. However, inf luenced by significant influence from labor unions and environmental groups fearing the loss of vital protections to their causes, voters in Tompkins County and virtually everywhere else came out against the convention by a substantial margin, crushing the measure and leaving the question for voters to contemplate again in 2037.
The Year In… The Environment Cayuga Power Plant Is Purchased For Solar
For several years, Tompkins County has gradually devalued a more than 50-year-old, coal-fired power plant in Lansing as it reaches the end of its effective life, something that has been a significant concern for local officials as they face the prospect of significant losses to their tax base from the plant’s eventual closure. Unable to convert to natural gas and its coal firing, limited, it was deemed that creative solutions for the plant were necessary in order to 1) safe the tax base and 2) save the dozens of local jobs that the power plant was able to provide. Earlier this year, Lansing’s prayers were answered as a subsidiary of large energy company Beowulf purchased the plant, announcing plans to convert the facility into an “energy park” with 19 megawatts of solar power and other, cleaner power-generation options to be announced in the future. Borger Compressor Expansion Under Scrutiny
Looking to address increased demand of its natural gas pipeline from Pennsylva-
nia into New York’s Capital Region, utility company Dominion, in 2016, announced plans to upgrade the network in order to increase the volume of natural gas it could send into the region. It would do so, the company announced, by upgrading a number of existing gas compressor stations along the pipeline, one of which happens to be located on Ellis Hollow Creek Road in the Town of Dryden. In response, anti-fracking group Mothers Out Front – which has an active branch
there was no way to definitively say whether or not the compressor station would cause disease. “The important exposure metric for health,” wrote Dominion official Ron Minnick in an op-ed in The Ithaca Times this past November, “however, is not weight, but concentration and duration (i.e., how much is in a given volume of air and how long is someone exposed to that level).”
Batavia City Manager Jason Molino Replaces Joe Mareane As County Administrator
Black Oak Wind Farm Goes Bankrupt
After more than a year of debate and intensive community dialogue, a proposed wind farm in Enfield – once thought to be a likely success – went bankrupt this year after deliberations carried on well past the point of profitability (as well as the initiation of a moratorium on all alternative energy projects in the town), leaving Town of Enfield taxpayers on the hook for $8,000 they will never get back. As reported by The Ithaca Times’ Matt Butler, the company’s Project Manager and Vice President Marguerite Wells said the project failed because of fear and anger from a “minority of Enfield residents,” who, among other issues, feared the sonic disruption that could come from the windmills as well as concern that the windmill blade would fall off and the proposed setback prove, insufficient. (The wind farm’s president, Peter Bardaglio, told the Ithaca Times separately there was no other place they could build such a facility.) “They can’t have it,” she said of the $8,000 owed to the town. “They killed the project, locally – began to question the A scene from the worksite. they can’t get paid. We owe project, lobbying the company (Photo: Casey Martin) millions of dollars to other to make upgrades to the propeople too. Everybody’s not posed design in order to reduce the presence of toxins in its emissions. The getting paid. [...] I can’t give you an exact group also went to work on a public infor- figure, but a whole lot, hundreds of thoumation campaign around the project, hold- sands of dollars. All of which would have ing numerous community meetings with been paid if the project had been allowed to neighbors and appealing to the County go forward, but they killed it. Everybody’s Health Department to assist the group in in the red.” a study of the health impacts of the station as it comes online. (The group, since, has Toxic Algae In The Lakes, recruited a group out of Pennsylvania that And The Fight To Clean It specializes in the documentation of the Watersport aficionados across the Finhealth impacts of natural gas compressor ger Lakes were disappointed this year as stations.) The company itself has challenged the strange, brightly colored algal blooms group’s assertions in multiple forums, began to appear in the waters of not just writing in several op-eds that concerns Cayuga Lake, but a number of lakes across of wetlands contamination reported on New York State. Harmful Algal Blooms the site were far overblown and that the (HABs) attracted headlines and viral Facecompany looking into the health impacts, book posts all summer as state officials, and Southwest Pennsylvania Environmental scientists, worked to give the phenomenon Health Project, was relying on faulty and meaning. Locally, groups like the Community Sciinaccurate data and that there was no way to correlate toxins they had picked up in ence Institute set to work testing water in the air with emissions from the compressor the creeks and building statistical models to station. Furthermore, the company added, examine the content of the various waters
The Year In Headlines >>
New Faces In 2018 Deputy County Administrator Paula Younger Leaves County For Community Relations Role At Ithaca College Ed Marx Retires As County Planning Director Philly Desarno Retires, Opening Way For County Planner Tom Knipe To Step In City Of Ithaca Planner Lisa Nicholas Gets A Big Promotion TCPL Names Annette Birdsall New Director
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Immaculate Conception School
Indigenous People’s Day Declared In Tompkins County and The City Of Ithaca Th e
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feeding the lakes. But others, particularly with groups like the Cayuga Watershed Network, had a more blunt assessment: that the main contributor to toxic algal blooms was the introduction of excess nitrates into the water by Concentrated Agricultural Feeding Operations (CAFOs), which run-off from farms and into creeks during heavy rains and storm events, creating environments that are much friendlier to HABs than not. There could be a bright light on the horizon: Late in December, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced millions of dollars in funding – including some in Tompkins County – to pay for mitigation measures on some of these farms in an effort to stall some of the impacts of CAFOs. But all the contributing factors behind HABs remain to be seen and proven definitively.
sing’s largest employers and tax revenue generators, called for a new access shaft to be drilled primarily for safety reasons, namely quick access to the surface and improved air quality for workers well below the lake bed. However, the project has gained scrutiny from some in the scientific and environmental communities who have questioned the methods of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, and have called for a transparent environmental review process where they can review the information used to declare the continued operation of the mine as “safe.” Opponent’s efforts to see such information have, so far, been to no avail.
expected to continue for some time.
Unlike 2016, there was no drought in Tompkins County this year. The bad news: we may never know what type of weather to expect anymore. According to climatologists from the Northeast Regional Climate Center at Cornell, the summer of 2017 was to be marked by long dry periods punctuated by infrequent, heavy rains. And lo and behold, they were correct. Expect more of the same from here on out.
action on housing this coming year. Released in June, the plan calls for the addition of at least 4,000 units of rental, for-sale and senior housing over the next eight years in order to address the needs outlined by Tompkins County residents in the past several years. Though released with the caveat that state and federal funding sources are expected to be spotty in coming years (new Housing and Urban Development administrator Ben Carson, so far, has proved more of a headline maker for his faux pas than his policies), the plan isolates various “targets” in the housing market with supporting data and recommendations in the hope municipalities, who actually hold the ability to address housing concerns through site plan review and approval, will do so. As 2018 continues, county officials will continue to build partnerships with developers and municipal leaders around Tompkins County to get them to buy into the plan but, as the strategy notes, it will require as many municipalities to buy in as possible. From the document: “It will take support and effort throughout our entire community to convert the current interest in housing issues into tangible results that improve the ability for all of us in Tompkins County to meet our housing needs in a way that allows housing to be a source of our personal and community health, stability, and vitality.”
Alternative Found To West Dryden Pipeline
Major Projects Break Ground, New Ones Loom
The Year In… Development Hamilton Square Divides Trumansburg
Another year, and another affordable housing project that has divided a town. Much like a proposal to build an expansive affordable housing complex at 210 Hancock Street in the City of Ithaca several years prior, a debate has erupted in Trumansburg over a
The Changing Rains
In the summer, a number of county officials representing the Town of Dryden, Caroline Town Board Member and environmentalist Irene Weiser and others held a press conference in the County Legislature Chambers to announce that they, working with New York State Electric and Gas, had come to a deal to allow for an alternative to a controversial natural gas pipeline to be built in order to meet increasing energy demands in Lansing. Long seen as the easiest answer to increased development and the growing heating and energy demands such growth requires, a pipeline based solution, for years, was unpopular for a number of reasons. Environmentalists disliked the county’s growing reliance on natural gas as it was looking to meet ambitious emissions goals by 2050, and property owners were wary of the likely legal fights that would come by way of eminent domain. In December, plans for the alternative were rolled out in the form of four mini compressors that, when chained to the existing gas infrastructure in the area, would boost the effectiveness and efficiency of existing systems without any new infrastructure. Continuing The Fight For Cayuga And Seneca Lake
Dating back to last year, the political and environmental drama surrounding the digging of a new mine shaft for the Cargill Salt Mine in Lansing continued well into 2017, bringing environmentalists like Toxics Targeting’s Walter Hang and even Tompkins County’s New York State Assemblywoman, Barbara Lifton, into the fray. The plans for the mine, which operates under Cayuga Lake and is easily one of Lan-
Commons stalwart Lou Cassaniti and the unofficial Commons mascot, Riley the dog, being fed a spiedie. (Photo: Casey Martin)
On Seneca Lake, a similar debate seemed to come out as a victory for environmentalists when Arlington Storage Co., a subsidiary of Crestwood Midstream Partners, abandoned controversial plans to store large quantities of gas in salt caverns beneath the lakebed back in May. However, news came out in November that the company would instead be selling off its stake in the salt mining operation there to US Salt, reserving its rights to store gas in the caverns in the future. An issue for years, the risks and benefits of such a proposal are still under consideration by Governor Andrew Cuomo’s DEC. According to reporting by the Binghamton Press And Sun Bulletin’s Tom Wilber, DEC Chief Administrative Law Judge James McClymonds ruled in October that officials have seen all the evidence and hearings are not required, setting up DEC Administrator Basil Seggos to make a final determination on the risks of the project. No date for when that will occur has been set. Looking ahead, one of the biggest issues taking place on either lake will be a controversial, $365 million waste incinerator that has been proposed at the former Seneca Army Depot in Romulus, which has already drawn heavy scrutiny by area winery owners and activist groups who were similarly aligned on the Crestwood gas storage proposal. Meetings on the project began in December and are
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mixed-income, mixed-use housing complex proposed to be built there by Ithaca Neighborhood Housing Services. Essentially a selfcontained neighborhood with 19-building clusters arranged in a cul-de-sac type layout, the proposal calls for 14 market-rate for-sale homes, 11 affordable for-sale homes and 47 “affordable” apartments for low and moderate income earners, all of which would be served by a nursery. In a number of loud, lengthy and vocal meetings, some have expressed concerns about the speed the project is proceeding since it was first introduced in May. Others have expressed concerns over the potential impacts on traffic in the area, or floated the possibility crime would increase in the area, an idea which INHS developer Joseph Bowes refuted at a meeting in July. Yet some residents, including Ulysses’ County Legislature-elect Anne Koreman, have highlighted the need for more affordable housing in Tompkins County, pointing out the rising cost of living even in small towns like Trumansburg. The project will continue to be debated into the new year. Tompkins County Adopts Housing Strategy
Based on recommendations set following its extensive housing needs assessment in 2016, Tompkins County is looking to take
After years of tension in the city planning offices, a number of marquee projects around Ithaca broke ground in 2017. Early in the year, local officials – joined by Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul – celebrated the opening of the once-thought to be impossible to construct Ithaca Marriott. Tompkins Trust Company’s new headquarters on Seneca Street began to rise next to the Hilton Garden Inn, and notable multi-story projects in the Canopy Hotel, City Centre and Harold’s Square all broke ground. In Collegetown, construction continues and new apartment blocks continue to open (not to mention Cornell’s Johnson School facility was completed this year) and up the ways, the graduate student housing redux of Maplewood Apartments is well underway, if not slightly behind schedule. And we’re not done yet: in 2018, expect to see some additional moves being made on the ambitious Chainworks proposal to bring housing and commerce to the long-vacant Morse Chain Facility on South Hill, and don’t forget to keep an eye on the prospect of new development on the site of the current Green Street Garage. Manufacturing Shows Promise
Business news is not the most exciting thing for some people, but some significant developments in Tompkins County’s tech and manufacturing sectors took place in 2017. In Lansing, manufacturer Advanced Design Consulting received millions of dollars to expand its operation yet again, adding more employees. In the City of Ithaca, tech firm Grammatech secured a massive contract to allow their continued growth and Rosie
Buffalo Street Books Contemplates Future | Local Homeless Pay To Stay At Shelter
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Applications, the grocery delivery company that began out of an Ithaca business incubator, Rev, announced it would be expanding with an office in Boston. Speaking of business incubators: While Ithaca already has two (Rev and Cornell’s eHub) a new infusion of funding from New York State’s Regional Economic Development Councils will go toward the development of another business incubator, this one catered to engineering and manufacturing, at Cornell. Considering some of the businesses to come out of the university in the past several years, there could be some promise in the area’s manufacturing sector should such a venture be successful. Out With The Old, In With The New…
The times are changing and with it, the City of Ithaca put a lot of thought into how it regards its past in 2017. Members of Common Council considered the criteria for landmarking a number of prominent buildings in Collegetown as developers, looking to meet a rising demand for student housing still unmet by Cornell, have been reshaping the neighborhood from its rickety woodframe houses and stately brick properties into large, slick and modern mixed-use apartment blocks. Probably the most controversial structure featured in discussions this year was the home of iconic Ithaca watering hole, The Nines, which is situated in a quirky former firehouse with elements dating back to the early 20th century. A proposal to build on the site, a several story apartment building with some architectural nods to the building it seeks to replace, will continue to be contemplated into 2018 as the future of other structures in the neighborhood – like the Chacona Block – remains on the developmental slate to come. Meanwhile in the city’s f lats, Cayuga Medical Center purchased an extremely challenging parcel to develop at Carpenter Business Park, drawing concerns from users of the Community Gardens there who are fresh off a campaign against Maguire Auto Dealerships, who were recently denied the opportunity to develop a car dealership on the parcel. The intention then, as members of the Council noted, was to save the parcel for a development that would help encourage a vibrant and accessible waterfront – all while saving the Community Gardens. Waterfront development in itself presented a fascinating storyline throughout 2017. City officials outlined its plans to begin development in the city’s West End with an eye on developing it for housing and commerce and, most recently, a proposal came before city planning officials to potentially develop the Johnson Boat Yard into apartments, the first such proposal for the property since another development was pitched and subsequently forgotten in 2012. Lansing Looks To The Future
would no longer offer the variance, leaving Tompkins County several options: to 1) build a new jail or 2) find a means to drastically reduce the county’s jail population. A jail study committee was formed of the already existing Public Safety Committee and a consultant was hired to look into the jail itself, the demographics and numbers behind its population, and best practices from around the nation. All the while, activists from a number of newly formed groups like Decarcerate Tompkins, inspired by the community reading of a book called The New Jim Crow, showed up in force, urging legislators to implement any means possible to avoid the construction of a new jail. After several months of discussion and consultation with local experts, healthcare providers and local judges, the legislature – equipped with more than $1 million in revenues from casinos that recently opened in the region – budgeted for a number of recommendations including drug treatment, mental health services and even boosted educational opportunities for inmates in the hopes that recidivism in the jail would drop, fewer people would be held in jail while awaiting trial and therefore, the jail populaMonks at Namgyal Monastery. (Photo: Casey Martin) tion would start to fall. Though the impacts might start being seen this coming year (several Closing out 2017, Lansing town officials of the measures proposed are just yearlong began to close in on finalizing the comprehensive plan it had been working on for sev- pilot programs), the impacts of these various eral years. Though some in the community alternatives to incarceration (ATIs) will conquestioned the approval process, prompting tinue to be observed and judged in the years a series of community meetings that will to come. stretch into 2018, the plan will likely undergo some revisions – if any at all – and be passed Public Officials Begin sometime in the coming year. And if that’s Selling Opioid Plan As not enough excitement, a large affordable Fight Against Crisis housing project is coming soon to the parcel Begins right across from the Town Hall there. The story of the year in 2016, by far, was the rollout of Mayor Svante Myrick’s ambitious drug policy slate. The Ithaca Plan, as it was called, was based on the input of a number of local medical providers and national drug policy experts and included, among a litany of proposals to combat the opioid epidemic, the controversial talking point of a supervised injection facility. After Activist Already on the table, a number of stakePressure, holders in the plan, including former DisCounty Enacts Ambitious trict Attorney Gwen Wilkinson and Drug Policy Alliance policy coordinator Katharine ATI Policies Celentano, started the process of selling the Since the 1990s as the county’s population public on the plan throughout 2017 in the grew, the Tompkins County Jail has been form of town hall style meetings and prechronically overcrowded. sentations on finer details of the plan before Over the past two decades, New York State members of the Tompkins County Legislahas allowed the jail to operate under a double- ture. bunking variance, essentially allowing the jail Meanwhile, a number of other moves are to operate at capacities significantly beyond being made in the fight against the opioid what it was intended to. In 2016, the state’s crisis: over the summer, it was announced Department of Corrections announced it New York State would be providing funding
The Year In… Public Safety
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to a number of regional healthcare providers in order to provide drug treatment and other forms of telemedicine to some of the region’s most vulnerable and neglected populations. The one hang-up: local officials were generally left out of the loop as the program was rolled out and so far, few details are known about the program or how results from these services will be accounted for. District Attorney’s Office Under Heavy Workload
A year of unusually high profile criminal activity was not without consequences: caseloads this year were so high that the eight staffers in the District Attorney’s office experienced a serious backlog of cases last year lingering into 2017. Much of this, District Attorney Matthew Van Houten said, is due to violent crime and several murders that occurred in the area over the past year. From the August 2 issue of The Ithaca Times: “Though overall crime in Tompkins County has actually decreased 34 percent between 2012 and 2016, violent crimes – which typically entails mandatory prosecution – have increased, largely based around activity in the city. In 2016, 72 violent crimes were handled by Ithaca police according to state data, the city’s highest total since 2009 and slightly above its 26-year average of 61. Add four murder trials over a 12 month period in the mix – which typically require two attorneys each to prosecute – and you have a workload demanding a significant portion of the office’s staff time, typically reaching up into the 70-hour per week range.” Emergency Response Teams See critical lack of volunteers
In a lightly attended session of the Tompkins County Council of Governments last June, Caroline Town Board Member Irene Weiser, joined by officials with Tompkins County’s Department of Emergency Response, presented a troubling assessment of the county’s safety net: It was facing, what they called, “collapse.” Though response times were still decent, this paper reported at the time, the system was appearing to be highly unsustainable. Lee Shurtleff, Director of the Department of Emergency Response in Tompkins County, said at the time that ssentially, as staffing levels have been strained (a third of volunteer providers, Shurtleff said, have been lost since 2013), demand has gone up, an issue compounded by a lack of volunteers, the need for taxpayers to start paying for services (and already pained local budgets), increasing call volumes and increasing expectations of the services first responders should provide. “It’s not that services aren’t being provided,” Shurtleff said. “It’s that there aren’t enough staff to provide them.” In 2006, Tompkins County EMS agencies responded to 49,500 calls. A decade later, they responded to 66,000 – a 30 percent increase over the course of a decade – between the police, the fire departments and the county’s ambulatory system. This mirrors a historic trend over the
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Our Best Writing In 2017 That One Corner By Matt Butler Issue Of 8.16.2017 Invisible Hands By Isabella Grullon Paz Issue Of 7.12.2017 Ithaca’s Crossword Guru By Matt Butler Issue Of 4.23.2017 Indivisible: Political Moods Are Shifting In NY’s Most Progressive County By Vaughn Golden Issue Of 3.15.2017 One Afternoon In Seneca Falls By Cassandra Negley, Jamie Swinnerton and Isabella Grullon Paz Issue Of 7.20.2017 Still In The Building By Stephen P. Burke Issue Of 4.12.2017 Why Not Ithaca? By Charley Githler Issue Of 11.15.2017 A Seed Planted, a Gardener Bloomed By Matt Butler Issue Of 9.6.2017 Section IV Vs. Section V Football By Cassandra Negley Issue Of 11.8.2017 When The Klan Was In Tompkins County By Nick Reynolds Issue Of 8.30.2017 Locker Room Balk By Steve Lawrence Issue Of 8.23.2017 Wrecking Ball Blues By Charley Githler Issue Of 9.20.2017 Boy On A Unicycle By Nick Reynolds Issue Of 10.18.2017 Citizen Twain By Warren Greenwood Issue Of 6.14.2017 The Story Of Ithaca Underground By Christie Citranglo Issue Of 11.8.2017 A Milestone Comes To Pass By Matt Butler Issue Of 9.13.2017 How An ACA Repeal Affects Free Clinics By Micah Wilkins Issue Of 12.8.2017 One Last Trip To Hal’s By Peggy Haine Issue Of 3.8.2017
past 40 years, where fire and rescue calls have quadrupled since 1976. This is partly due to fire departments now responding for emergency medical needs and mutual aid responses for other fire districts. Within this, there are now broadened job descriptions for everybody involved, from code enforcement to special trainings. As for EMS services, since 1976 the response amount has increased nearly 11 times what it once was, a symptom of a growing – and aging – county population. Since then, a task force has been formed among all the county’s municipal leaders, and some sort of action plan may be formulated in the coming year. A City Rises Against Immigration and Customs Enforcement
In May, a nerve was struck among Ithaca residents when 32-year-old Jose Lopez Guzman, an undocumented immigrant from Mexico, was taken into custody by multiple ICE agents on Cascadilla Street. An emergency rally was immediately convened on the Commons and local leaders – from Cornell University to Tompkins County and the City of Ithaca – took explicit stances that they, themselves would not be complicit in the detention or deportation of anyone by ICE. Moods rode high for the next several weeks, enough that Facebook posts advising of black vans began to circulate and even a routine background check conducted on Cornell University’s campus led to an erroneous report that ICE agents had been spotted on campus. As t he Tr u mp ad m i n ist rat ion ramped up its rhetoric on immigration enforcement, both colleges as well as Ithaca and Tompkins County established that they would be considered as being under “sanctuary” status, each stating law enforcement will not ask anyone about their immigration status unless directly related to an investigation.
The Year In… Higher Education Racial, Political Tumult On Campus
Cornell and Ithaca College experienced a year marked by political and racial unrest this year. Rather than provide a narrative, we’ll just name off the examples of this that were reported by campus media this year. Forgive us if we left any out. Cornell: A Rick Santorum speech inspires protests; A white student was accused of a hate crime against a black student; a resident of the Latino Living Center reported hearing a nearby fraternity member talking about building a wall around the residential center; the
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Black Student’s Union delivered a lengthy list of demands to Cornell’s new president, Martha Pollack; A number of anti-semitic messages were found around campus, spurring hundreds to march on Ho Plaza; A racial slur was posted in a public presentation attended by hundreds, upsetting basically everybody on campus. Ithaca College: Students hold silent protest against gun rights advocate Larry Pratt, who was speaking on campus; Ithaca College’s Theater Program had its Instagram account hacked to display a Confederate flag; The football team’s standout wide receiver, Will Gladney, protests the national anthem during a game. You get the point. New Administrators Take Office
Speaking of new leadership… 2017 saw three new administrators take the helm at the area’s three institutes of higher learning, all of whom are women. Shirley Collado, named the ninth ever president of Ithaca College in February, is the second woman to hold the post and the first person of color. She is also the first Dominican American to be named president of a college in the United States. Early on, expectations were high that Collado would seek to mend the racial tensions that arose during the waning days of former president Tom Rochon’s administration and so far, with the creation of a diversity officer and community relations position (recently filled by former Deputy Administrator for Tompkins County Paula Younger) has appeared to fit the bill handed to her. Martha Pollack, named successor to the late Elizabeth Garrett (the first female president of the university) at Cornell, became the 14th president of the university after a storied career both in administration at the University of Michigan and in the fields of computer science, information science and linguistics. Her biggest tasks in year one? Seeing to it the bridging of Cornell’s campuses around the world and particularly, between Ithaca and
Cornell Women’s Hockey earlier this season. (Photo: Casey Martin)
the newly-opened tech campus on Roosevelt Island in New York City, a task she showed proficiency in accomplishing on a departmental scale at Michigan. At Tompkins Cortland Community College, Orinthia Montague was named president to follow up for longtime administrator Carl Haynes, who led the college for most of its existence. A longtime administrator in her own right, Montague’s main focuses in year one were continuing to diversify TC3’s slate of academic offerings, boost relationships with local industry and to address declining enrollment numbers attributable to, among other things, increased competition from four-year campuses in the State University of New York system. Campus Faculties Unionize, Protests Abound
For more than a year, Ithaca College’s contingent faculty have been looking to unionize, citing lack of job protection and few opportunities for career advancement. Like Cornell’s Graduate Student Union and Tompkins Cortland Community College’s adjunct faculty also did this past year, they eventually succeeded. But their movement was not without casualties. “The Fired Three” as they were called – David Kornreich and Shoshe Cole, assistant professors in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, and Rachel Gunderson, instructor in the Department of Health Promotion and Physical Education – were members of the labor bargaining team who, after their work, were let go by Ithaca College. Though this was due to the attrition of their expiring contracts (they were never actually “fired”) union leadership alleged the group had not been asked back largely due to their activism, prompting protests and sit-ins by members of the campus community.
A Person Dies In A CMC Waiting Room | Cornell Gets Funds To Fight Adelgids
2018
sports
Into The Hall You Go By Ste ve L aw re nc e
k NEW YOR IATION C O S PRESS AS
General
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Award Winne d Design an Statewideal Contest Editori April 2017
FIRST PLACE PAST PRESIDENTS’ AWARD GENERAL EXCELLENCE “Tab content and columns that engage local community” FIRST PLACE COVERAGE OF AGRICULTURE “The paper made what could be boring subjects come to life.” FIRST PLACE BEST WEBSITE DESIGN “Well organized and not too busy. Good use of art throughout.” FIRST PLACE BEST SPECIAL SECTION “All About Ithaca” — fabulous section that speaks all about the community” SECOND PLACE BEST SPECIAL SECTION “Best of Ithaca 2016” — Again, another stellar community centered, well-organized section.”
H
appy New Year everyone! As I kick off (yet another good sports metaphor) Year #26 as the Ithaca Times sports guy, I’d like to thank you all for your ongoing feedback and story ideas (especially Gay Huddle for this one)! It’s a joy to be able to utilize this space every week to connect with the community, and hopefully, connect readers with one another in positive ways. Congratulations are due to Dominic Amici (Ithaca High class of 1992) on his impending induction into the Section IV Athletic Hall of Fame. Amici will make the trip from California on March 3rd, and the brunch and induction ceremony will be held at the Floyd L. Maines Veterans Memorial Arena in Binghamton. Bill Bryant is presently the Executive Director of the Interscholastic Athletic Conference and he was, for 22 years, a high school Athletic Director. Bryant’s run as an A.D. began at Spencer-Van Etten, where he led a relatively small athletic department before making the big leap to the (comparatively speaking) Big Time, where he put in in two decades as the A.D. at the Ithaca City School District. Bryant nominated Amici for the Hall of Fame, and his only regret is that he didn’t do it sooner. “Dom is very excited about going into the Hall of Fame,” Bryant stated, “and I’m very excited for him.” I asked Bill why he saw fit to nominate Amici, and he offered, “In the 22 years I served as an athletic director, Dom was the best three-sport athlete I ever saw. He had all the makings of a great athlete – he was a true leader, he had speed, he had strength, he had a great attitude – and I recall that from the first time I met him I was impressed with his presence and the way he handled himself.” According to Bryant, Amici held up his end of the bargain in the classroom as well, and Bryant said, “He was a true studentathlete.” While Amici was tearing up the football field, the basketball court and the baseball field, Bryant thinks he could have excelled in
THIRD PLACE OVERALL DESIGN EXCELLENCE DIVISION 1 “Very attractive front pages, and the open feel was carried throughout.”
Dominic Amici, with his family in this provided photo.
any sport he elected to try. “I believe Dom would have been a great lacrosse player or hockey player had he chosen those sports,” Bryant stated. “There really wasn’t anything he couldn’t do, and I’m grateful that I got to see such a great athlete in my career as Ithaca’s A.D.” Bryant thought back to that time, and he said “I remember how proud Dom’s dad was of his son. Dom Sr. passed on a couple of years ago, and I wish he had been able to see this.” Bryant - ever the sentimental guy – paused, gathered himself a bit and added, “I know he’s looking down smiling, with tears in his eyes.” I reached Dom Amici at home in California, and he agreed. “I believe my dad’s watching,” he said. While Dom Sr. won’t be there physically, Dom III will be. The 10-year-old – along with his sister Grace (9) and their mom Liz - will make the trip to Binghamton in March to see their dad and husband receive his honor. Dom is excited bring his family along, and he said “I think it’s important for our kids to see it.” Dom laughed when I asked him if his kids would freeze solid the moment they stepped off the plane, and he expressed his optimism that it will warm up by then. I asked him if he would be taking an entourage of old teammates, coaches and friends to Binghamton, and he said, “I’ll put the word out and see who wants to roll with me!” I also asked Dom if he thought back to his Ithaca days fondly, and how his time in those Little Red uniforms helped to shape the rest of his life. The gym owner/personal trainer (who, I was told, offers free training to those facing cancer) said, “I do have some great memories, and it helped to shape things because I did everything through hard work. I had some God-given talent, but my entire family taught me – by example – that only by working hard could I make the most of it. That has always been a core value in my family.”
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health
Get Back In Shape For The New Year By Au s tin L amb
2018
is here, and with any beginning of a calendar year comes a desire for a fresh start, and to break old habits. Whether it’s because of a New Year’s Resolution, or advice from the doctor, a common objective is to get back into physical shape. The key to restarting one’s fitness is to first overcome psychological barriers. “The mental challenge is really the initial challenge,” says Andrew Getzin, MD and sports medicine physician at Cayuga Medical Center. In order to do so, it is important to recognize that exercise relies on a longterm commitment. “Successful exercising is about getting started and maintaining consistency,” says Getzin. For those who are determined, but unsure of what type of exercise to start with, Getzin recommends walking—or jogging for those with a higher baseline fitness—and bodyweight strength training, which includes squats, push-ups, or lunches, and for as little as 10 minutes. It is essential, though, to lower initial expectations, set reasonable goals for progression, and begin at a lower level of intensity. While high-intensity exercise can lead to significant gains in a short period of time, it
comes with risks, says Getzin. “If somebody has any potential cardiovascular problems, they should see their doctor prior to starting a high intensity training program. In addition, the high training load could predispose to injury,” he warns. Even for experienced athletes that are looking to resume their training, it is important to not aim for large strength gains right away, and instead allow for one’s body to adjust to the training load for a month. Rega rd i ng a t ra i n i ng pla n, G et zi n instructs to increase intensity by no more than 10 percent after each week of recurrent exercise, and to avoid doing too much too soon. “While there is no magic in 10 percent,” he says, “it gives people an idea
that the change should be gradual, and to consider not just each workout session, but week-long blocks that more accurately reflect cumulative training loads.” In addition, Getzin, stresses the importance of listening to one’s body. “Everybody responds differently to training. Some people can increase faster while others might get injured if they increased at 10 percent a week,” he says. “If you have aches and pains that are unexpected, take a day or two off and see how your body responds.” Some might worry that a lack of physical activity during the holiday season has set them back, but Getzin dismisses those concerns. “While I encourage people to try to move their bodies over the holidays, exercise
is really about the long course,” he explains. “Missing some exercise due to travel and spending extra time with family is well worth it. You won’t lose all of your fitness in a week or two.” Although a New Year’s Resolution can be made with a focus on short-term results, the consistent exercise has long-term benefits on one’s well-being. “Exercise is medicine. There is strong evidence that exercise helps lower cardiovascular disease, risk of many cancers, boosts mental health, and improves energy,” says Getzin. “Seize the opportunity of the new year being upon us to move your body and make your 2018 a great year.”
Exercises You Can Do On Your Couch
Exercises You Can Do Without Weights
How To Get Back Into 5k Shape Again
“Experience a different level of care”
Sit to stand Go from sitting to standing to sitting again, 10 times in a row. Rest for a minute, then repeat. Calf stretch Sit on the edge of a couch with your feet flat on the floor. With one leg, keeping your heel on the floor, lift and point the toes toward the ceiling, so that you feel a stretch in your calf muscle. Hold for 30 seconds, then do the same with the other leg, three times per leg. Stand on one leg Holding on to the back of a chair for stability, lift one heel toward your buttocks. Hold for 30 to 45 seconds, three times per leg. To improve your balance on unsteady surfaces, try this with shoes off on a balled-up beach towel. Shoulder blade squeeze Pinch your shoulder blades together, but not up (don’t shrug). Hold for 10 seconds, then repeat 10 times.
Side-ups A great way to strengthen your obliques, lie down on your side and engage your obliques by raising your legs while lunging your free elbow toward them simultaneously. Goes great with pushups. Dirty Dogs Rotate one of your legs out while on your knees. For a much more intense, engaging version requires you to get into a completed pushup position and rotate one of your legs away from your body and then across it, repeating until fatigue sets in on your core.. Lunge Jumps Start on a single bended knee. Explode up, landing gently onto the opposite knee Iron Crosses Extend the arms and legs, then crunch one elbow to the opposite knee while each other limb remains elevated. Perform 2-3 sets of 12-15 reps per side..
WWW.SYNERGYTBURG.COM 607-213-3300
Source: Harvard Medical School
Source: Men’s Fitness
Want to run a 5k this year? The Mayo Clinic estimates that the average beginner can go from couch potato to a race finisher in seven weeks. Here’s a typical week: Monday Alternate run/walk 30 minutes. Tuesday Walk 30 minutes. Wednesday Alternate run/walk 30 minutes. Thursday Walk 30 mins. Friday/Sunday Active rest. (Walk 30 mins/do nothing) Saturday Run three miles. Increase 0.5 miles every week. Run two miles as fast as possible every other week. You should top out at 4.5 miles before race day Week 7.
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A look back at the top films of 2017
T
he popcorn was spectacular this year. Films meant only to entertain seemed to try harder. Where I could, I grouped titles together by theme.
The Shape of Water, The Circle
From “The Shape of Water” (Photo provided)
Set in Baltimore in 1962 at a high-security government laboratory, Guillermo del Toro’s The Shape of Water features a luminous, big-hearted performance by Sally Hawkins as a mute custodian who befriends a captured amphibian creature (Doug Jones). A romance combined with a rescue mission, in the midst of all the intrigue — call it Splash with the roles reversed — all the characters, even those with bad intent, are clearly yearning for something more from their lives. James Ponsoldt’s The Circle stars Emma Watson as a new employee at a state-of-the-art internet company; the company’s guru, played by Tom Hanks, unveils his latest innovation: eyeball-sized cameras in all colors that can be placed anywhere and can record, store and analyze everything it sees. Ponsoldt has made some most interesting films, and now comes this dark and mordant techno-comedy with surprisingly effective thriller moments.
The Disaster Artist, The Founder
Recounting the making of Tommy Wiseau’s “WTF” classic The Room, James Franco’s The Disaster Artist, in which he also plays Wiseau, is as hilarious as it is oddly touching. Franco’s brother Dave is sweet as Wiseau’s best friend, and the film, chock-a-block with cool characters and
comics, would make a great double bill with Tim Burton’s Ed Wood. John Lee Hancock’s The Founder uses every ounce of Michael Keaton’s charisma to tell the story of Ray Kroc, the man who essentially stole the McDonald’s franchise and made it a global franchise. Steven Soderbergh’s Logan Lucky is an ingenious heist adventure comedy set at a massive self-contained NASCAR speedway that’s a lot like its own city. Channing Tatum gets laid off at the speedway and decides to rob it with a little help from his friends (Katie Holmes, Adam Driver and a cracking comic turn by Daniel Craig). When was the last time you saw something you swore you’d seen before that managed to surprise you again and again and again? When was the last time you saw a movie where everyone was smarter than they usually are? Pablo Larrain’s Neruda is a chase film, but it’s not The Fugitive by any stretch. It’s about the political persecution that poet and Communist Senator Pablo Neruda (Luis Gnecco) suffered after criticizing President Gabriel González Videla in 1948, and the manhunt for his arrest, led by our figure of fiction, the fascist Chief of Policía de Investigaciones Oscar Peluchonneau (Gael García Bernal). Neruda’s wife calls him a “supporting character.” He disagrees. Neruda is as much about Peluchonneau realizing he is wrong as it is about capturing his prey.
B y B r y a n Va n C a m p e n
Arts&Entertainment
Best Films of 2017
just another “coming of age” film. The first images we see in Jeff Baena’s The Little Hours are of Aubrey Plaza in a nun’s habit, leading a donkey through muted, green woods. Are we looking at some lost classic by Ingmar Bergman or Pier Paolo Pasolini.? Then Plaza and Kate Micucci begin hurling insults at the local handyman, sounding as if they had just stepped out of the latest teen high school comedy. Adapted from The Decameron by Giovanni Boc-
From “The Little Hours” (Photo provided)
caccio, Dave Franco plays a servant who has been cuckolding his master and flees to the convent for sanctuary, provided he pretends to be deaf and mute. The Little Hours is proof that the more you play the spine of your movie seriously, the comedy of contrast is made infinitely stronger.
Blade Runner 2049, Colossal
From “Neruda” (Photo provided)
Set in 1979 in Santa Barbara, California during the first wave of punk rock, Mike Mills’ 20th Century Women is about a mother (Annette Bening) and her son (Lucas Jade Zumann) trying to figure each other out while the kid has to deal with loving his best friend (Elle Fanning) who — sigh — doesn’t love him in that way. But there’s so much more going on here, and such an exquisite ensemble (including Billy Crudup and Greta Gerwig) that it would be simplistic to call it
I was too stunned at the time to write about Blade Runner 2049 when it opened, but upon reflection, I was impressed by the film’s ability to use Ryan Gosling’s detective character to investigate old mysteries without wringing Philip K. Dick’s mythology dry. Director Denis Villeneuve nearly mind-melds his visions with Ridley Scott’s elliptical, existential and influential 1982 film. It’s not every day that you see a movie about a hot alcoholic mess (Anne Hathaway) who realizes that she’s the avatar for a giant Asian monster, but Nacho Vigalondo’s Colossal isn’t just a one-joke movie; boasting a surprising performance by Jason Sudeikis, it’s as much about addiction and toxic relationships as it is about monster battles. Contin u ed on page 14
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Eclectic, Environmental
Artist pushes for change with hip-hop piano album By Mic a h Wil kin s
R
emanu Steele likes to keep things clean. His room, his house, all of the places that he goes. He values cleanliness and environmental friendliness. “I’m not sure how long I’m going to live,” Steele said. “But if 100 years from now no one can swim in the ocean because of pollution, I wouldn’t like that. I’m trying to take preventative measures.” Steele recycles, finds dual purposes for things so as not to waste, composts, picks up trash, gardens, all in an effort to “treat the earth nicely,” he said. And, he hopes that others will too. Georgia@ithacatimes.com 607-277-7000 x220 With his new musical project, Steele hopes to inspire his listeners to be more Newspaper: environmentally sustainable. “[The album] is a way to convey messages and opinions of how the world is, and offer up suggestions for what to do when you get out of bed,” Steele said. Steele performs as Remanu Panther, after his spirit animal. He plays an eclectic mix of electro, hip-hop, classical, jazz and funk, combined with his rapping and spoken word. Steele also plays trumpet
for the Fall Creek Brass Band. His first instrument is the piano, which he started playing when he was 5 years old, but he has never been recorded playing it. “I have been playing for so long, I felt like it would be great to encapsulate my piano playing in an album,” Steele said. In fact, despite his years playing as a musician, Steele has never recorded in a studio, only in apartments, his bedroom, even in an old woodshed with the Fall Creek Brass Band. Steele attempted to record his piano songs himself, but when he showed his do-it-yourself recordings to his friends, they agreed that the sound was not adequate. Client: “From there I realized I needed a fresh recording of the album with audio engineers,” Steele said. Get ting studio time is expensive, he said, and Steele quickly realized he needed outside support. He launched a Kickstarter campaign in order to pay for the album to be recorded at Rep Studios in Ithaca, and has already reached his fundraising goal.
Ithaca Times/Fingerlakes News
by Betsy Schermerhorn Director, Marketing and Admissions
While many men are more than happy to retire, they may miss the opportunities that work introduces to help them bond with one another. When this source of male bonding recedes, older men may want to find other ways to connect with people. Good ways to begin this search for new social circles includes joining groups with pre-established structures such as walking groups, golf or bowling leagues, a card or chess club, or a class at an adult community center. These groups help older men recreate a work-like environment in which they can feel comfortable. Otherwise, men with similar interests can band together to launch a workplace-like project that provides each with a sense of purpose and feeling of belonging.
Each resident at Kendal at Ithaca brings a personal interest, culture, and preference to their community. Ithaca has received national recognition as being an exceptional place to live. Such distinctions as America’s Most Enlightened City and being named fourth in the list of 500 in Life in America’s Small Cities have made Ithaca a well-known destination. Call the marketing team at (607) 266-5300 to schedule a tour to see our facilities and learn more about lifecare at Kendal at Ithaca. Find us on the web at http://kai.kendal.org/ P.S. When people work together, they tend to share personal thoughts and feelings.
2230 N. Triphammer Road Ithaca, NY 14850-6513 Website: www.kai.kendal.org Email: admissions@kai.kendal.org
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laboration from DJ and producer friends. With rapping, beatboxing and hardhitting piano chords, this album will fall under the hip-hop genre. Artists like Jay-Z, Ja Rule, J. Cole (“a lot of ‘Js,’” Steele noted,) had an impact on him as a kid growing up in Brooklyn and Long Island, and these musical influences will be present in his upcoming album. But, with his rap lyrics in the piano tracks, Steele “hopes to be on the sparse side,” he said. He wants to inspire environmental change with this album, but by using few words. “If you hear a lot of music and then you hear just a few words, those words might resonate louder,” Steele said. “It seems to feel better than the stressful or cluttered feeling that lots and lots of words might have. After listening to 5,000 words, your brain is full and you have to organize them. When you hear just a few, it’s easier to wrap your mind around.” • To hear Remanu Panther live, tune in to WVBR 93.5 FM on Jan. 9 at 6 p.m. for Tuesdays with the Band.
Kendal at Ithaca
Vital for Life
WORKING SOLUTIONS
“In this community-minded mentality campaign, I recognize the support I’ve received around it,” Steele said. “To the musicians around Ithaca, I also feel grateful and appreciative of the kindness and community mindedness that they’ve shown me. I want to reciprocate that as well, if not with this album then with my next project.” Though he has reached his fundraising goal, there are still pledge items that are up for purchase before Feb. 2, when the fundraiser is over, including a one-of-a-
Remanu Panther at the piano. (Photo provided)
kind, personalized rap track written by Remanu Panther for $150. Steele will be recording this six-track piano album with some help and col-
You can also pre-order his album on his Kickstarter Page, Panther on Piano. Steele plans to record the album in the coming months. Though the recording studio is only a one-minute walk from his work, Steele’s work schedule conf licts with the studio’s open hours, except for the last hour of the day. Steele will record his new album, in one-hour increments if he has to, and release it in April.
art
Rumsey’s World
Local photographer captures the (extra)ordinary By Nick Re y nol d s
A
ny one person documenting the world around them could consider their creation to be something of a first draft of history. For those who live in one place for an extended period of time and regularly catalogue the world as they experience it, those documentarians serve a crucial role in how we perceive surroundings we may otherwise take for granted. It’s nice to travel, to see new t hings, sa id Ha rrison Ru msey, a local photographer whose debut exhibition is the subject of the Museum of the Earth’s First Friday activities this weekend. But right here, in the place where he has lived his entire life, many aspects of the region’s built and natural beauty remain uncaptured and every moment, fleeting. As a teenager growing up on farmland above Ithaca’s West Hi l l, Rumsey’s love of home was forged largely from his time fishing in the creeks of Lower Treman, travelling across a f lowing terrain of tall grasses, whispering trees and the old, falling barns that seem to grow straight out from the landscape. “I saw this stuff everyday, you know? And it was beautiful to me then, even if then I was more focused on catching fish,” Rumsey said. “But later in life when I first began to think about taking photos, it really had a bigger impact. You see a lot of photos of old barns and stuff like that, things that remind me of my childhood. My perspective probably changed as I learned to appreciate it more; I just kind of learned to sit and enjoy the beauty of the things
around me.” The land itself served as his primary
muse when the artist, who also plays guitar in local metal band Ire Clad, first began taking photos in the mid 1990s, armed then with an old Pentax ME II Super 35mm camera. Rumsey sought to capture the land the way it was, attempting to take the fleeting moments that slip
bay every single day in the Finger Lakes and commit them to permanent memory. After a lengthy creative hiatus, Rumsey purchased his first DSLR camera in 2016 with a similar mindset and, in his present work, it shows. His images are colorful studies of the world around us, a firsthand documentation of the decay and permanence of the land that raised him. Old barns – some well-constructed and cared for and others, left to rot – stand juxtaposed next to gnarled old trees and overgrown plow fields; stark contrasts between the enduring presence of nature
A few of Harrison Rumsey’s photos (Photos: Harrison Rumsey)
and the temporary states of human development.
“Farms falling apart, the shot of a wall in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania… that stuff has so much character to me,” said Rumsey. “That’s what time builds for all of us. I find less interest in a beautiful new building – I can appreciate it – but I really enjoy taking pictures of the things that are kind of going away. There are thousands and thousands of these old buildings in Central New York alone, and a lot of them are just falling into the ground.” But what Rumsey a lso delights in capturing are the facets of these unique moments we might not be able to experience ourselves: lights of a distant cityscape on a silent night in the countryside, grains on the grass from the other side of a field, the haze of the moonlight over a shimmering lake. One sunset may not be the same as any other and one scene, for all its separate elements, may be impossible to replicate ever again. With each shot, Rumsey acknowledges the unique nature of every moment in time: that each is significant in how we interpret the land around us. “We really do live in a special area of the world,” Rumsey said. “To me, that appreciation of the little things that comes through little walks through the wood s ju st g ives you a scope of a l l t he beaut y that is out there, and just trying to express that in a photo… I always do the best I can to capture the moments I saw.” It also means an appreciation of the things that are never guaranteed to stay. An example, Rumsey noted, was a barn he for years would drive by ever y day, a small piece of Newfield’s landscape he had always thought to photograph, but never did. “One day, I drove by, and they had leveled it to the ground before I’d had the chance to take even one photo,”
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Get Out, It
2017 Films
Contin u ed from page 11
Wonder Woman,The Lego Batman Movie, Logan, Spider-Man: Homecoming , Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman is rousing feminist entertainment without being preachy or didactic, long overdue by at least 70 years, and the best DC film since The Dark Knight. Chris Pine plays the woman role here with great wit, and when Gal Gadot leaps out of the bunker and starts to run, we’re with her all the way. The Lego Batman Movie is a great Batman-Joker story, a great Robin story and packed with affectionate nods to every Bat-iteration of the character. Just when he says he’s done playing Wolverine, Hugh Jackman goes and makes Logan. Tough, R-rated and elegiac, the nods to Shane and the X-Men comics make James Mangold’s film feel like the Unforgiven of comicbook cinema. Tom Holland nails both Peter Parker and Spider-Man in Spider-Man: Homecoming, and the overall vibe feels like a classic John Hughes high school comedy. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 easily tops Vol. 1 with a cooler soundtrack and a surprisingly emotional story involving Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) and his long-lost father, Ego (Kurt Russell). Cue up Cat Stevens’ “Father and Son” and you will believe a racoon can cry.
Jordan Peele’s Get Out is as steeped in modern rage and #Blacklivesmatter as it is influenced by Rosemary’s Baby and The Stepford Wives: a young black man finds himself trapped in an odd planned community with a plan and a secret. Actors like Catherine Keener, Bradley Whitford and Stephen Root are a testament to the power and quality of the film. Andy Muschietti’s It does a much more poetic and persuasive job telling the kids’-side of Stephen King’s epic horror tale than the workmanlike 1990 TV miniseries. In the character of Pennywise the Clown (Bill Skarsgård), we might just have seen the next scary icon of film.
The Red Turtle, Coco, Your Name
Not just a wonderful piece of animation, Michaël Dudok de Wit’s The Red Turtle is just about pure cinema; in telling the story of a man who becomes shipwrecked on a deserted island, the film uses no dialogue, but the story is told so beautifully that no words are needed. Pixar’s Coco, about a young Mexican boy trapped in the afterlife, brings its storytelling skills, gift for telling detail and access to deep emotion to another wonderful film with great music, humor and heart. In Makoto Shinkai’s sweet and silly animated teen comedy Your Name, a high school girl in rural Japan and a high school boy in Tokyo swap bodies.
Tomorrow, RE:Thinking, 78/52, DePalma, “Five Came Back”
Cyril Dion and Mélanie Laurent’s eco-documentary Tomorrow is inspired viewing, spanning the globe and meeting people from all walks of life who have taken it on themselves to come up with sustainable ways of living. In just over an hour, Deborah C. Hoard & Rachel Ferro’s RE:Thinking, a powerful and new locally produced documentary, looks at the problems, pitfalls and future of American education. The film features interviews and thoughts on the state of learning in the 21st century as it visits three American public schools, where students are learning about how they think instead of what to think. Much has been written about a film as influential as Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho, but Alexandre O. Philippe’s 78/52 earns a place at the table, building to its final halfhour, where actors, writers and film editors analyze every edit in Psycho’s iconic shower sequence. After that, check out Noah Baumbach and Jake Paltrow’s De Palma, a deft and thoughtful overview of the films of Brian DePalma, one filmmaker who built on Hitchcock’s techniques. It will make you want to watch certain films again and track down the ones you may have missed. Mark Harris’ fine book Five Came Back, about the Hollywood directors who filmed WWII as part of the war effort, is now a fine three-part documentary on Netflix. The series offers up additional perspectives not found in Harris’ book, mainly enthusiastic and appreciative interviews given by Guillermo del Toro and Steven Spielberg. In addition, most of the war films made by Frank Capra, John Ford, John Huston, William Wyler and George Stevens are also available on Netflix. •
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film
Worst of 2017 Cinema
A look back at the cinematic flops of 2017 By Br yan VanC ampe n
K
evin Smith’s Yoga Hosers is 87 minutes of awful, the worst f lick he’s ever made. Smith steals the thunder from us critics by making Mallrats jokes, but that’s a classic compared to this. Lily-Rose Depp and Smith’s daughter Harley Quinn Smith play social media obsessed convenience store clerks who discover a secret society of Canadian Nazis. Even the Stan Lee cameo is excruciating to watch. I have a hunch that Harley Quinn Smith and Lily-Rose Depp could actually carry a well-written film, but Yoga Hosers ain’t it, eh? In M. Night Shyamalan’s Split, James McAvoy gives a bravura series of performances as a man with 23 different personalities who kidnaps and imprisons three teenage girls in an isolated underground facility. McAvoy’s performance is too good for Shyamalan’s movie, which doesn’t play fairly within its own logic and — spoiler alert — seems more concerned with setting up the filmmaker’s next deal than in making the best film. After Green Lantern, Iron Fist is the
silliest superhero I’ve ever encountered. It doesn’t help that his fight scenes suck and that he dresses like Pee Wee Herman. Rosario Dawson shows up just when you want to abandon ship, and her sarcastic
banter raises the series a letter grade, but in farming terms, “Marvel’s Iron Fist” is the runt of the Netflix litter. The Dark Tower wastes a good cast
by boiling seven books into 95 minutes. Sorry, Sony — only 30 hours on Netflix or HBO or Amazon would begin to do justice to Stephen King’s epic fantasy series. Every single shot in Luc Besson’s Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets would make a great comic-book splash panel. Too bad he let the actors start talking. It hurts seeing Roger Corman sidelined and irrelevant, dribbling out idiotic schlock like Roger Corman’s Death Race 2050, his remake of Paul Bartel’s Death Race 2000 (1975). Bartel’s film is a drive-in classic, a $400,000 futuristic satire about a coast-to-coast road race where the drivers earn points for the pedestrians they
From “ Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets” (Photo provided)
run over. Corman’s reboot proves that his fleabag movies really don’t fly anymore. This version of one of the great cheap movies just reeks of what Frank Zappa called “cheepnis.” I can’t top my pal Jamie Lewis’ analysis of The Mummy, Universal’s ill-advised attempt to reboot their classic monster movies into something —anything — like what Marvel and DC are doing: “The Mummy was a 120-minute sales pitch for a product no one’s wanted since 1936.” (Apologies to Abbott and Costello.) There seems to be a growing faction of filmgoers out there who just want to watch Common get the stuffing beaten out of him. If that’s your thing, then John Wick 2 is your kind of movie. Ben Wheatley’s Free Fire is one of the most unpleasant experiences I have ever endured. A bunch of unintelligible IRA members and crooks rub each other the wrong way during a weapon buy. Fifteen minutes of murky set-up and 75 minutes of excruciating shoot-out. What is Brie Larson doing in this mess? British crimes movies, Lina Wertmüller remakes, Sherlock Holmes …Oh, Guy Rit-chie, is there a genre you can’t ruin? No essential King Arthur movies have been made since Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Excalibur and The Fisher King. Ritchie’s King Arthur: Legend of the Sword continues the losing streak in a big way, a medieval remake of Gladiator, The Lord of the Rings, Oliver Twist and Ocean’s Eleven (!) •
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Notices Ithaca Sociable Single | Friday, January 1, 04-, Wednesday, January 3, 18 | Spring Buffet, 106 Fairgrounds Memorial Pkwy South Meadow Square, Ithaca | Host: Jim H, RSVP: jrhaustein@yahoo.com. Wednesday Night Ithaca
Music 1/03 Wednesday
Djug Django | 6:00 PM-9:00 PM, Wednesday, January 3, 18 | Lot 10 Lounge, 106 S Cayuga St, Ithaca | (Hot Club Jazz, Blues, Swing) Sacred Chanting with Damodar Das and Friends | 7:00 PM-9:00 PM, Wednesday, January 3, 18 | Varying Locations, , | Refer to Damodar Das Kirtan on Facebook for location schedule. Folk ‘n’ Kava | 7:30 PM-10:30 PM, Wednesday, January 3, 18 | Sacred Root Kava Lounge & Tea Bar, 139 W State St, Ithaca | (Nate Marshall and Friends play Traditional and Original Folk, Jazz and Gospel Music) Wednesday Live Music | 8:00 PM-, Wednesday, January 3, 18 | Rulloff’s, 411 College Ave, Ithaca | (Local
bands, Soloists) Reggae Night with The Crucial Reggae Social Club | 9:00 PM-, Wednesday, January 3, 18 | The Dock, 415 Taughannock Blvd, Ithaca | (Reggae) Salsa Night at Agava | 10:00 PM-11:59 PM, Wednesday, January 3, 18 | Agava Southwest Inspired Cuisine, 381 Pine Tree Rd, Ithaca | Join a dance crowd this and every Wednesday. Arrive early, 10 p.m., for introductory Salsa dance lesson and workshops.
1/04 Thursday
Dino Losito, Brian Murphy, Terry Light | 6:00 PM-7:30 PM, Thursday, January 4, 18 | Collegetown Bagels, East Hill Plaza, Ithaca | (Jazz) Bronwen Exter Winter Residency 2 | 8:00 PM-11:00 PM, Thursday, January 4, 18 | Casita Del Polaris, 1201 N Tioga St, Ithaca | (Eclectic)
1/05 Friday
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Sandbox | 6:00 PM-8:00 PM, Friday, January 5, 18 | Hopshire Farm & Brewery, 1771 Dryden Rd, Freeville | The Tarps | 7:00 PM-10:00 PM, Friday, January 5, 18 | Grist Iron Brewing, 4880 State Route 414, Burdett | (‘50s, ‘60s, and ‘70s Classic Rock) DJ Costa | 9:00 PM-, Friday, January 5, 18 | Silver Line Tap Room, 19 W Main St, Trumansburg | Dr. K Paul Kempkes | 9:00 PM-11:00 PM, Friday, January 5, 18 | Agava, 381 Pine Tree Rd, Ithaca | Dead Night at The Dock | 9:00 PM-, Friday, January 5, 18 | The Dock, 415 Taughannock Blvd, Ithaca | (Grateful Dead covers)
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mensbasketball.wordpress.com/Â Salsa Night at Agava | Friday, January 1, 04-Friday, January 1, 04, Wednesday, January 3, 18 | Agava, 381 Pine Tree Road, Ithaca | Join an awesome dance crowd at Ithaca’s signature Latin dance party. Arrive early, 10pm, for introductory Salsa dance lesson and workshops.
1/06 Saturday
Scott Adams and Brett Beardslee | 7:00 PM-10:00 PM, Saturday, January 6, 18 | Grist Iron Brewing, 4880 NY-414, Burdett | (Funk, Folk, Soul, Rock) Answer the Muse, Andrew Alling | 8:00 PM-10:00 PM, Saturday, January 6, 18 | Sacred Root Kava Lounge & Tea Bar, 139 W State St, Ithaca | The Tarps | 8:00 PM-, Saturday, January 6, 18 | Silver Line Tap Room, 19 W Main St, Trumansburg | West End Blend, NEO Project | 9:00 PM-, Saturday, January 6, 18 | The Dock, 415 Taughannock Blvd, Ithaca |
1/07 Sunday
Ithaca Jazz and Blues Jam | 4:00 PM-7:00 PM, Sunday, January 7, 18 | Mix Kitchen and Bar, 205 Elmira Road, Ithaca | All jazz and blues instrumentalists and vocalists welcome. Hosted by Dennis Winge Trio.
1/09 Tuesday
Tuesday Bluesday with Dan Paolangeli & Friends | 6:00 PM-, Tuesday, January 9, 18 | The Dock, 415 Taughannock Blvd, Ithaca | (Blues, Rock, Every Tuesday) Professor Tuesday’s Jazz Quartet | 8:00 PM-10:00 PM, Tuesday, January 9, 18 | Madeline’s Restaurant, 215 E State St, Ithaca | (Jazz)Â I-Town Jazz Jam | 9:00 PM-11:59 PM, Tuesday, January 9, 18 | The Dock, 415 Taughannock Blvd, Ithaca | (Local jazz jams, improv)
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2018
Answer the Muse will perform 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 6, at Sacred Root Kava Lounge and Tea Bar. The group celebrates the new year with its indie rock tunes. (Photo provided)
Stage Comedy Night | 7:00 PM, Thursday, January 04, 18 | The Dock, 415 Taughannock Blvd, Ithaca | (Improv, Stand up. Hosted by Comedy FLOPs)
Women’s Basketball Association | Friday, January 1, 04-Friday, January 1, 04, Wednesday, January 3, 18 | Lehman Alternative Community School, 111 Chestnut St, Ithaca | The league is non-competitive and fun and involves pick-up style playing. Check out the league’s website for more information: https://ithacawo-
Square Dance and Other Dancing | Friday, January 1, 04-Friday, January 1, 04, Friday, January 5, 18 | Lifelong, 119 W Court St, Ithaca | Everyone Welcome (members and non-members). No experience or partner needed. For more information call 273-1511
sometimes global. Something to hold on to | Monday, January 8, 18 | Community School Of Music And Arts, 330 E State St, Ithaca | Featuring submitted work from local artists.
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Community Fire Ceremony | Friday January 5, 18 | Foundation of Light, 391 Turkey Hill Rd, Ithaca | At this Full Moon fire ceremony we will be gifting the Creator Rites of the Munay-Ki. These rites awaken the ability to dream all of creation into being, to create the destiny we want for ourselves and the world. Beginner Bird Walks | Friday, January 1, 04-, Saturday, January 6, 18 | Cornell Lab of Ornithology, 159 Sapsucker Woods Rd, Ithaca | Guided bird walks every Saturday and Sunday morning, starting at 8:30 a.m., sponsored by the Cayuga Bird Club. Ithaca Red Tent: A Place for Women | Friday, January 1, 04-Friday, January 1, 04, Sunday, January 7, 18 | Sacred Root Kava Lounge & Tea Bar, 139 W State St, Ithaca | This January’s Ithaca Red Tent hosts Hilary Kimball. She will teach the group about feminine self care and how to deeply nourish and care for the female body with the Jade Egg and other Taoist sexual practices for women. Ithaca-Cortland PFLAG | Friday, January 1, 04-, Sunday, January 7, 18 | Interfaith Center, 7 Calvert St, Cortland | A meeting for Parents,Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays. Dryden Senior Citizens Lunch | Friday, January 1, 04-, Monday, January 8, 18 | VFW, Route 13, Dryden | The meal will be Annual Meeting with meat lasagna, tossed salad, garlic bread and fruited jello with whipped topping. Our speaker will be Michael Joseph who is a former retired Superintendent of Marathon Schools and he will talk about rural schools. Teen-Only Gaming Sessions | Friday, January 1, 04-Friday, January 1, 04, Monday, January 8,
18 | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 E Green St, Ithaca | Middle and high school-aged students (and homeschooled equivalents) are invited to participate in after school gaming sessions. Use our space to play your favorite board games, tabletop RPGs and collectible card games.
Special Events Twelfth Night Community Celebration | 7:30 PM, Saturday, January 6, 18 | First Unitarian Church Ithaca, 306 N Aurora St, Ithaca | It is primarily an evening of storytelling, in which the storytellers are members of the audience who feel like telling a story. First Annual Elvis Presley Birthday Bash | 5:00 PM-7:00 PM, Monday, January 8, 18 | Brick House Brewery, 1 W Pulteney St, Corning | Featuring vocal performance by Doc Possum’s Doc Cavallaro along with other Elvis-themed activities and food/drink specials to honor the king and help start your week off right. 2018 Nonprofit Conference | 8:00 AM-12:30 PM, Tuesday, January 9, 18 | Doubletree By Hilton Hotel Syracuse, 6301 Ny-298, East Syracuse | Complimentary conference designed to provide valuable insight on the financial and operational issues facing the nonprofit industry, and to help become more effective in managing organizations in the new year.
Health Sacred Sunday Community at Yoga Farm | 9:00 AM-11:15 AM, Sunday, January 7, 18 | Yoga
Farm, 404 Conlon Rd, Lansing | Sacred Sundays Community at Yoga Farm. All are Welcome.Discover Your Self & Awaken Your Kindest HumanityPray. Move. Sit. Connect. Open Meditation | 10:30 AM-12:00 PM, Sunday, January 7, 18 | Foundation of Light, 391 Turkey Hill Road, Ithaca | All are welcome to meditate according to their own practice. Overeaters Anonymous 12-Step meeting | 7:00 PM-8:00 PM, Monday, January 8, 18 | Just Be Cause Center, 1013 W State St, Ithaca | No matter what your problem with food compulsive overeating, undereating, food addiction, anorexia, bulimia, binge eating, or overexercising, we have a solution. No dues, fees, weigh-ins. Ithaca Bipolar Support Group Meeting | 7:00 PM-8:30 PM, Tuesday, January 9, 18 | Lifelong, 119 West Court St., Ithaca | The group is peer-run without supervision by any medical expert. We share knowledge and experience in an attempt to help each other deal with the issues of bipolar disorder including medications, life management, therapy and anything else that might help us to live more successfully.
Art The World Bewitch’d: Visions of Witchcraft from the Cornell Collections | Friday, January 5, 18 | Hirshland Exhibition Gallery, Kroch Library, Cornell University, Ithaca | The exhibition features rare and unique books and documents from 15th-century witch hunting manuals to 20th-century movie posters. Member’s Show, Part I | Friday, January 5, 18 | State Of The Art,
120 W State St Ste 2, Ithaca | Works of art by half of the gallery members. On exhibition will be paintings, works in pastel, sculpture, photography and more. Reception for the artists on Friday, Jan. 5, 5-8 p.m. June Silberman | Friday, January 5, 18 | ZaZa’s Cucina, 622 Cascadilla Street, Ithaca | Local artist exhibition featuring the work of June Silberman. Harrison Rumsey Debut Photography Show | 5:00 PM-8:00 PM, Friday, January 5, 18 | Museum Of The Earth, 1259 Trumansburg Rd, Ithaca | Rumsey’s photographs show everyday subjects in extraordinary ways. His subjects include farms, nature, parks in upstate New York, industrial and city scenes and other places near and far. His work is filled with inspirational images of everyday life. Dead President by Lauren Valchuis | 5:00 PM-9:00 PM, Friday, January 5, 18 | Grayhaven Motel, 657 Elmira Road, Ithaca | Dead president re-appropriates ephemeral imagery of mid-century American political figures, namely that of John F. Kennedy, highlighting the pop cultural context and propaganda mechanisms in which they were originally produced. Through framing and exhibiting imagery extracted from vintage magazines, the idealization of an imagined present/past and the subsequent tragedy of its eventual demised is pondered. First Friday Gallery Night | 5:00 PM-8:00 PM, Friday, January 5, 18 | Downtown Ithaca, Center ithaca, Ithaca | Downtown Ithaca explodes with talent in different shops, restaurants and hotels. Nearly 20 businesses downtown become the home to different local artists, and Th e
The Shape of Water | In a 1960s research facility, Elisa, a mute janitor, forms a relationship with a mysterious aquatic creature. | 123 mins R Lady Bird | In the early 2000s, an artistically-inclined seventeen year-old comes of age in Sacramento, California. | 94 mins R Downsizing | A social satire in which a man realizes he would have a better life if he were to shrink himself to five inches tall, allowing him to live in wealth and splendor. | 135 mins R Darkest Hour | During the early days of World War II, the fate of Western Europe hangs on the newly-appointed British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, who must decide whether to negotiate with Hitler, or fight on against incredible odds. | 125 mins PG-13 Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri | A mother personally challenges the local authorities to solve her daughter’s murder when they fail to catch the culprit. | 115 mins R Regal Ithaca
Wednesday, 1/03 , to Tuesday, 1/09. Contact Regal Ithaca for Showtimes All the Money in the World| The story of the kidnapping of 16-year-old John Paul Getty III and the desperate attempt by his devoted mother to convince his billionaire grandfather Jean Paul Getty to pay the ransom. | 132 mins R Father Figures | Upon learning that their mother has been lying to them for years about their allegedly deceased father, two fraternal twin brothers hit the road in order to find him. | 113 mins R Pitch Perfect 3| Following their win at the world championship, the now separated Bellas reunite for one last singing competition at an overseas USO tour, but face a group who uses both instruments and voices. | 93 mins PG-13 Tiger is Alive | Inspired by real events, Tiger Zinda Hai is a sequel
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to the blockbuster Ek Tha Tiger, and an espionage action thriller that follows an adventurous rescue mission in Iraq. | 161 mins Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle | Four teenagers are sucked into a magical video game, and the only way they can escape is to work together to finish the game. | 119 mins PG-13 The Greatest Showman | Inspired by the imagination of P.T. Barnum, The Greatest Showman is an original musical that celebrates the birth of show business and tells of a visionary who rose from nothing to create a spectacle that became a worldwide sensation. | 105 mins PG Ferdinand | After Ferdinand, a bull with a big heart, is mistaken for a dangerous beast, he is captured and torn from his home. Determined to return to his family, he rallies a misfit team on the ultimate adventure. | 108 mins PG Star Wars: The Last Jedi | Rey develops her newly discovered abilities with the guidance of Luke Skywalker, who is unsettled by the strength of her powers. Meanwhile, the Resistance prepares for battle with the First Order. | 152 mins PG-13 The Disaster Artist | When Greg Sestero, an aspiring film actor, meets the weird and mysterious Tommy Wiseau in an acting class, they form a unique friendship and travel to Hollywood to make their dreams come true. | 104 mins R Coco | Aspiring musician Miguel, confronted with his family’s ancestral ban on music, enters the Land of the Dead to find his greatgreat-grandfather, a legendary singer. | 105 mins PG Murder on the Orient Express | When a murder occurs on the train he’s travelling on, celebrated detective Hercule Poirot is recruited to solve the case. | 114 mins PG-13 Molly’s Game | The true story of Molly Bloom, an Olympic-class skier who ran the world’s most exclusive high-stakes poker game and became an FBI target. | 140 mins R Insidious: The Last Key | Parapsychologist Dr. Elise Rainier faces her most fearsome and personal haunting yet - in her own family home. | 103 mins PG-13
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2006 FORD ESCAPE XLT 4 wheel drive, 6 cyl., auto, power everything, sunroof, alloy wheels, 2 sets tires, new brakes, some rust. Inspected 9/17. $3,900/nego. 273-0731
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PIANOS
• Rebuilt • Reconditioned • Bought• Sold • Moved • Tuned • Rented
Complete rebuilding services. No job too big or too small. Call us.
Ithaca Piano Rebuilders (607) 272-6547 950 Danby Rd., Suite 26
South Hill Business Campus, Ithaca, NY
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Work to Repair Your Credit Report With The Trusted Leader in Credit Repair. Call Lexington Law for a FREE credit report summary & credit repair consultation. 855-620-9426. John C. Heath, Attorney at Law, PLLC, dba Lexington Law Firm. (AAN CAN)
DISH Network Satellite
Television Services. Now Over 190 channels for ONLY $49.99/mo! HBOFREE for one year. FREE Installation, FREE Streaming, FREE HD. Add Internet for $14.95 a month. 1-800-373-6508. (AAN CAN)
15
19. 25 words
00
$
services Four Seasons Landscaping Inc.
805/Business Services
SERVICE DIRECTORY
GARAGE SALES
19.
$
607.272.1504 Lawn maintenance, spring + fall clean up + gutter cleaning, patios, retaining walls, + walkways, landscape design + installation. Drainage. Snow Removal. Dumpster rentals. Find us on Facebook!
Handy Man
Stone Walls, Walks, Repointing, Gardens, Weeds, Carpentry, George: 793-4312 - Save Number!
Vocalist/Musician
I am looking to join or start a band. I am an experienced singer in mostly Country and Rock & Roll! I live in Ithaca. Please contact me at 607-262-1818 or even text me. Butch Perfetti
Ithaca WebsIte DesIgn
Do you have a business? are you starting a business? Let Us help You!
$
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services
900/Personals
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with a Beautiful, Beautiful, Ithaca Woman. She has a Heart of Gold and a Voice to Match. She Deserves Better. My heart is broken What is a poor boy to do?
DONATE YOUR CAR
Wheels For Wishes Benefiting
Make-A-Wish® Central New York *Free Vehicle/Boat Pickup ANYWHERE *We Accept All Vehicles Running or Not *Fully Tax Deductible
We have been in business since 1980 specializing in streaming audio and video. Our team of experts can build you a website with features such as search engine optimization, tracking web site visitors, listing on Facebook. Check us out on www.ithacawebsitedesign.com Call us at 607-272-9175 we are open Monday to Friday 9am. to answer your questions.
WheelsForWishes.org
Call: (315) 400-0797
* Car Donation Foundation d/b/a Wheels For Wishes. To learn more about our programs or financial information, visit www.wheelsforwishes.org.
Ithaca’s only
hometown electrical distributor Your one Stop Shop
WANTED!!
Old Motorcycles, Parts and Memorabilia Top Dollar Paid!
607-564-1808
Th e
Since 1984 802 W. Seneca St. Ithaca 607-272-1711 fax: 607-272-3102 www.fingerlakeselectric.com
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Get Qualified for the
For rates and information contact Cyndi Brong at
Careers of the Future Health Care Training:
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Phlebotomy Technician Oct. 2-Jan 4
277-7000 p h o n e 277-1012 f a x
Medical Admin. Assistant Oct.17-Dec.14
10% off Total Check
Tokyo 722 S. Meadow (near Tops) 607-277-8888
4 Seasons Landscaping Inc. 607-272-1504 lawn maintenance spring + fall clean up + gutter cleaning patios, retaining walls, + walkways landscape design + installation snow removal dumpster rentals Find us on Facebook! $5.00 off any purchase with Greenback Coupon at DiBella’s Subs 222 Elmira Rd. 254-2432
AAM ALL ABOUT MACS Macintosh Consulting http://www.allaboutmacs.com (607) 280-4729 Buy, Sell & Consign Previously-enjoyed
FURNITURE & DECOR MIMI’S ATTIC 430 W. State St. (607)882-9038 Open Every Day!
John’s Tailor Shop John Serferlis - Tailor 102 The Commons 273-3192
Call 607-844-6586 or
LPs 45s 78s ROCK JAZZ BLUES PUNK REGGAE ETC Angry Mom Records 115 The Commons Basement 319-4953 angrymomrecords@gmail.com
“I’m healthier and happier!”
“CLEAR IT OUT” Basements, Barns, Garages & etc. Reliable and Affordable Richard F. Vogt Call 387-4190 water1945@live.com
Voted Best of Ithaca
Independence Cleaners Corp
Crystal Energy Therapy The Spa at Gothic Eves
High Dusting * Windows/Awnings
Here’s to the best year ever! Start with 30 Days of UNLIMITED Yoga for $30!
MIGHTY YOGA Visit www.mightyyoga,com 272-0682
RESIDENTIAL & COMMERCIAL Janitorial Service * Floor/Carpet
(607)387-6033 fingerlakesnyspa.com
24/7 CLEANING Services
FREE TRAINING FOR LONG TERM JOB OPPORTUNITIES When looking at the fastest growing jobs in the US you almost always see HHA & PCA in the top 10 Caregiving positions can be F/T, PT, days, evenings or overnights. Sign up for our next PCA class Personal Care Assistant Helping Seniors remain at home is a rewarding and fulfilling career. The relationships you establish with your clients will enrich your life in ways that may surprise you Please call or visit our office before January 20th to reserve a spot in our next free training program Classen Home Health Associates 222 Elmira Rd. Suite 3 Ithaca, NY 14850 607-277-1342 Office hrs: 8;30-4:30 Mon-Fri
It’s Your Funeral Will it be What You Want?
drainage
Fur & Leather repair, zipper repair. Same Day Service Available
email: biz@tompkinscortland.edu
* BUYING RECORDS *
With Greenback Coupon at
Pharmacy Technician Oct.17-Dec.14
Men’s and Women’s Alterations for over 20 years
607-227-3025
Get unbiased funeral planning information and price comparisons from Funeral Consumers Alliance
MINDFULNESS STRESS REDUCTION at Island Health & Fitness in partnership with Cayuga Medical Center New Sessions Start in Early January nickboyar.com
PEACEFUL SPIRIT TAI CHI Please join us for traditional Yang Style Tai Ji Quan (Tai Chi) at our new location and time Centerlne Fitness and Martial Arts 335 Elmira Road (same building as Spicey Asian) FRIDAYS 7:30 - 8:30 PM ALL LEVELS WELCOME admin@peacefulspiritacupuncture.com
Protect Your Home with a Camera Surveillance System Latest Technology. Affordable
Les - 607-272-9175
of the Finger Lakes www.fingerlakesfunerals.org 273-8316
Save 10% on Total Check with Greenback Coupon at
info@fingerlakesfunerals.org
Love dogs? Check out Cayuga Dog Rescue!
Poke`land 308 E. Seneca / 206B Dryden Rd.
Adopt! Foster! Volunteer! Donate for vet care!
YOGA FARM
www.cayugadogrescue.org www.facebook.com/CayugaDogRescue Luna offers $5.00 OFF (minimum order $20.) with Greenback Coupon 310 Stewart Ave / 113 N. Aurora 256-5862, 269-6139
$1/day annual membership for 2018 through 1/31 20+ classes every week Make 2018 YOUR YEAR to Nourish, Cherish & Restore Your Self with high-quality Self Care! www.YogaFarm.us/607280-2010
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