January 26, 2022

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VOL.XLII / NO. 23 / January 26, 2022 Serving 47,125 readers week ly

F E AT URE S County Leg

In split vote, Legislature raises sheriff salary by over $30,000

A

fter a lengthy discussion, the Tompkins County Legislature decided to raise the salary of the Tompkins County Sheriff position by $30,000, despite traditionally refraining from salary adjustments mid-term for elected officials.

Deborah Dawson, the legislator who heads up the Budget, Capital and Personnel Committee, brought the resolution to the legislature. She explained that the undersheriff is currently being paid about $10,000 more a year than the sheriff, and that lieutenants in the department are also earning more than the sheriff.

“Some of us felt that was not a tenable set of circumstances for a law enforcement agency to operate under,” Dawson said.

The salary for the sheriff position is set by the legislature and is usually adjusted at the start of new terms. However, during the current sheriff term, Sheriff Derek Osborne requested the undersheriff position be reexamined to determine whether it was compensated fairly. This saw the undersheriff position classified as a grade 90 position, which has a working rate salary of $111,571 as of 2020. The sheriff ’s position does not have a grade, but has a salary of about $101,294. The grades are determined by job description and responsibilities and determine the salary. The local law the legislature passed will raise the sheriff ’s salary to $132,118, an increase of more than $30,000.

Legislator Mike Lane said that while he understands the sheriff ’s department operates similarly to a military organization in that there’s a strict chain of command, he said that

Sheriff Derek Osborne

the difference is the sheriff is an elected official.

“We have never changed an elected official’s salary from what it was set at prior to an election before a new term,” Lane said. “A terrible precedent is being requested here.”

Lane also pointed out that the sheriff salary would be raised as the position is part of the contract negotiations approved in 2021. The salary will increase 4% retroactively for 2021, and another 3% for 2021. However, the others in the department will also get raises, so the pay disparity will remain.

“I realize some folks are making an issue that he’s making less than the people who work beneath him, but he went into this with the understanding of what the salary would be for four years,” Lane said.

“And for us to now change this is, I think, not a proper way to proceed and I certainly can’t support it.”

Legislator Mike Sigler was on the opposite side of things, and said he was glad this issue was brought up.

“It would be one thing if the pay wasn’t so disparate between the sheriff and the undersheriff,” Sigler said. “He is leading an organization and when you lead, one would generally think there would be remuneration to pay for that added responsibility.”

Legislator Lee Shurtleff agreed, and said the fact that the sheriff ’s position is not rated by the county shows the salary was likely set “in an arbitrary manner.” He added that since the legislature noticed something needs an adjustment, it’s their responsibility to take care of it in a timely

T a k e

▶ Boosters - The Tompkins County Health Department is announcing a COVID-19 Moderna vaccine booster clinic for ages 18+ Saturday, Jan. 29 from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. Additionally, TCHD will host a COVID-19 Pfizer vaccine booster clinic for ages 12+ on Saturday, Jan. 29 from 2 p.m. – 4 p.m. The Pfizer booster clinic is open to everyone eligible for a

Ja n ua ry

A look back with Svante Myrick at his decade of service to the city of Ithaca

Sports �������������������������������������������������������� 12

A comic goldmine ������������������������ 13 ‘Yoga Play’ at Syracuse Stage brings humor, satire to the stage

Newsline ��������������������������������������������������3-5 Opinion �������������������������������������������������������� 6 Letters �������������������������������������������������������� 7

ART S &E N T E RTAINME N T Dining �������������������������������������������������������� 15 Art �������������������������������������������������������������� 16 Film ������������������������������������������������������������� 18 Times Table ���������������������������������������������� 21 Classifieds ����������������������������������������������� 22 On the Cover: Svante Myrick Photo by Casey Martin

ON T HE WE B Visit our website at www.ithaca.com for more news, arts, sports and photos. Call us at 607-277-7000 T a n n e r H a r d i n g , M a n a g i n g E d i t o r , x 1224 E d i t o r @ I t h a c aTi m e s . c o m J a i m e C o n e , E d i t o r , x 1232 SouthReporter@flcn.org C a s e y M a r t i n , S ta f f P h o t o g r a p h e r P h o t o g r a p h e r @ I t h a c aTi m e s . c o m C h r i s I b e r t , C a l e n d a r E d i t o r , x 1217 A r t s @ I t h a c aTi m e s . c o m A n d r e w S u l l i v a n , S p o r t s E d i t o r , x 1227 Sports@flcn.org Steve L awrence, Spo rts Co lumnist St e v e S p o r t sD u d e @ g m a i l .co m M a r s h a l l H o p k i n s , P r o d u c t i o n D i r ec t o r / D es i g n e r , x 1216 P r o d u c t i o n @ I t h a c aTi m e s . c o m Sharon Davis, Distribution F r o n t @ I t h a c a T i mes . c o m J i m B i l i n s k i , P u b l i s h e r , x 1210 j b i l i n s k i @ I t h a c aTi m e s . c o m L a r r y H o ch b e r g e r , A ss o c i a t e P u b l i s h e r , x 1214 l a r r y@ I t h a c aTi m e s . c o m F r e e l a n c e r s : Barbara Adams, Rick Blaisell, Steve Burke, Deirdre Cunningham, Jane Dieckmann, Amber Donofrio, Karen Gadiel, Charley Githler, Linda B. Glaser, Warren Greenwood, Ross Haarstad, Peggy Haine, Gay Huddle, Austin Lamb, Steve Lawrence, Marjorie Olds, Lori Sonken, Henry Stark, Dave Sit, Bryan VanCampen, and Arthur Whitman

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N o t e

booster who is 12 years and older; this week’s clinic is not limited to ages 12-17 years. Booster doses are not yet approved for ages 5-11.Registration links for appointments are available on the TCHD website. You must bring a photo ID or a parent/guardian can confirm identity, your vaccination card, and expect to wait 15 minutes for observation following

A city transformed ����������������������8

manner.

“I understand the precedent we’re setting, but Tompkins County has a history of correcting classifications and salary levels when they’re not where they should be,” Shurtleff said.

There was a distinct line being drawn between legislators, and one of the things being debated was the difference between elected officials and employees. Employees’ salaries and job classifications are done through compensation studies and department heads in tandem with human resources.

However, elected positions like the sheriff and city clerk have their salaries set by the legislature.

Dawson said that despite the difference in how they get their jobs, the distinction between elected officials and employees is misleading.

“Our sheriff and county clerk are functionally department heads,” she said. “The sheriff has a department he manages and it’s not a small, unimportant, insignificant one.

It’s a really crucial department.

We have other department heads who are job grade 91, and their departments are no more important or significant, and sometimes not as large as, the sheriff ’s office. So I ask you all to consider that. When we hire a department head and circumstances change over four years we don’t say, ‘well, you accepted the job at this salary so you don’t deserve a raise.’”

She noted that the sheriff ’s position had seen a lot change through COVID and the Reimagining Public Safety process

your injection. The COVID-19 vaccine is free of charge. Free transportation is also available to vaccination clinics. Present proof of your vaccination appointment to ride any TCAT bus free of charge. Alternative transportation arrangements can be arranged by calling 2-1-1 (1.877.211.8667) during regular business hours, Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.

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The Ithaca Times will not be liable for failure to publish an ad, for typographical error, or errors in publication except to the extent of the cost of the space in which the actual error appeared in the first insertion. The publisher reserves the right to refuse advertising for any reason and to alter advertising copy or graphics deemed unacceptable for publication. The Ithaca Times is published weekly Wednesday mornings. Offices are located at 109 N. Cayuga Street, Ithaca, NY 14850 607-277-7000, FAX 607-277-1012, MAILING ADDRESS is PO Box 27, Ithaca, NY 14851. The Ithaca Times was preceded by the Ithaca New Times (1972-1978) and The Good Times Gazette (1973-1978), combined in 1978. F o u n d e r G o o d T i m e s G a z e tt e : Tom Newton

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INQUIRING

N e w s l i n e

Tenants

PHOTOGRAPHER How long do landlords need to fill an apartment?

By C a se y Mar tin

THE NEW YORK TIMES JUST GAVE YOU THE FRONT PAGE OF THE SUNDAY TIMES. WHAT DO YOU WRITE ABOUT?

“Dogs on the Ithaca Commons. I’d rank them 1-10. Extra points if they are dressed in human-type clothes.”

-Teddy G.

“Psychedelics.”

-Leigh E.

T

he Planning and Economic Development Committee has not yet come to an agreement on a change to the city’s rental law that would give tenants more time before being asked to sign a lease renewal.

At the December meeting, fourth ward representative Patrick Mehler proposed a bill that would eliminate landlords’ and tenants’ abilities to waive the 60-day minimum waiting period to offer and sign a lease renewal. The originally proposed bill also increased that minimum to 180 days, which Mehler said is the most amount of time he could give renters without hurting a landlord’s ability to rent out to students. The proposal stemmed from the discussion around the fact that many Collegetown landlords ask for lease renewals just weeks into a student’s

tenancy.

Alderperson Cynthia Brock said she supports the changes being proposed, particularly the elimination of the waiver.

However, she said that 180 days was too long a waiting period, especially because some landlords and tenants operate on a nine-month lease.

“That means the first six months would be a waiting period,” she said. “So I don’t support the 180 days. I am, right now, open to a 90-day proposal. From the many landlords I’ve spoken with, they seem in support of 90 days.

It allows for more flexibility, especially with the elimination of the waiver.”

Alderperson Rob Gearhart agreed that 60 days is too few, but 180 days is too many.

In response, Mehler suggested 120 days as a compromise.

R entals

City wants to follow town’s lead, explore short-term rental legislation

“How winter affects people mentally and physically.”

L

-Chloe S.

“Pop-Tarts. Blueberry Pop-tarts.”

-Lamarious D.

“I would encourage people to get vaccinated!”

-Rain W.

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ess than a month after the town of Ithaca passed shortterm rental regulations, the city’s Planning and Economic Development Committee briefly brought it up as well. It was identified as a topic they wanted to tackle sooner rather than later this year.

The town passed its regulations for short-term rentals after complaints from some residents about noise and nuisance issues, as well as concern about outside corporations buying up local housing stock to use solely for short-term rentals.

So in a city where there’s already a shortage of housing, it’s

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not surprising that council members are ready to take a look at drafting legislation of their own.

Committee member Cynthia Brock said she has always felt that the city already has legislation within its code to address short-term rentals.

“It does specify where it’s allowed,” she said. “We haven’t been enforcing it even though we’re fully recognizing it’s not allowed in certain zones […]

If we enforce the laws that we have, it would go a long way to addressing the issues we’re having with short-term rentals.”

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“Ninety days is an improvement and is worth considering, but I would push a little further to say I think 120 days makes a nice third,” he said. “It’s less than half [of the lease] for folks in nine-month leases. I’d love to hear people’s thoughts on 120 days.”

The committee looked at the two common lease cycles in the city, starting in June and starting in August. Brock said the 120 days would work well for the leases beginning in June, as the waiting period would end in September and landlords could start showing the apartment in October and November, before winter and the holidays. However, she thought it was too constraining for leases that begin in August.

“The 120 days expire on Dec.1,” she said. “It’s right before Christmas so students are going to be gone, then you have February, March, April and then they’re gone in May. It compresses the time when people are looking for units.”

She reiterated that 90 days seemed to give more flexibility.

However, Mehler said he had the opposite concern. He

worried that if students sign a lease that legally begins in June but don’t move in until before the semester starts in August, they will have just a couple weeks in the apartment before being offered a lease renewal.

“So in my head, the ideal of the 180 is better for there to be more slack on the backend,” he said. “But I think 120 days gives people with June the chance to live there.”

He said that even if a lease starts in August, a 120-day waiting period would still give landlords of nine-month leases “a solid five months” to fill an apartment if the renewal is declined.

“I think this illustrates that both tenants and landlords have ample time,” Mehler said.

Ultimately, the committee decided to continue the discussion with more input from others at the February meeting.

The committee also continues to wait for a decision from the state regarding the legality of Good Cause Eviction legislation before moving forward with it.

-Ta n n e r H a r d i n g

Brock, who represents ward one, said when going doorto-door on West Hill for her re-election campaign this past fall, she noticed that many units are now full-time shortterm rentals.

“They’re being taken off the rental market one after another,” she said. “It’s growing monthly, frankly. I recognize the staffing shortage but I do think this is an urgent issue. I do think we have the resources we need for legislation.”

Committee member Laura Lewis said that enforcement is a challenge, and that she’s hopeful the city can make progress on hiring more staff for the Planning Department.

“Then there will be some issues we can move from the backburner to the mid, if not front, burner,” she said. “We should take a look at what we have in legislation and work toward better enforcement.”

Brock again reiterated that she thinks the matter is urgent.

“If we’re talking about housing and vacancies and the inability to find affordable housing, every unit we take off for VRBO is another loss, so I

think we need to address this,” she said.

Committee member Rob Gearhart agreed, and asked if there was any benefit from following the town’s lead regarding the legislation.

Acting Planning Director Lisa Nicholas said the town has different circumstances, but that she does think it’s important to coordinate with them.

One of the most contentious parts of the town’s legislation was the disparity between the number of rental days lakefront properties got compared to non-lakefront properties.

Homes on the lake can rent out their homes unhosted for up to 245 days in a calendar year. Non-lakefront properties, however, are limited to just 29 days per year. The city does not have the same issue, as the lakefront property within city limits is primarily parks and other public property.

Gearhart also added that better public information campaigns could be helpful with enforcement as well.

-Ta n n e r H a r d i n g

UPS&DOWNS

N e w s l i n e

Ups There were people out skating and playing hockey on the frozen inlet over the weekend.

The cold is finally good for something.

Downs Are we the only ones sick of wiping snow off our cars?

HEARD&SEEN Heard Cases have been down substantially since the college students left for break, but they’re back this week and next, so keep an eye on the numbers.

Seen There are lots of new faces on Common Council and County Legislature and their committees this month as the newest elected officials take office.

Sports

D

an Swanstrom, the head coach of the Ithaca College football program for the past five years, has announced that he will be returning to the University of Pennsylvania to serve as the offensive coordinator for the Quakers. His last day at Ithaca College will be Jan. 31, and he will begin his new appointment on Feb. 1.

“Dan Swanstrom is a quintessential professional coach and educator of the highest quality,” said Ithaca College Associate Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Susan Bassett ‘79. “He has made a lasting positive impact on our football program, athletics department, and Ithaca College in general. I want to thank him for his leadership, commitment, and professionalism as the head coach for Bomber football. His results speak for themselves but taken together with the quality of the staff he has brought to South Hill and the academic and on-the-field achievements of the studentathletes within his program, he has succeeded by every metric.

Personally, I have enjoyed our work together, learned a great deal from Dan and will miss

IF YOU CARE TO RESPOND to something in this column, or suggest your own praise or blame, write news@ithacatimes. com, with a subject head “U&D.”

IC football coach resigns for job at UPenn him greatly. I understand why he couldn’t pass up the offer of this Division I coaching opportunity, and I wish him all the best at Penn.”

Swanstrom, the tenth head coach in program history, came to South Hill on Dec. 12, 2016, and revitalized Bomber football in five years at the helm. In four seasons of competition, Ithaca went 32-11 for a .744 winning percentage, which stands as the highest winning percentage for an Ithaca head coach.

“I want to start by thanking our director of athletics, Susan Bassett, for the wonderful opportunity at Ithaca College,” said Swanstrom. “Her consistent support, friendship and leadership has fundamentally transformed me over these past five years. Also, I can’t put into words how special my time at Ithaca has been. I would like to thank the players, coaches and fans for the cherished experiences and the meaningful relationships.”

The Bombers went 8-3 in each of the first three seasons with Swanstrom in charge and most recently posted an 8-2 mark in 2021. IC was nationally ranked each of the past three seasons, reaching as high as

IC Football Coach, Dan Swanstrom (Photo: Provided)

QUESTION OF THE WEEK

No. 8 in the 2019 D3football. com Top 25 Poll.

IC went 3-1 during Cortaca Jug games, including a 32-20 victory at MetLife Stadium on November 16, 2019, in front of an NCAA Division III record crowd of 45,161 fans.

The Bombers earned a total of 10 All-America honors from six student-athletes since 2017.

IC also received all four major individual awards (offensive player, defensive player, special teams and rookie) in the Liberty League with Swanstrom as head coach.

Swanstrom came to Ithaca from UPenn, where he served as the quarterbacks coach and recruiting coordinator. Prior to that, he was the offensive coordinator and associate head coach at Johns Hopkins University from 2008-13.

Swanstrom also spent time at Redlands from 2006-08.

“We will commence an immediate national search for the next leader for our football program,” stated Bassett. “I have every confidence that we Ja n ua ry

will attract an excellent pool of qualified candidates and identify an exceptional head coach.

Every aspect of why a talented person like Coach Swanstrom was attracted to this position at Ithaca College five years ago is enhanced and I know that what is fundamental to our rich tradition of success in athletics is as true today as at any time. I expect to work with speed and efficiency to conclude our search.”

Ithaca College will be hosting the 2022 Cortaca Jug football game against SUNY Cortland at Yankee Stadium on Nov. 12.

“I look forward to welcoming our next head coach to the storied Cortaca Jug tradition, and to another successful season for our student-athletes,” said Bassett.

Current assistant coach Mike Hatcher will serve as interim head coach until a new head coach is named.

-Staff R eport

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Hibernate or great outdoors?

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82.4% Hibernate 17.6% Great outdoors

N ext Week ’s Q uestion :

How do you rate Mayor Myrick?

Visit ithaca.com to submit your response.

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SPEAK EASY

A peek inside P rof. Hoa ng T. Q ua n prov i de s a n i n si de l o ok at A m e r ic a n cu lt u r e i n Vi et na m oang T. Quan is a specialist in American Studies and teaches courses in both the Department of International Relations and the Deptartment of English at the College of Social Sciences & Humanities, Vietnam National University, HCMC. A SUNY Buffalo graduate, Quan is familiar with upstate New York and shared his observations on American culture in Vietnam.

Ithaca Times: When I taught at Vietnam National University there was substantial interest among Vietnamese students re: popular culture, particularly American & British. Musicians like Eric Clapton & John Fogerty were highly regarded. I attended a nationwide musical fest at which a band, composed of students from the Hanoi College of Engineering, won first place with its rendition of the Creedence Clearwater Revival “classic” about being “stuck in ol’ Lodi again.” Is there still a significant degree of fascination with western music? Would you be so kind as to speculate on the reasons for this attraction?

Hoang T. Quan:Yes, young people

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here still love western music, especially American pop music. The reasons: the singing and musical accompaniments are better than the locally made music; the songs are mostly about love, something they can never have enough of; some of the more radical, or progressive, topics that appeal to a selected group of young people (such as rich-poor gap, social discontent...) can be found in US pop or rap music, and not so much in Vietnamese music; English is the number one foreign language of choice in Vietnam, and thus, English songs are within the youth’s ability to understand. Korean or Japanese pop music, on the other hand, would present a language problem to most of them.

IT: Would you talk about some of the novels, essays, poems and plays which are read in English Department courses in the College of Social Science & Humanities? How are they selected and how do students generally respond to them?

HTQ: As I understand it, the syllabi for the literature courses are rarely changed, leading to the same authors and works being taught to the students for decades.

For example, many works taught in my literature classes when I was a student in the department almost 30 years ago, such as “A Rose for Emily” by Faulkner, Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby,” Edith Wharton’s “Roman Fever,” Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken,” “Prayers of Steel”

by Carl Sandburg, and Hemingway’s “In

/January

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SURROUNDED BY REALITY

Just Relax

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

T

he crowd was restless and talkative in Ithaca High School’s Kulp Auditorium as the Great McGonigle, hypnotist, mentalist, and registered stage entertainer put out a second call for volunteers.

“Who here thinks they CAN’T be hypnotized? Come on up and give me a chance!” he called out again, laughing. “Anybody at all!” Another moment of low chatter passed and then, tentatively, a young woman stood up and made her way to the stage.

“What’s your name, my friend, and what makes you think you can match wits with the Great McGonigle?” He was smiling.

She leaned into the microphone.

“Olivia Cornstarch.

I mean, I’m just so worried about everything that I don’t think I could ever relax enough to be put in a trance or anything.”

“Well, we’ll just see,” he said, winking at the audience. There was a ripple of laughter. He steered her toward a seat on the stage and she sat down.

“Olivia,” he said, “this is one hundred percent about relaxing and letting go of those things that have you all worked up.

I can see the tension in your arms and shoulders and I want you to just loosen up. Close your eyes and relax. Breathe.

That’s it. Just relax. Now, tell me what’s got you worried.”

“Climate change, for one thing,” she said. “It’s already happening. What’s the world going to be like in ten years?

Twenty? Is there any reason to think this isn’t the end?”

The Great McGonigle chuckled. “Oh, my, is that all? Didn’t you hear about the UN Climate Change meeting in Glasgow last year? Everything’s well in hand.

They’re going to meet again, and soon, and talk more about the whole thing. Now just relax…”

She let her hands hang loose for a moment, then tensed up again. “That’s not all. I’ve been wearing a mask for going on two years. Delta, Omicron, it’s never going to end! Those people with their nose sticking out over their masks? Vac-

cination microchips? What the...”

“You’ve got to let all this go,” the McGonigle interjected. “The World Health Organization and the Center for Disease Control both say the pandemic might end someday.” He shook himself, re-setting. “Close your eyes again. I want you to imagine you’re completely at ease. Nice and easy.

Shake your hands loose. Focus on every breath.”

“Did they say ‘might’ or ‘will’?”

“OK, Olivia, I’m really going to need you to...”

“Also, did you notice the price of cat food’s gone up a dollar a bag?

It doesn’t matter, though, because when we went to the store, they didn’t even have any!” She was looking at the Great McGonigle and her hands were on her lap, palms up. “My Social Studies teacher Mr. Prokosch says that the Russians might invade Ukraine, and also that Vladimir Putin could trigger a nuclear holocaust single-handedly if he wanted to and nobody could stop him. Could the Chinese president do that, too? What if Donald Trump gets elected again?”

The Great McGonigle pulled a folded handkerchief out of his pocket and mopped his forehead. “I think maybe if I can have you just close your eyes and focus on breathing calmly for a minute...”

“And what’s the Metaverse? I just don’t get it, but I’m afraid to admit it. There was this thing I read,” she continued, “where technology becomes way more intelligent and capable than humans? And it decides that we’re just in the way, so it builds and unleashes a horde of mini drones to eliminate humans. That doesn’t seem so far-fetched. I mean, are we taking precautions or whatever?”

“Well, I mean,” he started. “I’m guessing there are people...if you can just visualize...um, precautions...” He blinked twice, and swallowed.

“Mr. McGonigle, sir,” said Olivia. “I think I’ll take that trance now. And don’t feel like you have to wake me up.”

THE TALK AT

SPEAK EASYS Contin u ed From Page 7

Another Country,” are still being taught to the students today.

As my colleague perfectly explained it, the syllabuses were written, and the works chosen, by her predecessors and she only carries them on. A few of the stories and poems were actually introduced by a Fulbright scholar when he was teaching in the department more than 20 years ago.

Most of the works chosen are short stories, rather than full novels. The reason, as you can guess, has to do with English being a foreign language to our students.

Sadly, this outdated line of thinking fails to understand that many students in the department today are more than capable of reading and appreciating long and complex novels.

Although my colleague believed the students enjoyed the key works introduced to them, and the two respondents also said they loved most of the works (except “Vanity Fair,” “Roman Fever” and Oscar Wilde’s stories, plus a few more), my guess is probably half of them don’t care too much about the works they are assigned to read, since the themes and topics do not speak to their interests and concerns. The lives they lead today, on social media and in the real world, are so far removed from the world they read about in their classes. (The instructors teaching these literature courses do not read much and have no interest in updating the syllabuses.)

IT: Are American, French and/ or British films popular in Vietnam?

Would you mention one or two? Is there a noteworthy Vietnamese film industry?

HTQ: The Vietnamese film industry has produced several big box-office hits over the last few years. Some people are seeing this as an opportunity to invest in making Vietnamese films and taking a slice of ticket sales away from US movies.

IT: On the whole, how have Vietnamese students & faculty responded to learning and teaching via Zoom? Quite a few American students have dropped out, particularly at the community college level. It’s hoped that their numbers will go up again, once the COVID-19 crisis has run its course. What’s the current situation with student enrollment in Vietnam?

HTQ: The students and faculty here responded fairly well to learning and teaching via Zoom. We don’t particularly enjoy learning and teaching online, but under the circumstances we have no choice but to try to make the most of it.

I’m sure the students are not very happy with this mode of instruction, but they have traditionally been mostly obedient and are not known to be rebellious, and the other alternative as you mentioned is to drop out, and that is not exactly an appealing option either, considering the fact that they would lose all contact and have no interaction with their friends for a whole semester, if not a whole year.

By David Burak

SHERIFF PAY Contin u ed From Page 3

and said these “exceptional circumstances” are why she is pushing so hard to adjust what she considers “a really imbalanced salary structure in one department because the head of that department happens to be elected instead of hired.”

Legislator Veronica Pillar said one of the main differences she sees with hired versus elected positions is that elected positions do have a set term during which they are held accountable to the people.

This provides a structure for a natural reconfiguring of the salary as terms conclude and start. She also added that she worried that there are many other imbalances within county pay structures that need to be adjusted but aren’t as visible as a position like the sheriff.

“These kinds of hierarchical, forcedriven structures are created and sustained by all these little decisions,” Pillar said.

Legislator Greg Mezey agreed with Pillar’s point, but said he saw the legislature as the mechanism for correcting this specific imbalance, while employee pay imbalances will be examined by the compensation study, which is the specific mechanism meant to address that.

Chair Shawna Black said she agreed with Dawson and said it was insulting that a subordinate is making more than the person in charge.

Ultimately, the legislature passed the increase to the sheriff ’s salary, 8-6. Randy Brown, Henry Granison, Rich John, Lane, Pillar and Travis Brooks all voted against, while Champion, Dawson, Dan Klein, Anne Koreman, Shurtleff, Mezey, Sigler and Black voted yes. There are 45 days for the public to call for a permissive referendum.

-Ta n n e r H a r d i n g

YOUR LETTERS Go green and have your kids take the school bus

D

rive past any of our area K-12 schools in the morning or afternoon and you’re nearly guaranteed to see a long line of parents waiting in vehicles to pick up or drop off students. Meanwhile, at the same schools, school buses arrive and depart with many empty seats.

I’m not aware of local statistics, but the percentage of K-12 students in the U.S. riding the school bus has dropped every year for the last four decades. In 1980, 59% of students rode to and from school on the bus. Today, only a third of students take the bus, according to a National Household Travel Survey.

Our nation’s fleet of 480,000 school buses collectively drive around 3.5 billion miles every year. While these buses already emit many tons of greenhouse gases, single-vehicle travel to school contributes significantly more greenhouse gases on a per student basis. Unless a student lives nearby, every school district guarantees transportation. That means a bus is probably traveling the same route as a private vehicle.

Yes, there are valid reasons for some students to skip the bus occasionally: medical appointments, extracurricular activities, late day practice, etc. But many students and their parents simply avoid the bus regularly since it can be less comfortable and more time-consuming.

In national surveys, young people express the highest levels of motivation for reversing climate change. At Tompkins County schools, students learn about this urgent crisis, including making good choices to help reverse current trends.

And yet, one simple and powerful choice sits waiting for them right outside their door.

I encourage all area parents and students to make a resolution in 2022 to cut their greenhouse gas emissions by using the bus as much as possible to get to and from school.

-Robert Rieger, Town of Lansing

De-escalate tensions with Russia, China, Iran and focus on climate change

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e have enough problems without shopping for a new war. Instead, let’s de-escalate America’s confrontations with Russia, China and Iran and all work together to deal with climate change.

My grandparents came here from Ukraine to stay out of war. Ukraine is not a geopolitical chess piece for Biden

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and Putin to play with. Negotiating in good faith, our government can get Putin to stop trying to control Ukraine if they will stop expanding NATO. NATO is not protecting anyone from war with Russia, it is increasing the likelihood of war.

The US also has an obligation under the nuclear nonproliferation treaty to reduce and eliminate its nuclear arsenal, but the Pentagon is updating it, threatening Russia, Iran, and the whole world.

I have in-laws in Iran, who are being harmed by the sanctions and could be killed if the US starts a war there. Why is it OK to sanction and threaten Iran over nuclear weapons while we violate our commitment to disarm? We should return to compliance with Obama’s Iran deal.

Making an enemy of China is similarly unproductive. The more military pressure the US applies to China, the more China will build their military in response. Oh, I play frisbee with folks who have family in China. You get the picture.

The Pentagon plans to dominate our family and friends around the world in the context of worsening global warming.

Why don’t we instead put our resources into cooperation to decarbonize our society?

-Todd Saddler, Ithaca, NY

Re: 800+ Cornellians call for end to booster requirement

I

t was a good exercise to go through the petition by Cornellians asking CU to withdraw its booster mandate.

The “open letter” is wrong on all counts.

There have been 9 confirmed deaths from Covid vaccines, not 15,000, all from the blood clotting syndrome TTS induced by the J&J vaccine - see the VAERS website.

Israeli studies last fall showed the rate of Covid infection among people aged 16-29 was reduced 93% by boosters. Current data at Our World in Data shows that booster shots still decrease death rates in the time of Omicron, by about 80% over those vaccinated but not boosted.

Another false move by the petitioner, besides repetitious lying, is omitting all mention of how student behavior generated this huge omicron spike in Tompkins County. Crowded, maskless indoor parties at Thanksgiving, followed by transmission to lovers, housemates, and workers in restaurants and bars, brought illness to many students, and many more in the community. The hospital has a high census of Covid patients and some people have died. Besides adding huge stress to everyone’s holidays and overworking hospital staff, this avoidable Covid spread interfered with family gatherings, making it a much lonelier time for many.

This petition aims to set us up for a repeat event.

Does CU still require students to sign a contract for adherence to protocols at risk of suspension? If so, do they enforce it? Will they stand by their mandate? May the answers please be yes, yes and yes.

-Tim Lillard, Newfield, NY

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A CITY TRANSFORMED A look back with Svante Myrick at his decade of service to the city of Ithaca

By Ta n n e r H a r di ng

A

fter a decade at the helm, Svante Myrick is stepping down from his position as the mayor of Ithaca. First elected when he was 24 years old in 2011, Myrick resigned as the city’s longest serving mayor and will likely be remembered for his push for affordable housing, the reconstruction of the Commons, and his department-altering Reimagining Public Safety plan.

Myrick is wrapping up his final weeks in office as he prepares to take over as the executive director of People for the American Way, a “progressive advocacy organization founded to fight right-wing extremism and build a democratic society that implements the ideals of freedom, equality, opportunity and justice for all,” according to its website.

Myrick said the events in national politics over the past few years, particularly the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection at the Capitol, made the chance to head the organization impossible to say no to.

“These opportunities came looking for me, and the reason I accepted was because of the state of our national politics,” he said.

“I’ve been in office since the Bush Administration — that’s when I started on Common Council — and I’ve seen a lot of changes, a lot of ups and downs. But I’ve never seen anything like Jan. 6 […] We failed to execute a peaceful transition of power, and that was really, really spooky.”

Myrick added that when People for the American Way came calling to talk to him about the executive director role, he saw a chance to make a change.

“I like to serve, and I like to feel like my service makes a difference. They offered an opportunity to serve at a time ahead of the mid-terms and ahead of the 2024 election that felt impossible to say no to,” he said.

“I also realized after 14 years in elected life and public life that there’s never an ideal time. There’s always a project you’re in the middle of. But these positions are not 8 T

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M ay o r My r i c k at t h e C i t y C e n t r e r i b b o n c u t t i n g i n 2 0 1 9 ( P h o t o : C a s e y M a r t i n)

meant to be lifetime appointments, and I feel like the city is in remarkably good hands […] I felt like I could answer this call to pitch in and move American democracy in the right direction without leaving the city in the lurch. I’m eager to serve.”

Myrick will leave office after the first week in February, with fifth ward council member Laura Lewis taking over as acting mayor through the end of the year. She has been shadowing Myrick and preparing to take over since he announced his resignation at the Jan. 5 Common Council meeting.

Lewis was first elected to council in 2017 and has served since Jan. 2018, during which time Myrick said she’s established leadership in the affordable housing space and worked on the public safety working group. He said that her skills working professionally in student services has made her a good facilitator, mediator and listener.

“She’s become first amongst her peers in terms of who folks go to and trust,” Myrick

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said. “It felt like the best choice, and the transition over the past couple weeks has proven that to be true […] She’s going to hit the ground running.”

HOUSING & DEVELOPMENT

From the beginning, affordable housing was a priority to Myrick. In the days before the mayoral election in 2011, he told the Ithaca Times: “A comprehensive zoning plan will promote smart, focused growth in our City’s urban core. This will protect our residential neighborhoods and combat sprawl while adding to the tax base, making rents and property taxes more affordable. It will put more residents in walking or biking distance from work, decreasing traffic, reducing our carbon emissions, and helping our local businesses compete. We can protect our residential neighborhoods while creating a more affordable, walkable, and vibrant city. This will be my top priority as mayor.”

Today, a little over a decade later, Myrick can boast that the city has built more affordable housing in the past 10 years than it had in the 40 years before combined.

“The past trend was to put it in the city, but on the outskirts — Floral Ave, West Hill. But we’ve reversed that trend and are building housing in the core of the city,” he said, citing Breckenridge Place, Stone Quarry Apartments, 210 Hancock apartments, the Amici House, and the in-progress Asteri building directly next to City Hall.

“So not only did we build more affordable housing, but that housing gave people who lived inside it the access to the cultural, social and economic life of the city, which is a great thing,” Myrick said. “I wish we had built twice as much, and I hope the city continues to pursue affordable housing, because it’s still the biggest problem.”

His advice to his successors is to use all the tools in the toolkit to make affordable housing happen, including incentivizing market rate housing, building affordable housing, instituting tenant protections, slowing or lowering the tax rate and creating jobs.

“There are specific policies like lowering parking requirements or eliminating minimum requirements or making it easier to build accessory dwelling units,” he said.

“But yeah, I think future administrations will have to continue this work because we still have too many people who want to live in Ithaca or who work in Ithaca, but can’t afford to live in Ithaca.”

Myrick said a 5-7% vacancy rate will be required before rents start to decrease. It’s hard to nail down an exact vacancy rate, but it’s currently generally believed to be between 1-2% in the city, meaning a considerable amount of new housing is still needed. There are a number of projects in the works, including the Asteri building on Green Street which will be home to 181 permanently affordable housing units.

Tax abatements have played a large role in making more affordable housing possible, as they grandfather the tax burden on developers over a seven-to-10 year period. The first year, a developer will pay the same property tax that the property was assessed prior to development, and then that amount increases year after year until the developer is paying the full property tax amount for the building.

There’s been some pushback to these abatements from the public, especially after City Centre, which received an abatement, sold for $25 million more than it was built for within two years of completion.

So does Myrick think that’s indicative of taxpayers surrendering too much to developers?

“Maybe,” he said, before elaborating.

“Economic development is not straightforward. I think tax abatements get an outsized amount of public attention. The actual incentives are quite small and pretty time limited, while the economic growth has created hundreds of jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars in new real estate value, which is why we’ve been able to lower tax rates over the years.”

He also acknowledged that tax abatement policies can be adjusted to a city’s needs at the time, something he’s tried to do during his time in office.

“In the beginning, during the financial crisis, we loosened the restrictions,” he said. “Lately, we’ve tightened the requirements to increase affordable housing. It’s a policy that needs to adjust to the times.”

There are two other decisions Myrick made that ultimately resulted in redevelopment in the city — the Chacona Block and the Nines. In the fall of 2017, Myrick was the tie-breaker during a Common Council vote on whether or not to designate the Chacona Block as historic. It was a conten-

tious topic at the time, and when Council deadlocked 5-5, Myrick cast the deciding vote to deny the designation. At the time, the Chacona Block was home to Collegetown Bagels and owned by the Student Agencies non-profit.

Six months later, Myrick was in the same position. He cast the tie-breaking vote, again to deny the historic designation of The Nines restaurant and fire station.

“In the case of these buildings I have such great sentimental attachment to them both,” he said. “Collegetown Bagels is where I did my first ever voter registration drive as a sophomore in college. It’s where I celebrated the victory of Barack Obama.

It’s where I celebrated my own election [to Common Council] in 2007. It’s where I spent about half my paychecks from the years of 2005 to 2015. The Nines I went to twice a week — my body is still like 50% Nines pizza.”

However, he noted that despite his emotional attachment to the buildings, he didn’t think they met the criteria for historic designation.

“I didn’t think they were particularly beautiful or important examples of historic architectures, they didn’t meet the criteria of being designed by a famous architect, and they were frankly dangerous,” he said.

“They were dilapidated, unsafe and unsightly, and I just have real faith in Ithacans and the future. And I think that’s what’s driven me, confidence that the future can be better than the present.”

He said there was a lot of hand-wringing over the Chacona Block in particular, with many worried about the future of Collegetown Bagels, but said it’s “indisputable” that the whole block looks better now.

The new Student Agencies building is six-stories with sleek panes of blue glass. Its large patio and ground floor space is the future home of Ithaca Beer Co., which will be opening a location inside this year.

“We’ve built several dozen more housing units and receive tens of thousands more in tax dollars each year,” Myrick said of the new development. “It was a tough call but it was the right call.”

THE COMMONS

In an interview with Myrick in Sept. 2011, the Ithaca Times asked him as a first-time mayoral candidate what his plan was for the Commons. At the time, the infrastructure below the Commons was failing, and the surface of the pedestrian mall was crumbling beneath residents’ feet. The city hired a firm to study the project and was ultimately presented with a $10 million plan.

Myrick outlined three steps to moving the re-design forward: making a clear economic case for the reconstruction, identifying viable funding streams, and navigat-

ing through unresolved implementation and design issues.

In late August of 2015 — behind schedule by anyone’s calendar — the Commons was complete. A more than $15 million project, the Commons reconstruction has “succeeded beyond our wildest dreams,” Myrick said. “We were hoping to get back to the past glory of the Commons, and we’ve superseded it.”

According to Myrick, there was a 2025% vacancy in the storefronts on the Commons in 2011.

“Shops were shrinking, restaurants were shuttering,” he said. “There was very much a sense of impending doom.”

The Commons had been built in the 1970s, and at that time they built the aboveground amenities on top of the underground utilities, which ran down the center of the mall, a remnant of its former life as a through street. That meant whenever the failing 100-year-old infrastructure needed repairing, the Commons was torn up and then patched back over with concrete.

“The surface above-ground kept breaking, we were getting slips and trips, people were injuring themselves and suing the city,” Myrick said. “So something had to be done.”

He said part of the 2011 mayoral election included some folks suggesting abandoning the Commons, ripping it up, and turning it back into a street. The project was expensive and daunting, and for some it seemed easier to just move on from it all together.

However, once Myrick took office, he was able to get outside funding from a variety of places, including $4.5 million from

A b ov e , B r e c k e n r i d g e a f f o r d a b l e h o u s i n g o n s e n e c a s t. ( P h o t o : C a s e y M a r t i n) B e l ow, A e r i a l v i e w o f t h e C o m m o n s r i g h t b e f o r e c o m p l e t i o n i n 2 0 1 5 ( P h o t o : Ti m G e r a)

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the Federal Transit Administration and $1.8 million from the New York State Regional Economic Development Council.

The road to the new Commons was as rough and bumpy as those concrete patches on the old pedestrian mall. Business owners struggled as the longer-than-expected construction kept pedestrians away, with one calling the construction site a war zone. However, it seems much was quickly forgiven when the new and improved Commons finally opened.

“Our public investment triggered a wave of private investment,” Myrick said. “From Harold Square to City Centre to the Rev building to the Marriott to Seneca Way to the Canopy Hilton to the Ithacan Building to the Vecino Asteri project. It was a $15 million public investment that has generated, conservatively, $500 million of private Georgia@ithacatimes.com 607-277-7000 investment and set upx220 future generations for success. ” Newspaper: To avoid dealing with the same problems in the future, utilities were put off to the side, where repairs can be made by pulling up the bricks, fixing the issue, and relaying the bricks without tearing up the ground. The reconstruction also created utility ducts for fiber and other future tele-

D ru g Awa r e n e s s Day i n 2 0 1 8 ( P h o t o : C a s e y M a r t i n) communication Client: systems, as well as made many aesthetic changes to the Commons.

“The vacancy rate is way lower now, and sales tax from the Commons is way higher,” Myrick said.

Ithaca Times/Fingerlakes News

Myrick has been strained over the years.

Ithaca’s police union and the city finally agreed on a labor contract at the end of 2021 after the previous one expired in 2011 — 10 years of failed negotiations between the two parties only further drove a wedge between them.

Then in Feb. 2021 Myrick unveiled the Reimagining Public Safety plan in response

Kendal at Ithaca

PUBLIC SAFETY

It’s not a secret that the relationship between the Ithaca Police Department and

Vital for Life

to former Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s executive order to review current police forces and “develop a plan to improve such deployments, strategies, policies, procedures and practices, for the purposes of addressing the particular needs of the communities served by such police agency and promote community engagement to foster trust, fairness and legitimacy, and to address an racial bias and disproportionate policing of communities of color.”

The executive order was in direct response to the murder of George Floyd by (now former) Minneapolis police officers and the subsequent demonstrations and protests that followed, demanding an end to police brutality against people of color.

The plan included a recommendation to replace the Ithaca Police Department with the Department of Public Safety and Community Solutions, which would include both armed and unarmed officers. Perhaps predictably, the response from police officers and their supporters came in fast and angry. The less than clear initial launch of the plan led to many thinking the entire police department would be abolished. Really though, the plan was to rename the police department while adding unarmed officers to the mix to respond to non-violent

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needs, such as taking reports, dealing with parking issues or controlling traffic during an accident.

Even with the clarifications, the police union has continued to be outspoken against the plan, claiming it hasn’t been involved in the process (there are three police union members on the working group), and suggesting its own alternatives. Many of the union’s attacks take on a personal nature online, usually targeting Myrick directly. Despite this, Myrick said he tries to remain empathetic to the officers, as he knows change isn’t easy.

“The department itself has done a good job under difficult circumstances, but there is a big cultural divide between the politics of the police union and the ethos of the people of Ithaca. As mayor, you have to stand in that divide and try to bridge it. I think what I learned too late was it was too big a chasm for any one person to bridge, and what we needed was a coalition of people who can work to fix this relationship,” he said. “It’s tough for the [union] too.

They’re not bad people individually, they really are not. But they have a very different set of values and I think they’ve had a hard time keeping up with the changing requests from the citizenry […] I think it’s been hard for them.”

Myrick has largely been the face of the police reform effort, alongside a collaboration with the county and the leadership of Eric Rosario and Karen Yearwood in the city’s working group.

Since the plan was unveiled, the Community Justice Center has been established at the city and county levels, and the firstever executive director of the center has been hired. With all those pieces in place, Myrick said he feels good about how he’s leaving things.

“It’s in great hands,” he said. “Eric Rosario and Karen Yearwood are leading the working group which is stocked full of extremely capable and invested citizens, and Laura Lewis has a great working relationship with all of our uniformed personnel and has a real desire to see through these needed reforms. I trust their leadership on this issue as much as, if not more than, my own. So I’m not nervous. I’m confident they’ll do the right thing.”

And despite the backlash he faced from officers and some residents, Myrick said he’s proud of the Reimagining work.

“I have more pride that we listened really, really deeply to the people of Ithaca, especially minoritized populations that have been left out of this conversation for a long time,” he said. “We took their feedback se-

THE FUTURE

riously and when the largest civil uprisings in Ithaca’s history happened, in a city that is known for its civic engagement, you have to respond forcefully. Public safety employees work at the behest of our citizens and our citizens wanted change. I’m proud of everything I’ve done to fight for that change.”

A GREENER ITHACA

Along with the Reimagining Public Safety initiative, the Green New Deal is also a work in progress that Myrick will leave behind. However, he’s far from worried with Sustainability Director Luis Aguirre-Torres in charge.

Aguirre-Torres and Myrick made headlines last fall when Common Council voted to electrify the entire city to try and reach decarbonization goals.

“There’s more momentum now than at any point in the city’s history for the Green New Deal,” Myrick said. “We’re investing more of our resources and we’ve gotten more private investments than we could have ever dreamed even two years ago.

Luis is dynamic and innovative and driven.

The fact those big policies like housing and public safety and the Green New Deal are

in such great hands was part of the alignment that made me feel like it was time to step into a new challenge.”

Myrick also said that he feels like the work his administration has been able to accomplish has made the city an overall greener place now compared to a decade ago. In addition to passing the Green New Deal, a new, stricter green building code was also enacted so that new projects are more environmentally friendly than older housing. Additionally, because of his concentration on housing in the downtown core, much of the new development is happening closer to sidewalks and bike lanes and transit lines, giving people more ways to get around without using single occupancy vehicles.

He said one of the things he’s most proud of is the progress he helped make with the sidewalks, from installing “miles and miles” of new sidewalks to the repair and maintenance of existing paths.

“So between new bike lanes and sidewalks and the completion of the waterfront trail and the expansion of the Black Diamond Trail, the city is a much greener place than it was 10 years ago,” Myrick said.

A b ov e : N Y At t y. G e n . L e t i t i a J a m e s a n n o u n c e s a f f o r d a b l e h o u s i n g g r a n t i n 2 0 1 9. B e l ow: M ay o r My r i c k i n h i s C i t y H a l l o f f i c e . ( P h o t o s : C a s e y M a r t i n)

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While the next 10 years won’t directly be shaped by Myrick’s hand, there are still a few things left that he laid the groundwork for, and he hopes will come to fruition down the line. One of them is the memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Cornell University, the current of which expires at the end of 2023.

Early on in his tenure, Myrick made a valiant effort to get Cornell to increase its payments to the city, a plea made by previous mayors as well. Former mayor Ben Nichols even went so far as to withhold building permits from the university until they started contributing more (it didn’t work). Myrick said the current MOU was struck five or six years before he became mayor, and the next one starts in 2024.

However, he thinks the city is in a good place to make a case for why the university needs to do a better job of contributing.

He did note, however, that the city has received more resources from Cornell over his time in office, including contributions to specific projects such as the East State Street intersection improvements, Stewart Avenue improvements, bridge repairs for a bridge near campus, and several hundred thousand dollars on an annual basis for the new stormwater fee.

Myrick also notes that a new bus terminal is a priority for the city. He’s eyeing the Seneca Street garage, which he said needs to be replaced.

“Instead of just building a garage, you build it on top and add a public benefit on the ground floor,” he said. “It makes a lot of sense for a bus terminal.”

He’s also hopeful that the safe injection site from his drug plan will still pan out.

“The safe injection site seems closer than ever now,” he said. “The results from the last couple months in New York City show they save lives and all indications show they’re good neighbors and contributing to a safer environment. It makes the case to the state to allow us to go next even stronger.”

So with so much behind him — the Commons rebuild, the Green New Deal, Reimagining Public Safety, driving economic development downtown and increasing affordable housing — what is Myrick the proudest of? The increase of Ithacans over the past 10 years.

“The best thing about Ithaca is Ithacans, and if the world needs anything more, it’s more Ithacans. To the degree I helped facilitate that, that’s the thing I’m most proud of.”

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Sports

What a Life

By Ste ve L aw re nc e

M

y good friend John Murphy passed on last week — three months shy of celebrating his 100th birthday — and it is a big loss to all who knew him. Last April, when I asked him if I could write a timeline of his 99 years as a sports fan, I did not get a hard “no,” but John made it clear that he didn’t want any attention directed his way.

Like a persistent salesman trying to sell a good story, I tried again. “C’mon, John, Babe Ruth was hitting home runs when you were in grade school in the 1920s, you listened to Jesse Owens’ feats in Berlin on the radio in the ‘30s, you were a college student when Ted Williams hit .406 in 1941, you watched Mickey and Yogi build the Yankees dynasty in the 1950s, you were raising a family when the Super Bowl was born in the 60s, your coal miner relatives loved watching the Steelers win four of them in the 70s, you watched the U.S. Boycott the Moscow Olympics in 1980, you saw the Bills go to four Super Bowls in the 90s, you watched Tiger Woods dominate his universe in the 2000s, you

John Murphy, Steve Lawrence, Richie Moran and Tim Murphy (Photo: Provided)

saw Tom Brady win a few more rings in the 20-teens, you saw local guy Kyle Dake win an Olympic medal in 2021... We could write a helluva story!”

John smiled and said, “Nah... I’d rather read the stories you write about other people.”

Read them he did. He was without question my most loyal reader. Over the course of our many years as friends, John would give me feedback and encouragement. On many occasions, he would pick up the phone to tell me that a particular story resonated with him, and thank me for writing it. He really “got” what I try to do with this column. I feel a tinge of guilt in writing about him, but I love stories about toughness, resilience, optimism, connection and perseverance. John em-

bodied those traits, and if the guilt really got to me, I know who to call. Right, Tim? Our lunch crew — consisting of John, retired Cornell lacrosse coach Richie Moran, retired trainer Linda Hoisington, retired equipment guy Doug Vorhis, Bill White, Dave Wohlhueter, Stub Snyder, and, when he was in town, John’s son, Tim Murphy — made the rounds a lot over the past few years. Wegmans, Napoli’s, Panera, CTB, Richie’s house. Tim is a Mississippibased priest (Ithaca High, class of ‘73) who came to Ithaca as often as he could, and I know he will put his blessing on this published tribute to his dad. At our lunch gatherings, John would shake his head and laugh and say to me, “Wow... most people have one or two priest-appropriate jokes, and you have 10!” I would wink and reply, “Yes... and 300 that are not priestappropriate.”

A few years ago, John’s doctors broke the news that John’s leg was beyond saving, and if he was to survive they would need to amputate it. To John Murphy, there was no “if,” as he had a lot of living left to do. He had grandkids in college, two sons, a daughter, many friends at McGraw House and all around Tompkins County.

He spent the last five years attaching his prosthetic leg, using his walker to get to his Fiat, hoisting himself into the car, tossing the folded up walker in the passenger seat and heading out to meet us for lunch.

Or for a high school basketball game to see Richie’s grandson play. In the middle of January. In 10-degree weather. John would say, “It will take me a while to get things together, but I’ll be there.”

At a table full of Master BSers, John was the attentive listener. He was the Tompkins County Administrator, retiring in 1985, and we would tease him, saying, “John, you have been retired several years longer than you worked! It’s guys like you that are crashing the economy!”

We also shared the untold story of World War II. In 1945, when the Japanese learned that John Murphy was on a ship, headed for combat, they said, “Okay, we surrender...” John would laugh and offer, “If you say so...”

What a life — 99 good years, a family that loves you, friends that cherish you, a very short decline and a peaceful passing.

John Murphy deserved every blessing that came his way. I loved that guy.

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‘Yoga Play’ at Syracuse Stage brings humor, satire to the stage

A

By Barbara Adams s multiple sitcoms have shown us, the workplace is ripe for comic treatment. And if corporations are legally “people,” why not satirize their shortcomings as well as their

employees’? In the yoga industry alone –– currently worth over $12 billion just in the U.S. –– playwright Dipika Guha has unearthed a comic goldmine.

Her “Yoga Play,” now live at Syracuse Stage and sharply directed by Melissa Crespo, plants us in the sleek Los Angeles headquarters of Jojomon, a high-end athleisure wear company that profits from its customers’ craving to look fabulously stylish while pursuing fitness and, ostensibly, enlightenment. Joan, the new CEO, wins her first battle: convincing the arbitrary, erratic chairman (a wonderfully irritating Christopher Gurr) that making size 12 yoga pants for women isn’t equivalent to embracing obesity.

Her satisfaction is short-lived, though: the BBC is suddenly reporting that in the Bangladeshi factories making athletic wear, including Jojomon’s, 60% of the workers are underage, some girls as young as 9. Rather than address the ethical problem, Joan concentrates on the perception, the appearance of things: Her solution is to remind devoted customers of Jojomon’s “authenticity.” The way to do that, it seems, is to distract them with advice from a genuine guru (who of course turns out to be hilariously inauthentic).

Joan, played with exquisite neurotic intensity by Andrea Cirie, is frantically assisted by her chief staffers, Fred (Ricky Pak) and Raj (Rishan Dhamija). A gay refugee from Singapore aching for his green card, Fred is hyperloyal and anxious; Raj, an Amherst-educated South Asian-American, mulls his inability to feel deeply. Personal identity is another face of “authenticity” in this play; Fred knows who he is but feels powerless; Raj is awash in privilege but ignorant of his own Hindu heritage.

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Arts&Entertainment

A COMIC GOLD MINE

Rishan Dhamija, Ricky Pak, and Andrea Cirie (Photo: Provided)

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SYRACUSE STAGE Contin u ed From Page 13

Both young men are tasked with producing a legitimate guru to televise for the purchasing public (rather, “our family,” as they’re oft reminded) –– and the ensuing excessively farcical mayhem is the heart of the humor. The wise man whisked in from the mountains north of Delhi outsmarts them, and we learn that a revered guru may not be born but certainly manufactured. (Never underestimate corporate ingenuity.)

Some of the adventure involves the zealous owner of an exclusive yoga studio,

Romola (Octavia Chavez-Richmond), who takes her craft very seriously even as she drools over Jojomon’s new fabric (purple floral tights and more from costumer Johanna Pan).

The company’s offices, in Ann Byersdorfer’s elegantly modern set, are spaceage aspirational: smooth, simple, and clean with signature apple green fitness balls for seating. So it’s cozily comic to see Raj and Fred on their breaks, just huddled “outside,” squatting on the steps –– sharing gripes and exchanging dreams (discussing dreams seems to be a big thing among the yoga set).

Ricky Pak , Rishan Dhamija, and Andrea Cirie (Photo: Provided)

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Joan’s central office is dominated by a huge video screen (for the boss’s check-ins and visits to the Dhaka factory), and when things go haywire, the entire set becomes electrified (thanks to Jeanette Oi-Suk Yew’s zany lighting effects).

In the face of scandal, market unrest, and the possibility of losing one’s job, Joan, Fred, and Raj all scramble to control their destinies –– and in the process, each faces their own identity crisis. They end up perhaps rescuing themselves as well as their company.

Playwright Guha displays a transcontinental perspective: being born in India, raised in Russia and England, having studied at Yale and ultimately discovering the unfamiliar American version of yoga in Southern California. Her satire is shaped on financial success inevitably colliding with spirituality and personal authenticity.

She brings everything into the mix: both corporate and consumer greed, and the hypocrisy of public relations as well as of spiritual seeking. Cultural differences and appropriation, gender and age aren’t spared either, yet remarkably, everything that’s joked about is also validated here –– Guha triumphs in having it both ways.

In the midst of all the noise and chaos, the absurdity, the guru’s actual advice penetrates quietly, arrestingly, ringing true.

“Yoga Play” succeeds as a comical tour de force of contraries.

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“Yoga Play,” by Dipika Guha, directed by Melissa Crespo. At Syracuse Stage, 820 E. Genesee St., Syracuse.

Through Feb. 6. Tickets for stage performance at syracusestage.org and 315-443-3275. “Yoga Play” will also be available for video on demand through Feb. 20. Access is $30 and includes a 48-hour window for viewing.

Barbara Adams, a regional arts journalist, teaches writing at Ithaca College.

Dining

Rustic comfort food

UNIQUE. LOCAL. ORIGINAL.

The Falls Restaurant & Tavern offers tasty American food at reasonable prices.

By He nr y Stark

T

he Falls Restaurant & Tavern on Route 96 is just south of the downtown shopping area of Trumansburg. It reminds me of a large pub near where I used to live in England with its wood ceiling beams and wall panels.

The same family has been serving customers there since 1988 after the former establishments, The Shady Inn and The Adobe Inn, closed.

There are four different and distinct dining areas each with walls dotted with an eclectic mix of posters, photos, and black-and-white wall boards displaying the daily menu offerings. Rustic would be an appropriate word to describe the atmosphere. It’s the epitome of relaxed, casual dining.

I’ve always found the service friendly and efficient, and the prices are reasonable.

During these difficult times, many restaurants are cutting back on hours, however, the Falls is one of the few area restaurants that serve breakfast, lunch and dinner.

The breakfast menu is comprehensive and features typical breakfast fare.

The lunch menu is mostly sandwich oriented. I’ve tried a BLT and it was quite good. You can choose between white, whole wheat or rye bread and, surprisingly in the heart of winter, there were large slices of fresh bright red tomatoes.

I often order a Reuben sandwich when reviewing because how a kitchen turns out this basic sandwich tells a lot about the establishment. The Falls Reuben is good.

The melted cheese and slaw made for a mushy mess which was delightful although I would have expected, and appreciated, more corned beef. There was no mustard available and, at my request, the server brought a small paper ramekin of Dijon plus a jar of ordinary mustard. Crisp chips are served with all sandwiches and there is a charge of $2.75 for homemade slaw, macaroni salad or pickled beets.

Dinner entrées were a bit disappointing. Once, I tried the pork loin with

homemade applesauce ($15.50).

Pork loin is often delivered to restaurants preseasoned and this one had a nice flavor, whether or not it was seasoned inhouse. However the naked pork seemed cooked beyond a normal 140 degrees and was dry and difficult to chew. I thought the price of $15.50 was reasonable.

At another dinner, I ordered smothered chicken ($18.95).

The smothering consisted of baby spinach, artichoke hearts, red peppers and melted mozzarella cheese. These toppings were all pleasant and the chicken was seasoned nicely, however the chicken, too, was overcooked and not tender.

There are about a half-dozen desserts, all homemade, mostly pies and all $5.

Not all the desserts are available at every meal, however there usually is a sufficient amount to make a reasonable choice. A real value feature is that you can add a scoop of ice cream to top the pies for only one dollar. The rice pudding was made with long grain rice and didn’t have raisins or whipped cream which will please some diners. The peach crumb pie had large chunks of peaches in an oozing filling and a hard, chewy upper crust. I enjoyed it.

Surprisingly, in a self-proclaimed “tavern,” all the beers, both at the bar and at tables, are in bottles — none are draft.

There are about a dozen-and-a-half, ($4$5) international and domestic, including two from New York. In the Finger Lakes I was disappointed with the wine menu as there wasn’t a dry Riesling among the whites or a Pinot Noir available in the reds.

Falls Restaurant & Tavern offers reliably predictable American food at reasonable prices in a comfortable rustic atmosphere.

Tidbit: The Falls has its own parking lot just off Route 96.

214 E Main St in Trumansburg. Open Tues- Sunday Closed Monday

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Art

Imagery becomes texture

Barbara Page Left: Portage 18” x 18” and right: Stealing Thunder, 10” x 10”

Barbara Page’s latest work is on view at Corners Gallery

By Ar thur W hit m an

F

ounded in San Francisco in 1962 and based out of New York City since 1967, Artforum magazine has long been part of the furniture of contemporary

— in particular, self-avowedly “contemporary” — art. Known for its distinctive 10 ½ x 10 ½ inch footprint and glossy, often garish visual content, the publication has

been both widely read and widely mocked.

At least half of each phonebook-thick volume is composed of advertisements for major commercial galleries — a tradition that has led New York Magazine art scribe Jerry Saltz, not altogether unfairly, to describe the publication’s ads as the “porn” of the contemporary art world.

Painter and mixed media artist Barbara Page, long based in Trumansburg, is known for her eclectic and often offbeat series. “Iterations: New work by Barbara Page,” is now on view (Jan. 15 – Feb. 26) at Corners Gallery in Cayuga Heights.

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She has often worked with collage in her previously exhibited paintings. This is the first local show of her “AdForum” photocollages, which use the work of other artists published in the journal as their raw material. She has been working on these for several years although all the pieces here are from the past year or so.

Photocollage as a fine art dates back to the Dadaism and Surrealism that came to prominence in Europe in the years following World War I. An offshoot of the slightly earlier Cubist collage of Picasso and Braque, artists took disparate fragments of often mass media imagery, assembling improbable fictions of an often polemical or dream-like nature. What was once a novel and transgressive mode of picture-making has long been absorbed into the artistic—and popular—mainstream. Nonetheless, when done artfully, its unexpected juxtapositions maintain a power to delight and provoke.

Like some classic photocollage artists, Page rephotographs her work rather than showing her original cut and glued configurations. As products of the digital photo era, the printed imagery on show at Corners has gone through many stages of on-screen and analog manipulation. It originates in paintings, drawings, photographs, and the odd sculpture by presumably reputable artists. (Alas, this provincial art reviewer was only able to recognize a few — which apparently places me above the artist herself.)

Some pieces here hit a bit harder than others. Among the most memorable are a couple that emphasize bright, flat color and abstract design over readily recognizable imagery. “AMuse” (the title derives a bit of text hidden in the upper left corner) juxtaposes an irregular, squarish shape — composed in areas of flat colors and mixed

pattern — against a similarly hued but more intricately detailed backdrop of photographic and painterly textures. Similarly, “Fringe Benefits” suggests a Pop version of Matisse’s cut-outs, with boldly colored torn and cut shapes in a seemingly casual but evocative layering.

But the dominant “theme” here is the endless borrowing and re-borrowing from high and low culture that has characterized mainstream “contemporary” art in its post-Pop condition of the past half-century or so. There’s something a bit tedious and academic here, even in Page’s characteristically lively iterations.

Examples abound. “About Face” manages a density that strains legibility but eventually snaps into focus. A small

propeller aircraft — recalling the artist’s self-mythologizing history as a pilot — occupies the right side of a strip of solid red “sky.” Below: images of a mosaic, an antique map and Albrecht Dürer’s (1504) engraving of Adam and Eve express an imagination seemingly overfull. Imagery becomes texture.

Cartoon animals, some already “appropriated” as high art, are given yet another rerun in pieces like “Seeing Red,” “Framed,” and “Mickey March.” “Stealing Thunder” nicks the drum insignia from “Sgt. Pepper” — recalling British Pop artist Peter Blake’s ingenious photocollage cover from that high-low mashup of the artist’s twenties.

“Iterations” is made up of unabashedly minor work. (This is part of the fun of following Page’s strategically wide-ranging oeuvre.) The formal design element of most of these pieces is strong enough — perhaps stronger than some of the contemporary artworks being “sampled.” The metaphorical and imaginative resonances of the juxtaposed imagery are entertaining and witty and the social commentary is not overplayed.

This is the first show at Corners since owner Ariel Bullion Ecklund let go of her design shop experiment, “the living room,” a few weeks ago in order to refocus her diverse efforts as artist, framer, and gallerist.

By the looks of things, she is still getting the gallery back in order.

One might have hoped for a larger show — particularly given the fact that excess is, in fact, the central theme of this work. Also valuable for us dedicated Pagewatchers would have been if this new work was contextualized with a few older photocollage prints. Or, even better, her collage paintings, which would have offered viewers a greater sense of the material presence that lurks behind her manipulations of image and sign here.

Corners Gallery located at 903 Hanshaw Road in Ithaca. It’s open 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. Tuesday - Friday, and 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. on Saturday.A r t s

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Film

The Bee Gees and the Beast An anime take on a classic fairy tale, and a documentary featuring the Bee Gees

By Br yan VanC ampe n

I

haven’t seen a lot of anime, but I know that this is a genre that has no poker face. Anime plays out in florid, operatic emotions writ as large as is possible.

Mamoru Hosada’s “Belle” (Studio ChizuToho, 2021, 124 min.) is both an intriguing editorial reply about the consequences of virtual reality and a stunning homage Mamoru Hosada’s “Belle” (Studio Chizu-Toho, 2021, 124 min.)

to the 17th-century fairy tale “Beauty and the Beast.”

“Belle” establishes a state-of-the-art virtual reality app that allows you to adopt any conceivable avatar and a pop star named Belle holds sway over everyone. We then meet a shy high school girl named Suzu still grieving for her late mother and unable to connect with her father. As Suzu/Belle begins exploring the virtual universe, she connects with a hoglike beast with great locks of rock star hair. As she protects her hideous prince from the authorities, she also helps people in the real world.

“Belle” has a lot to say about VR and isolation and ignoring the real world, and it’s a dense palette of elements with lots to look at. The ballroom sequence will surely stir memories of Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” (1991). ● ● ●

This story about my dad comes from a place of real affection.

When I was about 15, I asked for a stereo system for my birthday. To me, that meant a turntable, receiver, speakers and maybe a tape deck if cards were played right. My dad wasn’t great with details.

Instead, he got me this weird one-piece stereo unit with a turntable and an 8-track player, and three 8-track cartridges: the Beatles’ “Yellow Submarine,” and greatest hits albums by Blood, Sweat and Tears and the Bee Gees.

This was back when the Bee Gees and the “Saturday Night Fever” soundtrack weren’t just ubiquitous but inescapable, not that I knew a thing about Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb. The Bee Gees album didn’t have any disco on it, but rather folkpop gems I’d never heard, like “I Started a Joke,” “Lonely Days,” and the awesome “Massachusetts.” Right away, I fell in love with Robin’s sweet vibrato, Barry’s falsetto and Maurice’s harmony. Then the whole disco craze imploded, and I didn’t hear much from the Gibbs after that.

The great thing for a newbie like me about a documentary like Frank Marshall’s 18 T

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“The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart” (HBO Documentary Films, Polygram Entertainment, 2020, 111 min.) is that it serves as a tuneful crash course on a career unknown to me. I had no idea that the trio had been writing and singing together since 1958, or that they’d already broken up once by the time I got that 8-track cartridge.

There’s a ton of film and video clips I’d never seen of the Bee Gees rehearsing and performing. How do they come off? Here’s legendary DJ and “Midnight Special” host Wolf-

man Jack from his autobiography: “The Bee Gees were some of the best people, and always perfectly rehearsed. They’d get things done in the snap of a finger. Their music wasn’t exactly back-in-the-alley soulful, but after a while in show business, you start to appreciate the folks who are smooth, together and able to get the job done right on the first take.”

Contemporary stars talk about the influence of the Bee Gees, and you’ll hear insightful commentary from the likes of Justin Timberlake, Chris Martin and Noel Gallagher. If you’re a total newb, get ready to jot down the titles of lots and lots of great songs.

RIP: Meat Loaf (“Rocky Horror Picture Show,” “Fight Club”)

RIP: Louie Anderson (“Coming to America,” “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” “Cloak & Dagger”) RIP Producer Mace Neufeld (“The Omen,” “The Hunt for Red October,” “Patriot Games,” “The Saint,” “Lost in Space”)

Cinemapolis “Belle” is playing at Cinemapolis.

“The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart” is available on home video.

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• Walk-in wait times available in eGuthrie and at www.Guthrie.org. You can also use eGuthrie to reserve your space at walk-in.

• Access to a large network of specialists, including more than 20 specialties at Guthrie Ithaca City Harbor and Guthrie Ithaca on Hanshaw Road.

• Convenience of self-scheduling online through eGuthrie or through one dedicated number: 866-GUTHRIE (866-488-4743)

Trust Guthrie for all your family health care needs.

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LANDSCAPER: A Full-Time position, working with adolescents in a residential treatment center. Degree in related field and experience working with adolescent teens preferred. Previous experience in grounds, lawn maintenance or horticulture, general maintenance with tractors,farm equipment, including lawn and garden tools, chainsaws and power tools.

PREP COOK - DINING FACILITY: A Full-time position, working with adolescents in a residential treatment center. 4 day work week.

COOK: A full-time position, working with adolescents in a residential treatment center. 4 day work week. High school diploma or GED and a valid NYS Driver’s license required.

CASE PLANNER: A full time position in a residential treatment center for adolescents. Responsible for the development and coordination of individual treatment planning for residents and their families. Implementation of treatment planning and discharge planning, along with appropriate continuing care recommendations. Bachelor’s or Master’s degree from an accredited college or university, with a major in Human Services or a related field. One or more year’s direct work experience working with youth in a counseling position.

RECREATION WORKER: A Full-Time position in the Recreation Department. 5-day work week. Extensive background in sports and recreation required. BS/ AAS in Recreation or Physical Education preferred.

For complete job descriptions, or to fill out an online application,

For complete job descriptions, or to fill out an online application,

The William George Agency

The William George Agency

Visit us online at: www.wgaforchildren.org/ career-opportunities or call 607-844-6460

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/January

Visit us online at: www.wgaforchildren.org/ career-opportunities or call 607-844-6460

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Salary $33,280 F/T Minimum Overtime available Full time/Part time Flexible Hours

Benefits Health/Dental/Vision Life, 401k Personal/Sick time Meals provided on duty

Vacation Generous vacation package

Requirements Valid NYS Driver’s License Diploma/GED

Fully Local.

Totally Mobile.

Send Money Fast.

Mobile Check Deposit.

Lost Card?

Turn it Off.

Music

1/30 Sunday

friends, contribute to her writers room, and feel at home.

Bars/Bands/Clubs

Concerto Competition at Ford Hall | 1 p.m.| Ithaca College

Paula Poundstone at the State Theatre of Ithaca | 8 p.m., 2/4 Friday | State Theatre of Ithaca, 107 West State St | Appearing on stage with a stool, a microphone and a can of Diet Pepsi, she has one of comedy’s most nimble and | $25.00

1/29 Saturday Live Music feat. Tru Bleu | 1 p.m. | Treleaven Wines, 658 Lake Road Elevate : Techno & House music : 4 DJs | 9 p.m. | Forest City Lodge 180, 536 W Green St | $5.00 Concerts/Recitals

1/27 Thursday Concert: Albert Cummings | 8 p.m. | Center for the Arts of Homer, 72 S Main St

1/29 Saturday Elective Recital: Alexa Rahman, soprano at Nabenhauer Recital Room | 7 p.m.| Ithaca College Souk | 7 p.m. | Trumansburg Conservatory of Fine Arts, 5 McLallen St | SOUK will perform “Alf Leila wi Leila”, a famous Egyptian song composed for the great Um Kalthoum in 1969 by Baligh Hamdi, with poetry by Mursi Jamal Aziz.| $12.00 - $15.00

2/6 Sunday Elective Recital: Kana March and Katie Dursi, viola at Nabenhauer Recital Room | 1 p.m.| Ithaca College Elective Recital: Emma Commisso, soprano and Nick Capidilupo, tenor at Nabenhauer Recital Room | 3 p.m.| Ithaca College Elective Recital: Logan Owens, tuba at Nabenhauer Recital Room | 7 p.m.| Ithaca College

Art The More You Look, The More You See | 12 p.m., 1/27 Thursday | State of the Art Gallery, 120 West State Street | Art Exhibit- The More You look, The More You See

Stage

The Gallery at South Hill, Marc Reed “protect me from what i want” | 12 p.m., 1/29 Saturday | The Gallery at South Hill, 950 Danby Road | The Gallery at South Hill presents Marc Reed’s exhibit “protect me from what i want”. Drawings in charcoal and pastel referencing mythology, saints, tarot and mysticism recombined in a personal narrative. | Free

Fade by Tanya Saracho at Kitchen Theatre | 7:30 p.m., 2/1 Tuesday | FADE WRITTEN BY TANYA SARACHO FEB 1 - FEB 20, 2022 At her first TV writing job, Lucia, a Mexican-born novelist, struggles to make new

ITERATIONS | 3 p.m., 2/2 Wednesday | the corners gallery, corners gallery, 903 Hanshaw Rd | This new series by Trumansburg artists Barbara Page, explores repeated alterations of advertisements, extracted from old

2/9 Wednesday Arco Musical: The Robert G. Boehmler Community Foundation Series at Ford Hall | 8:15 p.m.| Ithaca College

issues of ArtForum magazine. The exhibit is on view through Feb. 26.

Film Virtual Cornell Cinema: La Strada | 1/26 Wednesday | Virtual | CU Cinema is Virtual until Feb 7. Please visit http://cinema.cornell.edu for details on streaming this week’s films.

Federico Fellini’s “La Strada” will play through 2/6.

Virtual Cornell Cinema: Flowers of Shanghai | 1/26 Wednesday | Virtual | CU Cinema is Virtual until Feb 7.

Please visit http://cinema.cornell.edu for details on streaming this week’s films. Hou Hsiao-hsien’s “Flowers of Shanghai” will play through 2/6.

Virtual Cornell Cinema: Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy | 1/26 Wednesday | Virtual | CU Cinema is Virtual until Feb 7. Please visit http:// cinema.cornell.edu for details on streaming this week’s films. The Ithaca premiere of Ryûsuke Hamaguchi’s acclaimed new film “Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy” will play through 2/6. | $0.00 - $6.00 Clean | 1/28 Friday | Cinemapolis, 120 E. Green Street. | This film was shot in CNY! Tormented by his past, a garbage man named Clean attempts a quiet life of redemption. But, soon

finds himself forced to reconcile with the violence of his past. With Adrien Brody.

Flee | 1/28 Friday | Cinemapolis, 120 E. Green Street. | FLEE tells the story of Amin Nawabi as he grapples with a painful secret he has kept hidden for 20 years, one that threatens to derail the life he has built for himself and his soon-to-be husband. Told mainly through animation.

Parallel Mothers | 1/28 Friday | Cinemapolis, 120 E. Green Street. | Two single women meet in a hospital room where they are both going to give birth. One is middle-aged and doesn’t regret it, while the other is adolescent and scared. The two women form a strong bond as they confront motherhood.

The Velvet Queen | 1/29 Saturday | Cinemapolis, 120 E. Green Street. | In the heart of the Tibetan highlands, multi-award-winning nature photographer Vincent Munier guides writer Sylvain Tesson on his quest to document the infamously elusive snow leopard. Ends 2/3.

Belle | 1/29 Saturday | Cinemapolis, 120 E. Green Street. | Suzu is a shy, everyday high school student living in a rural village. For years, she has only been a shadow of herself. But when she enters “U”, a massive virtual world, she escapes into her online persona as Belle, a gorgeous and globally-beloved singer. Ends 2/3.

Licorice Pizza | 1/29 Saturday | Cinemapolis, 120 E. Green Street. | The latest film from Paul Thomas Anderson is the story of Alana Kane and Gary Valentine growing up, running around and going through the treacherous navigation of first love in the San Fernando Valley, 1973.

Ends 2/3.

The Tragedy of Macbeth | 1/29 Saturday | Cinemapolis, 120 E. Green Street. | A Scottish lord becomes convinced by a trio of witches that he will become the next King of Scotland, and his ambitious wife supports him in his plans of seizing power. Directed

by Joel Coen and starring Frances McDormand and Denzel Washington.

Ends 2/3.

Special Events Cayuga Trails Club Hike at Various trails in the Ithaca region. | 10 a.m., 1/29 Saturday | Explore local

trails on weekly Saturday hikes starting at 10:00am. Hike length varies from 2.5-4 miles. Click here to see the location of the hikes for each week.

Evening of Jewish Stories, Poetry and Music | 7:30 p.m., 1/29 Saturday | Temple Beth El, virtual event | The 23rd annual, family-friendly event will take place virtually this year. Join us by registering at www.tbeithaca.org/ event/ | Free Cayuga Trails Club Hike at Various trails throughout the Ithaca region. | 10 a.m., 2/1 Tuesday | Explore local trails on weekly Tuesday hikes starting at 10:00am. Hike length varies from 2.5-4 miles. Click here to see the location of the hike for the upcoming hike.

Talks and Treks: Wildlife Tracking and Signs at Lindsay-Parsons Biodiversity Preserve—West Danby | 9 a.m., 2/5 Saturday | With over 20 years of experience in environmental education, tracker and naturalist Linda Spielman will lead a trip to discover what’s been visiting the LindsayParsons Biodiversity Preserve.

Festival of Fire and Ice at Ithaca Children’s Garden | 3 p.m., 2/5 Saturday | This year the festival will take place on Saturday Feb. 5th, 2022, time 3-6PM at the Garden.

Books Presentation on Greek Mythology | 6 p.m., 1/26 Wednesday | Edith B. Ford Memorial Library, 7169 Main Street, Ovid | Join Hunter College professor, Lawrence Kowerski, in an introductory lecture on Greek mythology. Presentation on Zoom. | Free We Read Diverse Books - There There by Tommy Orange | 6:30 p.m., 1/26 Wednesday | Phillips Free Library, 37 South Main Street, Homer | monthly virtual book club discusses novels centered on characters with diverse cultures, ethnicities, and life experiences. The book club meets via zoom on the fourth Wednesday of the month.

Book Club - The Other Einstein: A Novel | 7 p.m., 1/31 Monday | Center for the Arts of Homer, 72 S Main St | Participation is FREE. You need to obtain your own books. All are welcome!

SATURDAY, JANUARY 29TH AT 7:00 PM

Trumansburg Conservatory of Fine Arts, 5 McLallen St., Trumansburg | SOUK was founded by Nikolai Ruskin along with Dara Anissi, and Jesse Konnecke to perform traditional Arab and Turkish music on oud, nay, violin, riq and darbuka. They will be joined by Mark Karlsen on saxophone as well as student and faculty members of the Cornell Arabic Music Club. (Photo: Facebook)

SATURDAY, JANUARY 29TH AT 7:30 PM Virtual Event - https://tinyurl.com/4askcxxz | Temple Beth El proudly hosts this annual celebration with original stories, traditional tales, jokes, folk and contemporary poetry, and dynamic live music from around the world. (Photo: Provided)

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THISWEEK

THE 23RD ANNUAL EVENING OF JEWISH STORYTELLING, POETRY AND MUSIC

SOUK

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Town & Country

Classifieds In Print

|

On Line |

10 Newspapers

277-7000 Phone: Mon.-Fri. 9am-5pm Fax: 277-1012 (24 Hrs Daily)

AUTOMOTIVE

| 59,200 Readers

Internet: www.ithaca.com Mail: Ithaca Times Classified Dept PO Box 27 Ithaca NY 14850 In Person: Mon.-Fri. 9am-5pm 109 North Cayuga Street

AUTOMOTIVE

BUY SELL TRADE

Drive out Breast Cancer:

Donate a car today! The benefits of donating your car or boat: Fast Free Pick-up - 24hr Response Tax Deduction - Easy To Do! Call 24/7: 855-9054755. (NYSCAN)

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SAVE MONEY ON EXPENSIVE AUTO REPAIRS!

CASH FOR CARS!

We buy all cars! Junk, high-end, totaled – it doesn’t matter! Get free towing and same day cash! NEWER MODELS too! Call 866-535-9689 (AAN CAN)

Your donation helps fund the search for missing children. Accepting Trucks, Motorcycles & RV’s , too! Fast Free Pickup – Running or Not - 24 Hour Response - Maximum Tax Donation – Call 877-266-0681 (AAN CAN)

 Entering financial transactions in databases & document transaction details  Produce work with a high level of accuracy and attention to detail Work Hours: Wednesday, Thursday and Friday 9- 5 Qualifications / Skills:  Accounting  Confidentiality  Attention to detail and accuracy  A knowledge and/or appreciation of newspapers and the media business  Able to multitask, prioritize, work under pressure and meet deadlines  Ability to communicate complex data clearly  Excellent data entry skills  Great interpersonal and customer service skills  Familiarity with a wide range of financial transactions including Accounts Payable and Accounts Receivable  Experience with MS Office and Google Apps  Experience with spreadsheets and proprietary software  Professionalism and organization skills Education & Experience Requirements:  Proficient with office software  Previous bookkeeping experience preferred  Associates degree or at least one year of experience Job Type: Part Time Respond with Resume to: jbilinski@ithacatimes.com

DISH TV

$64.99 For 190 Channels + $14.95 High Speed Internet. Free Installation, Smart HD DVR Included, Free Voice Remote. Some restrictions apply. 1-855-380-2501. (AAN CAN)

110/Automotive Services

DONATE YOUR CAR TO KIDS

Our vehicle service program can save you up to 60% off dealer prices and provides you excellent coverage! Call for a free quote: 866-915-2263 (Mon-Fri: 9am-4pm PST) (AAN CAN)

200/Buy / Sell / Trade

EMPLOYMENT

Delivery Driver

Driver with SUV-sized car and good driving record to deliver newspapers 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Wednesdays year-round in and around Ithaca. Call 607 2777000 x 1214.

GET DIRECT TV

Freon Wanted:

We pay CA$H for cylinders and cans. R12 R500 R11 R113 R114. Convenient. Certified Professionals. Call 312-291-9169 or visit RefrigerantFinders. com (NYSCAN)

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OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST I

OCM BOCES has a need for an Itinerant Occupational Therapist I in district-based classrooms located throughout Cortland County. Qualifications: Licensed and currently registered as an Occupational Therapist. Applications accepted online only. Register and apply at: www.olasjobs. org/central. For more information regarding this vacancy please visit: www.ocmboces.org EOE

400/Employment

hometown electrical distributor Your one Stop Shop

We are looking for a cheerful, professional, detail-oriented person to join our team serving Ithaca and the surrounding community at the Ithaca Times, Ithaca.com and the Finger Lakes community newspapers.

Job Responsibilities:  Maintain account records  Monthly billing  Scheduling and administering legal, display and classified advertising  Process accounts receivable/payable and handle payroll in a timely manner

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Cape Chalet and Ranch Home on Display at Hawkins Home, 46 King Road, Harpursville, NY 12878. Order now and take delivery as early as May. 607-693-2551 - Financing Available.

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www.SouthSenecaWindows.com Romulus, NY Romulus, NY 315-585-6050 or 315-585-6050 Toll Free at I t h a c a 866-585-6050 Tori m e sFree / Jata n u a r y Toll

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BATH & SHOWER UPDATES

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HOME REPAIRS

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COMPUTER & IT TRAINING

Train ONLINE to get the skills to become a Computer & Help Desk Professional now! Grants and Scholarships available for certain programs for qualified applicants. Call CTI for details!

1-855-554-4616. The Mission, Program Information and Tuition is located at CareerTechnical.edu/ consumer-information. (AAN CAN)

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Become a Medical Office Professional online at CTI! Get Trained, Certified & ready to work in months! Call 855-543-6440. (M-F 8am-6pm ET) (NYSCAN)

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DELIVERY Part-Time Route Driver needed for delivery of newspapers every Wednesday.

Must be available 9am-1pm, have reliable transportation, and a good driving record.

Call 277-7000

BANKRUPTCY

AUTO ACCIDENT INJURY, SLIP & FALL? “BAMBINO BROKE A BONE” SINGLE CH 7 BANKRUPTCY $650 LF RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE CLOSING $650 LF WILLS ESTATES SSD CORPORATIONS CALL MARK “THE HAMMER” GUGINO 144 BALD HILL RD DANBY NY BK@TWCNY.RR.COM + 607-207-0888

640/Houses

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22 T

SERVICES

Account Billing Manager

Ithaca’s only

Since 1984 802 W. Seneca St. Ithaca 607-272-1711 fax: 607-272-3102 www.fingerlakeselectric.com

SERVICES

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PIANOS

• Rebuilt • Reconditioned • Bought• Sold • Moved • Tuned • Rented

Complete rebuilding services.

No job too big or too small.

Call us.

Ithaca Piano Rebuilders (607) 272-6547 950 Danby Rd., Suite 26

South Hill Business Campus, Ithaca, NY

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DISH TV

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Complete Care Home Warranty COVERS ALL MAJOR SYSTEMS AND APPLIANCES. 30 DAY RISK FREE. $200.00 OFF + 2 FREE Months!

1-866-440-6501 (NYSCAN)

SERVICES

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The Generac PWRcell

COMPUTER & IT TRAINING PROGRAM!

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a solar plus battery storage system. SAVE money, reduce your reliance on the grid, prepare for power outages and power your home. Full installation services available. $0 Down Financing Option. Request a FREE, no obligation, quote today. Call 1-888-871-0194. (NYSCAN)

Train ONLINE to get the skills to become a Computer & Help Desk Professional now! Now offering grants & scholarships for certain programs for qualified applicants. Call CTI for details! (844) 947-0192 (M-F 8AM-6PM ET) (NYSCAN)

820/Computer

855/Misc.

SERVICES

We edit, print and distribute your work internationally. We do the work… You reap the Rewards!

Call for a FREE Author’s Submission Kit: 844-5111836. (AAN CAN)

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HughesNet Satellite Internet

Finally, no hard data limits! Call Today for speeds up to 25mbps as low as $59.99/mo! $75 gift card, terms apply. 1-844-416-7147. m (AAN CAN)

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NOTICE TO NEW YORK RESIDENTS

DENTAL Insurance

Homeowner Funding enables families to make necessary energy efficient home repairs who: • • •

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Product not available in all states. Includes the Participating (in GA: Designated) Providers and Preventive Benefits Rider. Acceptance guaranteed for one insurance policy/certificate of this type. Contact us for complete details about this insurance solicitation. This specific offer is not available in CO, NY; call 1-800-969-4781 or respond for similar offer.

Certificate C250A (ID: C250E; PA: C250Q); Insurance Policy P150 (GA: P150GA; NY: P150NY; OK: P150OK; TN: P150TN). Rider kinds: B438, B439 (GA: B439B).

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Candidates should have a demonstrated record of student achievement, as well as be comfortable leveraging technology and a variety of tools to engage students in learning. Position is for live instruction delivered remotely during normal school hours.

Ideally, we are looking for a full-time position, but candidates who can work part time are encouraged to apply. Interested applicants apply online at: www.olasjobs.org/central. For more information regarding this posting, please contact Kathryn Daughton at 315-431-8419 or visit our website at: www.ocmboces.org EOE

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New orders only. Does not include material costs. Cannot be combined with any other offer. Minimum purchase required. Other restrictions may apply. This is an advertisement placed on behalf of Erie Construction Mid-West, Inc (“Erie”). Offer terms and conditions may apply and the offer may not be available in your area.

Offer expires March 31, 2022. If you call the number provided, you consent to being contacted by telephone, SMS text message, email, pre-recorded messages by Erie or its affiliates and service providers using automated technologies notwithstanding if you are on a DO NOT CALL list or register. Please review our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use on homeservicescompliance.com. All rights reserved.

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For rates and information contact Toni Crouch at toni@ithactimes.com

277-7000 p h o n e 277-1012 f a x

ANIMALS LAND & SEA

75% OFF SALE HANDWORK Artisan Cooperative

FLYITHACA.COM

Convenient-Clean-Connected

FingerLakesAnimalRights.org

FREE TAX PREP Lifelong (607) 216-7622 Get The New Ithaca Times Mobile App Available in Appstore & Google Play

CLEANING SERVICES

ITHACA NEWS

PIANOS Rebuilt, Reconditioned, Bought, Sold, Moved Tuned, Rented Complete Rebuilding Services No job too big or too small

Ithaca Piano Rebuilders (607) 272-6547 950 Danby Rd, Suite 26 South Hill Business Campus, Ithaca

It’s time for our big Winter

RESIDENTIAL & COMMERCIAL

Second’s Sale!

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Feb. 2nd - 20th, 2022

INDEPENDENCE CLEANERS CORP

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Text ITHACA to 22828 to Sign up

CEREMONIES

102 W. State St., Downtown Ithaca

COME WORK WITH US! Hospicare is

LIFETIME NUTRITION SERVICES

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Hiring All Positions

*Sale does not combine with other discounts

HANDWORK CO-OP

Specializing in Diabetes Prevention and

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Management

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607-272-1297

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AAM ALL ABOUT MACS

Diane’s Downtown Automotive

Macintosh Consulting http://www.allaboutmacs.com

Peaceful Spirit Acupuncture Anthony R. Fazio, L.Ac., D.A.O.M.(c) www.peacefulspiritacupuncture.com

607-272-0114

/January

Men’s and Women’s Alterations for over 20 years

FAMOUSBRANDSOUTLET.COM 412 N. Franklin Street

Fur & Leather repair, zipper repair.

Same Day Service Available

Watkins Glen, NY 14891

John’s Tailor Shop

888-535-4952

John Serferlis - Tailor

Family Owned & Operated

102 The Commons

Since 1983

273-3192

Sponsored by: Ithac a T imes

866-585-6050

Ithaca.com & Ithaca Times

Get the new Ithaca.com App!

h e

Call Larry at 607-277-7000 ext 214

(607) 272-AUTO (2886)

UNIQUE. LOCAL. ORIGINAL.

24 T

Romulus, NY 315-585-6050 or

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SOUTH SENECA VINYL

www.SouthSenecaWindows.com YOUR CBD STORE The only dedicated retail store for all things CBD 308 E. Seneca Street * Ithaca 845-244-0868

SERENDIPITY BOUTIQUE Women’s, Men’s Clothing and More 205 N. Aurora St., Ithaca Open 11-6, Tues - Sat