July 23, 2025

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Tompkins County Legislature Updates Employee DEI Policy

By Lorien Tyne

At its meeting on Tuesday, July 15, the Tompkins County Legislature discussed updates to the Administrative Policy Manual Policy 01-43 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. The resolution was ultimately passed following two amendments.

Charlene Holmes, chief equity and diversity officer, said there was an equity lens retreat during which work was done to ensure that this policy is representative of all county staff. She said the policy was updated to reflect the county’s Strategic Plan and outline the institutionalizing equity initiative along with some other items. During privilege of the floor prior to the discussion, one current and one retired county employee both expressed support for the DEI policy updates. Rachel Graham, executive deputy county clerk and member of the Workforce Diversity and Inclusion Committee, urged the legislature to remove the disclaimer from the policy.

Amanda Champion amended to remove the disclaimer that states, “Nothing contained in this policy shall be deemed, directly or indirectly, to encourage or implement terms and conditions that favor individuals based on protected characteristics unless specifically allowed by law (E.g. Reasonable Accommodations of individuals with disabilities).”

Holmes said that if the disclaimer is included in the DEI policy, the county should add a disclaimer to all other policies that are impacted by 11 other executive orders.

“I recognize that this is a hot topic but do we have disclaimers in all of our policies?” Holmes said. “And if no, shouldn't we be following our organizational values in regard to that? That would be something that I would like for you all to just chew on a little bit.”

Several legislators, both for and against removing the sentence, shared their opinions and Deborah Dawson said she would support the policy but not without the inclusion of the disclaimer.

“I think it would be prudent of us to leave this in here to make it clear that nothing in this violates the executive order,” Dawson said. “I can’t vote for something that potentially could make our situation worse than it already is […] I certainly don’t want to wave a red flag to this administration that’s going to somehow target us for budget cuts above and beyond what the one big beautiful bill is already threatening to do to us.”

Anne Koreman said she does not think the disclaimer would help protect the county, which was echoed by legislators against the disclaimer.

“I'm not going to follow that executive order,” Koreman said. “I think this is a time to stand up and to say this is just our regular policy and I don’t think we need it in there.”

The legislature voted to keep the disclaimer language in the policy 6-7. Shawna Black, Travis Brooks, Greg Mezey, Veronica Pillar, Champion and Koreman voted to remove the disclaimer. Mike Sigler, Randy Brown, Rich John, Mike Lane, Dan Nolan, Dan Klein and Dawson voted to keep the disclaimer.

X Third Daily Flight From Ithaca to DC Coming in October

By Lorien Tyne

ASmall Community Air Service Development Program (SCASDP) grant will allow the Ithaca Tompkins International Airport to offer a third daily flight to Washington D.C. via United Airlines.

The SCASDP grant includes a stipulation that community partners need to provide a revenue guarantee of up to $250,000 if the flight service

Pillar moved a friendly amendment to change the font of the paragraph to match the style of the rest of the policy, which is not in bold. No legislators objected and it passed. With the amendments finalized, the legislature moved to pass the entirety of the policy.

John said he voted on this when the policy was first passed but did not vote for it a second time, not because he does not agree with the core principles, but because the language is divisive. He did not specify what language specifically he wished to change.

“We need to meet people where they're at and that means speaking in a way that they understand and can listen to us,” John said. “The core principles are strong, good principles. Why we have to speak in this odd way that alienates a good percentage of the population that we absolutely need to be allies with, I don’t understand. I will not support this for that reason. I really wish we could rewrite this.”

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C ott M anson , a sso C iat E p ublish E r

F r EE lan CE rs : Barbara Adams, G. M Burns, Charley Githler, Ross Haarstad, Steve Lawrence, Marjorie Olds, Henry Stark, Peter Rothbart, and Austin Lamb

does not meet its performance target in the first year. The community partners that have each pledged $50,000 are the Tompkins County Chamber of Commerce, Ithaca College, Cornell University, the Strategic Tourism Planning Board and Tompkins County.

The resolution states that $50,000 of “hotel room occupancy taxes be held in reserve for a period not to exceed one-year starting from the date of contract execution with United Airlines.”

The legislature approved the county’s portion unanimously during its Tuesday, July 15 meeting.

At the July 15 county legislature meeting, County Administrator Korsah Akumfi said the target date for beginning the third daily flight to D.C. is sometime in October.

“United is committed to loading the flight as soon as possible,”Akumfi said. “We're working as quickly as we can to get the agreement all tied up so that we can get it through to United to load the flight for booking.” T ake n ote

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Tompkins County Legislators gather in the Legislative Chambers. (Photo: Nathan Ellison/ Sun Fellow at the Ithaca Times)

By Mark Syvertson

QUESTION OF THE WEEK:

Habitat For Humanity Completes Restoration of Historic South Hill Home

After Years of Disrepair, Vacancy and Community Controversy, an 1800s-era Ithaca House is Now Home to a Local Family

By Shubha Gautam

When Carrie Sawyer first saw 417 S. Aurora St. in January 2022, the 1800s-era house sat in disarray. Asbestos, peeling floorboards and a decaying exterior made the building unlivable, among other issues. But 148 workdays and 4,632 volunteer hours later, Sawyer and her children, Kalani and Miles, call South Hill home.

Tompkins and Cortland County Habitat for Humanity (TCHFH) hosted a home dedication celebration on Wednesday, July 9 for the property’s complete historic restoration.

TCHFH bought the property at an auction from the City of Ithaca in August 2022 for $6,662, additionally paying back taxes, water and sewer fees and fixing other issues with the house for around $50,000. The purchase sparked community controversy when the city, however, failed to notify all the property’s deed holders during the foreclosure process. This prevented some of its rightful owners from intervening in the eviction process.

Michael Perehinec, the attorney representing Habitat in the ensuing court case, said the property’s residents had been reached out to multiple times during the foreclosure process. Emily Turner, the attorney representing deed-holder Doi Major, said Major was not notified of the foreclosure. Major said this was likely due to her address changing several times after she was displaced by Hurricane Katrina in 2006. Property payments had not been

paid by residents Kathy Majors and Jim Lukasavage for over a decade, and after months of public display by community members and organizations fighting the coming eviction, the two were evicted in December of 2022.

The July 9 dedication began with an open house, during which a few dozen visitors roamed the building’s two floors and talked to Sawyer and Habitat employees. Shannon MacCarrick, executive director of TCHFH, began the ceremony with some opening remarks and spoke on behalf of board president Chris Roscoe, who was unable to attend the event.

In her address, MacCarrick acknowledged the complexities of historic restoration and how it tests Habitat’s mission, volunteers, staff and budget. Despite ongoing challenges, the team persevered and the property is now part of Habitat’s Community Land Trust, meaning Habitat retains ownership of the land while the homeowner owns the house. This guarantees the structure’s long-term affordability for future generations.

In an interview with the Ithaca Times, MacCarrick said Habitat originally was planning to rebuild the house until it learned it was registered as a historic site, marking it as the first historic restoration project tackled by TCHFH in Ithaca. This, however, added obstacles to the restoration process since many aspects of the property had to remain the same.

“It's our home buyer, the people who support her through this process, the volunteers that build that house, the funders

[and] the individual donors — there's so many players to make a project like this come to life,” MacCarrick said. “I hope people can feel that and really feel that sense of community that makes these houses happen.”

Habitat homebuyers are required to spend at least 350 hours fixing or rebuilding their house, a process which is called Sweat Equity. According to MacCarrick, Sawyer contributed 917 of recorded sweat equity hours. Sawyer first learned about TCHFH’s program in 2021 when her daughter brought home a flyer detailing area services. TCHFH was on the list, and Sawyer took it as a sign to finally apply for Habitat’s homeownership program. She said it was the best decision she ever made, since because of it her dream of owning a house in the town she grew up in “became a reality.”

“It's impossible [to find affordable housing in Ithaca],” Sawyer said. “Being a single mother, just on my income it would not have been possible at all in Ithaca. We’ve

Located on 417 S. Aurora St., Carrie Sawyer’s new house suffered years of neglect that left it in disarray. Tompkins and Cortland County Habitat for Humanity led its eventual restoration. (Photo: Nathan Ellison/ Sun Fellow at the Ithaca Times)

TCHFH executive director Shannon MacCarrick asked attendees to raise their hand if they ever volunteered at the project. Around a 15 raised their hands. (Photo: Nathan Ellison/Sun Fellow at the Ithaca Times)

Visitors were asked to remove their shoes before entering the home during its open house. (Photo: Nathan Ellison/Sun Fellow at the Ithaca Times)

“Any sports car that can accelerate from 0-60 mph in under 5 seconds.”

Teo

“1962 Chevrolet Corvette.”

Ron

“I don't know about a dream car but I would love a Rivian.”

Lauren

“A car that drives itself.”

Laura

“A tie-dyed car the size of a Gadabout bus that can fly and has a huge TV inside.”

Everly and Cora

GreenStar Food Co-op Signs First Collective Bargaining Agreement, Ratifies Benefits for Workers

By Shubha Gautam

Last week, GreenStar Food Co-op’s workers and management signed their first collective bargaining agreement, which contained improved wages and benefits for workers while ensuring annual raises. The signing comes after months of bargaining and an overwhelmingly approved ratification vote.

The three-year agreement was signed at a July 15 press conference at the cooperative’s Cascadilla Street location. The contract includes an increase in entry wage from $17.63 to $19.25, an employer match to the 401(k) program, guaranteed annual raises and improved time-off benefits.

GreenStar is a democratically owned consumer cooperative with over 13,000 member-owners, general manager Jeff Bessmer said. Unlike a worker cooperative, which is democratically controlled by its employees, a consumer cooperative is owned by customers. This means that employees have an equal say in co-op operations as the collective’s members.

To secure better representation for their needs, workers at the Cascadilla Street location sought unionization in the summer of 2024, according to a GreenStar press release. Although a majority of workers expressed interest in unionizing with Workers United — which also represents

UPS DOWNS&

Ups

The Knights of Columbus Ithaca NY Council 277 is holding a community fundraiser in support of all Tompkins County veterans. The event will take place on Wednesday, July 23, from 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM in the Triphammer Mall parking lot. Look for the red Doug’s-to-go truck in the Triphammer Mall lot for convenient walk-up or pickup service.

Downs

On July 18 the Ithaca Police Department responded to a stabbing at The Amici House Apartments located at 665 Spencer Road in the City of Ithaca. The victim was transferred to the Cayuga Medical Center to receive treatment for stab wounds and is in stable condition. The suspect has been charged with assault in the first degree and criminal possession of a weapon.

HEARD SEEN&

Gimme! Coffee, Sciencenter, Citizen Action and Ithaca Health Alliance workers in Ithaca — management decided to hold an election rather than voluntarily recognizing the union.

Cascadilla Street workers voted to unionize on Aug. 28, 2024, with 86 in favor and 14 against forming a union with Workers United over two elections, according to a GreenStar press release. The other two GreenStar locations in Ithaca voted unanimously for unionization. This decision made the collective the second cooperative grocery store in Upstate New

York to unionize, the first being Buffalo’s Lexington Co-op, which also organized under Workers United. Bargaining between management and workers began in early November, involving surveys, drafting proposals and multiple meetings between the bargaining teams.

During the press conference, Workers United organizer Will Westlake said the agreement makes GreenStar “the most ethical grocery store that anyone can shop [at] in the City of Ithaca.” In an interview with the Ithaca Times, Westlake said the timeline for unionizing and reaching the first agreement was within the typical year-long period. Bargaining can take longer if employers refuse to negotiate, but in GreenStar’s case, he said both management and workers were relatively quick in finding a common ground.

The cooperative, however, is no longer a certified living wage employer with Tompkins County Workers’ Center (TCWC). GreenStar was a living wage employer from its inception until the county’s living wage was raised to $18.45 per hour in 2023, according to Pete Meyers, one of the founders of TCWC.

As of Feb. 26, 2025, the Tompkins County living wage is $24.82 per hour, according to a study by the Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations. Bessmer said it is not currently economically feasible for GreenStar to raise wages to that amount. While housing

Heard

At their annual caucus meeting last week the Dryden Democratic Committee nominated four experienced Town leaders for re-election in November — Dryden Supervisor Jason Leifer, Town Councilmembers Dan Lamb and Leonardo Vargas-Mendez, and Highway Superintendent Rick Young. Joining them on the ballot will be Tompkins County Legislator Greg Mezey seeking a second term and Dryden Village Trustee Dan Wakeman running to succeed Mike Lane on the County Legislature.

Seen

The Ithaca Tompkins County Transportation Council (ITCTC) is pleased to announce the appointment of Tom Knipe as Director, beginning in September. Knipe previously served as Deputy Director of Economic Development for the City of Ithaca and Director of the Tompkins County Tourism Program.

IF YOU CARE TO RESPOND to something in this column, or suggest your own praise or blame, write editor@ithacatimes. com, with a subject head “U&D.”

QUESTION OF THE WEEK

Should municipalities around Cayuga Lake do more to address the spread of Harmful Algae Blooms?

Are you struggling to afford your rising utility bills? Visit ithaca.com to submit your response.

The GreenStar management team poses with the signed union agreement. From left, Jeff Bessmer, GreenStar general manager; Alicia Richard, replenishment buyer for the wellness department; Franklin King, replenishment buyer for groceries; and Joe Damiano, replenishment buyer for bulk goods. (Photo: Shubha Gautam/Ithaca Times)

Jeff Bessmer, GreenStar general manager, first shopped at the grocery store over a decade ago. In 2022, he took on the general manager position. (Photo: Ithaca Times File)

SPECIAL EVENTS

A Swim for Suicide Prevention

DISTANCE SWIMMERS TEAM UP TO CROSS THE LAKE TO RAISE MONEY FOR SUICIDE PREVENTION

By Steve Lawrence

In the summer of 1984 it was announced that Claire de Boer — a 24 year-old Ithaca High School grad would enter the water at the north end of Cayuga Lake at 11:20 p.m. on August 13- and, 20-plus hours and 38 miles later, finish her swim at Treman Marina in Ithaca. It was a monumental achievement for a woman who, as a youth, did not want to join her siblings — Yvette and Maarten — on their cross-lake swims because she didn’t want to put her face in what she thought was “gross” water! (She eventually did it, utilizing the backstroke.)

In the ensuing years, that epic achievement was talked about by endurance athletes of all disciplines, and in 2015, when Claire heard about an effort being put forth by renowned distance swimmer Bridgette Hobart, she was intrigued. Bridgette (then 52) a Nazareth College graduate and a veteran of many monumental swims of her own (including the English Channel) announced that she would swim the length of all eleven Finger Lakes over the course of the summer of 2015. Cayuga Lake is, of course, the longest of the Finger Lakes, and in Claire's words, “I watched her GPS tracker and saw that she was holding a great pace. She was about halfway, so I

still had time to get there (Claire lives in PA, three hours from Ithaca). I was on vacation, so I just decided very impulsively and spontaneously, to drive to the Treman Marina! I talked to some random guy about getting a ride in his boat to Bridgette’s support boat, which now was about a mile or two out.

They dumped me onto her support boat, and I told her crew. “I’m Claire, and I wonder if I can swim with Bridgette! They asked me to wait until her next feed, because she was struggling a little bit, you know, as it goes at the end of such a long swim, so I jumped in the water, probably 15 feet away, I just said, ‘Hi, Bridgette, I’m Claire! We’re gonna finish this thing!’ It was a very meaningful to go shoulder to shoulder with her. It was a magical moment to do that with her. We’ve been friends ever since.”

The lake swim was sort of a sweet, fullcircle moment for Bridgette as well. She offered, “I grew up in Binghamton, and I actually spent my childhood on Cayuga Lake, I went to the Cornell swim camp, and swimming across Cayuga Lake was my very first open water swim.”

Sadly, the two swimmers’ bond extends to them both in a club no one ever wants to join. In Claire’s words, “We both lost our nephews, just a few years apart, to suicide. It's been on the back burner for

us to try to do a relay completion of the length of Cayuga Lake, and then last fall, Bridgette said, ‘What do you say we do it now, and we do it as a fundraiser for some kind of mental health initiative in Ithaca?’ I knew about the Sophie Fund through my own family, and I said, ‘I’ve got the perfect one.’ We started training, we got in touch with Scott McLeod and his wife Susan, and here we are.”

Scott McLeod said, “Claire reached out to me about the Sophie Fund, asking if we would be interested in being part of this swim, and of course, we were.”

Backing up a bit, Scott added, “I’ll tell you a little bit about the Sophie Fund. We’re a mom-and-pop nonprofit, and Sophie was our daughter. We lost her to suicide in 2016, We hope to spread the word about mental health, and the resources that are available, and getting help if you’re struggling. I’m an advocate now, and I’d really like to say that we’re making progress in fighting stigma.

Stigma keeps people from asking or inquiring about people who may be struggling, because they don’t want to upset people by asking about their mental health, or even suicidal thoughts.” Scott continued, “It prevents people who are experiencing suicidal thoughts from getting help, because many people regard it as something shameful, something that’s very private, they don’t really want people to know what they’re going through.”

McLeod hopes to encourage people to ask, “How are you feeling? How are you doing? Are you getting help? Do you need help? What can we do to support you?” He added, “Unfortunately, suicidal ideation is its own mental illness. It can be treated, suicide can be prevented.”

Scott expressed his gratitude to the veteran swimmers for their efforts, saying, “We tremendously appreciate Claire and Bridgette for reaching out, for doing the swim, and doing it for mental health. It will have a big impact, and we’re grateful for any funds that can be raised.”

Scott took a moment to talk about Sophie, saying, “She had some mental health issues and she was on a leave of absence from Cornell, but she was never really in a crisis that we were aware of. She was a very accomplished kid, we wouldn't have imagined in a million years that she could even think about taking her own life, let alone do it.”

“Sophie,” her father said, “grew up entirely overseas. My wife and I are both journalists, and she was born in South Africa, we lived in France for four years, and then she went to middle school and high school in Egypt. For sports fans, she

went to the same high school as (former NBA player and current coach of the Golden State Warriors) Steve Kerr!” Scott added, “She went to the Suzuki School in Ithaca to study violin for five summers, and then enrolled at Cornell. She had adopted Ithaca as her hometown.”

Claire shared some memories of her nephew, saying “It feels poignant to me that my nephew, Rowan de Boer and I swam across the width of the lake together in 2016, the weekend of my dad's memorial service (Tobias de Boer was a Cornell professor and a superb endurance athlete, as was Claire’s mother, Joan de Boer, who passed in 2023). “Rowan,” Claire offered, “ was a really good swimmer in high school, in fact, his dad (Maarten) told me he was All-State.”

Clearly passionate about the work being done by the non-profit that bears his daughter’s name, Scott said, “We’d love to change the world, but we’re probably not going to do that in the next week or two, so we’re really very focused on trying to do things that have impact. A public event like this with media coverage, of course, and hopefully, it’ll get onto social media. If we’re not doing what we can to raise awareness as individuals, and as a community, then we’re going to lose people to suicide, and we want to put the spotlight on our colleagues who are literally on the front lines treating patients and doing this difficult work. We have

Bridgette Hobart and Claire de Boer will take to Cayuga Lake this summer for a marathon relay swim on behalf of the Sophie Fund to help their efforts at suicide prevention.

(Photo: Mark Syvertson/Ithaca Times)

Starting Friday August 8, Bridgette Hobart and Claire de Boer will alternate one hour shifts in a marathon relay swim in Cayuga Lake. (Photo: Mark Syvertson/Ithaca Times)

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Free Summer Meals for Kids: Summer Meals, SNAP, and Summer EBT Help Families Get the Food They Need

“During the school year, many children in our community rely on school breakfast and lunch programs to access the food they need each day. The loss of school meals during summer break can create financial strain for parents and nutritional gaps for children. For families already struggling to make ends meet, this disruption in food access can make summer a time of increased hunger and stress rather than relaxation and play.

The Summer Food Service Program offers free meals to kids and teens at local schools, parks, libraries, community centers, and other fun, family-friendly spots. At most locations, families do not need to apply or sign up for their children to participate—kids can just drop by when meals are served. Grab-and-go meals are available at certain locations, but sign-up may be required. https://www.fns.usda. gov/summer/sitefinder

Summer meals are especially important now as families face rising prices for food and other basic needs. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) can also help families stretch their grocery budgets and put more food on the table. SNAP provides monthly benefits to buy food at local grocery stores, farmers markets, and other participating retailers. https://hungersolutionsny.org/ find-food-help/summer-meals/ School-aged children who receive SNAP or qualify for free or reducedprice school meals may also be eligible for Summer EBT. Most eligible children receive benefits automatically, but some may need to apply. Summer EBT provides eligible youth with a one-time benefit to buy food. Summer meals, Summer EBT, and SNAP work together to help kids get the nutrition they need while also stretching their family’s monthly food budget. Nutrition Outreach and Education Program (NOEP) Coordinators can help you find local summer meal locations and learn more about Summer EBT. They can also help determine potential SNAP eligibility & apply. Cornell Coopera-

tive Extension has compiled the meal site list. https://otda.ny.gov/programs/ summer-ebt/.” — Nutrition Outreach & Education Program, Catholic Charities Tompkins/Tiog

This Is Not Activism

“There’s a certain kind of “activist” engaged in pure performative activism — treating movements like social clubs, coming to rallies and events to feel good and meet people, regardless of whether their actions make any real impact. It looks like civic engagement, but it’s fundamentally cosmetic.

Many are comfortable, praised for “staying active” or being “progressive.” But activism isn’t a hobby. It’s not a book club. It’s not a social mixer. What does any of that do? What does propping up the next candidate accomplish if there’s no organized base to hold them accountable?

Because electing someone is not the work. Passing a bill is not the end. If you’re serious, you stay through the rulemaking process. You watchdog the enforcement. You close the loopholes. You make sure the intent of the law survives contact with bureaucracy and lobbyists. You read the fine print, not just the headlines.

But they don’t stay. They don’t know how. And more to the point, they don’t want to.

They come to events for the camaraderie, the feel-good energy, the sense that they’re doing something. But that energy evaporates when it comes to the hours or months of digging into policy, building alliances, or holding power to account.

They want to feel good, not do good. They want to be seen “fighting fascism” without ever doing the slow, but absolutely necessary, daily work of structural change. They claim moral high ground over Trump voters, but their own party plays divide-and-conquer just the same. Democrats manufacture moral superiority while selling out communities to corporate interests. And these liberals cheer them on, eyes wide shut.

It’s not that we look down on them for no reason. These are the people who, for decades, tried to erase people like us. They condescended, spoke over us, treated us like we didn’t belong, even when we would be the ones digging into the fine print of local and state bills and try to close loopholes they refused to notice.

We don’t have contempt because we feel superior. We have contempt because they pretend to lead, but leave nothing

behind. Because while genocide rages and the planet burns, they stroll from event to event, collecting feel-good moments, like tourists, not doing the uncomfortable, real work at hand.

That’s how we lose.

You want to know what real activism looks like? It means staying local and going deep. It means reading the bills. It means understanding the loopholes. It means identifying and resisting greenwash not just in theory but in practice, because every time we let a weak policy slide, we lose ground.

If your only plan is to elect someone and hope they fix it, you’re not organizing. You’re outsourcing. You’re not building power. You’re renting a feeling.

This isn’t meant to insult anyone. It’s meant to draw a line. Between those who are working to shift real systems, and those who are playing at socializing while the systems eat us alive.

If you’re not willing to get uncomfortable, read the fine print, and hold your own team and allies accountable, then you’re not in the fight. You’re just passing through.” — H. Accountable, Anonymous

Mr. President: Release The Epstein List!

“Jeffrey Epstein was a convicted pedophile: a man sexually attracted to children. For years we have been told he had

a long list of clients who were also sexually attracted to children. Ugly, ugly ugly. The Trump administration has those files. His Attorney General said she had Epstein’s “client list on her desk”. The President has alleged over and over again that Democrats were on the “client list”. He created a vision of Democratic elites in government at their worst. But the truth? Now, the President has refused to release the list. He has savaged those who are calling for the release. He has called some of his supporters “stupid” and “foolish,” for demanding the Epstein files release. Mr. President: Clear your name and others. Do not engage in a cover-up. Release the list. After all, who would not do so, unless they thought they or their supporters were guilty? And Mr. President: The entire list, not with redacted names.” — Sherwood Guernsey, Schoharie Native

Ithaca Police Increase Enforcement of Commons Ordinances

“The people in charge don’t care about the crime. Lower police budget let crime run rampant never fix anything. The roads are a complete joke. But let's build a den where you can inject heroin. But raked one of the most expensive places in New York State. Makes you wonder where all the money goes to. The Democrats pockets in charge?” — Michael Edwards

The Ithaca Gun Scrapbook

By Charley Githler

The artifact in this installment of From the Archives is one of my favorites: a 6-inch-thick, tattered, fragile, packed scrapbook from the Ithaca Gun Company from the years 1944-45. Inside are letters, photographs, issues of the company newsletter, clippings, Army-Navy production awards, and a miscellany of other documents from that moment in time.

By the 1940s, Ithaca Gun was one of Ithaca’s oldest commercial enterprises, having located on the south side of Fall Creek in the 1880s, and expanding to the edge of Lake Street in the early years of the twentieth century. The company had taken a big hit in the Depression, but had also begun in the same decade production of what was probably its best-known and most popular shotgun, the Ithaca Model 37.

Of course, with the advent of World War II, the entire plant capacity was devoted to the war effort, and all the civilian gun manufacturing equipment was put in storage. By the end of 1942, the first full year of America’s involvement in the war, Ithaca Gun employed 900 men and women, in night and day shifts, working around the clock. That number peaked at around 1100 at the end of Janu-

Ithaca Gun scrapbook offers a glimpse into the lives of workers during a time when the entire plant capacity was devoted to the war effort. (Photo: Provided)

ary 1945, before tapering off as the war wound down. The company made, among other things, Colt .45 automatic pistols, producing 382,000 of them during the course of the war.

The scrapbook was the work of Mrs. Frieda Hammond, Fall Creek resident, single mother of two young girls, and the registered nurse at Ithaca Gun. Most

Continued on Page 18

ITHACA NOTES

CNN on Ithaca

By Stephen Burke

CNN’s naming of Ithaca as “America’s Best Town to Visit” for summer travel in 2025 has created considerable hoopla. The veteran news network has millions of viewers on television and online, and the story was picked up by many other media outlets.

As media members ourselves, we’re not averse to occasional hoopla. Still, one wants a measure of accuracy and a minimum of hype with it, and as an Ithacan outlet we can report CNN did well.

“Ithaca is gorges” is quoted fairly early in CNN’s piece, but of course we bring that upon ourselves. To its credit, CNN features not only “very-big-deal” (their phrase and punctuation) Taughannock Falls, technically outside of Ithaca, but even the Cascadilla Gorge downtown, not as dramatic but robust and lovely, its creek flowing from Cornell’s high hill into a residential neighborhood, a surprising location for a rambunctious waterway. Its entrance into town is wide and striking, yet can’t be seen behind city streets until you’re right upon it.

CNN seemed to be selling short the Ithaca area on its wineries, citing “about 10” nearby, until it went on to mention “more than 130” in the Finger Lakes region.

(Over the Fourth of July weekend the New York Times, in an article on the best summer wines under $20 a bottle, selected a $17.99 riesling from the Finger Lakes, which it called the variety’s “single best American source.” That weekend I went out of town to visit friends and on two occasions brought a similarly priced Finger Lakes riesling to dinner as well as, for comparison, an even cheaper one, and the unanimous surprise both nights was the quality had for $12.99.)

CNN depicts Ithaca as a place of nature, culture and community rather than a strictly feel-good destination, but along with wineries it notes cideries, breweries and distilleries with tasting rooms featuring “lovely views” and drinks by the glass, often with food and live music.

The piece does not mention cannabis dispensaries, of which there are many. Common wisdom, or myth, has long maintained that Ithaca has more restaurants per capita than New York City, which personally I have always doubted, and now more dispensaries, which I don’t.

Popular myth also has it that residents

of New York City never visit its most notable attractions until they have guests. The same might be true of Ithacans. If it’s true of you, CNN has some highlights you might consider visiting solo, or with other locals.

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology is one of the most esteemed institutions of its kind worldwide. It has a new visitors center featuring interactive exhibits with as many facts, figures, sights and sounds of birds as one could possibly want, along with viewing windows of the wooded surroundings. There are miles of trails and the lab will lend you binoculars.

The Cornell Botanic Gardens have an arboretum, cultivated gardens, and natural trails that altogether comprise a third of the sizable campus. On summer weekends there are free guided tours. Meditation beyond the natural world, and maybe even the material one, is available at the Dalai Lama Library and Learning Center, just south of downtown. Opened in 2022, it is the North American Seat of the Personal Monastery of the Dalai Lama and contains his collected works, and those of his predecessors. There are events, an exhibit area, and meditation rooms.

CNN said that its quest for best towns included regard for a “sense of identity.” Part of Ithaca’s might be an open attitude of its residents toward others. It’s a small, remote town, but its population represents every nation in the world: Cornell University guarantees that.

Along with this openness is a dedication to progressive politics. In the Democratic presidential primary of 2008 in New York, Barack Obama ran against Hillary Clinton. Clinton was in the middle of her second term as U.S. Senator from New York and heavily favored.

Clinton carried 57 of the state’s 62 counties. The five that Obama won were the state’s four most diverse, in New York City (not Staten Island), and Tompkins County. Ithaca’s county was the only county for Obama north of the Bronx.

In the presidential election of 2024, many Democratic strongholds around the U.S. voted increasingly Republican. In New York, the Republican Party made gains from 2016 to 2020, and again from 2020 to 2024, in every single county but one: Tompkins. Continued on Page

Frieda Hammond’s Ithaca Gun scrapbook features handwritten letters from Ithaca Gun workers stationed overseas. (Photo: Provided)

Ask a Law Librarian — Understanding How to Access Your Legal Rights

By Chris Lund

Every day in courthouses across America, the general public is expected to navigate a complex legal system with rules and procedures that even seasoned professionals can find intimidating. Yet in civil cases, many New Yorkers must face this challenge without a lawyer. This growing gap between legal need and legal access is part of a much larger nationwide crisis caused by lack of access to justice. A 2022 Legal Services Corporation report found that “low-income Americans do not get any or enough legal help for 92% of their substantial civil legal problems.”

At courthouses throughout New York, we are working to bridge that gap, offering Court Help Centers, where we provide free, reliable information to help people like the readers of the Ithaca Times understand their options, identify necessary legal forms and procedures, and move forward with greater confidence in a system not built with them in mind.

Many of us know the court system mainly through fictionalized Hollywood depictions of criminal trials, where defendants are provided with the right to a court-appointed lawyer, or on daytime television courtroom shows, which focus

AFTER YEARS OF DISREPAIR

continued from page 4

been renting for a really long time, and [owning a house] offers us the freedom to have whatever dog we want or design our bedrooms as we want. My kids [may move away], but I see myself on this porch when I grow old.”

But it could cost around $400,000 to restore such a building, and Habitat planned to sell it to Sawyer for around $120,000 to $150,000. This meant that substantial community support and funding was needed to finish the project, according to MacMarrick. She thanked groups that provided discounted and donated services and products, including local businesses and organizations like 84 Lumber, Pleasant Valley

mostly on “small claim” types of issues. However, the more typical problems faced by everyday individuals, such as divorce, custody, and housing issues, tend to fall between these two extremes, in a real life zone that requires more formal procedures, but where, with a few limited exceptions, free legal representation will be unavailable. But here in our region, help is closer than you think.

Inside the Tompkins County Courthouse at 320 N. Tioga Street in downtown Ithaca is our Court Help Center. The Tompkins County Help Center is part of a larger, district-wide group of Help Centers, with staff members physically based primarily in Binghamton, Elmira, Cortland, and Delhi, along with periodic in-person coverage in Ithaca. We also provide full time remote services Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Common issues that we can assist with include procedures for commencing a divorce, eviction info for both landlords and tenants, how to start or respond to a general civil lawsuit, changing your name and/or gender designation, how to start a small claims case, how to file in family court for custody, visitation, child support, or spousal support, and more.

Although we cannot provide legal advice or tell you how to argue your

Electric and Local 277 United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America.

Construction supervisor Simon Gould said in his speech that due to the house’s strong post-and-beam construction, not many changes had to be made to the structure of the house itself. All the interior systems, including the electrical, plumbing and heating systems, however, had to be updated. Insulation and a vapor barrier were added to improve energy efficiency without drastically altering the old structure.

Alongside individual volunteers, corporate groups and local trade unions collaborated on the reconstruction, Gould said in an interview with the Ithaca Times.

“We partnered with a number of the local building trades unions, so they came and helped with things like the plumbing through [an] apprentice training program,

case, we can explain the procedural steps involved and give you access to the forms you’ll need to file. We also have public computers that are free to use and that provide access to high-powered legal databases like Westlaw and Lexis where you can further research your legal issues.

In addition to our local services, the Statewide court system offers a free website with helpful legal information at www. nycourthelp.gov. This website contains basic information about many of the common issues faced by court users on a daily basis. If you are dealing with a legal issue, this website is a great starting point for understanding your options. This site also includes nearly two dozen “Do-It-Yourself” programs, located at https://nycourts.gov/ CourtHelp/DIY/index.shtml.

These programs utilize interactive interviews, asking you clear, plain language questions about your case, and when you finish answering the questions, they use your answers to create all the forms you will need to file, including detailed step-by-step instructions. All you need to do when you’re done is print the forms and follow the instructions. Our programs have been designed to address some of the most common issues we see in the courts, and the range of options is regularly expanding as new programs are developed.

We also partner with the Statewide “Ask a Law Librarian” service, which is available at https://askalawlibrarian. nycourts.gov/ and is great for quick questions and basic legal information. This service is staffed by law librarians from across all of New York State, with live operators available Monday–Friday from

[and] the carpenters came to help hang the drywall,” Gould said. “Then the drywall finishing class came and did all the drywall finishing. The volunteers have been involved with all the tasks, from fixing [and] painting up the exterior to sanding the floors.”

The ceremony ended with a house dedication by Emily Richards, director of congregational life and religious exploration at the First Unitarian Society of Ithaca. She emphasized the collective effort and love that went into the reconstruction, highlighting a home’s significance as a symbol of unity and care.

“As [the Sawyers] grow together in laughter and tears, joy and sorrow, and when the day is long and life is hard, may they feel the love that was created by everyone who, in ways, small and large, helped to make this dream of a home a reality each time

Chris Lund, Principal Law Librarian for New York’s 6th Judicial District, helps lead efforts to make the court system more accessible for everyone. (Photo: Provided)

9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Questions submitted outside of these hours will generally be answered on the next business day. If you have any questions or want to learn more, please reach out to us through our Help Center website at https://ww2.nycourts.gov/6jd-help-center-info-33036 or call us at 607-240-5954. We are dedicated to empowering all users with the ability to navigate the court system and to better understand and address their legal issues. And we’re always happy to help!

Chris Lund is a graduate of Cornell Law School and is the Principal Law Librarian — 6th Judicial District for the New York State Unified Court System. His essay was provided with assistance from the Honorable Eugene Faughnan, Supreme Court Justice, Administrative Judge for the 6th Judicial District in New York.

they pass through this door,” Richards said. “May they know that they are held in care by a much larger community.”

The celebration reflected not just the labor but the love poured into the home, something Sawyer said she deeply feels. She expressed gratitude toward the South Hill community and Habitat staff, and said she looks forward to her family’s new life in the home.

“I just see my kids growing up here,” Sawyer said. “I see them having [...] playdates in the backyard. I really see this as a place where my family can also gather. And I think for my kids to never have to worry about moving again is really important.”

Shubha Gautam is a senior writer for The Cornell Daily Sun and is working as an intern this summer at the Ithaca Times.

As Constituents Struggle to Afford Rising Utility Bills, Local Leaders are Calling for Corporate Accountability

By Matt Dougherty

People are struggling to afford the cost of basic goods as the cost of living increases at a seemingly exponential rate, and the companies that provide even the most basic necessities like gas and electricity are raking in billions of dollars in profits. While utility companies insist their rate hikes aren’t linked to soaring profits, Congressman Josh Riley (D-NY-19) is leading a push to challenge the increases and demand accountability.

A United States Census Household Pulse Survey released earlier this year found that 34.1% of New York residents experienced difficulty paying their household bills, 23.4% could not afford to pay their energy bill and 76.5% are concerned about future price increases. At the same time, Iberdrola, the Spainbased parent company of New York State Electric & Gas (NYSEG), which provides service to more than one million residents over approximately 40% of upstate New York, took home a profit of more than $48 billion in 2024. Despite their parent company raking in massive profits, NYSEG has made a habit of requesting continuous rate increases from the New York State Public Service Commission (PSC), with representatives claiming that the rate increases are necessary to improve service, upgrade aging infrastructure and transfer to renewables.

In 2023 the Public Service Commission (PSC) — New York State’s regulatory board that provides oversight over proposed utility rate increases — approved a request from NYSEG to increase electricity delivery rates by

62% and gas delivery rates by 17.8% over three years. The approval was granted despite vocal opposition from state representatives and elected officials in Tompkins County. The last phase of that rate increase went into effect on May 1, 2025, when customers received what was supposed to be their final scheduled increase of $11.34 in their monthly bill. But by June 30, 2025 NYSEG had already filed a new request with the PSC to increase rates by 35% through April 2027. If approved by the PSC, the rate hike would result in an increase of about $33 in a residential customer’s average monthly bill.

In their requests to the commission, NYSEG said that the rate increases are necessary to improve service, upgrade aging infrastructure, and transition to renewable energy. However, despite NYSEG agreeing to invest $7 billion in improving energy reliability, New York’s 2024 Electric Reliability Performance Report indicates that the company has failed to invest in making adequate improvements to their grid and continues to provide some of the least reliable service out of any utility company in the state for the sixth year in a row.

“NYSEG failed to meet its frequency target for the sixth consecutive year,” the report stated. “In 2024, and similar to previous years, tree contacts continued to be the single largest contributor to system interruptions for NYSEG, accounting for 43 percent of interruptions and affecting approximately 520,000 customers.” It added, “NYSEG has not demonstrated the necessary vegetation management improvements to address its ongoing challenges in delivering reliable electric service.”

Congressman Josh Riley is pushing back against increasing electricity bills and demanding accountability from utility companies like NYSEG and Central Hudson, arguing that their repeated rate hikes — despite parent companies’ record profits — are unjust and leave working families struggling to afford basic necessities.

(Photo: Provided)

According to the report, in 2024 NYSEG was supposed to allocate $184 million to assess the condition of NYSEG “assets” such as electricity transmission lines, utility poles and substations, but allocated about $80 million, less than half of that amount.

“This underspending presents an indicator that NYSEG’s actions are not aligning with the level of investment deemed necessary to maintain reliability and asset health,” the report stated.

As a result, the PSC hit NYSEG with a negative revenue adjustment of $3.5 million. A negative revenue adjustment is a penalty imposed on a utility company for failing to achieve their annual customer service performance target. Additionally, an audit released by the PSC in May identified issues with NYSEG’s management structure and violations concerning their maintenance of customer billing records and billing procedures.

NYSEG’s continued rate hikes—despite its parent company earning billions in profits and failing to invest in critical grid improvements—have raised concerns among resi-

dents in upstate New York, where the utility operates as an effective regional monopoly with prices unhindered by competition.

In April, members of the Tompkins County Legislature began discussing the need for an independent investigation into NYSEG’s billing practices after legislators reported receiving numerous complaints of unusually high bills and unresponsive customer service. That same month Riley launched a formal investigation into the billing practices of NYSEG and Hudson Valley utility company Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corporation (Central Hudson), seeking to throw a wrench into their plans to further increase rates by highlighting how they’re “jacking up prices on [...] constituents while bragging to investors about record profits.”

In the statement announcing his investigation, Riley’s office released a survey for NYSEG customers in his district to rate their experiences with the company. According to a spokesperson from Riley’s office, the survey received about 5,000 responses, with the most common responses reporting billing frustrations, a lack of accessible customer service, as well as “disbelief and outrage” at the potential for another rate increase when customers have already reported bills double and even tripling in price. The spokesperson said, “65% of respondents said their bill has ‘significantly increased’ in the past year.”

In a recent interview with the Ithaca Times, Riley explained that trouble paying utility bills is one of the most common issues he hears from his constituents. He added that he has officially signed on to intervene in the rate case for NYSEG and has already signed onto the rate case for Central Hudson, which is further along than the NYSEG case and expected to wrap up in the coming months.

“Everyday I hear the anger and frustration people have with the utility monopolies, with the high prices and lack of transparency, and I’m going to fight as hard as I can for people who are frustrated with this because the deck is stacked against these folks,” Riley said. “These monopolies are owned by massively profitable foreign corporations that hire lawyers and lobbyists and write the rules to benefit themselves so that they control the whole system, and I want to show that this system is rigged in favor of these massive corporations and against everyday people.”

Congressman Josh Riley has criticized the Public Service Commission’s process, pointing out that it routinely excludes parent company profits from consideration despite laws requiring a fair balance between investor returns and customer affordability. (Photo: Public Service Commission)

Riley criticized NYSEG’s most recent request to increase rates, pointing out that Iberdrola announced that it saw a 26% year over year increase in profits at a recent financial meeting.

“What the hell is going on when a company is rolling into my community and telling people it needs more money out of their pockets at the same time that its parent corporation is bragging to Wall Street about increasing profits?” Riley said. “Something is not right here.”

In response to questions regarding if NYSEG rate increases contribute to the profits of Iberdrola, NYSEG’s Director of New York Communications, Shelby Cohen, said “Iberdrola’s profits are not NYSEG’s profits, and to conflate the two is inaccurate.” Cohen continued saying that “in the last few years [Iberdrola] has supported its New York companies rather than profited from them.” She added, “[NYSEG] utilizes their support and Avangrid’s to make sure we can procure on a global scale, something that benefits our customers. Not the other way around.”

Avangrid is another parent company of NYSEG and took home a profit of $8.7 billion in 2024. As of 2024, Iberdrola has acquired complete ownership over Avangrid.

Instead of contributing to Iberdrola or Avangrids corporate profits, Cohen says that about twothirds of customers’ utility bills “don’t benefit the utility” and go towards funding state mandates and programs related to energy efficiency and assistance. She pointed to a NYSEG statement titled “Approximately 60% of Charges on Utility Customers’ Bills Are Outside of the Company’s Control.”

Cohen said that NYSEG requested another rate increase right after the last rate increase came to an end because “All utilities use the rate case process to plan for the future.” She added that NYSEG’s Powering New York Plan aims to “invest $18 billion rebuilding an aging grid and expanding its capacity to meet residents’ and businesses’ service demands.”

Even though PSC reports have found that NYSEG has failed to invest in adequate system upgrades for six years in a row, Cohen said that NYSEG has “invested more than $880 million in projects that increase capacity, resiliency, and reliability,” since 2023.

Tree Contacts are responsible for 43% of service interruptions, despite NYSEG having committed billions to grid reliability improvements. (Photo: New York’s 2024 Electric Reliability Performance Report)

While NYSEG’s new rate case has just begun, Riley said that the PSC is closer to making a final ruling on the rate case for Central Hudson, which began last year. He participated in the commission’s recent cross examination of Central Hudson representatives in an effort to ensure that it properly applies Public Service Law in its consideration of the rate increase. In response to questions about how often the PSC denies rate increase requests, Riley said that the PSC rarely denies rate increases outright and instead negotiates for lower increases, if it decides to take action at all, stating that the regulatory body was becoming somewhat of a “rubber stamp.”

According to Riley, the cross examination process highlighted a glaring issue in the way the PSC considers rate cases — which is that the profits of the parent companies that own the utility companies seeking rate increases are considered “completely irrelevant” to the case. He said that Public Service Law requires the PSC to ensure that utility companies aren’t increasing rates without proving that the increase strikes a fair balance between the investor and the customer, and questioned how the PSC could make this determination if the profits of the investor’s parent company aren’t being considered.

According to the Harvard Law Review, “[...]state PSCs generally share the same mandate: ensure customers’ utility rates are ‘just and reasonable.’ [...]This ‘just and reasonable

that revenue “will be sufficient for the foreseeable future.”

“Did anybody at Central Hudson consider at all the fact that Fortis posted $331 million the day before this rate case was filed?” Riley asked. Central Hudson representatives refused to answer, saying, “[T] he earnings of Fortis are completely irrelevant to the rate case before us.”

stream.” Riley told the Ithaca Times that his investigation has found that “about $80 million per year is being siphoned out of the community and into the profits and earnings of Central Hudson’s foreign parent corporation.” He added, “about 6% of the corporation’s profits and earnings are being driven by the rates that folks are paying in upstate New York.”

standard reflects why PSCs exist — to hold in check the monopolistic market power of utility companies and serve as a proxy for real-world competition.” Riley claims that New York’s PSC is failing to uphold this mandate.

During the cross examination, Riley questioned Central Hudson representatives about why they told the PSC, when their rate case began on Aug. 1, 2024, that it needed to increase rates because “currently approved rates” were “insufficient to sustain its financial integrity.” He pointed out that their Canadabased parent company, Fortis, had announced just one day earlier — on July 31, 2024 — that it had made $331 million in quarterly profits (about $1.3 billion annually) and

In response to Central Husdon’s reluctance to treat the profitability of their parent company with any relevance, Riley said, “The law says the commission has to look at both of these things, so how can the commission determine if these two things are balanced when they won’t even look at one side of the ledger?” He added, “they can’t possibly be allowed to approve this thing when they refuse to answer some basic questions about the corporate structure.”

Riley explained that he is using the rate case hearings as a way to get utility companies to address the discrepancies between what they say to the PSC when requesting a rate increase and what they say to investors about profits at business meetings.

“The utility monopolies don’t want to talk about it, so we’ve been using these rate cases as an opportunity to either force them to talk about it, or at least show that they refuse to talk about it,” Riley said.

When Riley pressed Central Hudson representatives to answer questions about how rate increases impact the profits of the utilities parent company, they stated that it would be “difficult to understand what the impact would be up-

A NYSEG crew trims trees along power lines in upstate New York. While the company cites system improvements like vegetation management as a reason behind rate hikes, state reports show NYSEG has consistently failed to address tree-related outages.

(Photo: Nathan Ellsion/Sun Summer Fellow)

In a post hearing statement submitted to the PSC following the cross examination, Riley said, “The record is clear: my constituents’ utility bills go up, Fortis reports massive profits as a result, and Central Hudson puts its head in the sand. My constituents deserve better, and the law requires more.”

Riley said that he is continuing to find the places in Public Utility Law that give legal backing to the concerns that he is hearing from his constituents, adding that he has found many areas where the law is “outdated and broken” and needs to be fixed.

One potential solution Riley mentioned was community-owned utilities, saying that compared to foreign-owned utilities prices are “significantly less expensive, and the service is significantly better.” Another solution Riley suggested was prohibiting foreign corporations from owning American utility companies.

“American utility companies should be owned by Americans,” Riley said. “They don’t care about anybody’s pocketbooks around here. They care about their profits, and when it comes to something that’s a necessity, like utilities, we shouldn’t allow that to be the case.”

Riley’s entrance into the rate cases for NYSEG and Central Hudson is unprecedented, representing the first time that a United States Congressman has entered into litigation to stop a utility company from raising prices on their constituents.

“We need to use every possible avenue to hold these folks accountable,” Riley said. “Part of my job is to introduce bills and co-sponsor legislation, but we need to be more aggressive and creative when it comes to making life more affordable for folks across upstate New York and we’re trying to be as creative and aggressive as we can.” He added, “We saw this as an opportunity to really use this office on behalf of the people I represent to hold these corporations accountable.”

Advances in shoulder replacement surgery reduce pain, improve function, add life quality

By Benjamin F. Donohue, MD MBA FAAOS

Shoulder replacement surgery is a safe and proven way to reduce pain and improve shoulder movement. It helps people return to their normal daily activities and enjoy a better quality of life.

Doctors perform over 100,000 shoulder replacements every year in the U.S. While that’s less than hip and knee replacements, the number is growing fast due to better technology and more conditions that can be treated with this surgery. What shoulder problems can be treated?

Doctors use shoulder replacement surgery to treat several serious joint problems, including:

• Osteoarthritis – This is when the cartilage that cushions the shoulder joint wears down, causing pain and stiffness. Aging, genetics, or past injuries like dislocations or fractures can cause it.

• Long-standing rotator cuff tears with arthritis – When muscles and tendons around the shoulder are badly torn, the joint can become misaligned and wear out.

• Severe rotator cuff damage – If the rotator cuff is badly damaged and can’t heal, replacing the joint may be the best option.

• Serious fractures – Some shoulder breaks heal better with a replacement instead of using plates and screws.

• Chronic dislocations or tumors – Long-term joint dislocations and shoulder tumors can also be treated with shoulder replacement surgery. Who should consider shoulder replacement surgery?

Most people who get shoulder replacement surgery are over age 50. Good candidates often have:

• Pain that makes it hard to do everyday tasks, like reaching, dressing, or washing.

• Shoulder pain that makes it hard to sleep.

• Weakness or loss of movement.

• No improvement with other treatments like medicine, physical therapy, or cortisone injections. What are the types of shoulder replacement surgery?

• Standard Shoulder Replacement – The damaged bone is replaced with a plastic socket and a metal ball. It’s usually used for arthritis or bone damage caused by poor blood supply.

• Reverse Shoulder Replacement – This newer method switches the ball and socket positions. It helps people with major rotator cuff damage use their shoulder better by relying on a different muscle (the deltoid) to power shoulder movement. It is the

preferred option for longstanding rotator cuff tears with arthritis, irreparable rotator cuff tears, and certain fractures.

• Hemi – (or partial) shoulder replacement. This procedure replaces only the humeral head that fits into the shoulder with a metal component and leaves the shoulder socket intact. This procedure is typically for younger patients with specific fractures. What’s new in shoulder surgery?

Doctors now use CT scans and special software to plan surgery. Shoulder parts can be placed more accurately with the help of 3D-printed guides. New “stemless” implants help save bone. A new material called pyrocarbon is more like natural bone and is being used more in partial replacements, especially for younger, active people.

What to expect after surgery

Most patients stay in the hospital for one night, though some go home the same day. Pain is managed with medication. Patients wear a sling for about six weeks. Physical therapy starts early to help the shoulder heal and get stronger. Heavy lifting is avoided at first. Thanks to better tools and techniques, shoulder replacement surgery now gives people long-lasting pain relief and better movement to help them live more active, comfortable lives.

Dr. Donohue is a Fellow of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons and Board Certified in Orthopedic Surgery and Orthopedic Surgery Sports Medicine subspecialty by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery. He joined Cayuga Orthopedics in 2016 and assists in the care of local athletes at both Cornell University and Ithaca College. Besides his medical degree from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, Dr. Donohue earned a Master of Business Administration from the Harvard Business School. He and his colleagues can be reached by calling 607-272-7000

Benjamin F. Donohue, MD MBA FAAOS

REACH FAR! REACH FAR!

ITH ITH

Ithaca Tompkins Ithaca Tompkins International Airport International Airport

From hassle-free parking to friendly staff, we're here to make your journey a breeze.

Fly wITH us and see the difference!

Welcoming Gastroenterology Associates of Ithaca to the Guthrie Family

We are proud to officially welcome Brent Lemberg, MD, Adam Riordan, MD, Paige Robinson, MD, and the entire staff of the former Gastroenterology Associates of Ithaca to Guthrie. Patients will continue to receive the same exceptional care from the providers they know and trust at the same convenient location: 2435 N. Triphammer Road in Ithaca.

Together we’re combining expertise and resources to deliver enhanced gastroenterology care for our community.

Visit www.Guthrie.org to learn more about our expanded gastroenterology services.

A SWIM FOR SUICIDE PREVENTION

continued from page 6

been continually asking, what can we do? Well, to start, we could focus on one community, which is Ithaca, New York.” Claire and Bridgette’s relay swim will commence on Friday night — August 8th — and they will finish the following evening. In Claire’s words, “Even though we’re older, we’re not much slower, and we don’t have to stop for feeds, because we’ll be doing one hour swim shifts, so we’ll

swim for an hour, eat for an hour, and that should save a lot of time. You know, I did my swim in 1984 under a full moon, and I don’t know if you are aware of this, Bridgette, but I just looked it up and we will be swimming under a full moon on August 8th!” Bridgette responded, “Oh, really? All I remember is that my head is looking at the seaweed in the bottom of the lake!”

To support their effort, visit: https://donorbox.org/cayuga-swim-formental-health

To learn more about the nonprofit at the center of this effort, please visit thesophiefund.org.

Hot Latin Jazz: Jorge T. Cuevas and the Caribe Jazz Allstars Sophisticated Jazz Standards: Diana Leigh Trio and Quartet

By Peter Rothbart

With the exception of the Grassroots Festival, local bands are dominating this summer’s local music scene, with bands playing multiple gigs in multiple locations. Bandleaders are scrambling to balance dates and musicians’ schedules while hunting for musically adept substitute players to fill the gaps. Scheduling issues are compounded by the fact that many musicians play in multiple bands.

Jorge T� Cuevas and the Caribe Jazz Allstars

One such bandleader is Jorge T. Cuevas, an accomplished conga player, who has for over 30 years, provided the anchoring beat for a wealth of Ithaca bands as a side man or bandleader.

Conversation with Cuevas goes down as smoothly as a fine cognac. He is elegant in his dress and speech and is a beguiling and engaging dance instructor. He’s also Ithaca’s premier conga player and leader of the longrunning Caribe Jazz Allstars. He’s not a fiery player, but he is legendary for finding the fieriest players, the mark of a true leader in any field. He explains, “I’m lucky that I can now surround myself with the best jazz players and the best Latin players from the area, including Syracuse, Binghamton, and Elmira.”

He is careful to differentiate between jazz players who can play Latin, and Latin players who can play jazz. The difference is where you play within the beat. Most jazz players tend to lag slightly towards the back end of the beat, Count Basie-like, whereas Latin players land smack in the middle of it with no hesitation. It’s a subtle but important stylistic difference. Latin music’s rhythms are African in origin, but they are layered and as complex as J.S. Bach’s counterpoint. Cuevas successfully finds players that can effortlessly adapt to the stylistic needs of a march-influenced Dominican merengue, a lively and playful Puerto Rican/Cuban salsa, a sensual Brazilian samba, a demure and flirty cha-cha, or a romantic Dominican bachata.

His repertoire consists of a mixture of traditional and original Latin tunes, some composed by current and former band members. But he also features jazz standards underscored with infectiously driven rhythms, a cross-cultural mix pioneered by Latin masters such as Tito Puente and Poncho Sanchez.

If Latin music is about its beat, Latin dancing is about the hips, as Cuevas skillfully demonstrates when called upon to give a dance

lesson. Cuevas often provides impromptu dance lessons in his performances.

Everything starts below the waist, where the hips transfer energy to the legs. The arms respond and when you touch your partner, it is electric and pulsating. If the underpinning Latin beat is the cackling fire, then Latin dancing is the colorful flame.

Cuevas is a conga player, a masterful dance instructor, but just as importantly, an expert at surrounding himself with the best regional players in Central New York.

Where to Find Jorge T Cuevas and the Caribe Jazz Allstars:

Sunday, July 27th, 7 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

Ithaca Farmer’s Market for Music on the Lake

Friday Sept. 12th, Early evening

TBA at Ithaca Peace Festival (St. Catherine’s of Sienna)

Vocalist Diana Leigh: Intimate and Elegant

Summertime outdoor gigs are problematic for small, acoustically oriented musicians, especially vocalists and acoustic guitarists. How do they replicate the cozy and intimate ambience of a small room on a big outdoor stage? In the large plein-air venues, subtlety and nuance are overshadowed by loud amplification and the physical distance from the audience. There is an inherent communications gap between performers and their audiences. Without a sophisticated, sound system and a highly skilled engineer, warmth, coziness, and clarity are hard to project.

But if you are looking for a more intimate environment than Ithaca’s outdoor venues can provide, then venture into the backroads of wine country to seek out vocalist Diana Leigh.

After 37 years of singing in Ithaca, she understands the limits of large-venue work

and explores the smaller, more sophisticated, and elegant venues for her classy renditions of jazz standards. Her chanteuse style of singing fits well with her repertoire drawn mostly from the 1920s to the 1950s.

She stretches a common repertoire across all her bands and combines it with a consistent stable of players and her training as a dancer to create a warm and stylish ambience.

Leigh stays close to the melody in her vocal interpretations. Lyrics are clearly articulated and only occasionally embellished, and her well-balanced soprano voice projects but never overwhelms, regardless of range. She commands the stage while allowing her sidemen plenty of solo space.

Leading her Firefly Trio or Firefly Quartet gives Leigh the opportunity and flexibility to range farther afield from familiar territory. This summer finds her active in Seneca, Chemung as well as Tompkins County, all with various wineries and lake communities that offer smaller open air and club atmospheres. Her bandmembers include Stu Zimny on acoustic bass, Kevin Jones on guitar, and drummer Keith Evan Green when in the quartet format.

Where to Find Diana Leigh:

July 25, 2025, 4:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.

ONCE Finger Lakes, Seneca Lake

July 30, 2025, 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Starlite Room, Elmira

July 31, 2025, 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.

Silver Thread Winegarden, Lodi

August 2, 2025, 2:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Buttonwood Grove Winery, Romulus

Peter Rothbart is a Professor Emeritus of Music at the Ithaca College School of Music, Theatre and Dance where he taught electroacoustic and media music for 40 years. He remains active as a classical, jazz and pop musician.

& Entertainment

Diana Leigh brings classic jazz songs to life at venues around the Finger Lakes. (Photo: Provided)

Jorge T. Cuevas leads the Caribe Jazz Allstars with smooth rhythms and highenergy Latin beats. (Photo: Provided)

Stage Shakespeare in the Park

Ithaca Shakespeare Brings Tempest to Treman

By Barbara Adams

Our region abounds in cultural offerings, but there’s one theatrical event that we see all too rarely here — and that’s a play by Shakespeare. So there’s reason to rejoice that the Ithaca Shakespeare Company, now in its 23rd year under the aegis of artistic director Stephen Ponton, perseveres in providing us with annual homegrown tributes to the Bard.

And as a bonus, the summer performances are held outdoors, which means a leisurely winding drive to Upper Treman State Park, followed by a few charmed hours sitting quietly in the woods, listening to birds calling and leaves rustling overhead. This month’s production of “The Tempest” feels almost sacramental, with the sturdy stage hosting the actors under an enormous tree.

The audience knows the story, of course: how Prospero, the usurped duke of Milan, long exiled to a remote island with his young daughter, uses his magical charms to bring his enemies to this shore for an ultimate reconciliation. He works through his indentured sprite, Ariel, who whips up a tempest and shipwrecks the royals and

“The Tempest”

by William Shakespeare,

directed

by Miranda Bianchi.

Ithaca Shakespeare Company, Robert H. Treman State Park (upper entrance), Ithaca. Wednesday, July 23, through Sunday, July 27, at 6 p.m. Tickets at Ithacashakespeare.org/. On discount night, July 23, all tickets $10.

EMPLOYEE DEI POLICY

continued from page 3

Sigler said he finds the policy legally redundant because it is covered in state law. He also said many policies, including this one, are too long. Pillar suggested a shorter user guide for policies to address that issue but said that argument was not relevant to the updates on the table. She said it is an administrative policy, not a political statement and not everyone needs to like it.

“I have only heard one person object to the language being divisive,” Pillar said. “It's just my colleague, Legislator John. I’m sorry. I don't think it's a big deal.”

their court without harming a hair.

The misadventures that befall the new arrivals, both sinister and comical, are balanced out by a blossoming romance, as Prospero’s daughter, Miranda, and Prince Ferdinand of Naples fall in love. (Needless to say, all part of his plan.)

Director Miranda Bianchi has a large and capable ensemble, and ensures each cast member is essential to the action. While Shakespearean plays are often trimmed down in production, here certain scenes are granted their complete scope for sheer delight in the spectacle. The chaotic opening shipwreck, for example, gives full rein to the bosun (a formidable Jared Lane) and his scattered crew. (And the actors seem to be enjoying the uproar as much as we are.)

No opportunity is missed for a lot of comical stage business, especially with the underlings: the increasingly drunken butler Stephano (Cortney “CJ” Johnson) and the court jester Trinculo (Seth Koproski) are irrepressible show stealers. And poor desolate Caliban (Mallory Esponda), Prospero’s enslaved “creature,” is beside himself trying to get this distracted duo to overthrow his master — “Bite him to death, I prithee.” (Some of their scenes, though, need a swifter, less indulgent pace.)

Even the scenes with the wandering royals are fully sketched — among them, Lindsay Cahoon plays Antonio, Prospero’s disloyal brother, with nuanced, unstinting menace; Bob Arco gives gravitas to the part of the kindly Gonzalo, the king of Naples’ advisor.

As Miranda, Corrinthea Washington is lovely and naturally regal, innocent yet as-

The updates to the county’s DEI policy passed in a roll call vote 11-2, with Sigler and John voting against it.

In Other News

All legislators were in attendance but Klein was present via Zoom causing all resolutions to be voted on through a call of roll.

The legislature voted 10-3 to allocate $50,000 from contingent funds for the Tompkins County Minimum Wage Study, for which the county released a Request for Proposals (RFP) on June 26 to solicit potential consultants. Sigler, John and Lane voted against the resolution. There

sertive. Sarah Gruber’s devoted Ferdinand (garbed in hopeful green) is exceptionally compelling and valiant. (It’s satisfying to see how well all the cross-casting works throughout this production.)

Roger Gilbert is a persuasive Prospero, portraying practiced authority, but now weary and somewhat distant from his labors. He’s more than ready to lay down his magic staff and cede to the next generation.

Ariel, that bright spirit he once freed and then confined to do his bidding, is a sparkling Claire Gratto — she’s no pale specter, but rosy-cheeked and jovial. She seems everywhere at once, radiating light in her iridescent gown and wings. (Elizabeth Kitney’s costumes, by the way, are smashing; Trinculo’s garb alone could inspire a new trend.)

Weaving in and around all the action are a bevy of nymphs, whose gentle gestures and melodious humming fill the island, as Caliban describes, with “noises, sounds, and sweet airs that give delight and hurt

was extended debate about the purpose of the study and what action after the study would look like, although Mezey refocused the legislature to only discuss the merit of the study multiple times.

The operating budget for Tompkins Cortland Community College passed unanimously with no discussion after a public comment session. The chief financial officer and president of TC3 both spoke briefly but no community members commented. The operating budget is $35,185,275, of which the county’s total contribution will be $3,027,387, a 0% increase.

The legislature proclaimed July 2025 as Disability Pride Month and the proclama-

not.” And as always, this company’s tradition is to incorporate as much dance and song as might be warranted — here, there are several entertaining numbers, from rowdy to reminiscent. African instruments, like the kalimba and rain stick, transport us with otherworldly sounds, and the audience joins in call-and-response clapping and body drumming, as well as the lyrics of the “drunken sailor” sea shanty. The themes of this play, written late in Shakespeare’s life, unfurl past us: the treachery of betrayal; age’s difficulty yielding power to youth; the tyranny of authority, seen in both brothers; and, to modern eyes, the arrogant cruelty of colonialism and enslavement. But in this production, all the mystery and music prevail — we may depart sadder and wiser, but also soothed and satisfied.

Barbara Adams is a regional theatre and arts journalist and retired professor of writing, Ithaca College.

tion was read aloud.

The legislature unanimously passed an amendment to the 2025 budget tax distribution agreement with the City of Ithaca, which refers to the agreement with the city of how the 1% sales tax is distributed.

The use of contingent funds to support the county employee annual picnic and guest attendance was passed 12-1, with Lane voting against it. Black said that due to some budget concerns and because the county has used most of its contingent fund, the picnic was going to be limited to employees. She said that adding a plus-one for all employees will increase the overall cost by about $17,000.

Ariel played by Claire Gratto seems everywhere at once, radiating light in her iridescent gown and wings in the Ithaca Shakespeare Company production of the Tempest at Treman State Park. (Photo: Provided/Stephen Ponton)

Fast, Frothy Fun

Cortland Rep’s “Murder for Two” is a Musical Whodunit

By Barbara Adams

Fast frothy fun is the agenda for Cortland Repertory Theatre’s current show, “Murder for Two.” Featuring only two actors and a piano, this swift 90-minute whodunit with music has been amusing audiences since its award-winning 2011 Chicago premiere. Kellen Blair and Joe Kinosian co-wrote the book, with Blair providing lyrics and Kinosian the music.

In this production, Joe Bliss plays Marcus Moscowicz, a police officer who desperately wants to make detective and hopes to do so by solving the murder of Arthur Whitney, a famous elderly writer shot on returning home to his surprise birthday party. Every one of the other characters — suspects all — are covered by Robbie Harrison, who mutates from one role to the next at whiplash speed. And both men vigorously play the onstage piano throughout (musical direction by Nicholás Guerrero).

Anita Stewart’s set, suggestively lit by Mary Lana Rice, puts us in the novelist’s rather musty mansion. His not-so-longsuffering wife, Dahlia, who’s arranged the celebration, seems just as upset that the ice cream’s gone missing as that her husband’s corpse is lying on the parlor floor.

As Marcus awaits the arrival of the official detective, he tries to untangle the various options as to who fired the lethal shot. Since as it happens, no one liked old Whitney, Marcus has everyone in his sights. He occasionally gives orders to his

“Murder for Two.”

Book and music by Joe Kinosian; book and lyrics by Kellen Blair. Directed by Melanie Keller, with musical direction by Nicholás Guerrero.

A co-production with Portland Stage Company. Cortland Repertory Theatre, Little York Lake Road, Preble. July 22-25 at 7:30 p.m.; plus 2 p.m. matinees on July 22 and 23. For tickets: https://cortlandrep.org/ or 800-427-6160.

sidekick, Lou, who’s invisible to us, which is somewhat confusing for the first several minutes. Meanwhile he firmly refuses assistance from the deceased’s niece, Steph, a grad student in criminology who wants nothing more than to put her training into practice. He’s a by-the-book copper, constantly rehearsing the required protocol.

Adding to the chorus of competing voices Marcus is trying to interview are Whitney’s brawling neighbors, Murray and Barb Flandon, each accusing the other. Marcus has particular difficulty interrogating two guests: the seductive and slyly selfincriminating ballerina, Babette, to whom he’s helplessly drawn; and Dr. Griff, the local psychiatrist who, we learn, has Marcus (and nearly everyone else) as a client. Eventually a local fireman shows up, as well the evening’s scheduled entertainers, three lads from a local 12-man choir (the other nine being mysteriously missing).

Under the direction of Melanie Keller, the action moves briskly, reaching almost a reckless pitch by mid-play. Admittedly, the first 10 minutes are strange and slow; we’re not really sure who these two men are for a bit. But when it’s clear that one of them is going to represent multiple roles, the rapidity of his conversions (and the multiple false paths in the plot) are a key part of the fun.

Joe Bliss’ Marcus is sincere and increasingly persistent about his mission, a traditionally sketched good guy (though there is that bizarre story of his lost love and former partner turned grotesque murderess). He’s solid, and more than just a straight man against Robbie Harrison, who’s vividly enacting that crazed woman and every other character as well. Harrison switches between the choir boys with a turn of a baseball cap; his dancing diva is snakily sexy; his German-accented shrink unnervingly effusive and obfuscating. And he plays the earnest niece so convincingly I felt I was watching a young woman.

But most irresistible of all is Harrison’s rendition of Dahlia Whitney, the strident

and bossy wife who’s been chafing in her marriage ever since she had to give up her performing career. (To Marcus’ distress, she keeps trying to sing her signature number.) Apart from Harrison’s physicality, which is terrific, he shifts the suspects’ accents — Dahlia’s is Southern — and distinctive accessories — hers being big tortoiseshell spectacles and fusty striped scarf. (Nice touches throughout by costumer Mark Reynolds, who’s outfitted the men in Agatha Christie ’50s country mode). Harrison’s falsetto early on is a bit hard to follow, but soon enough we grasp these

zany characters as his over-the-top transformations accelerate. It’s an energetic, bravura, and terribly comic performance. The show’s made even more madcap by both men’s nimble piano solos and hysterical competitive duets. Bliss and Harrison have the great timing, expressive clowning, and tight camaraderie of a seasoned vaudevillian team — and director Keller has evoked their hilarious best.

Barbara Adams is a regional theatre and arts journalist and retired professor of writing, Ithaca College.

Joe Bliss and Robbie Harrison perform in Cortland Rep’s production of “Murder for Two”. (Photo: Provided)

GREENSTAR FOOD CO-OP

costs continue to rise in Ithaca, Bessmer said grocery stores typically only grow around 3-6% annually. But he said the agreement puts the cooperative on the path of regaining its status as a living wage employer in the future.

“With this agreement, [Greenstar is] the highest compensating grocer in Tompkins County, which is really, really exciting,” Bessmer said. “And it helps our staff deal with the quickly increasing cost of living. But it also really shows our community

FROM THE ARCHIVES

intriguing to me are the scores of letters to Mrs. Hammond from the Ithaca Gun workers who were in the armed services. Handwritten in cursive, most of them in their original envelopes, and from all theaters of the war, they tell of missing home and their friends at the company. More than a few describe the devastation in German cities at the end of the war. Some of the letters are in the form of V-Mail (Victory Mail), which was a postal system used to more efficiently send letters to save

that a locally owned, democratic business can be a really great, ethical employer and really take care of our community.”

Ruth Smith, who started at GreenStar working in the deli before taking a data analyst position, said that although she was not on the bargaining committee, she felt like employees were well informed on the negotiation process and the resulting agreement was equitable for all involved. The contract’s benefits add to her already positive experience working at the cooperative, she said.

“I really like working here,” Smith said. “I like the diversity of both the people

space and weight. Letters were written on standardized stationery, then photographed onto microfilm and reprinted at 60% of the original size at the destination. It’s evident that Mrs. Hammond took pains to correspond with the overseas Ithaca Gun family. In 1944-45, there were approximately 100 company workers in the military (the 1944 employee handbook, in the scrapbook, promised they’d have their jobs back at war’s end), and their letters routinely thank her and their fellow workers at home for birthday cards, issues of the wartime company newsletter (The Scatter Gun), and a $10 per person

who work here and our customers. I love the food and everything, both from the kitchen and what [the store brings] in.”

Bessmer and Westlake both emphasized the importance of the precedent this agreement sets. There has been “a wave of organizing in Ithaca” according to Westlake, and he said this particular negotiation demonstrates that it is possible for bargaining to result in fair outcomes without stirring anti-union animus by employers. Additionally, Bessmer said the bargaining process has helped both workers and management understand each other’s priorities better.

gift at Christmas 1944 from funds raised by workers on the floor. The letters are poignant to read today, and drive home the fact that the vast majority of the men and women in uniform in World War II were regular citizens and not professional soldiers.

At this distance, it’s easy to think of wartime America as being characterized by solidarity and patriotism, but of course there were fundamental political differences. Ithaca and Tompkins County were reliably and solidly Republican in the 1940s. The presidential election of 1944 was Franklin Roosevelt’s weakest perfor-

“We want to be an example that this can be a really successful partnership among co-ops and beyond, among other grocery stores [and] other kinds of business[es],” Bessmer said. “It’s really important for folks in our community to be fairly compensated and well taken care of. We look forward to building a successful day-today relationship with the union where they can pass on concerns to us, and we can address those concerns.”

Shubha Gautam is a senior writer for The Cornell Daily

mance in his four elections, with Republican Thomas E. Dewey winning 45.9% of the popular vote. My own paternal grandparents hated FDR so thoroughly that they had a party when he died, which I used to think was in bad taste. Still, it’s undeniable that the main issue of that time was the war, and there was in fact a great unity of purpose across the political spectrum in working together and seeing it to a successful conclusion. That idea comes across pretty clearly in the contents of the scrapbook, and it’s tempting to get a little wistful for a time when we weren’t so deeply divided.

Sun and is working as an intern this summer at the Ithaca Times.

After Ithaca

Former High School and College Athletes Excel Nationally and Internationally

By Steve Lawrence

Several athletes who got their start at Ithaca High strutted their stuff on the international stage last week, as Emile Sassone-Lawless — IHS class of ’13 — suited up for Team France at the European Men’s Lacrosse Championships in Wroclaw, Poland. On the other side of the ball was Eli Lasda — IHS ’13 — who plays for Team Latvia. (Eli's brother, Riley, served as a coach while recovering from a torn Achilles.) The Lasda brothers reached out via text on their way back from Europe, and Riley said, “It has been an honor and a privilege representing our Latvian heritage through the game of lacrosse.

I’ve made some of my best friends through the team and had so many awesome experiences traveling parts of the world I may have otherwise never seen. I never would have guessed when we tried out 12 years ago that the game would grow to the extent it has or that playing lacrosse in the Olympics would be a possibility.

The 2025 European Championships was the most successful run Team Latvia has ever had. The team came together to form a tight bond over the last three weeks and I believe that’s what carried us to a top five finish. A big part of that was our team trip to the Occupation Museum in Riga. Together we learned about the horrors that our ancestors experienced during the world wars and the subsequent occupations. We all walked away with a deeper appreciation for our heritage and the resiliency that our families displayed surviving those times. If it weren’t for the strength of our Grandma Ilga and Grandpa Albert, we wouldn’t be here today.”

Eli shared, “There were plenty of highlights on the field, but the best highlight for me was getting to see the new group of Latvian-Americans reconnect with the father land and experience the same things I did when I first started 12 years ago. The way everyone bonded in such a short time was incredible. Regardless of being born in — country or across the Atlantic — we recognized that we’re all connected, all there for the same reason, and extremely lucky to get this opportunity to represent

our country and our ancestors, playing the sport that we all love.”

Riley added, “I’d also like to thank our coaches who poured a lot of their time, money, and energy into setting us up for success. Also our parents who have always been our biggest supporters. And most importantly our teammates who welcomed us into the Latvian fold and poured their hearts out on the field.”

Another local athlete had a great experience overseas.Recent Ithaca High grad and soon-to-be Ithaca Bomber baseball player Isaiah Smith returned from playing for the Irish National 18U team. Isaiah played in four games in a European tournament, and pitched a complete game gem — giving up only a single run — in his team’s victory over Bulgaria.

It was a proud moment last week when the 2025 ESPY Awards aired on national television. When the show reached the Best College Athlete segment, four names were read as the finalists. One was Travis

Hunter — the phenomenal two-way standout for the University of Colorado. Hunter had already won the Heisman Trophy, and went number one in the NFL draft.

Next up was Cooper Flagg, the Duke basketball star who also went as the top draft pick, and won college basketball's highest award, the Wooden Award.

The third nominee was Oklahoma State wrestler Wyatt Hendrickson, who won the 2025 NCAA Heavyweight championship, pulling off one the sport’s greatest-ever

upsets in defeating Gable Stevenson. It was Stevenson’s first loss in 70 matches.

The final nominee was a guy that local fans just may have heard of... Cornell’s CJ Kirst, the sports top player, who became collegiate lacrosse’s all-time leading goal scorer, won the Tewaaraton Trophy (the top award) and led the Big Red to the NCAA national championship. Cooper Flagg won the award, but what an honor it was to be recognized as one of the top four male collegiate athletes of 2025.

Eli Lasda, former Cornell assistant Eric Genova and Riley Lasda at the 2025 European Men’s Lacrosse Championships last week in Poland. (Photo: Provided)

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Events this Week

7/23 Wednesday

FERRARI CHALLENGE NORTH AMERICA | 8:00 a.m. | Watkins Glen International 2790 Co Rte 16, Watkins Glen

4-H Alpaca Show | 10:00 a.m. | Broome County Fairgrounds 2594 Main St., Whitney Point

TCPL Tours: Lab of Ornithology | 10:00 a.m. | Registration is required for this off-site event. | Cornell Lab of Ornithology Sapsucker Woods Road, Ithaca

Free July History Tours at The Smith Opera House | 10:00 a.m. | Join us on Wednesdays at 10:00 am throughout July. | The Smith Opera House 82 Seneca Street, Geneva | Free

4-H Youth Fair 2025 | 10:00 a.m. |

4-H Acres, 418 Lower Creek Road Ithaca

Pearls of Wisdom Senior Support Group | 11:00 a.m. | 171 E. State Street Ithaca | Free Makerspace Open Hours | 11:00

a.m. & 5:30 p.m. | Drop-in open hours, no registration required. | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 East Green Street, Ithaca

Doug’s Fish Fry Fundraiser In Support of All Tompkins County Veterans | 11:00 a.m. | The Knights of Columbus — Ithaca NY Council #277, in partnership with Doug ’s Fish Fry, is proud to sponsor this event to support all local Veterans of Tompkins County. | Triphammer Marketplace, Triphammer Mall, 2255 N. Triphammer Road, Ithaca

Good Grief Circle | 2:00 p.m. | The Age Well Center, 165 Main St., Cortland

THIS WEEK

Wednesday Market at East Hill | 3:00 p.m. | 330 Pine Tree Rd, NY 14850-2819, Ithaca

Learn to Sew One-on-One | 4:00 p.m. | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 East Green Street, Ithaca Board Game Night! | 5:00 p.m. | All ages board game night in our game room here on the Commons! | Riverwood, 116 E State St., Ithaca | Free LGBTQ+ Youth Group | 5:45 p.m. | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 East Green Street, Ithaca

The Cool Club & The Lipker Sisters — Geneva Lakefront Summer Concert Series | 6:00 p.m.| 35 Lakefront Dr, NY 14456-3400 Geneva

What’s Cookin’ Jazz Trio | 6:00 p.m. | An evening of classic jazz standards. | Brookton’s Market, 491 Brooktondale Rd., Brooktondale | Free

DJ Trivia with Dave Ashton | 6:30 p.m. | Join Dave Ashton for a challenge! | Hopshire Farm and Brewery, 1771 Dryden Road, Freeville | Free Jazz Night at Deep Dive: Firefly Trio | 6:30 p.m. | Jazz Night at Deep Dive: Firefly Trio (6:30-8:30 p.m.), Big Band (8:30-10:30 p.m.), The People’s Jam! (10:30-12:30 p.m.). | Deep Dive Ithaca, 415 Old Taughannock Blvd., Ithaca | Free

Diane Ackerman — “Wings and Waves: Adventures with Albatrosses and Whales” | 7:00 p.m. | Join nature writer, Diane Ackerman, for a presentation exploring research projects spanning the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. Ackerman has written over two dozen works of nonfiction and poetry, including bestsellers The Zookeeper's Wife, A Natural History of the Senses, and The Human Age. | B25, Warren Hall, Cornell University, 137 Reservoir Ave., Ithaca | Free Barenaked Ladies: Last Summer On Earth Tour 2025 | 7:00 p.m. | Empower Federal Credit Union Amphitheater at Lakeview, 490 Restoration Way, Syracuse

Rep Studio Players | 7:00 p.m. | Rep Studio Players make their Downstairs debut.| The Downstairs, 121 W M.L.K. Jr. St., Ithaca

Homer's Music on the Green: Sing Trece| 7:00 p.m. | Join us Wednesday evenings at | Homer Village Green, West Homer Road, Homer Trivia! | 7:00 p.m. | Trivia Night with Bob Proehl at Liquid State! | Liquid State Brewery, 620 West Green Street, Ithaca | Free Fireside Sessions | 7:00 p.m. | Sit around the fire with acoustic ambience & libations. | New Park Event Venue & Suites, 1500 Taughannock Blvd., Ithaca | $25.00 - $30.00

Wednesday Open Mic Night at The Nocturnal Café! | 7:00 p.m. | Free weekly Wednesday Open Mic night at The Nocturnal Café, Ithaca's nightlife alternative, featuring music, poetry, dance and more! | The Nocturnal Café, 103 S Geneva St., Ithaca | Free ChamberFest Canandaigua 2025 — Rhythm and Rapture: the Brahms Effect | 7:15 p.m. | Finger Lakes Community College — Stage 14 3325 Marvin Sands Drive, Canandaigua | $35.00 - $50.00

The Decemberists | 7:30 p.m. | Point of the Bluff Vineyards, 10489 County Route 76, Hammondsport

7/24 Thursday

Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed: The Rock Experience | 10:00 a.m. | When Wilbur discovers his creative spirit and develops a love for fashion, it turns the expectations of his–well, totally naked–world upside down. With rock and roll music, expressive lyrics, and unique style, Wilbur proves to everyone that the best thing you can be, is exactly who you are! | Hangar Theatre, 801 Taughannock Blvd., Ithaca Lake and Land Tour Discover Cayuga Lake | 10:00 a.m. | Get the best of both worlds through Discover Cayuga Lakes Lake and Land Tour! |

BEGINNINGS/CFCU SUMMER CONCERT SERIES: JILL MCCRACKEN AND SINGTRECE & STONE COLD MIRACLE

THURSDAY, JULY 24TH AT 5:00 PM

Allan H. Treman Marina, 805 Taughannock Blvd , Ithaca, NY 14850, Ithaca LCL presents Brian Has a Uke! | 10:30 a.m. | Brian Has a Uke! Join ukulele player Brian Manchester for a fun, hands-on musical adventure! Together. Brian will lead creative improv exercises in writing, drawing, and performing—sparking imagination and laughter along the way! | Lansing Community Library, 27 Auburn Road, Lansing | Free

Makerspace One-on-One | 11:00 a.m. | What do you want to make? Registration required. | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 East Green Street, Ithaca

Pop Up and Play with the YMCA | 11:00 a.m. | The Y will be traveling throughout Ithaca and Tompkins County to bring summer fun to families all over! Children can participate in a diverse range of exciting activities hosted by Y Staff at each location during the week! | Trumansburg Farmer ’s Market Corner of Route 227 & 96, Trumansburg | Free

State of the Art Gallery Frances Fawcett & Ethel Vrana | 12:00 p.m. | State of the Art proudly presents two exhibits this month. In the main gallery, Where I’m Coming From (a retrospective) showcases a broad spectrum of works by Frances L. Fawcett. | State of the Art Gallery, 120 West State Street, Ithaca | Free Circus Culture Performance | 2:00 p.m. |Tompkins County Public Library, 101 East Green Street, Ithaca

GO ITHACA Open Hours | 2:00 p.m. | Join GO ITHACA for Open Hours | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 East Green Street, Ithaca

Ages 8 to 108 Board Game Club | 5:00 p.m. | Are you between the ages of 8 | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 East Green Street, Ithaca CFCU/Beginnings Summer Concert Series: Jill McCracken and SingTrece & Stone Cold Miracle

Bernie Milton Pavilion, Ithaca | Thursday Concerts on the Commons returns this week with a powerhouse lineup of strong soul singers. SingTrece is well-known to Ithaca music-lovers. McCracken influence has resonated with their home city of Boston, earning consistent Boston music award nominations over the past five years. (Photo: Facebook)

| 5:00 p.m. | Bernie Milton Pavilion Center Commons, Ithaca | Free Shadows Over Cayuga, True Crime Walking Tour | 5:30 p.m. | From scandalous postcards to vanished bodies, poisoned chocolates to financial double-crosses, this walking tour shines a flashlight on the people and press that shaped local justice. Join us at The History Center in Tompkins County Thurs-Sat at 5:30 pm. | The History Center in Tompkins County, 110 N Tioga St., Ithaca | $15.00

Summer Poetry Writing Group: Writing Through the Senses II with Jada Simone | 5:30 p.m. | Meet up with local poets. | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 East Green Street, Ithaca

Craft Night | 6:00 p.m. | Join us at the Library for a fun evening. | Newfield Public Library, 198 Main Street, Newfield | Free

Uncle Joe and Fiddlin’ Renee Concert at the Three Bears | 6:00 p.m. | Join us in the Three Bears park for a free concert by Uncle Joe and Fiddlin’ Renee on July 24, 2025 from 6:00-7:30 p.m.! | Three Bears Ovid, 7175 Main Street, Ovid | Free Ithaca Shakespeare Company’s “The Tempest” | 6:00 p.m. | The Ithaca Shakespeare Company presents Shakespeare ’s The Tempest a perfect blend of comedy, drama, romance, adventure, and magic in beautiful Robert H. Treman State Park! | Robert H. Treman State Park , 125 Upper Park Road, Newfield | $10.00 - $20.00 SO GOOD MUSIC SERIES: Wise

Bones Molly & The Ringwolds | 6:00 p.m. | So Good Ice Cream, 5 N West St ., Homer

Music in the Park: Ampersand | 6:30 p.m. | Myers Park, Lansing Circus Culture Summer Tour | 6:30 p.m. | Free, family-friendly community circus shows around downtown Ithaca! | Press Bay Backlot, Ithaca Commons/Bank Alley, Thompson Park , 116 W Green St , Ithaca | Free NBT Bank Summer Concert Series -John Brown’s Body | 7:00 p.m. | FREE EVERY THURSDAY. | EAST PARK 1 EAST MAIN STREET, Norwich | Free

Public Sunset Cruise Discover Cayuga Lake | 7:30 p.m. | Enjoy a beautiful once in a lifetime sunset on Cayuga Lake! | Allan H. Treman Marina, 805 Taughannock Blvd , Ithaca, NY 14850, Ithaca

BTLCSP Presents: Something Rotten! | 7:30 p.m. | BTLCSP Presents:

Something Rotten! to raise funds for the Ovid Fire Department | South Seneca High School, 7263 Main St., Ovid | $12.00

Movies on the Homer Green: Inside Out 2 | 8:00 p.m. | Grab your blanket, lawn chair and cooler. The village of Homer presents “Movies on the Green! ” It is a family-friendly evening with your favorite movies and free popcorn. All movies will begin at dusk.| Homer Village Green West Homer Road, Homer Strong Maybe | 8:00 pm. | The Downstairs, 121 W M.L.K. Jr. St., Ithaca

7/25 Friday

Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) Class | 12:00 p.m. | Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) is a skill that addresses troubling emotions and manifestations of trauma. | Mental Health Association in Tompkins County, 511 West Seneca, Ithaca | Free Friday Night Magic: Commander | 5:00 p.m. | Come down to Riverwood for a recurrent night of Commanderstyle Magic play! | Riverwood, 116 E State St., Ithaca | $5.00 Live Music — The Tarps | 6:00 p.m. | Hopshire Farm and Brewery, 1771 Dryden Road, Freeville Figure Drawing Fridays at CSMA | 6:00 p.m. | If you’re an intermediate or advanced-level artist interested in drawing from the nude model, come join CSMA's non-instructed, open sketch sessions. Just grab your supplies and enjoy an evening of creativity in the company of other artists. | Ithaca Community School of Music and Arts, 330 East State Street, Ithaca | $15.00 - $20.00

Nate Marshall Drink-n-Sing | 6:00 p.m. | Drink-n-Sing (alcohol not required) with Nate Marshall. Forget Karaoke — sing in a big group at Northville Arts Center in King Ferry, NY! | Northville Arts Center 999 NY34B, King Ferry | Free Hangtime Concert Series featuring Wide Awake- U2 Experience | 6:00 p.m. | Treleaven Wines, 658 Lake Road, King Ferry | $15.00 Trace Adkins | 6:30 p.m. | Point of the Bluff Vineyards, 10489 County Route 76, Hammondsport | Gunpoets, presented by Cornell SCE | 7:00 p.m. | The Gunpoets use “voice as a weapon and words as bullets to spread the universal message of peace, love, and justice

THURSDAY, 7/24; FRIDAY, 7/25; AND SUNDAY, 7/26 Downtown Ithaca | Ithaca’s very own circus school will be performing all around downtown this weekend (and next). All performances are free and open to all. Catch them at Press Bay Alley at 6:30 on Thursday; on the Commons on Friday at 6:30, and at Thompson Park on Sunday at 4:30 p.m. (Photo: Facebook)

Pop Up and Play with the YMCA. Thursday, 7/24: Trumansburg Farmer’s Market, Trumansburg (11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.) and Tuesday, 7/29: Wood Street Park, Ithaca (11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.).

The Y will be traveling throughout Ithaca and Tompkins County to bring summer fun to families all over! Children can participate in a diverse range of exciting activities hosted by Y Staff at each location during the week! Please note: children must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. (Photo: Provided)

through music.” This seven-member live hip-hop band is celebrated for their positive messages and uplifting performances. | Cornell University Ag Quad, 121 Reservoir Ave., Ithaca | Free Iron and Wine w/ Ken Pomeroy | 7:00 p.m. | Beak & Skiff Apple Orchards ,2708 Lords Hill Road, LaFayette

July Jam Sessions with Count Blastula | 7:00 p.m. | ONCO Fermentations, 397 NY RT 281, Suite O, Tully Tractor Pulls by Empire State Pullers Lucas Oil Pro Pulling League | 7:00 p.m. | Ontario County Fairgrounds, 2820 County Road 10, Canandaigua

An Evening with A Band of Brothers | 8:00 p.m. | Del Lago Resort & Casino, 1133 NY-414, Waterloo, Waterloo

7/26 Saturday

4-H Youth Fair: Family Fun Day | 8:30 a.m. | The 4-H Fair Family Fun Day includes rabbit hopping, a dog show, the Cornell Raptor Club, a chicken BBQ, and the chance to meet a wide variety of locally-raised 4-H animals up close. | 4-H Acres 418 Lower Creek Road, Ithaca | Free New York State Boater Safety Course | 8:30 a.m. | US Coast Guard AUX Flotilla 2-2 Base Building 508 Old

Taughannock Blvd., Ithaca | $35.00 - $50.00

Groton Youth Entrepreneurs Market | 10:00 a.m. | Please come join us for a youth entrepreneur, market, and help support our children’s endeavors.

| Groton Memorial Park, 170 Pasadena Ave., Groton | Free

Newark Valley Summerfest | 10:00 a.m. | Village Green, 9 Park St., Newark Valley | Free

Farmers Market Cruise Discover Cayuga Lake | 11:00 a.m. | Get the best of both worlds straight off the Ithaca Farmers Market dock! Enjoy the good times of the Farmers Market and Experience Cayuga Lake! | Ithaca Farmers Market, 545 3rd St., Ithaca, NY 14850, Ithaca

Food Pantry | 12:00 p.m. | GYMSouthside Community Center, 305 S Plain St., Ithaca

Newfield Community Appreciation Day | 12:00 p.m. | Newfield Fire Department, 77 Main Street, Newfield | Free

SOMAT Punk Rock Benefit Concert for Ithaca Free Clinic! | 12:00 p.m. | Hopshire Farm and Brewery, 1771 Dryden Road, Freeville

Sew a Minimalist Wardrobe, Summer Edition | 1:00 p.m. | Build your apparel sewing skills (and your wardrobe) with these four progressively

more challenging workshops. Take one, two, or all of them! | SewGreen Press Bay Court, 112 W Green Street, #5, Ithaca | $45.00 - $180.00

Fritz's Polka Band at ONCO Fermentations | 1:00 p.m. | ONCO Fermentations, 397 NY RT 281, Suite O, Tully

Summer Pep Rally with Fall Creek Brass Band Parade & Concert! | 2:00 p.m. | TCPL is so excited to welcome FCBB! | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 East Green Street, Ithaca

Meet Your Community Practitioner | 2:00 p.m. | Are you looking for help but not sure exactly what you need? Well, I ’ve invited some of my favorite mind/body/spirit practitioners to the Whimsy Mercantile for a public meet & greet. | The Whimsy Mercantile, 2075 East Shore Drive, Lansing | Free

Ms. Holmes & Ms. Watson, Apt. 2B | 2:30 p.m. | A clever, comedic, contemporary take on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous sleuth duo by Lansing-born Ithaca College alumna Kate Hamill. Holmes & Watson create a dynamic duo–solving mysteries and outwitting masterminds–until they come face to face with a villain who seems to have all of the answers. | Hangar Theatre, 801 Taughannock Blvd., Ithaca

The Dead Is Alive 2025 | 4:00 p.m. |Free Grateful Dead celebration. | Clinton Square, 2 S Clinton St., Syracuse Brothers Crossett — folk music duo | 4:00 p.m. | Treleaven Wines, 658 Lake Road, King Ferry | Free

An evening with Justin Moore | 5:00 p.m. | Beak & Skiff Apple Orchards, 2708 Lords Hill Road, LaFayette

Live Music at the Danby Market: Whistlin' Dyl | 6:00 p.m. | solid grooves that transport the listener from a back porch venison roast to a hard driving funk to get you shaking whatever you got. | Danby Food and Drink, 1843 Danby Road, Ithaca | Free The Wedding Show | 6:30 p.m. | The Wedding Show is an immersive and interactive variety show event where you're the guest at a fake queer wedding. Join the fun on July 26th, August 1st or 2nd at The Cherry Arts! | The Cherry Arts, 102 Cherry Street, Ithaca | $30.00 - $45.00

KROCKATHON | 7:00 p.m. | KROCK is bringing back the annual summer concert — the Sweet Grass Krockathon Reboot has not only alumni

MS. HOLMES & MS. WATSON, APT. 2B

OPENS SATURDAY, JULY 26TH AT 7:30 PM.

RUNS JULY 26 – AUGUST 2

Hangar Theatre, 801 Taughannock Blvd, Ithaca | It’s hard to believe that the final show of Hangar’s mainstage season is already here, but at least it’s going to be a fun one! Don’t miss this clever, comedic, contemporary take on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous sleuth and sidekick duo by Lansing-born and Ithaca College alumna Kate Hamill.

(Photo: Provided)

as well as Nothing More, Candlebox, Drowning Pool, Alien Ant Farm, Set It Off and a showcase from the School of Rock (Fayetteville, NY) students! | Chevy Court, 581 State Fair Blvd, Syracuse

Demolition Derby | 7:00 p.m. | Get ready for total destruction! | Ontario County Fairgrounds, 2820 County Road 10, Canandaigua Truth Decay & Jeremy and The Toe Beans | 7:00pm. | The Downstairs, 121 W M.L.K. Jr. St., Ithaca

7/27 Sunday

Outdoor Qi Gong Class— Sundays | 10:00 a.m. | Outdoor Qi Gong for Wellness and Nervous System Regulation. | Allan H. Treman State Marine Park, 805 Taughannock Blvd., Ithaca, NY 14850, Ithaca | $12.50 - $15.00

Sunday Jazz Brunch at the Stonecat Café | 10:00 a.m. | Summer Jazz Brunch Series: serving brunch from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., with live jazz music by Wayne Gottlieb & Alex Specker from 10:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. | Stonecat Café, 5315 State Route 414, Hector | Free FUTURE ARCHAEOLOGY CRAFT FAIR

| 11:00 a.m. | Join us at Buffalo Street Books for the Future Archaeology Craft Fair 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. | Buffalo Street Books 215 North Cayuga Street, Ithaca | Free Drop Spindle Spinning Workshop | 12:00 p.m. | Join us as we explore the history and mechanics of spinning, and use a drop spindle to create our very own yarn in this beginner drop spindle workshop. | SewGreen Press Bay Court, 112 W Green Street, #5, Ithaca | $45.00

Alta B Weekend & Summer Music at the Vantage Point — ft. Brian Hughes | 1:00 p.m. | Wagner Vineyards, 9322 State Route 414, Lodi Bacon Brothers | 3:30 p.m. | Point of the Bluff Vineyards, 10489 County Route 76, Hammondsport |

The Gallery at South Hill opening reception Teresa Bakota Yatsko | 4:00 p.m. | Opening reception for Teresa Bakota Yatsko “Reimagination”. A one person exhibit at The Gallery at South Hill featuring her sculpture and collage. The 3-dimensional book sculptures in this exhibit have been created from a variety of upcycled books, mosses and lichen. | The Gallery at South Hill 950 Danby Rd. South Hill Business Campus South Hill Business Campus, Ithaca | Free WaterMusic & Dancing on the Trail | 5:30 p.m. | WaterMusic & Dancing on the Trail is an annual celebration of acoustic music and dance on Ithaca’s

waterfront for the enjoyment of paddlers, trail users and music lovers presenting a variety of music and dance by solo artists, tiny bands and community music groups. | Ithaca Farmers Market, 3rd Street, Ithaca | Free Jazz Jam | 6:00 p.m. | The Downstairs, 121 W M.L.K. Jr. St., Ithaca

Rainbow Kitten Surprise: Thanks For Coming Tour with Special Guest Petey USA | 6:00 p.m. | Beak & Skiff Apple Orchards, 2708 Lords Hill Road, LaFayette

DJ Trivia with Dave Ashton | 7:00 p.m. | Crossroads Bar and Grill, 3120 North Triphammer Road, Lansing | Free 7/28 Monday

L.E.A.R.N. — Resolving Business Conflict with Confidence, by Gladys Brangman | 12:00 p.m. | Tompkins Chamber, 124 Brindley Street, Ithaca | $10.00

Death Cafe | 3:00 p.m. | Longview, 1 Bella Vista Drive, Ithaca | Free Riverwood Art Club | 4:00 p.m. | Riverwood is hosting an art club every Monday! Bring your tablet, yarn, collage materials, clay, paints, or anything else. All ages and supplies provided. | Riverwood, 116 E State St., Ithaca | Free Teen Maker Mondays | 4:00 p.m. | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 East Green Street, Ithaca

Jazz Mondays with Dave Davies RhythmMakers | 5:30 p.m. | Join us every Monday at South Hill Cider for cider, food, and live jazz with some of the best local musicians! | South Hill Cider, 550 Sandbank Rd., Ithaca

Participatory Contra, Square, and Circle Dancing | 7:00 p.m. | Ithaca Commons, 171 E. State St./ Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Ithaca

7/29 Tuesday

Pop Up and Play with the YMCA | 11:00 a.m. | The YMCA is coming to visit YOUR neighborhood this summer! The Y will be traveling throughout Ithaca and Tompkins County to bring summer fun to families all over! Children can participate in a diverse range of exciting activities hosted by Y Staff at each location during the week! | Wood Street Park, 401 Wood Street, Ithaca | Free Taughannock Live Music Series: Michael Ciccone | 5:00 p.m. | Inn at Taughannock Falls, 2030 Gorge Rd., Trumansburg

Teen Creative Writing Workshop | 5:30 p.m. | Love to write your own stories | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 East Green Street, Ithaca LEGO Family Build Night | 5:30 p.m. | TCPL invites families to a wee | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 East Green Street, Ithaca Cancer Services Program | 5:30 p.m. | We will be hosting Nancy Colas. | Newfield Public Library, 198 Main Street, Newfield | Free Music in the Hollow: Terrapin Station | 6:00 p.m. | Ellis Hollow Community Center, 111 Genung Road, Ithaca | Free Happy Together Tour | 7:00 p.m. | Tioga Downs, 2384 West River Rd., Nichols

Venissa Santi 3rio | 7:00 p.m. | The Downstairs, 121 W M.L.K. Jr. St., Ithaca

7/30 Wednesday

Tanglewood Nature Center: Meet the Animals | 2:30 p.m. | Join us for an animal adventure! | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 East Green Street, Ithaca Kids Under Fire + Recorded Interview With Producer Josh Rushing | 5:00 p.m. | Join us for a viewing and discussion of two films that document the systematic shooting of children in Gaza by Israeli forces and U.S. complicity in these atrocities. | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 East Green Street, Ithaca | Free Mill Park Music Series; The 86ers | 6:00 p.m. | The 2025 Mill Park Music Serie | Mill Park, 222 Main Street, Newfield | Free Psychic Fundraiser | 6:00 p.m. | Psychic Fundraiser to benefit Colbys' Crew Horse Rescue. Group Readings with Rev. Josey, Psychic, Shaman, Reiki Master, Master Flower Essence Practitioner. Tickets are $30.00 | The Trees Estate, 1822 NY-96, Trumansburg | $30.00

Mystic Circus @ Geneva Lakefront Summer Concert Series | 6:00 p.m. | 35 Lakefront Dr., NY 14456-3400, Geneva

Express Yourself Wednesday | 6:30 p.m. | Deep Dive Ithaca, 415 Old Taughannock Blvd., Ithaca

Disney’s ”THE LITTLE MERMAID” | 7:30 p.m. | Disney ’s “ THE LITTLE MERMAID ” | Cortland Repertory Theater, 6799 Little York Lake Road, Preble

4-H YOUTH FAIR: FAMILY FUN DAY

SATURDAY, JULY 26TH AT 10:00 AM 418 Lower Creek Rd., Ithaca | The entirely youth-run fair gives local 4-H members an opportunity to showcase their achievements during the past 12 months, receive feedback and evaluation and potentially be chosen for evaluation at the NY State Fair.Saturday’s events will include a chicken barbecue, a dog show, rabbit show and hopping competition, plant science activities and the fair’s awards ceremony. (Photo: Facebook)

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