May 17, 2023

Ted Schwartz Appointed as Ithaca’s New Acting Chief of Police

By Matt Dougherty

On May 9 Mayor Laura Lewis announced the appointment of Lieutenant Ted Schwartz as the new Acting Chief of Police at the Ithaca Police Department. Schwartz will be taking the place of former acting chief John Joly — who is pursuing a lawsuit against the city for subjecting him to a hostile work environment.

Mayor Lewis announced that Joly was her nal pick for the permanent Chief position. However, immediately a er the announcement several members of the Common Council came out publicly against the Mayor’s nomination of Joly.

In an interview following the rejection of Joly, Fourth Ward Common Council member Jorge DeFendini said, “Particularly with the reimagining public safety process, we’ve had a lot of head butting with

the acting chief and those con icts have led to a lot of uncertainty and misinformation regarding the reimagining public process.”

Mayor Lewis revoked Joly’s nomination and re-started the search process in response to the criticism.

Ithaca has been without a permanent Chief of Police since former Chief Dennis Nayor resigned in the spring of 2021. e lack of stable leadership has had cascading e ects on the Department from low sta ng levels to worsening morale among o cers.

According to President of the Ithaca Police Benevolent Association Tom Condzella, the patrol division should be sta ed with 45 o cers but is currently sta ed with 24.

In February, Condzella said that the lack of permanent leadership “creates an unstable work environment.” He added that o cers look to the chief for direction and leadership. Without someone in that position to keep the department owing

T AKE N OTE

in the right direction, “there’s a serious trickle-down e ect.”

e appointment of Schwartz will bring some much-needed stability to the department, and it comes as the city is working with a California-based search rm — Public Sector Search and Consulting — to hire a permanent Chief of Police. In January, the Common Council allocated $57,500 to pay for outside assistance in the search process.

e search rm describes itself as a “boutique-style national search rm focused solely on recruiting top police executives for our clients.” According to their website, “In 60% of our searches, the hiring authority selected a candidate from a traditionally underrepresented group.”

e City of Syracuse and Albany worked with the rm to hire a Chief of Police in 2018, and the City of Beacon in

Continued on Page 10

The 41st Annual Spring Garden Fair and Plant Sale is coming up this Friday!

One of the Finger Lakes’ most highly anticipated gardening events is the annual Spring Plant Sale, organized since 1982 by Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County. The Plant Sale will take place Friday, May 19th from 12-6pm at the Ithaca Farmers Market.

The Plant Sale features a wide variety

of vendors who o er specialty plants and gardening advice on topics ranging from growing rock garden plants to selecting native species for the garden. Plants for sale include organically grown and heirloom vegetable transplants, colorful annuals, fragrant herbs, hanging baskets, small owering shrubs, hardy roses, fruit crops,

ON THE COVER:

County Administrator Lisa Holmes in front of one of the potential locations for the Tompkins County Center of Government on the 300 Block of North Tioga Street (Photo: Matt Dougherty)

trees, evergreens, and specialty perennials. Master Gardeners from CCE-Tompkins and other community groups participate in the sale to raise funds or create awareness of their programs.

Visitors are encouraged to bring carts or wagons to aid in transporting their plant purchases to their cars. Admission is FREE!

, X 1214 LARRY @I THACA T IMES COM

F REELANCERS : Barbara Adams, Stephen Burke, G. M Burns, Alyssa Denger, Jane Dieckmann, Charley Githler, Ross Haarstad, Steve Lawrence, Marjorie Olds, Henry Stark, Bryan VanCampen, and Arthur Whitman

THE ENTIRE CONTENTS OF THE ITHACA TIMES ARE COPYRIGHT © 2023, BY NEWSKI INC.

All rights reserved. Events are listed free of charge in TimesTable. All copy must be received by Friday at noon. The Ithaca Times is available free of charge from various locations around Ithaca. Additional copies may be purchased from the Ithaca Times o ces for $1. SUBSCRIPTIONS: $89 one year. Include check or money order and mail to the Ithaca Times, PO Box 27, Ithaca, NY 14851. ADVERTISING: Deadlines are Monday 5 p.m. for display, Tuesday at noon for classi ed. Advertisers should check their ad on publication. The Ithaca Times will not be liable for failure to publish an ad, for typographical error, or errors in publication except to the extent of the cost of the space in which the actual error appeared in the rst insertion. The publisher reserves the right to refuse advertising for any reason and to alter advertising copy or graphics deemed unacceptable for publication.

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Lt. Ted Schwartz has been named the new Acting Chief of Police at the Ithaca Police Department as the city continues working with a search frim to find a permanent police chief. (Photo: Provided)

Mayor Laura Lewis hopes the appointment of Lt. Schwartz will bring muchneeded stability to the Ithaca Police Department. (Photo: Josh Baldo)

IN UIRING PHOTOGRPHER Q A

By Josh Baldo

WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU DO WHEN YOU WAKE UP?

Abolishing the Police Was Never the Plan in Ithaca

By Matt Dougherty

Headlines from a number of media outlets around New York State have recently reported that, “Ithaca abandons plans to abolish police department,” even though abolishing the police was never the plan for Ithaca in the rst place.

e claim that Ithaca had plans to abolish its police department stems from a 2021 Gentlemen's Quarterly (GQ) article titled, “ e Most Ambitious E ort Yet to Reform Policing May Be Happening in Ithaca, New York.” e article claimed that Ithaca was planning on, “abolishing the city’s police department as currently constructed and replacing it with a reimagined city agency.”

In the article, former Ithaca Mayor Svante Myrick explained his original plan to reimagine public safety which proposed replacing the city’s current police department with a, “Department of Community Solutions and Public Safety,” which would consist of, “armed ‘public safety workers’ and unarmed ‘community solution workers,’” who would all, “report to a civilian director of public safety instead of a police chief.” It continued saying that, “Under the proposal, all current o cers would have to re-apply for a position with the new department.”

e article caused an eruption of backlash from the Ithaca Police De partment and set the city’s Reimagin ing Public Safety plan o on a shaky start. However, in the years since this article was published the city has worked to re ne the goals of its Reimagining Public Safety Plan. As a result, it has formed working groups and special committees that were designed to nd common ground between communities that want to see police reform take place and the police themselves.

e work has been imperfect and plagued by setbacks relating to ethical concerns regarding con icts of interest — many of which have been substantiated — but nowhere in the o cial Reimag-

ining Public Safety Work Plan did it ever call for actions such as abolishing the police. Instead, the work plan has called for ve recommendations to be implemented as a way to reform the way policing is done in the community. e recommendations are as follows:

1) Develop a crisis co-response team that will: co-respond with law enforcement as appropriate; connect individuals and families with appropriate services; and work with the City’s Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) team;

2) Establish Deputy City Manager position to create a holistic public safety response approach, oversee the City’s public safety divisions; create a pilot program with PBA to identify call types than can be safely transferred to nonlaw enforcement response; and implement strategies to build relationships between o cers and community organizations;

3) Maintain and support progressive change in the Ithaca Police Department

4) Strengthen accountability systems within the organization by adopting and implementing whistleblower protections and resources and training for Community Police Board members;

5) Creation of review and reporting structures that enhance and re-a rm that people feel they are being treated with dignity, fairness, and respect.

e work plan and the recommendations were adopted by the Ithaca Common Council during a meeting in April, signifying progress in the Reimagining Public Safety process that has been long awaited among the community.

To say that the city has just now decided not to abolish the police is incorrect. e claim that the city has been moving in the direction of abolishing the department is based on one story from 2021 — instead of the actual work being done by the working groups and special committees that have been tasked with reimagining public safety. e work plan also clari ed that, “ e Ithaca Police Department (IPD) will continue to be named the Ithaca Police Department and will continue to be a City department led by a Chief of Police with full authority over the department.” And that, “Ithaca Police O cers will continue to be called police o cers and will not lose their jobs or their rank.” It continued saying that, “It must be acknowledged that reimagining public safety in the City of Ithaca cannot succeed without an adequately sta ed police department.”

It was this part of the work plan that prompted the President of the Ithaca Police Benevolent Association, omas Condzella, to say in a press release that, “ e nightmare is nally over, we’re working together, rebuilding, and hiring.”

Along with reassuring the Ithaca Police Department that it would not be abolished, Mayor Laura Lewis issued an internal memo to the department on April 7 outlining a number of projects City Hall is working on to rebuild its relationship with IPD.

“Eat breakfast-it is important for the female body.” – Molly D.

Despite recent reports from media outlets around the state, the City of Ithaca never had an official plan to abolish its police department. (Photo: Josh Baldo)

Former Mayor Svante Myrick mentioned the idea of abolishing the police in a 2021 GQ article, but the plan was never officially part of Ithaca’s Reimagining Public Safety process. (Photo: Provided)

...nowhere in the official Reimagining Public Safety Work Plan did it ever call for actions such as abolishing the police.

Cornell Students Organize to Kick Starbucks off Campus

By Matt Dougherty

In the days following Starbucks announcing that all of their corporateowned locations in the City of Ithaca — all of which are unionized — would be closing on May 26, Cornell students started a campaign to pressure the University to stop selling Starbucks products on campus and nd a more ethical co ee vendor before the fall semester begins. In addition, they have called on the university to make its contract with Starbucks public.

With these demands, Cornell University is joining the University of California as the rst two schools in the country to call for cutting ties with Starbucks until the corporation stops union-buting and agrees to cooperate with Starbucks Workers United — which has successfully unionized 300 Starbucks locations across the country.

A statement in support of the campaign signed by students, faculty and community members said that “by selling Starbucks products…Cornell is actively using students’ tuition to support rampant unionbusting.” e statement continues saying, “If Starbucks wants out of Ithaca, Ithaca wants nothing to do with Starbucks.”

e students began demonstrating by setting up tables outside of a Cornell dining hall to sell co ee from the local Gimme! Coffee stores in the city in order to raise money to support striking Starbucks workers. However, the university called the police to shut down the operation because it was taking business away from dining halls and cafès on campus.

Students then took their demonstrations to Day Hall, which houses university administration o ces, and announced that they would be occupying the building until their demands were met. Students remained in the building until being kicked out by university police just a er 9 p.m. on May 11.

Following their removal students set up tents to camp outside of the building. roughout the night, students could be seen studying for nals as they refused to stop occupying the grounds in support of labor rights. Many of the students are part of Cornell’s International Labor Relations

(ILR) school and members of Starbucks Workers United.

Cornell ILR student and SBWU member, Nick Wilson 26’, tweeted “We were removed from Day Hall by police under the threat of disciplinary action — so we’re camping out across the street until the building reopens tomorrow morning.”

Students began occupying the building again when it opened at 8 a.m. on May 12. Just before 11 a.m.

e Cornell Daily Sun reported that Vice President of Campus Life at Cornell, Ryan Lombardi and Dean of Students Marla Love “met with the demonstrators to mediate the situation.”

Lombardi and Love made an agreement with the demonstrators to set up a meeting with University President Martha Pollack and four student representatives at 1 p.m. on the condition that the occupation of Day Hall would come to an end.

In response, demonstrators gave a list of conditions for the meeting which included information about the procedure to end the current contract with Starbucks, condentiality clauses, the stakeholders who can terminate the contract, and a demand for a follow up meeting to be scheduled by May 15 and take place before May 31.

Lombardi told demonstrators that President Pollack would agree to disclose the end date of Starbucks contract with the university, along with information about

UPS DOWNS& Ups

The 20th annual Hot Dog Day that took place in downtown Ithaca on the Commons last Friday was a great success. The event was hosted by “The Hot Dog Guy” Lou Cassaniti and all proceeds went to bene t the shelter animals at the SPCA of Tompkins County.

Downs

Ithaca, N.Y. has been named as one of the top ten cities in the country with the most student debt. The city has a median student debt of $25,041 and a 78.02% ratio of student loan debt to median job earnings of college graduates.

HEARD SEEN& Heard

con dentiality clauses, stakeholders for termination, and scheduling a follow up meeting. However, Pollack said that some aspects of the contract would remain undisclosed due to non-disclosure clauses.

Following the meeting, e Cornell Daily Sun reported that the university's contract with Starbucks is scheduled to expire in 2025 and that Pollack “emphasized the administration would reconsider the contract.” However, Pollack and Lombardi refused to comment on their personal opinion regarding the actions taken by Starbucks.

In response to the commitments made by administration during the meeting, Wilson told the Daily Sun, “We are appreciative with the verbal commitments by the administration to hold the meeting with the stakeholders to have the ability to make a decision pertaining to the contract…We really hope they honor that commitment [and] if they do not, student action will continue to make public the will of Cornell students that we think it’s unacceptable what Starbucks is doing in Ithaca.”

Fourth Ward Common Council member Jorge DeFendini congratulated the organizers in a tweet saying, “Solidarity and praise to the courageous students who stood up to their administration in solidarity with their [Starbucks] Union neighbors in the greater Ithaca Community. You just demonstrated what coming together as students and locals should look like.”

For now students have agreed to end their occupation of Day Hall, but they have vowed to “reconsider occupying the hall” if administration fails to schedule a follow up meeting by May 15.

The City of Ithaca and the Downtown Ithaca Alliance (DIA) have partnered together to try and help relieve retail businesses who may have been a ected by the COVID-19 pandemic, with the administration of the “Ithaca Retail-Mini Grant Program.” A threeyear project in the making, the program is made possible by the City of Ithaca’s allocation of state and local relief funding which is received by the City of Ithaca’s American Rescue Plan Act.

Seen

On May 10 Ithaca Police responded to the 500 block of Esty Street after a local business reported that an overhead garage door had been damaged and three dirt bikes were stolen from the business. The investigation is ongoing and IPD is asking the public to contact them with further information.

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

Is Starbucks guilty of union busting?

80.7% Yes.

12.3% No.

7.0% I don’t know.

Visit ithaca.com to submit your response.

On May 11, students at Cornell University organized protests that led to the temporary occupation of Day Hall to pressure the school to stop selling Starbucks products on campus and find a new ethical coffee vendor before the Fall 2023 semester. (Photo: Jorge DeFendini)

“By selling Starbucks products…Cornell is actively using students’ tuition to support rampant union-busting.”

—Cornell Student Statement

The Bloc Party is Over

Dan Antonioli

For close to four years Ithaca’s Green New Deal declarations of “decarbonizing all 60,000 of its buildings” and Climate Justice have had more than enough time to gure out how they’re going to reach these headline grabbing goals. “Carbon neutrality by 2023” and “climate justice” are worthy endeavors and many of us in the community have been asking how, and when, they are going to be achieved.

Enter Bloc Power in 2021 with much fanfare and media attention and we’re still waiting for the delivery of tangible programs and nancials showing how these ambitious goals are going to be met. As noted in your April 26th issue, Bloc Power has hosted the rst of many “BlocParties” with free food and music so that they can “build awareness and trust” with the community, presumably with the intention of moving the Green New Deal forward.

At this juncture, we don’t need any more parties, press releases, or national attention of how green Ithaca is. e BlocParty is over and it’s time for Ithaca’s

Green New Deal and BlocPower to deliver.

When BlocPower’s arrival in Ithaca was announced I didn’t see any practical details for the “Ithaca Program,” so I called, emailed, and signed up to see if I could get an estimate for a new heat pump. I got no replies other than a slew of emails announcing crow funding investment opportunities to “invest in environmental justice” with a handsome 5.5% ROI.

Last July there was a press conference at Southside Community Center with the Mayor of Ithaca, President of NYSEG, BlocPower, and Luis Aguirre-Torres and it was another ribbon cutting moment to commemorate the launch of the Ithaca electri cation and decarbonization program. BlocPower had a booth there and, nally, the public was able to have a conversation about their program and how it works, though they wouldn’t discuss money. ey had just launched their website which allows for “instant building reports,” and BlocPower sta said I could see the numbers there.

Continued on Page 19

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Response to Timothy Lillard

While “we ARE free to speak about our politics and political tactics. “Encouraging others to change parties in order to swing a primary...” sounds like corruption to me, done in secret, counting on the lack of publicly available truth or worse, misinformation.

Since NY does not have legal open primary elections, any e ort to subvert that law is against our rights AND responsibilities. Unfortunately, too many people are so concerned about their rights, they forget about their responsibilities, such as being ethical. e unethical Machiavellian “end justi es the means” is a greater poison to democracy than any law regarding ethical conduct in elections.

While your registration as a Democrat is very practical, to have some say over who will run in the general election, to propose an organized subversion of the process and proposing a slate of candidates opposed to the party platform is illegal. Your sympathies may align better with the goals of the Greens, however, you are not committing fraud to subvert a primary election. You have nothing to fear from the Democratic Party. at being said, primaries can be over-ridden by the party leaders as the primaries are the property and controlled by the named party, and not their members, as evidenced by the 2016 DNC Presidential primaries, I believe.

While secretive plotting goes on among high government o cials, their campaign managers, high party o cials, and the corporate players who support them with open wallets is currently legal, why the race to the ethical bottom? More false equivalencies and “whataboutism” are not needed.

No one is forcing pro-zoning candidates onto the ballot, true — they are using dirty tricks to secretly obscure their agenda. ey are appealing for voter support based on lies and ethical lapses, and voters can not cast an honestly informed vote.

If all Republicans in Caroline signed up as Democrats, then the primary would

be the equivalent of an open primary, which is illegal in NY. Some states conduct all their primaries as open primaries, and have laws on the books to support it. I agree that is a worthy goal, if done ethically and legally... that is, everyone together deciding who the top candidates are. e issue is getting there by methods that are not ethically challenged and/or illegal.

To encourage the Caroline Democratic Party to “encourage” their members to be unethical and possibly criminal is absurd. More corruption does not encourage honesty.

I agree anything ethical and legal we can do to weaken the role of political parties in our system of government, in elections and the way legislatures operate, is likely to bolster democracy. e ends however, never do justify the means.

Allen Abrahams

Response to County Investigation into ‘Party-Switching’ in Town of Caroline

Ican’t vouch for the political behavior of anyone in Caroline, but we ARE free to speak about our politics and political tactics. “Encouraging others to change parties in order to swing a primary ...” sounds like free speech to me, and I think that any law that prohibits it is against our rights. e reason I register as a Democrat is very practical, to have some say over who will run in the general election. My sympathies align better with the goals of the Greens. Will I now be purged from the Democratic Party?

is is nothing compared to the routine,secretive plotting that goes on among high government o cials, their campaign managers, high party o cials, and the corporate players who support them with open wallets. I guess that law was put there to help the two main parties divide the public against itself, which is the one thing they do well.

No one is forcing pro-zoning candidates onto the ballot — they are appealing for voter support and voters can give it or not. If all Republicans in Caroline signed up as Democrats, then the primary would be the equivalent of an open primary, which is how some states conduct all their primaries, that is, everyone together deciding who the top candidates are. Doesn’t that sound democratic?

If the Caroline Democratic Party see that as otherwise, they can “encourage” independent pro-zoning candidates to collect petitions to make sure that there

Continued on Page 15

SURROUNDED BY REALITY

New Energy at NPR

By Stephen Burke

Natasha ompson loves her home in New eld and loved her work as president of the Food Bank of the Southern Tier in Elmira.

One unlovable thing, maybe, was the commute, over 30 miles each way on humble, hilly little Route 13.

But the trip was eased for ompson by WSKG, the National Public Radio station that serves the region from Binghamton. She enjoyed listening to “Morning Edition” in the mornings and “All ings Considered” in the a ernoons.

ompson describes herself as a lifelong “total nerd” for public broadcasting. “I grew up on public TV,” she says. “Sesame Street, the Electric Company, Mr. Rogers, all of it.”

WSKG is an even bigger part of ompson’s commute now: it’s her destination. In March she le the Food Bank to become Chief Executive O cer of WSKG.

It wasn’t an easy decision for ompson. She joined the Food Bank in 2001 and became president in 2008. e program is a paragon of success, almost quadrupling its sta size and volume of food distributed in ompson’s years.

But the success helped make the decision less di cult. ompson cites the numbers, but more importantly, the dedication and strength of the sta and organization.

For ompson personally, it was time for new challenges. In applying for the job at WSKG she was only slightly daunted by her lack of media experience. Passion for her work, and for learning about it, has proved central to her before.

ompson says she can remember when she “didn’t even know what a food bank was,” but that in time a food bank “was the rst organization I ever gave money to” before eventually giving over two decades to the work.

e training and skills ompson brought to the Food Bank should serve WSKG well. Her Master of Sciences degree in Business Administration included study in accounting, publicity and organizational management. She is expert in non-pro t management, which she outlines as “creating a vision, communicating it and executing it; creating a budget; fund-raising; strategic planning; working with a board of directors; acting as a public spokesperson; managing a team.”

ompson’s experience in the Southern Tier is a plus. e Food Bank serves six counties with signi cant demographic di erences.

ompson says her sta created “countybased fact sheets” that delineated both unique characteristics and common needs.

ere is a balancing act to managing WSKG’s future, ompson says, in recognizing the station’s home (and largest constituency) in Binghamton, while trying to strengthen its “regional identity.” Recently, before ompson’s hiring, the station opened an o ce and studio in Ithaca.

e biggest challenge, perhaps, is one facing most traditional media outlets: the rise of the internet. ompson has pertinent experience here too, in winning support for a public non-pro t that serves not just individual but community needs.

e growth of the Food Bank, ompson says, depended on “articulating a narrative” that created involvement.

“People want to be part of something,” ompson says. “ ey feel good contributing to something that makes a di erence in their community.

“Public media is crucial to community. A healthy, functioning democracy depends on trusted news sources.”

ompson expresses her strategies plainly. Directness is important, she says.

“People are busy,” she says. “ ey don’t care about nuances.” ey care, she says, about “positivity.”

ompson rejects the “risk aversion” and “scarcity mentality” of simply trying to exist, “focusing on how do we save money, break even” rather than greater ambitions and goals. She believes in the potential of public media for “creativity,” and even “disruption” of new media platforms, which despite their breadth can be isolating.

e message to the public, ompson says, is “this is part of who you are. ere’s power in people contributing what they can. You’re making a di erence.”

Also crucial, ompson says, is reaching people of color, youth, and other “communities we don’t hear about, or from.” Sta diversity will be a priority at WSKG, she says. She points to an encouraging example of women of color now hosting NPR’s four agship news programs.

In a relaxed moment, ompson likened absorbing the volume of the organization’s agenda to “drinking from a rehose.” But it is “very engaging,” she said.

“I like learning,” she said. “I love learning.” She smiled and shrugged. “I’m a PBS nerd.”

Mayor & City Attorney Criticized on Ethics Investigation

By Rich John, Tompkins County Legislature

Iam writing in regard to the article in last Week’s Ithaca Times entitled “County Ethics Investigation into Reimagining Public Safety Finds Violations by City of Ithaca and Former Mayor.” As I am prominently mentioned in the article, I would like a chance to respond.

I expected a certain amount of mud getting thrown at me in the course of this investigation and I was not disappointed. With that said, there are two central questions regarding the Advisory Opinion produced by the Tompkins County Ethics Advisory Board: Is it factually accurate, and is the reasoning for the ndings and conclusions explained? In that the former Mayor, the present Mayor, and the City Attorney have carefully avoided speaking to the substance of the Advisory Opinion, or addressing these speci c questions, I guess that is some con rmation in the work of the TCEAB.

However, in trying to cast doubt on the Advisory Opinion, Svante Myrick, Laura Lewis, and Ari Lavine have created a signi cant problem in our local government. At a large public cost, the City prepared its own report using a lawyer from Syracuse, Kristen Smith, to declare what is acceptable conduct.

While disclosing obvious troubling facts, the Smith Report then carefully avoids any nding of ethical violations at all. Unfortunately, in going through these contortions, the Smith Report has done something awful. We have a situation where the former Mayor secretly took and used money from groups interested in in uencing local public policy. e Smith Report says this is okay. It is not. is is where the word “awful” applies.

Having the Smith Report say this is bad enough. But further, the former Mayor, current Mayor, and City Attorney

have repeatedly raised up the Smith Report as vindication of the City and former Mayor. In doing so it appears that they are advocating it is acceptable for the City and local elected leaders to get paid by outside groups that wish to in uence local public policy. is poison is exactly what the Smith Report concludes, and they appear to uphold.

Svante Myrick is no longer governing our City, but the present Mayor and City Attorney have a responsibility to clarify where they stand. It is understandable that Laura and Ari wanted to demonstrate loyalty to their friend, but there is no room here for ambiguity. None. It is di cult to believe we have arrived at this point, but because of their repeated claims regarding the Smith Report, we need the present Mayor and the City Attorney to publicly state it is not okay for local o cials to get paid o . And while I am hopefully con dent it is not happening, they both probably need to state that they have not taken advantage of this “awful” conclusion from the Smith Report for their own purposes. Given their blanket refusal so far to acknowledge any problems at all, assist the TCEAB with its investigation, or engage the Common Council in any public discussion of this matter, it is hard to have much optimism that they will step up. But here we are.

Ethics matter both far away on the Supreme Court and here in our community. As residents and taxpayers, I hope you agree that we need to do better. If you expect more from City government, it is time to speak up.

We have a situation where the former Mayor secretly took and used money from groups interested in influencing local public policy. The Smith Report says this is okay. It is not. This is where the word “awful” applies.

—Tompkins County Legislator Rich John

Tompkins County Legislator Rich John

A Waiting Game

decision is not imminent here.”

If you have been following along with the discussions about the county constructing a Center of Government building, Legislator Mike Lane doesn’t think it’s a decision that will be made soon.

Discussions have been ongoing for about 15 years, becoming more serious in 2019 when Tompkins County purchased property on the 400 block of N Tioga Street and on Sears Street. Since then, more property has been bought, some has been sold, and the Legislature is seemingly not much closer to making a nal decision.

WHY A CENTER OF GOVERNMENT BUILDING?

A combination of factors and reasons led to the county’s decision to discuss constructing a Center of Government building. One obvious reason is that currently there is not centralized space for the public to receive services. ere are spaces in di erent buildings throughout the city, which has created unequal workspaces for employees. Additionally, some legislators believe it’s not an e cient way to operate.

“We have employees scattered in various places downtown where we pay rent,” Legislator Deborah Dawson said. “If we could consolidate everyone in one place it would be more e cient and more economical.”

Another driving factor is the fact that the county needs to nd new space for the county clerk’s o ce and the district attorney’s o ce. According to County Admin-

By Tanner Harding

istrator Lisa Holmes, the county has a statutory responsibility to provide adequate space for court operations. In 2019 the state authorized a third county court judge for Tompkins County, beginning in 2020. Because of that, the state has requested more space at the courthouse.

“ ey’d like it as soon as possible,” Holmes said. “ ey’ve been very good partners with the county and understanding we’ve been planning to move those o ces out.”

Dawson cites this issue as one of the most urgent.

“ e fact remains that there are some fairly pressing needs to move forward, not the least of which is the court system,” she

said. “ ey’re going to lose patience with us. We’ve been promising progress for more than three years to vacate those spaces in the courthouse.”

Some legislators have also pointed to constructing a Center of Government as an opportunity to work toward the county’s sustainability and greenhouse gas emissions goals. e plan would be to use geothermal heating, which uses signi cantly less energy than other types of systems. Additionally, some of the buildings the county currently occupies uses natural gas, so this would provide a way to reduce that usage as well.

WHERE WOULD THEY BUILD IT?

ere are two main options for the location of the Center of Government at this point, though it does seem to be leaning one way.

e rst option is the property the county purchased back in 2019. is included 408 N. Tioga St., 412-415 N. Tioga Street and 117 and 119 Sears Street. is was purchased with the Center of Government in mind, as it was the same year the state noti ed the county they would need more space in the courthouse.

Progress continued into 2020 when the Legislature approved the initial Capital Plan expenditures for building and design costs. e Downtown Facilities Committee was leading the charge at the time and met to discuss di erent ideas and scenarios for the 400 block site. However, plans were soon disrupted with the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2021 the committee picked back up and contributed to the conversation about purchasing property on the 300 block of N Tioga Street. Two resolutions were made that year — to purchase 300 and 308 N Tioga St., and to sell the Sears Street parcel to Ithaca Neighborhood Housing Services. e 2022 Capital Plan was updated to include building and design costs, with the assumption the design would be completed in 2022.

In 2022, the county worked with HOLT Architects to update a departmental space study that had been completed in 2019. at same year, there was a resolution passed to deconstruct 412-414 N. Tioga St. (Deconstruction di ers from demolition in the sense that anything still usable will be saved rst and reused.) Deconstruction of 412-414 N. Tioga St. is currently awaiting contractor availability. e other part of that parcel, 408 N Tioga St., has proved to be a bit of a problem for the county. Referred to as the “Red House,” the building is 3,841 square feet and located within the Dewitt Park Historic District. e house was built in 1870 and the county estimates it would need $1.9-$2.25 million to rehabilitate it into a usable building.

The debate and discussion over constructing a Tompkins County Center of Government building has officially stretched into its fourth year with lingering questions about historical houses, costs, and which project should take priority.

Tompkins County Legislator Deborah Dawson says the Center of Government would allow the county to consolidate employees in one centralized location.

(Photo: Tompkins County)

Tompkins County Legislator Mike Lane says that depending on the size of the project, the Center of Government could cost $20 to $40 million.

(Photo: Tompkins County)

“If we could consolidate everyone in one place it would be more efficient and more economical.”

—Legislator Deborah Dawson

Aside from rehabilitating the building, the county has also considered selling the property or deconstructing it and using the space for a parking lot. ere has been a lot of community backlash to deconstruction which has legislators leaning away from that option.

“ e community has said they don’t want to see that go down,” Lane said. “It’s a historical house. e problem is it not’s in very good condition. It would be a lot of investment to bring that back up to code.”

Rehabilitation e orts would include making the building accessible for those with disabilities, lead and asbestos abatements, a new re sprinkler and re alarm system, mechanical system improvements, structural, foundation and basement improvements, roof replacement, energy e ciency upgrades, electrical, telecommunication and security upgrades, window replacement and the restoration of the exterior.

Aside from the poor optics of deconstructing a historic house, Dawson said she’s doubtful the city would support their e orts. At this point, both Dawson and Lane seem to think trying to sell it is the most likely option.

at’s not to say, however, that a parking lot isn’t needed in the area.

Dawson noted that the cost of living in Tompkins County, and even more so the City of Ithaca, is high, forcing many employees to choose to live elsewhere.

“A third of our county employees commute in from outside the county,” she said. “And many, many live in the outer edges of the county, and we don’t have a transit system that services the rural parts of the county in any substantial way.”

is high level of commuting means there’s a need for parking — something downtown Ithaca is lacking. ere’s a fee for much of the street parking and all garage parking during the week. In addition to a ecting county employees, this also impacts members of the public seeking county services.

“ ere are good reasons to argue that the parking situation in the city has an impact on the accessibility,” Dawson said. “ at’s undeniable.”

However, despite some suggestions that Dawson called “not unreasonable” to build the Center of Government in the outskirts of the county, she does think downtown Ithaca is the right choice.

“A prior Legislature made the decision that we’re going to invest in this property because we thought this is where the center of government ought to go,” she said.

OTHER ISSUES

Two other issues have also been weighing on legislators’ minds. e rst is, of course, the cost. e second issue is the Tompkins County Public Safety Building, which houses the Tompkins County Sheri ’s O ce and the County Jail.

Not enough progress has been made to have any type of precise cost estimate. e Legislature will have to agree on which sites they’re going to use rst and what they will do with the buildings already there.

Lane, however, estimates that depending on the size the project could cost $20-$40 million.

“[A Center of Government] would have some advantages, but we have to think about our taxpayers and what they can a ord.”

e Center of Government Capital Plan project was initially approved in 2020 for $22 million. It was updated in 2022 and approved at $30.6 million.

Dawson noted that the longer they put o the decision, the more it will cost.

“ e cost of construction keeps going up and up and up,” she said She also noted the cost of maintaining the buildings that they own, including the properties on the 300 and 400 blocks of N Tioga Street.

“Doing nothing is costing us money,” Dawson said.

ere’s also the discussion around rent. While the county does own the majority of the buildings it occupies, there are some it rents. According to Holmes, the county will spend $188,700 in rent this year.

Lane doesn’t consider that a major factor, however.

“My personal opinion is the county should own all their buildings,” he said.

“But you look at the Department of Motor Vehicles where there’s a big parking lot and see if it would make any sense to move those o ces into a Center of Government that is located downtown. It wouldn’t make sense, so we’re going to have to continue to lease space.”

e other, and not entirely unrelated problem, is the Public Safety Building.

“ e big gorilla in the room is that we need to build something to improve our Public Safety Building,” Lane said. “It’s not in good shape and not great functionally.”

He said that jails are expensive to build, so over the years they have put o doing much work aside from necessities like xing the air conditioner and other smaller modi cations. It’s gotten to the point, however, that some legislators think it’s in need of an urgent x.

“We know we don’t have the space to do the programming we’d like for the inmates,” he said. “We need more room, and we’ve also been looking at the functionality — it’s currently set up in the older cell block systems instead of pod systems.”

A working group was created in February to gure out to the needs of the Public Safety Building, and they currently have three more meetings scheduled. According to Holmes, the Public Safety Building is not currently in the county’s Capital Plan, but there are discussions underway about

looking at that cost. e general agreement, however, is that the county cannot a ord both the Center of Government and Public Safety Building at the same time.

NOW WHAT?

ere are a handful of goals the Legislature is hoping to hit in this process in 2023. A new structural assessment of the Red House is anticipated, along with a cost estimate for improvements at Key Bank, which is the 300 N Tioga St. property. e Key Bank lease expires in August and is possibly a temporary option for the departments that have to vacate the courthouse. (Key Bank is currently constructing a new branch on Meadow Street near Wegmans.)

A resolution to deconstruct 308 N Tioga St. is also expected this year, which is home to law o ces. e lease at this building expires in February 2024.

e Facilities and Infrastructure Committee met at the end of April to discuss next steps, but didn’t seem any closer to coming to a conclusion. Holmes said at the May 11 meeting county sta will present an overall plan for the decision making and options available. e resolution for the deconstruction of 308 N Tioga St. is also on the agenda.

If you’re keeping track, the overall to-do list looks something like this:

• Deconstruct 308 N Tioga St.

• Figure out next steps with the 300 N Tioga St. site

• Figure out what to do with the deconstructed 308 N Tioga St. site

• Decide whether to deconstruct and maintain 412-414 N Tioga St., or deconstruct and sell

• Decide whether to sell the Red House or rehabilitate and use the Red House

While some legislators feel the discussion has gone on for long enough and are ready to move forward, others want more information.

“[Legislature] has 14 di erent people with 14 di erent sets of priorities,” Dawson said.

The old Key Bank at 300 North Tioga Street is another one of the prospective locations for the Tompkins County Center of Government Building (Photo: Matt Dougherty)

The building at 308 North Tioga Street currently houses law offices and is one of the proposed locations for the County’s Center of Government Building. (Photo: Matt Dougherty)

“[A Center of Government] would have some advantages, but we have to think about our taxpayers and what they can afford.”

—Legislator Mike Lane

NEW

ACTING CHIEF OF POLICE

Dutchess County hired the rm for the same reason in 2020.

According to a statement released by City Hall, “ is interim assignment is expected to last through the conclusion of the ongoing search for a permanent Police Chief. e search rm contracted by the City has posted the o cial recruitment announcement of the permanent position this week.”

Following the announcement, Mayor Lewis said “Lt. Schwartz’s long and distinguished service with the IPD ideally suits him to ll this role, and I am deeply grateful to him for doing so. is appointment is a crucial and concrete step towards maintaining IPD’s operational integrity and the safety of the public that will allow for a smooth transition to a permanent Chief.”

In a recent interview, Lewis said that she is “really grateful to Lieutenant Schwartz for agreeing to step into the acting chief role.” She continued by saying that the appointment will bring “stability to the department and safety to the community.”

Schwartz was born and raised in Ithaca and was hired by the Ithaca Police Department in 2011. During his time as Opera-

tions Sergeant, he oversaw the training division for IPD, K9 Program, Fleet, and Special Event Details. He was then promoted to Lieutenant and supervised the midnight Patrol Platoon until he was re-assigned to Lieutenant of Investigations in March 2020.

In response to being named the city’s new acting Chief of Police Schwartz said, “I look forward to leading the department in this critical time of need, and o ering stability until a permanent chief is selected.” Schwartz also said “I’m not gonna say never,” when asked if he had any interest in being the permanent Chief.

According to Schwartz, members of city administration reached out to him asking if he would consider taking the position. He said that he was motivated to take the position a er receiving “a lot of support from coworkers at the department,” along with support from the community and the city.

tion. I think that everyone is optimistic and hopeful. I think that from both perspectives, we’re hoping that there has been a reset and the relationship we have we can build on and enhance.”

He continued by saying that “it’s been an incredibly di cult time for police ofcers in Ithaca for the last three or four years,” and that “when I became a police o cer I never had the intention or desire to be a chief, but as this situation that we found ourselves in evolved, I felt it was the right thing to do.”

“I look forward to leading the department in this critical time of need, and offering stability until a permanent chief is selected.”

Following his appointment, Schwartz said that “my responsibilities went from being enormous to unfathomable.” He continued saying, “Now that I’m the Acting Chief I’m responsible for the entire agency and all the divisions and there are a lot of moving parts there.”

“I’ve had the opportunity to work across a broad spectrum of the department. Everyone starts in patrols and I was a supervisor in the patrol division. I’ve also supervised the Training Division at one point, which is a very administrative job, managing budgets, managing personnel, and scheduling, as well as my time and investigations. So all that cumulatively, I think is going to help me,” Schwartz said.

He continued saying, “In the interim, I will be examining di erent avenues to support the great o cers currently at IPD as well as continuing our ongoing recruitment of the best candidates for our vacant police o cer positions in partnership with the City Administration.”

According to Schwartz, “Our civil service test has just been announced; the signup period is active on the city website. So we’re gonna be looking to recruit full steam ahead, going through the summer before the deadline closes in early August.” He also said that taking care of the o cers already at the department will be a top priority.

Regarding the city’s relationship with the department, Schwartz said “I think it’s trending recently in a very positive direc-

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

ITHus Ithaca Tompkins International Airport Ithaca Tompkins International Airport | 1 Culligan Drive Ithaca, NY 14850

When asked how he would prepare for the substantial di erence in responsibilities, Schwartz said that his years of experience at the department have prepared him for the job.

“We have a lot of great o cers that work at IPD. And we need to take care of them because when they’re at their best they’re gonna be able to give their best to the community and that’s something we really want to focus on,” Schwartz said.

Betsy Schermerhorn Director, Marketing and

ADULT DAY CARE SERVICES

Adult day care programs are more popular than ever before. However, there can still be some confusion about what they actually include. Adult day care programs offer a stimulating social environment for older adults while giving their regular caregivers a vital break. ey enable older adults to socialize and enjoy planned activities in a group setting while still receiving necessary health services. Keep in mind that the services offered will vary between facilities, including the level of care offered. Some focus mainly on social and recreational services, while others provide more comprehensive medical and therapeutic services such

as physical and occupational therapy. Some adult day care programs also offer counseling and support groups for caregivers and caregiving education.

Kendal at Ithaca provides attractive accommodations, residential services, wellness programs, a fitness center and onsite health care for life. Our approach is based on the philosophy that growing older can bring new opportunities for growth and development. Call the marketing team at (607) 2665300 to schedule a tour to see our facilities and learn more about lifecare at Kendal at Ithaca. Find us on the web at http://kai.kendal.org/

P.S. Nutrition programs are a vital part of adult day care services.

When Comics Grew Up

Cornell Press Publishes Marvel Comics in the 1970s: The World Inside Your Head

By Gabrielle Burns

Superheroes with their special names, out ts, and features have grown for more than the last 100 years. e history is long, but Timely Comics (1939) was formed to capitalize on the growing demand in North America. en Stan Lee joined Timely at just 16, and later became its editor at 18. Timely evolved into Marvel in the early 1960s and is know the world over for its series of the Avengers, Dr. Strange, the X-Men and many other iconic heroes.

But in the 1970s the stories and the art changed with a new cast of writers, and Marvel seemed to become more popular with new characters such as Black Panther, ShangChi, Deathlok, Dracula (de nitely an anti-hero), Kilraven, Man- ing, and Howard the Duck.

e stories, colors and art are what drew Dr. Eliot Borenstein, Professor of Russian & Slavic Studies and Senior Academic Convenor for the Global Network at New York University, to share a new view on the iconic and creative stories in his new book Marvel Comics in the 1970s: e World Inside Your Head (Cornell University Press, 2023).

Marvel Comics in the 1970s: The World Inside Your Head

By Eliot Borenstein (Cornell University Press, 2023).

In this interview Borenstein answers a series of questions submitted from the Ithaca Times

Ithaca Times: Can you explain what drew you to the Marvel series versus the DC comic series, and why you decided to teach a general education course called “ e Graphic Novel”?

Eliot Borenstein: I came up with the course when I was running the general education program, and wanted to go beyond the tradition media and genres we covered. While I was teaching, I saw how complicated it was to handle the groundbreaking Marvel comics of the 1970s, since they were hampered by the strictures of corporate comics at the time. ey are aimed at readers who are picking up these comics every month, and are immersed in a lore that few people now care about. DC didn’t start publishing innovative work until the 1980s.

IT: e ‘hey day’ of Stan Lee from the 1960s transitioned when a new group of writers and artists came to Marvel during the 1970s. e work of Steve Englehart made this change come about and how important was his contribution to Marvel?

EB: Englehart managed to build on the formula pioneered by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby while displaying a greater sophistication, as well as a stronger political involvement with the world around him. He also had strong roots in the counterculture, while Lee’s attempts to seem “hip” are clearly those of an outsider.

IT: Who were the other four writers that you write about in your book that made new inroads of superheroes?

EB: Doug Moench, who did his best work on media tie-ins, monster books, and other non-superhero genres. Moench had real are for narration. Don McGregor brought a lyrical sensibility that no one had seen in mainstream comics before. Marv Wolfman’s Tomb of

Dracula challenged the reader to identify with a monster without approving of his actions. My personal favorite, Steve Gerber, brought a more distinctive voice and point of view than anything seen in superhero-adjacent comics before. He also had a wonderful sense of the absurd.

IT: e 1970s drew in new ideas, but what drew you to the artwork and made it interesting for you?

EB: ese were comics I was reading when I was a kid, and they taught me to pay attention to art and recognize individual creators. I was particularly enchanted by the trippy art of Frank Brunner, P. Craig Russell, and the cosmic landscapes of Jim Starlin.

IT: Do you have a favorite artist from the 1970s? And what made their work creative?

EB: At the time it was Starlin, because he did such a remarkable job combining heroic gurative art with stories that explored the universe’s Big Questions. Now I would say P. Craig Russell, whose Neo-Raphaelie art is simply beautiful.

IT: Do you have a special colorist that worked at Marvel? Such as the work by Marie Severin (Strange Tales), Glynis Wein (Amazing Adventures), or Ramona Fradon (Fantastic Four and the Cat)?

EB: I should, but I don’t. Before the paper quality was upgraded and the printing processes improved, I didn’t notice it all that much. e colors on Starlin’s comics were usually beautiful, and I believe he did them himself.

Arts & Entertainment

A Professor of Russian and Slavic Studies takes on the comic evolution in a new book published by Cornell Press.

Minimally Invasive Surgery is improving glaucoma treatment

By Robert Arleo, MD

Glaucoma is a disease of the optic nerve that can lead to vision loss and permanent blindness. Without proper treatment, a person with glaucoma loses peripheral vision first, followed by the loss of their central vision.

Early diagnosis and regular, careful monitoring by an experienced ophthalmologist are important parts of successful treatment. Today, we have advanced treatments to help keep the progression of glaucoma in check. A new, state-of-the-art procedure, Minimally Invasive Glaucoma Surgery (MIGS), improves fluid drainage out of the eye in patients with mild-to-moderate glaucoma. The procedure is frequently performed in combination with cataract surgery for the appropriate patients.

How is the optic nerve damaged in people with glaucoma?

The optic nerve is damaged by elevated intraocular pressure, which occurs when too much fluid builds up inside the eye. Some individuals have glaucoma but do not have increased intraocular pressure, while others have naturally high intraocular pressure and never develop glaucoma. People in the early stages of glaucoma have no symptoms. It is a complex disease and every patient’s case is unique.

Who is at risk for glaucoma?

The most common form of glaucoma is called chronic open-angle glaucoma, and the single most important risk factor is elevated intraocular eye pressure. Other significant risk factors include a family history of glaucoma, diabetes, near-sightedness, trauma to the eye and certain physical characteristics of the eye. Being over the age of 45 increases your risk for glaucoma; however, this is not just a disease of the elderly. In my practice, I have several glaucoma patients in their forties.

How is glaucoma diagnosed and monitored?

Glaucoma is diagnosed though a very specific eye examination in the ophthalmologist’s office. We carefully look at the optic nerve in each eye and photograph it, which provides us with a record. In regular follow-up examinations, we can compare these images to determine if there is any change in the optic nerve; ideally, the optic nerve does not change. We test the pressure in the eye and measure the thickness of the cornea, which affects how we interpret the pressure reading. We conduct automated visual field testing and continue to test this sequentially every few months or annually, depending on the stability of the eye’s condition. During the examination, we also assess the areas where fluid drains from the eye.

If a patient has glaucoma or suspected glaucoma, the ophthalmologist sets a safe target range for these various measurements. These parameters, which are different for every person, determine how often to observe the eye and when to treat the eye.

How is glaucoma treated?

When pressure in the eye increases, it is because the drainage within the eye is inadequate. Treatment typically begins with medication and laser treatment. There are different classes of medications to lower eye pressure. We look for the most effective medication for each patient with the least number of side effects and at a cost the patient can afford. In-office laser treatment (trabeculoplasty) and medication both stimulate the eye tissue to drain more efficiently. Both before and during treatment, it is very important to have regular follow-up appointments for glaucoma.

If laser treatment and medications cannot bring the eye pressure into the patient’s safe target range, the next step is outpatient surgery. Locally, glaucoma surgery is performed at Surgicare, where we have the technology and experience to perform a variety of advanced microsurgical glaucoma procedures.

What happens during glaucoma surgery?

The most common procedure is trabeculectomy. This is sensitive microsurgery that creates both a physical opening in the eye wall through which fluid drains and a new channel to carry that fluid from the eye. In more severe cases, we perform tube shunt surgery, during which a microscopic tube is placed in the eye. This tube drains to a reservoir that is positioned in the eye socket, which releases the fluid into the body where it is absorbed.

There are several types of glaucoma, some of which are more difficult to treat and often require surgery. Often, we can tell upon examination if a patient is at risk for glaucoma attack, and we can do surgery to prevent it. Acute closed-angle glaucoma (glaucoma attack) is caused by a sudden blockage in the eye that leads to high intraocular pressure and is a serious emergency. If you experience severe eye pain and headache with blurry vision, seek treatment immediately.

Dr. Arleo is board certified in ophthalmology and serves on the medical staff of Cayuga Medical Center. He can be reached at Arleo Eye Associates in Ithaca at (607) 257-5599.

Robert Arleo, MD

The Locally-Sourced Learning Restaurant

Coltivare has much to teach with its student staff

By Henry Stark

Coltivare is di erent from other restaurants in Tompkins County

in several ways: e restaurant is a liated with Tompkins Cortland Community College, has meeting rooms and classrooms that are open to the public, and is larger than most other venues.

It's the only restaurant, I’m aware of, that I sometimes have to make three 90-degree turns to reach my table. It’s that big! Virtually all the food here is homemade and most of it is produced locally, some on their own farm. Even the interior atmosphere is di erent. A large air vent snakes its way across the ceiling and the walls

are home to huge glass containers of wine corks and large vertical wine racks holding 18 wine bottles each. e oors are stone and wood so diner noise can carry.

Among the seven “Sharables” are three atbreads. To choose something di erent I ordered Bu alo Cauli ower ($15) mostly out of curiosity about how an entire meal could be constructed out of cauli ower.

ere were cauli ower pieces coated in a

Coltivare

235 S Cayuga St, Ithaca (607) 882-2333

Weds-Sun. 5-9 p.m.

mildly spicy, gluten free crust which was made out of our, eggs, and water and then coated in the Bu alo sauce which consisted of a sauce, much like the one you’d nd with chicken wings in other restaurants, and also made with ketchup, butter, and vinegar. A blue cheese mousse was a welcome accompaniment for dipping the cauli ower and three carrot sticks.

One evening a special was mussels. About two dozen tender, mussels, in their

shells, came in a large bowl with a white wine and butter base along with two-inch fennel strips, diced bacon bits, cherry tomatoes, shallots, and some baguette slices to be used for dipping in the sauce. It could have been an entrée or a Shareable and was lling and enjoyable.

Entrées are referred to as “Larger Plates” and there are only a handful.

Continued on Page

Coltivare is one of the area’s largest restaurants, not to mention the classrooms and meeting rooms that make it a unique teaching restaurant. (Photo by Josh Baldo)

The Gardener and the Guardians

By Bryan VanCampen

“I found a life in owers. How unlikely is that?”

So writes Narvel Roth (Joel Edgerton) in his journal in Paul Schrader’s “Master Gardener”. Narvel seems to know everything about horticultural history; he’s literally bursting with ora and fauna knowledge. Other than that and the fact that Narvel manages a small crew of workers tending the grounds of a beautiful estate owned by his employer, the wealthy dowager Norma Haverhill (Sigourney Weaver), that’s

“Master Gardener”

Magnolia Pictures-Hanway Films-FlickstarOttocento Films-Northern Lights-KOJO Studios, 2022, 107 min. opens on May 19th at Cinemapolis.

about all we know about him. He’s clearly guarded and thinks before he speaks.

Norma requests that Narvel hire Maya (Quintessa Swindell), a distant relation with a troubled past and substance abuse problems, to work on the estate crew.

ough Maya takes to the work, Norma has this tendency to turn on people and run them o , and she does this to Maya and then to Narvel, and the rest of the story follows the two as Narvel attempts to help Maya and act rst as her protector and later as something else. e real story is Narvel nally revealing who he is and who he was.

A er the tough formalism of Schrader’s previous picture “ e Card Counter” (2021), a hard-edged character piece about compulsion and professional gambling, “Master

Gardener” is a somewhat so er, more vulnerable take on themes that Schrader has been dealing with for decades in lms like “Taxi Driver” (1976), “Hardcore” (1979) and “Light Sleeper” (1992); all four lms center around o eat pairings of men and women. Watching Edgerton and Swindell blossom is what it’s really all about, like seeing two

daisies growing out of a chunk of broken concrete. ● ● ●

Amazing. I hadn’t even heard of “Guardians of the Galaxy” when the rst lm was released in 2014, and now they’re one of my favorite things in all of pop culture.

“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” isn’t just one of the best MCU movies, and the three “GOTG” lms are not just one of the best MCU trilogies, but one of the best trilogies I’ve seen in any genre. James Gunn has brought an uncommon amount of heart to what might have been a trio of slick but empty sci- action movies. Not James Gunn. He makes you feel all of the feels.

ere’s a scene early on in the rst volume of “GOTG” where Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) and Rocket Racoon (Bradley Cooper) are thrown into a decontamination shower before being incarcerated, and Quill the Star Lord notices all kinds of nasty metal bolts on Rocket’s back. He (and we) realize that this angry little creature has been altered in some nasty way. at all pays o in “Vol. 3”. e rest of the group battles with a new antagonist, the golden-skinned brute Adam Warlock (Will Poulter) and embarks on a race against time to save Rocket from serious

injuries; in well done ashbacks, we see Rocket’s horri c backstory. ere’s a cumulative realization that Rocket, not Quill, is the most pivotal character in the series.

MCU’s Phase Five lacked e ective villains, and Gunn makes up for that by bringing in Chukwudi Iwuji as the High Evolutionary, a cold clinician bent on using animal experiments to perfect the human race. I know we’ve seen dozens of epic comic book battles, but the ghts here really brought me back to that sense of wonder watching “Superman II” (1980) and seeing Superman ing General Zod hundreds of yards into a Coca-Cola billboard. In a genre that can be very ephemeral and CGI-driven, Gunn makes you feel the impact of all the crazy space action. It’s fun seeing the whole gang improve at using their own powers in tandem with each other, but of course, these movies wouldn’t be what they are without all that sarcastic familial bickering. is is comic-book cinema at its very best.

“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.

Disney-Marvel, 2023, 137 min. is playing at Cinemapolis and Regal Stadium 14.

“Master Gardener”

“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3”

3”

Short Rib ($34) is a large portion divided into two hunks of meat. It’s braised in red wine and served over a smooth portion of whipped Yukon gold potatoes. It also has a small amount of greens, the composition of which I assume change with the seasons. It’s not tender, however it’s not tough either. O en the short ribs I’ve received in other restaurants achieve tenderness by being cooked and presented with a lot of fat to make them so: fortunately that doesn’t happen here.

Another entrée is “Market Fish” (Market price). On a recent visit it was Mahi Mahi ($30). Mahi Mahi doesn’t have a shy avor so it’s o en cooked with a sauce. is one was prepared in a puttanesca sauce with a tomato base and was surrounded by a grilled veggie salad composed mainly of summer squash and zucchini. Puttanesca sauces can be pungent because they are

made with garlic, anchovies, black olives, capers, parsley, and tomatoes. At Coltivare these ingredients all blend beautifully resulting in a tasty yet mild sauce.

e sh and the veggies were cooked perfectly. Mahi Mahi is a white s that can be bland, however this one was full of avor because of the sauce and accompaniments.

ere are four desserts ($9), all homemade, and I very much enjoyed Seasonal Cheesecake. It was made with vanilla beans, and I think it was seasonal because it was covered with a strawberry compote. And I always appreciate whipped cream that is made in the kitchen instead of being squirted out of a can. e sorbets are thick and creamy and the fruit avors, e.g., honey dew, make their presence known.

e beverage selection is impeccable. All the appropriate red and white wine varietals and regions, including NYS, are represented. Prices for a glass range from $13-$19. ere are plenty of beers to choose from both dra and in bottles and cans at $9 and

$10. A feature at Coltivare that’s rare in our area is a long marble bar with eight beer handles that connect to eight kegs through a circuitous underground passage. When I lived in England, I used handles like these to “pull a pint” at my local pub. At Coltivare they’re used mostly for either half-pint or pint glass servings.

e pulling handles are supplied by the beer makers and are a xed every time a new keg is tapped. It makes for an attractive and authentic experience. ere is also a fun selection of cocktails and “mocktails”.

ere are many things to contribute to an enjoyable evening at Coltivare: e food is fresh, high quality, and local. It’s always prepared well and attractively presented. e ambience is unique and fun with a wine-based theme. And I’ve always found the service to be attentive and e cient.

Tid Bits: Many items are gluten free, vegetarian, and vegan all of which are clearly identi ed. e restrooms are outside the restaurant proper and are clean to the point of gleaming.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

continued from page 6

are pro-zoning candidates on the ballot if their Party-approved candidates lose in the primary.

It has long seemed to me that our style of partisan politics cancels democratic politics. Anything we can do to weaken the role of political parties in our system of government, in elections and the way legislatures operate, is likely to bolster democracy.

Timothy Lillard

Against Phones in School

Ilive in Auburn, but I have friends in Ithaca and of course we have conversations about things happening in our communities. Especially in school, where the community spends a lot of time. ere are many good things in school life but some not so good. In Ithaca schools, my friends, teachers, say there is a real problem with cell

phone use in class, a constant problem. e teachers wonder why there is no policy concerning the control of cell phones. Should classes proceed with half the class on cell phones? What is the USE? I have suggested that Auburn has such o policy and it is very e ective.

I am a person who lives surrounded by people constantly on their phones. ey are not aware of what is happening around them at times. Indoors or outdoors. So of course students continue using them in school. Does this help them to learn all that the class is giving them? NO. e teachers in Ithaca are distressed that this is a continuing situation. What is the USE?

As for me, I have a ip phone, just a phone. I like to see what is going on around me. I wonder what the student in school can learn with a iPhone on all the time. Electronically hooked-up? Ithaca is a great city. I hope the students can understand that. Shut down the phone and look around.

Janet Madej Rei

Once A Decade

Steve Morse Band Playing First Live Shows in 10 Years

By Bryan VanCampen

Guitarist extraordinaire Steve Morse founded the legendary Dixie Dregs in 1970, and in addition to recording and touring with his own group, e Steve Morse Band, he’s logged many hours playing with the bands Deep Purple and Kansas. (I’ll never forget his monthly column “Open Ears” that appeared in “Guitar for the Practicing Musician” that illustrated his methods and unholy work ethic.) e Steve Morse Band is playing shows for the rst time in 10 years, and will play on ursday, May 25 at 8pm at the Center for Performing Arts of Homer.

Steve Morse spoke to the Ithaca Times about Cortland, going to Syracuse to procure his rst good guitar, in uences and touring again with e Steve Morse Band.

Steve Morse Band

IT: You’ve played for so long with so many di erent bands that you must have played in the area before.

SM: Actually, isn’t Homer near Ithaca and Cortland?

IT: Yes.

SM: When I was a kid, my dad had a summer gig as a professor at [SUNY] Cortland. And we stayed in an apartment there, and I was just learning to play the guitar. I stayed the summer with my dad, and we went to Syracuse and bought my 1967 Stratocaster.

IT: Was that your rst guitar?

SM: Well, my rst good one. ere was another one before that, a Musicmaster guitar that was a terrible-sounding guitar, but it was one of those many things that we own that would be a priceless museum piece if we’d just kept it.

IT: So you were in Cortland when you were just starting to learn the guitar.

SM: Yeah, and when I got the Strat, we didn’t have an amp, and so I was touching the head of the guitar to the window of the apartment we were staying at, so that I could hear what I was playing better. And then my dad got somebody local to put an input jack on an AM radio that

he had brought with him. [laughs] So I was plugging into a radio for an amp. It sounded not that great, but he was tryin’. And it turned out to be a great guitar; that became the Frankenstein guitar. I basically discarded the body and two of the pickups, and put on a Tele body, which I thought worked better as a building block. It had more chisel-able wood [laughs].

IT: Being in the thick of the 60’s, who were your in uences?

SM: Oh, it goes way back to even the early Peter, Paul and Mary kind of stu , you know, the family-approved music that we were allowed to be exposed to. I thought it was good and everything, but when I heard the Beatles on Ed Sullivan playing live, it was that super drivin’ guitar from John Lennon, and the real tasteful leads, George Harrison was doin’ that. at really helped cement the idea that a guitar is a really versatile instrument. Also around that time, I saw a guy playing ngerpicking style while he was running a carnival ride at our local state fair. And I thought it was the coolest thing, he was playing bass notes, he was playing intermediate notes and he was playing the melody, all while he was sittin’ there, leanin’ back in a chair.

IT: It’s all there.

SM: Yeah. So I said, “Well, that’s another thing this guitar can do that other instruments can’t.” And you can carry it with you, unlike a piano. [I loved] all the pop stu , Kinks, Yardbirds, Rolling Stones, all that stu was… Chuck Berry. All very formative building blocks.

IT: Nice. is is the rst time that the Steve Morse Band has toured in a decade.

SM: Mostly because I’ve been fulltime in [Deep] Purple. So I did that for 28 years, and now I’m able to say, “Hey, let’s do a few dates every month, and have some fun.”

Steve Morse played with Deep Purple and Kansas and now leads his own group to the Center for the Arts May 25.

Eat Greek on the Street

Small but Mighty On the Street Pita Serves Favorites Streetside

By Alyssa Denger

On the Street Pita has shown incredible resilience over the years. Some might say it's because of their unwavering passion for food. Others might say it's because of their optimistic attitude. It may also be the delicious consistency that they provide with every pita. From the farmers market, to festivals, to their permanent location by the Jewelry Box, On the Street Pita serves delicious food and delightful energy.

On the Street Pita’s menu is small, but mighty. With a variety of gyros, salads, and sides, they have a variety of combinations that are sure to please any hungry lunch crowd. Starting with the classics, the greek gyro comes with lamb, all the vegetable xings, feta, and house-made tzatziki sauce. Everything is piled into a so and warm pita, piled high with layers of avor. eir website proclaims, “Eats like a salad, then

like a sandwich.” At rst glance, I wasn’t totally sure what they meant, but then the pita did the talking. e tender spiced lamb dances with the tangy and creamy feta. Tomatoes, lettuce, and onions all bring a fresh bite to the table, cutting through the richness of the meat and cheese. Once the rst few he y bites are taken, whatever is le of the lling can nally be carried in the vessel of the pita, and can be enjoyed nestled into a spongy piece of comforting bread. e rest of the menu o erings follow the same pattern: scrumptious meat, fresh vegetables, to-die-for tzatziki, and feta all wrapped in a pita. at’s the thing about consistency. If all aspects of a dish are on point, then they are sure to exceed expectations when put altogether.

On the Street Pita is most o en found at the end of the pavili on at the Ithaca Farmers Market. One of the hottest items at the market on a brisk Ithaca morning is the breakfast pita. It has all the same accouterments as the other dishes, except this pita is topped with a picture-perfect fried egg. e rich yolk runs over the

mountain of vegetables, mixing with the tzatziki to create a unique savory avor. Although it is incredibly delicious from the start, one of the best bites in this dish remains in the nal few nibbles, using the last pieces of pita to sop up the runny yolk, tzatziki, and bits of feta. All that with a local cup of co ee, and you have the breakfast of champions.

e truck also o ers hummus and falafel pita, reminding us all of the power of the chickpea. Creamy hummus slathered onto pu y pita is the perfect mix to host any variety or meat, vegetables, or heck, just the way it is. ey also have fresh salads and rice bowls to accommodate every type of eater, but the factors that remain are the quality and consistency of the food served. And of course, you can always order a side of crowd-pleasing curly fries.

Whether you're in the market, at a festival, or on the street, On the Street Pita is a fantastic option for scrumptious salad, perfect pitas, or something right in between.

ABOLISHING THE POLICE

continued from page 4

Among those projects are the construction of a new public safety facility, which would be roughly 40,000 square feet and come at an estimated cost of $20 million.

e memo says that, “Common Council has authorized funding for land acquisition for a new Public Safety facility. e City is working on acquisition of a 2-acre site.”

In addition, the memo says that, “ e City has submitted a request for approximately $1 million in federal earmark funds to cover the purchase of new technology for the department including radios for vehicles, portable radios, license plate readers, and an extension of the Commons Security Cameras system to include most of State Street.”

e memo also explains e orts to negotiate a new labor contract, hire a permanent Chief of Police and ll vacancies that have le the department short sta ed for years.

As a result, Condzella has said “ e current City Administration has made it clear to the PBA, they’re committed to working with us to obtain a successor labor agreement, they’ve recognized our rights as workers.” He continued saying, “ ey’re committed to supporting us and helping us recruit new o cers by making IPD a stable and attractive place to work again. We’re nally moving forward together and IPD is here to say.”

Condzella has thanked o cers who stayed with the department through the contentious reimagining public safety process and organizations such as the New York State AFL-CIO, Police Conference of New York (PCNY), New York State Union of Police Associations (NYSUPA), Central New York Area Labor Federation AFL-CIO, Midstate Central Labor Council AFL-CIO, for their support.

“ e outpouring of support from our brothers and sisters in labor across the state and country has been truly humbling, we’ll never forget it,” said Condzella.

Food truck season is finally here and On the Street Pita is here for it.

Sports Play it Forward

Local Lacrosse Players Graduate to College Success

By Steve Lawrence

At youth sporting events, I hear it all the time: “My kid will play Division 1 lacrosse (or so ball, basketball, etc.)”

By the time the young athletes get to high school competition, the comments are more like, “Well, maybe not Division 1, but she (or he) will play at the collegiate level.”

en, when it comes time for those ceremonies featuring the signing of the National Letter of Intent, the ranks have shrunk considerably. Let's face it - playing sports in college is a tall order.

at said, it is truly impressive – amazing, even – that the Ithaca High girl's lacrosse program has sent so many young women on to play college lacrosse, especially in recent years. To get a good look at this unusual alignment of opportunity

and preparation converging, I called my friend Lyn Reitenbach. I met Lyn nearly 40 years ago, when she was lighting it up for the Cornell women's laxers, and she went on to become a coach, an advocate, an organizer and the mother of two D-1 players.

Lyn told me, “ at group that Jamie (Lasda) was a part of has sent a huge number of players on to compete at the collegiate level.” Lasda (whose father and brothers both played D-1) is a junior at Ohio State, and led the Buckeyes in scoring as a sophomore. Jamie (like her brothers, Eli and Riley) has also played for the Latvian national team.

Shea Baker is a freshman at #3 Boston College, and has squared o against Little Red teammate Alicia Nicholas, who stepped in as a sophomore this season in goal for the defending national champs, the Tar Heels of North Carolina.

Other Little Red players who have gone on to play in college are (Shea's sister) Reed Baker (Nazareth), Juliana Saggese (U. Albany), Quinn Howe (St. Joseph's), her sister, Kylie Howe (Manhattan College), Skylar Orlowski (Seton Hill), Zoe Getzin (Williams), and Mackenzie Rich (North Carolina).

I asked Lyn if any other area schools have sent nearly as many players on to play in college, and she stated, “Well, Corning always has some players that go on to play, Vestal recently had a D-1 player, I think, but no other schools have had nearly as many players compete at the collegiate level.” (I could detect a real sense of pride as Lyn listed o these players, as her name comes up o en when I ask parents, coaches and players about the development system that has led to such success.)

In Lyn's words, “It is super exciting to have the opportunity to play at any collegiate level. I'm so happy for every one of these kids.”

with a 16-12 win over Richmond. Nicholas had seven saves in the win.

Shea Baker and Boston College are also still in the hunt, as they got past

At this writing, the Tar Heels of North Carolina advanced to the quarter nals

Continued on Page 19

Ithaca High grad Jamie Lasda of Ohio State is one of many local lacrosse players excelling at the college level.

I typed in data for my recently purchased three bedroom, 2200 square foot home and was shocked to see the number: $135,000 for a een year lease. at’s $750 a month, for a lease. Since I had already obtained a quote for $25,000 from a local contractor I couldn’t believe what was being presented. I inquired with BlocPower several times about this and they stood rm by the number, stating several times that they “handle all the permitting and have a service contract for the life of the heat pump.”

I shared this with the Ithaca Sustainability program administrators and they said that there were cost saving measures being proposed, such as bulk purchasing, but until then the number I received was the best BlocPower could o er.

PLAY IT FORWARD

continued from page 18

Penn to also advance to the quarter nals, while Jamie Lasda and the Ohio State Buckeyes are nished for the season. Lasda ends the season as the Buckeyes’ leading scorer with 30 assists and 57 points, the rst Buckeye to hit the 30-point mark since 2016.

● ● ●

Sadly, the season also came to an end for the Cornell men, as they dropped a frustrating 15-14 overtime contest to the Michigan Wolverines. e Big Red nished at 11-4, and while the team was at times explosive and exciting to watch, it also gave up 37 goals over the last two games. No Division 1 team can expect to win at the highest level while giving up that many goals, and the coaching sta will be putting in the work to tighten it up for next season.

● ● ●

With Cornell out, it's a very easy choice for me regarding my personal favorite to win the NCAA title. Ithaca High grad Ryan Sposito found the net twice, as the Black Knights of Army took down defending national champs Maryland in a 16-15 thriller. ere is a bit of a side story at play here, as Sposito's grandfather, the late Hall of Fame coach Richie Moran, won a national championship as a player in 1959, suiting up, of course, for Maryland. Go Army!

Wow. As the program has had time to work out some of the details, this month I generated a second estimate for the same house and the price was substantially lower: again, a een year lease, this time for a range between $43,200 and $59,000. At the end of the lease BlocPower’s website notes that they will most likely o er an opportunity to purchase the heat pump, which is an added expense.

is is still too much money for a heat pump. What’s the point of having

BlocPower here in the rst place when we already have local contractors delivering heat pumps for substantially less than BlocPower’s nancing? In your April 26th article BlocPower’s program manager Ethan Bodnaruk states that the cost of a heat pump “could range anywhere from $25,000 to $30,000.” No money down is all ne and good, but if in the end you wind up paying two to three times the amount then how is this contributing to “climate justice?”

e price range Bodnaurk references are available, now, from local contrac-

tors. And if a homeowner has equity they can usually secure a low interest loan to nance it. And when they’re done paying o the loan they own the heat pump!

BlocPower has had plenty of time to gure out how they are going to run the Ithaca program. ey are routinely noted as having a proven track record with other cities, so what’s the hold up with Ithaca? Why are they charging astronomical prices for heat pumps, above and beyond what local contractors o er? Could pro t motive have anything to do with it?

featuring the ten best stories from the previous week.

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Weekend Planner Weekly guide to entertainment o erings. Editors recommended 6 top events sent to over 3000 subscribers ursday a ernoon.

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Art

Visit the Exhibit Hall | 10 a.m., 5/17 Wednesday | The History Center in Tompkins County, 401 East State Street | Walk through local stories and discover the history of Tompkins County Open Hours Our Exhibit Hall is open Wednesday-Saturday 10am-5pm throughout the year.

Music

Bars/Bands/Clubs

5/17 Wednesday

Micael Martinez & Cantina Ramblers | 8:00 p.m.| The Downstairs, 121 W. State St.

5/18 Thursday

Rena Guinn Album Release | 5:30 p.m. | South Hill Cider, 550 Sandbank Road

Diana Leigh Quartet | 6 p.m. | Six Mile Creek Vineyard, 1551 Slaterville Rd | Free

Blues & Brews w/ East West Blues Band | 6 p.m. | Deep Dive Ithaca, 415 Old Taughannock Blvd |

5/19 Friday

Sim Redmond Band | 5 p.m. | South Hill Cider, 550 Sandbank Road

Friday Night Music - Delta Mike Shaw Band | 6 p.m. | Hopshire Farms and Brewery, 1771 Dryden Rd

Eggy | 8 p.m. | Deep Dive Ithaca, 415 Old Taughannock Blvd | $16.00 - $19.00

Skeleques Residency | | The Downstairs, 121 W. State St.

5/20 Saturday

Punk Rock Happy Hour w/ Assemble, Secret Service Men, & Teen Cat. | 4 p.m. | Deep Dive Ithaca, 415 Old Taughannock Blvd

Strong Maybe Residency | | The Downstairs, 121 W. State St.

5/21 Sunday

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

The Catbirds | | The Downstairs, 121

W. State St.

5/22 Monday

Jazz Monday with Dave Davies RhythmMakers | 5:30 p.m. | South Hill Cider, 550 Sandbank Road grein, Miles Friday, Landscapes of Unease, and E | 7:00p.m. | The Downstairs, 121 W. State St.|

5/23 Tuesday

Singtrece’s Open Mic for Singers, Rappers, Songwriters & Poets | | The Downstairs, 121 W. State St.

5/24 Wednesday

Deep Dive Swingers Happy Hour w/ The Pelotones | 5 p.m. | Deep Dive Ithaca, 415 Old Taughannock Blvd

Helen Gillet | | The Downstairs, 121 W. State St.

Concerts/Recitals

5/18 Thursday

Crash Test Dummies | 8 p.m. | Center for the Arts of Homer, 72 S Main St

5/19 Friday

The Unknown Woodsmen w/s/g Rachel Beverly | 7 p.m. | Rose Hall, 19 Church Street, Cortland| $10.00

Mayfest, Cornell’s International Chamber Music Festival | 7:30 p.m.

| Barnes Hall, 129 Ho Plaza | $5.00$25.00

Commencement Eve Concert

Preview | 8:30 p.m. | Ithaca College, Glazer Arena of the Athletics and Events Center | Free

5/20 Saturday

Rootstock | 12 p.m. | Bernie Milton Pavilion, Center Commons | Free Common Time Choral Group presents “What’s in a Name?” concert | 7 p.m. | Clemens Center, 207 Clemens Center Parkway | Free

Donna The Bu alo | 8 p.m. | Center for the Arts of Homer, 72 S Main St

5/21 Sunday

Mayfest, Cornell’s International Chamber Music Festical | 3 p.m.

| Moakley House, 215 Warren Rd | $5.00 - $25.00

Dear Linda: a musical love letter to Linda Ronstadt (CNY Songbirds) | 4 p.m. | Center for the Arts of Homer, 72 S Main St

An Evening with BRiO! Vocal Ensemble and Friends | 7 p.m. | Endwell United Methodist Church, 3301 Watson Blvd City and Colour w/ Courtney Marie Andrews | 8 p.m. | State Theatre of Ithaca, 107 West State St

5/22 Monday

Mayfest, Cornell’s International Chamber Music Festival | 7:30 p.m. | Sage Chapel, Ho Plaza | Free

2023

FRIDAY, MAY 19TH FROM NOON-6:00PM

Ithaca Farmers Market,Steamboat Landing 545 3rd St, Ithaca | One of the Finger Lakes’ most highly anticipated gardening events is the annual Spring Plant Sale, organized since 1982 by Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County. (Photo: Provided)

5/25 Thursday

The Front Bottoms | 7 p.m. | Beak & Ski Apple Orchards, 2708 Lords Hill Road

Steve Morse Band | 8 p.m. | Center for the Arts of Homer, 72 S Main St

5/26 Friday

Mt. Joy Spring 2023 Tour | 7 p.m. | Beak & Ski Apple Orchards, 2708 Lords Hill Road

5/27 Saturday

Oso Oso & The Gaslight Anthem | 7 p.m. | Beak & Ski Apple Orchards, 2708 Lords Hill Road

5/28 Sunday

CCO Chamber Series: Iberian Enchantment | 3 p.m. | First Unitarian Society of Ithaca, 306 N. Aurora St | $12.00 - $38.50

Stage

Bene t My State Variety Hour | 6 p.m., 5/17 Wednesday | State Theatre of Ithaca, 107 West State St | Featuring Sam Nelson of X AMBASSADORS, Richie Stearns and Friends, The Ithaca Ballet, Running To Places, Galumpha, Southside Community Center’s CUMEP & more | $25.00

Thursday Night Laughs | 5/18

Thursday | The Downstairs, 121 W. State St. | Join Comedy on the Commons for featured comedians every third Thursday of the month.

Time, Art, Love, Money : 45 years of work by Steve Carver | 11 a.m., 5/17 Wednesday | corners gallery, 409 East Upland Rd | TIME, ART, LOVE, MONEY is a sampling of over four decades of work produced by painter and illustrator Steve Carver.

I See You 2023 | Ithaca College and Cornell University Printmakers | 1 p.m., 5/17 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

Bubbletrees and the Forest Fantasia | 12 p.m., 5/18 Thursday | State of the Art Gallery, 120 West State Street | Daniel McPheters is showing his Bubbletrees and the Forest Fanatasia show lled with intriguing images of trees and forests at State of the Art Gallery. | Free

Young Adult Art Open Hour |

4 p.m., 5/18 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.

Cayuga Nature Center Lodge

Reopening | 10 a.m., 5/19 Friday | Cayuga Nature Center, 1420 Taughannock Blvd. | The Cayuga Nature Center is reopening and we’re excited to show you all the exhibits in the Lodge that you haven’t been able to see during the winter! | Free

Michael Sampson’s “Figure Sessions” | 5 p.m., 5/19 Friday | 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

Entre Sombras / Between Seams

| 1 p.m., 5/20 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!

Film

Cinemapolis

120 E. Green St., Ithaca

May 19-25 Contact Cinemapolis for showtimes. New lms listed rst.* (Additional lms not announced as of presstime, please contact Cinemapolis for more info.)

Master Gardener* | A meticulous horticulturist who is devoted to tending the grounds of a beautiful estate and pandering to his employer, the wealthy dowager. w/ Sigourney Weaver and Joel Edgerton. | 111 mins R

Monica* | The intimate portrait of a woman who returns home to care for her dying mother. A delicate and nuanced story of a fractured family, the story explores universal themes of abandonment, aging, acceptance, and redemption.| 113 mins R

Finger Lakes Drive In

1064 Clark Street Rd #9505, Auburn Movies show Friday, 5/19 and Saturday, 5/20

Super Mario Bros. (8:45)

Guardians of the Galaxy (10:15)

Special Events

2023 Spring Plant Sale | 12 p.m., 5/19 Friday | Ithaca Farmers Market, Steamboat Landing 545 3rd St | More than 20 local greenhouses, plant nurseries, and other vendors will o er organic and heirloom vegetable transplants, colorful annuals, fragrant herbs, hanging baskets, owering shrubs, roses, fruit crops, trees, and more. | Free

Taughannock Garden Club Plant Sale | 9 a.m., 5/20 Saturday | First Presbyterian Church of Ulysses Lawn, 69 E. Main St | The Taughannock Garden Club is having its annual Plant Sale from 9-noon. A wide variety of plants will be available, perennials and annuals, owers and vegetables. Come early for the best selection. | Free

MAYFEST, CORNELL’S INTERNATIONAL CHAMBER

MUSIC FESTIVAL

MAY 19TH THRU 23RD

Various Cornell locations | Mayfest artistic directors Xak Bjerken and Miri Yampolsky welcome longtime friends, including Dawn Upshaw and Steven Doane, along with new collaborators for 5 world-class concerts featuring works from Mozart to Messiaen and Arensky to Weill. Visit website for speci c concert details. (Photo: Provided)

SPRING PLANT SALE

Books

Reading Widely Book Club - Sea Change by Gina Chung | 5 p.m., 5/18 Thursday | Bu alo Street Books, 215 North Cayuga Street | Those of us who attended the Short Short event in April are already jazzed about this novel, so join us to talk about it! Book club titles are 10% o in the store and online. | Free Friends of the Tompkins County Public Library Spring Book Sale | 10 a.m., 5/20 Saturday | Regina C. Lennox Building, 509 Esty Street | Final weekend!

Kids

Spanish Storytime | 4 p.m., 5/17

Wednesday | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 East Green Street | Children of all ages and their caregivers are welcome to join us for Spanish storytime - songs, rhymes, stories, and crafts - completely in Spanish! Clay and metal teen after school | 4:30 p.m., 5/17 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!

Preschool Story Time | 10:30 a.m., 5/18 Thursday | Cortland Free Library, 32 Church St | Stories, songs, and

activities with a di erent theme each week. All ages are welcome but this program is designed for children ages 3-5 yrs. Registration is recommended for each child.

Tyke Tales Story Time | 11 a.m., 5/18

Thursday | Lodi Whittier Library, 8484 S Main St, | Join us for Story Hour! Snacks, crafts, stories...we can’t wait to see you! | Free

Spring Baby Storytime | 10:30 a.m., 5/19 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.

TCPL AAPI Craft and Play: Spinning Tops | 4 p.m., 5/19 Friday | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 East Green Street | In celebration of AAPI month, TCPL is o ering a free craft and play spinning top event.

Lego Club | 10 a.m., 5/20 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 Cheeky Chickens Family Program

| 10:30 a.m., 5/20 Saturday | Southworth Library | With special stories with Ms. Diane, crafts and adorable chicks from the Carpenter’s Farm. Families will receive a free hardcover copy of the hilarious read

aloud, Gladys, The Magic Chicken by Adam Rubin. Find more information and registration links online- or call 607-844-4782. | Free Playtime with the Finger Lakes Toy Library | 11:30 a.m., 5/20 Saturday | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 East Green Street | Families with young children are invited to come play with an assortment of toys appropriate for infants and toddlers.

AAPI Special Storytime | 11:30 a.m., 5/20 Saturday | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 East Green Street | Join us for a special story time to celebrate Asian American and Paci c Islander Heritage Month with songs, stories, and crafts.

Three Little Pigs (Neezen Toze Theater Co) | 12 p.m., 5/20 Saturday

| Center for the Arts of Homer, 72 S Main St | Neezen Toze is a newly formed theater company based in Homer, NY. Specializing in original children’s and family-oriented productions, Neezen Toze provides entertainment for audiences of all ages.

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 Baby/Toddler Time | 10:30 a.m., 5/23 Tuesday | Cortland Free Library, 32 Church St | Rhymes, stories, and songs designed for children from birth to age 2 and their caregivers. Registration is recommended for each child.

LEGO Build Night for Families | 5 p.m., 5/23 Tuesday | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 East Green Street | TCPL is inviting families to a weekly LEGO build night! Buckets of LEGO will be provided for participants to borrow for their builds.

Notices

Library, 101 East Green Street | This is a 30-minute meditation session led by Anna Salamone RN, LCSW, certi ed Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction teacher.

Community Relations & Outreach Committee Mtg | 3:30 p.m., 5/17

Wednesday | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 East Green Street |

Trumansburg Farmers Market|

4:00pm| Music series: 5/17 - Sing Trece; 5/24- Dee Specker & Bob Walpole

Bridge Club of Ithaca | 10 a.m., 5/18

Thursday | Bridge Club of Ithaca, 16 Cinema Drive | Bridge Club of Ithaca o ers casual play with instruction for players at all levels Fridays 9:30-12pm at the Club, 16 Cinema Drive ($5 fee) | $5.00 - $7.00

Healthy Cooking Basics | 5:30 p.m., 5/18 Thursday | Cornell Cooperative Extension | Join SNAP-Ed for FREE cooking classes covering the basics of cooking and healthy eating. Each week will focus on di erent topics to simplify nutritious eating. | Free

Main St. Boxes Planting Day | 5:30 p.m., 5/18 Thursday | Trumansburg Farmers Market | Join Takin’ Care of T’burg to help plant the Main Street planters. We’ll be working at the T’burg Farmers Market to ll and plant the planters. Everyone is welcome and there is no experience required. There will be pizza afterwards!

New eld Public Library Quarter Auction Fundraiser | 6 p.m., 5/18

Trumansburg Community Yard Sales, Church of the Epiphany | 8 a.m., 5/20 Saturday | Church of the Epiphany, 11 Elm Street | Huge Sale, Many Families | Free En eld Spring Rhubarb Festival | 11 a.m., 5/20 Saturday | En eld Community Center, 162 En eld Main Road | Family-friendly event with rhubarb tastings; BBQ pork sandwiches & dinners; rhubarb crowns, plants & pies for sale; craft fair; En eld quilt ra e chances, children’s games & activities; concessions, and more! Free admission and parking! | Free Ithaca Chess Club | 12 p.m., 5/21 Sunday | DeWitt Mall, 215 N. Cayuga St | The Ithaca Chess Club meets every Sunday from 12 noon to 4 pm, at the Dewitt Mall ( rst oor above the shops, o ce area). The club is free and open to everyone, all ages and all skill levels. Play other chess lovers, and get free chess instruction. Details at the club website: IthacaChessClub. com. | Free IPEI Adult Spelling Bee at South Hill Cider | 2 p.m., 5/21 Sunday | South Hill Cider, 550 Sandbank Rd | Spelling Bee on tap! Your participation in IPEI’s fundraisers supports grants and awards programs to students and educators in the Ithaca School District! REGISTER or SPONSOR a team at www. ipei.org/spelling-bee/ | Free Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Kids’ Free Farmers Market | 3:30 p.m., 5/22 Monday | Ulysses Philomathic Library, 74 E Main Street | Trumansburg Harvest provides free fresh produce to all youth and their caregivers. | Free Family Storytime: Baby Doll Circle Time™ | 10:30 a.m., 5/23 Tuesday | New eld Public Library, 198 Main

One-on-One Tech Help | 12 p.m., 5/17 Wednesday | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 East Green Street | Book a librarian or volunteer technology tutor for help with digital downloads, such as borrowing eBooks, or basic computer questions.

Virtual Mid-Day Mindfulness Meditation | 12:15 p.m., 5/17 Wednesday | Tompkins County Public

Thursday | New eld Fire Hall, 77 Main Street | Please join us at New eld Fire Hall, 77 Main St, New eld, May 18, 6-9 pm to give back to the library, which has given so much to our town and surrounding areas. Tickets: $4 advance, $5 at door. Info: 607-5643594 | Free Mindful Botany Walk | 12 p.m., 5/19 Friday | Cornell Botanic Gardens, 124 Comstock Knoll | Join Cornell Botanic Gardens sta to observe the beauty and drama of nature unfolding on monthly nature walks. Walks will be held rain or shine on the third Friday of each month, beginning May 19th and ending October 20th. | Free Ithaca Young Professionals - Friday Night Social | 7 p.m., 5/19 Friday | Liquid State Brewing Company, 620 W Green St | Come socialize with other young professionals in the Ithaca area & make new friends! | Free

Workshop Series: Five Generation Workforce | 12 p.m., 5/23 Tuesday | Register in advance for this webinar at the Chamber’s website | May DEI Workshop: Five Generational Workforce Starting (s) Track For the rst time in history there are ve generations working alongside one another. | Free Performance Art Workshop Series: Aww Wig Out! | 4 p.m., 5/23 Tuesday | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 East Green Street | Ready to channel your inner Dolly Parton? Or are you a cosplay a cionado looking to up your game?

Lunch & Learn: The Fundamentals of Investing | 12 p.m., 5/24 Wednesday | Southworth Library | Learn the fundamentals of investing with Jeremy Downs, Associate Vice President and Financial Advisor on the Llenroc Team at Morgan Stanley and get some tips on how to keep your money safe and watch it grow. | Free ANNUAL

ROOTSTOCK

SATURDAY, MAY 20TH, 12:00PM-6:00PM

FRIDAY, MAY19TH AT 8:30PM

Glazer Arena of the Athletics and Events Center, Ithaca College | Serving as a dress rehearsal for the following night’s show, the hourlong program is free and open to the public. The concert will feature the Ithaca College Wind Ensemble, Choir, Jazz Ensemble, and Trombone Troupe as well as student vocal and instrumental soloists. (Photo: Provided)

Bernie Milton Pavilion, Ithaca Commons | Rootstock is an annual one-day community celebration of youth performers in the Finger Lakes region, coproduced by New Roots Charter School and Grassroots Festival of Music & Dance. (Photo: Provided)

&

Classifieds

SERVICES SERVICES SERVICES

COMPUTER & IT TRAINING PROGRAM!

4G LTE HOME INTERNET NOW AVAILABLE!

In Print | On Line | 10 Newspapers | 59,200 Readers 277-7000

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

AUTOMOTIVE

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)

Internet: www.ithaca.com

Mail: Ithaca Times Classified Dept PO Box 27 Ithaca NY 14850

In Person: Mon.-Fri. 9am-5pm 109 North Cayuga Street

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. (NYSCAN)

400/Employment

HELP WANTED

Up to $20.70 NYC, $20.00 L.I., $16.20 Upstate NY! If you need care from your relative, friend/ neighbor and you have Medicaid, they may be eligible to start taking care of you as personal assistant under NYS Medicaid CDPA Program. No Certificates needed. 347-713-3553

MEDICAL BILLING AND CODING

TRAIN ONLINE TO DO MEDICAL

BILLING! Become a Medical Office

Professional online at CTI! Get Trained, Certified & ready to work in months! Call 855-543-6440.

(M-F 8am-6pm ET) Computer with internet is required. (NYSCAN)

SCHOOL DISTRICT TREASURER, FULL TIME

Southern Cayuga Central School District; must meet Civil Service requirements; competitive salary depending on experience & full benefits package; probationary Civil Service position; apply online with the Support Staff Application; go to southerncayuga.org/644, click on the application in the right column;

SCCS EOE

TEACHER - CTE CONSTRUCTION TECHNOLOGY

OCM BOCES Career and Technical program has an opening for a Construction Technology Instructor at the Cortlandville Campus in Cortland, NY. The CTE Construction Technology program prepares 11th & 12th grade students in the areas of: carpentry, drywall, painting, framing, roofing, floor installation, door and window installation, blueprint reading, siding, electrical wiring, plumbing, proper tool use, and OSHA safety training in conjunction with professionalism, communication, problem solving and teamwork. NYS teaching certification, or willingness to obtain teaching certification, is required. Experience in a related field is necessary. Register and apply at: www.olasjobs.org/central. For more information, visit our website at www.ocmboces.org. EOE

420/Computer

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

5/4 Cherry Kiln Dried Lumber 607-687-1408

DENIED SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY?

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: 224 Adams Ave Scranton PA 18503]

DIRECTV

New 2-Year Price Guarantee. The most live MLB games this season, 200+ channels and over 45,000 on-demand titles. $84.99/mo for 24 months with Choice Package. Some restrictions apply. Call DIRECTV 1-888-534-6918.

DISH TV $64.99 FOR 190 CHANNELS + $14.95

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!

American Residential Warranty covers ALL MAJOR SYSTEMS AND APPLIANCES. 30 DAY RISK FREE/$100 OFF POPULAR PLANS. 1-833-398-0526

GUTTER GUARDS AND REPLACEMENT GUTTERS INBOUND

Never clean your gutters again! Affordable, professionally installed gutter guards protect your gutters and home from debris and leaves forever! For a FREE Quote call: 844499-0277.

Leveling of camps, sheds, trailors and houses. Beams and floor Joyce replacements. Parge foundations and cellar walls. Call us at (315)396-1442 or (315)675-9762

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 qualified watches. Call 888-320-1052.

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

Call to see if you qualify for ACP and free internet. No Credit Check. Call Now! 833-955-0905

805/Business Services

Get GotW3 with lighting fast speeds plus take your service with you when you travel! As low as $109.99/ mo! 1-866-571-1325 (AAN CAN)

BATH & SHOWER UPDATES

Updates in as little as ONE DAY! Affordable 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!

Be one of the first 50 callers and save $1,500! CALL 844-514-0123 for a free in-home consultation.

FINANCES

ARE YOU BEHIND $10K OR MORE ON YOUR TAXES? Stop wage & bank levies, liens & audits, unfiled 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 Efficient Windows & Help paying for it? YOU MAY QUALIFY THROUGH NEW RELIEF PROGRAMS (800) 9449393 or visit NYProgramFunding.org to qualify. Approved applications will have the work completed by a repair crew provided by: HOMEOWNER FUNDING. Not affiliated 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

830/Home

HOME REPAIRS - LICENSED GENERAL BUILDING CONTRACTOR

Finish Carpentry and Fine Woodworking - Cabinet installation, door repair & installation, stairs, molding, cabinets, plumbing, electrical, water filters, and more. La Jolla Woodworks - Patrick 858-220-4732

845/Moving / Labor

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

For rates and information contact front@ithactimes.com

277-7000

AAM

ALL ABOUT MACS

Macintosh Consulting

http://www.allaboutmacs.com

(607) 280-4729

ACUPUNCTURE / FALL CREEK

Handso ifetheraputics.com

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

ANIMALS

LAND & SEA

FingerLakesAnimalRights.org

CLEANING SERVICES

RESIDENTIAL & COMMERCIAL

JANITORIAL* FLOOR * CARPET

INDEPENDENCE CLEANERS CORP

607-227-3025 / 607-697-3294

~ Osteopathy Works ~ Increase vitality & immune function

Enjoy Less Sti ness and Pain

Nine Rivers Osteopathy

Dr. Anjani Teves - 607-319-0429 nineriversosteopathy.com

FLYITHACA.COM

Convenient-Clean-Connected

Get e Ithaca Times

Mobile App

Available in Appstore & Google Play

ITHACA NEWS

Delivered to your inbox every day

Ithaca Times Daily

Text ITHACA to 22828 to Sign up

LOOKING FOR WORK

WE ARE HIRING VISIT US ONLINE

www.wgaforchildren.org or call 607-844-6460

THE WILLIAM GEORGE AGENCY

Boost your Business is Summer!

Call Larry at 607-277-7000 ext: 1214

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

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

** Peaceful Spirit

Tai Chi **

Yang style all levels

Fridays 3-4 pm at NY Friends House 120 3rd St., Ithaca

607-272-0114

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