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BLUE WAVE MIDTERMS Democrats win majority of House and Senate in 2026 Midterm elections ITHACA COMMON COUNCIL PASSES 2027 BUDGET
CORNELL STUDENT STARTUP EGGSTRAORDINARY PLANS RETAIL LAUNCH
NY ATTORNEY GENERAL NAMES OUTSIDE COUNSEL IN CORNELL JANE DOE CASE
ITHACA COLLEGE THEATRE’S “PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE”
WILD HORSE NINE: CIA AGENTS TAKE VACATION
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company 417 W State St, Ithaca, NY 14850 | Mailing: PO Box 429, Ithaca, NY 14851 | (607) 272-0570 | info@kitchentheatre.org
A Little Holiday Magic, Close to Home Kitchen Theatre Company brings together live theatre, seasonal celebrations, and the simple pleasure of being together with its production of Maytag Virgin, by Audrey Cefaly. There is something wonderful about the holiday season: the lights, the music, the gatherings with friends and family, and those special moments that remind us why this time of year means so much. Of course, creating those moments isn’t always easy. Between shopping, cooking, decorating, entertaining, and managing an already busy calendar, the magic of the holidays can sometimes feel like another item on an impossibly long to-do list. What if, for just one evening, someone else took care of the details? That’s the invitation from Ithaca’s Kitchen Theatre Company, where a holiday tradition returns this December with a production of Audrey Cefaly’s Maytag Virgin, accompanied by an evening of food, drink, conversation, and celebration. It’s an opportunity to rediscover something that can get lost in the holiday rush: the pleasure of simply being together.
The Gift of a Night Out From December 2 through 20, Kitchen Theatre Company will present Maytag Virgin, by Audrey Cefaly, directed by Emily Jackson and starring Darian Dauchan and Rebekah Brockman. The play tells a funny, tender, and deeply human story centered on two characters, Jack and Lizzy. Their experiences offer audiences opportunities to laugh, reflect, and perhaps recognize something of themselves in the lives unfolding onstage. It’s the kind of intimate storytelling for which the Kitchen has become known: professional theatre that brings audiences close enough to experience not just the performance, but the emotional connections that make live theatre special. And on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings, the performance becomes part of something more. The Kitchen transforms its welcoming lobby into a holiday gathering place, creating an experience that begins before the curtain rises and continues through intermission and beyond. The idea is refreshingly simple. Rather than making separate dinner reservations, planning entertainment, and coordinating a holiday gathering, patrons can enjoy an entire evening in one place. Best of all, the food, beverages, and festivities are included in the price of a holiday party performance ticket.
More Than a Performance
Sponsored Content / Independent Media Production This content was produced by The Ithaca Times as part of a sponsored media partnership with the Kitchen Theatre Company. It is paid promotional content and is separate from the newspaper’s independent editorial coverage.
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Imagine arriving at the Kitchen on a December evening. Inside, the lobby glows with seasonal decorations. The aroma of freshly prepared Mama Said Hand Pies fills the room, inviting guests to sample a savory Potato and Cheddar pastry while greeting familiar faces and meeting new ones. At the bar, there’s beer from Ithaca’s Liquid State, wine from Ryan William Vineyard, and a cocoa bar offering another way to enjoy the season. Friends reconnect. Neighbors exchange greetings. Conversations begin between people who might otherwise have remained strangers. Then the audience moves into the theatre. For a little while, the demands
The Ithaca Times / November 11 – 17, 2026
of everyday life recede as the story of Jack and Lizzy unfolds. There is laughter, warmth, and the unmistakable pleasure of sharing an experience with others. At intermission, the festivities resume. Desserts appear, glasses are refilled, and conversations turn naturally to the characters and the unexpected emotions the play has stirred. By the evening’s end, audiences have enjoyed more than a theatrical performance. They’ve shared a celebration. It’s an experience that feels especially appropriate during a season devoted to generosity, connection, and the people who make our lives meaningful.
The Magic of Being Together In an age when so much entertainment is consumed individually, live theatre offers something increasingly valuable: a shared experience. The person laughing beside you might be an old friend or someone you’ve never met. A moment onstage might inspire a conversation that continues long after the performance ends. This sense of connection has always been central to Kitchen Theatre Company’s identity. Located at 417 West State Street on Ithaca’s West Side, the Kitchen produces professional theatre throughout the year in an intimate 98-seat space. Its productions bring together artists from the local community and beyond to tell stories that entertain, challenge, and encourage audiences to see the world through different eyes. That commitment extends beyond the stage. The Kitchen Bar opens to the public an hour before every performance, while its Around the Kitchen Table conversations and special events offer opportunities for audiences and artists to engage with one another. Select talkbacks and events are free and open to the public. It’s a reminder that a theatre can be more than a place to watch a play. It can also be a place where community happens.
A Holiday Tradition Worth Sharing Not every holiday memory needs to be elaborate. Sometimes the most meaningful moments come from an evening spent laughing with friends, discovering a story, or enjoying the company of people who make a place feel like home. That’s the spirit behind the Kitchen’s holiday celebration. With Maytag Virgin, the Kitchen offers audiences a chance to step away from the season’s obligations and enjoy its rewards: good food, good company, thoughtful storytelling, and a little unexpected magic. Whether it’s an evening with a partner, a gathering of friends, a celebration with coworkers, or simply a welldeserved night out, the experience provides something increasingly precious during the holidays. Time together. And perhaps that’s where the real holiday magic has been all along.
Experience Maytag Virgin at Kitchen Theatre Company For performance schedules and reservations, visit kitchentheatre.org/ maytagtix or call the box office at (607) 272-0570 or Scan this QR Code:
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VOL. LV / NO. 45 / November 8, 2026 Serving 47,125 readers weekly
Ithaca Common Council Passes 2027 Budget Under State Cap; Health Care, Wages Drive Tax Rate Up 1.61% By Philip O’Dell
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he Ithaca Common Council approved the city’s 2027 budget at its Nov. 4 meeting, raising the property tax rate 1.61% and increasing its operating expenses. The budget passed with nine votes with Alderperson Robin Trumble absent. According to the adopted resolution, the 2027 city budget appropriates nearly $118.8 million for operating expenses and roughly $23.8 million for capital projects, up from the total 2026 budget of about $111.5 million. Under the approved resolution, the 2027 property tax rate is set at $12.437 per $1,000 of taxable valuation, establishing a total tax levy of $35,814,186 based on the 2026 tax roll. The 2026 tax rate was set at $12.24 per $1,000 of taxable valuation, resulting in a total tax levy of $34,772,582. According to the city’s website, the 2027 budget features a 2.72% tax levy increase, which is below the New York State Property Tax Cap. City Controller Carissa Ralbovsky previously told the Ithaca Times that calculations from the New York State Comptroller’s Office set the city’s maximum tax levy growth limit at 3.08% for 2027. She said the recommended $35.36 million levy leaves the city $576,870 below its maximum allowable threshold of $35.9 million, eliminating the need for a tax cap override. In a Nov. 5 email to the Ithaca Times, Ralbovsky said the approved total 2027 general fund budget with amendments is $94,965,442. This is an increase of almost $6 million compared to the 2026 general fund of $89,143,651. Ralbovsky said rising health insurance costs for active employees and retirees were the primary driver behind both the tax rate increase and broader operating growth across all city funds. She said the second largest budget driver was negotiated increases in staff wages. “However, increases in wages were largely balanced out by the elimination of vacant positions and the continued practice of budgeting an assumed staff turnover rate for each department,” Ralbovsky said. “Sim-
ilarly, there were many inflationary costs that drove the budget up that were balanced with budget reductions.” According to a city Finance Department presentation, Ithaca’s 2027 health insurance budget assumes a 17.5% rise in average monthly billing, offset by $771,000 in general fund reductions—including $700,000 from retiree benefit reform and $71,000 from cutting management wellness incentives. The baseline health budget of roughly $19.8 million—a 38.5% total fund increase over 2026—falls to about $18.9 million after adjustments, still up 32.4% year-over-year. Under the adjusted spending plan, $16.5 million is designated for the general fund and nearly $2.5 million for non-general funds, allocating $8.6 million toward active employee coverage and $10.3 million for retirees. During the Common Council’s Oct. 7 meeting, City Manager Dominick Recckio said the budget includes operational cuts to keep the recommended property tax levy under the state tax cap. He said the largest single reduction saves $580,000 by eliminating 14 full-time vacant positions, alongside targeted line-item cuts across city departments. During the meeting, Recckio cited wages and salaries as the city’s largest general fund expense, followed closely by fringe benefits, departmental operations, debt service, and administrative costs. The 2027 budget development process started in May and originally featured a projected deficit of $8 million, driven largely by updated health insurance forecasts and efforts to clean up the city’s financial data. Officials eliminated the gap after the finance department directed departments to identify spending cuts and generate new revenue ideas. At the Nov. 4 meeting, Recckio said he is excited to implement the city’s new budget and capital plan. The city’s 2027–2031 Five-Year Capital Improvement Plan targets major infrastructure and public safety needs, funding deferred facility maintenance alongside transportation and recreation overhauls. Key projects include the reconstruction of Stewart Avenue, demolition of the Seneca Street parking garage, and preliminary design work for the Cascadilla Street railroad crossing. The five-year program dedicates
funding toward repairing and replacing safety-critical equipment across municipal parks. “We have a lot of ambitious actions within those, but I think we’re on the right track and we’re set up for success there,” Recckio said. Alderperson David Shapiro said city officials developed a “slightly more conservative” budget to avoid overburdening residents struggling financially. “All the department heads really did a lot of due diligence in putting forth a budget that took into mind the fact that a lot of people in the community are struggling,” Shapiro said. Alderperson Margaret Fabrizio said she voted against several amendments creating new positions. She said the city should better use existing staff rather than hiring for every new initiative. Fabrizio called for a comprehensive review of internal department operations, noting that the city manager and human resources officials are committed to identifying organizational efficiencies. The Common Council also adopted the 2027 Ithaca Area Wastewater Treatment Plant budget, approving $8,359,689 for the facility’s amended joint activity fund. According to the city’s website, the Common Council adopted the final budget after approving several amendments to support operational enhancements and restore previously proposed cuts, funding new management roles and infrastructure investments. The website states the amended spending plan will allow officials to hire a flood mitigation program manager within the Engineering and Transportation Division to oversee the design and construction of flood protection projects. The plan also establishes a parks and natural resources administrator to centralize strategic oversight of green spaces and maintenance across neighborhood parks and Stewart Park. The city will also add a dedicated crew to the Water and Sewer Division to double the pace of infrastructure repairs and replacements. “This effort will help support future housing development and reduce the risk of infrastructure failure in the future,” the website states.
X City of Ithaca, TCAT Relocate East Seneca Street Bus Stops
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ompkins Consolidated Area Transit (TCAT) and the City of Ithaca have agreed on intercity and East Seneca Street bus route changes, which went into effect on Nov. 9. According to a press release from the City of Ithaca, the route changes are meant to help with traffic congestion and alleviate issues that downtown businesses have been reporting since the closure of the Seneca Street Parking Garage. The press release said the agreement with TCAT was made after speaking to downtown businesses for several weeks.
TCAT’s first East Seneca Street stop is relocating about 60 yards east from the corner of North Cayuga Street to the area between Dewitt Mall and Tompkins Financial. This stop serves TCAT routes 11, 11S, 13, 14, 15, 17, 20, 21, 31W, 40, 43, 51, 52, 65 and 67. TCAT’s second East Seneca Street stop relocated to the corner of East Seneca and North Tioga streets. This stop serves TCAT’s high-frequency routes, including 30, 30W and 90. Up until Nov. 9, this spot was the intercity bus location, which has now moved to the 200 block of South Cayuga Street. Route 10 will remain on North Tioga Street. TCAT service and bus stop changes
Blue Wave Midterms Cover designed by Zachary Stephens.
NEWSLINE ����������������������������������������������� 3–5 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR ����������������������6 OPINION ������������������������������������������������������6 COVER STORY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS . . . . . 10 SPORTS ��������������������������������������������������������10 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT ��������������������12 TIMES TABLE ������������������������������������� 13–14
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will be reflected on TCAT’s website, realtime Bus Tracker and MyStop app. The city has also added two handicapped parking spaces on the 100-block of East Seneca Street, near Dewitt Mall, behind the space designated for Ithaca Carshare. The press release noted that with the Cayuga Street Garage, there are more than 300 parking spaces within a 5-minute walk of The Commons. “We will continue to assess parking usage during peak hours and understand how parking users navigate our downtown and what can be done to support our local businesses,” the city press release said.
THE ENTIRE CONTENTS OF THE ITHACA TIMES ARE COPYRIGHT © 2026 by PATHWAYS TO EQUITY, LLC. All rights reserved. Events are listed free of charge in TimesTable. All copy must be received by Friday at noon. The Ithaca Times is available free of charge from various locations around Ithaca. Additional copies may be purchased from the Ithaca Times offices for $1. SUBSCRIPTIONS: $139 one year. Include check or money order and mail to the Ithaca Times, PO Box 27, Ithaca, NY 14851. ADVERTISING: Deadlines are Monday 5 p.m. for display, Tuesday at noon for classified. Advertisers should check their ad on publication. The Ithaca Times will not be liable for failure to publish an ad, for typographical error, or errors in publication except to the extent of the cost of the space in which the actual error appeared in the first insertion. The publisher reserves the right to refuse advertising for any reason and to alter advertising copy or graphics deemed unacceptable for publication. The Ithaca Times is published weekly Wednesday mornings. Offices are located at 109 N. Cayuga Street, Ithaca, NY 14850 607-277-7000, FAX 607-277-1012, MAILING ADDRESS is PO Box 27, Ithaca, NY 14851. The Ithaca Times was preceded by the Ithaca New Times (1972–1978) and The Good Times Gazette (1973–1978), combined in 1978. Founder Good Times Gazette: Tom Newton
November 11 – 17, 2026 / The Ithaca Times
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By Mark Sy ve r t son QUESTION OF THE WEEK:
“WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CONCERT?” NOTE: If readers wish to participate in the Ithaca Times’ Inquiring Photographer column, contact Mark Syvertson at marksyvertsonphotography@gmail.com
“I went to a Weird Al Yankovich show when I was in 6th grade.” — Shawn
“I did sound for Janis Ian in New Jersey back in the 1970s.” — Andy
Cornell Student Startup Eggstraordinary Plans Retail Launch of Egg Cereal After $85,000 State Competition Prize By Philip O’Dell
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fter winning an $85,000 award in Buffalo, a trio of Cornell doctoral students and founders of Eggstraordinary LLC are moving closer to bringing their nutrient-dense, egg-based cereal from university labs to retail aisles. Eggstraordinary secured the monetary prize after competing against eight other finalists in the 2026 New York State Commercialization Competition, held Oct. 29–30 at the Buffalo Convention Center. Hosted by Empire State Development and FuzeHub, the statewide event awarded a top prize of $150,000, a $110,000 runner-up prize, and $85,000 each to two startups. Eggstraordinary is led by researchers from Cornell’s Department of Food Science whose scientific specialties shape the startup’s core operations. Sabrina Choi studies taste perception in the food science department, heads sales, branding, and retail partnerships. Waritsara “Peach” Khongkomolsakul specializes in protein encapsulation and oversees product development, ingredient sourcing, and fundraising strategy. Yihong Deng, a food microbiologist who also holds law degrees from China and the United States, directs manufacturing, quality control, and regulatory compliance.
“Being named one of nine finalists was an honor and a huge encouragement for a young startup like ours,” the Eggstraordinary team said in a joint statement. “It was also our very first pitch. Stepping onto the stage at the Buffalo Convention Center alongside so many talented and accomplished New York entrepreneurs was nerve-wracking but energizing, and the judges’ questions pushed us to sharpen how we communicate our business. Looking back, it may seem like a small first step, but at this stage, it means a great deal to us.” Deng was inspired to enter the contest after meeting Dr. Sam Alcaine, vice president of regulatory and scientific affairs at the International Dairy Foods Association, during a scientific conference. Alcaine urged the startup to apply, leading the founders to quickly assemble their submission for the statewide showcase. Choi said the startup aims to bring Eggiyo to store shelves within the next year. In the interim, the founders are gathering consumer feedback through pop-up sampling events on Cornell’s campus, in downtown Ithaca, and in high-traffic sections of New York City, while actively seeking a co-manufacturing partner to scale up production. According to the team, the Eggstraordinary concept originated during the 2025
Eggcelerator Lab product development competition, which challenged entrants to design an innovative food using eggs as the primary ingredient. Drawing on her upbringing in Bangkok, Thailand, Khongkomolsakul introduced the team to Foi Thong, a traditional dessert crafted from delicate, sweet egg-yolk strands. Because the confection has a shelf life of only about a week, the founders sought to adapt it into a shelf-stable, everyday format tailored to American palates. Originally entering the contest under the name Eggsential, the concept evolved into Eggiyo and transformed a sweet novelty into a convenient breakfast cereal packed with whole-egg nutrition. “We saw an opportunity to address both nutrition and convenience,” according to the team. “Many Americans don’t get enough choline, an essential nutrient found in eggs, yet preparing eggs takes time. We wanted to make whole-egg nutrition easier to enjoy by turning eggs into a familiar, ready-to-eat cereal that fits into busy mornings.” The team said Ithaca embeds the team within New York’s wider food and entrepreneurial network. She said her team is planning their initial production run as an external client at Cornell AgriTech in Contin u ed on Page 8
County Code Blue Shelter Preserves Core Services Despite Significant Decrease in State Funding By Lorien Tyne
T “Bryan Adams on the ‘Reckless’ tour.” — Tom
“I think my first show was a bluegrass festival in Tburg.” — Eva
“My first concert was Billy Joel.” — Sam
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he Tompkins County Code Blue shelter at 227 Cherry Street in Ithaca will reopen its 24-hour services at 4 p.m. on Nov. 15 for the 2026–27 winter season. The county Code Blue shelter continues to be operated by Volunteers of America Upstate New York (VOA). The shelter will provide overnight shelter, a daytime warming center, on-site case management, 24/7 staffing, food, showers, laundry and transportation throughout the Code Blue season, which ends April 15, 2027. Code Blue is activated when temperatures are projected to fall below 32 degrees. Before Nov. 15 and after April 15, the Tompkins County Department of Social Services Tompkins County’s Code Blue shelter is on 227 Cherry Street in the City of Ithaca. (DSS) will place those seeking shelter in (Photo: Mark Syverston/Ithaca Times) hotels during qualifying Code Blue weather. Individuals who are seeking emergency shelter can go to DSS at 320 West State $2 million to $841,000. igible expenses to a capped allocation modStreet in Ithaca or call 607-274-5030 on According to the press release, the state el. Beginning in 2023, Tompkins County weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. If assisis adjusting allocations statewide based on received an annual allocation of $2 million, tance is needed after hours, on weekends historical spending. County leadership said which the county has attributed to the loss or on holidays, individuals can call noneEarle and the New York Public Welfare of its previous shelter provider and the startmergency dispatch at 607-272-2444 to be Association have submitted inquiries to the up costs associated with establishing a new connected with DSS on-call staff. state but have not yet received any further Code Blue site at Cherry Street. In a press release notifying the commuexplanation from OTDA about how the While no Code Blue funding was allonity of the shelter’s opening, Commissioner reduced allocation was determined. cated in the county budget for 2027, county of Social Services Brittanie Earle said DSS “Tompkins County’s Code Blue expenleadership told the Ithaca Times that further has worked collaboratively with VOA ditures have substantially exceeded the new discussion with the county legislature could to preserve core services despite a 58% $841,000 allocation since 2018, apart from be required if there are additional operadecrease in state funding for Code Blue the COVID period,” county leadership said. tional needs throughout the season. services. “It therefore remains unclear how the state The total cost of the 2025–26 Code Blue “Our priority is making sure people have used historical spending to arrive at this program was $2,020,393, including apa warm place to stay and access to support amount.” proximately $211,000 in start-up expenses during the winter,” Earle said. The state’s decision to readjust Code Blue with the establishment of the Cherry Street The New York State Office of Tempoallocations comes only a few years after location. Last year, the Cherry Street shelter rary and Disability Assistance reduced the the state changed the Code Blue funding Contin u ed on Page 10 county’s annual Code Blue allocation from approach in 2023 from reimbursement of el-
The Ithaca Times / November 11 – 17, 2026
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NY Attorney General Names Outside Counsel in Cornell Rape Case; University Gives Survivors Police Choice By Philip O’Dell
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s state prosecutors advance an independent criminal inquiry into an alleged campus gang rape in 2024, Cornell University has agreed to let survivors choose whether campus police or the New York State Police lead criminal probes into their reports. New York Attorney General Letitia James announced on Nov. 4 the appointment of Jacqueline Kelly as outside counsel in the criminal investigation into the alleged sexual assault at Cornell University in October 2024. A former Cornell student, using the pseudonym Jane Doe, filed a lawsuit in September against seven members of the Xi Chapter of Chi Phi Fraternity for allegedly gang raping her at a fraternity house in 2024. Doe also filed suit against the university for negligence. According to the Attorney General’s statement, Kelly is a partner at Boies Schiller Flexner specializing in criminal investigations and represents victims in sexual assault cases. She previously led the Civil Rights Unit at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, prosecuting hate crimes, official misconduct, and sexual abuse. A graduate of Cornell University and Columbia Law School, Kelly also clerked for federal courts in New York and New Jersey. According to CNN, Kelly was the inaugural chief of the Civil Rights Unit
established within the Criminal Division at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Manhattan in 2021. Until leaving the office last year, she led the criminal investigation into Sean “Diddy” Combs, who was acquitted of sex trafficking charges but convicted of transportation to engage in prostitution. The Attorney General’s statement says Kelly will oversee a group of attorneys from her firm and the Attorney General’s office. “I thank Attorney General James for entrusting me to lead this investigation with her office,” Kelly said. “All New Yorkers deserve a fair and thorough inquiry into the facts of this case. I look forward to lending my years of experience as a federal prosecutor to the Office of the Attorney General as we examine all available evidence.” According to CNN, it is unclear whether Kelly’s appointment will affect challenges filed by two of the accused students, who argued in separate legal motions that James is biased in Doe’s favor based on comments she made shortly before taking over the case. On Sept. 28, James wrote on X, “What this young woman has been forced to endure is horrific and unacceptable. I’m holding her in my heart and in my prayers. To her, and to all survivors: you’re not alone. We stand with you.” New York Gov. Kathy Hochul appointed Attorney General Letitia James on Oct. 1 to serve as special prosecutor in the case following calls for an independent investigation, according to NBC News. The state
T R U S T he’ll find something he really digs
Maybe Archeology? Whatever it might be, the college choice that seems so far away will actually be here before you know it. While he explores, you can be sure that Tompkins Bank & Trust will be with you to save for the future and enjoy every minute of getting there.
with Trust, amazing things happen
DOWNS
On Nov. 11, IPD officers responded to a report of a burglary in progress at a residence at West Village Place. Officers located and detained Torrin M. House, a 32-year old Ithaca resident, who had attempted to break into the apartment by smashing a window and had threatened to stab the victim. House was arraigned in Ithaca City Court and remanded to Tompkins County Jail.
HEARD
The Cayuga Vocal Ensemble under the direction of Sean Linfors is celebrating its 50th anniversary with a concert entitled, “Reflections and Radiance.” On Nov. 15 at 4 p.m. at the First Presbyterian Church the ensemble will perform their favorite songs from the past 50 years and will be joined in the finale by previous conductors and alumni.
SEEN
Ithaca Food Not Bombs is operating its mutual aid warming center for the second year. Currently, the warming center is open Wednesdays and Fridays from 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Creative Hub for Cultures at 516 W State Street. Free items are offered like handwarmers, socks, snacks, hot drinks and other supplies.
IF YOU CARE TO RESPOND to something in this column, or suggest your own praise or blame, write editor@ ithacatimes.com with a subject head “U&D.”
QUESTION OF THE WEEK
Does NY State need to do more to address domestic violence? 55.6% Yes. 44.4% No. 00.0% I don’t know. Next Week’s Question:
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intervention came days after Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten announced Sept. 28 that his office was reopening the matter. According to CBS News, Van Houten declined to file charges in 2024 after reviewing Cornell University Police Department’s six-page summary of its interview with Doe and without having seen the original transcript. The Jane Doe case has sparked demonstrations on Cornell’s campus, across Ithaca, and nationwide, with protesters criticizing the university’s handling of the allegations. According to its online statement, Cornell University signed an agreement Oct. 29 with the New York State Police allowing sexual assault survivors who file criminal charges to decide whether state or campus police investigate their cases. Under the policy, State Police investigations will operate independently of the university, with state troopers leading inquiries and any prosecution referrals. Campus police will assist as requested by preserving evidence and sharing relevant records, which remain protected under student privacy laws. In Cornell’s statement, survivors may also direct their reports to the Ithaca Police Department or the Tompkins County Sheriff ’s Office, as Cornell continues discussions with local officials to help develop a countywide Special Victims Unit. “As we embark on the work of rebuilding our community’s sense of safety and trust, it is essential that all members of our community feel able to report sexual assault with confidence that their reports will be handled with professionalism and sensitivity,” Cornell President Michael Kotlikoff said. In an Oct. 13 statement, Kotlikoff announced the suspension of all fraternity parties and social events on campus for the rest of the 2026–2027 school year. Cornell announced Oct. 6 that it hired former U.S. Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates to lead an independent review of how the university prevents and responds to campus sexual misconduct. Despite Cornell administration’s responses, some protestors, such as People’s University Ithaca, have demanded Kotlikoff ’s resignation, the abolition of fraternities and the establishment of a democratic judiciary system on campus. Cornell’s Faculty Senate debated a no-confidence resolution Oct. 28 targeting central administration over its handling of sexual misconduct claims following the Jane Doe case. According to the Dean of Faculty’s Office, the resolution says the Senate has “no confidence in the ability of the central administration to effectively address the ongoing crisis of sexual assault at Cornell University.” Electronic voting on the measure runs for about 10 days and requires a simple majority to pass, Dean of Faculty Chris Schaffer said. Despite the no-confidence voting, Cornell’s bylaws do not grant the Faculty Senate the power to remove the president. According to Cornell’s bylaws, the Board of Trustees consists of 64 members with “supreme control over the University,” while the president is elected by a majority vote of the entire board. The bylaws state the board’s executive committee determines the president’s salary and evaluates their performance at least once every five years.
UPS
Press Bay Court in Ithaca has welcomed two new eateries to its space. Farm to Feast moved from K-House and serves locally sourced breakfast, lunch and dinner. Eatsy Cafe has fresh sushi, desserts and coffee.
November 11 – 17, 2026 / The Ithaca Times
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The Talk at
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR By Ithaca Times Readers
‘Seven’
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As a longtime poet, my mind turns to verse when I am deeply affected by a world happening. I hope you will find it acceptable that my letter takes this form: The lawsuit claims one defendant sent a message to a ‘Chi Phi Actives’ Snapchat, indicating [Jane] Doe was available for sex . . . —Philip O’Dell in the Ithaca Times, Oct. 7–13, 2026 Seven Suppose they weren’t benevolent. Suppose they believed in old dark ways, that they were born as superior and can show it any way they want, their future path of diamonds and gold steadily mined in magical words protecting them from how they use any lesser being that wanders to them believing in love, good will, trust in how these men have shaped their home of secret power that seems to gleam. Suppose they’re actually like wolf spiders waiting for prey to come close to them so they can leap and sate their appetite. Think of Snow White, weak in her own hunger, making bad choices in night’s lie that surely no one will do her harm. A lighted doorway, wide welcoming smiles, October soothed by flowing steins, sweet fragrant smoke that dizzies dreams…. The men around her, touching, taking one after another—how it always must be— in the cottage time has built for them, history’s glory keeping tried and true how the forest’s rulers shape fraternity.” — Katharyn Howd Machan, Ithaca NY
Remembering the Work of Carol U. Sisler
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That we have the Clinton House, standing strong on North Cayuga Street, gracing our community is due to the efforts of Victoria Romanoff, Constance Saltonstall, and the constant leadership of Carol U. Sisler. Carol died a week ago and we owe her a debt of thanks for seeing the beauty of the Clinton House, its architectural importance, and its significant role in Ithaca’s history. In 1973, Carol coordinated the effort to buy the building when it was under threat of being demolished to be replaced by a hotel. That effort to save the Clinton
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House was one of the first major fund-raising efforts in the community and Carol and her team contacted everyone to contribute. It was not always easy to do. Saving the 1830 building was one thing, but then it became necessary that people roll up their sleeves and actively nail together sagging siding, scrape and paint, organize crews to restore the exterior, replace or repoint brick or stone, and redesign the interior for a use different from that of a hotel. This was a gigantic community effort and I am sure people still have scars from hammers that didn’t always hit the mark, from edges of boards that scraped by their legs, of flooring that gave away beneath them. But the community responded and the building was saved and then opened with Historic Ithaca as owner and tenant. In 2009 Historic Ithaca sold the Clinton House with covenants to ensure its continuation as a major feature in Ithaca’s downtown. There were many people involved, but Carol Sisler was a determining force and we should remember her efforts. The Clinton House stands today as a demonstration that a group of dedicated people, with a clear goal, and robust leadership can accomplish what might appear to be impossible. Carol Sisler stepped up at a crucial moment and provided that leadership. We are in her debt.” —Carol Kammen, Ithaca NY
Concern Regarding Drones at Walmart Parking Lot
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The other day I was loading groceries into my car in the Walmart parking lot when a drone came over and hovered about 20' above my car. ‘Since when does Walmart have drones in their parking lot?’ I said loudly so that the two other people doing the same looked up. The drone took off. This incident brings up many issues. 1. Walmart only rents the store and the parking lot. They don’t own it. 2. Lot Cops and other mechanical devices in parking lots are legal for stores to install. 3. Only police have the right to search a vehicle. If a store believes you’re stealing something, they need to call the police. 4. Police can only search a vehicle under certain circumstances. These are outlined on the Internet. Make sure you narrow your search by adding ‘NYS.’ 5. A store that uses a drone to look inside your car may be invading your privacy. 6. Don’t leave your car unattended for too long because bad actors can use drones to see what goodies you might have in your car to steal. 7. Knowing your rights can be helpful. The NYCLU has a printable sheet on the Internet titled ‘What to Do If You’re Stopped by the Police.’ AND 8. Stay calm and take lots of photos even if it’s ‘only a drone.’” —Ronda Roaring, Spencer NY
The Ithaca Times / November 11 – 17, 2026
GUEST OPINION
Voters in Tompkins County Elevate the Working Families Party by Emily Adams
O
n Tuesday, November 3rd, America experienced a blue tidal wave at the ballot box. Democrats won every Statewide race in Texas. A Muslim man beat $44 million from the pro-Israel group AIPAC to win a Senate seat. In January, over 125 Democratic women will be seated in Congress. The reverberations will be felt for many years. In New York, there was another political wave on Tuesday— the Working Families Party received more votes for Governor Hochul on its line than the Conservative party received for her opponent. As a result, the WFP will rise to row C on the ballot for upcoming elections, and the Conservative party will move down to row D. There will be another reset after the 2028 elections, at which time the WFP might return to row D or maintain its position on row C. In theory, the Working Families Party could also move up to row B but that would require that they get more votes for their governor or presidential candidate than the Republican Party. This is unlikely to happen. The WFP is a party full of passionate and principled progressives—and no billionaires. Without billionaire friends, it is hard to win big elections. But even if the WFP never reaches row B, it can continue to play an important role in New York elections, because New York is one of several states that still has fusion voting. Fusion voting allows a smaller party to endorse and give their ballot line to one of the major candidates. Typically, the WFP gives its line to the Democratic nominee while the Conservative Party gives its line to the Republican nominee. Each candidate can total up all the votes they get on all their ballot lines, and the candidate with the highest total wins. Fusion voting gives the Working Families Party three ways to impact New York elections. • One: The WFP can step in and endorse during the Democratic primary, helping its preferred candidate reach the general election. Assembly woman Anna Kelles secured the WFP endorsement in her primary the first time she ran for New York Assembly—and de-
feated her six Democratic opponents by a wide margin. Kelles remains a strong champion of the WFP. • Two: during a general election, the WFP ballot line can give a voter a more palatable way to vote for a candidate if the voter finds the Democratic party repulsive. In this cycle, Blake Gendebien in NY21 decided he didn’t want the WFP line, while his opponent took both the Republican line and another line. Gendebien lost by 4178 votes. 5815 voters did not vote for either Congressional candidate. How many of those 5815 voters might have voted for Gendebien if he had given them another way to do it? • Three: During the general election, the WFP gives progressive voters a way to send a signal to the Democratic candidate: “be a progressive champion please.” Working Families Party leaders gave the WFP ballot line to Congressman Josh Riley this cycle even though they felt like some of his votes were too pro-Israel. They liked his other positions and encouraged members and supporters not to leave the line blank in protest but to vote WFP. Riley received 14% of his votes on the WFP line— and in Tompkins County, it was 20%. WFP leaders can use those numbers to encourage Riley to be more progressive in the future. Ithaca Times readers might be interested to know that 6.16% of the voters in New York voted for Governor Hochul on the Working Families Party line. In Tompkins County, the percentage was 14.83%. Only one other county in New York exceeded us: in Kings County (NYC), 14.84% of the voters used the WFP line to vote for Hochul. Footnote: Readers who would like to learn more about the Working Families Party in Tompkins County are invited to reach out to local WFP leader Emily Adams at Ithaca@ workingfamilies.org. She can answer questions and explain how to get involved. Membership is not restricted to WFP registered voters—most club members are registered Democrats. Endorsement interviews for the 2027 election cycle will begin early in the new year.
Ownership is POWER C O M M U N I T Y
S E R I E S
EXPLORING HOW OWNERSHIP – OF HOMES, LAND, BUSINESSES, AND IDEAS – BUILDS STRONGER PEOPLE, PLACES, AND COMMUNITIES
Who Owns Ithaca's Future?
How cooperatives are putting economic power in the hands of the people— and why GreenStar’s next chapter matters. Contributors include Jeff Bessemer, Holly Baker, Cherise Tolbert, and Emily Thompson
An Economy That Puts People First What would an economy look like if it put people—not profits—at the center? Good news. We don’t have to imagine one. We’re already building it, every day, here in Ithaca. From the food we eat and the coffee we drink to the places we live and work, Ithacans have demonstrated something important: when people share ownership, they gain a greater say in shaping their future. And at a time when we’re feeling the squeeze of rising grocery bills, housing costs, utilities, and just about everything else, that’s no small thing. We hear a lot about economic growth, corporate profits, and the stock market. But how often do we ask a more fundamental question: Who owns the businesses and institutions we depend on? And who gets to decide how they operate? Here in Ithaca, we’ve been answering those questions for generations.
Ithaca Is Already Building It Look around our community and you’ll find an extraordinary collection of organizations built on a simple idea: the people who use, work in, and depend on an enterprise should have a voice in how it operates. • The Ithaca Farmers Market is owned by more than 150 farmers and vendors. • Gimme! Coffee is a worker-owned coffee roaster. • GreenStar Food Co+op is a consumer-owned grocery cooperative. • Beginnings Credit Union and Alternatives Federal Credit Union demonstrate how member-owned financial institutions can serve their communities. • Handwork Artists Cooperative puts ownership in the hands of artists. • Stewart Little Co-op and The Lodge Co-operative bring cooperative principles to housing. • CoLab is a worker-owned software company, while The Worker Place applies cooperative ownership to consulting. • Add Cornell’s cooperative houses, intentional communities, and other local collectives, and an impressive picture emerges. These organizations serve different purposes, but share an important belief: ownership doesn’t have to mean control by distant investors or a select few. It can mean power shared among the people whose lives are affected by the decisions being made.
Welcome to the Cooperative Movement Imagine you were designing an organization to serve you, your family, and your community.What would it look like? Well, it might be a good idea for the people who benefit to have an ownership stake. But maybe you’d keep ownership fairly equal, so one person with a lot of money couldn’t control everything.
You’d probably welcome all kinds of people. And while business and government partnerships might be useful, you wouldn’t want someone else calling all the shots. Congratulations. You’ve just begun designing a cooperative. These ideas reflect four founding principles of the cooperative movement: voluntary and open membership, democratic member control, member economic participation, and autonomy and independence. Three additional principles emphasize education, cooperation among cooperatives, and concern for community. Together, these principles guide approximately three million cooperatives worldwide, representing more than a billion members. Different countries. Different industries. But a shared understanding that people can accomplish more together.
Ownership Builds Community Wealth Think about what happens when we own more of the institutions we depend on. More of our money can stay here. Local farmers find customers. Workers have a greater voice. Neighbors become business partners. And decisions affecting our future are made by people who live here. Consider our regional food system. When a grocery cooperative purchases from area farmers and producers, it supports local livelihoods, strengthens relationships, and keeps economic activity circulating within our community. When shoppers are also owners, they can help shape the organization’s priorities. And when an enterprise puts community well-being at the center of its decisions, success can mean more than profits. It can mean good jobs, healthy food, stronger local businesses, and institutions that serve generations. We often measure economic development by outside investment, business growth, and job creation. Those things matter. But perhaps we should ask another question: How much of what sustains our community do we actually own?
A Defining Moment for GreenStar This brings us to GreenStar. For 53 years, generations of Ithacans have built a grocery cooperative demonstrating what community ownership can accomplish. This year, GreenStar surpassed 14,000 members. It employs 170 people, works with more than 200 local vendors, and generates nearly $8 million annually in local product sales. Its kitchen still prepares food from scratch, while its food recovery efforts direct more than $500,000 worth of food annually to people and organizations that can use it. These aren’t simply business statistics. They represent relationships among farmers, workers, shoppers, and neighbors. Now, GreenStar has reached another defining moment. The Co-op is raising $2 million in member-owner investments to purchase its Cascadilla Street building, helping secure its independence and long-term future. “A co-op is the manifestation of a community’s dream for itself,” General Manager Jeff Bessmer said. “Buying the Co-op’s building ensures this dream continues well into the future and will continue to grow. Join us in making it happen!” At the time of this writing, GreenStar reports having raised approximately two-thirds of its goal. But perhaps the campaign’s most meaningful measure isn’t simply the money raised. It’s what members are saying about why they’re investing. “My favorite part has been all the stories from investing members about the impact the Co-op has had on their lives,” Capital Campaign Manager Cherise Tolbert said. Think about that. People aren’t simply investing in a building. They’re supporting an institution that has helped shape their lives and community. Emily Thompson, owner of Remembrance Farm, describes its importance to our regional food system: “There’s nothing else like it in terms of creating the networks that our community needs for our food system.”
Eligible members can participate in the campaign under the terms and risks described in GreenStar’s investment prospectus. But the larger purpose reaches beyond any individual investment. Owning its building would give GreenStar greater control over its future, helping preserve a community-owned institution for generations to come.
Who Owns Our Future? Newer initiatives, including Fingerlakes Farm Fresh Cooperative and the New York Tree Crops Alliance, are exploring additional ways to strengthen our economy through cooperation. The cooperative movement wasn’t built by people waiting for someone else to solve their problems. It was built by neighbors who saw a need, imagined a better way, and decided to do something about it together. That spirit is alive and well in Ithaca. Join a cooperative. Shop at one. Support one. Or gather your neighbors and imagine what you might build together. Because the question isn’t simply what kind of economy we want. It’s whether we’re willing to become its owners. The future of Ithaca doesn’t have to belong to someone else. We can own a piece of it. Together. LEARN MORE:
www.GreenStar.coop/capital-campaign
Sponsored Content / Independent Media Production: This content was curated and produced by the Ithaca Times as part of a sponsored media partnership with Ithaca based GreenStar Food Co+op. It is promotional content and separate from the newspaper’s independent editorial coverage.
November 11 – 17, 2026 / The Ithaca Times
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CORNELL STUDENT STARTUP LAUNCH Contin u ed From Page 4
Geneva, with FuzeHub’s backing helping move the cereal closer to market. Choi said consumer demand for healthier morning options guided the cereal’s recipe and ingredient choices. Aiming to capitalize on the rise of health-conscious eating, the team designed a grain- and gluten-free cereal that delivers protein, fiber, and essential micronutrients in a quick format. Because shelf-stable egg products remain rare in the American diet, Choi said that introducing eggs in the familiar form of breakfast cereal helped turn their initial kitchen prototype into the winner of the 2025 Eggcelerator competition. According to the team, the cereal avoids a typical “eggy” flavor, delivering instead a light, crunchy texture and a custard-like taste. “Eggs are one of the most versatile and nutrient-dense foods, but preparing them takes time, especially on busy mornings,” according to the team. “With Eggiyo, you can enjoy an egg-based breakfast in just 30 seconds, without the cooking or cleanup.” Choi said the $85,000 prize will transition Eggiyo from a pilot-stage concept into a commercial business. The funds will support manufacturing optimization, ingredient sourcing, packaging, and shelf-life testing. The team plans to produce an initial run of 1,000 sampling units to gather consumer feedback, aiming to launch local retail pilots at stores like P&C and GreenStar before expanding to regional grocers such as Wegmans, campus cafeterias, and hotels. Choi said transitioning Eggiyo from a kitchen prototype into a commercially viable product proved to be a challenge. Scaling production required extensive trial and error to standardize processing methods, refine the recipe, and solidify branding. To bridge the gap, the founders consulted industry mentors, enrolled in entrepreneurship programs, and participated in founder cohorts to learn the fundamentals of commercial manufacturing. “We quickly realized there was a lot about building a business that we had never been taught in school,” the team said in their joint statement. “So, we applied what we do best as PhD students: researching, asking questions, and finding solutions.” The team’s vision is for Eggiyo to become a go-to breakfast cereal that people enjoy every day. “Beyond Eggiyo, we hope to grow Eggstraordinary into a brand that reimagines how people enjoy eggs,” according to the team. “Expanding into new flavors and innovative egg-based products like savory snacks and granola, while always keeping great taste and nutrition at the heart of what we do.” The Eggstraordinary founders urge aspiring campus entrepreneurs to act on their ideas even in the early stages of development. “For other student innovators, our advice is to not be afraid to take that first step, even if you don’t have everything figured out,” the team said in their statement. “Take advantage of product development competitions, Cornell resources, mentorship, and the entrepreneurial community here in Ithaca.” The founders attributed strong team chemistry to the startup’s progress. “Most importantly, find people you genuinely enjoy working with,” according to the team. “That’s been a big part of our journey. Eggstraordinary has come this far because we share the same vision, believe in each other, and enjoy building something together.”
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The Ithaca Times / November 11 – 17, 2026
Tompkins County Democrats Sweep Local Races, Reelect Riley as Party Rides Midterm Wave By Ben Ascher
Nationwide contests
DiNapoli said in a statement. As of Nov. 9, the 2026 midterm results ompkins County voters mirrored a “My friends in showed Democrats winning in battlenational Democratic surge as party Labor powered ground states like Michigan, Georgia, Penncandidates swept every contested tonight’s great sylvania, Maine, New Hampshire, North race during the midterm election, domivictory. The Carolina, Arizona, Wisconsin, and Nevada. nating a ballot filled with uncontested seats campaign is This amounted to a total of 54 to 44 Senate and securing wins for two incumbents in over, but the Dryden. work continues. seats and 252 to 162 House of Representatives seats for Democrats. I look forward Majorities like these couldn’t have to serving all the happened without Democrats flipping people of New historically Republican states like Texas, York as your According to the Tompkins CounOhio, Iowa, South Carolina, and Kansas State Comptrolty Board of Elections, Dryden saw two that haven’t seen Democratic senators since ler for the next competitive races, both being won by the 1932. These changes were largely a result four years. ” incumbent Democrats. Democrat Jason of polling favorably on the economy by Incumbent Leifer defeated Republican Thomas Corey focusing on issues of affordability, supportDemocrat Lewith 71.5% or 4,010 to Corey’s 28% or 1,591 ing races outside of battleground states, titia James will for the role of supervisor. Democrat Jules Incumbent Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul. (Photo: Provided) and Trump’s general unpopularity with a get to continue Ravo defeated Republican Henry Kramdisapproval rating of 61%. her investigaer with 72% or 4,030 votes compared to Democrats also saw huge victories across our nation this evening, though we know tion into Cornell’s accused rape case, as Kramer’s 28% or 1,547 votes for the role of state legislatures and governorships, giving the work continues here in New York to she defeated Republican challenger Saritha Town Justice. a possibility for the 2028 Presidential elecfight back against harmful cuts and policies Komatireddy to be reelected for her third According to county election board offition to be decided by national popular vote coming from Washington, ” Webb said in a term as New York attorney general. James cials, two unopposed supervisors who won instead of the Electoral College. This could press release. “I will continue to prioritize also got 59% of the vote to Komatireddy’s their elections were Democrat Mark Witbe done by the National Popular Vote Interthe needs of working families, to ensure 39%, according to NYSBE, with 76% to 24% mer for the Town of Caroline with 92.75% state Compact, a group of mostly Democrat that our community is affordable, and to in Tompkins County, according to TCBE. and Democrat Joel Gagnon for the Town states that make up 222 electoral votes, all make sure we receive the resources we need “Serving as the People’s Lawyer has been of Danby with 96.62%. Democrat Town of which agree to award their electoral votes here in the Southern Tier so that everyone the honor of my life. Together, we have Clerks Blake Savoy and Loren Sparling won to the winner of the national popular vote can thrive. ” taken on powerful interests, protected our their unopposed races with 99% each in once the group has reached an electoral maDemocratic Assemblymember Anna most vulnerable neighbors, and fought to the towns of Danby and Dryden. Democrat jority of 270 votes, of which they only need Kelles ran unopposed for her 125th District ensure that every New Yorker receives equal Keith Shipman and Republican Randy Jack48 more to reach. seat, winning 35,035 votes from the district protection under the law, ” James said in a son won their unopposed races, Shipman When a state owns both state legislature and 99% or 28,903 votes from Tompkins press statement. “New Yorkers have made with 99% for Highway Superintendent for houses and the governorship, it becomes County. their voices heard, and I am honored to Danby and Jackson with 97.5% for Town a “trifecta state,” which the Democrats Incumbent Democratic Gov. Kathy Hocontinue serving them as Attorney General Justice of Groton. Democrat Town Counachieved in Pennsylvania, Arizona, Michchul and Lt. Gov. Adrienne Adams defeated for a historic third term. ” cil Persons Michelle Wright and Richard Republican challengers Bruce Blakeman Goldman both won their unopposed races, and Todd Hood. Hochul was re-elected Wright with 99.5% for the Town of Ithaca with 59% of the vote compared to Blakeand Goldman with 98.5% for the Town of man’s 39.5%, according to the New York Ulysses. State Board of Elections (NYSBE), with 76% On the county level, Democrats Rachael Democrat incumbent Josh of the vote to Blakeman’s 24% in Tompkins Graham and Derrick Osborne won their Riley defended his seat in New County, according to TCBE. unopposed elections for the roles of county York’s 19th congressional district “To you, the people of New York, thank clerk and sheriff, respectively, by nearly from Republican Challenger Peter you for once again putting your trust in 99%, according to TCBE. Oberacker. Within the district, me. Serving as your governor has been the Riley won by 56.44% or 167,084 privilege of my lifetime, and I will never, votes compared to Oberacker’s ever take your faith in me for granted,” 42% or 124,422 votes, according to Hochul said in a victory speech. “Tonight Democratic state Sen. Lea Webb was NYSBE. Riley won more decisively the people of New York have sent a message reelected for her third term in the 52nd in Tompkins County, winning that will be heard far beyond our state lines. District. She defeated Republican chal79% or 27,592 votes to Oberacker’s Just a few weeks ago Donald Trump came lenger Mike Bolles with 59.5% or 63,853 7,311, according to TCBE. to New York and told voters to pretend that votes compared to his 39% or 41,565 votes, Riley doesn’t have a speech onhe was on the ballot. Well, Mr. President, according to NYSBE. Webb won Tompkins line, but spoke with Mid Hudson you got your wish. ” County with 76% or 26,644 votes vs. Bolles News after the election, telling Hochul also spoke of the future: “I know 23.65% or 8,267 votes, according to TCBE. of his plans to subpoena utility that winning an election doesn’t make your “We are celebrating many wins across companies. rent cheaper or lower your groIncumbent Democrat Josh Riley, New York’s 19th “We are going to hold them ac- congressional district. (Photo: Provided) cery bill. It doesn’t make finding countable, and I’m going to get my affordable childcare any easier. hands on all of their communications about igan, Wisconsin, and Nevada these midBut that’s what the next four terms. New Hampshire narrowly missed their decision to send hundreds of millions years are for! To finish what we this with their governor’s seat but is still started with bold ambition and a of dollars out of our community to their seen as a potential addition, so if each state corporate overlords in Spain,” Riley said. sense of urgency.” agrees to join NPVIC, the compact would “I’ve talked to just way too many proIn the race for comptroller, reach 287 electoral votes and have many viders and parents and seniors who are Democratic incumbent Thomas struggling to get access to the care that they different paths to come into effect. DiNapoli defeated Republican While it remains to be seen if the need,” he said on healthcare. “I’m really challenger Joseph Hernandez. national popular vote will be significantly trying to focus on the local issues, and the DiNapoli received 63% of the less prioritized than issues of affordability vote to Hernandez’s 34%, accord- kitchen table issues, and to be able to conwithin these states, it should come as little ing to NYSBE, along with 79% of tinue to do this work.” surprise that New York is a part of NPVIC Riley had a much easier road to election the vote to Hernandez’s 21% in as a Democratic stronghold. New York folthis year compared to 2024’s competitive Tompkins County, according to lowed the midterm trends of the rest of the election, as the Congressional Leadership TCBE. country, with most of the state being won Fund, the main super PAC for House “Tonight’s victory is not just by Democrats, as well as Tompkins County Republicans, pulled 4.8 million in funding a personal victory for me... it is electing Democrats for all contested seats to Oberacker. This was largely a result of a victory for the hard-working by a majority of 71% or more (Tompkins Oberacker making a now-removed Facepublic employees, including County Board of Elections (TCBE) releasbook post praising his grandfather’s service our first responders, and our ing unofficial results as of 9:56 on Nov. 3). in the Nazi military, as well as the fact his retirees who understand the Democratic State Sen. Lea Webb. (Photo: Provided) campaign went through money too quickly. importance of a secure pension,”
T
Local elections
Congressional District NY-19
State level races
November 11 – 17, 2026 / The Ithaca Times
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COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS
Beth Harrington: Nourishing a Community Marjorie Olds
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rowing up in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, when it was still very rural, then relocating to New York City to obtain her nursing degree in Mt. Sinai’s Nursing program, Beth Harrington moved to this area in 1971. First landing in Spencer, Beth moved to Caroline, NY, where she has lived since 1974. Beth described how her neighbor Bessie, a natural born community organizer, approached her shortly after she arrived: “One day, a woman knocked on my door, said she was my neighbor; that she knew I was nurse, and that I worked evenings. Bessie said she really needed help on the town’s volunteer ambulance during the day! By the way, Bessie added, she had already paid the fire company membership dues for me, so I had no excuse for not helping… She often reminded me over the years me that I had never repaid her that $2.00 fee! But her mentorship, her friendship, and her caring and passionate commitment to our community was priceless.” “Thus, began the wild, exciting, personally satisfying, and sometimes exhausting volunteering journey that I have been on, not only with the fire department, but with other organizations that provide communi-
ty services. I think of Bessie’s service to our community and realize the inherent value in any type of volunteerism…the giving of oneself to help others.” “Bessie instilled in me a sense of community. The fire company and the ambulance were started by community members…Boy Scouts went door-to-door collecting money to buy equipment. Farmers and store owners would stop what they were doing and respond when the fire siren went off, and everyone knew everyone else.” “Bessie had a great impact in my life, by sharing with me the wonder of community volunteerism. And I utilized her technique to get my future husband to volunteer…“If you want to get married and have a life with me, you had better join the fire and ambulance squads”…That was 43 years ago, and he (Greg Harrington) is now just as involved in as many volunteer activities as I am. I must also thank my children who put up with many interrupted family activities whenever there was a fire or ambulance call.” (Excerpts from Beth Harrington’s Annual County Office of the Aging Outstanding Contribution by Older Adult Award, 2019). Beth was promised that the Ithaca Times would not highlight, but merely list, some of the organizations which she has supported, so that the rest of us may be moved
to reach out and support our neighbors as community volunteers: Tompkins County’s Human Services Coalition’s Health Planning Council: “This is comprised of many fine agency representatives like Visiting Nurses, Finger Lakes Independence Center, to name a few. Individual community members on the Council, however, provide invaluable, candid feedback about what people actually want and need.” Suicide Prevention: No longer president of the board, Beth mentions the crucial lifesaving need for available emotional support during stressful times. Living through the time of the pandemic, all of us were burdened by unusual anxieties that affect our health and well-being, our schools, the workplace, our medical network, to name a few hot spots. Slaterville Fire Department: one of three fine, active Fire Departments (and 5 fire companies) in Caroline, NY, Slaterville Fire Dept. is all-volunteer run. Until 2015 SFD also operated a volunteer-run ambulance service, desperately needed. Ithaca Free Clinic: In 2005 Beth jumped in to assist the Ithaca Health Alliance with the planning and the opening of the Ithaca Free Clinic, and has remained involved since, serving on the original planning group of the Ithaca Health Alliance, and now the Board of Directors.
Beth ends our visit with this: “I encourage everyone to “Become a Bessie” in your community. Get to know your neighborhood and the people in it…and get them involved. Be a volunteer mentor to the next generation.” When I circle back to Beth many moons later, she invites me to have lunch with her: Beth: “Every Tuesday the Slaterville Fire Company hosts a senior luncheon (social dining) in “collaboration with FoodNet (Meals on Wheels), along with our Respite Program… Lunch is free for any resident of Tompkins County over the age of 60…You just have to call FoodNet and register 607-266-9553…I am at the fire station every Tuesday from 9 am–2 pm for the Respite Program and the luncheon…I would love to have you join us for lunch with a chat beforehand.” “Actually the entire program is a great example of collaboration…FoodNet which is part of COFA, LifeSpan of Rochester (for the Respite Program, another volunteer opportunity), Gadabout (brings one of our Respite gentlemen) and Family & Children Services, which hosts a social program after the luncheon every 2 weeks…and the Fire Company which hosts us…That makes for a great 6-way partnership…I love when a plan comes together!”
Spor ts
Growing the Sport By Steve Lawrence
I
am not intentionally creating a series of columns about local wrestlers who have provided me with a boatload of content over the decades, but last week I thanked Kyle Dake for the material, and this week I am thanking Ryan Ciotoli. Ryan is the Head Coach of the Ithaca College Women’s Wrestling Team, which just launched its second season. He was hired to lead the brand new program in November of ’24, and was told, “Congratulations. You have a few weeks to recruit and build a program, and you’ll start competing in 3 months!” Recalling that whirlwind period, Ciotoli told me, “We brought in seven recruits last year, and thirteen more this year, and we’re ready to go.” Backing up, I started writing about Ryan when he was a freshman at Ithaca College, and when he graduated in 2002, he was a 3X All American, a 4X ECWC champion and he finished 2nd in the NCAA in his first All American season as a sophomore . He was 17–0 as a Junior, battled through some injuries as a senior, and his stellar career got him inducted into the Ithaca College Athletic Hall of Fame in 2017. In the years between his days as a Bomber and returning to coach the women, Ryan founded the Bob Squad—a very successful MMA and other combat sports organization—and coached at several clubs and at Independence High School. He coached his own
COUNTY CODE BLUE SHELTER Contin u ed From Page 4
typically served 50 to 60 people per night, compared with 20 to 40 people at the former North Tioga Street location during the 2024– 25 season. Beyond the increase in need, 10
son up through the ranks, and Anthony Ciotoli is now a freshman 133-pounder on the Bomber roster. I thought that collegiate women’s wrestling was just coming onto the scene, but Ryan set me straight. “Women’s wrestling is exploding in popularity,” the coach offered, “and Division III has the most programs now, approaching one-hundred.” He said that “NCAA Women’s Wrestling has been around for a long time—20-plus years— and some Olympic champs, like Sarah Hildebrand and Helen Maroulis—who is widely regarded as the Superstar of the sport—have come up through the NCAA ranks.” Quite a few women are heading up college programs, and Ciotoli said there is a real gender balance in the coaching ranks. He also said that as of now, Division III programs compete with D-1 and D-2 teams, but that next year, D-3 will be its own entity. In Ciotoli’s words, “There is a lot of trial and error as the sport grows.” Part of growing the sports involves some savvy public relations work, and Ciotoli—having run private clubs—knows how to play that game. He said, “Last year, we ran a dual meet at Wilkes with the men’s team, and we did some tournaments with the guys, and the team gets a lot out of that. We see a lot we want to emulate, and we see some good leadership.” In addition, such pairings often draw considerably larger crowds, so it’s a big time win-win. The program is also benefiting from
some solid internal leadership. “We have two assistant coaches who bring a lot of experience,” Ryan said. “Joel Ferrara was the men’s coach at Cortland, he ran a few clubs, he was involved in USA Wrestling, and we’re good friends.” (Ferrara has two sons wrestling at the D-1 level—Tyler at Cornell and Ryan at Binghamton.) Ciotoli continued, “We have also brought in Bill Stansbrough, who has coached Women’s Soccer for many years. We also have other wrestlers—like Tyler Ferrara and my son, Anthony—come into our room and talk about training and nutrition, and that has been very helpful.” The Bomber women will host two meets this semester, two next semester, and just brought in twelve teams for the Ithaca Invitational last weekend. The biggest event
in the team’s short history will take place on February 19 and 20, when the Bombers host the Regionals, which will bring in 22 teams. “That’s a big one,” Ciotoli stated, “That’s when wrestlers compete to qualify for the NCAAs in Iowa.”
operational costs have also changed since the Cherry Street shelter has 24/7 services where the former shelter did not. The county said VOA’s annual contract is based on the state allocation, so the DSS and VOA made budget adjustments to reflect the available funding in the 2026–27 contract. Part of this adjustment means that
VOA will rely more heavily on community donations for food, water, bus passes and other supplies. “In response to the updated funding allocation, DSS and VOA are working collaboratively to align staffing and operational resources to provide a safe, welcoming, and supportive environment for individuals seek-
ing shelter during extreme winter weather,” county leadership said. “Throughout the Code Blue season, DSS and VOA will maintain close communication, regularly assess shelter operations and staffing needs, and make adjustments as appropriate to support the safety and well-being of shelter guests.” Who Owns Ithaca’s Future?
The Ithaca Times / November 11 – 17, 2026
Ithaca College Women’s Wrestling Team. (Photo: Ithaca College Athletics)
For more details and scheduling info, go to www.ithaca.edu. Kate Crockett 1st 145lbs Delaney Bisaillon 3rd 131lbs Nayeli Azul 3rd 131lbs Angie Berry 3rd 124lbs Maia DeLa Cruz 4th 138lbs Gabbe Baker 5th 138lbs
The Client at the Center
The most successful custom spaces begin by understanding how people actually live, work and gather.
Caption for photos. (Photo: Credit here)
being made? Is there a need for more
conversation develops. This is partic-
thinking a commercial space or simply
seating, better circulation or a place for
ularly important because most people
wondering how an existing building
children to do homework? The answer
undertake relatively few major build-
might better serve your needs, we invite
might not be a larger kitchen at all. It
ing or renovation projects during their
you to begin that conversation with us.
might be a better-organized one.
lives. They may be experts in how they
You don’t need a completed set of plans
Similarly, a business owner asking for
live, but not in construction methods,
or all the answers. Sometimes the most
more office space may actually need a
material performance or the long-term
productive place to begin is with a few
different arrangement of the space they
implications of design decisions. The
ideas, a collection of questions and a
already have. A homeowner seeking an
professionals they engage with bring
willingness to explore what’s possible
additional room may discover that an
that knowledge to the table. The best
together.
A homeowner imagines a kitchen
existing area can serve multiple purpos-
outcomes emerge when those two kinds
that brings family and friends togeth-
es with thoughtful design. The challenge
of expertise inform one another.
er. A business owner envisions a work-
is to distinguish between the solution
space that encourages collaboration. A
someone initially imagines and the ex-
couple planning for retirement wants a
perience they are hoping to create. That
home that will remain comfortable and
requires asking questions and listening
accessible as their needs change. They
carefully to the answers.
Every building project begins with a set of expectations.
may arrive with photographs, sketches, measurements and a list of features they would like to include. But behind those ideas is something more important: a story about how they want to live. Understanding that story may be the most valuable work a designer or builder does. Because the success of a custom space isn’t measured simply by how closely the finished project resembles the original drawings. It’s measured by how well that space serves the people who use it.
Clients often begin a project by describing what they want. More storage. Better lighting. An open floor plan. A larger kitchen. A
Good design begins with curiosity.
Putting the client at the center doesn’t mean saying yes to every request. In fact, some of the most valuable contributions a designer, builder or craftsperson can make involve questioning an assumption. A proposed feature
At Trade Design Build, we’re interested in more than what you want to build. We want to understand why it matters to you, how you envision using it and what would make the finished space genuinely successful. From that understanding, we can begin bringing the right people, ideas and skills together to turn possibilities into practical solutions.
How does a family move through its
may exceed the budget. A particular
home on a typical morning? Where do
material may require more maintenance
people naturally gather? Which spac-
than the client expects. A design choice
es are used every day, and which are
may create complications that aren’t ap-
Let’s start with a conversation about the space you have, the space you imagine and the life you want to live within it.
rarely occupied? What frustrates the
parent on paper. Those conversations
Because the most important part of
people who live or work there? These
aren’t always easy, but they are essential.
any building isn’t the building itself. It’s
questions can reveal opportunities that
The objective isn’t to persuade the client
the life that happens within it.
aren’t obvious in a floor plan. A client
to abandon an idea. It’s to help everyone
might describe wanting an open living
understand the choices, consequences
area, only to discover through conver-
and alternatives.
sation that they also value quiet spaces
When clients are included in that
and privacy. Another might initially re-
process, they become more than pur-
sist a particular material because of its
chasers of professional services. They
appearance, without realizing its prac-
become informed participants in creat-
tical advantages.
ing their own environment. And when
dedicated office. A more welcoming en-
Sometimes clients know exactly what
architects, builders and craftspeople un-
trance. Those are useful starting points,
they want. Other times, they need help
derstand the client’s priorities, they can
but they don’t always explain the under-
discovering it. Neither situation calls
offer solutions that respond to the larger
lying need. Consider a family asking for
for a designer or builder to impose a
purpose of the project rather than sim-
a larger kitchen. Is the existing kitchen
preferred answer. Instead, the process
ply executing a list of instructions.
too small for preparing meals? Does
should create an opportunity for the cli-
Whether you’re imagining a new
everyone gather there while dinner is
ent’s priorities to become clearer as the
home, considering a renovation, re-
Sponsored Content / Independent Media Production: This content was produced by the Ithaca Times as part of a sponsored media partnership with Trumansburg-based Trade Design Build. It is paid promotional content and is separate from the newspaper’s independent editorial coverage.
www.tradedesignbuild.com
November 11 – 17, 2026 / The Ithaca Times
11
Arts&Entertainment
Open Book Cafe Begins First Chapter in Buffalo Street Books By Lorien Tyne
O
pen Book Cafe, located in Buffalo Street Books’ reading room, officially opened Nov. 8 after nearly a year of planning and preparation. Last fall, Vi Englehart, who had been managing local cafes at the time, began turning their dream of opening a cafe into reality. They said they couldn’t afford to open a brick and mortar location on their own, so they set out to find a local business that would be interested in a partnership. It just so happens that Buffalo Street Books had been looking to open a cafe in the store for a long time. Lisa Swayze, executive director of Buffalo Street Books, said that when Englehart reached out in January, they were ready and willing to collaborate. “The bookstore has had many people over the years approach us with a similar idea [...] and we’ve gone down the road many times for various distances because we always thought it would be a lovely
idea,” Swayze said. “Those always just never finally happen. So we’ve always been on the alert for a partner who might want to do something like that.” In addition to serving Copper Horse Coffee, Englehart said they are excited to carry treats and other products from local businesses. Open Book Cafe’s tea providers are Pass the Herb out of Interlaken and Fiddlesticks Tea out of Odessa. Englehart said the cafe will also carry treats from Little Ram Bakery, Dolce Delight and Via’s Cookies. The cafe’s hours are Wednesdays through Sundays 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., although Englehart said there will be some exceptions to those hours to accommodate bookstore events. The cafe opened on Halloween for a soft launch, which Englehart said felt like a fitting time to introduce the cafe to the community. “I loved doing it on Halloween,” Englehart said. “It felt really appropriate for me, just like a little mischievous and magical.
[...] I really felt the love from the neighborhood, and that meant a lot to me.” Community support for the project has been prevalent throughout the process. Swayze said Buffalo Street Books had to find about $21,000 in funding for plumbing and electrical work. The bookstore was able to raise just over $18,000 from the community. “We wanted to be able to do this thing that we think enhances this incredible community space we have, and we wouldn’t have been able to support this project were it not for the fact that community members were willing to help fund it,” Swayze said. Englehart and Swayze both spoke about the importance of keeping the reading room an open space for everyone, whether they are customers or not. “My first thought was like ‘this is a place where I want to be selling drinks,’ but over time, I realized that really the first thing that I’m doing and that I want to do is provide a space for people to belong,” Englehart said. “I’ve already had a couple people
ask if they can still spend time there, even if they’re not buying coffee. And it’s really important to me that people know that they can. It’s still the same space, but it just has some yummy drinks now.” Swayze said the reading room is an amazing space where any member of the community can come and hangout, whether its students studying, people eating on their lunch break or people who just need somewhere warm to relax. “We love that we can provide that kind of a space where you don’t have to spend money to be here and Vi is the perfect partner because they’re not interested in making people pay to be able to hang out in the room,” Swayze said. “They got into this whole coffee world and the love of it because of the community and social aspect, and so it’s a really nice fit for us to have someone with similar goals in that space.” News about the cafe will be posted by Englehart on Open Book Cafe’s Facebook and Instagram pages.
Stage
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee By Barbara Adams
C
apybara. Lugubrious. Ahimsa. Elanguescence. Cow. (Cow?) Can you offer a definition? Use the word in a sentence? Or simply spell the word, which is the challenge for the ambitious, anxious middle schoolers of “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.” The award-winning 2005 musical comedy— with music and lyrics by William Finn and book by Rachel Sheinkin—ran for only seven performances last week at Ithaca College. And if you missed this terrific production, you have my condolences. Overheard: “Ithaca College really does musicals”—an understatement from one satisfied audience member. Shaping this “Bee,” there’s perceptive direction (Wendy Dann), rousing musical direction (Christopher Zemliauskas), well-balanced sound (Don Tindall), and exuberant choreography (Aimee Rials and senior Colby Murphy). Not to mention a highly talented and energized ensemble. The mainstage setting is by gifted theatre seniors: a warmly designed school gymnasium by Riley Fiege, wildly lit by Sam Hoffman. As the competition progresses, the gym itself (and its high windows) is washed in riotous color-wheel hues. Nothing subtle here—the blindingly bold colors reflect the vitality of these driven, irrepressible kids. The six tween competitors have individual personalities, well described through senior Kay Sheaff ’s costumes, from the skateboarder’s self-made tie-died gear to the overachiever’s conventional blue jumper. Their spelling habits differ as well, from writing words on one’s sleeve to going into a pendulum trance. And then there’s the infamous Magic Foot. The musical’s action tumbles forward at 12
breakneck pace, from the initial setup and announcement of the rules through the competition itself, sometimes even rendered in fast forward or slo-mo. One by one contestants are eliminated to the ding of a desk bell, and each time the survivors sing them off, escorted by the official “comforter,” who offers a juice box as recompense. There’s natural suspense (who’s next to be cut?), but even more delightful chaos, as the kids continually erupt into spontaneous song and wacky cavorting. Their high spirits still can’t mask what they most have in common—a deep insecurity or dissatisfaction. And here’s where this buoyant comedy gets its ballast. The musical’s rambunctiousness is punctuated throughout by far quieter spotlit soliloquies, where each student in turn emotionally unfolds their personal story. At 10 or 12, you’re not quite sure who you are, and the grown-ups in your life may be making things worse. Logainne “Schwartzy” Schwartzandgrubenierre (Sydney Crowe) is hectored by two gay dads who demand perfection; Leaf Coneybear (Elliot Lee-O’Halloran) has a family who thinks him stupid; and timid Olive Ostrovsky (Raina Grabowski) waits in vain for her dad to show up (her mother’s long gone at an ashram in India). With no adult setting limits, Marcy Park (Mollie Navarro), fluent in six languages and a distinguished musician and athlete, is exhausted with achieving. And preadolescence itself is a challenge: Chip Tolentino (Jason Kanabay), a popular athlete and last year’s bee winner, struggles with rising pubescent impulses. Meanwhile, his social opposite, William Barfée (Adriano Robins), the prototypical brilliant misfit, makes surprising progress toward friendship. Beyond the core six rivals, four more
The Ithaca Times / November 11 – 17, 2026
The final 6 cast members of the Spelling Bee. (Photo: Simon Wheeler)
“volunteers” gamely emerge from the audience, are introduced with embarrassing details (“eats mattresses”), and eventually comically dispensed with. Moderating the match is the true bee-believer and local realtor Peretti (Lola Cate Bradley), alongside the pompous vice principal, Mr. Panch (Mikey Champion). Assisting them as comfort counselor is Mitch (Mitchell Henderson), a gung-ho former personal trainer. Director Dann has evoked special performances from everyone in this ensemble, both in humorous characterizations and animated songs (34 lively numbers in all). So much happens, so quickly and in such detail, that the show is a genuine cornucopia of comedy. And amidst constant amusement, there are still stand-out moments: Schwartzy’s political call-out celebrating the recent U.S. elections (a sure crowd-pleaser), Leaf Coneybear’s sweetness and undaunted
optimism, and the magnificent, eccentric awkwardness of William Barfée (not Barfy, please!). A tale of such tender fledglings should give us a hint of the future, and “Bee” obliges—ending with everyone summing up where they are a few decades later. It turns out that most youthful disappointments don’t leave deep scars and that, as a platform for growth, spelling bees still matter. At Ithaca College next month: From Dec. 3–6, “The Heart of It All,” the biannual dance concert, marks the launching of the first dance major at Ithaca College. Barbara Adams is a regional theatre and arts journalist and retired professor of writing, Ithaca College.
770 Cascadilla St. | 215 N. Cayuga St. | 307 College Ave.
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greenstar.coop/capital-campaign November 11 – 17, 2026 / The Ithaca Times
13
Women’s Basketball vs Mercyhurst University | 6 p.m. 11/18
Family Playgroup – Fall ’26 |
Special Events
Panel by Panel Graphic Novel Book Club | 6:30 p.m., 11/16 Monday |
Wednesday | Newman Arena, 554 Campus Rd
Are You Game? Mahjongg At C4A |
1 p.m., 11/11 Wednesday | Center for the Arts of Homer, 72 S Main St |
Music Bars/Bands/Clubs
11/11 Wednesday Annette Richards and David Yearsley | 12:30 p.m. | Anabel Taylor
Chapel, 548 College Ave | Free
11/12 Thursday Dave Davies @ South Hill Cider
11/13 Friday The Sound of Storytelling: Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde | 7:30 p.m. |
Bailey Hall, 230 Garden Ave | Free
11/14 Saturday Ashley Cox Live- Acoustic covers and originals | 6 p.m. | Beak & Skiff
Apple Orchards, 2708 Lords Hill Road Tune-Yards | 8 p.m. | Center for the
Arts of Homer, 72 S Main St
| 6 p.m. | South Hill Cider, 550 Sandbank Road | Free
11/15 Sunday
11/13 Friday
| First Presbyterian Church of Ithaca, 315 N Cayuga Street | Free
A Study of Finger Lakes Agriculture | 4 p.m. | Hale & Hearty
Farm, 58 Middaugh Road | Free Brewhouse Blues Jam | 6 p.m. | The
Farm at Hopshire, 1771 Dryden Rd
11/14 Saturday Rev Ezra at South Hill Cider | 6 p.m.
| South Hill Cider, 550 Sandbank Road Cornell Glee Club presents “Singing in the Air” | 7:30 p.m. | Sage Chapel,
147 Ho Plaza | Free
11/15 Sunday Rain Tempos with Jennie Lowe Sterns & Kristen Bigness | 8 a.m. |
Argos Warehouse, 416 E State St Cornell Gamelan Ensemble Concert | 3 p.m. | Klarman Hall, 232
Feeney Way | Free Cornell Jazz Ensemble Concert with guest Alan Ferber | 7:30 p.m. |
Bailey Hall, 230 Garden Ave | Free
11/17 Tuesday Distinguished Guest Artist Series: Renée Anne Louprette | 7:30 p.m. |
Anabel Taylor Chapel, 548 College Ave | Free
Concerts/Recitals
11/11 Wednesday Legacy in Sound | 7 p.m. | Ford Hall,
953 Danby Rd | Free
Reflections and Radiance - | 4 p.m.
Jim Messina & his band The Roadrunners | 8 p.m. | Center for
the Arts of Homer, 72 S Main St
11/16 Monday The James Hunter Six | 8 p.m. |
Center for the Arts of Homer, 72 S Main St
11/17 Tuesday
Saturday | The Clay School’s ART Room, 950 Danby Road Bob Ross Paint n Sip at South Hill Cider | 3 p.m., 11/15 Sunday Fall World Cinema: 12 Masterpieces from Around the World | 1:30 p.m.,
11/17 Tuesday | Lifelong, 119 W. Court St.
Film Stewart Copeland - Have I Said Too Much? | 8 p.m., 11/12 Thursday |
Center for the Arts of Homer, 72 S Main St |
Fall World Cinema: 12 Masterpieces from Around the World | 1:30 p.m.,
11/17 Tuesday | Lifelong, 119 W. Court St. Memory Lab | 2 p.m., 11/17
Tuesday | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 East Green Street
of Homer, 72 S Main St
120 E Green St, Ithaca
11/18 Wednesday
New movies opening the week of Nov 11. Contact Cinemapolis for showtimes and continuing films.
Ithaca College Woodwind Chamber Music | 7 p.m. | Hockett Family
Recital Hall, Gym Rd | Free Tinsley Ellis | 8 p.m. | Center for the
Arts of Homer, 72 S Main St
Stage Fall Fun Yoga | 5:30 p.m., 11/11
Wednesday | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 East Green Street Tales Along The Tioughnioga - By Martin Sweeney | 7:30 p.m., 11/18
Wednesday | Center for the Arts of Homer, 72 S Main St | Homer Center Stages Presents
Art Stewart Copeland - Have I Said Too Much? | 8 p.m., 11/12 Thursday |
Center for the Arts of Homer, 72 S Main St Try-It: Wheel workshop | 6 p.m.,
Stewart Copeland - Have I Said Too Much? | 8 p.m. | Center for the Arts
Try-It: Batik | 1 p.m., 11/14
THISWEEK
Try-It: Mending | 6 p.m., 11/14
Cinemapolis
11/12 Thursday
14
11/14 Saturday | State of the Art Gallery, 120 West State Street
Alejandro Escovedo & The Electric Saints | 8 p.m. | Center for the Arts
11/13 Friday | The Clay School, 950 Danby Road
of Homer, 72 S Main St
Poetry Reading by Lisa Harris from her new book “Learning to Pray” at State of the Art Gallery | 2 p.m.,
Saturday | The Clay School’s ART Room, 950 Danby Road
National Theatre Live: Golden Boy | Josh O’Connor (The Crown;
Challengers) leads the cast in this searing revival of Clifford Odets’ knockout American classic. 1930s New York, at the height of the Depression. Joe Bonaparte is a gifted young violinist with a future in music, until a chance at fame and fortune lures him into the brutal world of professional boxing. | NA 180 mins Once Upon A Time In Harlem |
Singin’ In The Rain | When the
transition is being made from silent films to ‘talkies,’ everyone has trouble adapting. Don and Lina have been cast repeatedly as a romantic couple, but when their latest film is remade into a musical, only Don has the voice for the new singing part. | NA 103 mins Short Works by Cathy Lee Crane & Daïchi Saïto | The Roy H. Park
School of Communications presents short works from prestigious award-winning Film faculty Cathy Lee Crane and Daïchi Saïto. Blurring the boundaries between memory and history, fact and fiction, the works invite audiences into immersive meditations on migration, identity, time, and the power of place. | NA 120 mins
Sports Men’s Soccer vs Ivy League Tournament Semifinals | 3.30 p.m.
11/12 Thursday | Teagle Hall, 512 Campus Road Women’s Basketball vs Canisius University | 5 p.m. 11/13 Friday |
Newman Arena, 554 Campus Rd Women’s Ice Hockey vs Harvard University | 6 p.m. 11/13 Friday |
Teagle Hall, 512 Campus Road Women’s Polo vs Marlan Farm Polo Club | 7 p.m. 11/13 Friday | Teagle
Hall, 512 Campus Road Men’s Basketball vs UNC Greensboro | 11 a.m. 11/14
Saturday | Newman Arena, 554 Campus Road Football vs RV/RV Dartmouth College | 1 p.m. 11/14 Saturday |
Schoellkopf Memorial Stadium
The Ithaca Times / November 11 – 17, 2026
Lynah Rink, 536 Campus Road Men’s Polo vs Denver Polo Club | 6
p.m. 11/14 Saturday | Teagle Hall, 512 Campus Road Men’s Squash vs #3 Columbia University | 12 p.m. 11/15 Sunday |
S Meadow St | Free
Family Open Play – Fall ’26 & Winter ’27 | 3 p.m., 11/18 Wednesday |
CCE-Tompkins Education Center, 615 Willow Avenue LEGO Club | 4 p.m., 11/18
Home-Water with Tompkins County Poet Laureate nicole v basta | 6 p.m., 11/11 Wednesday |
Notices
Tompkins County Public Library, 101 East Green Street Community Poetry Workshop
| 6 p.m., 11/11 Wednesday | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 East Green Street | The Craft Book Club for Writers |
6:30 p.m., 11/11 Wednesday | ithaca writing studio, 1729 Slaterville Rd Brewed for Suspense Book Club |
3:30 p.m., 11/12 Thursday | Brewer’s Kitchen & Taproom, 1384 Dryden Rd Rogue Writers Group | 10 a.m.,
11/13 Friday | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 East Green Street Ithaca Area Poets Open Mic | 6:30
p.m., 11/13 Friday | Museum of the Earth – Ray VanHoutte Museum Classroom, 1259 Trumansburg Road (Route 96) Leaf’s Life Book Launch at Buffalo Street Books! | 2 p.m., 11/14
| Autumn Leaves Books, 115 East State Street
Trans Center Book Club | 1:30 p.m.,
11/15 Sunday | Buffalo Street Books, 215 North Cayuga Street Fall Teen Creative Writing Workshop | 4:30 p.m., 11/16
Monday | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 East Green Street
Kids
IAWWTF Special Joint Committee Meeting | 1 p.m., 11/11 Wednesday
| Ithaca Area Waste Water Treatment Plant, 525 Third St
Plant Bingo at Brewers | 4 p.m.,
11/11 Wednesday | Brewer’s Kitchen & Taproom, 1384 Dryden Rd Common Council Committee of the Whole- Session A | 6 p.m., 11/11
Wednesday | Common Council Chambers, 3rd Floor City Hall 108 E Green St Brushes with History: Homer’s Presidential Portraitist, Francis B. Carpenter. | 7 p.m., 11/11
Wednesday
Leadership Schuyler | 8:30 a.m.,
11/12 Thursday | Welliver, 250 N. Genesee St Ithaca Urban Renewal Agency Neighborhood Investment Committee Mtg | 9 a.m., 11/12
Thursday | Common Council Chambers, 3rd Floor City Hall 108 E Green St TCPL Tours: Liberty Hyde Bailey Conservatory | 10 a.m., 11/12
Thursday | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 East Green Street Community Listening Session: Help Us Shape a New Multi-Year Grant Opportunity | 4:30 p.m.,
11/12 Thursday | $0.00 - $50.00
Karaoke with Elephant Sound |
8 p.m., 11/12 Thursday | 23 North Restaurant and Bar, 23 Cinema Dr | Free Lifelong Holiday Artisan Market |
Li’l Sprouts and Seedlings Gatherings for Babies and Toddlers
| 9:30 a.m., 11/12 Thursday | Ithaca Waldorf School, 20 Nelson Road Spanish Storytime | 4:30 p.m.,
11/13 Friday | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 East Green Street Second Saturday Family Fun: Picture Book Palooza | 10:30 a.m.,
11/14 Saturday | Cortland Free Library, 32 Church St
Teagle Hall, 512 Campus Road
Tidepool Touch Tank | 10:30 a.m.,
| 1 p.m. 11/15 Sunday| Teagle Hall, 512 Campus Road
Thriving With Your Spirited Child Fall’26 | 12 p.m., 11/17 Tuesday, 740
Wednesday | Cortland Free Library, 32 Church St
Women’s Squash vs #9 Columbia University| 12 p.m. 11/15 Sunday | Men’s Soccer vs Ivy League Tournament Championship Game
Tompkins County Public Library, 101 East Green Street
Books
Wine Liberated book launch with Adam Huss | 6 p.m., 11/14 Saturday
Teagle Hall, 512 Campus Road
330 W State St | Singing Notes and Slinging Jokes is a live music and comedy experience featuring SingTrece and Sir Kenneth McLaurin. Soulful songs meet sharp stand-up, real stories, and the natural chemistry of a husbandand-wife duo. (Photo: Provided) https://www.comedyhof.com/
| Dundee Library, 32 Water St |
Sprint Football vs University of Pennsylvania | 6 p.m. 11/13 Friday |
Fatherland | At the height of the
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 13 AT 8:00 P.M.
Trivia Night | 6 p.m., 11/16 Monday
Lynah Rink, 536 Campus Road
Women’s Ice Hockey vs Dartmouth College | 3 p.m. 11/14 Saturday |
SINGING NOTES AND SLINGING JOKES
Saturday | Arnot Mall Event Center |
Saturday | Buffalo Street Books, 215 North Cayuga Street
A decade after his death, genredefying filmmaker William Greaves has one last trick up his sleeve with what he considered the most important event he captured on film: a 1972 party he engineered with the living luminaries of the Harlem Renaissance. | NA 100 mins Cold War, the writer Thomas Mann and his daughter—actress, writer, and rally driver—Erika embark on a road trip in a black Buick cruiser across a divided Germany in ruins, traveling from the Allied-occupied city of Frankfurt to Sovietcontrolled Weimar. | NA 82 mins
Twin Tiers Comic-Con 2026 | 11/14
9:30 a.m., 11/16 Monday | CCETompkins Education Center, 615 Willow Avenue
11/15 Sunday | Sciencenter, 601 1st St Meet a Reptile | 2 p.m., 11/15
Sunday | Sciencenter, 601 1st St
10 a.m., 11/14 Saturday | Lifelong, 119 W. Court St. | Free Repair Cafe | 11 a.m., 11/14
Saturday | Lodi Whittier Library, 8484 S Main St Green Saturday | 12 p.m., 11/14
Saturday | NRE Space , 402 W. State St | Free
Connecting Farmers to the Land Retreat | 9 a.m., 11/15 Sunday |
CCE-Tompkins Education Center, 615 Willow Avenue | Free Panel by Panel Graphic Novel Book Club | 6:30 p.m., 11/16 Monday |
Tompkins County Public Library, 101 East Green Street
LABOR IN CHINA – A THIRTY YEAR HISTORY (1993–2023) SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 14 FROM 1:00 P.M. TO 6:00 P.M. Goldwin Smith Hall, G22232 East Ave, Central Campus | Since 2016, the China labor collection at Kheel Center in the ILR School’s Catherwood Library, has amassed a vast audio-visual archive consisting of photographs, films, brochures, oral interviews, poetry, and other materials on labor in the People’s Republic of China between the years 1993–2023. (Photo: Provided) https://events.cornell.edu/event/images-and-textsof-china-labor-a-thirty-year-history-1993–2023
Film
“Wild Horse Nine”: Two CIA Brats Go on Vacation By Clement Obropta
A
wise person once said, “The CIA are like jazz musicians. It’s all about the governments you DON’T overthrow.” 1973 Chile was not one of those governments, as the CIA supported a military coup against democratically elected Marxist president Salvador Allende and helped install dictator Augusto Pinochet in his place. In the aftermath of the coup, 130,000 Chileans were arrested, nearly 7,000 were tortured, and thousands were killed or disappeared. Sounds hilarious, doesn’t it? Irish filmmaker and playwright Martin McDonagh, who seems to owe his entire career to Samuel Beckett’s absurdist existentialist text “Waiting for Godot,” chose this as the backdrop for his latest dark comedy hangout movie, casting John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell as two CIA agents, Chris and Lee, who decide to take a vacation to Easter Island before the coup kicks off. Parker Posey and Steve Buscemi co-star, as the wife and this story’s Godot, respectively. McDonagh’s films are parables about belief and human insignificance in the face of death, his characters symbols of violence, honor, creation, or vengeance who paradoxically talk about face-value meaningless things like breakfast sandwiches, dinosaurs, and cheese. Chris and Lee are absolutely despicable characters — early in the film, Chris remarks, “Sometimes I feel like I care more about the moths of Chile than the people of Chile” — but that abhorrence is part of McDonagh’s schtick, as the “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” writer-director continues his dubious mission to create the most reprehensible dudes in cinema and then redeem them at the eleventh hour. Between all the nonsequiturs and random displays of violence, we learn that Chris has accelerated memory problems and terminal cancer, and he’s threatening to spill his CIA secrets in his tell-all memoirs (which Malkovich memorably pronounces as “mem-wahs” throughout). His goal on Easter Island is equal parts sightseeing, settling his cosmic debt, and euthanasia — he’s requested that Lee put a bullet in his head when the time comes. This should all be familiar territory for McDonagh fans, since he’s already made
this film before — only that time, it was set in Bruges and starred Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson. Despite lacking the annoying edgelord humor of his early work, “Wild Horse Nine” is just as fawning over empty displays of machismo and just as full of dwarf jokes. His shaggiest script yet, “Wild Horse Nine” is always humorous but never soulful. His characters might sit in beautiful fields of waving emerald grass, shot gorgeously by Ben Davis, while Carter Burwell’s score soars on the breeze, but this is a bitter, empty film that never delivers on the promise of its loaded political premise. McDonagh has turned yet another exotic place into a battleground of the soul — only this time, the artistry and skill on display cannot make up for the story’s overwhelming lack of cohesion, from its desperate attempts to whip some sort of meaning from archival clips of 1970s Chile to its limp, foregone final minutes, which prove that of all the lessons McDonagh has cribbed from Tarantino, his mastery of pulpy, gratuitous violence is not one of them. The film’s final moments underscore the unimportance of the whole affair, as the characters’ existential journeys come at the expense of an entire South American nation’s democracy and the plot disappears into one long bad joke about the Kennedy assassination. I think if I were to engage with this deeply mediocre film in good faith, I would say this: It doesn’t matter what we’ve done. Or maybe it does. Maybe we’re a pencil-pushing rule-follower nobody would spare a second thought. Maybe we’ve killed a few too many presidents. Do we deserve to go out on our own terms? Do we deserve to have a meaningful death, or a meaningful life? Is such a thing even possible? Such questions the film alludes to but never interrogates. Whereas with “The Banshees of Inisherin,” McDonagh had Irish demons to exorcise and a clear stake and perspective in the story and its telling, one can feel the auteur’s total detachment from the events of “Wild Horse Nine.” While he’s attempting to fashion Easter Island into a sort of purgatory for the sin of Western empire, McDonagh’s hip post-imperialist parable evaporates into a cloud of irritatingly meandering conversations and empty signifiers. McDonagh has always leaned on the history and imagery of his settings to fill in
Yoga with Lindsay | 6 p.m., 11/17
The Heart of Grieving – Grief and Loss Support Group at Muller Chapel Philips Room | 4:15 p.m.,
11/17 Tuesday
Tuesday | Hopshire Farm and Brewery, 1771 Dryden Road NO Open Mic Night – Cancelled |
7 p.m., 11/17 Tuesday | Center for the Arts of Homer, 72 S Main St
2026 Watkins Glen Area Chamber of Commerce Annual Meeting |
Love Living at Home Living Well
5:30 p.m., 11/17 Tuesday | Veraisons Restaurant, 5435 State Route 14
| Tompkins County Public Library, 101 East Green Street
Series | 12 p.m., 11/18 Wednesday
Lee (Sam Rockwell) and Chris (John Malkovich) sit in a field beneath some giant heads on Easter Island in “Wild Horse Nine.” (Photo: IMDb / Diego Araya Corvalán / Searchlight Pictures)
the gaps of his gregarious but unfocused screenplays. But even with all those big heads, Easter Island cannot patch the holes in “Wild Horse Nine.” It feels like a movie about the wrong people, made by the wrong man, in the wrong place, at the wrong time. Clement Obropta is a film columnist for the Ithaca Times.
“Wild Horse Nine”
Rated R Directed by Martin McDonagh
Currently playing at Cinemapolis and Regal Cinemas Ithaca 120 East Green St 40 Catherwood Rd
CHAMBER SERIES
NIELSEN AND FAURÉ Sunday, November 15 at 3:00 pm
FIRST UNITARIAN SOCIETY OF ITHACA
Chile In Their Hearts with John Dinges | 6 p.m., 11/18 Wednesday
| Autumn Leaves Books, 115 East State Street
Cortland Free Library Board of Trustees Meeting | 6:30 p.m., 11/18
TICKETS AND INFO: CCOithaca.org
Wednesday | Cortland Free Library, 32 Church St Tales Along The Tioughnioga - By Martin Sweeney | 7:30 p.m., 11/18
Wednesday | Center for the Arts of Homer, 72 S Main St
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 14 AT 7:00 P.M. State Theatre of Ithaca, 107 West State St | Punch Brothers play State Theatre of Ithaca in NY, bringing their virtuosic bluegrass and folk sound. (Photo: Provided) https://stateofithaca.org/events/
THE SHAPE OF PLACE: A JOINT EXHIBITION BY PAT HUNSINGER AND CAROL SPENCE SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 15 FROM 12:00 P.M. TO 5:00 P.M. State of the Art Gallery, 120 West State Street | A joint exhibition pairing two artists who explore humanity’s connection to the natural world, inspired by landscapes, the passage of time, and the Susquehanna River. (Photo: Provided) https://soagithaca.org/
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