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NEWSLINE
Jane Doe Lawsuit Accuses 7 Cornell Fraternity Members of Gang Rape; Bar Denies Serving Underage Student By Philip O’ D ell
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former Cornell University student has filed a civil lawsuit against seven fraternity members, the university, the Chi Phi fraternity and a local bar over an alleged gang rape in 2024, prompting Tompkins County prosecutors to reopen an investigation into the case. A civil complaint demanding a jury trial was filed Sept. 16 in New York State Supreme Court in New York County by attorneys from Rheingold Giuffra Ruffo Plotkin & Hellman LLP alongside Cochrun & Seals, LLC. According to the lawsuit, the then20-year-old victim — referred to as Jane Doe — alleges seven members of the Xi Chapter of Chi Phi Fraternity sexually assaulted and gang raped her overnight between Oct. 19 and Oct. 20, 2024, at the fraternity house on Cornell University’s Ithaca campus. The lawsuit says the Xi Chapter was placed on temporary suspension on or about Nov. 8, 2024, for alleged Student Code of Conduct violations. The lawsuit says the seven student defendants were issued temporary suspensions around that time and “afforded the opportunity to mitigate their conduct by submitting essays to Cornell.” In a Sept. 28 press release, Ithaca police said the incident was never reported to the department. In the lawsuit, lawyers for Jane Doe said she was legally incapable of consenting to sexual activity due to severe intoxication. The lawsuit says the defendants pressured the victim into snorting ketamine at least three times during the incident. The complaint also includes claims against Moonies Bar & Nightclub and its employees under New York’s Dram Shop Act for serving alcohol to a minor and visibly intoxicated individual. The lawsuit says Jane Doe became intoxicated after drinking at TriDelta sorority’s chapter house on Cornell’s campus prior to taking an Uber to Moonies around 8:30 p.m. with the sorority’s house mother. The lawsuit says Doe was marked with an “X” on each hand to indicate she was under 21, but she was still served at least one alcoholic beverage. Despite the presence of designated sorority monitors tasked with overseeing attendee safety and intoxication levels, the plaintiff and several sorority sisters left Moonies around 10 p.m. and walked to the nearby Lot 10 Bar and Lounge, where she received an under-21 wristband. 2
Moonies statement
In a Sept. 30 email to the Ithaca Times, a Moonies spokesperson said Doe’s claim that she was served alcohol by Moonies employees was “completely inaccurate.” The spokesperson said Moonies employees strictly adhered to state laws and event protocols during the Oct. 19, 2024, event for the Tri Delta sorority. The spokesperson said hand markings were used for the 35 guests under age 21 and wristbands for the 150 guests ages 21 and older. “Our bartenders strongly followed the rules and only served guests who had wristbands on their hands,” the spokesperson said. “No alcohol was served to guests who had marks on their hands.” The spokesperson said Moonies received no complaints in 2024 regarding intoxicated guests or serving alcohol to minors. The spokesperson said the business was never contacted by law enforcement or university police regarding the event or related issues.
The alleged assault
The lawsuit says Doe left Lot 10 around 11 p.m. and walked alone to the Chi Phi fraternity house at 107 Edgemoor Lane to meet one of the student defendants. The lawsuit says Doe consumed about 10 drinks over the previous three hours before her arrival. The defendant greeted her at the fraternity house and handed her a beer. The lawsuit omits if the beverage was unopened. The lawsuit says two of the defendants “plied (Doe) with marijuana and ‘Jamaican Liquor’ believed to be some type of highproof rum.” According to the lawsuit, the seven defendants gang raped the victim inside the fraternity house until around 5:45 a.m. the next day. The lawsuit claims one defendant sent a message to a “Chi Phi Actives” Snapchat group chat, indicating Doe was available for sex in the fraternity house. The lawsuit includes a photograph of a phone screen displaying the group chat message. “In doing so, (the defendant) organized and encouraged other Xi Chapter members to join in on the gang rape of (Doe) in the Xi Chapter fraternity house,” the lawsuit says. The lawsuit says Doe’s friends encouraged her to report the incident on or about Nov. 8, 2024, to the Cornell University Police Department.
DA response
In a Sept. 28 press release, Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten said recent community outrage prompted an explanation for why the 2024 investigation yielded no criminal charges, while also announcing the case’s reopening.
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Van Houten said Cornell University Police Department asked his office to review Doe’s six-page, single-spaced typewritten statement, containing over 20 handwritten notations in November 2024. Van Houten said his office had to determine if her allegations constituted a crime under New York law, specifically regarding questions of legal consent. “Jane Doe’s sworn statement in November of 2024 did not allege that she was drugged against her will or gang raped,” Van Houten said. “On the contrary, Jane Doe’s statement described her participation in drug use and sexual conduct as voluntary, conscious, and consensual.” Van Houten said sexual assault offenses require proof beyond a reasonable doubt that the victim did not consent, stemming from forcible compulsion, mental incapacitation, physical helplessness or a victim’s expressed refusal under New York state law. He said Doe’s statement failed to establish a lack of consent under any of those criteria. Van Houten said prosecutors must strictly apply the law using only admissible evidence but noted that cases can be reopened if new evidence emerges as sexual assault victims take time to process their experiences. Van Houten said he contacted Doe’s attorneys after the lawsuit was filed to address discrepancies between her initial statement and the lawsuit’s allegations. “I have been asked by the community to revisit the decision whether to pursue criminal charges against the seven fraternity members,” Van Houten said. “I have already begun that process, starting with our conversation with Jane Doe and her attorneys.” Van Houten said once appropriate charges are determined; the case will be presented to a Tompkins County grand jury. A senior female prosecutor with extensive experience handling sex crime trials, including cases involving college students, has been assigned to prepare the presentation. The grand jury will review Jane Doe’s testimony along with any new evidence raised in the civil lawsuit, and if the panel votes to indict, the DA’s office will prosecute the charges.
Cornell statement
The Ithaca Times contacted Cornell University for comment on the lawsuit, and a spokesperson referred the publication to an online statement by Kyle Kimball, the vice president for university relations Kimball said Cornell conducted a months-long Title IX investigation that included temporary suspensions. The investigation led to a multi-day hearing before a panel of faculty and
staff that issued sanctions, including expulsions and suspensions. Kimball did not disclose the number of students expelled or suspended, nor did he specify the duration of any suspensions. Kimball said the Chi Phi fraternity chapter was closed in 2024 and remains barred from campus. His statement did not clarify whether the chapter was closed and barred as a direct result of the investigation or allegations. In the statement, Kimball said, “none of the individuals charged were offered the opportunity to write essays as a sole consequence of their involvement.” “Any suggestion that the university did not impose consequential punishments for those involved is false,” Kimball said. “A continuation of the false narrative that there were minimal consequences in this case is irresponsible, will make survivors feel less safe and supported, and will perpetuate the underreporting of sexual assault.” Kimball said Cornell supports the DA’s decision to present the case to a criminal grand jury. The case has sparked national attention and intense social media scrutiny over campus safety, the handling of sexual assault reporting and university disciplinary practices. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on Sept. 29 called for an independent investigation into Cornell’s handling of the allegation. “The allegations in this case are nothing short of horrifying,” Hochul said. “For any student to come forward after an experience like this takes extraordinary courage. No student should ever be left wondering whether the institutions meant to protect them will listen and act.” Hochul supported Van Houten’s decision to reopen the case, but urged the hiring of an outside law firm to review the university’s reporting mechanisms, response procedures, campus culture and sexual violence prevention systems. According to NBC News, Hochul announced on Oct. 1 that New York Attorney General Letitia James was appointed special prosecutor in the sexual assault investigation at Cornell. In a statement, the governor said newly released information raises serious questions that have undercut public faith in the probe. According to CBS News, Doe told campus police in a Nov. 14, 2024, interview, “I can say with 100% confidence I was raped.” Campus police converted her transcript into a six-page summary for the district attorney’s office, and Van Houten said his decision not to file charges was based on that summary without having seen the original transcript.
NEWSLINE
VOL. LV / NO. 06 / October 7, 2026 Serving 47,125 readers weekly
ON THE COVER:
New Roots Charter School names Delmer Padgett III as associate principal By Philip O’ D ell
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ew Roots Charter School named veteran educator Delmer Padgett III as its new associate principal ahead of its 18th school year. The school said Padgett has over 20 years of experience as an educator and administrator. The Candor native and Ithaca College alumnus will support the school’s academic programs in his new role. “I am beyond thrilled to be joining the New Roots family,” Padgett said. “From my very first interactions with the school, I’ve been deeply inspired by your commitment to sustainability, social equity, and empowering young people to think critically, act courageously, and lead with purpose.” Padgett began his career in Maryland and the Washington, D.C., area before returning to Tompkins County. As a former assistant principal and principal, he promoted restorative practices and mindfulness programs to improve school culture. Padgett earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music from Ithaca College. “Padgett is the perfect fit for New
Roots Charter School, from his philosophical alignment and studentcentered leadership to his love of music and a background in career and technical education. I am thrilled that he is joining our growing school community,” New Roots Principal and Superintendent Tina Nilsen-Hodges said. According to New Roots, Padgett believes every student possesses unique strengths, and educators must build systems that allow those abilities to emerge. Padgett said he was drawn to New Roots by its commitment to sustainability, social equity and community-oriented entrepreneurship. He said he looks forward to partnering with students, families and faculty to support the school’s project-based learning model. “A proud member of the greater Ithaca community, and one of the reasons he moved back to the region, Padgett treasures time spent close to family,” according to New Roots. “Outside of school, he loves returning to music, accompanying groups whenever the opportunity arises, and spending time outdoors, whether gardening or tending to his antique vehicles.”
Padgett, who previously served as a director of career and technical education, will help develop EarthForce, the CTE program at New Roots. The initiative is supported by a 2026 expansion grant from the New York State Education Department’s Charter Schools Program. For the 2026–27 academic year, New Roots added two EarthForce faculty members: a certified technology teacher and a curriculum specialist experienced in integrating English with technical education. The EarthForce team will focus on expanding career awareness, exploration, and training opportunities for students. “I couldn’t be more excited to bring my experience back to my hometown roots and work alongside such a passionate group of educators, staff, and families,” Padgett said. According to its website, New Roots Charter School was founded in 2009 by the State University of New York as a tuition-free public school in downtown Ithaca to offer career preparation and college credits to students in grades 6–12. “Students earn a Regents diploma and demonstrate readiness for higher education by earning college credit and creating a graduation portfolio that demonstrates that they have met or exceeded all 28 New York State Learning Standards,” the website says. The website says New Roots has occupied the Clinton House at 116 N. Cayuga Street in downtown Ithaca since its inception. Designed by Ira Tillotson and named for former New York Gov. DeWitt Clinton, the 1820s Greek Revival structure is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and previously served as a hotel and office building.
By L or ien Ty ne The Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints has partnered with Catholic Charities of Tompkins County and Ithaca Kitchen Cupboard to launch the Ithaca Community Diaper Drive, which will run through Nov. 4. Heather Lemons, who organized the diaper drive with her husband, said in a press release that the local effort is inspired by the 250th anniversary of the United States. The goal of the drive is to collect diapers to assemble into
kits for 250 local children. So far, the drive has collected 2,370 diapers from 19 donations out of its goal of 8,750 diapers. “Ithaca has no shortage of charities fighting food insecurity — it’s said no one here should ever go hungry. But diapers are another story,” Lemons said in a statement on the drive’s website. “While volunteering at Ithaca Kitchen Cupboard (IKC), I watched a family leave empty-handed because there were no diapers in the size they needed. When I asked the director what
NEWSLINE....................... 2-6, 12 COVER STORY ������������������� 4-5 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR..............................6 PERSONAL HEALTH �������������7 OPINION ��������������������������������7 ARTS & FILM ��������������������� 8-9 SPORTS...................................... 11 TIMES TABLE.................... 14-15
ON THE WEB Visit our website at www.ithaca.com for more news, arts, sports and photos. Call us at 607-277-7000 MIKAYLA ROVENOLT, MANAGING EDITOR EDITOR@ITHACATIMES.COM SCOTT MANSON, ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER JIM BILINSKI, PUBLISHER EMERITUS JBILINSKI@ITHACATIMES.COM ROY ALLEN, DIRECTOR OF STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS ROY@ITHACATIMES.COM LORIEN TYNE, ASSISTANT EDITOR LORIEN@ITHACATIMES.COM AUSTIN LAMB, COPY EDITOR ALAMB@ITHACATIMES.COM PHILIP O’DELL, REPORTER PHILIP@ITHACATIMES.COM SWAS DASH, ADMINISTRATIVE COORDINATOR, CALENDAR EDITOR SD@ITHACATIMES.COM
TAK E NOT E
Community Diaper Drive Seeks Donations
AOC Visits Ithaca feature story. Cover designed by the Ithaca Times team.
MARK SYVERTSON, PHOTOGRAPHER MARKSYVERTSONPHOTOGRAPHY@GMAIL.COM STEVE LAWRENCE, SPORTS COLUMNIST STEVESPORTSDUDE@GMAIL.COM
IKC needed most, she didn’t hesitate: ‘Diapers!’ That’s how the Ithaca Community Diaper Drive was born.” Community members interested in supporting the diaper drive can purchase diapers directly though online registries or by dropping off donations in person at designated locations. The drive will accept new, unopened packages of diapers as well as opened packages clearly labeled with size and diaper count. Monetary donations are not being accepted. The two drop-off locations are at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at 114 Burleigh Drive, Ithaca and at the YMCA at 50 Graham Road W., Ithaca. Current drop-off hours, size needs and links to online diaper registries can be found at ithacadiaperdrive.site.
KIRA WALTER, ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER ARTS@ITHACATIMES.COM ZACHARY ISAAC STEPHENS,AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT & DESIGN ASSOCIATE FREELANCERS: Barbara Adams, Charley Githler, Stephen Burke, Bill Chaisson, Ross Haarstad, Steve Lawrence, Marjorie Olds, Peter Rothbart, Austin Lamb, Clement Obropta, Jake Sexton, Kira Walter, and Ceili Ayoung THE ENTIRE CONTENTS OF THE ITHACA TIMES ARE COPYRIGHT © 2026 BY PATHWAYS TO EQUITY, LLC.
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NEWSLINE
At Ithaca Town Hall, AOC Challenges Cornell’s Handling of Alleged Gang Rape, Urges Working-Class Mobilization By Philip O’ D ell
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.S. Rep. Alexandria OcasioCortez, D-N.Y., spoke at More Perfect University’s “Students vs. Billionaires” town hall Sept. 27 at the Ithaca Downtown Conference Center. Ocasio-Cortez discussed a range of topics, including the alleged gang rape at Cornell University, artificial intelligence and Flock Safety surveillance. According to Ocasio-Cortez’s office, the event was part of the congresswoman’s effort to drive Democratic turnout for the Nov. 3 midterm elections. Ocasio-Cortez said Ithaca is vital for progressive organizing, highlighting the presence of Democratic Socialists of America members Jorge DeFendini, Kayla Matos and Hannah Shvets on the Common Council. She said Ithaca exists in the second-most rural congressional district represented by a Democrat. The congresswoman said a dual challenge exists of sustaining a progressive base in Ithaca while organizing working-class communities 4
across rural upstate New York. Alleged Cornell gang rape Ocasio-Cortez said upstate residents Ocasio-Cortez addressed a former are on the front lines of interconnected Cornell University student’s allegations economic and social challenges, that seven Chi Phi fraternity members including climate change impacting gang raped her overnight between Oct. farmers, labor shortages from 19 and Oct. 20, 2024, at their Ithaca immigration enforcement and rising campus house. The civil suit was filed costs from trade wars and broken Sept. 16 in New York State Supreme international trusts. Court in New York County. “All of this is “I want to be being organized clear that the This entire country culture of rape, by a moneyed elite that has declared is sick and tired of sexual assault a class war against and pedophilia is not just financially working-class protected in elite A m e r i c a n s , ” corrupt, but morally institutions across O c a s i o - C o r t e z corrupt leadership. the United States, said. - U.S. REP. ALEXANDRIA including Cornell Ocasio-Cortez OCASIO-CORTEZ, D-N.Y University, and it called on attendees has got to stop,” to unite and Ocasio-Cortez advocate for policies, such as universal said. “This entire country is sick and healthcare, raising the minimum wage tired of not just financially corrupt, but to a living wage and investment in morally corrupt leadership.” public education, including tuitionThe civil complaint prompted free public colleges and universities. Tompkins County District Attorney She said the U.S. should end destructive Matthew Van Houten to reopen foreign policies, ranging from tariffs a criminal investigation on Sept. to military conflicts, to reinvest those 28. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul resources domestically. endorsed the decision and additionally
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recommended hiring an outside law firm to audit Cornell’s sexual violence prevention procedures and response mechanisms. “When I read about what happened at Cornell — those men posted in a group chat — that means it was normal to them,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “That means it was acceptable to them. This is a culture. These are norms. These are practices. And what we must do is understand that we cannot protect those spaces anymore.”
Cornell campus activism One questioner asked Ocasio-Cortez how students should address university boards of trustees, describing them as undemocratic bodies that suppress free speech to protect corporate and financial interests. Ocasio-Cortez responded by arguing that wealthy donors influence governance across higher education and politics, noting that university trustee appointments are often secured through financial contributions rather than academic achievement or campus involvement. Ocasio-Cortez criticized the university’s priorities, saying Cornell
students on college campuses from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. Ocasio-Cortez said she approaches issues with a two-pronged strategy combining federal legislative action with grassroots community organizing. She said her office’s efforts include distributing red “Know Your Rights” cards and holding educational seminars in churches, schools, and basements to inform residents of their legal protections. The congresswoman said constitutional education empowers residents and small businesses to exercise their rights effectively — such as refusing to grant ICE agents entry into private facilities or spaces without a signed judicial warrant. OcasioCortez said ICE agents operate under quotas rather than adherence to the rule of law. “We started to organize our Climate change and community so much that everyday artificial intelligence people knew these rules so well Regarding climate change, Ocasiothat when ICE came in, they were Cortez highlighted legislation she so unsuccessful they had to leave,” reintroduced with Sen. Edward Ocasio-Cortez said. Markey, D-Mass., to establish a From a legislative standpoint, Civilian Climate Corps. She described Ocasio-Cortez reiterated her call the proposal as a World War II-scale to abolish ICE, characterizing the effort to create millions of green jobs agency created in the post-9/11 post— such as weatherizing buildings, surveillance state expansion as lacking installing solar panels and providing transparency and constitutional job training in renewable energy — to oversight. Ocasio-Cortez criticized mitigate severe climate impacts and black-box immigration detention rebuild infrastructure in the face of centers as publicly traded, for-profit worsening extreme weather events. entities that prioritize housing bodies “In order to rebuild this, we are for corporate revenue over operating going to have to come together because as standard public facilities, such as what the elite want, and they’re county jails or state prisons. already planning for it, is to hoard all “That is exactly why one of the many of the resources for themselves as the reasons why it should be abolished, world gets more and more physically because once you are a for-profit unstable,” Ocasio-Cortez said. detention facility, you are in no way Ocasio-Cortez said pushback against incentivized to empty that out,” Ocasioartificial intelligence infrastructure Cortez said. “That’s why they are going connects conservative and liberal after every man, woman, and child that voters. She said rural upstate is engaging in productive activity in residents have the street, because displayed lawn the CEO of GEO signs opposing In order to rebuild Group and the AI data centers CEO of CoreCivic, this, we are going in conservative they’ve got profits counties, such as to have to come at the end of the “No AI Data Center together because quarter to post. in Culver.” She And so, as long what the elite want, said speaking with as they want to rural residents on and they’re already pursue that, this shared issues — planning for it, agency is merely such as stopping just the feeding is to hoard all of local data center ground for that.” development — the resources for O c a s i o can bridge political themselves as the Cortez criticized divides. congressional world gets more She said f u n d i n g p r o g r e s s i v e s and more physically mechanisms for should not give unstable. ICE. She alleged up on their core - U.S. REP. ALEXANDRIA some members of values in moderate OCASIO-CORTEZ, D-N.Y Congress invest or conservative in private prison areas, but they do need to change how stocks, causing a conflict of interest they talk to people. Instead of relying when authorizing federal appropriations on social media, she encouraged for immigration enforcement. activists to focus on meeting voters “A black-box unconstitutional system face-to-face. She said this makes it that can be used to disappear people, harder for people to hold onto political which is what this administration hatred and easier to build support. is doing, should not exist in any functioning democracy in the world, ICE let alone the United States,” OcasioA student asked how lawmakers can Cortez said. protect international and immigrant suspended students and placed an international student on track for deportation following pro-Palestinian campus protests, yet handled the fraternity sexual assault allegations by allegedly requiring some accused members to write essays in private. She said this contrast demonstrates how institutional policies selectively suppress free speech while shielding perpetrators of severe misconduct. Ocasio-Cortez said activists should draw lessons from the civil rights movement to counter institutional suppression, arguing large-scale collective action makes full-scale retaliation impossible. She said students and workers can respond to administrative crackdowns with persistent civil disobedience and sustained organizing on issues, such as workplace unionization.
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Criminal justice reform
data and advocated for outright bans on intrusive technologies, including Addressing criminal justice reform, surveillance pricing models that adjust Ocasio-Cortez said there are systemic consumer costs based on personal data failures in the U.S. prison system. She tracking. said 80% of individuals held at Rikers Ocasio-Cortez said she and Sen. Island suffer from severe mental Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., introduced health issues. Ocasio-Cortez said city a national planners often moratorium rely on secondon artificial grade literacy A black-box intelligence data levels to project unconstitutional centers that future jail capacity. gained traction She criticized system that across political the historic can be used to allegiances. She underfunding disappear people... said grassroots of education in pushback at local u n d e r s e r v e d should not exist government c o m m u n i t i e s in any functioning meetings pressured and argued that democracy. federal lawmakers incarceration - U.S. REP. ALEXANDRIA to consider should never OCASIO-CORTEZ, D-N.Y supporting the strip individuals moratorium. of basic human She encouraged activists to build on rights or subject them to abuse, urging municipal victories because sustained community members to show up and local organizing remains the primary support affected families. catalyst for driving federal policy Ocasio-Cortez said she supports changes. violence interrupter programs to ensure “I would definitely say keep at public safety. She said a communitythat, and if you all can kick out Flock based violence interruption initiative in Ithaca, you can do it anywhere,” at Jacobi Hospital in the Bronx as an Ocasio-Cortez said. example called Stand Up to Violence, hires formerly incarcerated individuals College costs to work alongside social workers A Cornell University student raised to intervene after violent incidents, concerns about the rising cost of higher connecting victims directly with education, saying her annual tuition housing, employment, and social reached $100,000. The student, who support. Ocasio-Cortez said the described working multiple part-time hospital-based initiative reduced the jobs and relying heavily on financial recurrence of violent crime in the aid, asked what Democratic lawmakers Bronx by 50%, demonstrating the are doing to keep higher education power of investment in evidence-based accessible for low- and middle-income community solutions. families rather than allowing it to become a privilege exclusive to the wealthy. Flock and mass surveillance In response, Ocasio-Cortez said that Ocasio-Cortez commended the City six-figure annual tuition exceeds the of Ithaca for ending its contract with total annual income of many American Flock Safety in March. The private households and drives students into security firm sells license plate readers long-term debt. She argued that and gunshot detection technology to private universities often operate clients that include law enforcement more like real estate developers than agencies. The Common Council made educational institutions, directing the decision following months of tuition dollars and administrative resident opposition over concerns that funding toward luxury amenities and the cameras possibly engaged in mass real estate expansions while paying surveillance, violated civil liberties and adjunct faculty below a living wage and compromised data privacy. increasing class sizes. “To me, the idea that Flock cameras To address the crisis, Ocasio-Cortez even exist is unconscionable,” Ocasiocalled for greater federal oversight of Cortez said. “I want to congratulate the institutions that accept government City of Ithaca for kicking Flock out.” funding, arguing that financial aid Ocasio-Cortez advocated for stronger should support instructional quality privacy protections against both rather than administrative overhead government and corporate surveillance, or institutional profit. She said calling for a return to strict Fourth establishing tuition-free public colleges Amendment warrant requirements. and universities is the most effective She warned that government agencies way to force private institutions circumvent search warrants by to lower their prices and remain purchasing personal data — including competitive. social media records and surveillance Ocasio-Cortez noted that tuition-free camera footage — collected and sold public higher education was widespread by private corporations. across the United States in the 1960s Ocasio-Cortez said personal data and 1970s. She attributed the historical should belong to individuals, arguing rollback of public funding for higher that artificial intelligence models education and public housing to racial and surveillance systems are built integration, arguing that capital flight on unauthorized exploitation of and budget cuts accelerated as access personal information, facial data and expanded to minority communities. online behaviors. She denounced She said making public universities these practices as violations of the free once again would provide a viable constitutional right to privacy. The alternative for students and counter congresswoman called for strict legal predatory pricing practices. protections to safeguard personal
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NEWSLINE Deafblind Cornell student among 28 recipients of $280K JBI Library scholarship By Philip O’ D ell
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doctoral candidate at Cornell University is among a selective group of students receiving notable academic recognition and scholarship funding from a nonprofit that helps people who are blind and have low vision connect to Jewish life. Hannah DeFelice, a Jewish deafblind doctoral student in ecology and evolutionary biology at Cornell University, was awarded the Nathan L. and Suzanne K. Wolfson Merit Scholarship from JBI Library. DeFelice is one of 28 Jewish students who are blind or have low vision to receive a Nathan L. and Suzanne K. Wolfson Merit Scholarship from JBI Library, which awarded $280,000 total this year. DeFelice said her research focuses on furthering the understanding of climate change and its impacts on natural processes. She said her work is proof that someone’s disability is not a barrier to scientific excellence.
“This scholarship is both an incredible honor and a meaningful affirmation of my journey as a Jewish deafblind student,” DeFelice said. “It also reminds me that I am part of a community that values learning, perseverance and the unique perspectives that blind and low-vision Jewish students bring to academia and beyond.” According to its website, the JBI Library is a nonprofit dedicated to ensuring “anyone who is blind, has low vision or other print disability can fully participate in and feel connected to all aspects of Jewish life, from culture, education, and community to religious practice.” According to JBI Library, the 202627 class is the program’s largest to date and features students studying multiple subjects at institutions in the United States, the United Kingdom and Israel. Recipients include students from Cornell University, the University of California, Berkeley, the University of Georgia, the University of Oregon, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Bar-
The Talk at By Ithaca Times Readers
Tompkins District Attorney Failed Victim of Alleged Cornell Rape
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Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten has committed egregious malpractice, as he has failed the victim of an alleged gang rape at Cornell, and has cast our entire community into disrepute. He must resign immediately.
professionals, attorneys, researchers, technology specialists and community leaders. Many are parents or firstgeneration university students. The organization said many recipients view the scholarship as validation of their abilities, work and aspirations matter. The organization said the Wolfson scholarship was established in 2018 to recognize Jewish college students who meet the program’s vision criteria, excel academically and maintain active ties to Jewish communal life. The program has awarded $776,288 in total educational support, including this year’s grants. Individual awards start at $2,500, with final amounts determined annually based on available funding and the applicant pool. Recipients are eligible to reapply in future years. According to JBI Library, applications for the next scholarship cycle open Dec. 1, while further details and eligibility requirements are available online at jbilibrary.org/wolfson
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
cases that did not receive anything like this level of scrutiny have been swept under the rug. Although the DA has been shamed by the press coverage into action, the passage of two years means that justice will never be fully served. The stain of shame remains, and will not begin to lift until Matthew Van Houten departs from his post.” - Bill Carini, Newfield, NY
ABC News has reported that “Van Houten acknowledged that his office did not examine a photo of the fraternity’s Snapchat group.” Van Houten also did not read a transcript of the interview that the “Jane Doe” in the case gave to campus police in November 2024. In this interview, which CBS News was easily able to obtain, “Jane Doe” told police “I can say with 100% confidence I was raped.” His failure to lift a finger to gather and act on this information is appalling.
As a former long-time INHS board member and current volunteer, I am writing in response to Tom Stern’s letter which I believe mischaracterizes INHS. It is true that INHS is the oldest community-based nonprofit dedicated to providing affordable housing in the City of Ithaca and in their sevencounty service areas.
An alleged rape victim should not have to wait for a story to become international news before our District Attorney can be bothered to investigate a case. We are left wondering how many
With almost 700 rentals across the region, INHS has spent considerable resources adapting its property management model to the post-COVID reality of an ever-shrinking social safety
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Ilan University, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, and King’s College London. Recipients are pursuing degrees and professional credentials in fields such as neuroscience, ecology and evolutionary biology, social work, law, computer science, education, psychology, business, music, and Jewish studies. “This year’s scholars are ambitious, deeply engaged in their communities, and determined to use their education in service of others,” JBI Library Executive Director Michelle Shapiro Abraham said. “We are especially moved by the many recipients who are drawing on their own experiences with disability to pursue careers in science, education, social work, and other fields where they can create opportunities for those who follow. The significant growth of this program allows us to recognize more of these remarkable students and give them greater freedom to concentrate on the work ahead.” According to JBI Library, recipients seek to become teachers, mental health
INHS Prioritizes Keeping Residents Housed
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net, stagnating low-income wages, and relentless inflation. INHS staff work diligently to support residents in maintaining stable housing. Over the last 18 months, INHS has reduced evictions by partnering with LawNY and others to keep residents housed. They rarely comment on individual cases out of respect for residents, but in one case detailed on their website last year, INHS forgave thousands in back rent and provided many months for the resident to move. Given other examples of well publicized irresponsible management practices in Ithaca, I choose to support INHS.” - Laura Lewis, Ithaca, NY
Criticism of Citywide Speed Limit Decrease
“
I am so happy to hear Ithaca wants the cars to be on the road longer, that will be more emissions put in the air. All in the name of safety; well I grew up in Ithaca with no cross walks or signs telling you when to cross. We were taught to look both ways
before crossing and guess what, I’ve never been hit. If people would pay attention when they cross it should be a non-issue.” - Jason Peter
Citywide 25 MPH Signs... What a Shame
“
We now have 116 new signs in our city that are printed with ‘25 MPH’. (At what expense, by the way?). Meanwhile, we are passing on our most effective and economical speed enforcement every time we spend our money to smooth and repave our city streets. Smooth pavement encourages faster - not slower - speeds. I live on the 400 block of North Geneva St. Vehicles frequently reach 40 MPH between the two stop signs. A sign printed with ‘25 MPH’ instead of ‘30 MPH’ does not change driving behavior. The potential for vehicle damage does. Ease up, Ithaca.”
- Shane Eversfield
Personal Health
Early Fall Vaccination Recommendations for Flu & COVID-19 By Lorien Tyne and Mikayla Rovenolt Tompkins County Whole Health (TCWH) released a notice to remind community members to get their annual flu and COVID-19 vaccinations before the respiratory illness season, which typically occurs from October to May. “The flu causes many to lose time at school and income from missed work,” TCWH’s Medical Director William Klepack said. “Influenza strikes hard in late December through early January. It takes about 2 weeks after being vaccinated to start having protection. We must take the flu seriously. Don’t delay – get vaccinated now.”
The notice said that getting vaccinated is the best protection against the flu and COVID-19 and prevents individuals from spreading illnesses to others. Klepack said children under 5 years old, people more than 65 years old, people with chronic health conditions and pregnant women are most at risk from respiratory illnesses. According to the notice, the flu and COVID-19 both cause mild to severe illness, with symptoms commonly including fever or feeling feverish/ having chills, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, muscle or body
aches, headaches, fatigue (tiredness), and vomiting and diarrhea. TCWH said respiratory illnesses are highly contagious, as the viruses spread easily by tiny droplets released from coughing, sneezing, or talking. According to the Center for Disease Control, the number of deaths in the United States from COVID-19 in 2025 was 20,681 and in 2024 was 47,522; yearto-date for 2026, 6,138 deaths have been attributed to COVID-19. In at least 67% of these deaths, COVID-19 was listed as the underlying cause of death. For the remaining cases, COVID-19 was listed as a contributing cause of death. “If you have a highly vulnerable family member, co-worker, or friend you should get vaccinated to help protect them,” Klepack said. “The rest of us should get vaccinated so that we don’t lose time from work, spread it to others, or suffer from miserable symptoms of these illnesses. The COVID-19 vaccine also reduces your risk of developing long COVID, a chronic health condition causing symptoms such as extreme fatigue, brain fog, shortness of breath and racing heartbeat for weeks, months or even years post-infection.” For those who cannot leave their
home to get vaccinated, TCWH offers in-home vaccination services, which can be accessed by calling 607-274-6604. “Children under 5 years, persons 65 years and older, people with certain chronic health conditions, and pregnant women and their babies are most at risk from respiratory illnesses,” Klepack continued. “They should definitely get vaccinated for both the flu and COVID-19.” TCWH recommends that everyone ages six months and older receive a flu and a COVID-19 vaccine in early fall. Everyone is eligible to be vaccinated; pharmacies are able to vaccinate those ages three years and older; those ages six months to 36 months must receive vaccination through their pediatrician or primary care provider. TCWH’s website says that if you are experiencing an emergency warning sign, such as trouble breathing or chest pain, seek emergency medical care immediately. Insurance coverage of vaccination may vary, contact your pharmacy, healthcare provider, or insurance provider to learn more. Community members can learn more about respiratory illness season, prevention measures and treatment options on the Tompkins County’s webpage for respiratory illnesses.
Opinion (Surrounded by Reality)
Just Keep Swimming By Charley Githler
E
arly last month, a researcher who had worked at megaAI-behemoths OpenAI and Anthropic abruptly quit his job, saying that Artificial Intelligence could threaten human life by the end of the decade. Then prominent researchers at Anthropic pegged the odds of AI causing human extinction in that time frame at 15%. I heard this news on my smart speaker while in the act of making coffee, and after pausing briefly to gulp and allow my heart to sink a little deeper, I resumed my morning routine. I mean, we might have three more years. It’s not imminent. It seems like all of us are just carrying on in the face of the direst of possibilities, which is a legitimate survival technique. Statistically, 38% of problems resolve themselves if you ignore them. Besides, it’s worked for humans before…
North Wetwick, England, July 6, 1348.
Online @ Ithaca.com
HAMOND THE BARBER: Alas, Lord Cornstarch, the pestilence hath reached the neighbouring village. One chance in seven there be it shall come hither in the coming days. CORNSTARCH: Hamond, I beheld three toads in a single day yesterday, which thou knowest is a good omen. Verily, the surest course is to carry on as heretofore.
Little Bighorn, Montana Territory, June 25, 1876. 1st LIEUTENANT COOKE: Sir, there are disturbing signs that there are many more natives than we thought. Perhaps thousands. I fear we may be outnumbered. Also, the Crow scouts have disappeared, which indeed bodes really, really ill. There’s the prospect we could be wiped out to a man. LT. COLONEL CUSTER: Cooke! Your pusillanimity disgusts me, and I won’t for a moment let it interfere with our plan. I’ll pretend I didn’t hear it and deal with you later. Move out!
Kingdom of Urartu, 2348 BCE. SHIPHREK: Greetings, Nicotinus. Our neighbor Noah hath toiled upon that vessel of his for lo these many years, and the vessel is very great in length and breadth. Like minimum 300 cubits. And he further said unto me a great flood shall come and the waters shall prevail upon the face of the earth. Be this truth he speaketh, or vanity? NICOTINUS: Behold, Noah is a man much given unto fear and he is careful overmuch. Go thy way and plant thy fields, and the earth shall yield thee her increase.
RMS Titanic, First Class Deck, North Atlantic Ocean, 11:50 PM, April 14, 1912.
JEEVES: If I may take the liberty of mentioning it, Sir, the disagreeable scraping sound to which we were recently subjected seems to have been Pompeii, Roman Empire, occasioned by contact with an iceberg. August 24, 79 CE. I would venture to suggest that we PLINY THE ELDER: Hail, Starchius repair to the boat deck and that you Polentus! My calculations suggest might care to wear something warmer that yon eruption bids fair to threaten than your evening dress. the entire population of our fair city. WOOSTER: Tut, tut, Jeeves, unknit the Fortune may dictate that it suddenly furrowed brow. You’re brooding again and bury us all where we stand. brooding, as you may recall me observing, STARCHIUS POLENTUS: Pliny, old does no one any good. Be a good egg and friend, he has not learned the lesson of produce my checkered sport coat, the one life who does not every day surmount a with the sprightly pattern. I’m expected fear. Be not a monger of alarm but live in the card lounge in ten and I’d hate to today like any other day. keep the chaps waiting. O C T O B E R 7- 1 3 , 2 0 2 6 / T H E I T H A C A T I M E S 7
Arts
Tompkins County Poet Laureate Awarded National Fellowship By Mikayla Rovenolt The Tompkins County Poet Laureate nicole v basta was named a 2026 Academy of American Poets Fellow in August and awarded a $50,000 grant. The first part of basta’s grant project is set to begin in October with a themed writing class taught throughout Tompkins County and online. The Academy of American Poets was founded in 1934 and is the largest poetry membership organization in the United States, according to the release. Each year, the Academy awards more than $1.3 million to poets at various stages of their careers through its prize program. It also produces Poets.org, the world’s largest publicly funded website for poets and poetry; organizes National Poetry Month each April; publishes the Poem-a-Day series and American Poets magazine; provides free resources to educators; hosts public poetry programs and special
events; and coordinates a national Poetry Coalition that promotes the value poets bring to our culture. To learn more about the Academy of American Poets, including its staff, Board of Directors, and Board of Chancellors, visit poets.org. The Academy’s Poet Laureate Fellowships acknowledges both the laureates’ literary excellence while offering them an opportunity to bring projects that enhance the lives through poetry of members of their community. Basta’s project is a three part project that seeks to connect the art of poetry and environmental issues. She will teach a class throughout the county and on Zoom on the theme of water– both in admiration of water and in resistance to the environmental threats that jeopardize our water and environment including, most pressingly, the proposed data center on
nicole v basta
Cayuga Lake. The second part of the project is the publication of an anthology on these themes that will be open to poetry submissions from local writers and writers all over the country. The publication of this anthology will be celebrated with a launch party and reading in the spring of 2027. All sales from the anthology will go toward No Data Center FLX and the continued resistance of the data center and an environmental educational project. “The protection of our environment is inextricably linked to every other humanitarian crisis on earth and there
is nothing we must fight to preserve more than water,” basta said in a press release. “I have been interested in the intersections of poetry, education, and activism for many years and it is such an honor to be supported in this work as the Tompkins County poet laureate by the Academy of American Poets.” For more information on classes and more visit https://www.nicolevbasta. com/home-water. “I am beyond honored and ecstatic to have been awarded this level of support so that I can expand my scope, reach, and impact locally through poetry,” basta said.
The Friends of Tompkins County Public Library will hold the annual Fall Book Sale over three long weekends in October at 509 Esty Street in Ithaca. The sale opens Saturday, Oct. 10, at 8:00 a.m. and runs until 8:00 p.m. On all other days, sale hours are 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
but may rejoin the line to come in and shop again as many times as they wish. There are no purchase limits on other sale dates.
• Sunday - Monday, Oct. 11-12
• Wednesday, Oct. 21, 4:00 p.m. 8:00 p.m. Students (age 16+ with valid school ID)
Arts
Friends of the Library Book Sale Opens Saturday, October 10 By Mikayla Rovenolt
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• Saturday - Monday, Oct. 17-19 • Saturday - Tuesday, Oct. 24-27 According to a press release, prices start low and drop each weekend. Free parking is available across the street from the Regina C. Lennox Book Sale building. Each Book Sale offers up to 250,000 gently used books, DVDs, CDs, comics and graphic novels, puzzles, games, and other items, organized into more than 70 subject categories for easy shopping, according to the release. The large Children’s Section, organized by subject as well, includes close to 35,000 items. Collector’s Corner offers rare and antiquarian books, first editions, collectible vinyl records, art, ephemera, and vintage toys and games, with many items priced at $10 or less. In order to serve as many book lovers as possible, on the first Saturday, Oct. 10, each shopper may purchase a maximum of 50 items at a time. The release says that after checking out, customers must leave the building,
Special shopping days include: • Wednesday, Oct. 21, 10:00 a.m. 4:00 p.m. Older Adults & persons with disabilities
• Monday, Oct. 26, 10:00 a.m. 8:00 p.m. Dime Day (every item on the main floor is just 10¢!) • Tuesday, Oct. 27, 10:00 a.m. 8:00 p.m. Bag Day (BYO standard reusable bag and fill it for just $1!) Proceeds from the Book Sales held each spring and fall are used to fund the Friends of the Library’s annual grants that support Tompkins County Public Library, Finger Lakes Library System, and other libraries in the Finger Lakes region, as well as local non-profit organizations for literacy and reading projects, and scholarships for library science students. More details are available at www. booksale.org or by calling 607-272-2223.
UPS&DOWNS
Film
By Kaeleigh Banda
Ups The Finger Lakes Tourism Alliance is accepting applications until Oct. 30 for its 2026 Scholarship Program, which aims to help individuals further their education and develop professional skills that contribute to the region’s tourism and hospitality industry.
Downs A large number of spotted lanternflies, an invasive insect, have been spotted in downtown Ithaca and have been documented in Ovid, Geneva and Watkins Glen.
HEARD&SEEN Heard
The Fall Creek Elementary playground ribbon-cutting ceremony has been rescheduled to Friday, Oct. 9, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. due to weather.
Seen Digger Rockwell (Tom Cruise) standing beside his company’s lead scientist (Riz Ahmed). (Photo: IMDb / Warner Bros.)
“Digger”: In 100 Years, This Could Be a Documentary By Clement Obropta The extremely polarized reception and financial failure of “Digger,” the new Tom Cruise vehicle from “Birdman” director Alejandro González Iñárritu, makes perfect sense once you’ve seen the film. The self-reflexive meta eco farce satirizes 40 years of growing governmental stubbornness in the face of overwhelming climate science data and envisions a version of our world where that fossil fuel frenzy has led to the apocalypse. It’s not light, it’s not fun, and for a comedy, it’s not particularly funny. (Although comedy is subjective.) It’s a radioactive stormcloud of a movie whose characters all feel like they’re shouting at brick walls and whose image saturation is so low, it looks like it was filmed in a granite mine. And whether you outright hate it or it knocks you into a depressive spiral about the state of the world, it’ll most definitely ruin your day. But while it’s a hard film to recommend, and some might find it an even harder film to sit through, I don’t believe all films need to be pleasant. “Digger” is one of the only modern films that feels appropriately pissed off at the world around us and determined to steer us onto a better track. As oil tycoon and unapologetic a-hole Digger Rockwell, Tom Cruise plays easily the most daunting role of his career, second only to any part in the past 20 years that requires him to kiss a woman on the mouth. It’s no secret that Cruise has spent the last two decades yearning to revisit his “Tropic Thunder” character Les Grossman, a foul-mouthed, thick-handed producer who loves to yell at subordinates over the phone, and in many ways, “Digger” delivers on that front. Digger is, by
design, all bark and no bite, a scheming, lying, sailor-mouthed oilman full of folksy Texas wisdom and ridiculous cowboy hollering. In a performance for the ages, Cruise tackles the role with the same full-body dedication he brings to his stuntwork. At the beginning of “Digger,” Cruise’s egomaniacal eco-nightmare learns, between caring for his frail and dying cat, that his Greenland oil rig has a huge methane leak. And then the rig explodes, sending a chunk of ice five times the size of D.C. drifting through the North Sea on a collision course with Northern Europe. The erratic ensuing hours leap breathlessly from monologues and cat baths to fart jokes and “Dr. Strangelove”-style boardroom meetings as things go from bad to worse to irreparably catastrophic. Look — art cannot stop the climate crisis. One great film won’t stop the Greenland ice sheets from melting. One amazing novel won’t save the polar bears. This inescapable but inconvenient truth, however, is so antithetical to the endeavor of making art that most artists simply feign ignorance and pretend that their work can save the planet. Only a precious few modern filmmakers — like Yorgos Lanthimos with “Bugonia” or Bong Joon-ho with “Mickey 17” — even bother to try embracing reality. Alejandro González Iñárritu is a smart man, and he’s also a very angry one. He seems to know his best efforts at attacking the grotesque injustices of the world will only resonate as an epitaph, the Saturday morning obituary after we’ve all been washed away by freak floods, killed by carcinogenic air, or conflagrated in a nuclear holocaust. So he’s resolved to make the ultimate protest art, a film so wan, hopeless,
and defeated that it forces the viewer to try and avert the surefire ecological collapse on display or just curl into a fetal position and wait for annihilation. Maybe that’s why so many critics and audiences are rejecting this. Maybe it’s that the jokes are an odd mix of fart and vomit gags and references to John Goodman’s character’s cancer of the butthole. Maybe it’s the film’s complex metatextual layers, which give it the dimension and, perhaps, impenetrability of a Russian novel. But about 90 minutes in, “Digger” flat-out tells the viewer that the filmmakers don’t care whether or not you find it funny. Or tragic. Or both. It’s like a delirious production on a barren theater in a dystopian future. Like a stage play performed after the collapse of civilization. Maybe the message lands, maybe it doesn’t. But too few filmmakers nowadays seem to be engaging with the world as it actually is, and Iñárritu for one isn’t afraid to make you wallow in our species’ great undoing for two hours. And maybe that’s the real reason why people are rejecting “Digger.” In a hundred years, though, if we’re not careful, when Tom Cruise is long dead, Miami is underwater, and the ExxonMobil stock prices are doing a-okay, “Digger” might just be as real as a documentary. — Clement Obropta is a film columnist for the Ithaca Times.
The Hangar Theatre is hosting a Halloween-themed cabaret on Oct. 11 from 3 to 5 p.m. to raise money for its KIDDSTUFF children’s theater series.
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
Do you prefer fall’s rainy weather over the snowy season?
63.0% Yes 18.5% No 18.5% I don’t care NEXT WEEK’S QUESTION:
Is Ithaca providing enough workforce housing? Visit ithaca.com to submit your response.
“Digger”
Rated R Directed by: Alejandro González Iñárritu Currently playing at Regal Ithaca Mall 40 Catherwood Road, Ithaca O C T O B E R 7- 1 3 , 2 0 2 6 / T H E I T H A C A T I M E S
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F
AN OPEN LETTER TO OUR READERS
or 55 years, the Ithaca Times has been paying attention and sharing what we see and hear. We have reported on town meetings and school boards, elections and festivals, businesses opening and closing, celebrations and tragedies. We have introduced readers to neighbors they might never otherwise have met and recorded pieces of the history of this community as they happened. And we have never stopped believing that local journalism matters. I am not a big fan of using the words “crisis” or “collapse” or phrases like “existential threat” because sometimes these words and statements are so overused that people get numb to their meaning - sort of like crying wolf at every sound in the night so often that when the real wolf shows up, so one is listening anymore. But today, I need to tell you that the future of the Ithaca Times—and the five other community newspapers we publish—is very uncertain. The past decade has been extraordinarily difficult for independent newspapers. Advertising has migrated to national digital platforms. Printing and distribution costs have risen. The number of locally owned newspapers and newsrooms has declined dramatically. Since 2005, more than 2,500 local newsrooms have closed, and the number continues to grow. We are not immune. The Ithaca Times is now facing a particularly difficult moment. We are being forced to find a new home, while also trying to preserve 55 years of archives and continue publishing every week. But the problem is bigger than finding another office.
We need to keep publishing.
The Ithaca Times is part of a larger family of community newspapers: the Trumansburg Free Press, Ovid Gazette, Interlaken Review, Tompkins Independent and News Chronicle. Together, these publications tell the stories of communities throughout the Finger Lakes. ➢ We don’t want to close. ➢ We want to keep publishing.
What is it worth?
➢ What is the value of the written word? ➢ What is the value of a reporter who takes the time to attend a town meeting, ask the uncomfortable question, check the facts and explain what happened? ➢ What is the value of a photograph that captures a moment in the life of a community? ➢ What is the value of a newspaper that is locally owned, independently produced and available to everyone? Can you put a price on a free, independent, locally owned newspaper? Perhaps you can. There are printing bills. There are payrolls. There are computers, paper, ink, postage, rent and all the other costs of producing a newspaper every week. But the true value of the newspaper is something different which is why freedom of the press is specifically defended in the First Amendment to our constitution. ➢ It is measured in the stories that would otherwise go untold. ➢ It is measured in the questions that might otherwise go unasked. ➢ It is measured in the local history that might otherwise be forgotten. ➢ And it is measured in having a place where a community can see itself—and where people can hold the institutions around them accountable.
The Right to Know
Journalists often talk about the public’s right to know. We believe that right is fundamental to a healthy community. But there is another part of the equation that we don’t talk about as often. A free press cannot exist without people willing to do the work of reporting—and it cannot survive without a community willing to support the institutions that make that work possible. That is the social contract required to sustain a free and independent press: the press has a responsibility to inform, the public has a right to know, and the entire community has a responsibility to help sustain the institutions that make both possible. Right now, we need your help to keep publishing.
Our immediate goal is simple: keep all six newspapers coming out every week. Every dollar we receive will be used for three things: Payroll. Printing. And a small space where we can preserve our archives. That’s it. We are asking readers, businesses, organizations and friends of local journalism to help us get through this moment. ➢ Maybe you can give $1. ➢ Maybe $5. ➢ Maybe $55 to mark 55 years of the Ithaca Times. ➢ Maybe $100—or more. Every donation matters. Big or small can be made at PathwaystoEquity.com. Pathways to Equity, the parent of the Ithaca Times is a 501c-3 nonprofit. We are registered with the IRS and the State of New York as a charitable organization and can accept grants, donations or gifts with the donor being eligible for tax deductions depending on their filing status. And if you are in a position to make a larger contribution, there are other ways to help. Some supporters may be able to donate appreciated stock or make a Qualified Charitable Distribution from an IRA. These gifts can have tax advantages for eligible donors, so please consult your financial or tax adviser about what is appropriate for your circumstances. Others may have been fortunate enough to launch and grow a successful business and are willing to talk to us about advertising what you do and why. Others may have more discretionary resources then they need and are willing to share. You know who you are. We would be grateful for your support. Also, remember. We also want to continue to hear your stories.
Tell us your favorite Ithaca Times memory.
Maybe it was a story that changed the way you saw your community. Maybe you found a job through an ad. Maybe you met someone through the paper. Maybe you remember reading the Times at a kitchen table, in a coffee shop, at the library or on a college campus. Your memories are part of the
newspaper’s institutional memory. Send us your story. We want to preserve not only the newspapers themselves, but the memories of the people who have read them.
Imagine.
We are also beginning to imagine what comes next. The challenge facing local journalism is not simply how to save an old business model. It is how to create a new one. One in which journalists, photographers, writers, artists, producers, businesses, organizations and readers have a greater voice and a greater stake in the future of community media. We don’t have all the answers yet. But we know this: ➢ We want there to be an Ithaca Times tomorrow. ➢ We want there to be a Trumansburg Free Press, an Ovid Gazette, an Interlaken Review, a Tompkins Independent and a News Chronicle. ➢ We want the stories of our communities to continue being told by people who live here, work here and care about what happens here. For 55 years, the Ithaca Times has been paying attention. Now we are asking our community to pay attention to us. The right to know is worth protecting. The responsibility to report is worth defending. And the community that values both has a role in making sure they continue. Please help us make sure there is another issue next week and another one after that. Thank you for believing that local stories and storytellers still matter. The question of the day is: Is this the end of the Ithaca Times or the beginning of a new and exciting community engagement opportunity to embrace the rights of our readers and their role in protecting and preserving a free and independent press? I humbly await your response. Regards,
Roy Allen
Director of Strategic Partnerships Ithaca Times Acting Executive Director Pathways to Equity, Inc.
News
Tompkins County Workforce New York Career Center now operating at New Location By Mikayla Rovenolt According to an Oct. 5 press release from Bridgette Nugent, deputy county administrator, Tompkins County Workforce Development and the New York State Department of Labor (NYSDOL) have moved the Tompkins Workforce New York Career Center to Seneca Place on the Commons at 130 East Seneca Street, Suite 505. 10
The Career Center is now open to the public at this location, according to the release. It was previously located in Center Ithaca at 171 East MLK Jr. Street, Suite 241. Tompkins County Workforce Development is a department of Tompkins County. In partnership with NYSDOL, the Tompkins Workforce New York Career Center connects job seekers to education, training, and
T H E I T H A C A T I M E S / O C T O B E R 7- 1 3 , 2 0 2 6
careers and helps employers find the skilled workers they need, according to the release. The Tompkins County Workforce Development Board oversees the department’s work under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). Funding comes from WIOA, NYSDOL, and Tompkins County. According to the release, the Career Center brings Tompkins County
Workforce Development and NYSDOL together under one roof, so job seekers and businesses can reach the full range of workforce services in a one stop location.
Services include:
• Job seekers: Career counseling, resume and interview help, job search resources, computer and internet access, free career exploration workshops, and
Meet the Employer sessions • Training support: Funding for eligible adults and youth, including On-the-Job Training and transitional jobs • Youth (ages 14–24): Career exploration, work experience, and individualized guidance • Employers: Job postings on the New York State Job Bank, customized recruitments and job fairs, hiring incentives, Registered Apprenticeship support, and Rapid Response • Veterans: Individualized career services to eligible veterans and eligible persons with barriers, transitioning service members, or other populations as defined by the Secretary of Labor
• Individuals with disabilities: Ticket to Work, disability benefits counseling for people receiving SSI or SSDI who want to work, and connections to assistive technology and job accommodations “Our goal is for residents and employers to find the support they need in one welcoming place. Our services haven’t changed, only our address. We’re glad to continue serving Tompkins County from Seneca Place, and we thank NYSDOL for their partnership,” Christopher R. Sponn, executive director of Tompkins County Workforce Development, said. “In a county like Tompkins, people work hard, and they deserve a real shot at a good job with fair pay and a future.
No one should have to figure out training, benefits, and a career change alone. That is why this Career Center exists, and why we will keep fighting to make sure every resident, from a teenager in a first summer job to a worker with decades of experience, has a path to a better life. The building may have changed, but our commitment to the people of Tompkins County has not,” Sponn concluded.
Accessing the New Location
The Career Center is accessible by TCAT bus, walking distance from Seneca at Commons and Green at Commons bus stops. Paid parking is available at City of Ithaca parking garages and at metered spots on nearby streets. To reach the Career Center, enter through the Tioga Street side entrance and look
Sports
Go to The Head of the Charles By Steve Lawrence Seeing rowers gliding across the inlet is something we sometimes take for granted, but it has been a part of life in Ithaca for at least a century. We see those spacious and upgraded crew facilities – one belonging to Ithaca College, the other to Cornell, we see the shiny vans and the sleek shells and the fancy trailers, and we rarely think about how much it costs to make all this happen. Members of the Cascadilla Boat Club are well aware of the costs involved, and the self-supporting organization weaves ongoing fund raising efforts into its schedule. The CBC will celebrate 50 years in 2027, and the club – offering rowing opportunities to youth and adults – does not just offer another form of exercise and recreation, it offers rowers opportunities to compete in some very prestigious competitions. Rebekah Coleman-Brahler is the CBC’s Community Outreach Coordinator (as well as the parent of a current member of the squad), and she reached out via email and said, “In mid-October CBC will be sending three varsity boats, comprised of rowers from both the boys’ and girls’ teams, to compete in the prestigious Head of the Charles Regatta in Boston. The Head of the Charles is the largest rowing competition in the world, drawing thousands of competitors from around the world.” We connected, and Rebekah added that while the CBC did not send rowers to the Head of the Charles for several years, club members “did well last year, have been invited back and we are really getting some momentum.” The three varsity boats heading to Boston will be comprised of rowers who are now in high school, and while one of them – 16 year-old Quint Brahler – has been a member for 4 years, another competitor – Hobart and William Smith Colleges-bound Linus Wing – has been at it for 8 years. Asked about the opportunity to compete in such a prestigious event, Rebekah offered, “These kids are on the inlet 6 days a week, they row inside all winter, and this is the culmination of a lot of hard work.”
for the Reach Medical sign above the double doors. Continue straight down the hallway. Before the double doors into the Hilton Garden Inn lobby, turn right toward the elevators and take the elevator to the 5th floor. When you exit, turn left toward the hallway, then turn right. Take the next left and continue to the end of the hallway, where you’ll find the Career Center entrance at Suite 505. The Career Center hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. They can be reached by calling 607272-7570 or emailing workforce@ tompkins-co.org. Visit their website at tompkinscountyny.gov/wfny/. The release also said that the center is closed Between noon and 12:30 p.m. and on Federal holidays.
INQUIRING PHOTOGRAPHER By Mark Syvertson
QUESTION OF THE WEEK: “WE’RE A MONTH INTO THE SCHOOL YEAR. WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR FAVORITE PART OF SCHOOL SO FAR?” NOTE: If readers wish to participate in the Ithaca Times’ Inquiring Photographer column, contact Mark Syvertson at marksyvertsonphotography@gmail.com
Asher - “Recess.”
Ellie - “Art class and playing with my friends.” The CBC’s Boys varsity four that will be competing at Head of the Charles is comprised of William Hackett, Rowan Rae-Bognar, Quint Brahler and Hayden Matusiak. (Photo: Rebekah Coleman-Brahler)
I mentioned earlier that the CBC is self-supporting, and the club is “very grateful to Hobart and William Smith for helping us transport our boats,” and she added that the club “has a nice working relationship with Cornell and I.C. too.” I asked if many of the rowers are able to take their game to the next level, and Rebekah offered, “In the last few years, CBC rowers and coxswains have been recruited by Hobart and William Smith Colleges, University of Alabama, Hamilton College, RIT, UMass Amherst, Thomas Jefferson University, University of Vermont, and Binghamton University.”( I personally recall an event held several years ago when Andrew Byrne and Caryn Davies – both Olympic Gold Medalists and both of whom got their start at the CBC – did a meet and greet at the club’s boathouse in Stewart Park. Indeed, those hefty medals gave the club a hefty dose of credibility.) One of the creative fund raising events is coming up on November 7, when “Rent-A-Rower” takes place.
Rebekah shared that “If people need help with weeding, or raking, or other odd jobs they can contact Tom Carruthers at tom.carruthers@gmail. com.” Those interested in learning more about the club can visit: www. cascadillaboatclub.org Please mark your calendars for a very special event later this month, one I am pleased to be a part of. The FIYB (Friends of the Ithaca Youth Bureau) is pleased to host USA 2026 Olympic Gold Medalist (and former Big Red player) Rory Guilday on Saturday, October 17 at 11:00 am at the Ithaca High School Wellness Center Gym. The “meet and greet” event is free and open to the public. Guilday will speak about her experiences playing at the highest level of women’s ice hockey, and about her four years in Ithaca. Remarks welcoming her will begin at 11:15 am. There will be an opportunity for photographs with Guilday and her gold medal, and for autographs. I have been invited to be the Interviewer/Moderator for this event, and I can’t wait.
Eden - “I like recess and snack time and using markers.”
Jayden - “PE and math.”
Taylor - “Recess, lunch and anytime I get to hang out with my friends.”
O C T O B E R 7- 1 3 , 2 0 2 6 / T H E I T H A C A T I M E S
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Your Next Great American Adventure BEGINS AT
ITHACA AIRPORT
Walk Where History Happened There are cities where you study history. And then there is Washington, D.C., where you can walk through it. Imagine starting your day right here in Ithaca. Catch a ride to Ithaca Tompkins International Airport. Board a United Airlines nonstop flight to Washington Dulles International Airport. In just over an hour, you’re ready to continue your adventure by visiting the U.S. Capitol. No long drive to Syracuse. No traffic. No searching for a parking space. Just Ithaca to Washington—and a day waiting to unfold. For students living and studying in Ithaca, that’s an opportunity worth considering. Because college isn’t only about what happens inside the classroom. Some of the most memorable lessons can begin when you step beyond the campus and experience the world you’ve been studying firsthand. And Washington is one of the world’s great classrooms. Start learning by walking. From the Capitol, you can begin a journey through the American story simply by walking. Head toward the Washington Monument. Continue to the Lincoln Memorial. Along the way, encounter the stories of independence, the founding of the nation, civil war, emancipation, civil rights and sacrifice. See the places where decisions were made and movements took shape. Read the words carved into stone. Stand where generations of Americans have gathered to celebrate, protest, mourn and demand that the nation’s promises be taken seriously.
➢ A student of literature can encounter the city that inspired generations of writers.
almost everywhere.
➢ And a student who isn’t studying any of those things can simply be curious.
What does all of this mean to me? That’s a question no professor can answer for you.
Beyond the Campus Ithaca is an extraordinary place to go to college. Its campuses are filled with people from different parts of the country and different parts of the world. There are laboratories and libraries, studios and theaters, classrooms and lecture halls. But college life can also become wonderfully self-contained. You go to class. You meet friends. You study. You eat. You work. You go to a concert or a game. You discover your favorite coffee shop. And suddenly the boundaries of campus can begin to feel like the boundaries of the world. Travel can change that. It doesn’t have to mean an expensive trip across the country or a semester overseas. Sometimes it can mean spending a weekend somewhere completely different. Washington is close enough to make that possible. It is a city for everyone—not just politicians, lobbyists and diplomats. Families come to Washington. School groups come to Washington. visitors
come
to
You can hear about them in a lecture.
And students come to Washington to discover a part of the country that they may have known only through books, photographs and television.
Or you can stand in the same places where others have come before you.
You don’t need a special reason. Curiosity is a perfectly good reason to go.
There is something different about experiencing history in the places where it happened.
America as a living classroom
You can study these moments in a textbook.
➢ A student studying government can see the institutions of government in action. ➢ A history student can walk through the landscape of the past. A journalism student can explore the places where the national conversation takes place. ➢ An architecture student can study buildings and monuments. ➢ An art student can spend hours in the Smithsonian museums.
One of the remarkable things about Washington is that you can encounter so much of the American experience within a relatively small geographic area. ➢ You can visit museums filled with objects and stories from across the country. ➢ You can walk through memorials dedicated to people who shaped the nation’s history. ➢ You can see the buildings where today’s national decisions are made. ➢ You can encounter people from
It’s one you have to begin answering for yourself. ➢ Maybe you discover an interest you didn’t know you had. ➢ Maybe a lecture suddenly makes more sense because you’ve seen the place it was describing. ➢ Maybe a monument you’ve passed hundreds of times in photographs becomes something entirely different when you’re standing in front of it. ➢ Or maybe you simply discover that the country beyond Ithaca is bigger, more complicated and more interesting than you imagined. That’s education, too. The journey begins here. For students, one of the biggest obstacles to exploring beyond Ithaca can be the simple question: How do I get there? That’s where having an airport close to home matters. Instead of driving to Syracuse or another distant airport, the journey can begin right here. ➢ Catch a ride. ➢ Head to Ithaca Tompkins International Airport. ➢ Board United.
Veterans come to Washington. International Washington.
And then you can step back and ask yourself a simple question:
➢ Connect through Washington Dulles. ➢ And before long, you’re in the nation’s capital. The convenience changes the calculation. A weekend in Washington suddenly feels possible. So does: ➢ A conference. ➢ An internship interview. ➢ A museum visit. ➢ A research trip. ➢ A family adventure. ➢ Or simply a few days away from campus. The airport isn’t just a place to catch a flight home for Thanksgiving. It can be a gateway to experiences that aren’t available in Ithaca. And for students, those experiences can become part of their education.
Keep walking You don’t need to arrive in Washington with every minute planned.
In fact, perhaps the best way to experience it is to leave a little room for discovery. ➢ Start at the Capitol. ➢ Walk toward the Washington Monument. ➢ Continue toward the Lincoln Memorial. Stop when something catches your attention. ➢ Read. ➢ Listen. ➢ Look around. ➢ Ask questions. ➢ Take a photograph. ➢ Sit on the steps for a while. ➢ Then keep walking. Because the American contained in a textbook.
story
➢ It isn’t confined to a classroom. ➢ It isn’t finished. ➢ It is all around us—in the monuments and museums, in the buildings and streets, in the people who come to Washington from every corner of the country. And perhaps that’s what makes a visit so meaningful for a student. ➢ You’re not simply learning about America. ➢ You’re experiencing it.
From Ithaca, go see for yourself Ithaca is a wonderful place to begin an education. But it doesn’t have to be the place where that education stops. ➢ Sometimes you need to leave campus to see what you’ve been studying. ➢ Sometimes you need to put down the textbook and pick up a Metro map. ➢ Sometimes you need to stand beneath the Capitol dome, look across the National Mall and realize that the history you’ve been reading about happened in places you can actually visit. ➢ And sometimes the best classroom is a sidewalk. There are cities where you study history. And then there is Washington, where you can walk through it. For students in Ithaca, getting there can be remarkably easy. Catch a ride. Fly United from Ithaca. Arrive in Washington. And start walking. Because sometimes the best way to experience America is simply to start walking.
Sponsored Content / Independent Media Production: This story was produced by The Ithaca Times as part of a sponsored media partnership with Ithaca Tompkins International Airport. It is paid promotional content and is separate from the newspaper’s independent editorial coverage. 12
T H E I T H A C A T I M E S / O C T O B E R 7- 1 3 , 2 0 2 6
isn’t
O C T O B E R 7- 1 3 , 2 0 2 6 / T H E I T H A C A T I M E S
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Music Bars/Bands/ Clubs
10/7 Wednesday Midday Music for Organ: David Yearsley | 12:30 p.m. | Anabel Taylor Chapel, 548 College Ave | Free
Stage
Concerts/ Recitals
10/7 Wednesday The Louis K. Thaler Concert Violinist Series at Hockett Family Recital Hall | 7 p.m.
10/8 Thursday
Cayuga Chamber Orchestra Family Concert Series | 4 p.m. | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 East Green Street
Fantasies | 4 p.m. | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 East Green Street | Free Bluegrass Alley at South Hill Ciders Community Concert Series | 5:30 p.m. | South Hill Cider, 550 Sandbank Road
10/9 Friday
10/9 Friday
10/8 Thursday
Brewhouse Blues Jam | 6 p.m. | The Farm at Hopshire, 1771 Dryden Rd Live Music - The Time Riders | 6 p.m. | Hopshire Farms & Brewery, 1771 Dryden Rd.
10/10 Saturday Harry Nichols Live- 10/10 | 4 p.m. | Brewers Taproom, 10 Pinckney Rd Harry Nichols Live | 6 p.m., 10 Pinckney Rd, Ithaca Nick Stark & These Dudes at Spruce Row Campground | 8 p.m., 2271 Kraft Rd
10/11 Sunday Summer Sundays Music Series ft. Brian Hughes | 1 p.m. | Wagner Vineyards, 9322 State Route 414 Cantrip at the Night Eagle Cafe | 7 p.m. | The Savage Club and Lansing Area Performance Hall, 1004 Auburn Rd., North Lansing, NY 13073, 1004 Auburn Road | $20.00 - $25.00
Beatlegacy | 6 p.m. | Tioga Downs, 2384 West River Rd Judy Collins - Sweet Judy Blue Eyes: Farewell Tour | 7 p.m. | State Theatre of Ithaca, 107 West State St
10/10 Saturday Ancestors | 6:30 p.m. | The Cherry Arts, 102 Cherry St Cayuga Chamber Orchestra Presents: Fantasies | 7:30 p.m. | Ford Hall, Ithaca College, 953 Danby Road | $5.00 - $47.00 Karla Bonoff | 8 p.m. | Center for the Arts of Homer, 72 S Main St
10/13 Tuesday Music in the Glen Tuesday and Saturday concerts | 6 p.m. | Glendale Park, 400 Glendale Drive The Don Was Pan-Detroit Ensemble | 8 p.m. | Center for the Arts of Homer, 72 S Main St
Swing dance party and lesson | 7 p.m., 10/7 Wednesday | Treehouse Studios, 119 S. Cayuga St. | $0.00 - $10.00 Ethan Setiawan & Fine Ground | 7 p.m., 10/9 Friday | Auburn Public Theater, 8 Exchange St. Comedy Improv Show starring the Puzzled Players | 8 p.m., 10/9 Friday | $15.00 Ancestors | 6:30 p.m., 10/10 Saturday | The Cherry Arts, 102 Cherry St Steve Gonsalves Live - A Life with Ghosts | 6:30 p.m., 10/10 Saturday | Hangar Theatre, 801 Taughannock Blvd. Talent Under the Tent: Mary Malaney and Friends in a Spooky Cabaret | 3 p.m., 10/11 Sunday | Hangar Theatre, 801 Taughannock Blvd | $25.00 - $100.00 Drag Me to School: Drag Performance Workshop Series at LGBTQ Center | 6 p.m., 10/12 Monday Something About Money | 7 p.m., 10/14 Wednesday | Kitchen Theatre Company, 417 W. State / W. MLK, Jr. Street
Art TRACES | 11 a.m., 10/7 Wednesday | Corners Gallery, 903 Hanshaw Rd. Suite 101A | TRACES features work by Masha Ryskin and Jennie Wilde | Free Lisa Mackie | The Forest for the Trees - and the Sea | 1 p.m., 10/7 Wednesday | The Ink Shop Printmaking Center, 330 E. State / MLK Street | Free
Woven Wool Cowls: 2 Day Weaving Workshop | 6 p.m., 10/7 Wednesday | The Clay School, 950 Danby Road | $160.00 - $180.00 Ozolins and Nelson: On Canvas and Paper | 12 p.m., 10/8 Thursday | SOAG, 120 West State/MLK St. | Free What is Your Red Line? In the Salon at SOAG | 12 p.m., 10/8 Thursday | State of the Art Gallery, 120 W State St. A Little Sculpture Class | 9:15 a.m., 10/9 Friday | Lifelong, 119 W. Court St. | $53.00 Art Cafe | 6 p.m., 10/9 Friday | The Clay School’s Art Room, 950 Danby Rd | Free Try-It: Wheel workshop | 6 p.m., 10/9 Friday | The Clay School, 950 Danby Road | $55.00 - $80.00 Fossil ID Day | 10 a.m., 10/10 Saturday | Museum of the Earth, 1259 Trumansburg Road (Route 96) |$0.00 - $12.50 28th Annual Greater Ithaca Art Trail OPEN STUDIO WEEKENDS | 11 a.m., 10/10 Saturday | Free The Grace Brown Farm Visits CCHS | 11 a.m., 10/10 Saturday | CCHS at Grace Street, 9 Grace St | Free Try-It: Batik | 1 p.m., 10/10 Saturday | The Clay School of Ithaca, 950 Danby Road “Cultivating Hope: Plants and Indigenous Knowledge” Plant Exhibition Tour | 11 a.m., 10/11 Sunday | Cornell Botanic Gardens, 124 Comstock Knoll Dr. | Free Mask Mondays | 10 a.m., 10/12 Monday | Museum of the Earth, 1259 Trumansburg Road (Route 96) | $0.00 - $12.50
Film Fall World Cinema: 12 Masterpieces from Around the World | 1:30 p.m., 10/13 Tuesday | Lifelong, 119 W. Court St. | A 12 film global cinematic journey that spans an array of storytelling traditions and cultural landscapes, led by film afficionado Ron Krieg and open to the public. | $10.00 - $50.00
Cinemapolis 120 E Green St, Ithaca New movies opening the week of Oct 07. Contact Cinemapolis for showtimes and continuing films. National Theatre Live: Hamlet | Olivier Award-winner Hiran Abeysekera (Life of Pi) is Hamlet in this fearless, contemporary take on Shakespeare’s famous tragedy. Trapped between duty and doubt, surrounded by power and privilege, young Prince Hamlet dares to ask the ultimate question, you know the one. National Theatre Deputy Artistic Director, Robert Hastie (Standing at the Sky’s Edge, Operation Mincemeat) directs this sharp, stylish and darkly funny reimagining. | NA 180 mins Naza | In secret conversations on the rooftops of Tel Aviv at night, the systems behind Israel’s calculated mass killing of Palestinian civilians in Gaza are revealed by the people who designed and operated them. | NA 80mins
The Social Reckoning | A companion piece to the hit film The Social Network, Sorkin’s original screenplay is based on the events that gave rise to the Wall Street Journal’s shocking exposé The Facebook Files. The film is inspired by the true story of how Frances Haugen (Madison), a young Facebook engineer, enlists the help of Jeff Horwitz (White), a Wall Street Journal reporter, to go on a dangerous journey that ends up blowing the whistle on the social network’s most guarded secrets. | NA 112 mins Filipiñana | Amid stifling heat and pervasive drought, Isabel (Jorrybell Agoto), a 17-year-old Ilokana from the rural north, works at a posh country club outside Manila, lining up golf balls for powerful men to drive into the verdant horizon. The deeper she journeys into its most exclusive corners, the closer she gets to the violent truths of the club, her native Philippines, and her own past. | NA 100 mins The Brood | A disturbed woman is receiving a radical form of psychotherapy at a remote, mysterious institute. Meanwhile, her five-year-old daughter, under the care of her estranged husband, is being terrorized by a group of demonic beings. How these two story lines connect is the shocking and grotesque secret of this bloody tale of monstrous parenthood from David Cronenberg, starring Oliver Reed and Samantha Eggar. | NA 115 mins
THIS WEEK TRACES FRIDAY, OCTOBER 09 FROM 11:00 A.M. TO 4:00 P.M. Corners Gallery, 903 Hanshaw Rd. Suite 101A | An exhibition of drawings and paintings by Masha Ryskin alongside ceramic sculptures by Jennie Wilde. Features drawings and paintings by RISD artist Masha Ryskin and ceramic sculptures by NYC artist Jennie Wilde. (Photo - Provided) https://www.cornersgallery.com/traces
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 10 FROM 7:30 P.M.TO 9:30 P.M. Ford Hall, Ithaca College, 953 Danby Road | The Cayuga Chamber Orchestra offers a program of fantasies, including a mandolin feature and Prokofiev’s Classical Symphony. Price: $5.00 to $47.00— PayWhat-You-Can concert so tickets are on a sliding scale (Photo - Provided) https://www.ccoithaca.org/fantasies
Brewhouse Blues Jam
Cantrip at the Night Eagle Cafe
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 09 AT 6:00 P.M.
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 11 FROM 7:00 P.M.TO 10:00 P.M.
The Farm at Hopshire,1771 Dryden Rd, Freeville | A long-standing Ithaca blues jam tradition moves to The Farm at Hopshire. A house band kicks off the evening, then local musicians are invited to sit in. Listeners can also just enjoy the music. (Photo - Provided) https://www.ithaca.com/calendar/#!/ details/brewhouse-bluesjam/17760950/2026-10-09T18
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Cayuga Chamber Orchestra Presents: Fantasies
T H E I T H A C A T I M E S / O C T O B E R 7- 1 3 , 2 0 2 6
Lansing Area Performance Hall, 1004 Auburn Rd., North Lansing | Scottish band Cantrip brings its highenergy Celtic sound of pipes, fiddle, guitar, and three-part vocals to a cozy cafe venue. (Photo - Provided) https://www.ithaca.com/calendar/#!/ details/cantrip-at-the-night-eagle-cafeon-october-11/20034262/2026-10-11T19
Special Events Ethan Setiawan & Fine Ground | 7 p.m., 10/9 Friday | Auburn Public Theater, 8 Exchange St. Retirement Estates Craft Fair | 9 a.m., 10/10 Saturday | Retirement Estates Community Center, 34 Retirement Drive |Free Pony Rides and More! | 12 p.m., 10/10 Saturday | The Shoppes at Oldies but Goodies, 10 Carpenter Rd | Free Ithaca Field Hockey vs Vassar College - Senior Celebration at Higgins Stadium | 1 p.m., 10/10 Saturday | Ithaca Field Hockey vs Vassar College - Senior Celebration Cornell Football vs Harvard University | 1 p.m., 10/10 Saturday | Schoellkopf Field | Cornell Football vs Harvard University Cornell Volleyball vs Harvard University | 5 p.m., 10/10 Saturday | Newman Arena at Bartels Hall | Cornell Volleyball vs Harvard University Cornell Women’s Soccer vs Holy Cross | 7 p.m., 10/13 Tuesday | Berman Field | Cornell Women’s Soccer vs Holy Cross
Books Hot People Read Book Club | 5 p.m., 10/7 Wednesday | Buffalo Street Books, 215 North Cayuga Street | Free Friends of the Library BOOK SALE | 8 a.m., 10/10 Saturday | Regina Lennox Book Sale Bldg, 509 Esty St | Free The Fountain Pens: a Reading by Local Writers | 2 p.m., 10/10 Saturday | Buffalo Street Books, 215 North Cayuga Street | Free Chestnut Review Presents: An Afternoon of Literary Fiction | 2:30 p.m., 10/11 Sunday | Buffalo Street Books, 215 North Cayuga Street | Reading and Writing Poetry | 1 p.m., 10/13 Tuesday | Lifelong, 119 W. Court St. |$40.00 Brewed for Suspense Book Club | 5:30 p.m., 10/13 Tuesday | Brewers Taproom, 10 Pinckney Rd |
Kids KinClub Listening Session | 11 a.m., 10/7 Wednesday | Lifelong, 119 W. Court St. | Free LEGO Club | 4 p.m., 10/7 Wednesday | Cortland Free Library, 32 Church St | The Louis K. Thaler Concert Violinist Series at Hockett Family Recital Hall | 7 p.m., 10/7 Wednesday | The Louis K. Healing Your Relationship with Your Grown Children | 9:45 a.m., 10/8 Thursday | Lifelong, 119 W. Court St. Cayuga Chamber Orchestra Family Concert Series | 4 p.m., 10/8 Thursday | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 East Green Street Family Concert & Storytime: Fantasies | 4 p.m., 10/8 Thursday | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 East Green Street | Free Early Fall Baby & Toddler Storytime | 10:30 a.m., 10/9 Friday | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 East Green Street Spanish Storytime | 4:30 p.m., 10/9 Friday | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 East Green Street
Friends of the Library BOOK SALE | 8 a.m., 10/10 Saturday | Regina Lennox Book Sale Bldg, 509 Esty St | Free Dungeons & Dragons at LCL | 10:30 a.m., 10/10 Saturday | Lansing Community Library, 27 Auburn Road Free Sit! Stay! Read! | 3 p.m., 10/12 Monday | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 E Green St | Toddler + Preschool Art Studio | 10:30 a.m., 10/13 Tuesday | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 East Green Street | Free 4-H Forensics 2026 Series | 6 p.m., 10/13 Tuesday | Elizabeth B Pert Library, 5736 NY-414 | Free Animal Sleepover Storytime | 6 p.m., 10/14 Wednesday | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 East Green Street
Notices Tabletop Role-Playing Game Brainstorming Group | 6 p.m., 10/7 Wednesday | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 East Green Street Grief Support: In-person Ongoing General Support Group | 1:30 p.m., 10/8 Thursday | Lifelong, 119 W. Court St. | This group meets the second and fourth Thursday of every month. Time: 1:30 to 2:30 pm Location: Lifelong, 119 W. Court Street, Ithaca, NY. Facilitator: Laura Ward, LMFT, FT. The Ego & You | 1:30 p.m., 10/8 Thursday | Lifelong, 119 W. Court St. | $40.00 Air Pruned Raised Beds for Tree Seedling Production: Part2 | 4 p.m., 10/8 Thursday | CCE-Tompkins Education Center, 615 Willow Avenue | Free Bluegrass Alley at South Hill Ciders Community Concert Series | 5:30 p.m., 10/8 Thursday | South Hill Cider, 550 Sandbank Road Fall Outdoor Composting Class | 5:30 p.m., 10/8 Thursday | CCE-Tompkins Education Center, 615 Willow Avenue | $5.00 Karaoke with Elephant Sound | 8 p.m., 10/8 Thursday | 23 North Restaurant and Bar, 23 Cinema Dr | Free Food as Medicine: Eating for Longevity | 10 a.m., 10/9 Friday | Lifelong, 119 W. Court St. | $30.00 Moon Bath: Listening in the Dark | 12:30 p.m., 10/9 Friday | Samhain + Hunter’s Moon Edition
Stitch Club | 1 p.m., 10/9 Friday | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 E Green St Saturday Market | 9 a.m., 10/10 Saturday | Steamboat Landing, 545 3rd St. Farmer’s Market Cruises | 11 a.m., 10/10 Saturday | Ithaca Farmer’s Market Dock, 545 3rd Street | $10.00 - $28.00 Green Saturday | 12 p.m., 10/10 Saturday | NRE Space , 402 W. State St | Free TCPL Community Read: Solar Smores & Tea! | 12 p.m., 10/10 Saturday | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 East Green Street Album Club - with Jondra Harmon | 1 p.m., 10/10 Saturday | Center for the Arts of Homer, 72 S Main St | TCPL Community Read: Read (and Lower!) your Energy Bill | 3 p.m., 10/10 Saturday | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 East Green Street Ancestors | 6:30 p.m., 10/10 Saturday | The Cherry Arts, 102 Cherry St Sunday Market | 10 a.m., 10/11 Sunday | Steamboat Landing, 545 3rd St. Ribbon Cutting for TST BOCES & Centralus Health | 2 p.m., 10/13 Tuesday | Ithaca Mall, 40 Catherwood Rd. Tompkins County Public Library Board of Trustees Finance & Personnel Committee | 4 p.m., 10/13 Tuesday | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 East Green Street The Heart of Grieving - Grief and Loss Support Group at Muller Chapel Philips Room | 4:15 p.m., 10/13 Tuesday 2027 Budget Meeting 1 Department Presentations | 6 p.m., 10/13 Tuesday | Common Council Chambers, 3rd Floor City Hall 108 E Green St | Lunch & Learn - Turning Stress into Insight: How Emotionally Intelligent Leaders Strengthen Systems | 12 p.m., 10/14 Wednesday
O C T O B E R 7- 1 3 , 2 0 2 6 / T H E I T H A C A T I M E S
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Online @ Ithaca.com
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OCT 14-25
NAME YOUR PRICE PREVIEWS 10/14 AND 10/15
New, Used & Vintage Stringed Instruments & Accessories Guitars Ukuleles Banjos and Mandolins
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GUITARWORKS.COM T H E I T H A C A T I M E S / O C T O B E R 7- 1 3 , 2 0 2 6