Bat in the house costco coNsiDErAtioNs

There are many other creatures we live with, whether we realize it or not and for that matter, whether we like it or not.

There are those things that it is nice to step outside and observe such as birds or maybe deer, squirrels, chipmunks and butterflies and fireflies and other species of wildlife.

And there those animals we are less enthused to see. For some this can be mice or even creatures like bees or spiders, species we know serve important functions, but still we do not necessarily enjoy them being around us.

Among those animals we know are around but more often than not we don’t really have to give too much consideration to are bats.

When we encounter a bat outside, flying through the backyard for example this can be uncomfortable, but more often than not the encounters that inspire the most concern are when a bat gets in the house.

The concern is not simply that an animal has gotten into the house but the concern connected with the possibility of rabies, especially when we have been sleeping and can’t be sure one way or the other if we might have been bitten by the winged intruder.

We also have to worry about pets and children who may have encountered the bat.

In New York State, only about 3% of bats have rabies, however treatment for rabies exposures is highest for situations involving uncaptured bats. On average a savings of $3,000 to $6,000 per person or more may be saved for each exposure when an animal that was available for testing is negative for rabies, avoiding unnecessary treatment.

If it is certain a bat did not bite or scratch a family member, testing may not be necessary, but if there is any concern that a child, elderly individual or other person may have had possible contact with the bat, it is always best to capture the bat rather than letting it go, and contacting your county health department. Test results are typically available in a few days.

When a positive rabies result is detected, an individual begins post-exposure treatment soon after. If left untreated, a bite or scratch from a rabies infected animal would be fatal to the person exposed.

You cannot get rabies from having contact with an animals stool, blood or urine. The rabies virus can spread to a person when an animal bite breaks skin. Follow these tips to avoid rabies exposures: Keep your pets current on their rabies vaccinations, including indoor house cats that may catch a bat in your home. Teach children never to handle unfamiliar animals, wild or domestic, even if they appear friendly.

In the event a bat does get in the house it is recommended that if possible it is captured for testing as this could save a lot of time and trouble for humans.

To capture a bat it is recommended that people find a small container like a box or a large can, and a piece of cardboard large enough to cover the opening in the container. Punch small air holes in the cardboard. Put on leather work gloves. Confine the bat in a room. When the bat lands, approach it slowly and place the container over it. Slide the cardboard under the container to trap the bat inside. If you are certain there’s been no contact between the bat and any people or pets, carefully hold the cardboard over the container and take the bat outdoors and release it away from people and pets. If there’s any question about contact between the bat and people or pets, you want to save the bat for testing. Tape the cardboard to the container, securing the bat inside.

Rabies exposure is medically urgent but not an emergency. If after-hours, contact your county health department the next day to discuss the situation. Only your county health department may authorize testing and treatment for rabies.

HOW CAN WE HELP?

It was a busy morning. On the schedule were a doctor appointment practically before the sun was up that required fasting, a long visit with the tax man, some business stuff that needed attention and a short, at least that was the plan, shop at Costco for plastic wrap and bacon bits. Just two items, an “in and out.”

Of course, the quick shop and the fast in and out were as close to fantasy as a quick trip to Mars. Has anyone ever just gone into Costco and bought only what they intended? If there is such an individual, they should be put in charge of important stuff, like world peace and the state budget. These heroes might be able to explain why printer ink costs more than enriched uranium.

My shopping cart included my two planned items and a bag of cashews, a big sleeve of double A batteries, paper towels, a jar of Kalamata olives that could hold the house down in a strong wind, an enormous container of steak season-

What ing, a humongous bag of something called onion flavored rings and a rotisserie chicken. Did I mention that my spouse was with me on this expedition? Guess which items he put in the cart.

So, we checked out and since it was now well after 1 p.m. and neither of us had had breakfast, let alone lunch, the draw of the $1.50 hot dog and drink (with refill) was enticing. While I found a table and guarded our loot, the spouse purchased our gourmet fare and we settled in for a bit, me enjoying both the “everyonce-in-a-while” hot dog and the pleasure of people watching.

I so enjoy people watching. Each person gives up clues about who they are and, if you are a story kind of watcher, you can fill in the blanks with your interpretation. Take the two gentlemen who were checking out not one, not two, but four stacked-high Costco shopping carts. The first thing that came to mind was how they managed to maneuver the carts around the store. I have trouble with that one. And then what will they do with all of the stuff, which from my vantage point was mostly food items? And lastly, where would they store all of this? Were they shopping for an event? For a group home? Planning on lasting through some climatic disaster? Take your pick, but even more … how are they going to get these carts out to their vehicle? The latter answer came with three additional people who came running to the cash register with other items in their arms to add to the total. My interpretation? A family reunion to take place tomorrow. Why tomorrow? Where would you put all of this food, some of it perishable, unless you were going to use it quickly? Of course, they could be shopping for an institution that has storage space and coolers, but that was too pedestrian.

There was the family with three very energetic children accompanying a cart that contained two boxed kayaks. I don’t know when and where they were going, but I distinctly could see, in their future, laughter and shouts of “put your life jacket on.”

I especially enjoyed watching a lady who had four items in her cart. There were two gallons of ice cream, a big bottle of chocolate sauce and an equally big container of whipped topping. I thought of following her home.

I continued in my short reverie of imagination and hot dog satiety pondering what another people watcher would have concluded viewing me and my cart. Would they consider that I can’t remember when was the last time that I bought steak?

Ann Ferro is a mother, a grandmother and a retired social studies teacher. While still figuring out what she wants to be when she grows up, she lives in Marcellus with lots of books, a spouse and a large orange cat.

will decide the village mayoral race?

For the first time in village history, two women are running against each other for the position of mayor. On election day, Tuesday, June 20, one of them – either Republican Christina Fadden or Democrat Stacy Finney – will be voted into office to replace outgoing seven-term Republican Mayor Gary White.

Since the two parties each caucused in late April, the ladies have had a mere six weeks to campaign. How are they each doing?

It has been more than two decades since village Republicans have faced competition from Democrats, so both party organizations are seriously out of practice. Let’s face it, neither of them have done this in quite a while, so we can naturally expect some rust on what in the past were well-oiled machines. Anyhow, let’s compare the Fadden and Finney campaigns.

Flyers and lawn signs

Early this month, Fadden published a glossy, full-color mailer touting her “lifetime of service and experience.” Finney’s flyer was set to hit mailboxes June 12 or so, meanwhile she and her fellow Democrats are distributing palmcards promising “integrity, collaboration and dedication.”

Lawn sign placements around the village seem to be a draw, although it must be noted that several Fadden supporters are posting signs twice the size of Finney’s.

Both women marched in the May 29 Memorial Day Parade.

Stacy handed out candies, while Chris acknowledged the somber holiday by donning her American Legion Post 188 field cap while distributing poppies.

Both candidates have lively m eet-and-greet canceled

Facebook pages, though Finney’s design and layout look a bit more vibrant than Fadden’s. As of June 9, the Chris for Mayor FB page has 60 likes and 74 followers. The Democrats’ Liverpool Together FB page drew 58 likes and 83 followers.

Money-wise, Fadden appears to have an advantage. She hosted what appeared to be a very successful fund-raiser on May 30 at the Onondaga Yacht Club attended by some 60 people, including her Republican colleagues from the village board and several area mayors.

Finney was scheduled to host a coffee hour with the candidates on June 11, also featuring Democratic candidates for trustee Melissa Cassidy and Rachel Ciotti.

Fadden sponsored the popular Doyle-Whiting Band at Johnson Park on June 5, and spoke briefly to the audience of more than 500. Finney planned to sponsor a concert, but changed her mind, choosing to spend that $400 elsewhere.

Similarly, a chamber of commerce meet-the-candidates event was announced for June 14 at the Golden Bee Bookshop but was canceled two weeks prior for reasons unclear. A pro-Finney sign now adorns the shop’s entrance on First Street.

In the end, the election will likely be determined by each party’s “get-out-the-vote” efforts.

Finney said Democrats have organized volunteer van drivers to be available to chauffeur voters to the polls at the village hall. Voting takes place between noon to 9 p.m. Tuesday, June 20.

Fadden declined to reveal her party’s plans for election day, but said she’s expecting a

Gordon bigelow, ext 331, art@eaglenewsonline com good turnout.

The village has some 1,700 registered voters according to the county Board of Elections. That number includes 681 Democrats, 433 Republicans, 24 Conservatives, six Working Families voters and a whopping 472 voters not affiliated to a particular party.

The village of Liverpool mayor’s salary is $16,000 annually.

Nurturing future officers

Do you happen to know a young person who might be interested in a law-enforcement career? If so, he or she should consider attending the Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office Youth Law Enforcement Academy coming up in mid-July.

The academy is accepting applications from students entering the 7th, 8th, 9th and 10th grades. The curriculum fosters relationships that bridge the gaps between law enforcement and youth while exposing them to future careers serving their community.

The weeklong academy blends classroom learning with hands-on activities exposing cadets to physical training, patrol tactics, correction and custody tactics, criminal investigations and K9 demonstrations.

The summer 2023 Youth Law Enforcement Academy runs July10-14 and July 17-21, 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily at Onondaga Community College. Deadline for application is Friday, June 16. To register, visit sheriff.ongov.net/communityrelations/youth-law-enforcement-academy /.

Last word “If you don’t vote, you lose the right to complain.”

–George Carlin.

Thank you, on behalf of turtle

To the editor: sHAroN criss baldWinSville

Yesterday, June 1, on Route 31 around 8 a.m., a wonderful young man took the time to help a very large turtle across the busy road. Several other cars also stopped to guard the young man and the turtles.

It brought tears to my eyes to know there are still kind people in this world who care about others.

This was near the Budweiser entrance.

I am sending a huge thank you to you all, and so does the turtle.

Senior expo a success

To the editor:

Thank you to all the kind folks who made the May 31sst CNY Senior Housing and Care Expo such a pleasant and informative event. Perfect weather, excellent location (CNY Regional Market, Shed E) and a wide variety of programs and services highlighted, with the needs of senior citizens foremost in mind. With plenty of parking space available and the needed shade on a hot day. Live music drew people in. Food available, games, door prizes and lots of knowledgeable people there to explain what they do to help seniors enjoy a comfortable and healthy retirement. Judging by the happy crowd there, it was enjoyed by all.

Thanks to all the agencies, health care providers, insurance companies and private healthcare service providers who showed up, answered questions, shared their expertise and remembered to put a selection of “freebies” on their display tables (seniors love those).

Special thanks to Loretto for sponsoring the event and the Eagle Newspapers for spreading the word.

See you next year!

Helping women

To the editor:

LyNN cuDA liverpool

Hello! We would like to talk a little bit about our final project for our government and economics class.

Our mission is to help women in poverty that are living in by getting donations of tampons and pads, then donating those to a place that is able to distribute the products (I Support the Girls - Syracuse). We are choosing this charity because you are able to independently get the period products and then send them to the charity without having to worry about how to distribute those products to people who need them. It also has since grown into a global nonprofit with a network of 58 affiliates and nearly ten million donations to date, so it is very dependable.

This issue is important and needs to be addressed because there is a large inequity between women and poverty and men in poverty. Yes, both are important but there are almost 5% more women in poverty than men. Women also have more essentials that they need to spend their money on and they make less money than men and have a harder time finding a stable job than men do. One essential that is very expensive is period products so if we can provide them with these items, they will have more money to put towards other areas of their already tight budget.

This cause is important to us because we (Makenna Williams and Samantha Macko) are women so we understand some of the hardships that other women face. We want to be able to help them and we are able to do that, even if it makes a small impact, through our final project for our participation in government and economics class.

In our project, we will sit outside three different stores each on a different day for 2 hours asking people if they would be willing to buy pads or tampons to add to our donation box. At the end of our collection period, we will mail all the donations we get to I Support the Girls.

Thank you for letting us spread some information.

Inequalities

To the editor: mADDiE o’HEArN baldWinSville

I have noticed great inequalities in Baldwinsville athletics during my six dedicated years of cheerleading. I began as a Pop Warner cheerleader in seventh and eighth grade and ended as a high school cheerleader with four years of experience. During this time, my team’s uniforms never changed. The uniforms were two years old by the time I got to use them. These uniforms were scheduled to be replaced every three to five years. I met with Mr. Campolieta, our athletic director, to get new uniforms for my senior year. I spoke with him at great length, ensuring to discuss two of my coaches’ requests for new uniforms, photo evidence of the age of the uniforms, and the natural wear and tear of the athletic uniforms. I was educated on the standard practices of the athletic budget. One important feature was that coaches’ requests were fulfilled if they were asked for previous to the season. Both Coach Katie and Coach Cassidy had requested uniforms, just like every other coach, but our needs were not met. After our conversation, it became clear that cheerleaders were not a priority for the Baldwinsville Athletic Department. Long overdue and after many conversations and letters, the varsity uniforms will be replaced in the fall.

Local sports inequalities are not the only issues when it comes to injustice in sports. Injustice begins at the elementary age and continues into professional environments around the globe. When little girls first begin sports, they are presented with discrimination and discouragement, leading to self doubt. A lack of self esteem is not ideal for an athlete and often leads little girls to quitting their passion. For the little girls that stay, they’re met with smaller budgets and a lack of media representation. While media representation doesn’t seem important, it is. People not only need to be aware of inequalities that occur, but also female success. Women are amazing and strong, but often do not receive the opportunity to display their abilities in the way that their male counterparts do. Then, women that choose to look into college and professional sports see the same injustices. At the moment, only 24% of athletic budgets go towards women’s sports. In addition, college women only get 16% of schools’ recruiting budgets and $179 million less in scholarship funding. To solve these issues, people need to celebrate female success, advocate when they witness injustice, and represent the talented women in athletics.

As a girl in sports, I have seen the injustices, I have lived them. This cause is near and dear to my heart. To help this cause, I became a member of The Baldwinsville Cheerleading Booster Club and helped to raise over fifteen thousand dollars for the program. Going forward, my goal is to increase representation for women and educate others.

Addressing CLUP

To the editor:

I have lived in the town of Lysander for 51 years. On Thursday, June 1 of this year, I attended the Lysander Town Board meeting. I went to the meeting because our board was going to act on the work that was done by a volunteer committee to revise the CLUP for our town. At this point you may be wondering what I’m talking about. CLUP stands for Comprehensive Land Use Program. What? You have never heard of it!

One of the things CLUP basically does is put on paper how the town officials go about deciding what kind and what size of development takes place in our town of Lysander. The last time CLUP was worked on was 2015. CLUP spells out, for example, how much land one needs to build a home, warehouse, factory, etc. in our town. CLUP also states what percentage of that land may be used for construction and what percentage must remain green. Some of the changes recommended this year would: (1) allow for smaller parcels to be built on, (2) a higher percentage of the parcels used for the building and, therefore, (3) less space for open areas. This is becoming a ”quality of life” issue. One of the reasons for CLUP initially was to preserve the countryside of our town and not give in to dense residential or commercial development.

The first 20 years of my life was spent growing up in Brooklyn NY. When you talk about “quality of life” in Lysander believe me I know what you mean. I’ve gone from traffic whiz, horn honking, motor revving, having a brick wall as a view out my bedroom window to sitting alone in our back yard in Lysander looking at the grass and other greenery while listening to nothing but the breeze and birds.

Traffic in the village of Baldwinsville, in my opinion, is very near the breaking point as far as “quality of life” is concerned. Just ask some business owners. We need to fix this traffic problem, not just study it, BEFORE we allow additional businesses and dense residential properties to be added to OUR community.

Someone mentioned at the meeting on June 1 how important it is to develop commercial properties in our town because these properties help to reduce taxes on residential properties. I hope our elected town officials remember that when these commercial property owners ask for tax breaks.

If you would like to learn more about CLUP, you can contact our Town of Lysander offices 315-638-0224 to find where you can see copies of CLUP with which to familiarize yourself. Once this quality of life in Lysander is gone, it’s gone. It’s time for us to learn more about CLUP and decide where we stand. kEN LANDoN

Keeping our quality of life

To the editor: We attended the Lysander Town Board meeting on June 1 regarding the proposed Comprehensive Land Use (CLUP) revision. We feel that the quality of life in the Town of Lysander is currently exceptional and the proposed plan would have a devastating effect on the character that defines Lysander.

The CLUP did not address existing problems with traffic or the influx of students due to proposed developments such as Melvin Farms. The loss of green space due to the proposed 80% building footprint for commercial and industrial land use would prevent adequate screening and contribute to existing traffic issues. Our current infrastructure is not prepared for the influx of industry and housing proposed in the plan. Also of concern is that Micron was not considered. We are very concerned about the CLUP moving forward and hope that others will stay informed about the progress of the proposed plan.

tom AND suzANNE mccArtHy lySander

The right time

To the editor:

For the past months, as a mother of four, former Roxboro PTO/PTG President and concerned citizen, I have gone back and forth on this subject. Do you say something? What will others think? What will others say? What about my family? There never seems to be a state of being easy when it comes to speaking out about something. It makes sense why a lot of things go unheard of and why a lot of people get away with what they do. I hope by me speaking out as a woman, others will feel empowered to do the same as well!

I am a member of the Mattydale Senior Group that meets at the VFW in Mattydale. I may not be a regular every week but I try and go when I can. From my perception when I go, I get along with everyone and have never had any issues. I have great conversations with everyone and always feel welcomed.

On April 18, 2023, things changed. At first, everything seemed normal, felt welcomed and conversations were good. That all shifted when Town of Salina Supervisor Nick Paro arrived. Shortly after, I was approached by his secretary and asked to leave because this was a government meeting. Why would a resident be removed from a government meeting, I thought. I didn’t feel as though I did anything to warrant being targeted like this. I said, I am a part of this group, I paid my dues, and I have the right to be here. Within a couple minutes I was approached by Town of Salina Supervisor Nick Paro. He said I need to leave and if I didn’t, he was going to call the police and have me removed. Based on the tone of his voice and body language, I felt very threatened and unsafe to be around the supervisor. Out of respect for the senior group I left so there wasn’t any disruption. The supervisor when asked at the next board meeting on April 24, 2023, why he did this, he claimed he was getting phone calls and emails from members on the senior group saying I was being disruptive. On that day, not one person made these accusations and in fact people were confused why I was being removed. I still have not heard from the leadership of the senior group to talk about these accusations or seen any written statements the supervisor said he received. There is more to this story but what can be done about the supervisors actions and blatant abuse of power? roBiN

ciciArELLi Salina

Where do you stand?

To the editor:

Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon: I’ve learned that your opponent for the county executive race William T. Kinne is pro-marijuana, based on passages from his website. With the election for Onondaga County executive approaching in November, what are your views on weed? Should its use be encouraged? Discouraged?

Understand I’m referring only to the street drug, not to the legitimate uses of medical marijuana. Thank you in advance for your response.

Please note this is my second request.

micHAEL B. HEss CamilluS

Retiring mayor thanks community

To the editor:

As my retirement date fast approaches, I would like to express my thanks to the village residents for their support over the past 26 years. It has been an honor and a privilege to serve our community. Without that support and the support of our board members and staff, it would have been an impossible task. I am especially proud of the fact that the support I have received from our residents has been beyond party affiliations and truly feels like “neighbors representing neighbors.”

Our accomplishments as a village government are widely recognized and our quality of life in the village of Liverpool is highly desirable as evidenced by the very competitive real estate market. Our police department, DPW, code enforcement, justice court and clerk services are second to none. We have numerous initiatives and projects underway in the village that are in various stages of completion. The planning, research and negotiations are ongoing and require the full knowledge and effort of our mayor and board of trustees to be successful.

GAry WHitE mayor, village of liverpool

Editor’s note: Per Eagle News policy we do not publish election letters the week before an election. To view election related letters please visit eaglenewsonline.com.

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