June 3, 2026

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From Athletes to the Aging, Orthopedic Surgeons Help Walk You Through Life If you want to live a long, active lifestyle, keeping your joints, bones, and muscles healthy and free of pain is crucial. Orthopedic doctors play a major role in helping people recover from sports-related, work-related, or accidentrelated injuries. Orthopedic surgical care is constantly improving, driven by advancements in robotic-assisted technology and minimally invasive techniques.

“As an orthopedic surgeon, I think it’s important that we’re constantly trying to evolve our practice.

What I mean by that is advancing our treatment, our assessment of patients both surgically and nonoperatively,” says Dr. Garrett Garofolo-Gonzalez, Sports Medicine Surgeon at Cayuga Health, a Member of Centralus Health.

Dr. Garofolo-Gonzalez has special interests in shoulder, knee, and ankle injuries, but says he doesn’t limit himself to the joints or injuries patients have, offering a first appointment and referral to another specialist when necessary.

or failed conservative treatments like medication and physical therapy, requiring surgery.

“When a patient comes in to see me, they always come in with a variety of experiences, exposures to medicine, different diagnoses. I view my job as a fresh start, a way to rediagnose, reexamine, and make sure we understand what brought them to my office.”

During initial appointments, doctors assess functional movements, walking, standing, and bending, and utilize imaging, x-rays and MRIs to identify fractures, arthritis, or soft tissue injuries.

“We can then work towards having a good understanding, both biologically and mechanically, of what’s going on so we can get them back to doing the things they like to be doing.”

By breaking down complex medical jargon into simple, everyday language, healthcare providers empower individuals to actively manage their health, adhere to treatments, and make informed decisions.

“If you understand what’s going on, it makes it so much easier for you to move forward in the treatment plan. Patients can say to themselves, ‘I know this is going to work because I can wrap my head around it.’”

“I like to travel to leading experts in the field, Dr. Garofolo-Gonzalez is a dual fellowshipsometimes regionally, nationally or internationally trained orthopedic surgeon. to get a better idea of how they’re tackling these problems and how I can better understand them, so I can provide a higher level Knowing that medical terminology can be complex and confusing, Dr. Garofoloof care to the patients and community I’m taking care of.”

Gonzalez breaks down diagnosis and treatment plans in a way that helps Having experienced a sports related injury himself, Dr. Garofolo-Gonzalez knows how important orthopedic care is for highly active people, acting as a crucial resource for injury prevention, specialized rehabilitation, and performance optimization.

patients understand the full scope of their ailment.

“Like most young patients who find themselves in my office, I was a competitive athlete and had a career-ending injury. I found myself at a crossroads. My identity was wrapped up in my sport, and I had to figure out what I would do moving forward.”

Orthopedic care, from the time of the first consultation to the end of rehabilitation, can take months. Reaching end goals, like full recovery, regaining independence, and attaining maximum strength, is a long process, but Dr. Garofolo-Gonzalez says the outcome is well worth the journey.

The goal is to help patients get back to doing all the things they enjoy in their everyday lives. While orthopedic surgeons don’t have to be former athletes, having experience on the field helps Dr. Garofolo-Gonzalez relate to patients in-clinic.

“When we accomplish our goals and patients come in and ask me if they need to see me again, and I say no, they get a big smile on their face. They come and give me a big hug and say they’re going to miss me. I tell them they know where to find me if they need me, but hopefully they won’t. Those moments are very rewarding because they remind me why I got into this field—to take care of patients.”

“It’s really evolved into such a natural field for me. I can stay connected to sports. I can stay connected and involved with patients who are interested, whatever level they are at, in participating in activities. It’s important to provide patients the highest level of care so they can do whatever their sport is.”

People turn to orthopedic specialists for treatment involving conditions affecting bones, joints, ligaments, tendons, and muscles. Key reasons include chronic joint pain, mobility issues, sports injuries like sprains and tears, broken bones,

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“We can do whatever you need that allows you to leave that visit having a good understanding of why you’re feeling what you’re feeling, that what you’re feeling is real, and what we need to do to help you get better.”

Cayuga Health provides comprehensive orthopedic care, including surgical and urgent injury services at 16 Brentwood Drive, Suite A, Ithaca; 1122 Commons Avenue, Cortland; and 220 Steuben Street, Montour Falls. Arnot Health provides orthopedic services with specialized offices at 100 John Roemmelt Drive, Horseheads; 300 Hoffman Street, Elmira; 200 Madison Avenue, Elmira; 7571 State Road 54, Bath; and 123 Conhocton Street, Corning.

Newsline

VOL. LIV / NO. 38 / June 3, 2026 Serving 47,125 readers week ly

ON THE COVER:

County Announces America250 Grant Funding, Supports Community Events

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By M i k ay l a Rov e nolt

ompkins County announced its recipients of America250 grant funding to support community events, historical programming, and countywide promotion efforts commemorating the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

The funding is part of a $15,000 grant awarded to Tompkins County through New York State’s 250th Commemoration Commission through the NYS Department of Education.

According to a press release, New York State’s commemoration will highlight the role New Yorkers played during the Revolutionary War, and the continuing work over the last 250 years to advance the ideals reflected in the nation’s founding principles.

The county legislature approved the funding allocations following recommendations from a stakeholder group convened by county administration. The group included representatives from the Tompkins County Historian’s Office, the Tompkins County Tourism Program, The History Center, Visit Ithaca, the Downtown Ithaca Alliance, the Community Arts Partnership, Tompkins County Public Library, Cornell University, Ithaca College, and Tompkins County Veterans Services.

“The America250 commemoration

provides an opportunity for communities across Tompkins County to reflect on the nation’s shared history while celebrating the people, cultures, and stories that continue to shape our community today,” said Korsah Akumfi, Tompkins County administrator, in a press statement. “These projects represent a wide range of perspectives and experiences and will help ensure residents throughout the county can participate in meaningful local celebrations.”

According to the release, the stakeholder group reviewed applications submitted through the Tompkins County Tourism Program, considered a proposal from the Tompkins County Historical Commission, and discussed the importance of ensuring all events and activities are promoted through a centralized platform accessible to residents and visitors.

Three rural community celebrations received $3,990 in funding, in addition to Tourism Program funds. The recipients and event organizers are the Freeville Fire Department, the Lansing Historical Association (in collaboration with the Town of Lansing and the Lansing Events Committee), and the Brooktondale Community Center (in collaboration with the Town of Caroline Historian and the Caroline History Association).

“We’re grateful to receive the funds for the celebration,” said Jason Cuykendall, a volunteer with the Freeville Fire De-

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Developers presented initial plans for Southworks’ Gateway development at a recent meeting.

(Photo: Nathan Ellison/Ithaca Times File)

partment. “It’s meant to be a community centered event for family, visitors and neighbors for the anniversary of our country. The goal is to use it for music or games and advertising for the event, which will offset some of the costs for this free event for the community.”

Cuykendall said some details are still in the works, but that a save the date is available on the fire department Facebook page.

In addition to the local communities grant funding, the Tompkins County Historical Commission received $3,010 for the “White Pine of Peace” project, which includes the planting of an eastern white pine tree in Stewart Park in Ithaca. The project will also include an interpretive plaque and an honorarium for the Gayogo̱ hó:nǫˀ People to participate in the dedication ceremony. Tompkins County Historian Charley Githler will administer and distribute funding for the project.

“The Eastern White Pine is the sacred ‘tree of peace’ for the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, symbolizing the unification of the original five nations, the burial of weapons to end conflict, and the Great Law of Peace,” Githler said. “It features five needles per cluster, representing the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, and Seneca nations. The tree, donated by the City of Ithaca, has actually already been Contin u ed on Page C15

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landscape of natural features, including streams, wetlands, successional growth, and forested areas, which play a role in supporting biodiversity, protecting water resources, and maintaining ecosystem health. Members of the public may enjoy the existing trails on the property for walking and other passive recreational uses.

“Sage Preserve has road frontage on King Road East, Chase Lane, Ridgecrest Road, and Schickel Road,” Michael Smith, senior planner for the Town of Ithaca said. “Residents could access it from any of those roads, but there aren't any designated parking areas available or formal entrances at this point.”

Sage Preserve adds to the Town of Ithaca’s growing network of protected open spaces and

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Visit our website at www.ithaca.com for more news, arts, sports and photos. Call us at 607-277-7000 Ma d dy Vo g el , Managi n g Ed ito r & Asso ciate Pu b l ish er e d i to r @ i t h ac at i m e s .co m Scot t Ma n so n, Asso ciate Pu b l ish er J i m B i l i n s k i , P u b l i s h e r E me r i t u s j b i l i n s k i @ i t h ac at i m e s .co m R o y A l l e n , D i r e c t o r o f St r at e g i c Pa r t n e r s h i p s r oy@ i t h ac at i m e s .co m L o r i e n T y n e , A s s i s ta n t E d i t o r l o r i e n @ i t h ac at i m e s .co m A u s t i n L a mb , C o p y E d i t o r a l a m b @ i t h ac at i m e s .co m Ch r is Ibert, C al endar E d i to r s a r t s @ i t h ac at i m e s .co m P h i l i p O ’ D e l l , R ep o r t e r p h i l i p @ i t h ac at i m e s .co m M a c k R o v e n o l t , R ep o r t e r m ac k @ i t h ac at i m e s .co m Ja k e Se x to n , Ad m i n istr ative Co o r d i nato r ja k e @ i t h ac at i m e s .co m Mark Sy vertson, Photographer m ar k s y v er t s o nph oto gr aph y@ gm a il .co m Ste ve L awr ence, Spo rts Co lumn ist stevesportsdude@gmail.com Lisa Ellin, Advertising & Marketing l i s a . e @ i t h ac at i m e s .co m F r ee l a n c e r s : Barbara Adams, Charley Githler, Stephen Burke, Bill Chaisson, Ross Haarstad, Steve Lawrence, Marjorie Olds, Peter Rothbart, Austin Lamb, Clement Obropta, Jake Sexton, Kira Walter, Vasant Alex Laplam, and Ceili Ayoung

X Town of Ithaca Acquires 137 Acres on South Hill he Town of Ithaca announced the acquisition of 137 acres of land on South Hill, creating a new protected open space called Sage Preserve. The conservation purchase safeguards a natural area.

The acquisition was made through a funding partnership of the Park Foundation, the Tompkins County Natural Infrastructure Capital Program, and the Town of Ithaca.

“This South Hill preserve is a great addition to the Town’s network of preserves and is timely given anticipated housing development in that area,” Town Supervisor Rod Howe said. “The acquisition meets multiple Town goals and will benefit current and future residents.”

Sage Preserve encompasses a diverse

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will be managed to preserve its ecological value while supporting appropriate public access.

Smith added that this is the town’s first preserve located on South Hill.

“The addition of this preserve to the town's extensive system of parks, preserves and trails, will provide additional passive recreational opportunities for residents, while preserving this open space,” Smith said.

More information about the Town’s parks, trails and preserves is available on its website.

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INQUIRING City Planning Board Gets First Look at SouthWorks’ Gateway Development PHOTOGRAPHER A N e w s l i n e

By Mark Sy ve r t son

QUESTION OF THE WEEK: “WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CONCERT?”

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

“I saw The Allman Brothers and Hootie and the Blowfish on back-to-back nights.”

– Joe

“98 Degrees.”

– Kaitlin

“Van Halen.”

– Kevin

“Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention at Hamilton College.”

– Susan

“I saw Prince on the ‘Purple Rain’ tour.”

– Christina

By L or i e n Ty n e

t the City of Ithaca Planning and Development Board’s May 26 meeting, developers presented plans for The Gateway, the first residential site plan for SouthWorks, a major project to redevelop the former Emerson Power Transmission site.

The SouthWorks project, which straddles the town and city of Ithaca, is a 95-acre mixed-use community development composed of four neighborhoods: The City of Ithaca Planning Board was recently presented with the plans for phase one of The Gateway, one of four neighborhoods in SouthWork’s massive development project. (Photo: Provided) The Gateway, The Hills, The Woods and The Chainway. The full project includes design concept for the entire site and how timeline goals include financial closing in new structures and redevelops existing each piece will be phased in.

October, issuing the notice to proceed to ones for residential, office, commercial, Concurrently, developers are working the contractor in November, constructretail and other spaces. FOUND Ithaca, a on another piece of phase one, located in ing 10 buildings over a two-year period vintage and second-hand shop, is already the town of Ithaca. Developers said The and having the first apartments ready for open at the SouthWorks site and is the Woods at SouthWorks includes 130 mixedresidents toward early 2028. site’s first commercial tenant. income apartments on 7.4 acres of undevelRob Lewis, development project manThe information presented at the meeting ager for Southworks, said the development oped land uphill from the former factory. was specific to one phase of The Gateway Rollman also asked developers if the team has had multiple open houses that development on 1.64 acres located in the affordable housing units will be accompagarnered positive community feedback. city off South Aurora Street. The developers “The Gateway is really important because nied by additional support. proposed constructing two new, five-story “The elephant in the room for us is the buildings with 50 mixed-income rental units. it’s the front door to the project,” Lewis said.

Asteri project and we’re really going to “It’s really important we get the feel for that Site amenities include a courtyard, playwant to hear you know what affordable right so that the rest of it can be right.” ground, lighting, pedestrian walkways and housing at this level means,” Rollman said.

Developers clarified that this won’t be 40 parking spaces behind and beneath the Jen Steinberg, senior vice president of the main entrance into the neighborhood buildings. The project also includes creating development at Beacon Communities, said once it is complete, but board member a new street going through the site with bike that at some of the organization’s properties Mitch Glass shared concerns about the lanes and street parking. they have live-in supers with quarters on view from Aurora Street being a private The development’s partners are Shift site and maintenance staff. She mentioned back entrance.

Capital in Philadelphia, L Enterprises in that anything they add to the proposal “I wasn’t too thrilled with the underElmira, USC Builds in Rochester, Xylem comes with a cost and because it is affordparking view,” Glass said. “Seeing that Projects in New York City, and Beacon able housing they can’t increase rent to fund under-parking as a first view into this Communities, an affordable housing deadditional elements. She did not specify if thing is not perhaps great.” veloper based in Boston. there would be support staff or resources Board member Andy Rollman said it is Dan Bellgraph, senior development onsite for affordable housing residents. difficult to look at this proposal without a director with Beacon Communities, said “I’m listening to you guys talk, and it’s such a wonderful community to be a part of that you’re so focused on all these elements,” Steinberg said. “We are very budget-constrained. [...] So, we need to be really smart.”

Other board members also mentioned the need for a master concept plan. Chair Max Pfeffer said that having a bigger picture would be helpful to understand how the current phase will fit.

“How can we both meet you where you’re at, having to bring these individual projects, but also give us a sense of what’s to come so that we can know that this small play structure isn’t the only play structure that’s going to be available for 95 units?” Pfeffer said.

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UPS&DOWNS

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Ithaca Police Releases 2025 Annual Report Showing Decline in Violent Crime

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The Finger Lakes Land Trust announced that it is working to acquire 127 acres on Irish Hill in the Town of Newfield. The organization is launching a $500,000 fundraising campaign to purchase and preserve the land. If the funding goal is met and the acquisition is successful, the land trust says it will create a public nature preserve with hiking trails.

By L or i e n Ty n e

he City of Ithaca Police Department (IPD) released its 2025 Annual Report, which attributes reductions in violent crime and property crime to targeted and prevention-focused policing strategies.

In 2025, the IPD reported a 25% decrease in violent crime and a 12% decrease in property crime, compared with 2024.

“We have four years of data to show that proactive work affects our overall incidents that are occurring,” IPD Chief Tom Kelly said. “Violent crime is decreasing, property crimes are decreasing, but that’s because we’re identifying different focuses based on community feedback.”

There were 50 violent crimes reported in 2025, including two murders or attempted murders, a 0% change from 2024; five reports of rape, down from seven in 2024; seven robberies, down from 16 in 2024; and 36 aggravated assaults, down from 42 in 2024.

There were 983 property crimes reported in 2025. That includes seven arson incidents, up from five in 2024; 75 burglaries, down from 140 in 2024; 15 vehicle thefts, a 0% change; and 886 larcenies, down from 956 in 2024.

Property-damage motor vehicle accidents decreased by 1%, and personal injury accidents decreased by 11%, which the report says reflects efforts to improve roadway safety. To support roadway safety initiatives, the IPD secured funding through the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee, including $6,000 for general traffic enforcement patrols, $2,000 for seatbelt mobilization enforcement and $4,000 for traffic safety education and equipment.

Downs

On May 26, there was a fire incident at the Rodeway Inn in one room.

Two other rooms were affected by sprinkler activation. The Tompkins County Department of Social Services utilizes the inn as an emergency shelter placement facility and one shelter client was transported to the hospital for treatment, according to a notice from the county. County staff and Rodeway ownership are working to restore impacted rooms to minimize disruption to emergency housing availability.

The City of Ithaca Police Department released its 2025 Annual Report, highlighting its crime prevention initiatives, community efforts and an analysis of crime data. (Photo: Ithaca Times File)

The IPD conducted 3,149 traffic stops and responded to 1,207 property-damage motor vehicle accidents and 80 personal injury accidents. Officers issued 1,799 traffic citations.

IPD data is accessible to the public throughout the year on the Community Dashboard managed by the crime analyst, a position created just before 2025. The analyst has worked to upgrade the Community Dashboard and plans to continue improving the site in 2026, according to the report.

Officers responded to 22,491 calls for service in 2025, which the report says remains consistent with service demand in previous years. Of all calls last year, 4% resulted in an arrest.

“While overall call volume remains steady, the nature of police work continues to evolve,” the report says. “Officers are often called to respond to complex situations that benefit from coordinated responses with programs.”

The IPD 2025 Annual Report’s crime data shows a 25% decrease in violent crime and a 12% decrease in property crime, compared with 2024. (Graphic source: IPD 2025 Report)

The report highlights initiatives that address complex situations, such as the Community Alternative Response & Engagement (CARE) Team, which pairs officers with mental health clinicians, and the Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) program, which offers alternatives to arrest for individuals with behavioral health and socioeconomic challenges.

A new program that launched in July 2025 is the Violence Interrupter initiative. While the IPD allocates funding from the Gun Involved Violence Elimination (GIVE) grant to this program, the “interrupter,” Anesti Isufaj, is employed and supervised by Second Wind Cottages. The report says residents can call Isufaj for help de-escalating a situation or connecting to other resources. The City of Ithaca has also committed $50,000 to help continue the initiative in 2026, according the report.

Beyond policing and violence prevention initiatives, the report said the IPD increased its efforts to build trust with the community through non-enforcement engagements, such as neighborhood meetings, youth outreach, school visits, business partnerships and participation in community events. Officers attended 54 community engagements in 2025 and 55 in 2024, which is more than double the numbers for 2023 and 2022, according to IPD Chief Tom Kelly.

“Wherever we can make a positive connection when there’s not a crisis, that helps build that trust, and people call us sooner, before something escalates, or even before

HEARD&SEEN Heard

Triphammer Marketplace ownership announced that a new restaurant, NouNou’s Authentic Lao-Thai, will be opening soon in the former Rose restaurant space.

Seen

Ithaca Police responded to a report of a dispute on the afternoon of May 27 and found a victim who had been physically assaulted and sustained non-life-threatening injuries. Officers discovered that unknown subjects had thrown items at the victim while he was walking on the Commons, the victim confronted the subjects and the subjects then physically attacked him.

The two suspects in custody are 22-year old Isaish M. Standish and 30-year-old Marcus Collins.

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.”

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QUESTION OF THE WEEK

Do you attend Ithaca Festival every year?

21.5% Yes. 73.8% No. 4.6% I don’t care.

N EXT WEEK ’S Q UESTION :

Should school capacity at South Hill Elementary be a concern as plans for SouthWorks take shape?

Visit ithaca.com to submit your response.

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Gallery: Community Celebrates Ithaca Festival’s 49th Year Ithacans packed the streets for the annual Ithaca Festival parade, kicking off a weekend of Downtown Disco-themed community celebrations.

P h o t o s by M a r k S y v e rt s o n f o r t h e It h ac a Ti m e s

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Dear Readers: As part of our expanded commitment to thoughtful, community-centered journalism, the Personal Health section of the Ithaca Times will transition into Health and Sensibility—a monthly series exploring how personal choices, scientific research, and public policy intersect to shape health and well-being.

The series will feature two distinct formats. Community Voices will provide a forum for engaged citizens and contributors to share personal perspectives, experiences, and opinions on health-related topics. These essays will include the following disclaimer: “Community Voices essays are contributed by outside authors. Views expressed are solely those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect those of the Ithaca Times.”

In addition, Perspectives from the Times will feature interpretive and analytical pieces produced by the Ithaca Times, continuing the longstanding journalistic tradition of informed commentary, reporting, and editorial insight.

Together, these features aim to foster informed dialogue, critical thinking, and deeper community engagement around the issues that influence our collective wellbeing. This week, we are featuring Health and Sensibility: Community Voices—Offered by Dr. Julie Wegener, NYS Assemblymember Anna Kelles and NYS Senator Lea Webb regarding The New York Health Act.

CommunityVoices

The NY Health Act Would End Corporate Greed in Healthcare

By Julie Wegener, MD

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s a physician, I have witnessed up close the cruelty and racism inherent in our profit driven healthcare system. Today, we are facing a major healthcare crisis, with looming devastating cuts to Medicaid and ACA (Affordable Care Act) subsidies. On July 1st, nearly a half million New Yorkers will lose coverage under the Essential Plan. To prevent inevitable tragic consequences, we need major reform: The New York Health Act. The New York Health Act would guarantee comprehensive universal affordable publicly financed healthcare for every New Yorker. It would cover medical, surgical, hospital, dental, vision, hearing, mental health, reproductive health, prescription drugs, diagnostic tests and even long term care. There are no premiums, deductibles, copays, networks, prior authorizations or medical bills. Everyone, including our elected officials, will be on the same plan as the rest of us. New York Health Act benefits will be guaranteed by law. New Yorkers will automatically have their healthcare covered by a public fund, financed by a progressively graduated tax based on ability to pay and replacing private insurance. The first $25,000 of a person’s income, or the first $50,000 of those on Medicare, will be exempt. Our children are automatically covered. Insurance companies currently charge the same premiums and deductibles whether you are a CEO or a low wage employee, resulting in millions of insured New Yorkers forgoing care. Under the New York Health Act, all care will be free at the point of service, just as we have free public schools, public libraries, and public fire departments.

Numerous economic analyses by academic researchers and the Rand Corporation demonstrate that we would save money with the NY Health Act. Almost all

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Julie Wegener, MD. (Photo: Provided)

New Yorkers will spend less in NY Health taxes than we do currently on premiums, deductibles and copays, and the care will be far more comprehensive. We will save about $60 billion per year that is currently spent on insurance company profits, including executive salaries and advertising.

Also gone will be the huge administrative costs spent by doctors and hospitals fighting with insurance companies. Having the entire state on the same plan will give us power to negotiate much lower prescription drug costs. These savings will cover the cost of caring for the uninsured, paying providers more and covering long term care services. Doctors, hospitals and other providers will be better treated under the New York

Health Act. With no insurance companies to fight with, you and your provider will make decisions without interference.

The New York Health Act requires by law that healthcare providers be paid substantially more than Medicare and Medicaid. Providers will be paid in full by New York Health. Physicians recognize the cost in time and money of fighting with insurance companies to allow appropriate care.

Unions won’t have to bargain for health plans, sacrificing wages and other benefits.

Artists and other freelancers won’t have to work at additional jobs in order to afford healthcare.

Wegener: Continued on next page

CommunityVoices

CommunityVoices

Why I am a Co-Sponsor of the New York Why I Believe that Health Care is Health Act a Human Right

By Anna Kelles New York State Assemblymember

By Lea Webb New York State Senator

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s a scientist and public health researcher, I view healthcare and environmental health as deeply interconnected. Our health is shaped by the conditions in which we live just as much as what happens in a doctor's office. The quality of our air and water, access to nutritious food, stable housing, transportation, preventative care, and freedom from chronic financial stress all play a significant role in determining long-term health outcomes. That is why I support the Anna Kelles, New York State Assemblymember.

New York Health Act. (Photo: Provided) New Yorkers are spending enormous amounts of money on priorities, while guaranteeing comprehensive healthcare, yet too much of it is diverted healthcare coverage for every New Yorker into administrative overhead, corporate and helping avoid tax increases. profits, and a fragmented insurance system The New York Health Act would guaranthat leaves both families and municipalities tee comprehensive healthcare coverage for all financially strained. Within municipalities, New Yorkers while reducing administrative local governments and school districts are waste and lowering overall healthcare costs struggling under the rising cost of employee for most households. It recognizes healthhealth insurance, forcing difficult decisions care as essential public infrastructure, not a about whether to raise taxes or cut staffing privilege tied to employment or income. At a and public services. time when communities are facing growing According to a white paper authored environmental, economic, and public health by health economist, Dr. Cheryl Cashin challenges, we need systems that prioritize and League of Women Voters healthcare prevention, stability, and human wellbeing. specialist, Dr. Judith Esterquest, the New York Health Act would replace this inefficient The NYHA is one step toward building a healthier and more equitable New York. and economically wasteful private insurance Dr. Anna Kelles is a member of the New structure with a universal system focused on care, prevention, and long-term public health York State Assembly (Democrat) representing the 125th District, including Tompkins County outcomes. The New York Health Act would and the southwest of Cortland County. She free up substantial resources for individuearned a PhD in Nutritional Epidemiology at als and families, as well as schools, counties, The University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill. and municipalities, allowing them to redirect investments toward infrastructure, education, Contact her at: www.nyassembly.gov/member/ Anna-R-Kelles. public safety, housing, and other community Wegener: Continued from previous page

In my entire career, I have never identified any reason health insurance companies should even exist. They are corporate entities motivated to generate profit. Sadly for our collective health, they fulfill that mission remarkably well. Americans are so accustomed to this model that it feels normal, at least until we become ill or incur debt. We are the only nation with medical bankruptcies, most of which occur in patients who have insurance. Senator Gustavo Rivera, Chair of

the NYS Senate Health Committee and bill sponsor of the NY Health Act, said, “The obscenity of someone going broke because they got sick is a daily reality.”

We have free public education, parks and libraries. School districts don’t ask for a credit card to enroll your child. Fire departments don’t send a bill for extinguishing a fire. Why is healthcare different? Why is healthcare treated as a profit making commodity rather than a public good? Why must people stay in job—or marriages—just for the health

he year surrounding childbirth holds some of life’s most profound moments: a baby’s first cry, a first smile, a first step. But for too many mothers in New York, that time is also marked by fear, trauma, and systemic failure. This is a maternal health crisis that demands urgent action.

Studies consistently show that Black mothers are more likely to experience postpartum depression or anxiety; yet, few are ever Lea Webb, New York State Senator. (Photo: Provided) diagnosed or connected to mental health services. Black women are 60% more likely to develop preeclampsia. In groups who have faced years of medical New York State, Black women are up to five discrimination. The New York Health Act moves us toward a system where every times more likely to die during childbirth resident can access comprehensive care than their white counterparts. Women in and I am proud to support this important healthcare deserts and rural communities legislation. Equitable health systems are a face their own crisis: maternity wards closing moral obligation, we can and must do better without notice, OB-GYNs in short supply, for our mothers and their children. and prenatal care that is hours away.

Lea Webb is a member of the New York New York should be a place where every State Senate (Democrat), representing the person, regardless of race, zip code, or in52nd District which includes all of Tompcome, can access the care they deserve. That kins and Cortland counties and a portion of means confronting the systemic barriers that Broome County. She has a bachelor's degree have long pushed BIPOC communities aside in Neuroscience from SUNY Binghamton and and corporate profit ahead of people’s health. has long been a staunch advocate for workInsurance companies make billions while ers rights, reproductive care and community denying care and increasing premiums. BIbased economic development. Contact her at: POC communities, rural families, and lowwww.nysenate.gov/senators/lea-webb income New Yorkers suffer the most under our current system. The New York Health Editor’s Note: Act is a critical step toward changing that, Health & Sensibility–Community Voices cutting out middlemen and ensuring that essays are contributed by outside care is available based on need, not wealth. authors. Views expressed are solely those Health care is a human right, and we of the writers and do not necessarily must ensure that the policy we pass in reflect those of the Ithaca Times. this space uplifts historically marginalized insurance? Why do we need Go Fund Me to finance healthcare? Why do we allow people to die from preventable diseases? This cruelty is unique to our current system.

Our state legislators, Senator Lea Webb and Assemblymember Anna Kelles are cosponsors and strong advocates for the New York Health Act. It is heartening to know they support this lifesaving, humane and cost saving bill. Contact them with questions, a healthcare story you would like to share, or to get involved in spreading the Ju ne

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word about the New York Health Act.

Julie Wegener, MD is a retired physician and a board member of the NY chapter of Physicians for a National Health Program. Board certified in both Family Medicine and Psychiatry, she practiced both specialties and taught psychiatric aspects of medical illness in three Family Medicine residency programs. She is a long time advocate for health justice.

Also a classically trained pianist, she lives in Ithaca, where she teaches piano.

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PERSONAL HEALTH

Abortion Pill Telehealth Access Preserved, Tompkins County Health Officials Keep Public Informed

By L or ie n Ty ne

in person, through telehealth and mail order. Mifepristone is a synthetic steroid that blocks the hormone progesterone, which n May 22, Tompkins County is needed for a pregnancy to continue, Whole Health (TCWH) issued a statement clarifying that Mifepris- according to TCWH. The pill is safe and effective for use to terminate a pregnancy of tone, commonly known as the abortion up to 10 weeks of gestation. The court cases pill, remains accessible to the public via at hand only discuss Mifepristone and do telehealth and mail. not affect access to other abortion pills or The Federal Drug Administration “Plan-B,” which is an emergency contracep(FDA) expanded access to Mifepristone in tive and does not induce abortion.

2021, lifting previous in-person dispensing Jennie Sutcliffe, commissioner of requirements during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to BBC. In 2023, the FDA Tompkins County Whole Health, said in a statement to the Ithaca Times that there is permanently lifted the in-person requirement, meaning doctors could send the drug some confusion about current court cases and status of access to Mifepristone. to patients without seeing them in person.

“We took the opportunity to address In early May 2026, the Fifth Circuit that head on and let the public know about Court of Appeals temporarily reinstated local access to important reproductive the in-person requirement to access the drug. Danco Laboratories and GenBioPro, health services,” Sutcliffe said.

“As the county’s public health departthe pharmaceutical companies that manument, we see our role as providing accurate facture Mifepristone, asked the Supreme information and providing clarity around Court to intervene and allow continued access while the case continues. As of now, situations that may lead to misinformation on important health topics,” Sutcliffe added. the U.S. Supreme Court has preserved In New York, abortion is legal up to 24 mail access to the drug. weeks of pregnancy and after 24 weeks if Mifepristone continues to be accessible

O

Personal Health Briefs Upcoming Blood Drive in Tompkins County

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ompkins County, the American Red Cross and Lifelong are collaborating to host a blood drive on June 9. Individuals can donate blood from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m at the Library Place Community Room at 105 West Court Street in Ithaca. County officials ask that attendees use the North Cayuga Street entrance across from Dewitt Park.

“Tompkins County, as an organization, is committed to strengthening our community and helping meet hospital and patient needs through blood donations,” said Geoff Dunn, blood program leader and community preparedness coordinator for the Department of Emergency Response.

Individuals who would like to donate can schedule an appointment by calling 1-800-733-2767 or by signing up at RedCrossBlood.org using the sponsor code “ithacacares” and selecting the June 9 drive in Ithaca. Everyone giving blood in June will receive a $15 e-gift card.

Donors with all blood types are needed, especially O negative, A negative and B negative, according to the county’s drive announcement.

“We urge community members to donate blood and help ensure that patients in local hospitals have a supply of blood ready and waiting before an emergency

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an individual’s health or pregnancy is at risk. Minors do not need parental permission to get an abortion, birth control, prenatal care, or other reproductive healthcare services.

For more information about local and state abortion access, individuals can visit TCWH’s webpage on the topic or go to the New York State Abortion Hub. TCWH advised the public to contact a healthcare provider for up to date information about Mifepristone. Planned Parenthood of Greater New York’s Ithaca Health Clinic can be contacted at 607-273-1513 and the NYS Statewide Abortion Hotline can be contacted at 212-899-5567 for information about abortion resources and access.

Individuals should be cautious of fake abortion clinics or “crisis pregnancy centers,” which are places that try to prevent people from having abortions or using contraception. These facilities are generally not healthcare providers and therefore are not subject to the same laws, such as HIPPA. TCWH’s website has information about how to identify a crisis pregnancy center. arises,” Samantha Kodey, account manager for the American Red Cross said. “The short amount of time it takes to donate can mean a lifetime to a patient with a serious medical condition.”

TCWH Alerts Community of Tick Bites, Lyme Disease

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ompkins County Whole Health (TCWH) released a notice to the community for Lyme Disease Awareness Month, warning about the dangers of contracting Lyme Disease and other illnesses from tick bites. TCWH reported that in 2025, the county saw a large spike in tick-borne illnesses in the summer and so far in spring 2026 there have been above average tick-related illnesses.

Ticks can transmit over seven types of illnesses and can vary in symptoms, such as fever, fatigue, headaches and rashes, according to the notice. Only the bite of infected blacklegged ticks, called deer ticks, can

Tompkins County Health officials recently issued a statement clarifying local access to Mifepristone, commonly known as the abortion pill. (Photo: Getty Images)

“There are crisis pregnancy centers in Ithaca and neighboring areas,” Sutcliffe said. “We keep the community informed about where they can go to access the supportive, inclusive care they seek and provide information on our website of where to go to access accurate information on abortion services in NYS.” To find a real abortion provider, individuals can access resources listed on the Office of the New York State Attorney General’s website.

For 24/7 mental health and emotional support, dial or text 988 (1-800-273-8255). spread Lyme disease to humans. The notice said that Lyme disease is the most common tick-borne disease in New York and there is no vaccine for the disease for human use.

TCWH says to take caution and prevent tick bites by following the “ABCD” method: Avoid, Bug spray, Check for ticks and Dress for prevention.

TCWH Director of Community Health Services Rachel Buckwalter said in the notice that people are more likely to encounter ticks in warmer weather because they live in lawns, parks and forests.

“Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases are very serious and debilitating illnesses that can be easily prevented by taking proper steps,” Buckwalter said.

“The common rule is that if a tick has been attached to you and is engorged (body of tick is larger, filled with blood), you should consult your healthcare provider about their recommended next steps.”

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Sports

New Book Chronicles Big Red Championship Season

By Ste ve L aw re nc e

I

’d like to inform Cornell lacrosse fans that while the 2026 season is in the rear-view mirror, a new book has been released by Three Hills — an imprint of Cornell Press — that will reignite the thrill that swept across Big Red Nation a year ago.

I want to share some details about “The Long Red Line” — written by noted lacrosse authority Christian Swezey — but I would first like to circle back to his book from 2022. In “We Showed Baltimore” (also published by Three Hills), Swezey went into great detail about the college lacrosse revolution of the 1970s. That revolution was sparked in large part by a bold move executed by the athletic administration, one seen as risky by many. That sentiment faded quickly.

In the late 1960s, the legendary Ned Harkness coached both lacrosse and hockey for the Big Red, and the hockey team had recently completed what is

still the only undefeated season in Division 1 hockey history. The lacrosse team was — as was virtually every other team in the Northeast — an afterthought, as the Baltimore area was, and always had been, the Center of the Lacrosse Universe.

Maryland, Virginia, John Hopkins.., all were head and shoulders above the rest of collegiate lacrosse, and had stacked up virtually all the national titles.

One of the fiery players from Maryland’s 1959 national championship team was a young man who had grown up on Long Island and had been a part of some powerhouse programs. Richie Moran knew how to win, he thrived on winning, and while he was tough, a stint in the Marine Corps took that toughness up a few notches and added a layer of discipline. After his military service, Moran went back to Long Island, became a high school coach, and fanned the flames to build the area into a legitimate lacrosse hotbed. Cornell took a chance, hiring the 32-year old ball of fire, and most know how that turned out: Moran’s master-

ful use of the Long Island lacrosse pipeline produced three national titles, a (stillstanding record) 42-game win streak, and a complete makeover of the NCAA lacrosse landscape, as many other coaches followed his formula for success.

“We Showed Baltimore” offers a great look into the scope of that transformation, and “The Long Red Line” looks at the process that brought the Big Red back to the top of the mountain. It looks back at the numerous near misses, as Cornell made it to the title game a few times, but could not pull it off. The book details that magical 2025 season — and the convergence of personalities and events leading up to it — and I want to provide a few teaser quotes to encourage lacrosse fans to give this a read.

“Cornell lacrosse entered the 2025 season with one objective: To end a 48 year championship drought. What followed was a season of grit, heartbreak and redemption — a relentless march through Contin u ed on Page C18

Top lacrosse authority releases a new book offering an inside look at Cornell’s thrilling 2025 national championship season. (Photo: Provided)

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Arts&Entertainment Arts& &Entertainment

“Hijas” Traces Four Generations of Argentine Women

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By Barbara Adams

une is a great month for festivals in Ithaca, and the next one kicks off Thursday, June 4 at the Kitchen Theatre Company — this year’s Finger Lakes New Works Festival, co-produced with Walking on Water Productions. The inspiration of Courtney Young Socher, the month-long event debuted last year with five shows, including workshop versions of two musicals being fully produced here this month.

Executive artistic director Socher is an associate professor of theater and dance at Ithaca College; festival co-founder and producing artistic director Gavin Mayer is her IC colleague and department chair.

For the past four years they have been collaborating on the idea of a festival that presents new work by performing artists.

“New theatrical works are expensive to develop and take time,” Socher says, “and producers are wary of investing too much.

Having a festival here, away from New York City — a sandbox for artists to create in — allows the work to develop as it deserves. It’s a much more sustainable model. We have a great infrastructure in this area — resources, talent, space to create, and a delightful place for others to come to and collaborate.”

In 2016, in her first weeks at Ithaca College, Socher met playwright and professor Saviana Stanescu, who’s now writing the book for their upcoming musical,

“Daughters (Hijas).” Their alliance on this work began that same year.

As a grad student at Penn State, Socher had been stunned by an exhibit she saw in Venice while on a summer class excursion.

The work, “Identidad Desaparecida” (“Recovered Identity”), by celebrated Argentinian glass artist Silvia Levenson, honored Las Abuelas (grandmothers) of the Plaza de Mayo in Buenos Aires and the thousands of children taken from their biological families during the devastating Argentinian military regime of 1976 to 1983.

“This was right before moving to Ithaca,” Socher says. “I was shocked and embarrassed that this had happened during my lifetime and I had so little awareness of South American history.” That fall, she proposed to Stanescu that they collaborate on a musical about the children of the disappeared, dispersed and unaware of their parentage, and the efforts made to reconnect families through DNA testing.

Stanescu soon brought her longtime friend Julián Mesri, an Argentinian-born American composer and musician, into the project. All three collaborators agreed that they didn’t want to dwell on the trauma of historical events but rather prove enlightening and uplifting. By focusing on the relationship and bonds among four generations of women, Mesri says, they hoped to give them back agency that had been taken away.

Much like Socher, Mesri, whose parents lived under the dictatorship, was inspired

The 2nd Finger Lakes New Works Festival Events: “Daughters (Hijas).” Co-created by Julian Mesri, Saviana Stanescu & Courtney Young Socher. June 4-14. Thurs.Sat. 7:00 p.m.; Sun. 2:00 p.m. Kitchen Theatre, 417 W. MLK/State St. After-show talkback open to the public on Sat. June 13 with Ithaca College professors Jonathan Ablard (history, emphasis Latin America) and Annette Levine (world languages, emphasis Latin American and LatinX literature and theatre).

“Stepping Into Her Shoes,” a free staged reading by Kathleen Mulligan, excerpts from her new work on Roosevelt’s Labor Secretary Frances Perkins. Tues. June 9, 7-8:30 p.m. Dillingham Center, Ithaca College.

“In My Own Little Corner: The Film.” With Chryssie Whitehead. June 10, 7-9:00 p.m. Park Auditorium, Roy H. Park School of Communications, Ithaca College.

“Flourish,” by Lauren Taslitz Kahane & Danny Ursetti, a free family-friendly work in progress. Sat. June 13, 3-5:00 p.m. Clark Theatre, Dillingham Center, Ithaca College.

“Framing Ménerbes.” By Daniel Gwirtzman Dance Company. Film screening, conversation, & reception.

Wed. June 17, 7-8:30 p.m. Park Auditorium, Roy H. Park School of Communications, Ithaca College.

“Lilies, the Musical.” By Gavin Mayer & Eric Leigh; based on the revolutionary prison drama by Michel Marc Bouchard. Thurs.-Sat. June 18-27, 7:30 p.m. Matinees 2:00 p.m. June 20, 21 & 28. Kitchen Theatre. Aftershow talkback on Fri. June 26, open to the public.

All tickets may be purchased at https://www.fingerlakesnewworksfestival.com/2026-season-1.

Isis Jarnicki de Carvalho (Claudia, Beatriz), Erica Reyes (Clara), Francisca Mũnoz (Mariana) and Sabina Lueres (Andrea) star in “Daughters (Hijas)”.

by a political art exhibit; this one on the abuelas at New York’s Museo del Barrio.

Each photo of a disappeared woman or man was hung next to a mirror in which the observer could compare faces, and the show helped a number of people who saw similarities to recover family members.

“It’s important to still tell this story for lots of reasons,” Mesri says, “especially as many people in the U.S. only know a few elements or just saw ‘Evita.’ These were real people, not just symbols — protestors and students actively being part of change. Their story will suggest some of those in the U.S. protesting today, getting detained and disappeared.”

Romanian-born Stanescu’s connection to the historical events is also close: she was a college student activist in the streets in 1989 during the successful revolution against the totalitarian Ceaușescu. “I approached writing the script through personal relationships,” she says, “creating the characters first. Mariana is the name of my own mother; actually, many names are similar in Romania and Argentina. I made the father a formerly persecuted Romanian to suggest the connection of dictatorships and rebellions across geographies.”

Stancescu admits, “I haven’t been able to write about my own political experience, relieve those moments. Like MariJU NE

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ana, I don’t want to think about the past.”

As a result, she says, “this work represents me more than most of my other plays.”

The play’s narrative features five women: Mariana, her adoptive mother Beatriz (whom she believes is her birth mother), who was actually Clara, a revolutionary student who died in prison. Now in the U.S., Mariana wants little to do with her Argentinian past, while her daughter Andrea is determined to seek it out, right up to connecting with her mother’s grandmother, Claudia, an abuela of the Plaza de Mayo. Andrea is assisted by her divorced gay Romanian father, Bogdan.

The action shifts between Buenos Aires in the 1970s and New York and Argentina in 2018. Beyond the six key actors, a five-person ensemble or chorus — all Ithaca College performance majors — lyrically represents the protestors and disappeared. In two key dance numbers, choreographer and co-producer Priscilla Hummel moves them metaphorically, once as molecules in a DNA strand. She also incorporates several Latin dance styles that reflect what was popular in Argentina in the late ’70s — tango and salsa, but also bachata, merengue, and cumbia.

Mesri mixes in the sounds of Argentinian

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Books

Juda Bennett Releases “Qtopia: A Memoir of Love, Land, and Liberation”

By Mik ayl a Ro ve nolt

J

uda Bennett, a professor emeritus of English at the College of New Jersey and member of the Lavender Hill and The Cabin communes in Ithaca, recently released his novel “Qtopia: A Memoir of Love, Land, and Liberation,” published

by University of Wisconsin Press. Buffalo Street Books will host an author reading with Bennett on June 4 at 6 p.m.

Qtopia is a memoir that follows Bennett’s escape from a military family in suburbia into the back-to-the-land movement, which began in the late 1960s and focused on rural living and self-sufficiency. According to the book’s description, “chronicles the efforts it took for him to ‘drop back in’ to mainstream society and the ways in which he and his compatriots continued to honor their communal vision.”

According to Bennett, he found what he didn’t know he was looking for at Lavender Hill, a rural queer commune on the outskirts of Ithaca. As Bennett puts it, “they built something messy, luminous, and defiantly alive.”

“The book was a long time in the making, and my last book gave me a taste of writing a memoir,” Bennett told the Ithaca Times. “I wrote that with friends, and we all sort of helped each other think about how to tell our stories. Even though that last book was

called ‘The Tony Morrison Book Club,’ it really is a memoir, more than anything. With that kind of training experience, I thought it was time. ‘I know I have a lot of stories. How do I frame those stories?’”

Bennett framed those stories through the lens of a chosen family, one that he says has lasted over 50 years. He added that the story is about his time living on three communes, two in Ithaca and one in Virginia.

“I wanted to really convey is how exciting that time was for being able to reinvent yourself,” Bennett said, “for being able to abandon the old ways of how people had to live, especially in relation to sexuality, gender, class, all the expectations were thrown out the window. And we really supported each other in reinventing everything, and so it was an extraordinary time.”

According to the book’s description, “when the commune began to unravel, they didn’t vanish. They evolved. Qtopia is a story of chosen family and radical transformation. It is a reminder that queer utopia isn’t behind us—it’s still out there on the horizon, singing its song of joy, defiance, and fabulousness.”

“One of the questions I get asked over and over again is, ‘When did it end?’”

Bennett said, “And I've never been able to convince people that the more interest-

Juda Bennett is the author of “Qtopia: A Memoir of Love, Land, and Liberation.”

(Photo: Provided)

ing question is ‘What did it become?’ or ‘What are the new versions of that utopic experience?’ [...]Utopia is still possible, it just looks different.”

When thinking about why he wanted to write this book, Bennett said it was in his conversations with young people that he was inspired.

“I get asked ‘How did you do it?’ And there’s so much excitement in the voice of young people,” Bennett said. “There are a lot of people who will say it’s not possible.

It was a different time, money constraints, time constraints. The world is different, and I want to say it wasn’t possible back then either. But we did it anyway. There

Buffalo Street Books will host an author reading on June 4 featuring Juda Bennett for his newly released novel.

(Photo: Provided)

were so many people saying you can’t do that back in the 70s, and we did it anyway.”

Bennett is also the author of four academic books and numerous essays, short stories, and poems. He is a coauthor of the group memoir “The Toni Morrison Book Club,” also published by University of Wisconsin Press.

For more information visit https://uwpress.wisc.edu/Books/Q/Qtopia

PERSONAL HEALTH

PERSONAL HEALTH BRIEFS contin u ed from page B10

For more information about ticks, proper tick removal and tick identification, individuals can visit the TCWH website.

Individuals and organizations can contact the county’s Community Health Services at 607-274-6604 for more education on ticks and preventing tick-borne diseases.

Cornell Cooperative Extension Shares Information About Extreme Heat Resources

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ornell Cooperative Extension is warning the community of expected high temperatures this summer and spreading

awareness about what resources are available locally.

In a May press release, CCE Communications Manager David Foote said that during Heat Safety Awareness Week from May 18-22, the region experienced its first days over 90 degrees this year, motivating the organization to share resources with the public.

Foote said that while Ithacans enjoy outdoor activities, extreme heat can be dangerous and has a higher mortality rate than any other weather-related hazard. He highlighted a few resources for Ithacans to know about this summer season.

Applications are open for the New York Essential Plan Cooling Program, which provides a free air conditioner or fan for

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those who qualify. Eligible applicants include those who are enrolled in NY State of Health’s Essential Plan, experience a health condition made worse by heat or request installation at an address on file with NY State of Health.

Foote said the CCE Smart Energy Choices team can share information about the state program, help individuals determine if they are eligible and assist in the application process.

The New York Department of Health offers a tool to find local cooling centers, which are facilities where people can cool off during extreme heat, at health.ny.gov/ environmental/weather/cooling.

The city of Ithaca is conducting an indoor air quality survey to ask local rent-

ers “What are summer temperatures like in rental housing?” Renters can submit their experiences to help the city determine maximum temperature standards for apartments. The survey can be found at communityfeedback.opengov.com/portals/ithacacityny/Issue_14959.

The City of Ithaca is conducting an indoor air quality survey in order to collect responses to the question “What are summer temperatures like in rental housing?” Local renters are welcome to share their experiences in order to help the city understand local needs and determine maximum temperature standards for apartments. Submit responses at communityfeedback.opengov.com/portals/ ithacacityny/Issue_14959.

Film

“Backrooms”: Lose Yourself in This Modern Creepypasta Masterpiece

By Cl e me nt O b ropta

F

urniture stacked floor to ceiling. Utility poles sunken into the carpet. Sofas disappearing into solid walls. This is the “backrooms,” a liminal labyrinth of sickly yellow wallpaper and fluorescent lighting that seems to go on forever, which forms the backdrop of A24’s latest theatrical horror experience.

Directed by Kane Parsons, “Backrooms” unfolds in the 1990s, in the basement of Cap’n Clark’s Ottoman Empire, a floundering furniture store run by failed architect Clark (Chiwetel Ejiofor). It turns out, the “More Downstairs” sign that hangs in the back of the store is more right than Clark knows — there’s a lot more downstairs, as the store contains a hidden portal to an architecturally impossible series of rooms, hallways, and dead ends. Sort of like those New York apartments where tenants find a whole room behind their bathroom mirror, except this one comes with roving monsters.

Clark’s therapist, Dr. Mary Kline (Renate Reinsve), can’t quite believe it, but he rapidly becomes obsessed with mapping this otherworldly dimension. And then he disappears altogether, and the good doctor goes looking for him.

Casual audiences might be caught off-guard by the legions of 20-somethings

“Backrooms” Rated R Directed by Kane Parsons Currently playing at Cinemapolis and Regal Ithaca Mall 120 E Green St., Ithaca and 40 Catherwood Road, Ithaca AMERICA250 GRANT FUNDING contin u ed from page A3

planted and the unveiling of the plaque is planned to take place in October 2026, and in conjunction with Indigenous Peoples Day.” For their countywide promotion and

showing up for this psychological horror film as though it’s another “Minecraft Movie.” Indeed, the appeal of “Backrooms” is difficult to summarize for the uninitiated.

4chan users first developed the concept of the backrooms in 2019, and soon thousands of users across the internet were adding to its horror and lore with images, stories, and short films. Parsons, then a high school student learning how to use the 3D animation software Blender, adapted the concept into a YouTube series in 2022, garnering millions of views. A24 began courting him three years ago for a big-budget adaptation. Today, at 20 years old, Parsons is the youngest filmmaker to helm a movie that hit number one at the box office.

“Backrooms” is the latest and greatest example of a YouTuber crossing over into Hollywood, hot on the heels of the Philippou brothers’ “Talk to Me,” Markiplier’s “Iron Lung,” and Curry Barker’s “Obsession.” It might have the A24 branding on it and boast producer credits for Osgood Perkins (“Keeper”), Shawn Levy (“Stranger Things”), and James Wan (the “Conjuring” franchise), but the film retains the unmistakable analog horror roots of Parsons’ original vision. For a film industry that’s so desperate for hits that it’s producing unnecessary legacy sequels, uninspired IP grabs, and reheated “Star Wars” TV episodes for the big screen at dizzying rates, “Backrooms” represents a fresh opportunity to tap into an existing fanbase of millions online and bring a unique artist’s voice to a mainstream audience.

Parsons might not have invented the backrooms concept, but he understands how to wrangle this massive multimedia creepypasta into a fun, scary, and immensely entertaining 110-minute feature.

Newcomers needn’t worry — “Backrooms” spends its first half introducing and testing its central concept before breathlessly sprinting through it in its second half.

The score, which Parsons composed alongside Edo Van Breemen, perfectly captures that backrooms vibe of half-remembered empty corridors and unsettling vacant lots, often sounding like musical instruments being dropped at random.

The practical and digital sets, from Oz Perkins collaborators Danny Vermette, Alan Derksen, and Trevor Johnston, successfully capture the eeriness of Parsons’ original Blender creations.

As the lost-at-sea manager Cap’n Clark, Chiwetel Ejiofor is brilliant. He effortlessly shifts between pitiable furniture store salesman, manic conspiracy theorist, and the middle-distance stare of Colonel Kurtz from “Apocalypse Now.” You completely buy him as a miserable man whose whole life becomes quickly consumed by the backrooms. He’s living in his own store at night after his wife has kicked him out of his house. He has no friends, nowhere to go, and nothing left to lose.

“Sentimental Value” star Renate Reinsve co-stars as his therapist. Only her second

role in an American production (after “A Different Man”), “Backrooms” probably gives Reinsve far less to chew on than your average Joachim Trier script. But she rocks some incredible ’90s fashion and takes center stage in the film’s terrifying climax, when she’s running through mazes of perverted rational architecture in a sequence that recalls the original “Texas Chain Saw Massacre” in its giddy terror.

Kids of the ’90s and 2000s likely understand implicitly the disquieting nowhereland of the backrooms. We’ve spent our lives in the ruins of the homogenous office buildings, expansive malls, and outlet stores of another age. “Backrooms” is merely a mirror of the dead malls of our lives, a perfect Lovecraftian concept for the retail apocalypse era. Parsons’ film uses that indelible setting to explore the crippling loneliness and isolation of the modern capitalist world. “Backrooms” is unnerving, but like Clark, it’s easy to see the hideous, haunting beauty of the maze.

The more we see, the less we seem to understand.

tourism outreach, Visit Ithaca received $8,000 to coordinate and promote America250 activities across Tompkins County. The initiative will include creating a dedicated America250 website landing page, expanding event promotion through social media and local media outreach, and producing video assets to highlight celebrations and heritage tourism oppor-

tunities throughout the county.

As the official tourism promotion agency for Tompkins County, Visit Ithaca will launch its dedicated America250 webpage visitithaca.com/america250 on June 1.

Community organizations, municipalities, nonprofits, businesses, and event organizers are encouraged to submit public events to be included in the centralized calendar.

Visit Ithaca partners directly with I Love NY to promote eligible local events and activities on the statewide America250 and Path Through History platforms.

Additional details about America250 activities and promotional opportunities in Tompkins County will be announced throughout 2026.

Dr. Mary Kline (Renate Reinsve) enters the backrooms. (Photo: IMDb/A24)

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Clement Obropta is a film columnist for the Ithaca Times.

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The Talk at

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

By Ithaca Times Readers

Moving Day Brings Finger Lakes Community Together

“

Positivity and a sense of unity radiated among those present in the Ithaca region earlier this month, as the Parkinson Foundation hosted its third annual Moving Day Finger Lakes event on May 2nd at Stewart Park. Focused on movement as a key strategy for managing Parkinson’s disease, the event brought together the PD community—including patients, care partners, and medical professionals—to support one another, share experiences, and celebrate the power of togetherness. The camaraderie on display reinforced the importance of hope, movement, and community for those navigating the challenges of PD. Local professionals, including Sean Murray, a physical therapist of Geneva, and Dr. Lara Shigo of SUNY Cortland, demonstrated exercises attendees can do at home to help their PD. We engaged as many community support groups as pos-

sible, including Parkinson’s Pals at Cornell University and Parkinson’s People in Ithaca. All our volunteers came from groups at Ithaca College, Cornell University, and SUNY Cortland. Their efforts were supported by a generous donation of bagels and coffee from Ithaca Bakery, which fueled our team and demonstrated their commitment to the local community. This tremendous support reflected the region’s care and concern.

This event is vital for progressing the Parkinson’s Foundation’s mission and highlights the resilience of the Ithaca and Central New York communities, emphasizing the importance of unity. Despite the sunny yet frigid day, the region united in strong support for the growing number of individuals affected by PD. The Parkinson’s Foundation expresses gratitude to all participants, organizers, and service providers who contributed to the event’s success and support of the PD community.” — Analyse Adams, event coordinator for Parkinson’s Foundation

Support New York Health Act

“

With much health care tied to employment now threatened by AI, we desperately need the incredible advantages of the New York Health Act. If you are just learning about the New York Health Act it might sound too good to be true: It would provide ALL necessary

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medical care to ALL New York residents funded by a fair graduated tax, state and federal funds. How is this possible? The New York Health Act would redirect the current enormous flow of tax dollars away from insurance companies and their executives’ salaries and toward the health care needs of all New Yorkers. It would eliminate the present huge expenditure of time and energy on bureaucracy that maximizes insurance company profits and would free up time and energy for quality, guaranteed health care. Please let your representatives in Albany know your strong support for S3425/A1466!” — Ruth Yarrow, Ithaca NY

Supporting Concern Regarding Fireworks

“

In response to Gertrude Noden's Letter to the Editor dated May 27, 2026… I am in full support of your concerns regarding the use of fireworks in our community!

Fireworks are outdated, harmful to wildlife, and our human health. God blessed us with our beautiful community where nature abounds. Let’s all work together to keep it healthy and vibrant!!!”

— Linda Weaver, Ithaca NY

Disappointment For ICSD BOE Election Results

“

As I reflect on the results of the recent Board of Education election in the Ithaca City School District, I want to thank Dr. Sean Eversley-Bradwell for his outstanding 14 years of service and leadership. I was privileged to serve on the Board with him and to learn from him from 2015 to 2024. Dr. Eversley-Bradwell is the epitome of not just grace under pressure but of intelligence, wisdom, and empathy.

I certainly understand Dr. EversleyBradwell’s decision not to seek another term, but his withdrawal highlights the precipitous decline in diversity on the ICSD Board. What used to be a remarkably diverse body is now a shadow of its former self. As a former teacher as well as Board member, I am deeply disappointed in the results of the May 19th BOE election. As a proud member of the Ithaca Teachers Association for many years, I was dismayed at the ITA Action Committee’s failure to endorse Madeline Cardona.

Ms. Cardona spent the past year diligently tackling the steep learning curve that faces all new Board members. She brings a different and very much needed background and perspective to the work.

As a single Latina mother, she knows what it is to struggle financially in Ithaca and she knows what it means to worry about her children being marginalized and discriminated against in our schools. She has worked to advocate for her own children and for others like them.

For the second year in a row, Ms. Cardona had the courage to run for the Board, which involves submitting written statements and speaking publicly in forums, all of this in a language which is not her first.

I would have thought those involved in deciding the ITA’s endorsements would understand the need for diverse voices on the Board, not just for the students but for the staff. These endorsements have a large impact on the outcome, and it shows in Ms. Cardona’s defeat.

As they work to serve all the students in the ICSD, I urge the continuing and new Board members to remember the examples Contin u ed on Page C19

A NATION SPEAKS: A CELEBRATION OF GREAT AMERICAN VOICES

WE THE PEOPLE: A CELEBRATION OF PARTICIPATORY DEMOCRACY

The Enduring Voice of Steve Jobs — 2005

The Declaration of Independence: A Promissory Note

C u r at e d by Roy A l l e n: D i r ect or of St r at e gic Pa rt n e r sh i ps — It h ac a Ti m e s , Fi nge r L a k e s C om m u n i t y Newspa pe r s , w w w.i t h ac a .c om

By C h a r l ey G i t h l e r

L

M

any voices have helped to shape the nation we call America. This week we feature Steve Jobs: Inventor, business wonderkind, co-founder of Apple Computer and early pioneer in the personal computer and cell phone industries. Jobs was also a keen investor (Pixar) and a generous — though thoughtfully quiet — philanthropist. He died tragically at the age of 56 from a rare form of cancer known as pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor. Jobs was a big fan of focusing on your dreams and doing what it takes to make them happen.

Steve Jobs: Stanford Commencement Speech — Palo Alto, California 2005 I am honored to be with you today at your commencement from one of the finest universities in the world. I never graduated from college. Truth be told, this is the closest I've ever gotten to a college graduation. Today I want to tell you three stories from my life. That’s it. No big deal. Just three stories.

The first story is about connecting the dots. I dropped out of Reed College after the first 6 months, but then stayed around as a drop-in for another 18 months or so before I really quit. So why did I drop out?

It started before I was born. My biological mother was a young, unwed college graduate student, and she decided to put me up for adoption. She felt very strongly that I should be adopted by college graduates, so everything was all set for me to be adopted at birth by a lawyer and his wife. Except that when I popped out they decided at the last minute that they really wanted a girl.

So my parents, who were on a waiting list, got a call in the middle of the night asking: “We have an unexpected baby boy; do you want him?” They said: “Of course.” My biological mother later found out that my mother had never graduated from college and that my father had never graduated from high school. She refused to sign the final adoption papers. She only relented a

(Photo Source: Biography)

few months later when my parents promised that I would someday go to college.

And 17 years later I did go to college.

But I naively chose a college that was almost as expensive as Stanford, and all of my working-class parents’ savings were being spent on my college tuition. After six months, I couldn’t see the value in it. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life and no idea how college was going to help me figure it out. And here I was spending all of the money my parents had saved their entire life. So I decided to drop out and trust that it would all work out OK. It was pretty scary at the time, but looking back it was one of the best decisions I ever made. The minute I dropped out I could stop taking the required classes that didn’t interest me, and begin dropping in on the ones that looked interesting.

It wasn’t all romantic. I didn’t have a dorm room, so I slept on the floor in friends’ rooms, I returned coke bottles for the 5¢ deposits to buy food with, and I would walk the 7 miles across town every Sunday night to get one good meal a week at the Hare Krishna temple. I loved it.

And much of what I stumbled into by following my curiosity and intuition turned out to be priceless later on.

Let me give you one example: Reed College at that time offered perhaps the best calligraphy instruction in the country. Throughout the campus every poster, every label on every drawer, was beautifully hand calligraphed. Because I had dropped out and didn't have to take the Contin u ed on Page C19

ast month we looked at the connection between the Declaration of Independence and the Declaration of Sentiments generated at the Women’s Rights Convention in Seneca Falls in 1848. While the Declaration of Sentiments invoked and mimicked the Declaration of Independence as a strategic choice, using the logic of the original document to make the point that women are endowed with the same unalienable rights as men, interpreting the Declaration of Independence as a moral standard for the United States has a long and continuing history.

On August 28, 1963, more than a quarter million people gathered near the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., spread along the sides of the thenunpainted reflecting pool, to participate in the historic March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. During Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech — one of the most celebrated speeches of the 20th century — he declared that his dream was based on the American dream: “In a sense we’ve come to our nation’s capital to cash a check. When the architects of our Republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and th e Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men — yes, black men as well as white men — would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness…”

By invoking the Declaration, Dr. King was making clear that he wasn’t looking to upend the American political order, but urging instead that the United States live up to its founding creed. The image of those founding ideals being a promissory note that had yet to be redeemed is one that has long been a theme in our political life.

Abraham Lincoln famously revered the Declaration of Independence, and its

principle of equality anchored his political philosophy. As early as his Peoria, Illinois speech in 1854, he referred to its language: “If the negro is a man, why then my ancient faith teaches me that ‘all men are created equal’ ”. Better known are the echoes of the Declaration in the Gettysburg Address, in which he calls ours a nation “conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.” His description of the United States government as being “of the people, by the people, and for the people” may be as concise a description of the Declaration’s principles as is possible.

I grew up outside of Rochester, and graduated from a public high school in 1974, and yet I had no exposure until after high school to what was probably the most important speech ever given in Rochester. On July 5, 1852, Douglass gave his “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July” speech.

“What, to the American slave, is your 4th of July? I answer: a day that reveals to him, more than all other days in the year, the gross injustice and cruelty to which he is the constant victim. To him, your celebration is a sham; your boasted liberty, an unholy license…

It’s the same theme of the promissory note being unredeemed. The nation is being held to its original ideals and coming up short.

American politicians of every stripe have used the Declaration to evoke a shared national identity. It’s an appeal to the enduring ideas of equality, shared freedom, and a democratic destiny. It’s used by figures as disparate as Calvin Coolidge (“If all men are created equal, that is final. If they are created with unalienable rights, that is final…no progress can be made beyond these propositions.”) and Franklin Roosevelt (“We hold this truth to be self-evident — that government in a modern civilization has certain inescapable obligations to its citizens.”).

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SURROUNDED BY REALITY

Only In Tompkins

Scene: The counter at a popular downtown diner in Ithaca, New York.

It’s breakfast time on a Wednesday, and the stools are occupied by the regulars — a cross section of Tompkins County’s working stiffs. Arnold Schoenberg’s opera Moses und Aron is crackling over the speakers. Humming along is Dr. Avery Colden, a post-doctoral scholar specializing in the lyric poetry of Heinrich Heine.

She’s working the counter and waiting on several booths besides, and her waitress uniform bears evidence of a busy shift.

She’s just slid an order of home fries in front of Shane Cornstarch, a customer wearing a Mr. Tire Auto Service jumpsuit.

CORNSTARCH: Ah! Solanum tuberosum! And à la Provençale, too!

Thanks, Doc. COLDEN: Not a problem, hon!

Where’s your little co-worker buddy?

CORNSTARCH: Didn’t you hear? He was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship to continue his ground-breaking work in petroleum replacement techniques at the Mr. Tire in … get this … Arlington County Virginia! The smartest county in America!

An appreciative murmur ripples down the counter at the mention of Arlington County.

COLDEN: I guess that paper you two presented at the Royal Society did the trick, huh?

CORNSTARCH: (Holding up a skewered home fry.) Indubitably.

COLDEN: Did I hear something about a certain committee in Stockholm?

CORNSTARCH: Bah! Those fools wouldn’t recognize a significant breakthrough if it bit them in the gluteus maximus.

KYLE BRISKET: (Another customer, wearing a tweed jacket with leather elbow patches, half moon reading glasses and a rayon baseball hat with a ‘Dandy Mini Mart’ logo on it. He raises a single

By C h a r l ey G i t h l e r NEWS ITEM: According to census data released in January that covers the five-year period from 2020-2024, Tompkins County, New York ranks as the third-highest nationwide for educational attainment, with 34.8% of residents age 25 or older holding a graduate or professional degree. The rankings include the 613 U.S. counties with a population of 100,000 or more. Let’s eavesdrop in a local eatery and see what the third-smartest might look and sound like…

2025 ANNUAL REPORT

CHRONICLES BIG RED

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an incident or crime happens,” Kelly said.

“We put a big emphasis on building trust.”

Kelly said the department’s goals for 2026 are to expand the Violence Interrupter and CARE programs, put more attention toward community engagement and work to reduce theft through a new larceny prevention program in collaboration with local businesses.

adversity that tested every ounce of resolve.”

I particularly love the quote from team captain CJ Kirst, who established himself as one of the greatest players ever to play the game: “Well done is better than well said.”

Having co-authored “It’s Great To Be Here,” Richie Moran’s autobiography, I know a thing or two about Cornell lacrosse. Swezey’s knowledge and insight

“HIJAS”

great ability to sing, dance, and act.”

The collaboration — Stanescu’s book, Mesri’s music and lyrics, and Socher’s directing — as a three-way venture from the very start was a first for Mesri. The entire team was propelled by their commitment to the musical’s themes: seeking identity, integration and assimilation, generational conflict, mother/daughter bonds — above all, Socher says, “the bloodlines that speak and the lifelines that connect.”

contin u ed from page C13

folklore and rock nacional as well. “Most of the songs were written during workshops,” he says, grateful for these sessions that allowed a fuller development. “In New York, you have to scrounge to get actors for a day, much less a week. Here, it was a game-changer to work with Ithaca College students, who are so open and have such

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eyebrow.) You talking about “Postmodern Materialism: Inductive Relativism and the Deconstruction of Synthetic 10W-30 in the Toyota Rav4”? I read that piece of tripe. Your basic assumptions were fundamentally flawed.

CORNSTARCH: (Standing up and dumping his home fries in the process) This is an outrage! You…you Lotto-ticketpeddling miscreant, I oughta …

BRISKET: (Also standing up) Bring it on, tire-jockey.

CORNSTARCH: That’s ‘Doctor’ TireJockey to you, Mr. Still-Can’t-Finish-HisThesis-After-Nine-Years! “A Study of the Chemical and Physical Properties of the Weeks-Old Hot Dog”. Ha! There’s a chorus of “tsk, tsk”s as all heads are turned to watch the unfolding drama when, suddenly, the diner door swings open and a stranger walks in. Everybody freezes. It’s a middle-aged man wearing a ‘Syracuse Rocks!’ T-shirt.

It’s unspoken but well-known that Onondaga County didn’t even crack the top 250 smartest counties. For a moment, there is absolute silence, and the regular customers shoot each other side glances.

Finally, Dr. Colden collects her wits and picks up a special menu … one with simple words written in bold type and pictures of all the menu items. Cornstarch and Brisket ease back into their chairs, sheepishly.

COLDEN: (approaching the newcomer and steering him toward a cushioned booth) Good morning … me waitress …

you sit down?

The new customer nods nervously and hands Dr. Colden a wrinkled piece of paper on which is written “My name is Cletus.

One cheese omelet, pre-cut, with wheat toast and coffee in a sippy cup. No sharp implements, please!”

COLDEN: (nodding and maintaining eye contact) I’ll be right back with your order and a nice bib. Now don’t you go anywhere.

Back at the counter, there is a minor sensation. One of the customers, in a Wegmans uniform, has managed to prove the Hodge Conjecture on the back of a napkin. He is shrugging modestly as if to say “no big deal” when the front door bangs open and a breathless young woman bursts in.

BREATHLESS YOUNG WOMAN: Quick, everyone! There’s not a moment to lose! They’re giving away grant money on the Commons!

Pandemonium ensues. Chess pieces fly everywhere. Pages of manuscripts flutter to the ground. The door proves to be a bottleneck but after a mad scramble the only person left, blinking, confused, and waiting for his omelet, is the poor visitor from Onondaga County, at best the 279th brainiest county in the land …

FADE OUT.

dwarf my own, and his books are so well done on so many levels. I look forward to what’s coming next.

Thanks to Ithaca High’s athletic department for the timely and thorough updates they have been providing. The season is over for most athletes, but three Little Red tennis players have advanced to the State Quarterfinals. That includes two studentathletes who will compete at the state championship tournament at the iconic USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis

Center in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in Queens.

From IHS: “Seniors Jonah Jacobstein and Orion Patie captured the doubles title at the State Quarterfinals, securing their place at the Boys Tennis Championships at the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing on Friday, June 5. Ninth grader Henry Bopp also delivered an impressive performance, finishing fourth overall in singles competition at the State Quarterfinals.”

WE THE PEOPLE

United States. To him, the preamble was a statement of the basic ideals that ought to guide a democratic society.

The rhetorical legacy of the Declaration shows that we have come to revere its language as a foundational statement of our political faith. It’s been an important part of our political dialogue since our independence from Great Britain, and continues to be so as we commemorate the 250th anniversary of its signing.

contin u ed from page С17

Thomas Jefferson himself saw the Declaration of Independence as more than a document addressing the needs of the political moment of the summer of 1776.

He instructed that “Author of the Declaration of independence” be engraved on his tombstone, without any mention of his having been the third president of the

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR contin u ed from page C16

of those who no longer sit at the table with them.” — Moira Lang, Ithaca NY A NATION SPEAKS contin u ed from page С17

normal classes, I decided to take a calligraphy class to learn how to do this.

I learned about serif and san serif typefaces, about varying the amount of space between different letter combinations, about what makes great typography great.

It was beautiful, historical, artistically subtle in a way that science can’t capture, and I found it fascinating.

None of this had even a hope of any practical application in my life. But ten years later, when we were designing the first Macintosh computer, it all came back to me.

And we designed it all into the Mac. It was the first computer with beautiful typography. If I had never dropped in on that single course in college, the Mac would have never had multiple typefaces or proportionally spaced fonts. And since Windows just copied the Mac, it’s likely that no personal computer would have them. If I had never dropped out, I would have never dropped in on this calligraphy class, and personal computers might not have the wonderful typography that they do.

Of course it was impossible to connect the dots looking forward when I was in college. But it was very, very clear looking backwards ten years later. Again, you can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future.

You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.

My second story is about love and loss. I was lucky — I found what I loved to do early in life. Woz and I started Apple in my parents garage when I was 20. We worked hard, and in 10 years Apple had grown from just the two of us in a garage into a $2 billion company with over 4000 employees. We had just released our finest creation — the Macintosh — a year earlier, and I had just turned 30. And then I got fired. How can you get fired from a company you started? Well, as Apple grew we hired someone who I thought was very talented to run the company with me, and for the first year or so things went well.

But then our visions of the future began to diverge and eventually we had a falling

Ulysses Sole Municipality With Contested Primary

“

There will be a Councilperson Candidates’ Forum moderated by the League of Women Voters from 2:00 p.m. to

out. When we did, our Board of Directors sided with him.

So at 30 I was out. And very publicly out. What had been the focus of my entire adult life was gone, and it was devastating.

I really didn’t know what to do for a few months. I felt that I had let the previous generation of entrepreneurs down — that I had dropped the baton as it was being passed to me. I met with David Packard and Bob Noyce and tried to apologize for screwing up so badly. I was a very public failure, and I even thought about running away from the valley. But something slowly began to dawn on me — I still loved what I did. The turn of events at Apple had not changed that one bit. I had been rejected, but I was still in love. And so I decided to start over. I didn’t see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life.

During the next five years, I started a company named NeXT, another company named Pixar, and fell in love with an amazing woman who would become my wife. Pixar went on to create the world's first computer animated feature film, Toy Story, and is now the most successful animation studio in the world. In a remarkable turn of events, Apple bought NeXT, I returned to Apple, and the technology we developed at NeXT is at the heart of Apple’s current renaissance. And Laurene and I have a wonderful family together.

I'm pretty sure none of this would have happened if I hadn’t been fired from Apple. It was awful tasting medicine, but I guess the patient needed it.

Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don't lose faith. I’m convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You’ve got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and

4:00 p.m. on Sunday, June 7, 2026, at the Trumansburg Fire Department, 74 West Main Street.

Rich Goldman and Keith Hannon will appear on the June 23 primary ballot as Democratic candidates for Town of

Ulysses Councilperson. The winner will advance to the general election in the fall.

Questions to both candidates may be submitted to lwvtompkins.info@gmail. com until 6 p.m. on June 6.” — Cynthia Mannino, Trumansburg NY

Having lived through it, I can now say better as the years roll on. So keep looking this to you with a bit more certainty than until you find it. Don't settle. when death was a useful but purely intelMy third story is about death. When I lectual concept: No one wants to die. Even was 17, I read a quote that went something people who want to go to heaven don’t like: “If you live each day as if it was your want to die to get there. And yet death is last, someday you’ll most certainly be the destination we all share. No one has right”. It made an impression on me, and ever escaped it. And that is as it should since then, for the past 33 years, I have be, because Death is very likely the single looked in the mirror every morning and best invention of Life. It is Life’s change asked myself: “If today were the last day agent. It clears out the old to make way of my life, would I want to do what I am for the new. Right now the new is you, but about to do today?” And whenever the answer has been “No” for too many days in someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared a row, I know I need to change something. away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is Remembering that I'll be dead soon is quite true. Your time is limited, so don't the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. waste it living someone else’s life. Don't be trapped by dogma — which is living Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrass- with the results of other people’s thinkment or failure — these things just fall away ing. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somegoing to die is the best way I know to avoid how already know what you truly want to the trap of thinking you have something become. Everything else is secondary. to lose. You are already naked. There is no When I was young, there was an amazreason not to follow your heart. ing publication called The Whole Earth About a year ago I was diagnosed with cancer. I had a scan at 7:30 in the morning, Catalog, which was one of the bibles of my generation. It was created by a fellow named and it clearly showed a tumor on my panStewart Brand not far from here in Menlo creas. I didn’t even know what a pancreas Park, and he brought it to life with his poetic was. The doctors told me this was almost touch. This was in the late 1960’s, before certainly a type of cancer that is incurpersonal computers and desktop publishable, and that I should expect to live no ing, so it was all made with typewriters, longer than three to six months. My doctor scissors, and polaroid cameras. It was sort advised me to go home and get my affairs in order, which is doctor’s code for prepare of like Google in paperback form, 35 years before Google came along: it was idealisto die. It means to try to tell your kids everything you thought you’d have the next tic, and overflowing with neat tools and great notions. Stewart and his team put out 10 years to tell them in just a few months. It several issues of The Whole Earth Catalog, means to make sure everything is buttoned and then when it had run its course, they up so that it will be as easy as possible for put out a final issue. It was the mid-1970s, your family. It means to say your goodbyes. and I was your age. On the back cover of I lived with that diagnosis all day. their final issue was a photograph of an early Later that evening I had a biopsy, where morning country road, the kind you might they stuck an endoscope down my find yourself hitchhiking on if you were so throat, through my stomach and into my adventurous. Beneath it were the words: intestines, put a needle into my pancreas “Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.” It was their and got a few cells from the tumor. I was farewell message as they signed off. Stay sedated, but my wife, who was there, told Hungry. Stay Foolish. And I have always me that when they viewed the cells under wished that for myself. And now, as you a microscope the doctors started crying graduate to begin anew, I wish that for you. because it turned out to be a very rare Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish. Thank you all form of pancreatic cancer that is curable very much. SJ Next week, we will celebrate with surgery. I had the surgery and I’m Denzel Washington — actor, producer and fine now. This was the closest I’ve been to director — by reading his “Fall Forward” facing death, and I hope it’s the closest I speech at Dillard University in 2015. get for a few more decades.

J uu nn ee 3 – 9 , 2 0 2 6 / T hh ee I tt hh aa cc aa T ii m m ee ss

A19 C19

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artist Andi Pisacano on June 20th and 27th from 1:00 to 2:30 pm. | Free

Film

Music Bars/Bands/Clubs

6/12 Friday

Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio | 8 p.m. | Center for the Arts of Homer, 72 S

An Evening with Wilco | 5 p.m. | Beak & Skiff Apple Orchards, 2708 Lords Hill Road

Main St

6/11 Thursday Beginnings Summer Concert Se-

Sunset Music Series Presents

ries | 5 p.m. | Bernie Milton Pavilion,

Doug & Eamonn Hubert | 3 p.m. |

Center Commons | Free

Wagner Vineyards,

Ithaca Concert Band | 7 p.m. | Stew-

9322 State Route 414

art Park, 1 James L Gibbs Drive

Sunset Music Series Presents Evan Dillon | 5 p.m. | Wagner Vineyards,

6/12 Friday

9322 State Route 414

Dark Star Orchestra | 6:30 p.m. |

Live Music - The Time Riders | 6 p.m. | Hopshire Farm and Brewery,

Beak & Skiff Apple Orchards, 2708 Lords Hill Road

1771 Dryden Road

An Evening with CAKE at Beak &

6/13 Saturday

Beak & Skiff Apple Orchards,

Cruel Summer | 3:30 p.m. | Treleaven Wines, 658 Lake Road Harry Nichols Live | 4 p.m. | Brewers Taproom, 10 Pinckney Rd Cruel Summer — Forever Starts Tonight | 5:30 p.m., 658 Lake Rd, King Ferry

Skiff (Lafayette, NY) | 6:30 p.m. | 2708 Lords Hill Rd., Lafayette My Road to Auburn | 7 p.m. | Auburn Public Theater, 8 Exchange St. | $15.00 Tres Cordes | 7:30 p.m. | Arnot Art

6/14 Sunday Science Connections: Tune Together | 2 p.m. | Sciencenter,

10 Pinckney Rd., Ithaca

601 1st St.

Concers/Recitals

The Inner Crazy | Sunday Afternoon Live in King Ferry, NY | 3 p.m. |

6/10 Wednesday

Northville Arts Center, 999 State

Short Films Screening and Conver-

The Voice of the Lute at Lansing

sation with Sarah Hennies | 6 p.m.

Area Performance Hall | 4 p.m.

| Tompkins County Public Library,

| The Savage Club Performing Arts

101 East Green Street

Center, 1004 Auburn Road | Free

THISWEEK

Stage Meredith Willson’s THE MUSIC MAN | 7:30 p.m., 6/10 Wednesday | Clemens Center, 207 Clemens Center Parkway | The M&T Bank 2025-26 Broadway Season presents Meredith Willson’s THE MUSIC MAN Wednesday – Thursday, June 10–11, 2026 @ 7:30 p.m. Tickets starting at $48.

Daughters (Hijas): A New Musical | 7 p.m., 6/11 Thursday | Kitchen Theatre Company, 417 W. State / W. MLK, Jr. Street | A New Musical at Kitchen Theatre Company | $15.00 - $30.00 The Shark Is Broken (Live Theatre) | 7:30 p.m., 6/12 Friday | Center for the Arts of Homer, 72 S Main St | One Slight Hitch | 7:30 p.m., 6/12 Friday | Cider Mill Stage, 2 Nanticoke Ave | One Slight Hitch by Lewis Black It’s Courtney’s wedding day, and her mom, Delia, is making sure that everything is perfect.

Museum, 235 Lake Street | $40.00

Harry Nichols Live — 6/13 | 6 p.m.,

6/16 Tuesday

Route 34B | Free

Comedy Improv Show starring the Puzzled Players | 8 p.m., 6/12 Friday | Puzzled Players Comedy Improv Theater and Training Center of Greater Binghamton, 19 Madison Avenue | Zany, interactive and fun! | $15.00 Ithaca Pride All Ages Dance Party | 7 p.m., 6/13 Saturday | Bernie Milton Pavilion, Center Commons | Ithaca Pride All Ages Dance Party | Free

DISCLOSURE DAY FRIDAY, JUNE 12 AT 7:30 P.M. AND SATURDAY, JUNE 06 AT 7:30 P.M.

Cinemapolis, 120 E Green St. | If you found out we weren’t alone, if someone showed you, proved it to you, would that frighten you? This summer, the truth belongs to seven billion people. We are coming close to Disclosure Day. (Photo: Provided)

A22 T H E I T H A C A T I M E S / J U N E 3 – 9 , 2 0 2 6 D22

One Slight Hitch | 7:30 p.m., 6/13 Saturday | Cider Mill Stage Cider Mill Stage, 2 Nanticoke Ave. | One Slight Hitch by Lewis Black It’s Courtney’s wedding day, and her mom, Delia, is making sure that everything is perfect.

Science Connections: Tune Together | 2 p.m., 6/14 Sunday | Sciencenter, 601 1st St. | Join Tune Together for an engaging and interactive musical concert! Tune Together is a youth-led organization dedicated to inspiring and empowering younger generations through the power of music.

Participatory Contra, Square, and Circle Dancing | 7 p.m., 6/15 Monday | Ithaca Commons |

Art Lin Price: How To Get From Here To There Exhibit | 12 p.m., 6/11 Thursday | The Gallery at South Hill, 950 Danby Rd., Ithaca, NY at the South Hill Business Campus | Free Nature Journaling with Joel Popp | 10:30 a.m., 6/13 Saturday | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 East Green Street | Connect with the natural world around you, using art to focus on your own questions, thoughts, and observations.

Three Bears Still-Life Flower Painting Class | 6 p.m., 6/15 Monday | Three Bears Ovid, 7175 Main Street | Two free 1.5 hour watercolor painting classes in Papa Bear taught by local

Short Films Screening and Conversation with Sarah Hennies | 6 p.m., 6/10 Wednesday | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 East Green Street | Join composer, percussionist and scholar Sarah Hennies as she shows two of her works, “Falsetto” (30min, 2019) and “Passing” (8min) and leads a Question and Answer session.

History Buffs’ Book Club | 6:30 p.m., 6/11 Thursday | Cortland Free Library, 32 Church St. | Do you enjoy history?

Join us at the library to discuss Humorous History. We choose the topic, You choose the book! Contact the library with any questions!

The Shark Is Broken (Live Theatre) | 7:30 p.m., 6/12 Friday | Center for the Arts of Homer, 72 S Main St. World Cinema at Lifelong — Spring 2026 Film Series | 1:30 p.m., 6/16 Tuesday | Lifelong, 119 W. Court St. | World Cinema Spring 2026 – 12-Session Film Series: April 7 – June 23, 2026 - 1:30 PM – 5:00 PM Framing Ménerbes: FILM SCREENING, CONVERSATION, and RECEPTION | 7 p.m., 6/17 Wednesday | Ithaca College, 201 Muller Center | Back in Ithaca by Popular Demand!

Filmed in France by NYC dance artist/ filmmaker Daniel Gwirtzman. WATCH THE TRAILER! Read More to VIEW | $12.51 Cinemapolis 120 E Green St, Ithaca New movies opening the week of June 10. Contact Cinemapolis for showtimes and continuing films.

National Theatre Live: The Playboy of the Western World| Pegeen Flaherty’s life is turned upside down when, on a normal

day, a young man walks into her pub claiming that he’s killed his father.

Instead of being shunned, the killer Christy Mahon becomes a local hero.

The welcome murderer wins hearts and races as he beds himself into village life. That is until a second man unexpectedly arrives on the scene.

Caitríona McLaughlin (Artistic Director of the Abbey Theatre, Dublin) directs Nicola Coughlan (Bridgerton), Éanna Hardwicke (The Sixth Commandment) and Siobhán McSweeney (Derry Girls) in John Millington Synge’s riveting story of youth and self-discovery. | NA 147 mins Disclosure Day | If you found out we weren’t alone, if someone showed you, proved it to you, would that frighten you? This summer, the truth belongs to seven billion people.We are coming close to … Disclosure Day. | NA 162 mins The Little Sister | One Show Only-GLOBAL LENS — Fatima, 17, the youngest of three daughters, treads carefully as she searches for her own path, grappling with emerging desires, her attraction to women, and her loyalty to her caring FrenchAlgerian family. Starting university in Paris, she dates, makes friends, and explores a whole new world, all while confronting a timeless and heartrending dilemma: How can one stay true to oneself when reconciling different parts of one’s identity feels impossible?| NA 106 mins A Room With A View|June 16 Only!A ROOM WITH A VIEW is one of the greatest—and most romantic—romantic comedies ever made. A young, independent-minded Edwardian woman (Helena Bonham Carter) is torn between her feelings for a free-spirited romantic (Julian Sands) she meets on vacation in Florence and the priggish intellectual (Daniel DayLewis) to whom she becomes locked into an engagement with back home.

An Academy Award-winning adapta-

(RE)FORM FRIDAY, JUNE 12 AT 7 P.M., SUNDAY, JUNE 14 AT 2 P.M.

The Cherry Artspace, 102 Cherry St. | (re)form is a contemporary circus show exploring tension, reflection, and the transformation that becomes possible in the spaces in between.June 10, 12 & 13 @ 7pm, June 13 & 14 @ 2pm.

Buying tickets in advance is highly recommended! Recommended for ages 8 and up. Doors open 15 minutes before showtime and the performance will run approximately an hour. Venue is wheelchair accessible. (Photo: Provided)

tion of the novel by E. M. Forster, A ROOM WITH A VIEW was written by James Ivory (CALL ME BY YOUR NAME).

It was a massive box office hit that helped to propel more traditionally arthouse fare to the mainstream.

Newly restored by Shout! Studios, the movie has never felt more stunning. | NA 117 mins

Special Events GO ITHACA Open Hours | 2 p.m., 6/11 Thursday | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 East Green Street | Our program makes sustainable commuting accessible and affordable for everyone.

Beak & Skiff | 6:30 p.m., 6/12 Friday | Beak & Skiff Apple Orchards, 2708 Lords Hill Road | DSP Shows Presents: Dark Star Orchestra June 12, 2026 Beak & Skiff | Lafayette, NY darkstarorchestra.net Performing to critical acclaim for over 20 years and over 3000 shows, Dark Star Orchestra An Evening with CAKE at Beak & Skiff (Lafayette, NY) | 6:30 p.m., 6/12 Friday | Beak & Skiff Apple Orchards, 2708 Lords Hill Rd, Lafayette | DSP Shows Presents: Dark Star Orchestra June 12, 2026 Beak & Skiff | CrossFit Cortland Coffee Run and Tasting Tour With Local Roasters | 8 a.m., 6/13 Saturday | CrossFit Cortland and CFC Nutrition, 165 Main Street | Join us for a caffeine-fueled jog around town, sampling the best brews from local roasters — a workout for your taste buds! | $33.85 Ithaca Pride Festival Opening Events | 3 p.m., 6/13 Saturday | Bernie Milton Pavilion, Center Commons | Ithaca Pride Festival — Opening Events | Free Barnyard Bonanza: Cows | 4 p.m., 6/16 Tuesday | Cortland Free Library, 32 Church St | Join our special guest, 2025 Cortland County Fair Queen

Court, as they share stories, craft, and activities all about COWS. This program is geared towards ages 4–8. Registration is required.

Books History Buffs’ Book Club | 6:30 p.m., 6/11 Thursday | Cortland Free Library, 32 Church St | Do you enjoy history?

Join us at the library to discuss Humorous History. We choose the topic, You choose the book! Contact the library with any questions!

Claire Drucker Poetry Reading | 6 p.m., 6/12 Friday | Protagonist Books and Coffee, 8 West Main Street | Claire Drucker will read from her book The Life you Gave Me and share from her new work written in response to erased words under the current administration. | Free SVHC Poetry Slam | 7 p.m., 6/12 Friday | Ake Gallery, 165 Main Street, #Suite 14L | The vibe of an open mic + your poetry performed + community = Poetry Slam. Proceeds benefit the programs of Seven Valleys Health Coalition | $12.51 Trans Center Book Club | 1 p.m., 6/13 Saturday | Buffalo Street Books, 215 North Cayuga Street | Join us to discuss Stone Butch Blues by Leslie Feinberg! A book club hosted by the Ithaca Trans Center. | Free Poetry Reading with Claire Drucker | 4 p.m., 6/13 Saturday | Buffalo Street Books, 215 North Cayuga Street | Join us for a poetry reading with Claire Drucker! | Free Comic Book Club of Ithaca | 6:30 p.m., 6/16 Tuesday | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 East Green Street | The Comic Book Club of Ithaca — the oldest continuously running comic book club in the country — is a registered non-profit organization.

LET’S READ + TALK ABOUT CLIMATE — CLIMATE LIT DISCUSSION GROUP | 4 p.m., 6/17 Wednesday | Buffalo

Street Books, 215 North Cayuga Street | Join our community-led conversation about climate change, as we discuss Theory of Water: Nishnaabe Maps to the Times Ahead by Leanne Betasamosake Simpson! | Free

99 Smith Rd. | Join us for a spectacular Father’s Day!Admission — $40 for 1 adult, & 2 children you’ll get to do 2 rounds of laser tag. You may purchase an extra round for $20, and it is $10 per any additional person. | $40.00

Kids

Science Connections: Tune Together | 2 p.m., 6/14 Sunday | Sciencenter, 601 1st St | Join Tune Together for an engaging and interactive musical concert! Tune Together is a youth-led organization dedicated to inspiring and empowering younger generations through the power of music.

Helping Teens Thrive: A Parent Discussion Series | 6 p.m., 6/10 Wednesday | The series, Helping Teens Thrive: A Parent Discussion Series, is part of the Positive Parenting Program (Triple P) and offers practical, strengths-based strategies for navigating common challenges that arise during adolescence | Free Story + Craft | 4 p.m., 6/11 Thursday | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 East Green Street | Story + Craft is our weekly reading + creating event for children! Join us for a read-aloud, followed by art-making or a guided craft.

Spanish Storytime | 4 p.m., 6/12 Friday | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 E Green St | Children of all ages and their caregivers are welcome to join us for Spanish storytime — songs, rhymes, stories, and crafts - completely in Spanish!

ICG Drop-In Discovery Days | 10 a.m., 6/13 Saturday | Ithaca Children’s Garden, 121 Turtle Lane | A free Saturday Summer series designed for nature explorers of all ages. Materials and staff will be available to support your exploration as you enjoy handson, themed activities at your own pace. | Free Second Saturday Family Fun: Dinosaurs | 10:30 a.m., 6/13 Saturday | Cortland Free Library, 32 Church St | Get ready for Summer Reading with DINOSAUR stories, songs, snacks, craft and activities! Program geared to ages 3-7 yrs. but all families are welcome.

Registration is required.

Father’s Day nature, laser tag | 1 p.m., 6/14 Sunday | Fantasy Forest LLC,

adding Wednesdays. Starting April 29, join us from 4–9 PM for a free midweek 420 market where growers, enthusiasts, and the community connect. | Free

#Suite 14L | The vibe of an open mic + your poetry performed + community = Poetry Slam. Proceeds benefit the programs of Seven Valleys Health Coalition | $12.51

Kitchen OPEN | 4:30 p.m., 6/10 Wednesday | We’re excited to share that Hopshire is now offering a limited menu!

Saturday Market | 9 a.m., 6/13 Saturday | Steamboat Landing, 545 3rd St. | Our Saturday Markets are now outside at the pavilion. Find us each week at Steamboat Landing.

Pet Clinic | 6 p.m., 6/10 Wednesday | Southside Community Center Gym, 305 S Plain St | Pet Clinic Succulent Wreath Workshop at Brewers | 6 p.m., 6/10 Wednesday | Brewer’s Kitchen & Taproom, 1384 Dryden Rd | You’re going to want in on this amazing succulent wreath project!

Journey of Water — Free Summer Science Programming for Kids and Families | 2 p.m., 6/14 Sunday | Various, various | Explore the ways that water moves through our lives with the Community Science Institute.

Free summer programming for kids and families. Go to communityscience. org/journeyofwater/ for schedule and to register. Kids get a passport to stamp at each program and can get a free t-shirt. | Free

Ithaca Urban Renewal Agency Neighborhood Investment Committee Mtg | 9 a.m., 6/11 Thursday | Common Council Chambers, 3rd Floor City Hall 108 E Green St | Master Gardener Volunteers’ Montour Falls Plant Sale | 4 p.m., 6/11 Thursday | Montour Falls Fireman’s Field, 301 Clawson Blvd | Join CCE Schuyler’s Master Gardeners for an afternoon full of Plants, Garden Decor, Plant Merch and Food at at new location: The Montour Falls Farmer’s Market at Fireman’s Field! | Free

Sit! Stay! Read! | 3 p.m., 6/15 Monday | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 E Green St | Children are invited to practice their reading skills by sharing a story with a truly non-judgmental listener — a dog! Reading sessions will be held Mondays from 3-4 p.m.

Travel Talks | 6:30 p.m., 6/11 Thursday | Newfield Public Library, 198 Main St | Join us at the Library to hear about other peoples’ travel experiences and share your own! From river cruises to camping to time shares, get inspired for your next vacation or reminisce about your favorite trip with a group of travel lovers. | Free

Tanglewood Nature Center | 3:30 p.m., 6/15 Monday | Newfield Public Library, 198 Main St | Tanglewood Nature Center will visit the Newfield Public Library for an interactive presentation with animal ambassadors. | Free

Karaoke with Elephant Sound | 8 p.m., 6/11 Thursday | 23 North Restaurant and Bar, 23 Cinema Dr | Show off your singing chops every Thursday night during “Karaoke Night” at 23 North in Ithaca! Great food, great drinks, great FUN! | Free

Free Family Bingo Every Tuesday Night | 6/16 Tuesday | Ice Cream Bar, 207 E. Main St. (Rt 96 |

Notices The Midweek Session | 4 p.m., 6/10 Wednesday | NRE Space, 402 W. State St | The Finger Lakes CannaMarket is

SVHC Poetry Slam | 7 p.m., 6/12 Friday | Ake Gallery, 165 Main Street,

Pride in the Park 2026 | 10 a.m., 6/14 Sunday | Ithaca Dewitt Park, Ithaca Dewitt Park, Ithaca Dewitt Park, Ithaca Causes, Dewitt Park, N Cayuga St | Join us for local vendors, food, community resources, and a full day of stage performances.

Poses With Purpose-Yoga benefitting Lodi Whittier Library | 10 a.m., 6/14 Sunday | Lamoreaux Landing Wine Cellars, 9224 New York 414 | Enjoy a morning of yoga in the vineyard at Lamoreaux Landing while supporting Lodi Whittier Library! Tickets $20 cash/Venmo at the door. | Free Growing Well Together | 5:30 p.m., 6/16 Tuesday | Ithaca Community Gardens, Cayuga Park Lane | Meet at the Ithaca Community Gardens pavilion to enjoy a free yoga class, learn how to grow your own vegetables, or join a walking group! | Free Community Line Dance | 7 p.m., 6/16 Tuesday | Foundation of Light, 391 Turkey Hill Rd | Community Line Dance lessons Show Tunes Singalong! | 8 a.m., 6/17 Wednesday | St. Luke Lutheran Church, 109 Oak Street | In conjunction with and supporting Ithaca Pride Alliance — an evening of music, laughter, and community in celebration of Pride Month.

THE VOICE OF THE LUTE AT LANSING AREA PERFORMANCE HALL

SUNDAY, JUNE 14 AT 2:30 P.M.

Cinemapolis, 120 E Green St. | GLOBAL LENS — Fatima, 17, the youngest of three daughters, treads carefully as she searches for her own path, grappling with emerging desires, her attraction to women, and her loyalty to her caring French-Algerian family.

Starting university in Paris, she dates, makes friends, and explores a whole new world, all while confronting a timeless and heartrending dilemma: How can one stay true to oneself when reconciling different parts of one’s identity feels impossible? (Photo: Provided)

SUNDAY, JUNE 14 FROM 4 P.M. TO 5 P.M.

The Savage Club Performing Arts Center Groton, NY | Join NYS Baroque’s Young Artist, Pedro Sperb, for an engaging and accessible concert that brings the earliest music for plucked strings to life. Through captivating performance and storytelling, discover how these instruments shaped the music we love today no prior knowledge needed.Free and open to the public just come and enjoy! (Photo: Eventbrite)

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THE LITTLE SISTER

Summer Tree ID Walk | 10 a.m., 6/13 Saturday | CCE-Tompkins Education Center, 615 Willow Avenue | Learn to distinguish one tree from the next and about forest ecology. This tour will teach how to identify tree species using leaves, bark, and seeds. | $20.00

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The consequences extend beyond individual households. When large portions of a community are locked out of ownership, neighborhoods lose stability, long-term investment, and civic engagement. Families who could otherwise build equity remain vulnerable to rising rents and displacement.

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Instead of relying solely on narrow credit metrics, Alternatives looks at the full financial story of each member, including rental payment history, alternative forms of credit, employment stability, and the broader context of a borrower’s life. This approach recognizes that many financially responsible people do not fit neatly into traditional underwriting boxes.

At the center of this work is Alternatives’ FAIR Mortgage, a product designed specifically to expand responsible access to homeownership.

The FAIR Mortgage: Reimagining Access to Homeownership FAIR — short for Finance Addressing Inequality and Racism — was designed to address structural barriers embedded in conventional mortgage lending and create a more practical pathway toward ownership.

Key features of the FAIR Mortgage include: • No minimum credit score requirement • Eligibility for borrowers earning under 80% of Area Median Income (AMI), or up to 120% AMI for first-generation homebuyers • Up to 100% loan-to-value financing with no private mortgage insurance (PMI) • No down payment required, though closing costs still apply; grant funds may help offset some expenses • Flexible consideration of self-employment income • Loan terms ranging from 15 to 40 years Each feature directly addresses barriers that often keep renters from becoming owners. For cost-burdened renters, eliminating PMI can significantly reduce monthly housing costs, while flexible underwriting can recognize years of consistent rent payments that traditional models may overlook.

This innovation matters in a community where many families already spend a large share of income on housing. By lowering upfront and ongoing costs, the FAIR Mortgage creates a realistic bridge from renting to owning while maintaining responsible lending standards.

Building Wealth, Strengthening Communities Homeownership is more than a milestone; it is a foundation for stability, security, and long-term financial growth. For households historically excluded from mortgage markets, access to ownership can reshape financial futures.

By pioneering products like the FAIR Mortgage and centering human-first lending practices, Alternatives Federal Credit Union is helping rewrite the story of who gets to own a home. Its approach demonstrates that financial institutions can expand access while maintaining responsible standards.

For families who have been told ʼno” — or simply never given a chance — Alternatives offers a path forward, transforming homeownership from a distant aspiration into an achievable goal.

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HIGHLIGHTING RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENTS IN SCIENTIFIC FIELDS, TECHNOLOGY & SOCIAL SCIENCES

Conservation Paleobiology – Reading the Fossil Record to Guide Tomorrow’s Ecosystems

By Mikayla Rovenolt

N

ot far from Downtown Ithaca, New York, at the Paleontological Research Institution (PRI), an internationally recognized scientist digs for answers to some of today’s most pressing environmental crises.

Dr. Gregory P. Dietl, Curator of Cenozoic Invertebrates and Director of Collections at PRI, and an adjunct associate professor of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at Cornell University, is a leading voice in conservation paleobiology.

This emerging field uses the fossil record and other geohistorical archives—shells, bones, pollen, sediment cores—to provide the long-term context that modern ecology often lacks. By studying what ecosystems looked like before and during past environ-

mental upheavals, Dietl and his colleagues help conservationists set realistic restoration goals, assess true human impacts, and plan for an uncertain future.

At PRI, Dietl oversees vast collections of Cenozoic—the past 66 million years of Earth’s history—marine invertebrates while leading research that bridges paleontology and conservation biology. Through exhibits at the Museum of the Earth and collaborations with students and colleagues, Dietl shows how Ithaca-based science is shaping worldwide efforts to protect biodiversity and ecosystem services like clean water, coastal protection, and food security.

“Long-term data help us make more informed decisions,” Dietl said in an interview with the Ithaca Times. “Think about the stock market: Nobody wants to invest

Gregory Dietl, Curator of Cenozoic Invertebrates at the Paleontological Research Institute, Ithaca, New York. (Photo: Mark Syvertson)

Introduction to Conservation Paleobiology. (Graphic: Greg Dietl)

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based only on what happened today. You want to understand the bigger trends over time. In ecology, we often lack that historical perspective, and conservation paleobiology helps us reconstruct it.”

Conservation paleobiology fills a critical gap. Traditional ecological monitoring covers only decades—too short to capture the full scope of human-driven change.

Many ecosystems were already altered by overhunting, deforestation, or pollution long before scientists began systematic surveys.

Fossils and death assemblages (accumulations of recent dead shells or bones) act as natural archives, offering baselines that stretch back centuries or millennia. As Dietl and co-author Karl W. Flessa wrote in a 2011 review in Trends in Ecology & Evolution, this approach lets scientists “put the dead to work” for conservation policy and practice.

Their 2017 book Conservation Paleobiology: Science and Practice (University of Chicago Press), which Dietl co-edited, further solidified the field’s framework.

tion outcomes when historical paleobiologists. He has mentored students monitoring data are limited or at Cornell while helping shape broader unavailable. conversations about how students should be Dietl added that the Florida trained. Working with Tricia Kelley, from oyster and Long Island Sound the University of North Carolina Wilmexamples illustrate how he, and ington, Dietl helped establish the Pathways other researchers are trying to Working Group, which focuses on identifybridge the gap between research ing the skills needed for careers in conservaand implementation by tailoring tion paleobiology. research to the needs of environThe effort goes beyond traditional mental managers. scientific training to include skills such as Dietl’s conservation paleobiknowledge pluralism—the ability to bring ology program extends beyond together scientific, local, and other forms of research to include public knowledge to improve conservation decioutreach. His HOBS Project is sions. featured in a Museum of the “The hope is for conservation paleobiolEarth exhibit. ogy to become part of the standard conserThe exhibit, developed with vation toolkit,” Dietl said. “That will happen Jaleigh Goben, a Ph.D. student as more students bring these approaches in Dietl’s lab, and others, shows into conservation careers and demonstrate visitors how paleontological their value in practice.” methods inform oyster restoraHis work has earned fellowships from Trillions of seashells have accumulated on the cheniers in the northern Gulf of California, tion. Parallel stories are also Yale’s Gaylord Donnelley Environmental in Baja California (Mexico). (Source: www.priweb.org) told: pollen records revealing Program and Cornell’s Atkinson Center for pre-settlement fire regimes in the Sustainability. Through PRI’s collections One of Dietl’s signature projects— included in the FLDEP’s trend analyses.” western U.S., ancient bird bones Dietl ensures that Ithaca’s scientific resources the Historical Oyster Body Size (HOBS) Closer to home, in the Long Island predicting extinction risk on Pacific islands, serve both researchers and the public. project—illustrates the power of conservaSound, Dietl is leading an ongoing New and Adirondack lake sediments reclassifying As climate change accelerates and habition paleobiology. HOBS is a collaboration York Sea Grant-funded project examining yellow perch as native rather than invasive. tat loss and biodiversity decline, conservabetween PRI and the Florida Department how marine life has responded to decades “This experience led me to pursue a tion paleobiology offers hope grounded in of Environmental Protection (FLDEP) that of efforts to reduce nitrogen pollution in Ph.D. combining conservation paleobiolevidence. Dietl’s research proves that the uses buried shells of oysters to reconstruct the Sound. Excess nitrogen has long fueled ogy and science communication, which has past is not just a prologue, it is a practical the historical condition of Florida’s oyster summertime “dead zones” with low oxygen since evolved into an interest in the power of guide. By listening to the stories preserved reefs in protected areas managed by the levels, harming bottom-dwelling organisms conservation storytelling to spark conservain shells and sediments, scientists like him state. In many places, long-term monitoring and degrading habitat conditions. Although tion action,” Goben said. help us restore what we have damaged and data either do not exist or have only recently water quality improved after major nitrogen These examples, drawn from Dietl’s protect what remains. begun, making it difficult to know how reductions were implemented in the early broader program at PRI, make abstract sciFor readers in Ithaca and beyond, his work much reefs have changed over time.

2000s, little long-term biological monitoring at PRI reminds us that groundbreaking innoThe project takes advantage of the fact was conducted to determine whether marine ence tangible for Ithaca visitors and underscore local relevance. New York’s own lakes vation can happen right here in our backyard, that dead oyster shells buried beneath living life actually responded to those improveand forests benefit from the same toolkit. with implications that ripple across the planet. reefs retain a kind of ecological “memory” of ments.

Dietl is also passionate about trainThe dead, it turns out, have a lot to teach the past environmental conditions. By sampling To address that gap, Dietl, Cornell Ph.D. living—if we are willing to listen. ing the next generation of conservation these shell deposits, Dietl and his FLDEP student Matthew Pruden, and John colleagues can compare modern oyster popHandley from the University of ulations with reefs that existed decades earRochester are analyzing dead mollier, with some records extending back to the lusk shells collected from seafloor 1950s. That historical perspective showed sediments across the Sound. Much that some reefs declined in oyster body size like the oyster-shell work in Florida, over time, while others remained stable or these shell accumulations preserve even increased—patterns that would have an ecological “memory” of past remained hidden without the geohistorical environmental conditions, allowing record preserved beneath the reefs. environmental managers to compare The findings are helping environmental modern habitat conditions with managers better understand long-term reef those that existed before restoration change and set more informed conservaefforts began. tion and restoration goals for the oysters Results to date show signs and the ecosystems they support. The HOBS of ecological recovery in parts of project also highlights a common challenge eastern Long Island Sound, where in conservation biology: the gap between low-oxygen events have declined, scientific research and its use in managewhile some western areas closer to ment decisions.

New York City show little improve“There was a need for historical informent despite cleaner water, likely mation on oyster body size to be integrated because polluted sediments continue with existing monitoring data, and we to affect bottom habitats. The project provided that,” Dietl said. “Without it, there demonstrates how preserved shell simply wasn’t enough information for size— records can provide a cost-effective One of Greg Dietl’s collections. (Photo: Mark Syvertson) a key indicator of oyster condition—to be way to evaluate long-term restoraJu ne

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