Don’t Suffer in Silence - How Urogynecologists Can Help Persistent Pelvic Floor Problems
Urogynecologists specialize in conditions that affect the most private parts of a woman’s body – addressing issues related to incontinence, prolapse, and sexual dysfunction. These specialists, who combine expertise in urology and gynecology, offer advanced, targeted care.
“When I was in medical school, I was really attracted to obstetrics and gynecology because of the nice combination of medicine and surgery. I could go into surgery and look after women’s health as well,” said Dr. Muhammad Aslam, Urogynecologist at Arnot Health, a Member of Centralus Health.
Involuntary leakage or loss of control over bodily function can be brought on by a sneeze or cough. When it comes to discussing issues about bodily functions, many people share the same sentiment: the topic is too embarrassing to discuss.
“The patient population I serve varies. These are women suffering from urinary leakage, pelvic organ prolapses, bowel leakage, and bowel incontinence. A lot of people don’t talk about it because it’s considered taboo. They avoid social outings, activities, and don’t go out.”
While common, leakage caused by pelvic floor or other urinary dysfunction is a treatable medical condition, not a normal part of life.
“One in four women will have surgery for pelvic organ prolapse. That’s how prevalent it is. There’s not much information about it and they don’t know that these are very curable problems.”
Often associated with aging, Dr. Aslam says issues related to gynecological and urological conditions can affect women of all ages.
“The age range of patients I treat varies from women in their 20’s to women in their 90’s.”
“My goal as a provider is to work with the women and provide different options. There’s not one treatment model that fits all.”
Urogynecologists offer specialized, comprehensive treatment plans tailored to meet the needs of each patient.
“We start with conservative treatments. You can go to a pelvic floor therapist for help. Some cases of urinary incontinence - not all cases - can be treated with medication. If not, then surgical options are there.”
If treatments fail and surgery is the only option for relief from symptoms, Dr. Aslam says minimally invasive robotic surgery is one of his areas of special clinical interest.
“I’ve done over 1,000 robotic surgeries and have over 40 peer reviewed publications. I consider myself to be a pioneer of robotic surgery in my field. I’m happy to bring these advancements to this area.”
Robotic surgery comes with many advantages; unlike traditional open operations, the minimally invasive procedure comes with fewer risks and improves post-operative outcomes.
“When they are done with other modalities, like open surgery, you have big scars and stay in the hospital for multiple days. With this, you have your surgery, you go home faster, get back to work sooner, and the outcomes are great.”
Women typically seek treatment from a urogynecologist for chronic pelvic pain, overactive bladder, and urinary incontinence. Though any woman can experience these issues, those who have had children are more likely to seek care from a urogynecologist.
“Childbirth, as much of a blessing as it is, affects the pelvic floor, predisposing women to the problems mentioned before-all of which are treatable.”
While they are often considered chronic and challenging, many urogynecological conditions can be successfully managed, but Dr. Aslam says treatment decisions are in the hands of the patient.
Weakened or injured pelvic floor muscles can cause problems with how these organs work. When this happens, don’t let these problems disrupt your life, see a urogynecologist.
“You do not have to suffer in silence. All of these problems are treatable. I will help you, I will treat you, and we’ll work together to make your life so much better. My goal is to get you back to normal so you can live your life with no limitations.”
Arnot Health and Cayuga Health, members of Centralus Health, offer comprehensive women’s health services like therapy for pelvic pain and incontinence and compassionate obstetrics and gynecological care.
Arnot Health offers urogynecological care and additional women’s health services at 600 Roe Avenue, Elmira; 7571 State Route 54, Bath; 100 John Roemmelt Drive, Horseheads; 123 Conhocton Street, Corning, and 600 Fitch Street, Suite 102, Elmira.
Cayuga Health offers obstetrics, gynecological, and therapy-based pelvic floor care at 310 Taughannock Boulevard, Suite 1C, Ithaca; 10 Brentwood Drive, Suite A, Ithaca; 1129 Commons Avenue, Cortland; 20 Arrowwood Drive, Ithaca, and 401 Cayuga Park Lane, Ithaca.
Minimally invasive surgical options are available for patients who do not benefit from medicinal or therapeutic-based treatments.
Dr. Muhammad Aslam is a double board-certified specialist in Obstetrics and Gynecology and Urogynecology and Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery.
N ews line
Earliest Harmful Algal Bloom on Record Confirmed on Cayuga Lake
By Maddy Vogel
The first harmful algal bloom (HAB) of 2026 has been confirmed on Cayuga Lake. This marks the earliest bloom on record since 2018, when the Community Science Institute (CSI) began its HAB Monitoring Program.
CSI announced in a social media post that the first bloom of 2026 was identified on April 23 in the village of Cayuga, on the northern end of the lake. This bloom comes months earlier in the season than in previous years, according to Grascen Shidemantle, executive director of CSI.
“This really caught us off guard,” Shidemantle said. “We were not expecting to have HABs this early.”
HABs are harmful cyanobacteria growths caused by various stressors on Cayuga Lake’s environment, including high temperatures, sunshine, and an excess of nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus, often found in agricultural runoff. They can be toxic to humans and animals, with a range of side effects depending on the level of exposure.
CSI is a nonprofit organization that monitors and tests toxicity levels of HABs, among other work to protect local water quality. Groups of volunteers and staff each year identify, test, and report the presence of HABs on Cayuga Lake through a Harmful Algal Bloom Monitoring Program. It also operates a HABs database, where community members can
view HAB reports and toxicity levels.
The bloom was spotted by one of CSI’s longtime volunteers walking along the shoreline. The volunteer collected a sample and took it to CSI’s lab in northeast Ithaca. CSI then tested and confirmed the presence of Microcystis, the harmful cyanobacteria behind HABs.
Shidemantle said the area where the bloom was found is a “hot spot,” with covelike geography that leads to favorable bloom conditions during warm summer months.
Although CSI accepts bloom reports year-round, it has a “monitoring season” where volunteers collect samples and monitor portions of the lake on a weekly basis.
“Traditionally, our monitoring program has been between July 1 through the end of October,” Shidemantle said, “but conditions are changing, we’re noticing longer seasons.”
Early to mid-July is when blooms typically start popping up on Cayuga Lake. In 2025, the first of Cayuga Lake’s HABs were confirmed on July 5. Last year, CSI received a record-breaking number of bloom reports, with HABs being detected through the beginning of November.
Shidemantle said that while Cayuga Lake doesn’t experience warm sunny days where blooms typically flourish in April, upstate New York has experienced its fair share of rain. Increased rainfall can lead to runoff and increased nutrient levels in the lake, which cyanobacteria in HABs feed on. Shidemantle said in springtime,
residents can mistake pollen collecting on the lake’s surface for HABs. Although they can look similar, pollen is light yellow in color, and HABs are typically bright green with a paint-like appearance.
Although the bloom arrived unusually early, Shidemantle said it’s too soon to predict how the rest of the season will unfold.
The public can report potential bloom sightings to CSI through its 2026 HAB reporting form or by emailing HABsHotline@gmail. com with their name, the date, time, location, and at least 2 pictures of the suspected HAB.
X Students Selected as Local Representatives for Educational Conference in Albany
By Lorien Tyne
T
hree local high school students have been chosen to represent Tompkins County at the 26th annual Students Inside Albany Conference from May 17 to 20.
The selected students are Corallus Meeks, a junior at Ithaca High School; Claire Springston, a senior at New Roots Charter School; and June Wofford, a senior at Charles O Dickerson High School in Trumansburg.
These local students will join a group of 60 students from across New York state for an educational experience at the capitol from May 17 to 20. The conference is sponsored by the League of Women Voters of New York State Education Foundation, Inc.
Each year, high school sophomores, juniors and seniors in New York have the opportunity to apply for the chance to attend the conference. Chapters of the League of Women Voters set the criteria for sending students in their respective region. Applications may ask about a student’s leadership or advocacy experiences, what issues they see impacting youth or their communities and how attending the conference may shape their future goals and civic engagement.
The program provides students with firsthand education about their state government and aims to increase awareness of young adults’ responsibility in representative government. At the conference, the students will participate
in interactive lectures on topics such as the state budget process, the role of lobbyists in the legislative process, citizen rights to access government information, the role of media in politics and the efforts to reform state government.
The students also have the opportunity to tour the state capitol and shadow their respective senators and assemblymembers during legislative sessions.
In addition to Students Inside Albany, local Leagues organize other youth leadership and civic engagement programs, such as Take Me to Vote, Student Parent Mock Elections, Kids Voting USA, Running and Winning and the Working Group on Girls.
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On April 23, a Community Science Institute volunteer spotted a suspicious algal bloom, which turned out to be the earliest on record in Cayuga Lake. (Photo: Community Science Institute)
By Mark Syvertson QUESTION OF THE WEEK:
“WHAT'S A CHILDREN’S TOY YOU WISH YOU HAD GROWING UP?”
NOTE: If readers wish to participate in the Ithaca Times’ Inquiring Photographer column, contact Mark Syvertson at marksyvertsonphotography@gmail.com
Three Years After Unionizing, Bangs Ambulance Workers Still Work Without a Contract
By Mikayla Rovenolt
After successfully unionizing in March of 2023, Bangs Ambulance employees began contract negotiations with management. Three years later, those same contract negotiations are ongoing, with both workers and management claiming negotiations have been intentionally delayed by the other party.
Bangs Ambulance started in 1945 and is a private, family-owned, for-profit company that provides emergency medical services to the town and city of Ithaca and the towns of Lansing, Enfield, Newfield, Slaterville and Danby. Bangs employees, under Bangs Ambulance Workers United (BAWU), are organized with CSEA and are members of the Civil Service Union.
Diana Cooper, who has been working as an emergency medical technician (EMT) for Bangs since October of 2023 and is the interim vice president of BAWU-CSEA Local 718, said contract negotiations have stalled.
He said that despite years of negotiations, workers and management have not reached a temporary agreement, let alone a fully certified contract. He said the employees have been close to an agreement multiple times, but to no avail.
its employees and the larger community.”
Cooper said that about a month ago the union was moving toward an agreement with management and the only editing they agreed upon was typos and grammatical errors, but no changes would be made to policies. The deadline for the edits came and went with no meetings scheduled.
“A fair contract is our goal... We have always acted in good faith.”
—
Meghan Bangs, EMT and human resource manager for Bangs Ambulance
“We still don't have a contract, despite the fact that we have, time and time again, negotiated faithfully to get what they wanted and what we wanted out of it,” Cooper said.
Meghan Bangs, EMT and human resource manager for Bangs Ambulance, said the union’s accusations of delay are “entirely unfounded” in a statement to the Ithaca Times. She claimed that on several occasions, the union has failed to show up to scheduled negotiation sessions and “failed to schedule sessions for months on end.”
“Bangs Ambulance is working hard to come to an agreement with the CSEA and believes that an agreement is very close,” Meghan Bangs shared in a statement on behalf of the board. “Bangs has great respect for the rights of all its workers and believes that the negotiating process can be a positive for the Ambulance company,
Cooper continued that the union did not receive any communication from management for nearly two weeks after that deadline. He said the union received an email that was a request to start renegotiating part of the contract that had been in place, via a letter of agreement with the union, for over two years.
“This was the evidence that we needed to really start talking about filing a ULP, the unfair labor practice, with the National Labor Relations Board,” Cooper said.
by noon on April 30, the union would involve the public. Additionally, they stated they would write to the National Labor Relations Board to file a ULP complaint.
Cooper said that as of May 1, they are filing the complaint as “negotiating bad faith” which he said is a common reason for unions to submit a ULP.
“Because we have been negotiating for the past three years, we have gotten to a point many times where the company has attempted to and successfully delayed the signing of the contract, or delayed ratifying a temporary agreement,” Cooper said. “We think, at this point, that they are just trying to hold out as long as they can until the union gives up, and because that's where we've gotten, this is why we're involving the NLRB.”
Meghan Bangs also denied the union’s accusations of bad faith. “The Union should return to the negotiating table,” she said, adding that management has proposed language to the union that would allow the contract to be signed.
“We still don't have a contract, despite the fact that we have, time and time again, negotiated faithfully to get what they wanted and what we wanted out of it.”
On April 29, Cooper and BAWU President Jason David delivered a letter to management that stated the union had been in faithful contract negotiations privately for over three years and that if a contract was not signed
— Diana Cooper, EMT and interim vice president of BAWU-CSEA Local 718
“A fair contract is our goal,” Meghan Bangs said, “one that provides protections for workers and assures the long-term successful viability of the ambulance company here in Ithaca where it has served the public for eighty years. We have always acted in good faith.”
“Does it have to be realistic? I would want an actual Garchomp [Pokémon].”
Anthony
“I just wish I had a skateboard when I was growing up.”
Nick
“We had a Subbuteo tabletop soccer game when I was a kid but it was stolen. It’s super fun.”
Pete
“I would probably want an electric scooter.”
Liz
“Definitely
Workers at Bangs Ambulance have been negotiating for a union contract for over three years. (Photo: Mark Syvertson/Ithaca Times File)
TeraWulf’s Proposed Data Center Faces Local Delays, Pushback
By Lorien Tyne
Lansing Planning Board Says TeraWulf
Data Center Application is Incomplete
After hearing a presentation from representatives of TeraWulf on April 27 about the proposed data center on the shore of Cayuga Lake, the town of Lansing’s planning board decided that the application was still incomplete, and TeraWulf will have to answer its questions before further steps can be taken.
Aimee Caffrey, a planning board alternate member who was appointed earlier this year, recused herself from discussion of TeraWulf’s proposed data center and left the meeting room for the agenda item. Prior to joining the board, Caffrey expressed opposition to the data center during community discussions.
“My foremost concern is and always has been the well-being of this town, and I want to ensure that nothing I have said or done as a resident of Lansing compromises the integrity of the process that you all, as my fellow board members, will carry out on behalf of Lansing residents,” Caffrey said.
Scott Kobylarz, TeraWulf’s site lead for the Cayuga data center project, said that 183 acres of the full 434-acre site are leased to TeraWulf and that the data center development would be across about 125 acres.
“It’s located on a previously developed industrial site, there’s existing substation and transmission infrastructure already in place,” Kubylarz said, explaining why the site was chosen. “The layout will attempt to maximize separation from residential areas.”
Kobylarz said there would be two phases to the project: the first would involve the construction of three buildings that would utilize a total of 150 megawatts of power, and the second phase would have an additional 150 megawatts of power and construction of one or two more buildings.
“The specifics on that have not yet been established,” Kobylarz said regarding the buildings in phase two. “We need to work through issues with NYSEG and NYISO.”
He said generators would be used in the event of a power outage, but only allowing the servers to stay on long enough to shut down safely.
Kobylarz said the cooling system would be a closed loop and would not use water from the lake. All water for the site would be coming from Bolton Point and there would be no discharge into Cayuga Lake.
According to Kobylarz, the data center would bring 500 jobs during construction and another 50 to 100 long-term positions once it becomes operational, which he said would help restore the local tax base. He also said an annual fund would be set up to support local schools, parks and community initiatives.
Throughout the presentation, board members expressed confusion about different aspects of the project. Town Planner Nathaniel Rogers pointed out that the location of the proposed solar field project on the same property overlapped with the data center. He asked TeraWulf representatives to provide the full lease to make sure there is no overlap on the site maps. Rogers also said that the site plan shows three different versions of landscaping.
Dean Shea, chair of the planning board, told Kobylarz that he would need more information on how many construction workers would be onsite at the same time, and other construction traffic information. He said this information would be necessary in order to better understand the impact the construction would have on traffic in the area.
Shea told Kobylarz that the planning board would not move forward with TeraWulf’s project until it had a complete application.
“There’s a lot of information that we need, I think, to call it a complete application,” Shea said, “and I think we need to have that in hand before we can start talking about next steps.”
The board had to interrupt the presentation and discussion several times throughout the meeting to stop the audience from speaking, bringing in signs of protest, and making noises like hissing. As Kobylarz and the other TeraWulf representatives began to leave, some members of the public yelled “TeraWulf, you’re not welcome!” In response, Shea told the public that they would not be allowed to attend if they continued this behavior.
David Durett contributed reporting of the planning board meeting.
DEC Approves Water Withdrawal Permit for Cayuga Operating Company
The Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) approved a permit for Cayuga Operating Company, affiliate of data center developer TeraWulf, to withdraw about one million gallons per day (GPD) from Cayuga Lake.
The permit allows COC to withdraw up
UPS DOWNS&
Ups
The lineup of performers for the 49th Annual Ithaca Festival has been released, including local classics like the Fall Creek Brass Band, Maddy Walsh and The Blind Spots and many more. The festival is all weekend from May 28 to 31 and is free and open to all.
Downs
Over spring break, the lower level of Cayuga Heights Elementary School was flooded, causing expansive damage and requiring replacement of walls and floors. The Ithaca City School District approved up to $1.5 million in emergency funds to cover repairs and secure state reimbursement.
to 1,008,000 GPD from the lake for system maintenance, sump pumping and dust control at the facility. The permit’s term is from April 13, 2026, to April 30, 2031.
The company also submitted a State Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (SPEDS) permit application to the DEC in late October, which has not yet been approved nor denied.
Cayuga Operating Company was historically a 322.5-megawatt coal-fired power station but no longer generates electricity and the coal-fired boilers have been removed. According to the DEC, the facility currently withdraws about 1.44 MGD of water from Cayuga Lake through a cooling water intake structure used for “non-contact cooling water for equipment.”
TeraWulf staff have stated that the facility’s intake system is no longer functional and no water is being drawn at this time, raising questions about the purpose of the permit. However, Cayuga Operating Company is leasing less than half of the property’s full acreage. At the April 27 Lansing Planning Board meeting, TeraWulf representatives said that Cayuga Operating Company has two other projects looking to be approved related to solar power and battery storage.
Cayuga Lake Environmental Action Now (CLEAN), an environmental advocacy organization, submitted comments to the DEC in November detailing the organization’s concerns with both permit applications and the DEC’s description of the facility’s current state. Comments from CLEAN question the purpose of the water permit considering the facility is not actively withdrawing water from Cayuga Lake.
A NYDEC spokesperson told the Ithaca Times that the permit modification and renewal is not associated with the proposed data center operated by TeraWulf. DEC policy states that permits cannot be transferred to
HEARD SEEN&
Heard
The City of Ithaca has announced the formation of four Ad Hoc Advisory Committees focusing on housing, transportation, economic development and arts and culture. The committees will have monthly briefings with the mayor where participants can provide insight and guidance to the Mayor’s Office on challenges facing the city. The deadline to apply is June 1 and an application can be found on the city’s website.
Seen
Tompkins County’s Code Blue Shelter at 227 Cherry Street closed for the winter season on Tuesday morning. Emergency shelter services continue to operate throughout the county. Individuals seeking shelter can visit the Department of Social Services during business hours at 320 West Martin Luther King Jr./State Street or call (607) 274-5030. On weekends or after hours, individuals can call nonemergency dispatch at (607) 272-2444 to be connected to on-call DSS staff.
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QUESTION OF THE WEEK
Do you believe in Old Greeny?
Yes.
No.
I don’t care. N ext W eek ’s Q uestio N : Will you cast a ballot in Ithaca’s May school budget vote? Visit ithaca.com to submit your response.
TeraWulf’s proposed data center will be located at the former Cayuga Power Plant in Lansing. (Photo: Ithaca Times File)
Ithaca Community Childcare Center Celebrates 50th Anniversary
By Lorien Tyne
The Ithaca Community Childcare Center (IC3) celebrated its 50th anniversary on April 13, marking a milestone since it was first established as a small program in 1976.
In the center’s infancy, it served 20 children a day with a staff of four. Operating in a church basement, the “Kiddie Kollege” grew over the years. Now, it is the largest childcare center in Tompkins County, according to a IC3 press release. With a current staff of 110, IC3 cares for 260 children each day from ages 8 weeks to 12 years old.
All of IC3’s programming is grounded in its philosophy called Child-Centered Active Learning, which means that learning is guided by the students’ own curiosity. The organization’s services are guided by its core values: community, adaptability and innovation, inclusiveness, and compassion and respect.
“At IC3, community is at the heart of everything we do,” IC3 Executive Director Sherri Koski said in the release. “For 50 years, we have remained committed to meeting the evolving needs of children, families, and
educators, while staying grounded in the values that define who we are.”
The “Kiddie Kollege” merged with the Cornell Community Infant Center in the late 1980s, which at one point was the only program in the state dedicated to infant care, according to the press release. In 1987, the childcare center was faced with displacement and with the help of community members, in 1989, it found a permanent home at its current location on Warren Road. In 2020, the facility was
Family & Children’s Service Workers Win Union Vote
By Lorien Tyne
In a formal election held by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) on April 28, staff at Family and Children’s Service of Ithaca (F&CS) voted to authorize their union, represented by the Communications Workers of America (CWA).
“We respect the decision made by our employees and recognize the importance of each staff member having their voice heard in this process,” F&CS said in a statement to the Ithaca Times. “The organization will proceed with collective bargaining and we look forward to working together to come to a mutually agreeable outcome. As always, we remain committed to providing accessible mental health services to our community.”
The clinic’s staff launched their union campaign on March 18, with a “supermajority” having signed union cards authorizing CWA to represent them in collective bargaining. The union represents clinicians, nurses, intake clinicians, behavioral health care coordinators, facilities workers, outreach workers and clinic administrative co-
ordinators that provide mental health and social services to the community through F&CS. According to a union filing with the NLRB, 22 of 27 eligible staff members voted to authorize the union in the recent vote.
CWA and union staff previously stated they were seeking voluntary recognition. If an employer voluntarily recognizes a union, it doesn’t require workers to hold a formal election and relies on evidence of majority support such as through workers signing authorization cards to indicate general employee interest.
The union has not released the number of workers organizing the effort and did not say what percentage of workers signed authorization cards.
Clinician Calyx Steiner said in the press release that organizing is a liberating and hopeful act that they see as a way to foster community.
“I’m very proud of the hard work we have done in organizing our union, and I’m excited to move forward with bargaining our first contract as equal partners with management,” Steiner said. “I believe we will be
expanded to allow for increased childcare capacity and create a permanent location for the summer camp and school-age program for kindergarten through fifth grade.
In the years since moving to Warren Road, IC3 has achieved national accreditation and brought forth new programming. The organization was recognized in 2023 by Tompkins Chamber as the Not-forProfit of the Year and in 2018 was voted Best of Ithaca’s Best Daycare.
In the press release, IC3 highlighted its
intergenerational program at Kendal at Ithaca and the Continuity of Care program at its main center.
The Continuity of Care program, established in 2003, keeps families and children with the same caregivers for about three years. This allows the children to develop long-term trust and quality relationships with caregivers as well as their peers, according to the IC3 website. All infant and
Continued on Page 13
able to develop innovative policies together, which will offer us respectful, dignified, and trauma-informed working conditions.”
Clinician Naomi Sommers Bewley said in the press release that unionizing means the clinic’s workers can formally advocate for policies that affect their working conditions.
“There’s a mutual benefit towards longterm sustainability for workers and the organization, allowing us to continue filling
a crucial role in mental health services for our community,” Sommers Bewley said. CWA did not respond to a request for comment prior to publication.
There has not been any information released to the public regarding the union’s demands or what it hopes to achieve during the bargaining process. The F&CS board of directors has not commented publicly about the union.
Established in 1976, the Ithaca Community Childcare Center has been serving the community for half a century. (Photo: Provided/Ithaca Community Childcare Center)
The Ithaca Community Childcare Center is located on Warren Road in northeast Ithaca. (Photo: Mark Syvertson/Ithaca Times)
In a recent election held by the National Labor Relations Board, a supermajority of workers at Family & Children’s Service of Ithaca voted to authorize their union. (Photo: Mark Syvertson/Ithaca Times)
Tompkins County Looks to Fill Vacancy on Board of Health
By Maddy Vogel
Tompkins County’s board of health has a vacancy and is encouraging residents to apply to represent the City of Ithaca on the eight-member board charged with overseeing the county’s local health department.
The board encourages applications from individuals with diverse perspectives seeking to engage in public health issues impacting the community to apply. In a release, Tompkins County WHole Health said applicants must be at least 18 years old, reside in the City of Ithaca, and a U.S. citizen. New York State Law requires members to reside within the county the board of health serves, or be a resident in a neighboring county and have a background in a health-related field and perform “substantial” health-related work within the county. The board position is a volunteer, sixyear position ending December 2032. The
board meets the fourth Tuesday of every month at 2 p.m. at Whole Health’s office at 55 Brown Road in northeast Ithaca.
The board of health enacts regulations related to the preservation of life and health and confirms the violation of orders and regulations, along with overseeing the department budget and approves department policy and procedures. Tompkins County’s Board of Health recently imposed a $40,000 fine on the owners of the Asteri residential housing complex in downtown Ithaca for critical health violations.
To apply to serve on the board, individuals must complete an advisory board application form, located at the county legislature office in the Governor Daniel D. Tompkins Building on 121 E. Court Street in Ithaca. The form can be downloaded on the county website. For questions regarding the application form, contact the county legislature office at 607-274-5434.
Applicants will be interviewed prior to a recommendation, and they must be approved by both the board and the county legislature to serve. Minorities, women, individuals with disabilities, and veterans are strongly encouraged to apply.
For more information on the Board of Health, contact Whole Health Commissioner Jennie Sutcliffe at 607-274-6674 or via email at jsutcliffe@tompkins-co.org.
Talk at Tompkins County Public Library Will Explore Healthcare Crisis
By Maddy Vogel
On Thursday, May 6, a group of local and regional stakeholders will give a talk on the healthcare crisis and the New York Health Act, a bill currently under consideration in the NYS Senate and Assembly committees. The talk, sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Tompkins County (LWVTC), will take place at 6 p.m . in Tompkins County Public Library Borg Warner Room. The discussion will be led by Sally Grub of the LWVTC and Marguerite Uphoff, MD. Presentations will be made by Rosemary Batt, Ph.D. and Susan Beckley. A question-and-answer session will follow with author of the New York Health Act and retired New York State Assemblymember Richard Gottfried.
The talk will explore the rising cost of healthcare, particularly in New York State, where roughly one million residents are uninsured. Others face high deductibles,
copays, and out-of-pocket costs that deter them from seeking care, the LWVTC said in a statement.
A livestream will be available on the TCPL YouTube channel to watch the presentation. Livestream participants may also join the Q&A session using the builtin chat feature. A recording of the live presentation will also be available to watch after the event.
The talk will explore questions like: Why do we pay 2 to 4 times as much for medications in the US than in Canada? Is the American Health Care system broken? Why is it hard to find a primary care physician? Why do you have to wait weeks to get an appointment? and more.
Marguerite Uphoff, MD, MPH, FAAPcame to Ithaca in 1970. She joined C. Philip Meyer in founding Northeast Pediatrics and served the area for the next 50 years as a physician, practicing pediatrics full-time. She was president of the Medical Staff of the Tompkins County Hospital
and served two terms at the Cayuga Medical Center. Dr. Uphoff was also a School Health Physician for Ithaca, Lansing and TST-BOCES for 25 years.
Susan Beckley is a small business manager who has handled administrative work for several businesses over the past thirty years. She has managed a physician’s practice, is a medical billing specialist, and has been giving informational power point presentations on the NY Health Act since 2017.
Rosemary Batt, PhD is the Alice Hanson Cook Professor of Women and Work Emerita at the ILR School, Cornell University. Recent research focuses on the processes and outcomes of financialization in healthcare. Her work examines new forms of ownership — including private equity, franchising, outsourcing, and subcontracting of work. She specializes in management and employment relations in service industries, especially healthcare and other essential services. Batt received
her BA from Cornell University and her Ph.D. from the Sloan School of Management, MIT. She is co-author with Eileen Appelbaum of Private Equity at Work (2014) and The New American Workplace; and co-editor of the Oxford Handbook on Work and Organization.
Richard Gottfried is a retired Assembly Member who served for more than fifty years in the NYS Assembly. For most of those years he chaired the Assembly Health Committee. He has worked on the Prenatal Care Assistance Program, Child Health Plus and Family Health Plus. He authored and fought for decades for the New York Health Act. In his retirement, Gottfried continues to be a proponent of the New York Health Act.
One six-year seat on Tompkins County’s board of health is currently vacant. (Photo: Tompkins County)
The Talk at
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
By Ithaca Times Readers Pothole
Problem
Continues
“Potholes in Ithaca are a big deal because people's tires are popping. We could probably spend more money fixing potholes. Basically everyday because of the population. People in emergencies would have to stop because of their tires being popped. When a tire pops it costs a lot of money and a lot of people can not afford it.” — Kamden Alexander, Ithaca NY
How to Park Downtown Without Mobile Phone?
“I would like to know what I should do if I need to park downtown. I do not have a smart phone and I do not carry a cell phone, I have a home phone. What am I supposed to do if I need to park downtown? I have change in my car but I do not think there are meters anymore. I will miss being able to park and go
to the commons. Everyone seems to think everyone has a phone, some of us don't want to carry one as I don't need one. Yet just another thing frustrating about downtown Ithaca. I talked to the owner of the comic store and he said his business has dropped dramatically and this parking system will not help things.” — Jason Peter, Ithaca NY
RE: Ithaca Receives $10 Million Grant to Revitalize Downtown
“Downtown, uptown, Ithaca, PLEASE fix the potholes first.” — Elisabeth Hegarty, Ithaca.com
RE: City Closes Seneca Street Garage, Cites Structural Concerns
“There is already an extreme lack of parking for local workers in the area on top of all the visitors, what is being done to combat this issue now that one of these very few parking areas is gone?” — Eevee Congdon, Ithaca.com
RE: New Report Says $25.08 Living Wage Required to Meet Basic Needs in Tompkins County
“Alternatively, Tompkins County and Ithaca could take action to make it less expensive to live here: have Cornell make a meaningful reduction to residential
property owners’ tax burden, revise the county property assessment procedures to be less arbitrary and capricious and to take into account actual depreciation/maintenance expenses in residential assessments, collect tax abatements and prohibit property transfers without the abatement, advocate to reform NYSEG’s fee structure for residential property owners, require local zoning boards who authorize data center development to require that data centers (and any other gargantuan energy hog) to build their own power plant as part of the permitting process (e.g., supply its own energy separate from the residential grid or require energy hogs to pay all the increased energy costs), get a functional ICSD school board and change board procedures to prohibit the board president from holding the agenda hostage, hire a truly 3rd party auditor to assess bloat (this is what Cornell is doing under the fake “austerity “ cloak (its $11+b endowment makes about 12% annually, which accrues hundreds of millions). There are so many ways to make this area significantly less expensive instead of making it more expensive for small businesses by
raising wages. Are the local elected officials cowardly, uncreative, and accepting of the status quo?” — Laura Ingalls, Ithaca.com
Concern Regarding CMC’s Attitude Toward Nurses Union
“Cayuga Medical Center nurses voted in favor of union representation in February of this year. However, hospital administration has not honored the vote with timely meetings and has held only a single meeting in 3 months. Further, in defiance of federal law, CMC management has interfered with nurses discussing union business in the workplace and from posting union flyers. The hospital administration has continued to obstruct the union even after free and fair elections. We, the community of patients, support our nurses. We trust our nurses to care for us. Can we trust CMC management when CMC management has fought nurses every step of the way in their efforts to secure a safe environment for both patients and staff? Nurses' priorities are the health and wellbeing of their patients. Why does CMC stand in the way?” — Lee Roy Rogers, Ithaca NY
Five fantastic performances of world-class chamber music! May 15-19
What’s Zenman Up to Now?
By Marjorie Olds
By now most of us in Ithaca have seen Shane “Zenman” Eversfield riding his bike through town, running on the Cornell Campus, or swimming at Island, in Cayuga Lake (or perhaps in the Caribbean). “Zenman” is the moniker given to him years ago by the triathlon community for his calm and graceful demeanor and racing style.
Shane is most known locally in Ithaca as “the swim guy.” Over the past 15 years, he has worked well over a thousand people through his Swim Mastery program at Island Health and Fitness. Many of his clients prepare for Women Swimmin’ for Hospicare. Each summer, he offers free lake swim clinics to Women Swimmin’ registrants.
“I’ve participated and competed in hundreds of endurance sporting events,” Shane said. “Nothing compares to the empowerment and love that I feel with Women Swimmin.’ I am so honored to engage with this exceptional event that supports our Hospice. The free lake swim clinics help our swimmin’ women prepare for the challenge and the joy of swimming across Cayuga Lake.”
As a young man, Shane recalls, “At college, after a year and a half of majoring in confusion, I realized my golden opportunity was to ‘learn how to learn.’ Well, I learn best through action and movement, not through words and reading… So I pursued a degree in learning how not to think in words: I majored in Modern Dance. I learned how to problem-solve with the intelligence of my body’s sensations. This is my passion for teaching swimming: I support others to trust the intelligence of their bodies and their sense-felt experience. Our greatest challenge for this discovery is navigating from the ‘word brain’ we occupy all day to our ‘movement brain.’”
Shane spent 10 years as a principal dancer with three modern companies. He also began practicing T’ai Chi on his own, without instruction or guidance, and took up running as another form of meditation. After leaving the world of dance, Zenman applied his “kinetic intelligence” to triathlon. This led to the publication of four books, including the series “Kaizendurance, Your Aerobic Path to Mastery”: https://kaizen-durance.com/books/ kaizen-durance-book-series/) With the return of Cayuga Lake
WE THE PEOPLE: A CELEBRATION OF PARTICIPATORY DEMOCRACY
The Declaration of Independence and the Declaration of Sentiments
By Charley Githler, Tompkins County Historian
In this 250th anniversary of the signing and ratification of the Declaration of Independence, we are examining some aspects of the influence of that 1776 document during the ensuing two and a half centuries. Last month, we looked at how it shaped the French Revolution’s Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen. In this installment, we are looking at a document closer to home: the 1848 Declaration of Sentiments, drafted down the road in Seneca Falls at the first women’s rights convention.
though perhaps not as revolutionary as the first Declaration, it was able to make the point that the demands of women were no more radical than those of the men had been in 1776.
Triathlon this June, Shane is offering a Triathlon Skills program through Island Health and Fitness, beginning this month. Open to IHF members and non-members. (Contact Shane via email.)
Now nearing his seventh decade, Zenman is shifting and expanding from his “ultra-endurance arts” focus of the past 30 years. Returning to his collegiate focus on dance and sculpture, he is always seeking to offer new ways to enjoy the body-mind union.
So, what is Zenman up to now? He recently launched a new endeavor, “Our GPS For Life”
“I recognize that books — both print and digital — are no longer the best format for sharing insights and knowledge,” he said. “In response, I am producing a series of videos, each 3-7 minutes long, and posting them to both TikTok and YouTube. I really enjoy the creative process to produce these videos over the tedium and demanding endurance of writing books.”
‘“Our GPS for Life’ videos explore a ‘guidance phenomenon’ that is free and accessible to all of us 24/7 for navigating our lives: A conventional Global Positioning System (GPS) uses three satellite signals to triangulate your location and detect your direction of travel. Our GPS
Continued on Page 13
Organized by female quakers local to the northern Finger Lakes and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, the convention consisted of six sessions over two days, timed to coincide with the visit of women’s rights advocate and social reformer Lucretia Mott. The Declaration of Sentiments was drafted at the convention to assert the idea that the natural rights of women are equal to the natural rights of men.
The status of women in the United States was severely limited at that time. Not only were women denied the vote, but in many states any property owned by a woman legally became her husband’s upon marriage. Women were denied access to the professions and most trades, and strong social pressure enforced rigid behavioral expectations.
Elizabeth Cady Stanton, by then a resident of Seneca Falls, was the main force driving the convention and the primary author of the Declaration. In drafting it, she made the strategic decision to closely mimic the language and structure of the Declaration of Independence. (“We hold these truths to be self-evident; that all men and women are created equal;”) There is a certain genius in that approach. How can men object to the logic contained in their very own document? A downside to that strategy, though, is that, as a mirror-image of the Declaration of Independence, it would always be somewhat overshadowed by the original. Still,
It is not a perfect document. There is no advocacy for the rights of enslaved women, for example. It was, though, a sharp and explicit critique of the gender inequality in the United States, and a historic and inspiring gauntlet down in the long struggle for women’s rights. What follows is the full text of the Declaration of Sentiments, which was signed by 68 women and 32 men, and released, to no small amount of controversy, to the newspapers following the convention:
The Declaration of Sentiments When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one portion of the family of man to assume among the people of the earth a position different from that which they have hitherto occupied, but one to which the laws of nature and of nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes that impel them to such a course.
We hold these truths to be self-evident; that all men and women are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; that to secure these rights governments are instituted, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. Whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of those who suffer from it to refuse allegiance to it, and to insist upon the institution of a new government, laying its foundation on such principles, and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes;
Continued on Page 13
Shane Eeversfield rides in the Cayuga Lake Triathlon. (Photo: Provided/Simon Wheeler)
The Enduring Voice of Barack Obama — 2004
Curated by Roy Allen: Director of Strategic Partnerships — Ithaca Times, Finger Lakes Community Newspapers, www.ithaca.com
Many voices have shaped the nation we call America. This week we feature Barack Obama, the 44th President of the United States (20092017), former US Senator from Illinois and first African-American to be elected to the highest office in America. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2009 for his efforts internationally. Obama’s presidency included nominating two women to the US Supreme Court, overseeing legislation to deal with the financial crisis of 2008, the war in Libya and ending the life of Osama bin Laden — allegedly, the mastermind behind the September 11th terrorist attacks on America. Curator’s Note: The following is his complete speech — wherein he first coined a phrase that would become the title of his best selling book — The Audacity of Hope.
Barack Obama: Keynote Speech at the Democrat National Convention — July 27, 2004
On behalf of the great state of Illinois, crossroads of a nation, land of Lincoln, let me express my deep gratitude for the privilege of addressing this convention. Tonight is a particular honor for me because, let’s face it, my presence on this stage is pretty unlikely. My father was a foreign student, born and raised in a small village in Kenya. He grew up herding goats, went to school in a tin-roof shack. His father, my grandfather, was a cook, a domestic servant. But my grandfather had larger dreams for his son. Through hard work and perseverance my father got a scholarship to study in a magical place: America, which stood as a beacon of freedom and opportunity to so many who had come before. While studying here, my father met my mother. She was born in a town on the other side of the world, in Kansas. Her father worked on oil rigs and farms through most of the Depression. The day after Pearl Harbor he signed up for duty, joined Patton’s army and marched across Europe. Back home, my grandmother raised their baby and went to work on a bomber assembly line. After the war, they studied on the GI Bill,
bought a house through FHA, and moved west in search of opportunity.
And they, too, had big dreams for their daughter, a common dream, born of two continents. My parents shared not only an improbable love; they shared an abiding faith in the possibilities of this nation. They would give me an African name, Barack, or “blessed,” believing that in a tolerant America your name is no barrier to success. They imagined me going to the best schools in the land, even though they weren’t rich, because in a generous America you don’t have to be rich to achieve your potential. They are both passed away now. Yet, I know that, on this night, they look down on me with pride.
I stand here today, grateful for the diversity of my heritage, aware that my parents' dreams live on in my precious daughters. I stand here knowing that my story is part of the larger American story, that I owe a debt to all of those who came before me, and that, in no other country on earth, is my story even possible. Tonight, we gather to affirm the greatness of our nation, not because of the height of our skyscrapers, or the power of our military, or the size of our economy. Our pride is based on a very simple premise, summed up in a declaration made over two hundred years ago, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal. That they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights. That among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”
That is the true genius of America, a
faith in the simple dreams of its people, the insistence on small miracles. That we can tuck in our children at night and know they are fed and clothed and safe from harm. That we can say what we think, write what we think, without hearing a sudden knock on the door. That we can have an idea and start our own business without paying a bribe or hiring somebody’s son. That we can participate in the political process without fear of retribution, and that our votes will be counted — or at least, most of the time.
This year, in this election, we are called to reaffirm our values and commitments, to hold them against a hard reality and see how we are measuring up, to the legacy of our forbearers, and the promise of future generations. And fellow Americans — Democrats, Republicans, Independents — I say to you tonight: we have more work to do. More to do for the workers I met in Galesburg, Illinois, who are losing their union jobs at the Maytag plant that’s moving to Mexico, and now are having to compete with their own children for jobs that pay seven bucks an hour. More to do for the father I met who was losing his job and choking back tears, wondering how he would pay $4,500 a month for the drugs his son needs without the health benefits he counted on. More to do for the young woman in East St. Louis, and thousands more like her, who has the grades, has the drive, has the will, but doesn’t have the money to go to college.
Don’t get me wrong. The people I meet in small towns and big cities, in diners and office parks, don’t expect the government to solve all their problems. They know they have to work hard to get ahead and they want to. Go into the collar counties around Chicago, and people will tell you they don’t want their tax money wasted by a welfare agency or the Pentagon. Go into any inner city neighborhood, and folks will tell you that the government alone can’t teach kids to learn. They know that parents have to parent, that children can’t achieve unless we raise their expectations and turn off the television sets and eradicate the slander that says a black youth with a book is acting white. No, people don’t expect the government to solve all their problems. But they sense, deep in their bones, that with just a change in priorities, we can make sure that every child in America has a decent shot at life, and
that the doors of opportunity remain open to all. They know we can do better. And they want that choice.
In this election, we offer that choice. Our party has chosen a man to lead us who embodies the best this country has to offer. That man is John Kerry. John Kerry understands the ideals of community, faith, and sacrifice, because they’ve defined his life. From his heroic service in Vietnam to his years as prosecutor and lieutenant governor, through two decades in the United States Senate, he has devoted himself to this country. Again and again, we’ve seen him make tough choices when easier ones were available. His values and his record affirm what is best in us.
John Kerry believes in an America where hard work is rewarded. So instead of offering tax breaks to companies shipping jobs overseas, he’ll offer them to companies creating jobs here at home. John Kerry believes in an America where all Americans can afford the same health coverage our politicians in Washington have for themselves. John Kerry believes in energy independence, so we aren’t held hostage to the profits of oil companies or the sabotage of foreign oil fields. John Kerry believes in the constitutional freedoms that have made our country the envy of the world, and he will never sacrifice our basic liberties nor use faith as a wedge to divide us. And John Kerry believes that in a dangerous world, war must be an option, but it should never be the first option.
A while back, I met a young man named Shamus at the VFW Hall in East Moline, Illinois. He was a good-looking kid, six-two or six-three, clear-eyed, with an easy smile. He told me he’d joined the Marines and was heading to Iraq the following week. As I listened to him explain why he'd enlisted, his absolute faith in our country and its leaders, his devotion to duty and service, I thought this young man was all any of us might hope for in a child. But then I asked myself: Are we serving Shamus as well as he was serving us? I thought of more than 900 service men and women, sons and daughters, husbands and wives, friends and neighbors, who will not be returning to their hometowns. I thought of families I had met who were struggling to get by without a loved
(Photo Source: Official Portrait)
IC Junior Andrew Mendel Leads Newfield Hoops While Playing for Bombers
By Steve Lawrence
It's always nice to open my inbox and learn that someone has taken the time to share a story idea with me. Sometimes, I must say, “There’s really not a local angle here.” Other times I might say “Thanks, but this is too far out of season.”
I was inclined to say the latter when I learned about the crazy, year-round sports calendar navigated by Ithaca College junior Andrew Mendel. When I called him to ask about the possibility of doing an interview, he said “I have football practice at 6 p.m., and I go directly from there to a basketball workout. I’d be happy to talk if we can work it in between those two things.” So much for “off-season.”
As for his football responsibilities, Mendel will don a helmet and pads, as he suits up as
a defensive end for the Bombers. The team is in the midst of spring practices, and preparing for the fall season — while preparing for finals — sounds like it would make for a full schedule. But wait... there’s more.
After football practice, Andrew was driving over to Newfield where he would trade in his helmet and pads for a whistle. At 20 years of age, Mendel — now preparing for his second season this fall, is thought to be the youngest head varsity basketball coach in the history of New York State.
Andrew said, “I grew up in Yorktown Heights (Section 1) and am a graduate of Lakeland High School, where I was captain of both the football and basketball teams.”
(At 6’2” and 225 pounds, Andrew played defensive end in football and center in basketball.) He continued, “After moving to Ithaca for college, I applied for, interviewed
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for, and ultimately earned the head coaching position at Newfield High School.”
I asked Andrew if it was a challenge coming into a community in which he knew no one, and to take the helm of a program with such a rich history. (Newfield has made a number of trips to the state Final 4, and the Trojans won the state title in 2022.) Regarding his decision to throw his hat into the ring, Mendel — the third coach in three years at Newfield — replied, “There had been so much turnover that the culture was falling apart. They wanted to bring in someone younger — someone with real energy — to reignite the fire. They needed someone to bring the juice!”
My next question was, “How much time did you have to establish yourself and start building your own program? Andrew offered, “We had 4 weeks. It was crunch time.”
When the season opener arrived, the Newfield community got a taste of the energy the 20-year-old coach planned to bring. Seventy of his Bomber teammates showed up, and it was, in Andrew’s words, “Loud as heck in that gym.” He added, “That showed the culture we have at Ithaca College. We show up for each other.” Asked how the game went, the
At age 20, Andrew Mendel was the youngest varsity basketball coach in state history. (Photo: Provided) Continued
Inside Ithaca’s $177.6M School Budget Proposal
Approved by a slim margin, the proposed spending plan
leans on savings to ease pressure on
taxpayers
In a narrow vote, the Ithaca City School District Board of Education approved a motion to send the district’s proposed $177.6 million 202627 budget to voters during a board meeting on Tuesday, April 14. The budget, along with a board election, a capital project vote and several proposed district purchases, will appear on the May 19 ballot.
The proposed budget reflects a $8.6 million, or 5.09%, increase in total costs from the current operating budget (2025-26).
Assistant superintendent for business and finance Dominick Lisi outlined the district's projected revenue and expenditures during multiple recent board meetings. Expenses are broken down into three major categories– program, capital, and administrative costs.
Programming costs— which include instructional costs, teacher salaries and benefits, co-curricular activities, staff development, and transportation operating costs—make up the majority of district spending, at just under $132 million, or 74.28%. Capital costs, primarily covering spending related to buildings and infrastructure, make up for roughly $26.5 million, or 14.9%, of the total budget. Administrative costs—including school board expenses, central administration salaries and benefits, public information, legal fees, and property insurance—represent $19.2 million, or 10.82%, of the total budget.
Combined salaries and benefits are the district’s highest cost, representing 68% of
By Maddy Vogel
spending. Salaries, overall, are set to increase by about 5% in the proposed budget.
Unlike other school districts, ICSD’s budget is funded primarily by the property tax levy, which is the amount of money the district needs to collect from local property taxes to find its expenses. The tax rate is then calculated based on the tax levy. Unless the local tax base grows significantly from year to year, an increase in the tax levy generally corresponds with an increase in the tax rate.
ICSD’s tax levy is proposed to increase by $3.9 million, or 3.4%, a figure that will establish a projected tax rate of $15.48 per $1,000 of assessed value. This rate is a $0.36 increase from the 2025-26 rate of $15.12.
Because most assessments have been frozen in Tompkins County while the department undergoes a large-scale systems upgrade, most taxpayers would see smaller-than-usual increases in their tax bills if the budget is approved.
For the median homeowner in Tompkins County whose home is assessed at $350,000, the school tax bill would be approximately $5,421.40 if approved, a $126.14 increase from last year’s bill.
“We have one of the lowest tax rates in the county, but we have the highest assessments,” Board President Sean Eversley Bradwell said. “So, our taxes are more, even though the ac-
tual rate puts us near the bottom half of our other component school districts.”
This year, the levy falls under the district’s tax cap of 4.18%, and therefore does not need a supermajority vote to pass, it simply needs at least 50% voter approval.
To achieve the 3.4% tax levy increase, the district plans to draw more heavily on its fund balance and reserves—money it has set aside. Eversley Bradwell said that as an individual board member, he supports the 3.4% tax levy increase because he felt it recognized that “everything is getting more expensive” for taxpayers, and continued to allow the district to provide the same level of service while providing consistent salary increases to staff.
“I feel better going to taxpayers saying ‘we’re going to ask you for 3.4,’ understanding all of these other financial restraints that folks have,” Eversley Bradwell said, citing rising electricity and gas costs, along with broader increases in the cost of living.
The district’s budget is also funded by state aid, which is projected to increase by 9.48% this year. The use of district reserves and fund balance would pay for about $9.4 million, or 5%, of the proposed budget. Although the district is relying more heavily on its fund balance to reduce the increase
to the property tax levy, Lisi said its reserves remain “very healthy.”
Todd Fox said the tax levy could—and should—be lower. He suggested selling the district’s long-vacant Danby property, a former elementary school on Gunderman Road, to replenish the fund balance and further reduce the levy increase.
When asked about his forecast that the district’s tax levy increase will hover around 3% in the next four years, Lisi said “It’s a conservative figure. I know that costs are rising so we want to be careful.”
Fox ultimately voted against the budget, while three other board members—Emily Workman, Jacob Shiffrin and Adam Krantweiss—abstained from the vote.
Krantweiss said he abstained because he disagreed with the way in which the budget was developed.
“From my perspective, the budget was developed by the administration and presented to the board,” Krantweiss said. “I feel like we, as a collective board, have not had substantive public discussions at the full board meetings to provide collective input about how to fund categories included in the budget.”
Krantweiss asked several questions related to district spending and class sizes, questioning how budget cuts or increased spending could impact student learning.
“There are so many things that we could be deciding as a board that would direct
Board members were divided over the district’s proposed budget during a recent meeting.
(Photo: Mark Syvertson/Ithaca Times File)
(Photo: ICSD)
(Photo: ICSD)
and, accordingly, all experience hath shown that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they were accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object, evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their duty to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security. Such has been the patient sufferance of the women under this government, and such is now the necessity which constrains them to demand the equal station to which they are entitled.
The history of mankind is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations on the part of man toward woman, having in direct object the establishment of an absolute tyranny over her. To prove this, let facts be submitted to a candid world.
He has never permitted her to exercise her inalienable right to the elective franchise.
He has compelled her to submit to laws, in the formation of which she had no voice. He has withheld from her rights which are given to the most ignorant and degraded men — both natives and foreigners. Having deprived her of this first right as a citizen, the elective franchise, thereby leaving her without representation in the halls of legislation, he has oppressed her on all sides.
He has made her, if married, in the eye of the law, civilly dead.
He has taken from her all right in property, even to the wages she earns.
He has made her morally, an irresponsible being, as she can commit many crimes with impunity, provided they be done in the presence of her husband. In the covenant of marriage, she is compelled to promise obedience to her husband, he becoming, to all intents and purposes, her master — the law giving him power to deprive her of her liberty, and to administer chastisement.
He has so framed the laws of divorce, as to what shall be the proper causes of divorce, in case of separation, to whom the guardianship of the children shall be given; as to be wholly regardless of the happiness of the women — the law, in all cases, going upon a false supposition of the supremacy of man, and giving all power into his hands.
After depriving her of all rights as a married woman, if single and the owner of property, he has taxed her to support a government which recognizes her only when her property can be made profitable to it.
He has monopolized nearly all the profitable employments, and from those she is permitted to follow, she receives but a scanty remuneration.
He closes against her all the avenues to wealth and distinction, which he considers most honorable to himself. As a teacher of theology, medicine, or law, she is not known.
He has denied her the facilities for obtaining a thorough education — all colleges being closed against her.
He allows her in church, as well as State, but a subordinate position, claiming Apostolic authority for her exclusion from the ministry, and, with some exceptions, from any public participation in the affairs of the Church.
Back to the coach's packed schedule...
He has created a false public sentiment by giving to the world a different code of morals for men and women, by which moral delinquencies which exclude women from society, are not only tolerated but deemed of little account in man.
He has usurped the prerogative of Jehovah himself, claiming it as his right to assign for her a sphere of action, when that belongs to her conscience and her God.
He has endeavored, in every way that he could to destroy her confidence in her own powers, to lessen her self-respect, and to make her willing to lead a dependent and abject life.
Now, in view of this entire disfranchisement of one-half the people of this country, their social and religious degradation, — in view of the unjust laws above mentioned, and because women do feel themselves aggrieved, oppressed, and fraudulently deprived of their most sacred rights, we insist that they have immediate admission to all the rights and privileges which belong to them as citizens of these United States.
In entering upon the great work before us, we anticipate no small amount of misconception, misrepresentation, and ridicule; but we shall use every instrumentality within our power to effect our object. We shall employ agents, circulate tracts, petition the State and national Legislatures, and endeavor to enlist the pulpit and the press on our behalf. We hope this Convention will be followed by a series of Conventions, embracing every part of the country.
Firmly relying upon the final triumph of the Right and the True, we do this day affix our signatures to this declaration.
I see them as the purest form of basketball.”
50TH ANNIVERSARY
continued from page 6
toddler programs at the main campus operate within this model.
The IC3 program that operates out of Kendal at Ithaca, a retirement community center, offers opportunities for residents and children to interact through tutoring, reading and other activities.
“As IC3 celebrates this milestone anniversary, it looks ahead to the future with the same spirit of collaboration and innovation that has defined its first 50 years,” the press release stated.
WHAT’S ZENMAN UP TO NOW?
continued from page 9
for Life also uses triangulation; however, the ‘signals’ are not generated by manmade satellites. Instead, there are three aspects of intelligence that resonate and permeate throughout the universe. Again, these three conscious energy fields are equally and infinitely accessible to everyone. When we open up and channel them, we have reliable guidance for navigating any area of our lives brilliantly.”
“A key postulate for Our GPS For Life is this: Brilliance arises when we grow and share it together. The very first video of the series explores brilliance. You can check it out on the “Shane Eversfield” YouTube channel, or the “zenman” TikTok channel.”
answer was “There were some first-game nerves, but I called a timeout and told the guys that the fans are here to support you. There's no pressure... they have your back.” He was pleased to add, “We won, then my teammates stormed the court!”
ITHACA’S SCHOOL BUDGET PROPOSAL
continued from page 12
budget spending that I feel like we should discuss,” Krantweiss said. “With meaningful input from stakeholders, the board should be talking through questions like these and answering them before deciding on a final budget that determines how
Asked what spring football entailed, he said “We practice with the pads on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, and we have a 6 a.m. lift and a 4 p.m. meeting on the other days.”
Fortunately for players preparing for final exams, spring practice ended over the weekend.
As for the off-season basketball workouts, Mendel said “I love our open-gym workouts.
much the community will spend.”
The board entered a tense discussion after Krantweiss explained why he’d be abstaining from the vote, with board member Karen Yearwood stating she was “flabbergasted” that board members were asking these kinds of questions this late in budget development.
Shiffrin said as a board member, he felt he didn’t have enough information on the
With another year to go at IC, the business administration major says, “I hope to be around Newfield for a long time. The community took a chance on me, they brought me in and supported me, and it feels like I am not just a part of a community, I am part of an extended family. There's really no place I would rather be.”
budget to vote yes. Workman said that her and other board members had repeatedly asked administration questions related to spending that went unanswered. She questioned how much of the budget was explained in public meetings versus in private meetings among individual board members and district administration.
“I don’t feel like, as a board member, that I have sufficient information on the content
Subsequent videos delve into this universal GPS and how to tap into it. While we all access and channel the same three aspects of intelligence — Body, Heart, Mind — each of us does so in a unique way. Each video shows Zenman “flowing” through T’ai Chi inspired movements in various locations — most of them outdoors, here in Ithaca. The accompanying voice-over narrative accompanying each video presents and explores a specific element of our GPS for Life.
You can reach Zenman at Shane.eversfield@gmail.com
of the budget to make an informed ‘yes,’” Shiffrin said.
The district has a budget projection tool, property tax calculator, and other budget information available on its website. May 5 is the voter registration deadline. The district will hold a budget hearing for public input on May 12 at 5:30 p.m. in York Hall. The budget vote and board election will take place on May 19 at polling locations across Ithaca.
Don’t Let Ithaca Lose Its Storytellers
Imagine the sharpest, most passionate young journalists you’ve ever met (the ones who stay late chasing a story because they believe in this town) slowly packing their bags. Not because they want to leave… but because local rents force them out.
That’s the quiet heartbreak happening right now. Our best new writers, the ones who grew up here or fell in love with Ithaca in college, are being pushed toward cheaper cities just to survive.
The Rising Star Fund rewrites their story into a happy ending by sponsoring a simple monthly housing stipend (a hand up, never a handout) so they can keep living here, keep writing here, keep falling deeper in love with Ithaca… and keep telling the stories that make this city our home.
When a young journalist can afford to stay in Ithaca, you get:
● Fresh, fearless voices loyal to your local paper
● Someone at every city council meeting who believes local news matters
● The next great Ithaca story written by someone who actually lives here
● Your $25, $50, or $100 a month doesn’t just pay their rent.
● It keeps storytellers in our community and stops local brain drain.
● When our younger generation thrives, Ithaca’s future stays bright.
Keep local talent in Ithaca by donating today to the Rising Star Fund (an initiative of Pathways to Equity, Inc a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization)
For more info: roy@ithacatimes.com
Arts&Entertainment
Finger Lakes Chamber Ensemble Meets Gulliver’s Travels
By Peter Rothbart
Ithaca in May bursts with greenery while musical venues blossom with classical music concerts.
Aside from the hoopla surrounding the numerous 50th anniversary concerts for some large, local ensembles, you don’t have to go far to find a wealth of small chamber ensemble performances that are equally enticing. The Finger Lakes Chamber Ensemble, formed in 1990, firmly roots its repertoire in the Romantic, Baroque, and Classical eras of European music. Their Sunday, May 10 concert promises an intimate evening featuring works by composers from three centuries: Georg Phillip Telemann, Johannes Brahms, and Sergei Prokofiev. The FLCE’s core group of musicians has been remarkably committed since the beginning. Nonetheless, one of the original founders, cellist Stefan Reuss, is stepping down after this concert to spend more time with his family. Violist Roberta Crawford remains artistic director, and Barry Crawford’s lyrical flute pronouncements will continue to grace the stage. Other members include pianist Molly Morkowski, who made her Carnegie Hall solo debut in 2007 and has since graced the stages at Alice Tully, Merkin, and Zankel Halls in New York and Jordan Hall in Boston. Jessica Tong is a prize-winning violinist who has received awards from the Toronto Symphony, Canadian Music, and the Yellow Springs International Chamber Music Competitions. She has also performed at Weill Concert Hall, Merkin Hall, the Kennedy Center, Les
Finger Lakes Chamber Ensemble
Unitarian Church of Ithaca
Ithaca, NY 14850
Sunday, May 10 a
Tickets: https://fingerlakeschamberensemble.com/ tickets
Invalides in Paris, and the Gewandhaus in Leipzig, Germany.
We know that the 18th-century composer Georg Philipp Telemann had a sense of humor. He modeled his Suite for Two Violins “Gulliver’s Travels” after Jonathan Swift’s book by the same name, which had been published in 1726 and translated into German in 1728. The book is a social and political allegory in fairy tale form, featuring fanciful descriptions of fantastical creatures in magical lands. Chapters of the book are devoted to Gulliver’s disastrous seafaring adventures, which leave him shipwrecked, stranded, facing pirates and a mutiny. Telemann chose to set his musical parody in a classical musical form and a fairy tale interpretation.
Gulliver’s first voyage ends in a shipwreck where he meets the Lilliputians, miniature people who scurry about. But Telemann’s musical joke is on the musicians who are forced to read a 3/32 time signature with thickly written 64th and 128th notes. Visually, the score looks dense and cluttered with miniscule notes. It could have been written in a more readable 3/4 or even 3/8 time signature. The audience can’t see the music, so it is not privy to the joke, though the violinists are certainly sweating their way through it.
On his second voyage, Gulliver meets the Brobdingnagians, ugly giants with humongous skin blemishes. Telemann foists upon the musicians an unheard-of time signature of 1/24. The notes are written as whole notes, long and large, as are the Brobdingnagians. The joke (and challenge) is again on the musicians to read it and make it musical.
Competing musical lines form the movement based on the scientist/scholars of Laputa who are so enraptured by lofty thoughts that they must be physically berated to bring them back to reality. At first the time signature seems unnecessarily complex, but once recognized as a mathematical formula (it’s written as 3+2/2 over 4) it reduces to a simpler and more playable 4/4. The audience will never get the joke.
In the final movement Gulliver meets two disparate groups of creatures. The war between the rational, horse-like Houyhnhnms who play a stately French dance called a "loure," and the monkey/ human-like Yahoos, who are skittish and rambunctious and acting like well…yahoos. Both groups go their own musical way, setting up a battle between seemingly chaotic musical lines.
Sergei Prokofiev was a 20th-century Russian composer whose writing reflected nationalist and Romantic-era influences. He wrote his only Sonata for Flute and Piano while Russia was under attack by the Germans in 1943. He was in the middle of scoring Sergei Eisenstein’s film, Ivan the Terrible, when he took a reprieve to compose what he described as a “sonata in a gentle, flowing classical style.” The work
was later adapted for violin at the behest of violin virtuoso David Oistrakh.
The opening harkens back to a more classical sound in D major but later hints at the turmoil surrounding Prokofiev’s life when it migrates to a minor key. This turmoil underscores the second movement, which has a whisper of folk melodies that are overridden by a general restlessness. The third movement reveals a classically infused melody but with an undercurrent of 20th-century harmonies, characteristic of much of Prokofiev’s work. The final movement is optimistic and joyous with long, flowing melodies.
Johannes Brahms’ Piano Quintet in F minor, Op. 34 was published in 1865. It was originally scored for string
Members of the Finger Lakes Chamber Ensemble. (Photo: Provided)
Foodnet Meals on Wheels Hosts 13th Annual Mac ‘n Cheese Bowl
By Mikayla Rovenolt
Foodnet Meals on Wheels, Tompkins County’s only local organization that cooks and delivers hot meals directly to clients, will hold its 13th Annual Mac ‘n Cheese Bowl at the Ithaca Farmers Market on Wednesday, May 6, from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.
The event will raise funds to support meals and nutrition services for older adults in Tompkins County.
Foodnet Meals on Wheels is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide meals and other nutrition services that promote dignity, well-being, and independence for older adults and other persons in need in Tompkins County, according to its website. Foodnet Meals on Wheels’ envisions a Tompkins County community in which elderly hunger is eliminated, supportive services are readily accessible, and our neighbors enjoy
Books
independence without isolation.
Local chefs from 18 of the area’s restaurants, food trucks, caterers, and other eateries will be serving their versions of mac ‘n cheese. Ticket holders are entitled to sample all of the dishes and vote for their favorites across five categories: Meat Mac, Non-Meat Mac, Most Creative Mac, Kids’ Choice Mac, and Alt Mac, which includes vegan or gluten-free recipes.
“All of our staff here at Foodnet Meals on Wheels are excited to share the important work we do to support older adults and others in need all across Tompkins County!” Foodnet’s executive director Aly Evans said in a statement. “The Mac ‘n Cheese Bowl fundraiser is vital to help us continue delivering nutritious meals and a safety check to some of our most increasingly marginalized neighbors.”
There will also be a cash only basket raffle for more than 20 baskets, as well as a Big Cheese Selfie Booth, a Kids’ Corner,
and other activities.
Representatives from 19 agencies with programs serving older adults will have information booths to share a wide array of resources available in Tompkins County to support healthy aging.
“We believe that everyone should be able to age in place with dignity, and Foodnet Meals on Wheels is extremely grateful to our generous community who shares our values and supports our mission,” Evans said. “This gratitude is why we also utilize the Mac ‘n Cheese Bowl to invite other community organizations who support older adults. We envision a Tompkins County where seniors have all the support they need to overcome hunger and malnutrition, loss of independence, and isolation.”
In event, competitors contribute their time, ingredients, and skill to support Foodnet Meals on Wheels’ mission. Dishes range from variations of classic mac ‘n cheese to more creative recipes. The Ithaca Farmers Market offers space for attendees to stroll between booths, sample mac ‘n cheese, chat with friends, and learn about community resources.
“We are extremely grateful to all our event sponsors for supporting our services, and especially want to recognize our ‘Big Cheese’ sponsors — Wegmans, Community Bank, and Dryden Mutual Insurance,” Evans said. “Our gratitude extends to the competitors, our agency partners,
Community Arts Partnership Holds
18th Annual Spring Writes Literary Festival
By Mikayla Rovenolt
The Community Arts Partnership of Tompkins County will host the 18th annual Spring Writes Literary Festival, throughout May and into the summer months. The festival features a variety of events in downtown Ithaca and virtually on Zoom.
Spring Writes showcases the talents and diversity of over 110 writers in Tompkins County and beyond, with programming for everyone from seasoned authors to the general public.
The Festival kicks off with one long weekend from May 7 to May 10. During this time, there will be over 20 live events
from group readings of poetry, prose, and memoir; panels on writings, genre, and timely topics; creative writing workshops for all ages and experience levels; performances by a local theatre troupe and senior storytellers; a reading and an open mic for teens; creative writing as a family activity, evening performances, and a Survivor-style literary showdown.
“We started the Spring Writes Literary Festival 18 years ago, and at that time, I think we had 14 events,” Community Arts Partnership’s program and grant director Robin Schwartz said. “It’s grown to over 40 events, and over 110 writers in all those years, and it's changed over time. During the pandemic it was all Zoom, and then after the pandemic,
and the more than 100 volunteers who help Foodnet Meals on Wheels at the Mac ‘n Cheese Bowl and throughout the year. This amazing event would be impossible without the support of everyone involved!” Additional parking will be available in a well-marked lot next to the Ithaca Farmers Market, Guthrie Ithaca City Harbor on Willow Ave, and the DMV lot on 3rd Street. Shuttles to and from the DMV lot will be offered by Gadabout and Longview. For more information and ticket pricing, visit http://www.foodnet.org/event.
it was both live and Zoom. We learned how important Zoom was to reach people who couldn’t come to the live event, so every year has been tweaked a little.”
There’s also a May 16 evening performance and a May 31 Book & Zine Fair. Events are at the Ithaca Downtown Conference Center, Buffalo Street Books, the Tompkins County Public Library, Lot 10, Liquid State Brewery and the Cherry Arts.
From May 14 to May 28, there will be eight Zoom events. There will also be a Zoom group reading on June 14.
There will be six additional workshops, a panel and a group reading, all at Buffalo Street Books, from July to September. For the author biographies and schedule visit
Spring Writes showcases the talents and diversity of over 110 writers in Tompkins County and beyond with events held throughout May and into September. (Photo: Provided)
https://springwrites.org/events/additional-workshops/ Registration for all live May events are on one form. Viewers will see separate registrations for each Zoom event and the live July to September events. According to a release, programs like the Spring Writes Literary Festival cost about $20,000 to produce which includes paying
Foodnet’s Food Services Operations Manager Regan Tingley, as character “Joe Formaggio.”
(Photo by Coleen Foley.)
More Than Just A Band: Ithaca Concert Band Celebrates 50 Years Together
By Peter Rothbart
The Ithaca Concert Band knows how to celebrate its 50 years of concertizing. Saturday’s gala performance in Ithaca College’s Ford Hall will feature close to 100 brass, woodwind, and percussion musicians who will perform 11 pieces ranging from de rigueur marches (The Captivator March, arranged and conducted by Mark Fonder, and Grandfather’s Clock March, composed and conducted by Phil Krasicky) to Richard Wagner’s “Liebestod” from his ultra-romantic opera Tristan und Isolde. The diverse program includes a trio of works by Julie Giroux, including a world premier commissioned by the Ithaca Concert Band, and a quaint but cleverly rewritten version of the Irish tune “Loch Lomond” by nationally known composer Frank Ticheli. Seven conductors, four of whom have led the band for extended periods of time, will share the podium. Who knew in 1976 that the newly formed band would grow to such a size and become one of the most popular musical anchors in Ithaca, drawing a devoted following of audience members whose exuberant pre-concert vibe is almost like a mild-mannered tailgate party without the grill and cooler?
Concert bands differ from wind ensembles in that they have multiple players on each part, while wind ensembles typically have only one. For example, a wind ensemble will have one clarinet playing the first part and one playing the second, while a concert band would have several players playing both first and second. It’s a bigger sound and a bit more difficult to control in terms of balance and tuning.
Early concert band repertoire reflected its roots in military and civilian marching bands and relied on arranged or improvised folk tunes and rousing patriotic marches. Marches gave way to popular arrangements
The Ithaca Concert Band
50th Anniversary Concert
Ford Hall, Ithaca College
Ithaca, NY 14850
Saturday, May 9 at 7 p.m.
Tickets: Free
of light classical music until the early 20th century, when concert bands began to foster the development of more creative original compositions while encouraging arrangements of orchestral, film, and popular music such as jazz and pop.
Saturday’s concert has it all: a few marches, some popular classical pieces, a commissioned original work, folk music, and film composer John Williams’ arrangement of the “Star-Spangled Banner.
Concert bands throughout the world play for their local communities: neighbors blowing the trombone, tooting the flute, or banging the drum for friends and family. Concert bands pride themselves on acknowledging their roots; virtually every concert band programs at least one or more marches in the concert. But contemporary concert bands, whether community or school-based, include repertoire that goes beyond the usual marching band material. Their music reflects the audience’s (and the players’ own) tastes. The musicians are as committed to the band as their audience is loyal.
Why else would anyone schlep a tuba or trombone or drum or saxophone or even a flute out every Tuesday night, regardless of the weather?
Ithaca has a long and distinguished history of embracing concert bands.
Cortland-born Patrick Conway is considered one of the developers of the modern concert band. When he moved to Ithaca years ago, he brought his Patrick Conway Band with him. They gained national fame as the concert band movement developed.
In Meredith Wilson’s Broadway hit “The Music Man," the dialog even names him as one of the three great conductors of American band music.
Most public schools have some form of concert band. Frank Battisti conducted the Ithaca High School Concert Band for years, establishing it as one of the highestranked school bands in the country. He went on to direct the prestigious New England Conservatory Wind Ensemble and helped to revolutionize the field.
I loathe the term ‘amateur’ when describing anyone in the arts. Perhaps 'dil-
ettante' would be closer to the mark when describing someone’s skill or commitment level. But the Ithaca Concert Band musicians are as committed as any professional I’ve worked with. The skill level may be different, but the commitment is the same.
The social aspect of music-making is nowhere more obvious than in a community band. A plumber sits next to a lawyer and plays the same music. A custodian shares the music stand with a retail salesperson, who sits next to a retired music teacher, who sits in front of a student. When the conductor gives the downbeat, they all share a sense of belonging: the Ithaca Concert Band, playing for friends, family, and themselves. And they’ve been doing it for 50 years.
Peter Rothbart is professor emeritus of music at the Ithaca College School of Music, Theatre, and Dance, where he taught electroacoustic and media music for 40 years. He continues to perform as a classical, jazz, and pop musician and directs the Ageless Jazz Band.
The Ithaca Concert Band will have its 50th anniversary concert at Ithaca College’s Ford Hall this Sunday. (Photo: Provided)
another party, including a lessee. Court Case Proceeds Against Zoning Board’s Data Center Permitted Use
Deliberation
Since TeraWulf first announced its lease to take over the former coal facility, environmental advocacy organizations FLX Strong and CLEAN have been leading
A NATION SPEAKS
one’s full income, or whose loved ones had returned with a limb missing or with nerves shattered, but who still lacked long-term health benefits because they were reservists. When we send our young men and women into harm’s way, we have a solemn obligation not to fudge the numbers or shade the truth about why they're going, to care for their families while they’re gone, to tend to the soldiers upon their return, and to never ever go to war without enough troops to win the war, secure the peace, and earn the respect of the world.
Now let me be clear. We have real enemies in the world. These enemies must be found. They must be pursued and they must be defeated. John Kerry knows this. And just as Lieutenant Kerry did not hesitate to risk his life to protect the men who served with him in Vietnam, President Kerry will not hesitate one moment to use our military might to keep America safe and secure. John Kerry believes in America. And he knows it’s not enough for just some of us to prosper. For alongside our famous individualism, there's another ingredient in the American saga.
A belief that we are connected as one
FINGER LAKES CHAMBER ENSEMBLE
continued from page 17
quartet, then adapted as a piano duo, which Brahms liked. His colleague Clara Schumann thought it sounded like an
figures in protest of development. The two organizations filed a petition in January to the Tompkins County Supreme Court to block development of the data center.
The petition was filed against the Lansing Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) as well as project developers TeraWulf Inc., its subsidiary Lake Hawkeye and affiliate property owner Cayuga Operating Company.
On April 29, the court ruled that the petitioners have standing and can proceed with their lawsuit challenging the ZBA’s
people. If there's a child on the south side of Chicago who can't read, that matters to me, even if it's not my child. If there’s a senior citizen somewhere who can’t pay for her prescription and has to choose between medicine and the rent, that makes my life poorer, even if it's not my grandmother. If there’s an Arab American family being rounded up without the benefit of an attorney or due process, that threatens my civil liberties. It’s that fundamental belief — I am my brother’s keeper, I am my sister's keeper — that makes this country work. It's what allows us to pursue our individual dreams, yet still come together as a single American family.
“E pluribus unum.” Out of many, one. Yet even as we speak, there are those who are preparing to divide us, the spin masters and negative ad peddlers who embrace the politics of anything goes. Well, I say to them tonight, there’s not a liberal America and a conservative America — there’s the United States of America. There’s not a black America and white America and Latino America and Asian America; there’s the United States of America. The pundits like to sliceand-dice our country into Red States and Blue States; Red States for Republicans, Blue States for Democrats. But I’ve got news for them, too. We worship an awesome God in the Blue States, and we don't like federal
arrangement rather than a new composition, however, so following her advice, he rewrote it for piano and string quartet. He ultimately published both versions, the latter being offered on Sunday.
Brahms’ fluidity is a defining characteristic in all his music. Harmonic stitchings
zoning interpretation that found the proposed data center qualified as permitted land use as a general processing facility.
“Judge Masler’s decision affirms what we long knew: that Lansing and other area residents can reasonably be said to face harm from TeraWulf's ecocidal development intentions; that the ZBA’s zoning decision is at the core of allowing that potential harm to move forward; and that our challenge to the ZBA's decision is not one of personal vendetta, but instead a matter of highly conse-
agents poking around our libraries in the Red States. We coach Little League in the Blue States and have gay friends in the Red States. There are patriots who opposed the war in Iraq and patriots who supported it. We are one people, all of us pledging allegiance to the stars and stripes, all of us defending the United States of America.
In the end, that’s what this election is about. Do we participate in a politics of cynicism or a politics of hope? John Kerry calls on us to hope. John Edwards calls on us to hope. I’m not talking about blind optimism here — the almost willful ignorance that thinks unemployment will go away if we just don’t talk about it, or the health care crisis will solve itself if we just ignore it. No, I’m talking about something more substantial. It’s the hope of slaves sitting around a fire singing freedom songs; the hope of immigrants setting out for distant shores; the hope of a young naval lieutenant bravely patrolling the Mekong Delta; the hope of a millworker's son who dares to defy the odds; the hope of a skinny kid with a funny name who believes that America has a place for him, too. The audacity of hope!
In the end, that is God's greatest gift to us, the bedrock of this nation; the belief in things not seen; the belief that there are
take full advantage of the expanded and dissonant harmonies of the mid- and lateRomantic era. Melodies flow effortless from one to another, often subtly modulating to distantly related keys with nary an eye or ear blink. The piano quintet is no exception.
quential legal misinterpretation,” FLX Strong member Ken Wolkin said in a press release. Jack Young, member of the Lansing ZBA, said the board is working with the town’s attorneys to consider its options but that the ZBA cannot comment on the case at this time. The defendants of the case have until May 22 to submit their response, which could be an appeal of the court's ruling thus far. If the case proceeds, arguments will be heard by the court on June 18 and will be accessible to the public.
better days ahead. I believe we can give our middle class relief and provide working families with a road to opportunity. I believe we can provide jobs to the jobless, homes to the homeless, and reclaim young people in cities across America from violence and despair. I believe that as we stand on the crossroads of history, we can make the right choices, and meet the challenges that face us. America! Tonight, if you feel the same energy I do, the same urgency I do, the same passion I do, the same hopefulness I do — if we do what we must do, then I have no doubt that all across the country, from Florida to Oregon, from Washington to Maine, the people will rise up in November, and John Kerry will be sworn in as president, and John Edwards will be sworn in as vice president, and this country will reclaim its promise, and out of this long political darkness a brighter day will come. Thank you and God bless you.
Next week, we will celebrate Sarah Palin, former Governor of Alaska and her address to the Republican National Committee in 2008, where she accepted the nomination for Vice-President of the United States — the first female to accept that role in the Republican Party�
Peter Rothbart is professor emeritus of music at the Ithaca College School of Music, Theatre, and Dance, where he taught electroacoustic and media music for 40 years. He continues to perform as a classical, jazz, and pop musician and directs the Ageless Jazz Band.
18TH ANNUAL SPRING WRITES
LITERARY FESTIVAL
continued from page 18
over 100 artists. CAP said donations at events are encouraged, but not required. “One of the things that I’ve noticed from working at the Community Arts Partnership
is visual artists and writers generally work in isolation,” Schwartz said. “They don’t really have as many chances as the performing artists to bring themselves and audiences together and these events help with that. We're just really happy to have this event that brings writers and audiences together.”
Sponsors for the events include Ithaca College, Beginnings Credit Union, M&T
Bank, the Odyssey Bookstore, Wegmans, and the Ithaca Downtown Conference Center. Media sponsors are WSKG radio, The Route WITH radio, Cinemapolis and What’s Hot Magazine. Additional support is provided by the Tompkins County Tourism Program, Poets & Writers, and A Fair Game grant.
Those interested in previous events at
CAP can find the 2023 to 2025 recorded events (and more) at youtube.com/@ CommunityArtsPartnership. Visit the Community Arts Partnership website at ArtsPartner.org to learn about their annual events, programs, grants and initiatives or visit them on Instagram and Facebook. Questions can be emailed to Schwartz at Programs@artspartner.org.
5/8 Friday
The Salon Project | 5 p.m. | A. D. White House, 27 E Ave | Free Concerts/Recitals
5/6 Wednesday
First-Year Composition Recital at Ford Hall | 7 p.m.
German Diction Recital at Hockett Family Recital Hall | 7 p.m.
5/8 Friday
BERTHA: Grateful Drag | 7 p.m. | State Theatre of Ithaca, 107 West State St
The Jess Novak Band at Originals
SPRING FLING | 7 p.m. | Owego Original’s Bar and Lounge, 23 Lake St
Awaken - The Music of Yes | 8 p.m. | Boulton Center for the Performing Arts, 37 West Main Street | $69.00 - $92.75
5/9 Saturday
50th Anniversary Concert - Ithaca Concert Band | 7 p.m. | Ithaca College - Ford Hall , 953 Danby Rd | Free CNY Songbirds - Going To California | 7 p.m. | Center for the Arts of Homer, 72 S Main St
5/10 Sunday
Cayuga Chamber Orchestra Presents Mendelssohn and Auerbach | 3 p.m. | First Congregational Church, 309 Highland Road | $15.00 - $45.00
5/11 Monday
Buckethead | 8 p.m. | Center for the Arts of Homer, 72 S Main St
5/12 Tuesday
Brett Dennen- Art is Life | 8 p.m. | Center for the Arts of Homer, 72 S Main St
5/13 Wednesday
World Ballet Company: SWAN LAKE | 7 p.m. | Clemens Center, 207 Clemens Center Parkway
Stage
Slam Jamboree | 7:30 p.m., 5/8
Friday | The Cherry Arts Theater, 102
Cherry Street | A Puppet Variety Show for Grown-Ups! | $20.00 - $30.00
A Slice of Crazy Pie | 10:30 a.m., 5/9 Saturday | The Cherry, 102 Cherry St. | This mesmerizing cabaret style marionette puppet show brings to life bizarre characters like Pinkey the Mayor, Ratty Ratkinson and the World’s Smallest Vampire. | $1.00$12.00
North America’s Premier Elton John Tribute | 7 p.m., 5/9 Saturday | Merry, Go-Round Playhouse 6877 East
Lake Road | Big glasses. Bigger energy. The biggest hits! Elton Rohn is a rocket ride through Elton John’s greatest moments. | $55.00 - $65.00
Up and Down the Aisle: Secrets of a NYC Wedding Planner | 7 p.m., 5/9
Saturday | Auburn Public Theater, 8 Exchange St. | Listen to Joanne share her variety of industry stories from her time as a NYC wedding planner.
Magdalena Concert at the Barn! | 12:30 p.m., 5/10 Sunday | CRS Barn Studio, 2622 North Triphammer Road | Enjoy a concert at the barn by Magdalena! Bring your friends and a picnic and enjoy this musical story telling! | Free
Playwrights Jam | 5 p.m., 5/10
Sunday | Kitchen Theatre Company, 417 W. State / W. MLK, Jr. Street | Lively readings of theatrical works in progress. Join as a playwright, actor, audience member, or all three!
Civic Ensemble Youth Forum Theatre Troupe | 4 p.m., 5/12 Tuesday | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 East Green Street |
Film
Sub-Basement Docs: Rock, Flight, Light | 5:15 p.m., 5/6 Wednesday | Kiplinger Theatre, Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts, 430 College Ave. | Join PMA for Sub-Basement Docs: Rock, Flight, Light on 5/ 6, 5:15-6:30 pm, in the Kiplinger Theatre, Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts. Followed by a Q&A with the filmmakers,
BERTHA: GRATEFUL DRAG
FRIDAY, MAY 8 AT 8 P.M.
Suraj Kushwaha, Meena Haribal, and Esther Grace Brenner. Hosted by PMA/ Anthropology Assistant Professor Natasha Rahej | Free Honors Thesis Screening | 5 p.m., 5/7 Thursday | Kiplinger Theatre, Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts, 430 College Ave. | Join PMA for the Honors Thesis Screening. Featuring Undone by Izzy Falchuk ’26, and The Extraordinary Adventures of Ann Robinson by Justin Lee ‘26. A Q&A with the student directors will follow. | Free
Student Film Screening | 6:30 p.m., 5/7 Thursday | Kiplinger Theatre, Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts, 430 College Ave. | Day 1 (5/7) will include films from students in Film & Video Production II. Day 2 (5/8) will include films from students in Material Filmmaking, Film & Video Production I, and Media La | Free World Cinema at Lifelong - Spring 2026 Film Series | 1:30 p.m., 5/12 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
Cinemapolis
120 E Green St, Ithaca 120 E Green St, Ithaca
New movies opening the week of May 06. Contact Cinemapolis for showtimes and continuing films. Erupcja | A romantic vacation goes awry when a volcanic eruption
strands Bethany (Charlixcx) and her soon-to-be fiancé, Rob (Will Madden) in Warsaw, Poland. Bethany takes the explosive event as a sign to ditch her baggage, reunite with childhood friend Nel (LenaGóra) and traipse across lofts, clubs and backalleys, all the while becoming entangled in an emotional web that challenges her sense of self. | PG13 71 mins
In The Cut | A New York City writing professor, Frannie Avery, has an affair with a police detective who is investigating the murder of a beautiful young woman in her neighborhood. |
NA 119mins
Sports
Ithaca Men’s Track & Field vs Ithaca College In Between Meet | 11 a.m., 5/9 Saturday | Egan Family Track & Field Complex | Ithaca Women’s Track & Field vs Ithaca College In Between Meet | 11 a.m., 5/9 Saturday | Egan Family Track & Field Complex |
Ithaca Women’s Rowing at NIRC Championships at Worcester, Mass | 8 a.m., 5/10 Sunday | Ithaca Women’s Rowing at NIRC Championships
Special Events
CNY Leadership Symposium 2026
| 9 a.m., 5/6 Wednesday | The McNeil Business Hub | Description More speakers to be announced shortly. Breakfast and Lunch will be provided by local restaurants. Door prizes will be announced... | $135.00
The Jess Novak Band at Originals SPRING FLING | 7 p.m., 5/8 Friday | Owego Original’s Bar and Lounge, 23 Lake St | pop. rock. soul. love. choice covers. soulful originals. Mother
Nature snowed out our year-end party, but we’re ready to celebrate the sunshine with a spring fling! Flag Twirling Parade Class | 5 p.m., 5/12 Tuesday | Ithaca Community School of Music and Arts, 330 East State Street | Join the fun in the Ithaca Festival Parade! | Free
Books
Silent Book Club Meeting at Chapel Sanctuary / Pond | 6 p.m., 5/6 Wednesday | Bring any book and come read with us! You’re welcome to come and go anytime during the meeting. Just grab a snack, settle down and read, talk at the end and be on your merry way!
Queer Horror Book Club — Grey Dog | 6 p.m., 5/6 Wednesday | Buffalo Street Books, 215 North Cayuga Street | A fan of queer horror? Looking to get into the genre? Join us for a discussion on Grey Dog | Free 28th annual Spring Writes Literary Festival. May - Sept, Live and Zoom | 1 p.m., 5/7 Thursday | Downtown Ithaca and Zoom | The Community Arts Partnership of Tompkins County (CAP) is proud to announce our 18th annual Spring Writes Literary Festival with over 40 literary events: reading s, panels, multi — genre | Free
Friends of the Library BOOK SALE | 10 a.m., 5/9 Saturday | Regina Lennox Book Sale Bldg, 509 Esty St | Friends of the Library Book Sale at 509 Esty St, Ithaca. 2 more long weekends: SatMon, May 9-11 & Sat-Tues, May 16-19, hours: 10am-8pm. 150,000 gently used books, DVDs, CDs, puzzles, games & more. Prices drop each day.| Free Trans Center Book Club | 12 p.m., 5/10 Sunday | Buffalo Street Books, 215 North Cayuga Street | Join us to discuss Stone Butch Blues by
State Theatre of Ithaca, 107 W State St. | The world’s first Grateful Drag band, BERTHA is an all-star collective of queer and allied East Nashville talent coming together in wigs and full face for a good cause. Fronted by a harmony trio of Berthas and backed by a rocking all-Bertha band, BERTHA has captured the heart and imagination of Deadheads everywhere, with coast-to-coast demand for their electrifying live show. Whether collaborating with local drag queens in Mexico, or playing the most prestigious festival lineups in the States, BERTHA: Grateful Drag has only begun to make her impact on the world. (Photo: Provided)
A SLICE OF CRAZY PIE
SATURDAY, MAY 9 FROM 10:30 A.M. TO 11:15 A.M. Lilypad Puppet Theatre | This mesmerizing cabaret style marionette puppet show brings to life bizarre characters like Pinkey the Mayor, Ratty Ratkinson and the World's Smallest Vampire. Watch them engage with audiences and their dynamic creator, mustachioed Madison J. Cripps. Beneath the puppetry lies a world of creativity and interaction, with harmonica melodies and song. Blurring imagination and reality, the show thrives on creative engagement. As the curtains rise, all ages are invited into a captivating realm, a profound exploration of the human spirit, and a
Leslie Feinberg! A book club hosted by the Ithaca Trans Center. | Free Book Launch for Red Pill Politics by David Ost | 2 p.m., 5/10 Sunday | Buffalo Street Books, 215 North Cayuga Street | Join us for David Ost’s book launch of “Red Pill Politics: Demystifying Today’s Far Right, From Fascism to Right-Wing Populism.” in conversation with René Rojas.
Code Your Own Adventure! | 4 p.m., 5/12 Tuesday | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 East Green Street | Join Rachel Fomalhaut for a workshop that’s equal parts coding and creative writing! Rachel teaches Interactive Fiction in Digital and Data Studies at SUNY Binghamton.
Open Mic Night! | 7 p.m., 5/12 Tuesday | Center for the Arts of Homer, 72 S Main St | Want to play music to a live audience? Have you crafted a poem or short story you’d like to share or want to tell some jokes? Come join us Tuesday nights for a weekly Open Mic! Senior & Student Day at the BOOK SALE | 10 a.m., 5/13 Wednesday | Regina Lennox Book Sale Bldg, 509 Esty St | Senior Day & Student Night at the Friends of the Library Book Sale, older adults (age 60+) and anyone with a disability may shop from 10am to 4pm. Students (age 16+ with school ID) are welcome 4-8pm.| Free
Kids
Science Together: Kinetic Sand | 10:15 a.m., 5/6 Wednesday | Sciencenter, 601 1st St | Explore the different properties of kinetic sand!
Read to Dogs | 3 p.m., 5/6 Wednesday | Newfield Public Library, 198 Main St | Children are invited to the Newfield Library to practice their reading skills by reading to one of Cor-
nell Companion’s volunteer therapy dogs! | Free
“Li’l Sprouts” Waldorf playgroup for babies & toddlers | 9 a.m., 5/8 Friday | Ithaca Waldorf School, 20 Nelson Road | Weekly gatherings for parents with their baby/toddler to enjoy a morning rhythm of story and song designed for the very young, meet other like-minded parents, and learn about Waldorf parenting and education. | $30.00 - $175.00
Math Fun with MathHappens! | 10 a.m., 5/9 Saturday | Sciencenter, 601 1st St | Join us for playful, informal math learning with the MathHappens Foundation! Families and kids can explore hands-on activities that make math fun, creative, and connected to everyday life.
A Slice of Crazy Pie | 10:30 a.m., 5/9 Saturday | The Cherry, 102 Cherry St. | This mesmerizing cabaret style marionette puppet show brings to life bizarre characters like Pinkey the Mayor, Ratty Ratkinson and the World’s Smallest Vampire. | $1.00$12.00
Science Connections: BeeBots Workshop | 2 p.m., 5/10 Sunday | Sciencenter, 601 1st St | Join us to help our BeeBots find their way back to the hive! Together, we’ll learn to code these awesome robots and practice the skills it takes to be a computer scientist.
Sit! Stay! Read! | 3 p.m., 5/11 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. Books Before Bed | 7 p.m., 5/11 Monday | Cortland Free Library, 32 Church St | A special pajama story
time. Be sure to wear your pajamas and bring a favorite stuffed animal to leave for a sleepover at the library.
Notices
41st TST BOCES Greenhouse Sale | 8 a.m., 5/6 Wednesday | 555 Warren Road | Free
Community Conversations: Collegetown | 9 a.m., 5/6 Wednesday | St. Luke Lutheran Church and Lutheran Campus Ministry, 109 Oak Ave | Join your neighbors in Collegetown for hyper-local networking, conversation, and advocacy at St. Luke Lutheran Church!
The Midweek Session | 4 p.m., 5/6 Wednesday | NRE Space, 402 W. State St | The Finger Lakes CannaMarket is adding Wednesdays. A free midweek 420 market where growers, enthusiasts, and the community connect. | Free
13th Annual Mac ‘n Cheese Bowl | 4:30 p.m., 5/6 Wednesday | Ithaca Farmers Market, Steamboat Landing, 545 3rd Street | About 20 Tompkins County eateries serve up their finest mac ‘n cheese, and you vote for the best! | $0.00 - $20.00
Tabletop Role-Playing Game
Brainstorming Group | 6 p.m., 5/6
Wednesday | Tompkins County Public Library| A gathering of the gaming community to support each other’s creativity.
Honoring Older Adults: A Partnership Visit with Lifelong | 4 p.m., 5/7
Thursday | Lifelong, 119 W. Court St. |
Air Pruned Raised Beds for Tree Seedling Production | 5 p.m., 5/7
Thursday | CCE-Tompkins Education Center, 615 Willow Avenue | Cornell Cooperative Extension Tompkins County in conjunction with the Cornell
FOLK SINGER/SONGWRITER
JEREMIAH CRAIG
SATURDAY, MAY 9 FROM 6 P.M. TO 8 P.M.
Brookton's Market, 491 Brooktondale Rd. | Come see folk singer/songwriter Jeremiah Craig at Brookton's Market on Saturday, May 9th at 6 PM. Admission is free and Brookton’s is known for its laid-back, welcoming vibe, and they’ve got everything you need to settle in for the evening. Fresh sandwiches, a solid selection of beer and wine, and a cozy atmosphere that makes live music feel personal. Whether you’re coming to catch the full set or just stopping by for a drink and a few songs, it’s a perfect local hang. (Photo: Provided)
Small Farms Program will be offering a hands-on workshop on Air Pruned Raised Beds (APRBs). | Free The Health Care Crisis and the New York Health Act | 6 p.m., 5/7
Thursday | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 East Green Street | The League of Women Voters Tompkins County (LWVTC) invites you to an educational program and community discussion about the health care crisis and the New York Health Act, a bill that is under consideration in the NYS Senate and Assembly committees. | Free
Permaculture Workshop- Focus on Pollinators | 6:30 p.m., 5/7 Thursday | Newfield Public Library, 198 Main Street | Join us at Newfield Public Library for a talk about the principles of permaculture and how we can incorporate those principles into our gardens and cities. | Free Karaoke with Elephant Sound | 8 p.m., 5/7 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 Stitch Club | 1 p.m., 5/8 Friday | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 E Green St | Stitch Club is an opportunity for knitters, crocheters, needle-pointers, and other stitchers to come together and work.
“Queeraoke” | 8 p.m., 5/8 Friday | The Rhine House, 632 W Seneca St | Ithaca’s original “Queeraoke” night is back! Come hang, sing and make new friends...cheers, queers!
Saturday Market | 9 a.m., 5/9 Saturday | Ithaca Farmers Market, Steamboat Landing, 545 3rd Street | Our Saturday Markets are now outside
at the pavilion. Find us each week at Steamboat Landing.
Tree Identification and Forest Ecology | 9 a.m., 5/9 Saturday | Ellis Hollow Nature Preserve | Join the FLLT and Nick Dietschler, local researcher for the New York State Hemlock Initiative, for a walk that will focus on tree identification and forest ecology.
Green Saturday | 12 p.m., 5/9
Saturday | NRE Space , 402 W. State St | Get ready for a fun-filled day at the free FingerLakes CannaMarket in Ithaca, NY! Join us from 12 to 5 pm at 402 W State St for giveaways, great conversations, and the chance to meet top cannabis businesses. Celebrate cannabis culture in the heart of the Finger Lakes region! | Free
Mother’s Day Vegan Brunch | 10 a.m., 5/10 Sunday | Vineyard View Winery on Seneca Lake, 211 Hall Road | Celebrate Mother’s Day with a delightful vegan brunch that’s all about tasty plant-based bites and good vibes! Join us in person for a cozy | $17.85
Sustainability & Climate Justice Commission Meeting | 5 p.m., 5/11
Monday | Common Council Chambers, 3rd Floor City Hall 108 E Green St | Federal Casework Assistance of Staff of Congressman Riley | 1 p.m., 5/12 Tuesday | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 E Green St | An opportunity to meet with the staff from Congressman Josh Riley’s office regarding concerns or Federal case work needs.
Tompkins County Public Library Board of Trustees Finance & Personnel Committee | 4 p.m., 5/12 Tuesday | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 East Green Street | Monthly meeting of the Tompkins County Pub -
lic Library Board of Trustees Finance & Personnel Committee
Code Your Own Adventure! | 4 p.m., 5/12 Tuesday | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 East Green Street | Join Rachel Fomalhaut for a workshop that’s equal parts coding and creative writing! Rachel teaches Interactive Fiction in Digital and Data Studies at SUNY Binghamton.
Senator Lea Webb’s Community Office Hours | 4 p.m., 5/12 Tuesday | Phillips Free Library, 37 South Main Street | Please join the Office of New York State Senator Lea Webb for “Community Office Hours” on May 12, 2026, from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM at Phillips Free Library, located at 37 S Main St, Homer, NY 13077. | Free Tompkins County Public Library Board of Trustees Community Relations Committee | 5 p.m., 5/12
Tuesday | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 East Green Street | Monthly meeting of the Board’s Community Relations Committee. For questions, please contact communications@ tcpl.org .
Community Line Dance | 7 p.m., 5/12 Tuesday | Foundation of Light, 391 Turkey Hill Rd | Community Line Dance lessons Pet Clinic | 6 p.m., 5/13 Wednesday | Southside Community Center Gym, 305 S Plain St | Pet Clinic Common Council Committee of the Whole- Session A | 6 p.m., 5/13 Wednesday | Common Council Chambers, 3rd Floor City Hall 108 E Green St | Home Repair Workshop: DIY Plumbing | 6:30 p.m., 5/13 Wednesday | Newfield Public Library, 198 Main Street | Workshop on DIY plumbing repairs, with a Q&A segment | Free
BOOK LAUNCH PARTY FOR “RED PILL POLITICS: DEMYSTIFYING TODAY’S FAR RIGHT, FROM FACISM TO RIGHT-WING POPULISM,” BY DAVID OST
SUNDAY, MAY 10 FROM 2 P.M. TO 3:45 P.M. Buffalo Street Books, 215 N Cayuga St | Ost’s newest work offers an original way of thinking about the big political issue of our times: the turn to right-wing authoritarianism. The book asks: why have workers and non-elites who traditionally supported the Left turned to the Red Pill Right, and what can be done to turn this around? Cases include classic fascism to Trumpism as well as right-wing populism in Eastern Europe, India, and Turkey. Red Pill Politics is a thought-provoking (and action-provoking) analysis of the political cataclysms hounding us all. The author will present the book in conversation with Binghamton sociology professor René Rojas and with the audience. Refreshments served.
250/Merchandise
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320/Bulletin Board
PUBLIC NOTICE
The annual business meeting of the Trumbulls Corners Cemetery Association will be held on Tuesday, 05/12/2026 at 6:30pm at the Trumbulls Corners Community Church, 628 Trumbulls Corners Rd. Newfield, NY. All lot owners and other interested parties are invited to attend.
800/Services
GET A BREAK ON YOUR TAXES
Donate your car, truck, or SUV to assist the blind and visually impaired. Arrange a swift, no-cost vehicle pickup and secure a generous tax credit for 2025. Call Heritage for the Blind Today at 1-855-484-3467. (NYSCAN)
830/Home
DO YOU NEED A ROOF OR ENERGY EFFICIENT WINDOWS & HELP PAYING FOR IT?
YOU MAY QUALIFY THROUGH NEW RELIEF PROGRAMS (800) 944-9393 or visit NYProgramFunding.org to qualify. Approved applications will have the work completed by a repair crew provided by: HOMEOWNER FUNDING. Not affiliated with State or Gov Programs. (NYSCAN)
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If you are overpaying for your service, call now for a free quote and see how much you can save!
Who’s Your Neighbor?
A Local Directory of Faith Communities, Faith-Related Service and Interfaith Activities
Many Ithacans are seeking connections that might accurately be called faith. Some return to their roots while others seek roots they may never have experienced. We hope our directory will provide a resource residents, students and visitors find useful in their journey.
Agape Bible Church agapeithaca.com
Baha’i Community of Ithaca www.ithacabahais.org
Bethel Grove Bible Church https://bg.org
Bread of Life Anglican Church https://breadoflifeithaca.org
Cedar Cabin Sangha (Buddhist, Plum Village Practice) https://cedarcabinsangha.blogspot.com
Christ Chapl
https://www.christchapelithaca.org/
Christian Community Church Ithaca https://cccithaca.org
Christ the King Fellowship Presbyterian Church https://ckspencer.org
Church of the Epiphany https://www.epiphanytrumansburg.org
Congregation Tikkun v’Or (Ithaca Reform Temple) https://www.tikkunvor.org
Danby Community Church https://danbychurch.org
518 Yoga Gathering suzannejanene@gmail.com
All Eyes and Ears on Racism - AEER aeerforjustice@gmail.com
Catholic Charities of Tompkins/Tioga https://www.catholiccharitiestt.org
Finger Lakes Anam Cara https://www.fingerlakesanamcara.com
Area Congregations Together breedlovejami@gmail.com
Greater Lansing-Ithaca Interfaith Community https://lansingunited.org/events
FAITH COMMUNITY
First Baptist Church in Ithaca https://www.firstbaptistithaca.org
First Congregational Church of Ithaca https://fccithaca.org
First Presbytarian Church of Ithaca https://www.firstpresithaca.org
First Unitarian Society of Ithaca https://unitarian.ithaca.ny.us/
First United Methodist Church of Forest Home https://www.foresthomechapelumc.org
Hillside Alliance Church https://hillsideithaca.org
Ithaca Quakers (Religious Society of Friends) https://ithacamonthlymeeting.org/
Lansing United Methodist Church https://LansingUnited.org
Living Hope Fellowship www.lhfithaca.org
New Life Presbyterian Church https://newlifeithaca.org
FAITH-RELATED SERVICE
Forest Hermitage https://staceysmithhypnosis.com/
Integrative Mental Wellness https://www.psychologytoday.com/profile/1449445
Moonlight Epiphanies https://moonlightepiphanies.org/
Namgyal Monastary Institute of Buddhist Studies https://namgyal.org/
Ithaca Kitchen Cupboard https://ithacakitchencupboard.org/
Ithaca Sunday Squares (585)451-4288
Sacral Transformations and Braided Root Waters Healing Sanctuary https://sacraltransformations.com
St. James AME Zion Church https://www.facebook.com/Stjamesamezionithaca/
St. John’s Episcopal Church https://www.stjohnsithaca.org
St. Luke Lutheran Church and Lutheran Campus Ministry https://stlukeithaca.org
St. Paul’s United Methodist Church https://stpaulsithaca.org
Temple Beth-El https://www.tbeithaca.org/
The Twelve Tribes https://www.twelvetribes.org
Trinity Lutheran Church https://www.trinityithaca.org
Vineyard Church of Ithaca https://ithacavineyard.org
St. Catherine's of Siena Church stcathofsiena.org
Pure Essence Vibrations https://www.pureessencevibrations.com/
Second Wind Cottages https://www.secondwindcottages.org/
Willow Glen Christian School https://www.willowglencs.org/
Wisdom's Goldenrod Center for Philosophic Studies www.wisdomsgoldenrod.info
Shared Journeys https://sharedjourneys.net/
The Foundation of Light https://www.thefoundationoflight.org/
Ithaca Dances of Universal Peace idancepeace.org
For more information, visit www.whoisyourneighbor.org and www.madeofclay.org
