April 26, 2023

Earth Day ‘BlocParty’

Updating Community on Status of Green New Deal

COUNTY

REDIRECTING

SECOND WIND

FUNDING

TCAT REQUESTS ADDITIONAL FUNDING FROM ALBANY PAGE 4

OKUMU FAMILY

FIGHTING QUESTIONABLE FORECLOSURE PAGE 5

N EWS LINE

County Redirecting Second Wind Community Recovery Funding

By Matt Dougherty

Following the withdrawal of Second Wind Cottages’ application to the Community Recovery Fund, the Tompkins County Legislature has decided to re-allocate $510,000 in funding to other applicants.

In a recent interview County legislator Dan Klein said, “We had to invent a system to reallocate the money. Since this program was invented from scratch. ere was nothing in the rulebook sitting there waiting for us.”

Klein said that the criteria for approval will remain the same, but that it’s “pretty broad.” According to Klein, “the money came from the federal government as COVID stimulus money so part of it is trying to fund organizations and e orts that will help the community recover from the trauma that was the pandemic.”

He continued saying, “that can be interpreted very broadly. We’re looking at things like daycare, housing, mental health, broadband big topics that are difcult to tackle.”

e committee in charge of redirecting the funds made the following decisions in advance of the reallocation:

According to Klein, as soon as it became apparent that there was going to be a redistribution of funds the legislature began hearing from a number of organizations that didn’t get awarded funds the rst time around and wanted a piece of the pie. As a result, e committee in charge

of redirecting the funds voted in favor of asking organizations to refrain from lobbying the Legislature to advocate for their applications.

“We’re not going to consider unsolicited information. We’ve got all the information we need in the applications and we’re going to make a decision based on that,” Klein said.

ey have also said that no new applications will be accepted and additional money will not be granted to those who have already received funding, with an exception for the Tompkins Chamber, who was the last organization previously funded and received partial funding based on what was previously le .

According to the committee, applicants eligible for this round of funding are the 27 applicants who made the rst scoring cut in 2022.

In addition, all 14 Legislators are able to select one remaining unfunded application and add to the new eligible list. is list will include up to 41 applicants.

ose 41 applicants will be contacted and asked whether they wish to modify their minimum or maximum dollar request, if they do so they must provide a narrative.

All 14 Legislators will have the opportunity to score the new eligible list of applicants. ose scores will be tabulated by the consultant, MRB Group, and compiled into one nal merged spreadsheet for a vote by the Committee and ultimately the full Legislature.

T AKE N OTE

Job Fair to Take Place on the Commons Sunday

The Downtown Ithaca Alliance is hosting a local job fair on the Commons, at the end of the month, on Sunday, April 30th from 10am3pm. The job fair will be hosted in conjunction with the City of Ithaca, Tompkins Chamber of Commerce, GO Ithaca, Child Development Council, Tompkins County, TST Boces and Workforce NY.

This is not a typical job fair. During this event, a central welcome area will be set up at the Bernie Milton Pavilion, where people will then walk around to the participating downtown businesses to get speci c

information about job opportunities in the downtown area. Also at the welcome table, there will be various organizational collateral materials available for pick up, including: a list of downtown job openings, coupons to downtown eateries, “enter to win” ra e for downtown gift cards, and a downtown business district map with locations of local businesses where jobs are available.

With hundreds of businesses in and around the Commons seeking employees, there are a variety of job options available from line cooks to o ce positions.

e new eligible list is posted to the Tompkins County Website: https://www. tompkinscountyny.gov/communityrecoveryfund

Klein said that this process will allow organizations “that didn’t even make the rst cut last year, get one more chance depending on if one of the legislators picks them or not.”

According to Klien, “ e committee will be meeting on May 1 to vote. And then that recommendation goes to the full legislature later in May.”

“One of the most important issues facing Downtown Ithaca today is the shortage of workers in key employment segments. It is our hope that this job fair will provide an opportunity to match job openings with people interested and eager to take on new or additional work,” says Gary Ferguson, Executive Director of the DIA.

For any updates on this event, please visit our Facebook page (https://www. facebook.com/downtownithaca/) and/or our Instagram page (https://www.instagram.com/ downtownithaca/).

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New Times (1972–1978) and The Good

Tompkins County Legislator Dan Klein (Photo Credit: Tompkins County)

IN UIRING PHOTOGRPHER Q A

By Josh Baldo

WHAT WOULD YOU NAME THIS CHAPTER OF YOUR LIFE?

More Help from Albany Needed to Sustain Upstate Transit

By Matt Dougherty

New York’s State budget for scal year 2023-24 was supposed to be passed on April 1st but it has been held in limbo for weeks over disagreements between the State Legislature and Governor Kathy Hochul over issues from bail reform, to housing, healthcare and transportation.

As lawmakers attempt to come to a budget agreement, TCAT has joined the New York Public Transit Association (NYPTA) in urging Governor Hochul and state lawmakers to substantially boost investments in upstate transit agencies or closer in proportion to increases being proposed for New York City transit.

In her Fiscal Year 2023-2024 budget plan, Gov. Hochul called for State Operating Assistance (STOA) to increase by 7.1 percent for upstate agencies, by 8.5 percent for non-MTA downstate properties, and by 25 percent for the MTA.

However, NYPTA has announced that they are seeking a 20-percent increase in funding for upstate agencies as “transit systems across the state face similar nancial challenges as the MTA, including the loss of revenue, impact of in ation, rising capital needs from the costly transition to zero-emission vehicles, and customer demands for greater service frequencies and new mobility options.”

All too frequently, TCAT and other agencies have had to cover operational costs by reassigning federal money originally designated for much-needed capital projects. TCAT has asked riders and stakeholders to contact Gov. Hochul’s o ce and the local state house delegation to advocate for NYPTA’s proposals that also include:

• Enacting dedicated, sustainable revenues, such as casino revenues proposed by Gov. Hochul for the MTA, to fund STOA increases.

• Supporting Gov. Hochul’s proposal to invest $10 million in an on-demand pilot program for non-MTA agencies.

• Supporting Gov. Hochul’s request for $159.5 in capital funding for non-MTA systems is consistent with the ve-year capital plan approved last year.

• Continuing STOA’s “hold-harmless” provision for formula systems like TCAT that are impacted by pandemic ridership loss.

State Operating Assistance funds are TCAT’s largest single source of funding, approximately 31 percent of its overall $19.2 million operating budget, which is calculated based on ridership and miles traveled. Fare revenue accounts for a total of roughly 30 percent of TCAT’s budget. at includes the $3.3 million payment from Cornell University’s annual bus pass program. In addition, the City of Ithaca, Tompkins County, and Cornell University each provide 18 percent of the total operating budget, totaling roughly $2.8 million.

At the end of 2022, TCAT’s ridership was 2.4 million or about 60 percent of what it was in pre-pandemic 2019. A er the onset of the pandemic, the state implemented the hold-harmless provision that enabled STOA payments to be calculated using the higher 2019 pre-pandemic ridership numbers.

Unless the hold-harmless provision is extended, TCAT stands to lose approximately $3 million in STOA funding and will continue to lose funding until ridership fully recovers. “While we’ve been recovering ridership gradually, the cost of operating has been accelerating,” said TCAT General Manager Scot Vanderpool.

“We need this critical funding to adjust to in ation, adequately compensate our employees in a tight labor market, and provide better service and technologies to retain, recover and attract more riders by giving them the service they deserve.”

TCAT also requires signi cant investment to implement portions of its 2021 Transit Development Plan to enhance overall service, improve signage and amenities, and to develop on-demand service in low-density areas. TCAT and its community partners recently secured a $7 million grant for an electric mobility project to include on-demand service to underserved neighborhoods in the city. However, far greater investment is needed to provide similar mobility options for underserved populations all across the county.

For more information about NYPTA’s proposals, see the complete testimony presented by Bill Carpenter, NYPTA president, to a Joint Hearing of the Senate Committee on Finance and the Assembly Standing Committee on Ways and Means on Feb. 6: https://nytransit.org/images/positionpapers/2023/2023_state_budget_testimony_ nal.pdf

– Matt D.

– Stella F.

– David R. “Renewal.”

– Deserie Q.

“Base reconstruction and rebuild inspection.”

– Manny Q.

Amid New York State budget debates TCAT is requesting an increase in State Operating Assistance Funds. (Photo Credit: Josh Baldo)

Okumu Family Faces Eviction from Home Unless Foreclosure Reversed by New York Supreme Court

By Matt Dougherty

Dr. Ben Okumu is ghting to keep his family’s home a er it was taken from him in a questionable foreclosure process and sold at auction to a new buyer, Mr. Claes Nyberg. Nyberg has been attempting to evict Okumu for months, and was able to obtain a warrant for eviction following a hearing that occurred in the Town of Ithaca court on April 25 despite the fact that Okumu’s habitability rights have been violated by Nyberg for the past ve months.

Okumu is working on the process of appealing the judge’s decision and hopes that a New York State Supreme Court ruling will prove that the foreclosure was improperly conducted and return the property back to him.

In 2009 the Ithaca community rallied around the Okumu Family by raising more than $20,000 to help them cover the costs of preventing a foreclosure on their home at 112 Maplewood Drive in the City of Ithaca a er Nancy Okumu — wife to Dr. Ben Okumu and mother of their four children — passed away in a severe car accident in Nairobi, Kenya.

e rest of the family have been able to overcome their injuries, but Dr. Okumu says that he continues to struggle from injuries to his leg and foot that were sustained in the crash. He says that he has only been able to receive the medical treatment necessary to keep him alive in Kenya. As a result, he has been forced to travel between the U.S. and Kenya every six months in order to maintain his legal residency status in the U.S. — where his children have continued to live.

According to Okumu — who is an economic advisor for the Kenyan government — the combination of his wife passing away along with the costs associated with frequently traveling between the United States and Kenya resulted in him falling behind on mortgage payments on the home that his family have lived in since 2002.

“ e domino e ect is that when you are forced to live under such conditions a number of things fall by the wayside,” said Okumu. He continued saying that “…it used to be me and my wife paying for the mortgage, but then it was only me.”

Community Bank, the holder of the mortgage on the property, attempted to foreclose on the home in 2009, but thanks to the funds that were raised by the Ithaca community that foreclosure was prevented from taking place.

In New York there is a six year statute of limitations on foreclosures as a result of the Foreclosure Abuse Prevention Act, which took e ect on December 20, 2022. According to NOLO.com, the law “applies retroactively to any pending foreclosure action led before December 30, 2022.” is means that if a foreclosure case was initiated in 2009, it would have until 2015 to be resolved.

Even though the statute of limitations on the 2009 foreclosure had expired in 2015, Community Bank led to foreclose on the property again in 2019, a decade a er the initial foreclosure was attempted. Under the Foreclosure Abuse Prevention Act, this second foreclosure should be considered invalid.

According to Okumu, “ at’s why I say this whole foreclosure is illegal. e whole foreclosure and auction and anything subsequent to that is completely illegal.”

Okumu has also said that the Community Bank has acted illegally by participating in “duel tracking”, meaning that the bank gives noti cation of a foreclosure while at the same time negotiating with the borrower on making outstanding payments towards the mortgage. is practice was common during the foreclosure crisis that occurred during the Great Recession, but according to NOLO.com federal law now “strictly limits the ability of servicers to foreclose on a borrower while also working out a loan modi cation.”

Okumu has struggled to nd a lawyer that is willing to represent him consistently, but has said that he is ling a case with the New York State Supreme Court in an attempt to argue that the foreclosure is invalid and should be reversed.

According to Okumu, when he reached out to Community Bank about the status of his mortgage payments in 2019 they said that he owed $40,000 and would email him a con rmation of the amount owed. However, he said that Community Bank never got back to him with that email.

e next time he heard back from them was in 2020 when they sent a foreclosure

notice to the property. He said the amount owed was also increased from $40,000 to $170,000 for unknown reasons. is has contributed to Dr. Okumu feeling that he is being unfairly discriminated against.

Community Bank has never responded to requests to comment on this story despite repeated requests.

According to Okumu, the property was purchased in 2002 for $174,000 “so it’s like all this time I have been paying just interest which is completely irrational.” He continued saying that the bank should have used the $7,000 he had in escrow to make monthly payments on the mortgage. However, instead of using those funds to make mortgage payments, he said the bank withdrew the money from the account in 2015 and sent a check to the property at 112 Maplewood Drive while he was still in Kenya, unable to receive it.

Fast forward to April 2022 and Community Bank had foreclosed on the property for a second time and sold it at auction for $208,000 to an individual by the name of Mr. Claes Nyberg.

A er Nyberg purchased the property, Okumu says that he reached out to him attempting to explain that he was stuck in Kenya and needed extra time to get his children and sensitive family belongings out of the house. However, Nyberg responded saying that he already sent a ten day eviction notice to the properties residents — Okumu’s children. According to Dr. Okumu, when his children were given the eviction notice “they panicked and took o .”

When Okumu arrived back at his home in Ithaca in December 2022 he said that he “came back to a house that had been trashed.” He even said that sensitive personal documents that were being kept in

UPS DOWNS& Ups

State and local governments will be receiving billions of dollars over the next 18 years as part of opioid lawsuit settlements against opioid manufacturers, pharmacies and distributors.

Downs

On April 24 Ithaca Police O cers responded to a shooting on the 300 block of North Meadow Street. Later that day IPD was also dispatched to respond to a stabbing that occurred on the 600 block of Spencer Road. Investigations into these incidents are ongoing.

Heard

From 11 a.m to 3 p.m. on May 6, the Town of Ithaca, Gayogohó:nǫ representatives and other Haudenosaunee nations will hold an event in Tutelo Park honoring those who lived on the land and those who were given responsibility for being caretakers of the land.

Seen

Acting Chief of Police for the City of Ithaca John Joly has announced that he will be taking a leave of absence from his position as he moves forward with a lawsuit against the city.

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.”

QUESTION OF THE WEEK

Should Cornell University contribute an additional $1.25 million to TCAT to help the organization go fare-free?

90.2% Yes, they can afford it.

2.4% No, they can’t afford it.

7.3% They can afford it but still shouldn’t do it.

Are you satisfied with how the City is living up to the goals of the Ithaca Green New Deal?

Visit ithaca.com to submit your response.

Dr. Ben Okumu in front of his home at 112 Maplewood Drive in Ithaca, New York. (Photo Credit: Aaron Fernando)

Ithaca Common Council Calls on Governor: Pass Good Cause Eviction

By: Mayor Laura Lewis, Alderperson Cynthia Brock, Alderperson George McGonigal, Alderperson Phoebe Brown, Alderperson Ducson Nguyen, Alderperson Jefferey Barken, Alderperson Robert Gearhart, Alderperson Jorge DeFendini, Alderperson Tiffany C. Lunar, Alderperson Robert Cantelmo, Alderperson Kris Haines-Sharp

We, the below-signed Mayor and Common Council of the City of Ithaca, ask for your support for “Prohibition of Eviction without Good Cause” (S3oS). As of the writing of this letter, the 2023 Legislative Session of the New York Legislature has begun. At this time, the New York State Assembly and Senate will be considering a myriad of legislation, all wrestling with consequential issues for the entirety of the state. One such issue is that of housing, speci cally Senate Bill S3o5, colloquially known as “Good Cause Eviction.” First introduced in zor9, this

Carshare Nonprofits are at Risk of Disappearing in New York State

legislation would regulate and prohibit the eviction of tenants and the non-renewal of leases without a “good cause,” listing what such causes would be in the bill’s text.

As it stands currently, the population of tenants throughout New York state are vulnerable to a number of challenges and burdens due to a lack of regulation on the housing market, consequences that would be addressed and recti ed by Good Cause Eviction. is bill would protect tenants from retaliation in the form of eviction, should they ask for repairs or form tenant associations. It would also protect tenants from eviction vis a vis exuberant rent increases, by tying rent increases to in ation. Despite these protections, Good Cause Eviction would leave the housing market and the business of rental housing fundamentally unchanged, with unpaid rent, violation of a lease agreement, and engagement in illicit activities still remaining valid grounds for eviction. With an increasingly volatile and

Continued on Page 19

By Assemblymember Anna Kelles (AD-125) and Senator Lea Webb (SD-52)

Carshares across New York are facing a crisis in securing auto insurance which threatens their ability to operate.

Carshares are membership-based services that provide 24/7 access to a eet of vehicles stationed throughout a community for their members to drive. ey’re di erent from car rentals, because they’re used for local trips by members who can’t a ord or choose not to buy their own vehicle. ey’re also di erent from ridesharing services like Uber or Ly , as members collectively share the cars through a membership system and drive the cars themselves.

Carsharing started in Europe as early as the 1960s and launched in the United States in the 1990s. According to a 2020 analysis by the Transportation Sustainability Research Center at the University of California, Berkeley, by 2012 there were over 800,000 active carshare memberships across the US. By 2018, there were 1,439,399 US carshare members sharing 15,224 vehicles with a ratio of 95:1 members per vehicle.

Carsharing o ers many public and private bene ts. Carshare members pay a small monthly membership fee for access to mobility for important day to day tasks like going to medical appointments, accessing childcare, and food shopping. Carshares also reduce carbon emissions and ease tra c. e US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that transportation accounts for a staggering 27% of all greenhouse gas emissions, making it the largest single contributor of greenhouse gasses in the entire nation. Ultimately, carshares save members signi cant costs associated with owning a vehicle, which makes it an attractive option for those who can’t a ord to buy a vehicle.

Ithaca, Rochester, and Albany all have carsharing services in New York, and Bu alo is working to relaunch one of their own. ese are all currently — or in the process of — moving to a nonpro t model, and provide a critical service for the most vulnerable people in these

communities. In recognition of the role carshares play in achieving our State climate goals, the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) has invested millions into both expanding carshares in New York and helping to fully electrify carshare eets. However, due to the State’s own laws and interpretation of the federal Liability Risk Retention Act (LRRA), all nonpro t carshares in the State will be forced to close this year.

In 1981, the federal government, through the LRRA, created a mechanism for individual industries to have access to insurance through the establishment of Risk Retention Groups (RRGs), enabling them to pool their risk across the industry and establish a collective liability insurance plan. Federal law requires RRGs to be licensed in their domicile state, authorized to engage in the business of insurance under the laws of such State, and follow all regulatory requirements in that state before providing insurance coverage to members of the industry in other states. RRGs cannot be held to di erent standards than requirements of commercial liability insurance companies and cannot be denied participation outright by a non-domicile state. e bene t of RRGs is that it allows the pooling of liability risk and the standardization of assessment and oversight across states. Currently New York State law does not allow for RRGs to provide auto insurance if the RRG is not domiciled within New York, a law that can be viewed as discriminatory and counter to federal law.

As a result of current New York law, carshares in the State have had to rely on commercial insurance that has both stunted the growth of carshares and caused some over the years to shut down.

As of this year, the two major remaining private insurers of carsharing, Zurich Insurance Group and Philadelphia Insurance, are leaving the NYS market (February for Rochester’s Floshare and Albany’s CDTA that are with Zurich and May for Ithaca Carshare that is with Philadelphia).

ere is a RRG, the Alliance for Nonpro t Insurance (ANI), domiciled in Vermont,

BUILDING A PARTNERSHIP: How Cornell Can ‘Do the Greatest Good’ for Ithaca

By Margherita Fabrizio

Aer Cornell’s Tax-Exempt Status and Ithaca’s Bottom Line, was published in the Ithaca Times February 15, 2023, I heard from dozens of Ithacans wanting to know more and work for an equitable partnership between Cornell and our community.

e issue of una ordability for all in the city, whether students, renters, homeowners, landlords, or retirees, struck a nerve. Many wondered aloud at our long-seeming complacency with high taxes and understa ng for basic, critical services, like re, public safety, roads, and water, and were surprised to learn of the over $2.7B worth of tax-exempt property owned by Cornell within the city. e article seemed to unleash a long-simmering, widespread sentiment.

In response to that, a citizens group, the Fair Share Campaign, formed to further explore legislative and legal remedies, and models proposed or already in place in other communities hosting institutions with large, tax-exempt footprints.

e enormous missing piece of a tax base created by tax-exempt landholders is obviously not unique to Ithaca. Our struggle to make up this gap is being replicated in many American college towns. Perhaps future national solutions will remedy the problem. In the meantime, wealthy universities have been called out for being “hedge funds with classes attached,” given the size of endowments and the amount of revenue generated from licensing, patents, and royalties.

In 2021, Cornell’s endowment earned almost $3B but these pro ts were exempted from taxes. It is projected that in about 25 years, the collective total of the Ivy League endowments will top $1 trillion, so it seems inevitable that the pressure to contribute fairly to host communities will only increase. 1% of Cornell’s operating budget is more than half the city’s budget, and 1% of its endowment is more than the city’s total budget.

To ensure all stakeholders are knowledgeable regarding current town-gown partnerships, especially among Ivy League schools, local volunteers are researching and preparing materials to be reviewed

before discussions begin. e current agreement between the City and Cornell is due to expire June 30, 2024. It was originally signed 20 years ago.

Cornell currently contributes $1.5M through a Memorandum of Understanding to the city with more than half earmarked for the Fire Department. Using current assessments and tax rates, if not tax-exempt, Cornell would pay $94M this year totaling $33M to the city, $15M to the county, and $46M to the school district. Cornell pays about $2.8M on taxable property which includes East Hill Plaza. e $94M gure illustrates the large gap in property taxes that we are currently operating with.

Cornell absolutely contributes to the larger Ithaca community in countless ways. It makes Ithaca unique, international, and culturally vibrant. It is the county’s largest employer, and the university and its current and prospective students contribute hundreds of millions of dollars annually to our local economy.

ousands of students volunteer throughout the community each year. Yet the fact remains that running a city is not cheap, and though the small number of taxpayers here are already stretched beyond the limit, Ithaca is still largely under-resourced.

To thrive as a community, all must contribute a fair share in the form of dollars directly into the co ers. Without a true university partnership, we cannot be an a ordable, diverse city, with critical services at the standards required for a city this size—and these vital goals are undoubtedly shared by Cornell for the bene t of its thousands of students, faculty, and sta . To continue to just raise local property taxes to attempt to ll our enormous gap is not a sustainable option. Many Ithacans believe Cornell can fully partner with our community without compromising their ability to carry on their important work as an institution of higher learning and world-class research.

e process ahead needs to be a transparent one and free of con icts of interest; it should include the city, county, and school district, plus public presentations, and community participation. Many candidates running for Council this year have added the issue to their platform; we

ITHACA NOTES Legacy of Dorothy Cotton

By Stephen Burke

It might be disappointing, not to mention surprising, to discover that the movie you want to see - a documentary, in fact, not some big blockbuster - is sold out on its opening night.

But under certain circumstances it’s also heartening: when the venue is your town’s independent theater, the lm is by a hometown company, and the subject is a local (and national) hero, an icon of political and social justice who spent much of her life in this town.

“Move When e Spirit Says Move: e Legacy of Dorothy Foreman Cotton” was presented at Cinemapolis from late March into early April. PhotoSynthesis Productions, a self-described “little lm company” headquartered on Tioga Street in Ithaca, made the lm in collaboration with the Dorothy Cotton Institute, founded in Ithaca by Cotton and colleagues “to bring visibility to 21st century e orts for justice and freedom, civic engagement and social transformation.”

Cotton was born Dorothy Foreman in 1930 in a segregated North Carolina town. Her mother died when Dorothy was young, and she and her sisters were raised by an uneducated and abusive father.

Despite her deprivation, Dorothy was a personable child and good student who drew attention in school and won support in applying for college. She studied English at Shaw University in Raleigh and then at Virginia State University, where she met and married George Cotton.

While at Virginia State, Dorothy Cotton joined a church led by the regional head of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. She joined e orts against segregation and taught direct-action tactics. She met Martin Luther King, Jr. there and, with her church mentor, accepted King’s o er to come to Atlanta to help with his work developing the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.

Cotton said subsequently that, newly married, she intended to go for only a few months, but ended up staying more than 20 years.

rights of citizenship, community organizing, civic engagement and protest: work that could certainly have gotten them killed by white racists with little to fear from complicit law enforcement. roughout her years of activism, Cotton remained an adherent of non-violence despite constant threats, including a physical attack at a protest that le her with lasting injury.

Along with her courage, Cotton had an easy grace which aided the movement. She was a gi ed singer and o en led renditions of spirituals to rally group strength. Today the Dorothy Cotton Jubilee Singers of Ithaca College honor this aspect of her legacy.

Cotton was a director of student activities at Cornell from 1982 to 1991, with particular focus on university divestment from nancial ties with apartheid South Africa. She cited it as a continuation of her civil rights work against “Americanstyle apartheid.”

With King and others in the 1960s, most notably Andrew Young and Ralph Abernathy, Cotton became a leading gure in American political life. Describing the leadership of the SCLC, King biographer David Garrow says it was “Doc, Dorothy, Andy and Ralph …She was always an equal partner.”

Cotton’s relative obscurity is certainly a facet of sexism. She was the only woman within that inner circle of peers.

In the lm Cotton recounts a sta meeting where an aide to King said to her that King needed a cup of co ee. Cotton turned to Andrew Young and said, “Andy, get your boss a cup of co ee.”

Cotton frequently emphasized that she “worked with Dr. King, not for him.”

Cotton was possibly the most powerful woman in America in her years with the civil rights movement, changing the nation’s political, social and legal landscapes. Certainly she deserves distinction for her many achievements and the risks she took.

For historical context, today there are 25 women in the United States Senate. But outside of special elections, appointments, and family connection, there were none elected independently until 1980: more

Continued on Page 19 Continued

King became president of the SCLC, and Cotton the Education Director of its Citizenship Education Program. In the guise of an adult literacy program, Cotton and others secretly gave instruction in

Earth Day ‘BlocParty’ Updates Community on Status of Green New Deal

By Matt Dougherty

The City of Ithaca has gained nationwide recognition for the ambitious goals set in the Ithaca Green New Deal, which passed in a unanimous vote by the City’s Common Council on June 5, 2019.

Among a litany of environmentally conscious aspirations, the IGND commits the City to achieving “carbon neutrality and climate justice by 2030” by 1) meeting the electricity needs of City government operations with 100% renewable electricity by 2025, 2) Reducing emissions from the City eet of vehicles by 50% from 2001 levels by 2025, 3) Achieving a carbon neutral city by 2030 and 4) Ensuring that the bene ts of the Ithaca Green New Deal are shared among all local communities to reduce historical social and economic inequities.

Some aspects of the IGND plan have been achieved, while many remain stalled and incomplete. For example, the city has successfully de ned the criteria to identify a “Climate Justice Community or family.” e de nition will include considerations of median income, home ownership, nancial inclusion and unemployment bene ts.

However, one of the parts of the plan that has been stalled is the Justice 50 initiative that would “allocate at least 50 percent

of the overall climate and energy investments made under the IGND to Climate Justice Communities.”

According to the IGND Scorecard that has been created by the Finger Lakes Greater Region NY Chapter of e Climate Reality Project, “ e City has committed to

direct a minimum of 50% of IGND funds invested to Climate Justice communities.”

It continues saying, “By August 2022, the City will determine a methodology to ensure all IGND programs and tasks apply the lens of Climate Justice, distribute bene ts accordingly and establish a tracking mechanism.”

e scorecard can be found at https:// IGNDscorecard.org.

According to a statement from Sunrise Ithaca, “We have yet to see the City follow through on Justice50 in a tangible way, and we are calling on our elected o cials to prioritize Justice50 moving forward. We are asking them to follow through by protecting renters from rent hikes, due to electrication costs, that could lead to evictions and further gentri cation of the City.”

e COVID-19 pandemic thrust the world into an unprecedented level of disarray in the years a er the IGND was initially passed. e pandemic resulted in economic uncertainty and supply chain issues that e ectively delayed action on the city’s aggressive climate friendly plan. For example, in mid-2022 the Former Director of Sustainable for the City, Luis Aguirre-Torres,

told New York Focus that Ithaca’s decarbonization plan was “no longer pro table.”

However, President Joe Biden’s In ation Reduction Act (IRA) passed months later and directed $369 billion into climate friendly projects across the country, making the goals of the Ithaca Green New Deal seem feasible once again. While the IRA will provide some necessary funding, meeting the goals of the IGND continues to be heavily reliant on forming relationships between local government, residents, building owners, and Wall Street.

Despite the much needed assistance from the IRA, the city has struggled to make progress towards achieving its ambitious goals. is struggle was highlighted by Aguirre-Torres’ decision to resign from his position in November 2022. Following his resignation, Aguirre-Torres said that he never got the support he needed from City Hall. Additionally, he said that the Common Council “did not do the proper oversight on the people that were trying to control the Green New Deal.”

Aguirre-Torres explained that “ ere was a mandate as a result of the resolution. In that resolution, it said that the city need-

BlocPower’s Ithaca Program Manager Ethan Bodnaruk has said that events like the Earth Day block party will continue to be held to increase community involvement and awareness of what is being offered by the Green New Deal. (Photo Credit: Josh Baldo)

Ithaca residents attending the Earth Day ‘BlocParty’ organized by BlocPower and community groups involved in helping the City of Ithaca follow through on the goals of the Ithaca Green New Deal. (Photo Credit: Josh Baldo)

ed to achieve carbon neutrality and address climate justice, we needed to do so much. But without support, it is impossible to do.”

Aguirre-Torres continued saying that his relationship with the city took a negative turn following the departure of former Mayor Svante Myrick. A er Myrick le , Aguirre-Torres said that he had a contentious relationship with City Attorney Ari Lavine, who pressured him to take a back seat in the city’s process of achieving its stated climate goals.

When Aguirre-Torres began to realize that the alignment between the planning director, city attorney and mayor was stronger than the alignment with the rest of city government, he began to think that staying in his position as Director of Sustainability would be di cult. Additional reporting from the Ithaca Times on Aguirre-Torres’ departure can be found in a previous Ithaca Times article from Nov. 9 titled “Former Director of Sustainability Addresses Common Council Over Reasons for Resignation.”

Despite these setbacks, BlocPower — a Brooklyn based technology company that has partnered with the City of Ithaca to help follow through on the goals of the Green New Deal, held a ‘bloc party’ at Washington Park on April 22 (Earth Day), to initiate the process of building relationships with community stakeholders.

At the event, BlocPower’s new Ithaca program manager Ethan Bodnaruk – a former civil engineer with Ithaca’s Department of Public Works – answered questions about how BlocPower is helping the

city achieve some of the stated goals of the Green New Deal.

Bodnaruk told the Ithaca Times that BlocPower has begun the process of ramping up their e orts to hire individuals from the local community to build a stronger relationship with residents. Bodnaruk said that getting community members involved in the process will help quell some of the skepticism that exists among some residents.

He also said that BlocPower is working closely with utility companies such as NYSEG for “additional funding incentives that are available for commercial and nonpro t buildings. Additionally, BlocPower recently began enrolling in the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority’s (NYSERDA) low interest rate loan program, which will help provide di erent choices of nancing to customers with single family homes.

Bodnaruk also explained the signicance of the BlocMaps Ithaca program, which compiles public and private data from real estate databases to help come up with estimates for things like heating and cooling loads and approximate equipment needs for electri cation for every building in Ithaca. It will also provide automatic instant building report quotes for electri cation programs, which Bodnaruk says will help “overcome that bottleneck of having to go out and do a million di erent site visits.

According to Bodnaruk, “Our contractors can’t spend all their time doing that work for projects that might only have a 10 percent or 30 percent completion rate.”

He continued saying that “we’re working very closely with contractors and expanding our contractor base, re ning those initial quotes so we can sign single family homeowners and give them accurate quotes for the work and then hand that over to a contractor knowing that this is a project that’s [most likely] going to go through because the customer has seen the numbers and signed their interest in participating.”

Bodnaruk says that older buildings with more outdated appliances will be prioritized for updates. He said that residents might want to convert to heat pumps but won’t because they could have recently invested in a new natural gas high e ciency furnace and be unwilling to spend money on additional updates.

“We don’t have a lot of time so there’s really a need to prioritize,” said Bodnaruk. He continued saying that “2030 is the goal to electrify all 6,000 buildings, so we’re investing locally and ramping up with contractors to try and meet that demand.”

In addition, Bodnaruk explained that BlocPower has groups based out of their New York City o ce that are “very experienced with managing and running the ll design, bid, build process for more complicated multi-family commercial new builds.”

According to Bodnaruk, “everyone is waiting with bated breath for the funds that will come from the In ation Reduction Act by the end of this year or beginning of next year.” He continued saying that even with those funds pending, “Ithaca is so passionate about electri cation and climate justice

that there are folks that want to convert now.”

When asked if BlocPower had price estimates for how much it would cost to upgrade a single family home with a heat pump system, Bodnaruk said that it could range anywhere from $25,000 to $30,000 for a three bedroom house. Additional costs would be added if the property would need things like weatherization upgrades. Cost estimates for upgrading larger buildings were not available, and would require a more in depth study by BlocPower to gure out.

Bodnaruk also said that BlocPower is looking to expand on their workforce development program that has been a success in New York City. is program is targeted to folks coming out of prison or other difcult circumstances and training them to work in the green energy economy doing things like weatherization before moving up into other jobs.

As a result of this program which is being rolled out in Ithaca this week, Bodnaruk said that “we’re able to provide free weatherization services for air sealing, weather stripping for doors, caulking for windows,” which would get major things taken care of while at the same time driving down costs.

Regarding the process of building relationships with the community going forward, Bodnaruk said that more block party events similar to the one that occurred on April 22 will be organized to increase awareness and build trust between the community and organizations involved in helping the city follow through on the stated goals of the Ithaca Green New Deal.

Ithaca’s DJ Evo Evolution provided music for the April 22 event. (Photo Credit: Josh Baldo)

Some aspects of the Ithaca Green New Deal have been achieved, but many remain stalled and incomplete exacerbating climate anxiety. (Photo Credit: Stella Frank)

Ithaca Farmers Market to Hold 10th Annual Mac n’ Cheese Bowl

By Matt Dougherty

With great excitement, Foodnet Meals on Wheels announces the 10th Annual Mac ‘n Cheese Bowl to take place on May 3rd, 2023 from 4:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the Ithaca Farmers Market! e Bowl is Foodnet’s signature fundraising event and a community tradition. Funds raised helps to provide food and nutritional services to vulnerable older adults and others who are unable to cook or shop for themselves in Tompkins County.

Community members of all ages spend the evening learning about local senior service agencies, letting the kids play in the children’s corner, and indulging in delicious mac ‘n cheese dishes from over a dozen local restaurants and caterers. Event attendees vote on who makes the best bowl in town. Even the children can take part in the competition by naming a “Kid’s Choice Award.”

In 2022, Foodnet partnered with the Ithaca Farmers Market to provide a safe outdoor space which contributed to increased community engagement with over 1,200 attendees of all ages! We appreciate the community’s support of our event and are thrilled to be hosted by the Ithaca Farmers Market again in 2023.

According to Meals on Wheels America, for 50 years, senior nutrition programs like Foodnet have delivered nutritious meals and services to seniors at risk of hunger and isolation in virtually every community in the country. e Mac ‘n Cheese Bowl is directly aligned with the organization’s mission. e organization delivers nearly 700 daily nutritious meals to over 400 older adults throughout Tompkins County.

is signature fundraiser supports Foodnet programs like congregate dining for seniors. Congregate dining is an opportunity for eligible participants to enjoy a daily hot nutritious meal, receive nutrition education from a registered dietician, and have the opportunity to share a good meal, conversation, and laughter with others. Beginning April 24th at Titus Towers (with advance registration) all Tompkins County residents 60 years or older and their partners or spouses are invited to join us for lunch. Tompkins County residents under 60 years old who are living with a disability are invited to participate. is program is made

possible by funding from the Tompkins County O ce for the Aging, US Older Americans Act funding, philanthropy from generous donors, and Foodnet’s annual Mac ‘n Cheese Bowl.

“ e entire Foodnet team is excited to highlight the important work we do to support older adults in Tompkins County at Mac N Cheese Bowl 2023! is is the 10th year of this signature fundraiser and the renewed e ort to collaborate with our community to overcome the challenges posed during the past few years. Now is the time to safely come together and celebrate the ideas that Foodnet Meals on Wheels works for every day, a Tompkins County where our most senior neighbors have options to avoid some of the biggest threats to healthy aging: hunger, loss of independence, and isolation! I am proud to lead a dedicated and caring sta who goes ‘above and beyond’ every day to serve our senior neighbors. I can’t think of a more delicious way to promote Foodnet’s mission and celebrate with our generous and caring community! Executive Director Aly Evans said.

Last year, the event raised $30,000. All proceeds of the event will be used to further Foodnet’s mission.

Tickets are on sale now at Foodnet.org or call 607-266-9553. Presale: $15 Adults. $10 Kids 5-12 yrs, Free under 4 yrs. At the Door: $20 Adults. $15 Kids 5-12 yrs.

More details and updates on Facebook at facebook.com/FoodnetMacBowl and follow Foodnet on Instagram & Twitter @FoodnetMOW and at www.foodnet.org.

Arts & Entertainment

Participants serve up their cheesy cuisine to patrons of last years Mac N’ Cheese Bowl

Rhythm Blues and Barbeque

Cortland Rep Sings For Supper in Fundraiser

By Bryan VanCampen

Aself-professed musician-turnedactor, Colin Barkell has played Johnny Cash productions of the “Million Dollar Quartet” successfully pleasing the crowd as he mastered Cash’s voice modulation and stage presence. Now he’s returning to CRT with his rockabilly band on Saturday, April 29 at 6 p.m. for CRT’s fundraiser “Rhythm, Blues and BBQ.” Patrons are in for a barbeque spread, a beer and wine cash bar, and Barkell’s roots rock show, featuring tunes

April 29 at 6 p.m.

Cortland Repertory Theatre

24 Port Watson Street, Cortland Tickets: $60

by

Cash, Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, Howlin’ Wolf, John Lee Hooker and Barkell’s original songs.

Barkell spoke to the Ithaca Times about his upcoming show, making a side career playing Johnny Cash in “ e Million Dollar Quartet” and why it’s all about who you know.

IT: Tell me about your show.

CB: Oh, yeah. We’re just bringin’ rock n’ roll and rhythm and blues to the fundraiser that’s goin’ on. ere’s gonna be a lot of Johnny Cash, since that was the last thing I did in Cortland. And I was talking to [CRT’s] Kerby [ ompson] and he thought it was a great idea. You know, it’s just the type of music that will get people up and movin’, and it’s always in a pocket between 1955 and 1960, with Johnny Cash, Elvis, Chuck Berry, Muddy Waters, and this back-and-forth of rock n’ roll between Chess Records [founded

in Chicago in 1950] and Sun Records [founded in Memphis in 1952]. And it’s just amazing how much good music came out of that. It not only in uenced me but put music on a pivot during that time.

[It’ll be] upbeat, fun rock n’ roll music with some storytelling. And yeah, since I played Johnny Cash in “Million Dollar Quartet,” there’s gonna be a lot of Johnny Cash as well.

IT: Was the 2019 production the rst time you played Cash?

CB: No, no, I’d done it multiple times.

IT: A few of you guys have turned that into a cottage industry.

CB: Oh, yeah. Once you’re in, you’re in. And that was one of the cool things about Kerby, when we rst met him. He was like, “I know you guys can do this, so you guys

kinda jump in and start, and I’ll kinda direct you.” It was really nice of him to be able to let us settle into what we had found had worked in the past.

IT: When did you rst play Cash?

CB: First time I did it was in 2016 in New Hampshire. I was in a di erent show at the time, and people knew that I sang Johnny Cash [songs]; they were like, “You should try out for “Million Dollar Quartet,” and it worked out. And from there, it was a gi that kept on giving. I did it in New Hampshire, I did it on a cruise ship and bounced around for a while a er that, sort of with the same connections all along the way: “Oh, I know a guy who can ll this place.” And that’s how pretty much everybody gets those roles in that show: “Who do you know?”

Colin Barkell, known for his role as Johnny Cash in the CRT’s production of “Million Dollar Quartet,” expands his prowess in “Rhythm, Blues and BBQ.”

“Rhythm, Blues and BBQ”

2023

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Vampires and Mobsters and Sneakers

New Movies; “Renfield Has Bite; 'Air’ Soars; ‘Mafia Mamma’ Is No Mob Hit

By Bryan VanCampen

Iknow what you’re thinking: we’ve seen literally hundreds of vampire movies. Do we really need another one?” Turns out, the answer is yes. Screenwriter Ryan Ridley (“Community,” “Rick and Morty”), working from a story by Robert Kirkman (“ e Walking Dead”), found a new way to skin a bat. For the rst time, “Ren eld” looks at Count Dracula (Nicolas Cage) through the long-su ering eyes of his familiar, our title character played by Nicholas Hoult. Just imagine “Young Frankenstein” (1974) from Igor’s POV. Just dealing with the toxic partnership between Cage’s amboyant night stalker narcissist and Hoult’s miserable co-dependent servant/cleaner would have made for an e ectively bloody horror comedy. But we also get the awesome Awkwana (“Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”), a smart, dedicated New Orleans cop dealing with departmental corruption and the death of her policeman father, and Shohreh Aghdashloo and Ben Schwartz (“Sonic the Hedgehog”) as the local drug

kingpin and her desperately ambitious son — mortal re ections of Cage and Hoult. Ridley’s script is well-realized by the talented animation director Chris McKay (“ e Lego Batman Movie,” “Robot Chicken”) making his live-action debut. at all those elements coalesce in just 93 minutes is impressive and is half the fun of watching “Ren eld.” Hoult’s origin story is shot in grainy black and white, essentially placing him and Cage in Tod Browning’s 1931 “Dracula.” And how did it take this long for Nicolas Cage to play Dracula? By the time his performance plays out, there’s not a scrap of scenery le to be salvaged. Cage chews up every last bite.

● ● ●

Clearly, the best gags in Catherine Hardwicke’s “Ma a Mamma” were in the trailer. e notion of Toni Collette at a ditzy crossroads in her life discovering that she’s the heir to an Italian ma a fam-

“Mafia Mamma”

(Bleecker Street-Idea(L)-Vocab Films-New Sparta Production, 2023, 101 min.)

playing at Regal Stadium 14.

ily should have been a slam dunk. Oddly, Collette’s hysterical, screechy performance sets the wrong tone from the get-go. e whole movie is sweaty and overdone, and the many callbacks and running gags quickly grow tiresome. e trailer may make the movie look funny, but “Ma a Mamma” is a miss.

● ● ●

At the end of the day, the moral of director-producer-co-star Ben A eck’s “Air” is that a big athletic wear company gambled on a sports endorsement and made an obscene amount of money. e end.

en again, since I don’t follow sports, celebrity endorsement deals or sneaker makers, the story of “Air” was a new one on me. Back in 1984, Sonny Vaccaro (Matt Damon) was trying to talk Nike founder Phil Knight (A eck) into spending their entire endorsement wad on a new running shoe and a rookie player named Michael

“Renfield”

(Universal Pictures-Skybound Entertainment-Giant Wildcat, 2023, 93 min.)

playing at Cinemapolis and Regal Stadium 14.

Jordan. In a nod to “Ben-Hur,” like Jesus Christ, Jordan is always shot from behind, or we see his legs getting out of a car, and he has no dialogue.

A eck does a ne job in front of and behind the camera, and cinematographer Robert Richardson, editor William Goldenberg and particularly production designer François Audouy make huge contributions to nail the desperate, ca einated ’84 boys’ club cubicle culture detailed in Alex Convery’s verbose, hilarious script. Writing this good and nuanced attracts great actors, and “Air” makes room for a lot of gi ed performers. I was especially taken by Chris Messina as Jordan’s rabid dog agent, Matthew Maher as the designer of the rst Air Jordan sneaker and Jason Bateman as Nike sta member Rob Strasser. Bateman has never given a forgettable performance, and he’s a great part of the ensemble here. In a movie with this much testosterone, Viola Davis gives a standout performance as Jordan’s mother and manager Deloris.

“Air”

(Amazon Studios-Skydance Sports-Artists Equity-Mandalay Pictures, 2023, 112 min.)

is playing at Cinemapolis and Regal Stadium 14.

Although “Mafia Mamma” disappoints, “Renfield” and “Air” delights fans of horror-comedy and sports drama, respectively.

Peter Fortunato Reflects on His “Life in Qatar”

By Barbara Adams

“Desert Wind: My Life in Qatar” is a newly published memoir by poet Peter Fortunato about the four years he spent teaching writing and literature at the Weill Cornell Medicine Center near Doha, Qatar. He’ll be reading from his work on Tuesday, May 2, at 6 p.m. in the BorgWarner Room of the Tompkins County Public Library. He spoke with Ithaca Times journalist Barbara Adams recently about his experiences in the Persian Gulf emirate. Ithaca Times: In 2005, what prompted you to take a teaching position there?

Peter Fortunato: e timing was right. I needed something new in my life and thought this was a wonderful opportunity — to be part of an exciting new project, educating doctors. And I needed the mon-

ey, which is why so many go to work in the Persian Gulf states. I also wanted to represent my country in a di erent way than the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were — represent the America I believe in, a place of free speech and thought, of questioning authority, of choosing peace above war.

IT: What was the unique attraction of the place?

PF: e mystique of Arabia, my previous transcendent experiences in Egypt in the ’90s and my lifelong passion for Arabian horses. I’d worked on an Arabian horse farm in high school and was planning to be a vet at Cornell. e horses were one of the reasons I stayed — even becoming a member of two riding clubs.

IT: In your rst months there, what cultural di erences struck you most?

PF: Adapting to Islamic [Shariah], learning the local interpretation [of] it, nding out what you could and couldn’t do. I had to be cautious. Men cannot touch women in public, even their wives. My rst faux pas was embracing my friends when I arrived at the airport. When my wife, Mary, visited, I couldn’t hold hands with her in public. Also, you could never criticize the government or royal family; even Al Jazeera never reports negatively about the country. But I asked a lot of questions of my students and Muslim friends and gradually learned what was appropriate.

IT: When you arrived, Qatar was in the early stages of rapid development…

PT: Yes, in 2006, the big highwater mark was the Asian Games — that’s when Qatar announced itself to the world. ey hosted a half Olympics, the rst time in any Arab country. So there was 24-hour-a-day development going on — new roads, buildings, giant posters.

2006 was also the 10th anniversary of the Qatari foundation that owns the building where the medical center is. My students were the school’s rst cohort, in their second year. Other Arabic universities had international medical programs abroad, but this was the rst accredited American medical school in the Middle East. Of the students, only about 20% were Qatari nationals; the rest were from India, Pakistan, Canada — all over the world, and most were of Muslim or Arabic heritage.

IT: A er living so modestly in Ithaca, was it strange to be surrounded by so much wealth?

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PT: In my high-rise, I had a spacious at with more oor space than my entire house in Ithaca. Four bathrooms! e Serdal Tower, overlooking the bay, was then the tallest building; now it’s tiny, dwarfed by far higher buildings around it.

“Desert Wind: My Life in Qatar”

Book reading by author Peter Fortunato Tuesday, May 2, 6 p.m. The BorgWarner Room Tompkins County Public Library 101 East Green Street

IT: In an authoritarian monarchy, so restrictive regarding human rights, how did it feel to be a progressive Westerner? You wrote that you “learned to ignore the inequities.”

PF: I had to make compromises up to a point in my own ethical system. But with any individual I met, I wanted to be respectful, curious, friendly, peaceful. At that time, the students were unjaded, excited to attend an American medical school and be in seminars where you were encouraged to speak your mind. As a teacher it was a rming; I felt I was communicating.

IT: In retrospect, what stays with you at this distance of 14 years?

PF: Because it took me so long to nish the book, I feel like I’ve been there all this time, kept track of the development, aware of how Doha has spread in every direction.

e beach where I used to ride horses in the morning is gone. ey’re losing their desert, paving it over and building out the city. is intense development is not only here; you see it in China, India, Southeast Asia.

e Qatari are innovative, enterprising, ingenious — they have a vision for their country. But because of the number of imported workers, they’re a minority in their own nation. And the disparity between the haves and have nots — how can it continue? In that respect and others, I hope my memoir helps people learn a little more about how we’re much more alike than di erent.

Peter Fortunato, author of “Desert Wind: My Life in Qatar,” discusses his four years of living and teaching humanities in Doha, Qatar.

A Promising New Exhibit by a New Arrival

Jill Labetsky’s Community Arts Partnership Exhibit Features Contemporary Pairs

By Arthur Whitman

When it comes to contemporary painting, abstraction and the human body may come across as polar opposites. Conceived of as a radical departure from both Western tradition and quotidian reality alike, abstract painting may be seen to aim for raw subjectivity absent of ordinary human subjects. While the challenge of portraying speci c individuals in particular pulls painters towards the concrete and the realistic, abstraction characteristically eschews all such concern.

Such tensions animate the compelling recent work of Jill Lavetsky, who is new to Ithaca. e exhibition includes acrylic on panel paintings — some incorporating fabric collage — as well as watercolors and black-and-white photo collages.

Lavetsky’s current work from the gure is rooted in her watercolor. She took up the initially unfamiliar medium a few years ago as a new mother unable to continue her work in overscaled landscape drawing.

Quick, messy, intimate: her watercolors typically present paired nude gures, most o en female. A mother-and-child motif recurs — though as with all the work here, the artist avoids any kind of literal portraiture. Anatomy is shown in some realistic detail, but forms are broken up or contorted in ways that defy conventional realism. Drawn outlines, o en bright and halo-like, contain the wet-on-wet facture, emphasizing attened silhouettes. e light-to-dark of the watercolor suggests modelling, creating an elusive, contradictory three-dimensional feel.

Whether employing literal physical collage or not, Lavetsky’s panel pieces here take up a collage aesthetic in their approach to the human form. A series of small photo-collages — presented here in two framed groupings — makes this a nity quite clear. Cryptic and discom ting,

“Interval”

By Jill Lavetsky CAP ArtSpace

110 North Tioga Street

April 25 10 a.m.–2:30 p.m., April 26 10 a.m.–4 p.m., April 27–28 10 a.m.–5 p.m., and April 29 10 a.m.–12 p.m. and 3 p.m.–5 p.m. programs@artspartner.org

they recall similarly produced pieces by the surrealists and the Dadaists. Abstract, silhouetted bodies and more literal, emphatic hands are recurring motifs — emphasizing the importance of touch that characterizes all the artist’s work. In two large untitled fabric collages here (both 2023), Lavetsky aims to incorporate everything: areas of solid and

washy paint, stitched outlines, quilt-like fabric scraps. Cyan blue and rosy pink gures embrace in uncomfortable tangles of arms, legs, hands and heads. Blocks of navy, crimson, gray and deep pink refuse to be mere background to these unfolding psychodramas, creating a weird and perhaps not entirely resolved tension.

An upright piece revisits the motherand-child theme, although the gender of the “mother” here is unclear. In a wider piece, closer to a landscape format, the gures merge into a blue-and-pink mound — creating something like an abstracted version of Rodin’s “ e Kiss.”

Variously combining acrylic, watercolor and ink, Lavetsky explores similar territory in wood panel paintings like “Held on Earth, “Interval” and “Breath and Bricks.” Areas of solid and translucent paint clash independently of the human figures. I will refrain from further name dropping, but this is work that knows its art history and uses it well.

In a city with a relatively small group of ambitious painters, it is always rewarding to welcome a new one. Hopefully, in a year or two, we will be able to see how this work has evolved.

The Dream Team

Little Red Lacrosse Sweeps the Board with an 8–0 Record

By Steve Lawrence

It really does sound like the makings of a dream season. 15 seniors, a secondyear head coach who has been with this group of players since they were on the JV squad and a core group of leaders who are more interested in the team's success as a whole rather than individual achievements… Sounds good so far, on paper, at least.

All those elements are adding up on the eld as well as in the hypothetical realm, as the Ithaca High School’s boy's lacrosse team has compiled an 8–0 record at this writing. Head coach Clay Fickenscher said: “Yes, 8–0 is a great place to be, but outside of that, we are playing really well together.” Asked if all was going to plan, he replied, “I'd say that it was. We have a lot of senior leadership, and I thought that would help the younger guys, and that's how it's playing out.”

Does year two feel any di erent in terms of him feeling more established in the program? “I'd say that it feels like the turnover has been completed, and that it feels more like 'my' program, so to speak. e team is really buying in as well, and we are seeing more e ort across the eld.”

Of the 15 seniors, four have been selected to be captains, as Greg Gorsky, Lincoln Babcock, Zach Cartmill and Alex Biskup are carrying the o cial leadership torch. at said, many other seniors are stepping up as leaders as well, and the team chemistry is shaping up to be just what Fickenscher has tried to cultivate. He o ered, “We are doing a good job at recognizing our role, passing the ball and realizing that if we allow our teammates to perform their roles, nobody has to be a hero.”

Every team faces tests that serve to dene its progress, and so far, the Little Red has played in a number of such games. e team went into rival Corning-Painted

Post High School's stadium for a muchanticipated match up, and when the dust settled (well, it was played on arti cial turf), Ithaca came away with a 14–6 victory. “ at win meant a lot to the guys,” Fickenscher said. “ ey came ready to play, they were ring on all cylinders and it was a convincing win.” He added, “ ey really put in a maximum e ort and took it to them.”

To build on that momentum, Ithaca went into another unfriendly venue — the home eld of their longtime nemesis, the Vestal High School Golden Bears — and Zach Cartmill found the net in the second OT to give the Little Red a thrilling and satisfying one-goal win over another consistently solid team.

Asked how things look going forward, the coach said, “Everyone is staying healthy, we're moving the ball around and they are playing very smart lacrosse.” He said that some key contests are coming up, like the team's second time around with Horseheads High School and Corning and some upcoming intersectional games. “We will be playing Irondquoit [High School] out of Section V, and CiceroNorth Syracuse High School from Section III,” Clay said. “ ose game will de nitely be late-season tests.” (Fickenscher is well

acquainted with the lacrosse hotbed that is the Syracuse area, as he played at Onondaga Community College before transferring to Robert Morris University.)

As the coach works to build the program with an eye toward the future as well as the present, he is even more grateful to his seniors for their e orts to help out the younger players. at mentorship will be very valuable when the 15 seniors move on, and their leadership this year will, hopefully, ease the growing pains the up-and-comers will inevitably experience. Whoever is on the eld, Fickenscher says, whatever pieces of the puzzle are available at any given time, “It's knowing how to put them in a position to win.”

One of four captains from the 15 seniors leading Ithaca High School’s undefeated boy’s hockey team, Greg Gorsky shoots for success. (Ava Thomas Photography)

Choosing our local airport keeps load factors high and positions us for new service in the long term.

unsustainable housing market in New York state, many municipal representatives believe this legislation to be necessary for providing tenants with much needed protections and stability. e New Jersey State Legislature implemented Good Cause protections nearly 4o years ago, enjoying record low eviction rates and a relatively more stable housing market. Five New York cities, including Poughkeepsie, Albany, Kingston, Newburgh, and Hudson have passed Good Cause Eviction on the municipal level of government, with many others, including lthaca, currently discussing the legislation in committee. However, New York courts have ruled that local municipalities are preempted from passing such rental regulation, thus preventing more cities from enacting Good Cause Eviction and threatening the integrity of the legislation as is in the cities that have already passed it.

We, the members of the Common Council of the City of Ithaca, support the intent of the Senate Bill S3o5 and the protections it will provide to Ithacan tenants. More than 75% of Ithacans are renters, and many of them have faced the obstacles and burdens this legislation seeks to prevent. e majority of this Council desires to see this legislation bene t our constituents, and since we as a governing body are disempowered from enacting it, we call upon our Assembly Member Anna Kelles and State Senator Lea Webb, along with Governor Hochul and the entire body of the New York State I€gislature, to pass Senate Bill S3o5 for the bene t of all New Yorker tenants.

DOROTHY COTTON

continued from page 7

than 20 years a er Cotton began her most prominent work.

Dorothy Cotton passed away in Ithaca in 2018. Ry Ferro, Ithaca College ‘14, co-director of “Move When e Spirit Says Move,” says of the lm, “It’s time for everyone to know who Dorothy Cotton was. Our hope is that this lm will build on her legacy at a time when democracy is under attack.”

Dorothy Cotton foreshadowed those words and these times when she said, in a speech at Cornell’s Sage Chapel in 2007, “Never forget that it is government by the people only if we make it so,” words which drove her work and life.

continued from page 6

that has successfully been providing auto insurance to carshares across the country for over 20 years. ANI however, has been unable to provide insurance to carshares here because New York is the only state that interprets the word “authorized” in the federal law to mean that an RRG must be domiciled in NYS in order to provide insurance in the state.

While it’s clear that this is a crisis for carshares, it’s also a major roadblock for thousands of other nonpro ts in the state that need auto insurance. According to the New York Council of Nonpro ts (NYCON), many underwriters will not write auto insurance for nonpro ts they consider higher risk, such as organizations that transport the medically fragile, the elderly, or children in order to provide services to those groups. Some organizations have had to refuse vehicles that were given to them because they couldn’t nd insurance, while others have ended up paying exorbitant premiums because only one underwriter will cover their vehicles.

A change in state law will allow nonpro t carshares, as well as all 501(c)(3) organizations, to access auto insurance through a nonpro t RRG. is will free up the market and give all nonpro ts a real choice in auto insurance, enabling them to choose the insurance that will best meet their needs and budget, while allowing carsharing nonpro ts to stay in business.

at’s why we’ve introduced legislation (A.5718a/S.5959a) which will allow nonpro t RRGs to provide automobile insurance to 501(c)(3) nonpro t organizations across the state.

e opportunity exists to signi cantly expand carshare services at no cost to taxpayers and as part of the State’s e orts to equitably tackle climate change and make electric vehicles accessible to all New Yorkers. Given all the environmental, equitybuilding, and public as well as private bene ts of carsharing, New Yorkers should be doing everything we can to ensure carshares ourish and give New Yorkers real choice in their transportation options.

For more information on the bill, please see:

https://nyassembly.gov/leg/?default_

d=&leg_video=&bn=A05718&term=&S

ummary=Y&Memo =Y&Text=Y

https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/ bills/2023/s5959

Anna Kelles is the New York Assemblymember for District 125, and Lea Webb is the New York Senator for District 52.

OKUMU FAMILY EVICTED

continued from page 5

the home were missing. He suspects they were taken by maintenance workers hired by Nyberg since he was the only person who knew they were there. In addition, the workers also shut o the property’s heat and water.

Since returning to Ithaca, Okumu has been living on the property without access to heat and water throughout the cold winter months while attempting to nd legal representation to ght the foreclosure and eviction. He says that he believes Nyberg is trying to evict him by duress so he can take control of the property. According to the Ithaca Tenants Union, “Under NYS RPAPL 768, utility shut o s are considered to be illegal ‘self-help’ evictions.”

During a previous eviction hearing, Okumu told City of Ithaca Judge Seth Peacock that heat and water had been shut o at the property, but Peacock chose not to order the utilities to be turned back on.

e same decision to ignore that law was made by Town of Ithaca Judge Kathleen A. Bergin before she signed o on the eviction warrant.

Despite the fact that Okumu’s children le the premises upon receiving the eviction notice, Nyberg led an eviction lawsuit against them which bounced around from Tompkins County Court to Ithaca City Court to the Town of Ithaca Court, where the case was heard on April 25th.

e lawyer retained by Nyberg in the eviction case up until the April 25 hearing was Michael Perehinec from the Coughlin and Gearhart law rm. Perehinec is the same lawyer who represented Habitat for Humanity in their eviction of Kathy Majors from her home at 417 South Aurora Street on December 19, 2022. It’s important to note that Coughlin and Gearhart agreed to represent Okumu in his 2019 foreclosure case but decided to drop his case before trial. According to Okumu, “they failed to le any paperwork when

BUILDING A PARTNERSHIP

continued from page 7

are also moving into a new model with a City Manager and a new Mayor. Given all of this, it would make sense to nalize an agreement a er the new administration is seated. e community can use time wisely now to get up to speed on the issue.

Cash-strapped communities across the country are looking more and more analytically at their budget shortfalls and

Community Bank led for a default judgment on the property.”

A er the property was sold at auction to Nyberg, the law rm began representing the new owner in the eviction case against Dr. Okumu’s children. He says that the law rm failed to adequately defend him during the foreclosure and that “attorneyclient con dentiality has been totally ripped apart” as a result of their decision to represent Nyberg.

As a result of this con ict of interest, Nyberg replaced Perehenic with attorney Russel Maines just one day before the April 25 hearing.

e Ithaca Tenants Union was notied about the situation by lifelong Ithaca resident and Cornell student Stella Frank, who helped Okumu gain temporary legal representation from Cornell Law School’s Tenant Advocacy Practicum.

In their coverage of the case, ITU said “Even when BlPOC, immigrant and disabled neighbors own their homes, the system is still stacked against them, and works to steal their housing stability and nancial security. e predatory alliance between banks, attorneys and buyers to purchase properties for pennies on the dollar by unhousing indebted families facing struggles and crises must end immediately. Locally, this means that Claes Nyberg and Carolyn McCarter need to return Okumu’s family’s home!”

e Ithaca Times has reached out to Community Bank, Mr. Nyberg and Mr. Perehinec for comment but have not heard back from the bank or Mr. Perehinec as of the time of publishing. Mr Nyberg was reached and con rmed that he purchased the property at a bank auction but refused to comment beyond that.

Nyberg is currently considered by law to be the owner of the property, but if the foreclosure that he obtained the title of the property through is found to be invalid under the Foreclosure Abuse Prevention Act the New York State Supreme Court can return title of the property back to Okumu.

their connection to hometown tax-exempt institutions. It’s time Ithaca catches up. For Cornell, this moment is an opportunity to embrace its home base, and as its motto says, “do the greatest good,” by paying its fair share to help reposition the community’s health. Cornell can at the same time become a leader among its peers on an issue that is likely destined for more state and national attention.

Note: Fabrizio is currently running for the four-year term to represent Ithaca’s 5th Ward on Common Council.

p.m., 4/26 Wednesday | The Ink Shop, 330 E. MLK/State St | I See You 2023 showcases the talent of printmaking students from Ithaca College and Cornell University, featuring a diverse range of printmaking techniques. | Free

ColorScapes, Real and Imagined at State of the Art Gallery | 12 p.m., 4/27 Thursday | State of the Art Gallery, 120 West State Street | Landscapes. Urbanscapes. Dreamscapes. The two person show is featuring Barbara Berhmann and Katrina Morse. | Free

Music

Bars/Bands/Clubs

4/26 Wednesday

Midweek Melancholy with NFW and Friends | 8 p.m. | The Downstairs, 121 W. State St | Free

4/27 Thursday

Richie Stearns, Liz Pickard, Joe Hayward & Sophie Wellington | 5 p.m. | South Hill Cider, 550 Sandbank Road

Singer Songwriter Series with Lora Pendelton | 6 p.m. | Atwater Vineyards, 5055 State Route 414 | Free

4/28 Friday

One-Time show! Members of: All American Helldrivers, Evil City Trio, Richie & Rosie | 5:30 p.m. | South Hill Cider, 550 Sandbank Road

Friday Night Music - Scratched

Vinyl | 6 p.m. | Hopshire Farm & Brewery, 1771 Dryden Rd | Free

Thousands of One w/ The Makers

| 8 p.m. | Deep Dive Ithaca, 415 Old Taughannock Blvd

Common Railers | 8 p.m. | The Downstairs, 121 W. State St.

4/29 Saturday

deep Audio groove – 6 year Anniversary | 1 p.m. | Hotel Ithaca, 222

S. Cayuga St | Free

Live music feat. Payton Bird + Sean Fried | 2 p.m. | Treleaven Wines, 658 Lake Road

Davey O & Cap Cooke | 7 p.m. | The Downstairs, 121 W. State St.

4/30 Sunday

Jazz Guitar Brunch with Dennis Winge | 10:30 a.m. | Antlers Restaurant, 1159 Dryden Rd. | Free

The Slackers w/ The Abruptors | 7 p.m. | Deep Dive Ithaca, 415 Old Taughannock Blvd

5/3 Wednesday

Horns & Ivory | 6:30 p.m. | Salt Point Brewing Co., 6 Louis Bement Lane

Concerts/Recitals

4/26 Wednesday

Justin Tan, senior piano recital: CU Music | 8 p.m. | Barnes Hall, 129 Ho Plaza | Free

4/27 Thursday

Thomas Feng, piano: CU Music | 7 p.m. | Barnes Hall, 129 Ho Plaza | Free

Indigo Girls | 8 p.m. | State Theatre of Ithaca, 107 West State St

4/28 Friday

Anna Steppler, organ: CU Music | 8 p.m. | Sage Chapel, Ho Plaza | Free

4/29 Saturday

Senior Recital: Quinlan Armstrong Barrie, composition | Ford Hall | 12 p.m.

Senior Recital: Jack Pesch, bass | Ford Hall | 2 p.m.

Senior Recital: Byron De Leon, baritone | Ford Hall | 4 p.m.

Showcase Concert: Student Jazz Combo Showcase | 6:30 p.m. | Hockett Family Recital Hall, Gym Rd

Visionary Songs for Human Rights, Peace & Justice in Israel/ Palestine | 7 p.m. | Congregation Tikkun v’Or, 2550 N. Triphammer Road | $10.00 - $50.00

Mozart Requiem: CU Music | 7:30 p.m. | Bailey Hall, 230 Garden Ave | Free

4/30 Sunday

Senior Recital: Laura Caridad

Avila, viola | Ford Hall | 12 p.m.

Cornell Jazz Ensemble: CU Music | 3 p.m. | Bailey Hall, 230 Garden Ave. | Free

Cheryl Tan, keyboard recital: CU Music | 7 p.m. | Barnes Hall, 129 Ho Plaza | Free

5/1 Monday

Cornell Chamber Orchestra: CU Music | 7 p.m. | Barnes Hall, 129 Ho Plaza | Free

5/2 Tuesday

Senior Recital: Finn McGregor, violin | Nabenhauer Recital Room | 7 p.m.

Bjerken piano studio recital: CU Music | 8 p.m. | Barnes Hall, 129 Ho Plaza | Free

Stage

CAESAR PREVEIW | Dillingham Center, IC| 8 p.m., 4/26 Wednesday | by WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE Directed by Catherine Weidner ‘85

The SpongeBob Musical | 7 p.m., 4/28 Friday | Vincent Aiosa Auditorium, New eld Central School District, 247 Main Street | Come enjoy the SpongeBob Musical Sat, 4/22

OPERA ITHACA: ORPHEUS IN THE UNDERWORLD

FRIDAY, APRIL 28, 7:30 PM & SATURDAY, APRIL 29, 2:00 PM Hangar Theatre 801 Taughannock Blvd, Ithaca | Opera Ithaca will present a new production of Jacques O enbach’s delightful show. A comedic sendup of the Orpheus myth features a nationally recognized cast from across the country (according to no less than Broadwayworld.com!) . (Photo: Provided)

7pm, Sun, 4/23 4pm, Fri, 4/28 7pm & Sat, 4/29 4pm at Aiosa Auditorium, New eld School, 247 Main St, New eld, NY. Based on series by David Hillenburg & book by Kyle Jarrow. | $5.00 - $10.00

The Family Copoli: a post-apocalyptic burlesque and repopulation play | 7:30 p.m., 4/28 Friday | Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts, 430 College Ave | PMA presents ‘The Family Copoli: a post-apocalyptic burlesque and repopulation play’. Written by Andy Colpitts (book/lyrics) and Michael Wookey (music). It is an exuberant, irreverent and dark exploration of entertainment at the end of days. | Free

Opera Ithaca: Orpheus in the Underworld | 7:30 p.m., 4/28 Friday | Hangar Theatre, 801 Taughannock Blvd. | by Jacques O enbach, English translation by Buck Ross. She’s married to the world’s most obnoxious musician. He’s playing his violin just so he can drive her insane. Oh, and she falls in love with Satan. Someone call the couple’s therapist!

CAESAR | Dillingham Center , IC|

8 p.m., 4/28 Friday | by WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE Directed by Catherine Weidner ‘85

Poetry & Prose Open Mic Night |

7 p.m., 5/1 Monday | The Downstairs, 121 W. State St | | Free Open Mic Stand Up Comedy Night

| 7 p.m., 5/2 Tuesday | The Downstairs, 121 W. State St | First and third Tuesdays of the month! Kenneth McLauren hosts Open Mic Stand Up Comedy Night at The Downstairs. | Free

Art

I See You 2023 | Ithaca College and Cornell University Printmakers | 1

Young Adult Art Open Hour |

4 p.m., 4/27 Thursday | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 East Green Street | TCPL is inviting Teens 13+ and Young adults 19 - 24 to a weekly open arts hour in the Makerspace.

Entre Sombras / Between Seams

|

1 p.m., 4/29 Saturday | The Cherry Gallery, 102 Cherry St | Entre Sombras / Between Seams is the newest Cherry Gallery installation, come view these wonderful works at the Gallery on Saturday and Sunday afternoons!

Michael Sampson’s “Figure Sessions” | 5 p.m., 4/29 Saturday | The Gallery at South Hill, 950 Danby Road | “Figure Sessions” is a collection of paintings done over the last two years working directly from the model. | Free

Clay and metal teen after school

| 6:30 p.m., 5/3 Wednesday | Metal Smithery, 950 Danby Road | Join us for the exciting after school program for middle and high schoolers at The Clay School and The Metal Smithery!

Film

Out Here: Short Film Screening

About Rural LGBT Life | 5:30 p.m., 4/26 Wednesday | Cinemapolis, 120 E. Green Street. | A screening of three short lms about rural LGBT life, followed by a reception at Moosewood | Free

Cinemapolis

120 E. Green St., Ithaca

April 28-May 4 Contact Cinemapolis for showtimes. New lms listed rst.*

Polite Society* | Ria Khan believes that she must save her older sister Lena from her impending marriage. After enlisting her friends’ help, she attempts to pull o the most

ambitious of all wedding heists, in the name of independence and sisterhood. | 103 mins PG-13

Beau Is Afraid | Following the sudden death of his mother, a mild-mannered but anxiety-ridden man confronts his darkest fears as he embarks on an epic, Kafkaesque odyssey back home.| 179 mins R

How to Blow Up a Pipeline | A crew of environmental activists plot a daring plan to disrupt an oil pipeline. | 103 mins R

Chevalier | Based on the true story of composer Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges, the son of an unmarried African slave and a French plantation owner, who rises to heights in French society as a composer before an ill-fated love a air.| 107 mins PG-13 Air | Follows the history of shoe salesman Sonny Vaccaro, and how he led Nike in its pursuit of the greatest athlete in the history of basketball: Michael Jordan.| 112 mins R

Cornell Cinema

Films are shown at Willard Straight Hall on Cornell campus.

Tahara | 4/26, 7:00 pm| In this acerbic teen comedy, a funeral becomes a battleground between two best friends.

The Fabelmans | 4/27, 7:00 pm

| Inspired by Steven Spielberg’s own childhood, The Fabelmans is a coming-of-age story about a young man uncovering a shattering family secret and the power of lm and imagination to help us see the truth about ourselves and each other.

When Marnie Was There | 4/30, 4:30 pm | Based on the young adult novel by Joan G. Robinson and directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi this lm has been described as “Ghibli Gothic,” with its moonlit seascapes, glowing orchestral score, and powerful dramatic portrayals that build to a stormy climax.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever | 5/03, 7:00 pm | On the heels of the unexpected loss of King T’Challa, the nation of Wakanda nds itself at a crossroads in its fate. The surrounding powers of the world look on with greedy eyes, eager to encroach upon Wakanda in its most vulnerable state.

BE A BIRD BIOLOGIST

SATURDAY, APRIL 29, 10:00

A.M.-12:00 P.M.

Cornell Lab of Ornithology, 159 Sapsucker Woods Rd., Ithaca | Delve into the world of eld biology with mini-workshops led by Cornell University students. Learn how to record and interpret bird sounds, practice taking eld notes and sketching, get a primer on using binoculars and scopes for bird identi cation, and watch a bird-banding demonstration. A free “dropin”event intended for ages 8+.(Photo: Provided)

Sports

Ithaca Women’s Lacrosse vs Hamilton College | 4 p.m., 4/26

Wednesday | Higgins Stadium |

Ithaca Baseball vs SUNY Cortland

| 4 p.m., 4/26 Wednesday | Freeman Field |

Cornell Women’s Lacrosse vs Brown University - Senior Day | 12 p.m., 4/29 Saturday | Ithaca, NY,

Schoellkopf Field |

Ithaca Women’s Lacrosse vs Skidmore College | 1 p.m., 4/29 Saturday | Higgins Stadium |

Ithaca Softball vs Clarkson University | 1 p.m., 4/29 Saturday |

Kostrinsky Field |

Cornell Men’s Lacrosse vs Princeton University | 3 p.m., 4/29 Saturday | Ithaca, NY, Schoellkopf Field

Ithaca Baseball vs Hobart College | 1 p.m., 4/30 Sunday | Freeman Field |

Ithaca Softball vs St. Lawrence University | 1 p.m., 4/30 Sunday |

Kostrinsky Field | I

Ithaca Baseball vs SUNY Brockport | 4 p.m., 5/2 Tuesday | Freeman Field |

Special

Events

Taughannock Garden Club Plant

Sale | 9 a.m., 4/27 Thursday | First

Presbyterian Church of Ulysses Lawn, 69 E. Main St | Taughannock Garden

Club Plant Sale, 9-noon at Ulysses

Presbyterian Church at 69 Main St. Trumansburg. | Free

2023 Community-Wide Online Auction | 9 a.m., 4/28 Friday | First

Unitarian Society of Ithaca | First

Unitarian Society of Ithaca Fundraiser

April 28, 29, 30. Opens 9 am Friday; closes 9 pm Sunday

Feline Follies 2023! | 10 a.m., 4/29

Saturday | Schurman Hall, 602 Tower Rd | Celebrating cats and Cornell with lectures, a cat show, adoptable cats, ra e prizes, and more! | Free

Tommy’s Annual Inspection w/ Ithaca Aviation Heritage Foundation | 4/29 Saturday | The History Center in Tompkins County, 401 East State Street | Tommy’s Annual Inspection!

Cornell University Out of the Darkness Campus Walk | 11 a.m., 4/30 Sunday | Cornell University

Ag-Quad, 237 Mann Dr | Cornell University Out of the Darkness Walk | Free Streets Alive! Ithaca | 1 p.m., 4/30

Sunday | The Streets, North Cayuga

chose both

your bank of choice

St & West Court Street | Streets Alive!

Ithaca is, at its simplest, an afternoon where the streets are closed to cars and open to people to walk, bike, roll, dance, and play. Bike Walk Tompkins is thrilled to share the nearly endless creative possibilities that a car-free street can bring. | Free Foodnet Meals on Wheels 10th Annual Mac ‘n Cheese Bowl | 4:30 p.m., 5/3 Wednesday | Ithaca Farmers Market, Steamboat Landing 545 3rd St | Who makes the best mac ‘n cheese in town? You decide! Local restaurants and vendors will be whipping up their version of everyone’s favorite comfort food. | $0.00 - $20.00

Books

Ulysses Philomathic Library Spring 2023 Book Sale | 5 p.m., 4/26 Wednesday | Ulysses Philomathic Library, 74 E. Main St. | Join the Ulysses Philomathic Library for its spring book sale at the library at 74 E. Main St. in Trumansburg, with something for all ages over the ve-day sale, including two “Name Your Price” days! | Free THE SHORT SHORT - New Voices Festival 2023 | 5:30 p.m., 4/26 Wednesday | Bu alo Street Books,

MOZART REQUIEM: CU MUSIC

SATURDAY, APRIL 29 AT 7:30 P.M. Bailey Hall,

215 North Cayuga Street | Bu alo Street Books is proud to continue to partner with Ithaca College to host the SHORT SHORT, kicking o the 11th Annual New Voices Festival. | $17.99 Jumpstart your Creativity! | 11:30 a.m., 5/2 Tuesday | Ulysses Philomathic Library, 74 E Main Street | Trumansburg author Rebecca Barry will help you nd your creative spark in this three-session writing workshop series! Call to register - 607-387-5623 | Free

Early Readers Book Club | 2:45 p.m., 5/2 Tuesday | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 East Green Street | Children in grades K-2 are welcome to join our Early Readers Book Club.

The Krieger Lecture in American Political Culture | 5 p.m., 5/2 Tuesday | G64 Kaufmann Auditorium Goldwin Smith Hall Cornell University, 232 East Avenue | Why Didn’t We Know?!: The Forgotten History of the Colored Conventions and 19th-Century Black Political Organizing | Free Modern Alchemy Fiction Writers Group | 6 p.m., 5/2 Tuesday | Modern Alchemy Game Bar, 619 W State St. | Join local writers, creatives, and authors in our Modern Alchemy Writers Group! Bring in your work of science

ction, historical ction, or fantasy to be shared for critique and constructive feedback. | Free

DESERT WIND: MY LIFE IN QATAR by Peter Fortunato, reading and signing | 6 p.m., 5/2 Tuesday | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 East Green Street | Peter Fortunato will read from his newly published memoir, DESERT WIND: MY LIFE IN QATAR. Books for sale, discussion, refreshments. | Free

Comic Book Club Meeting: Ithacon Wrap-Up! | 7 p.m., 5/2 Tuesday | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 East Green Street | This year’s local comicbook convention, Ithacon 46, featured dozens of artists and writers, cosplay, comic book vendors, and much more.  Join us to share what you think went well, and what could use ne-tuning.  It isn’t too early to start thinking about next year’s convention! | Free 15th annual Spring Writes Literary Festival (May 3 to 14) | 5:30 p.m., 5/3 Wednesday | Many locations, in downtown Ithaca or on Zoom | The 15th annual Spring Writes Literary Festival features over 30 eventsreadings, panels, performances, and workshops - in both downtown Ithaca and on Zoom from May 3rd to the 14th. SpringWrites.org | Free

Kids

Spring Baby Storytime | 10:30

a.m., 4/28 Friday | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 East Green Street | Caregivers and their babies are invited to join Cassie for songs, rhymes, movement and books at the park next to the Henry St. John Building at 301 S. Geneva St.

IPEI Scavenger Hunt | 9 a.m., 4/29 Saturday | Bank Alley, Bank Alley | Join IPEI’s friends and supporters in a fun exploration of the downtown area!  Clues direct participants to locations all within walking distance of the Commons. Register/more info: www.ipei.org

Lego Club | 10 a.m., 4/29 Saturday | Ulysses Philomathic Library, 74 E Main Street | Drop in and show o your building skills at this open Lego build. For children of all ages. | Free Family Storytime | 11 a.m., 4/29 Saturday | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 East Green Street |

Family Storytime: Baby Doll Circle Time™ | 10:30 a.m., 5/2 Tuesday |

STREETS

SUNDAY

New eld Public Library, 198 Main Street | Special Storytime Events! Baby Doll Circle Time™ children experience attachment, attunement, & social play for optimal brain development. Develops attention, impulse control, language, numbers, cooperation, & strengthens connections with caregivers and parents. Tue, May 2, 9, 23 and 30 10:30 am. | Free

LEGO Build Night for Families | 5 p.m., 5/2 Tuesday | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 East Green Street .

Spanish Storytime | 4 p.m., 5/3 Wednesday | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 East Green Street |

Notices

Antique’s Roadshow with Laurie Bostwick | 7 p.m., 4/26 Wednesday | Bostwick’s Auction House , Rte 96B | The event will be held in the back building.  Attendees are asked to bring an item that you would like appraised (at no cost). This event is free and open to the public. For more about this and other events sponsored by the Candor Historical Society, visit their website. | Free Bridge Club of Ithaca | 10 a.m., 4/27 Thursday | Bridge Club of Ithaca, 16 Cinema Drive |

The War of 1812- The local perspective with Simon St. Laurent | 6 p.m., 4/27 Thursday | Southworth Library, 24 W. Main St | Join Simon St. Laurent, local historian (among other things) for an exploration of the local story in Dryden and Tompkins County.  Come learn about the perilous adventures of Lansing and Dryden men, and the state and national political whirlpools that were more hazardous than the Niagara River itself.

The American Chestnut - Then and Now | 7 p.m., 4/27 Thursday | Dryden Fire Hall, 26 North St. | Presenter Val Ross will talk about the history of the majestic chestnut tree, billions strong in the Eastern United States, and its downfall from a fungal blight. She will also talk about current e orts to revive it and reestablish it as a foundational tree in our forests. | Free Flavors of the World: Ukraine | 4 p.m., 4/28 Friday | First Presbyterian Church of Ithaca, 315 N. Cayuga St. | A take-out style community dinner fundraiser to bene t English classes for immigrants and refugees | $20.00

Many banks make you choose between business banking and personal service. But at Tompkins, you can choose powerful business banking products and a completely different level of personal service. | tompkinsbank.com

personal servıce powerful servıces we

100/Automotive 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)

DONATE YOUR CAR TO CHARITY.

Receive maximum value of write off for your taxes. Running or Not! All conditions accepted. Free pickup. Call for details. 888-476-1107

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: 855-905-4755. (NYSCAN)

MAKE-A-WISH DONATIONS

Wheels For Wishes benefiting Make-A-Wish Northeast New York. Your Car Donations Matter NOW More Than Ever! Free Vehicle Pick Up ANYWHERE. We Accept Most Vehicles Running or Not. 100% Tax Deductible. Minimal To No Human Contact. Call: (877) 798-9474. Car Donation Foundation dba Wheels For Wishes. www.wheelsforwishes.org.

ATTENTION!!! NEED HELP ASAP!!

Still being prosecuted for petit larceny, 155.25, in Broome County New York, It has been over 5 years. A former corrupt district Attorney here in Broome County who is now serving jail time for corruption brought these charges against me.

I am still suffering for this corrupt prosecutors misdeeds. I am looking for a civil rights lawyer to help me with a lawsuit against Broome County and their corrupt ways. My name is David Kellerman and I can be reached at 607-240-3844.

DIRECTOR –INSTRUCTIONAL SUPPORT SERVICES

TEACHERS & TEACHING ASSISTANTS

300/Community

CELEBRATION OF THE LIFE OF CALISTA A. SMITH

will be held at the Trumansburg Conservatory of Fine Arts, Congress at McLallen Sts., at 4:00 p.m. on May 6. All are welcome.

400/Employment TYPIST II

OCM BOCES Special Education Department has the need for a full-time Typist II to be located at the Cortlandville Campus, Cortland, NY. Successful candidate will provide direct secretarial support for different Special Education programs within OCM BOCES. Two years of full-time clerical experience is required. This is a Civil Service class position and continued employment is contingent on successfully passing the required exam. Register and apply at: www.olasjobs.org/ central. Or send letter of interest and resume to: OCM BOCES, Recruitment Department, PO Box 4754, Syracuse, NY 13221 or email to: recruitment@ocmboces.org. For more information, visit our website at: www.ocmboces.org EOE

OCM BOCES, Main Campus, Syracuse. Lead the Instructional Support Services Department, which includes the STEM, Model Schools, Humanities, and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion departments as well as Virtual Learning Academy and Regional Summer School Programs. The successful candidate will have strong supervision and facilitation skills and will take the lead on special projects as assigned. Perform other duties as assigned by the Assistant Superintendent. Must either possess NYS certification as a School Administrator and Supervisor (SAS) certificate or School District Leader (SDL). K-12 Teaching and Administrative experience is desired for this position. Applications only accepted online. Competitive salary, health insurance, state pension, vacation and related leave, usual holidays and more. Register and apply online at: www.olasjobs.org/central. For more information, visit our website at: www.ocmboces.org EOE

ELEMENTARY PRINCIPAL

Southern Cayuga Central School seeks an enthusiastic, proven educational leader for its elementary school of approximately 375 students, preK to grade 6. The successful candidate will be a student-oriented educator with a background that includes both quality teaching and administrative experience and able to develop a collaborative and constructive school culture with a climate of excellence for students, faculty and staff is essential. We are seeking a knowledgeable and inspiring educator, committed to excellence and the belief that all students can succeed. Salary commensurate with relevant experience, $85,000 to $95,000. Please apply on OLAS and submit SCCS application (www.southerncayuga.org), letter of interest, resume, credentials with copies of certification(s), all academic transcripts, and at least three employment references by May 15, 2023, to Patrick Jensen, Superintendent, Southern Cayuga Schools, 2384 State Route 34B, Aurora, NY 13026. SCCS EOE

MEDICAL BILLING AND CODING

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Professional online at CTI! Get Trained, Certified & ready to work in months! Call 855-543-6440. (M-F 8am-6pm ET) Computer with internet is required. (NYSCAN)

Southern Cayuga Central School anticipates the following openings for the 2023-2024 school year: Special Education Teacher, Sr HS Earth Science Teacher, Sr HS Global Studies Teacher, 2 Teaching Assistants, Band Teacher and a long-term substitute position for an elementary teacher (grade 5) for the whole school year. Please apply on OLAS. Southern Cayuga Schools, 2384 State Route 34B, Aurora, NY 13026. SCCS EOE

TECH HELP WANTED!

IMR Test Labs looking for someone to join our fast paced metallurgy department. Must have high school or trade school. Experience with metals or material science. Training provided. $21-$23/hour + second shi premium.

DRIVE WITH US!

Bus Drivers Starting at $22.66/hr

ICSD Transportation Services is conducting INTERVIEWS FOR BUS DRIVERS

Walk in Thursdays 10-2: 150 Bostwick Rd

By Appointment: Call 607 274-2128

Equal opportunity employer, offering competitive wages, great health and pension benefits, paid CDL training, rewarding community work with families and children Diversity Enriches Our Workplace

420/Computer

COMPUTER & IT TRAINING

PROGRAM!

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)

800/Services

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Appeal! If you’re 50+, filed SSD and denied, our attorneys can help! Win or pay nothing! Strong recent work history needed. 1-877-311-1416 [Steppacher Law Offices LLC Principal Office:

DIRECTV

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High Speed Internet. Free Installation, Smart HD DVR Included, Free Voice Remote. Some restrictions apply. Promo Expires 1/21/24. Call 1-866-566-1815

DON’T PAY FOR COVERED HOME REPAIRS!

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GUTTER GUARDS AND REPLACEMENT GUTTERS INBOUND

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MEN’S SPORT WATCHES WANTED

Advertiser is looking to buy men’s sport watches. Rolex, Breitling, Omega, Patek Philippe, Here, Daytona, GMT, Submariner and Speedmaster. The Advertiser pays cash for qualifi ed watches. Call 888320-1052.

NATIONAL PEST CONTROL

Are you a homeowner in need of a pest control service for your home?

Call 866-616-0233

SPECTRUM INTERNET AS

LOW AS

$29.99

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805/Business Services

4G LTE HOME INTERNET NOW AVAILABLE!

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1-866-571-1325 (AAN CAN)

BATH & SHOWER UPDATES

Updates in as little as ONE DAY!

Aff ordable prices - No payments for 18 months! Lifetime warranty & professional installs. Senior and Military Discounts available. Call:

1-866-370-2939 (AAN CAN)

BCI WALK IN TUBS ARE NOW ON SALE!

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BEST SATELLITE TV

With 2 Year Price Guarantee! $59.99/ mo with 190 channels and 3 months free premium movie channels! Free next day installation! Call 888-5085313 (NYSCAN)

FINANCES

ARE YOU BEHIND $10K OR MORE ON YOUR TAXES? Stop wage & bank levies, liens & audits, unfi led tax returns, payroll issues, & resolve tax debt FAST. Call 888-869-5361 (hours: Mon-Fri 7am-5pm PST) (NYSCAN)

ROOF ? WINDOWS ?

Do you need a Roof or Energy Effi cient Windows & Help paying for it? YOU MAY QUALIFY THROUGH NEW RELIEF PROGRAMS (800) 944-9393 or visit NYProgramFunding.org to qualify. Approved applications will have the work completed by a repair crew provided by: HOMEOWNER FUNDING. Not affi liated with State or Gov Prgrams. (NYSCAN)

815/Cleaning

ATTENTION HOMEOWNERS!!

If you have water damage to your home and need cleanup services, call us! We’ll get in and work with your insurance agency to get your home repaired and your life back to normal ASAP! Call 833-664-1530

845/Moving

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LONG DISTANCE MOVING:

Call today for a FREE QUOTE from America’s Most Trusted Interstate Movers. Let us take the stress out of moving! Call now to speak to one of our Quality Relocation Specialists: 855-787-4471

NEWS

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LOOKING FOR WORK

WE ARE HIRING VISIT US ONLINE www.wgaforchildren.org or call 607-844-6460

THE WILLIAM GEORGE AGENCY

Boost your Business! Call Larry at 607-277-7000 ext: 1214

Find out about great advertising ad packages at: Ithaca.com & Ithaca Times

ACUPUNCTURE / FALL CREEK

Handso ifetheraputics.com

Pins - Fire Cupping - Tui Na - Cranial 917-723-8278

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

Fur & Leather repair, zipper repair. Same Day Service Available

John’s Tailor Shop

John Serferlis - Tailor 102 e Commons 273-3192

New, Used & Vintage Instruments & Accessories

ITHACA GUITAR WORKS

DEWITT MALL

607-272-2602

Ooy’s Cafe & Deli 201 N. Aurora Street

Ithaca, NY 14850 (607) 319-4022

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

REAL LIFE CEREMONIES

Every life story deserves to be told, and told well. Steve Lawrence, Celebrant 607-220-7938

WEGMANS FOOD MARKET

NOW HIRING

607- 277-5800

500 S. Meadow St., Ithaca

JOB.WEGMANS.COM