January 8, 2020

F R E E J a n u a r y 8 , 2 0 2 0 / Vo lume X L , N umb e r 2 0 / O u r 47 t h Ye a r

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“ DISTЦЯBING PΛTTΣRN” Cornell’s Greek Life policies updated, again.

LESLIE DANKS BURKE IN NY

WEST END BLEND

senate race

excited for Ithaca return

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NEW ROOTS on probation PAGE 4

BOMBERTHON FUNDRAISER

E-SCOOTERS VETOED

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ends 2019 right

by Cuomo

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VOL.XL / NO. 20 / January 8, 2020 Serving 47,125 readers week ly

The Greek Problem ����������������������� 8

Hot Sales

Will Cornell’s new approach be enough?

Downtown apartment buildings sell for $25 million

West End Blend ���������������������������� 11

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he Lofts @ Six Mile Creek and Cayuga Place Apartments, two apartment buildings in downtown Ithaca, have sold to Marylandbased real estate investors Hopkins Holdings, LLC. In a pair of deals registered with the Tompkins County courts on Thursday, the two apartment complexes sold for $9.5 million (Lofts @ Six Mile Creek) and $14.8 million (Cayuga Place Apartments).

The Lofts @ Six Mile Creek are located at 217 South Cayuga Street, across from the Hotel Ithaca, while Cayuga Place Apartments are located at 131135 East Green Street, across the street from the Green Street Garage. Both properties were previously owned by Bloomfield/Schon, which is based in Cincinatti.

The total land assessments on the properties had been $6.74 million and $10.5 million, respectively, in 2019, according to the Tompkins County Assessment office.

Ithaca Urban Renewal Agency Executive Director Nels Bohn confirmed the sales.

According to a letter sent to the IURA by the property purchasers, they do intend to continue operating at least the Lofts @ Six Mile Creek as market-rate apartments.

While there’s no letter referencing the Cayuga Place Apartments, Bohn said that as he understands it, there’s also no indication that its usage will be changed. Currently that building houses apartments on its upper floors, as well as the Green Street Pharmacy and Urban Outfitters on its ground-floor.

Requests for comment from the buyers were not returned.

M att Butler

NE W S & OPINION Newsline ��������������������������������������������������3-7 Sports �������������������������������������������������������� 10

ART S & E N T E RTAINME N T

Leslie Danks Burke will challenge for Republican Tom O’Mara’s State Senate seat. (Photo by Casey Martin)

2020 Election

Leslie Danks Burke announces campaign for State Senate

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ocal political organizer and former lawyer Leslie Danks Burke, of Horseheads, has announced her intention to seek the New York State Senate seat currently occupied

by Republican Tom O’Mara, representing the 58th state district. She will vie for the Democratic nomination.

Danks Burke has run twice before for public office, having lost previously to O’Mara in 2016 for his seat in the State Senate and to Nate Shinagawa during the Democratic primary for the House of Representatives seat for New York’s 23rd Congressional District in 2012.

Shinagawa would eventually lose to Tom Reed, a Republican who still holds the seat.

She’s the first challenger to announce in the race, and O’Mara has not made an official announcement regarding his intentions, but his office said he will seek re-election to the office he has held since 2010. The election will be held

▶▶ Try It Workshop -hosted

by Clay School Ithaca, gives people a chance to put their feet to the pedal and try some of the finer points of claymaking from 6:30-8:30 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 10. For $44, you can come test out the potter’s wheel without having to commit to weeks of

Cover: Photo: Casey Martin, Design: Marshall Hopkins

Nov. 3, 2020. Democrats currently hold a 43-20 majority in the State Senate after a wave of success in 2018.

According to Danks Burke, her new campaign will be similar to her previous one, even reusing some of her left-over campaign brochures from 2016. The mantra for that race was “jobs, schools, farms,” touting jobs, education (especially early education) and support for agriculture, all of which remain primary focuses for Burke, though her overarching priority is on enhancing representation for people in the rural parts of the state.

“I’m running because we have been left behind for too long here, we’ve had 40 years of broken promises,” she said. “It’s not a Democrat problem, it’s not a Republican problem, it’s a leadership in Albany problem.

We need someone to go to Albany who’s going to fight for a real seat at the table for the Southern Tier and the Finger

T a k e

Movies ������������������������������������������������������� 12 Art �������������������������������������������������������������� 15 TimesTable ������������������������������������������ 16-17 Classifieds ������������������������������������������18-20

Lakes.”

She argued that a “powerful coalition of interests” in New York City and Albany have the true power in the state and have worked to box out regular people, who have in turn been left behind and have lost the chance at any real benefit even if the economy booms.

Her 2016 loss was not entirely for naught, as it led her to establish her own political action committee, the Trailblazers PAC. The PAC’s mission is to support local candidates in contested races, claiming that they will assist candidates regardless of party affiliation as long as their views align with the organization’s aim to make politics more transparent.

Running Trailblazers has been Burke’s full time job since early 2017 when she announced its formation, and during the last election cycle Danks Burke said they worked with continued on page 7

N o t e

classes, although if you end up wanting to take a full class the price of the first workshop goes toward the total cost. ▶▶ Winter Free Days Museum of the Earth are starting up again, this week on Jan. 12 from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.held at the Paleontological Research

Institution and its Museum of the Earth. Each second Sunday is free admission for January, February and March. Hunt for fossils, visit Steggy the Stegosaurus, and learn about the importance of bees all in one spot. The museum is located at 1259 Trumansburg Road in Ithaca.

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l a r r y@ I t h a c aTi m e s . c o m F r e e l a n c e r s : Barbara Adams, Rick Blaisell, Steve Burke, Deirdre Cunningham, Jane Dieckmann, Amber Donofrio, Karen Gadiel, Charley Githler, Linda B. Glaser, Warren Greenwood, Ross Haarstad, Peggy Haine, Gay Huddle, Austin Lamb, Steve Lawrence, Marjorie Olds, Lori Sonken, Henry Stark, Dave Sit, Bryan VanCampen, and Arthur Whitman

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It h ac a T im e s 3

INQUIRING PHOTOGRAPHER

By C a se y Mar tin

HOW WILL YOU REMEMBER 2019?

“I got a shiny new hip!”

-Adam S.

“I started a youth soccer program here in Ithaca – The Ithaca Youth Soccer Academy” -Ziggy H.

“We both passed our classes!”

-Alicia & Miranda M

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E-Scooters

Cuomo’s veto pauses plans for e-scooters in Ithaca

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hile many were celebrating the holidays, Governor Andrew Cuomo was finishing up 2019 by vetoing proposed legislation that would have formally legalized e-bikes and e-scooters statewide. Cuomo, in a statement, said there were several crucial safety precautions he felt were omitted from this legislation.

“The Legislature’s proposal inexplicably omitted several of the safety measures included in the budget proposal,” Cuomo’s statement said. “Failure to include these basic measures renders this legislation fatally flawed. Indeed, a recent study published in the American Journal of Otolaryngology [study of the head and neck] concluded that head injuries have tripled in the past ten years due to the use of these motorized vehicles, and of these injuries, two-thirds of victims were not wearing helmets. Helmets are a commonsense requirement that should be imposed on operators of these vehicles to protect the public.”

For Ithaca, that puts a wrench in the plans to allow a pilot program for Lime’s e-scooters throughout the city, though it does not appear that there will be much impact on the already active bike-sharing program. The topic was the subject of great debate from residents and members of the Common Council during its June 2019 meeting. At the meeting, the City of Ithaca’s Mobility, Accessibility and Transportation Commission (MATCOM)

NRCS Probation

New Roots Charter School placed on probation after low enrollment, money issues

N “I Moved to Ithaca!”

-Miles F.

“I was elected to the Town of Danby Council!”

-Sarah S.

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presented their findings and research to the council. Megan Powers, a commissioner for MATCOM, said the city’s study examined existing e-scooter programs and some of the commonly reported issues.

“We found that all the cities we contacted were pleased with the e-scooter programs they had overall, but all the cities also reported challenges,” Powers said. “Sidewalk riding was the most common issue. The pilot program in Portland, Oregon, found that the e-scooters did help replace car trips, especially for services such as Uber and Lyft. Cities had the most success with their e-scooter programs when they had a comprehensive implementation plan; that was what we recommended to Common Council.”

Powers thought Cuomo would sign the legislation but for now, the issue is on pause, according to Mayor Svante Myrick.

He said it will remain that way, at least for e-scooters, until the state drafts and passes new legislation, though initial research has already been completed. Despite the fact that the Lime bike program is technically still illegal, it’s expected that Cuomo’s decision won’t actually impact the bike program much, if at all.

“We had a task force meeting, met with the Lime folks as well as IPD, Engineering, Planning, some folks from MATCOM, to try to put together an MoU [Memorandum of Understanding] but that MoU was for Lime, who would govern the use of scooters on the streets,” Myrick said. “But

ew York State’s Charter Schools Institute (CSI), which oversees charter schools in the state, has placed New Roots Charter School on probation after charging it with financial mismanagement and failing to meet its minimum enrollment thresholds.

Additionally, the school was charged with admitting students outside of its permissible grade range as a result of its LEAP program, started in 2018, which allowed students younger than high school age to attend preparatory classes at New Roots, as well as failing to submit student performance data and financial statements. Plus, the institute alleges that the school hasn’t paid any of its 2018 invoices towards the state’s Teachers’ Retirement System (TRS), amounting to a debt of around $279,000. Though New Roots administration remains confident in its

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future, the letter makes it clear that the CSI fears New Roots may not be able to meet necessary financial benchmarks unless the enrollment situation changes significantly.

This year, the school’s enrollment is just 117 students, falling well short of its stated 160-student minimum.

“After consulting with the auditors, school staff, and NYS Teachers’ Retirement System staff, the Institute was extremely concerned that the reduced enrollment, and retirement system obligations would make it more difficult for [New Roots] to achieve its academic and financial plans, which ultimately could affect ]New Roots]’s fiscal soundness, and jeopardize [New Roots]’s ability to fully fund its obligations to its teachers’ retirement,” the letter stated.

The memo includes a list of directives to the school that it must fulfill over the

that MoU has to be tailored to the law so it doesn’t really make sense to do any work in the interim. We’ll wait to see what the new law allows and we’ll follow that.”

Jeff Goodmark, Operations Manager for Lime in Ithaca, declined to comment about the matter and Powers said her commission has not heard a response from Lime either.

“The public seems very concerned about the potential impact of e-scooters on pedestrian safety and on rider safety,” Powers said of the feedback they had seen locally. “I think the public was grateful for the scope and depth of our research. Some citizens asked about particular studies and challenges that were not included in our first draft, so we tried to go back and address those issues where possible.”

Due to the relative youth of e-scooter programs, the risks and challenges, according to Powers are unknown or haven’t been thoroughly vetted yet. She also said finding areas with geography similar to Ithaca’s was a challenge for their work specifically as well. Powers said e-scooters have plenty of potential in relation to satellite parking programs, but there are still unique obstacles to utilizing them even if they are eventually cleared and approved.

Myrick is hoping the legislation will be passed soon to keep the city’s goals outlined in the Green New Deal on track.

“We would urge them to legalize as soon as possible,” Myrick said. “We think these micro-mobility actions are a good way to get moving people around the city quickly without a large carbon footprint, free up parking spaces and reduce traffic congestion.”

E dw i n J. Vi er a

next several weeks and months as part of its probation punishment. New Roots, founded in 2009, must provide audited financial statements as of June 30, 2019; a recruitment plan and budget; monthby-month reports of current enrollment and applications received for next year; a “fiscally sound budget” for the current year that deals with the current or lower enrollment and includes at least $80,000 of payments to the retirement system; quarterly unaudited financial reports, annual budgets, annual audits, and accountability reports for as long as the charter lasts; and documents showing the 2020-2021 class meets age and grade requirements.

The memo also contains language that indicates if the school fails to comply with the aforementioned rules, the institute’s board might terminate the charter, effectively meaning the school would likely have to shut down.

Executive Director Tina Nilsen-Hodges acknowledged the low enrollment, blaming a variety of factors including small freshman and graduating classes, as well as losing several students due to the state’s continued on page 12

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Speakeasy

Ofc. Mary Orsaio takes the lead as LGBTQ Liaison for IPD

T

he Ithaca Police Department has established a new position of LGBTQ Liaison, which will have an officer work with Ithaca’s LGBTQ community by establishing an ongoing dialogue. Chief Nayor has appointed Officer Mary Orsaio to the role. She sat down for an interview about her new role in IPD and how she will work as a connection between Ithaca’s LGBTQ community and law enforcement.

Ithaca Times: Tell me about how the position came to be.

Mary Orsaio: One of Chief Nayor’s 2020 goals is to strengthen our relationship with the community and one specific sector he wanted to strengthen the relationship with is the LGBTQ community. I’ve always done a lot of community policing things, I was the Commons officer for two years and when he approached me and asked me if I would do this, I was more than honored and excited to take on the position IT: What are some of the things you hope to bring and establish in this new position?

MO: Quite a few

things. One thing I will be working on is education within my department. I’ve attended some trainings and I’m currently in an online course that’s being put on by a company called Coming Out From Behind the Badge about LGBTQ awareness within law enforcement. I’m looking to take that knowledge that I am learning and educate my department so we can all be further aware of this topic when it comes to this community.

IT: What are some of the particular cases you’ll be dealing with?

MO: One of the other things I’m doing is attending a lot of community meetings and speaking with community groups to hear what their concerns are. And, to be the middle man, to bring it back to my department and my superiors to see what we could improve on as far as our

relations go and what they’re looking for our department to do to strengthen our relationship with the LGBTQ community. Another thing, I would be acting as an advocate. So, if someone came in to report a hate crime I could be in the room with them or I could be taking the report as the liaison, to create an environment where they are comfortable in reporting whatever’s happened to them and a whole bunch of other initiatives. We just joined a group of places in Ithaca where we have the inclusion sticker on our front door. So, if someone comes who identifies with being in an LGBTQ group, upon seeing that sticker, they know this is a safe space for them to be and they can make their report.

IT: What are some of the challenges you are expecting to deal with?

MO: I think, just from history, the LGBTQ population isn’t necessarily always comfortable with law enforcement and that goes all the way back to the 1960s where the police were put in charge of raiding gay bars. But, we have come such a long way to where police are wearing gay pride pins or marching in gay pride parades. But we still have a long way to go to have that transparency and that trust with the community, so that’s going to be a challenge but I’m up for it and

I see the need for it.

IT: What are some of the city agencies you’ll be dealing with?

MO: That’s all in the beginning stages. I’ve attended some meetings with Chief Nayor for the Workforce Diversity Advisory Board. This is all so new so I’m still getting all my resources and aligning with everyone I need to be aligned with. That being said, if anyone reads this article and wants me to attend their meetings or have concerns for me, they certainly can contact me by my email. For the department, I’m also an implicit bias instructor so I have my certification in that as well as some Fair & Impartial Policing courses. I also serve on the Criminal Justice/ Alternatives to Incarceration Board for the county.

IT: How does it feel to be taking on this responsibility?

MO: I’m honored to do it.

It’s something I’m passionate about. I’m a part of the LGBTQ community and I’m a law enforcement officer so it means a lot to work with both groups to bring them together and work collaboratively.

E dw i n J. Vi er a

UPS&DOWNS

Thumbs Up - The first wave of artists performing in the Finger Lakes Thaw Festival has been announced, along with a schedule of the event. Featured performers include the Comb Down, TATTAT, Kyra Skye, kurt.riley + praxis, and plenty of other well known local acts. It’s set to be held March 19-21, with a kick-off party on the 19th and then 30 musical acts around downtown over the next two days.

Thumbs Down - Another year, another street closing for an extended period. Elm Street will close between Floral Avenue and Chestnut Street for the next two months after a storm sewer collapsed, apparently over the weekend. It seems to be another example of the worsening infrastructure in the City of Ithaca, and the problems that will continue as that infrastructure ages, even as the city works to update it as much as possible.

Seen - Something to keep an eye on with the power plant in Lansing: Lansing Town Council passed a resolution to establish an advisory committee that will work with the invested parties, like the town, state and the Cayuga Operating Company, to foster transparency with the public as the future use of the former power plant is decided.

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

QUESTION

Officer Mary Orsaio, IPD’s first LGBTQ community liaison

OF THE WEEK

Should the city require landlords to live on-site in residential neighborhoods?

56 Yes

28 No

N ext Week ’s Q uestion :

Do you want a war with Iran?

Visit ithaca.com to submit your response.

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It h ac a T im e s 5

ITHACA NOTES

COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS

Creating Perdita Flats in Southside Ithaca Music Scenes C ourtney Royal, from Chicago, and Umit Sirt, from the Hemsin region in Turkey, are known and admired as practical visionaries in the world of energy efficiency and sustainability. They are both longtime staff of Taitem (Technology as if the Earth Mattered) Engineering, and parents of Beckett of Belle Sherman Elementary, and Gisele of the Waldorf School.

In 2010 when this couple moved to Ithaca, they made their home on Green Street, until they completed Zero-Energy Hemsin House in 2017. When Courtney, Umit and Kids offered an Open House at their zero-energy home on West Hill (overlooking Cayuga Lake), more than 50 people toured it: Bright open spaces and whimsical, tucked-away nooks, with touches of Turkish culture. Hemsin House is a delightful example of doing it right, while making it affordable and sustainable. Their home makes the energy it uses to heat and cool them all year round.

Talking about Ithaca’s Green New Deal to address the growing threat of Climate Change, Courtney and Umit dreamed of sharing their successful net-zero energy homebuilding plan with others. Now they are returning to their favorite Southside neighborhood to do just that.

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By St e ph e n P. Bu r k e

By M a rjor i e Z . O l d s

“We loved living in the Southside when our children were born; walking to work and then speed walking home to the kids,” Royal said. “Taitem is the best possible employer in our world of energy efficiency, so we had the excitement of stimulating work with terrific colleagues, yet having the maximum flexibility to work around our young children’s needs.”

They are pleased to return and build in the neighborhood where former slave Peter Webb helped build St. James AME Zion Church. Where Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass spoke out against slavery and for women’s rights. The Southside Community Center, which proudly hosted Eleanor Roosevelt and now hosts childcare, summer camp, Cornell’s Vet Clinic, after-school care, Unity Studio, Recycle Ithaca’s Bikes.re thriving. This proud, historic community is the perfect locale to create new history in sustainable affordable housing: The Royal-Sirts will build a low-rise four-unit all-electric multifamily building downtown across from the skatepark.

The goal is to demonstrate zero-energy performance, while enhancing the lives

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n 1993, I moved to Ithaca from New Orleans, and although I was enthusiastic about the ease and simplicity of small town living, I was somewhat concerned about the differing amounts (that is, the possible paucity here) of things to do in terms of entertainment, particularly live music.

For aficionados, New Orleans is as much a music scene that has a city as a city that has a music scene.

Ironically, upon arrival here I got involved with a fledgling music event called the GrassRoots Festival, which aimed in part to create, or at least solidify or define, a music scene for this region.

GrassRoots took some inspiration from the Crescent City and bayou country by importing musicians from there.

Louisiana headliners the first few years included the ReBirth Brass Band, jazz singer Charmaine Neville, and Cajun musicians Balfa Toujours, Walter Mouton and the Scott Playboys, and Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys. The Preston Frank Zydeco Family Band played the first GrassRoots, and each one since.

Sometimes the mountain comes to you (low-lying Louisiana is at least a musical mountain, in metaphor), but most times you have to go to it, and spend time, if you really want to scale it.

Zack Knewstub is a pianist from Ithaca who relocated to make that effort. Five years ago, at age 24, he moved to New Orleans to become a professional musician by means of complete engagement.

I spoke with Knewstub after a gig of his here on a holiday visit home, and asked him about cities as music scenes.

Knewstub cited certain similarities between Ithaca and New Orleans, saying both places have a lot of musicians, avid audiences, and respect for musical tradition.

In Ithaca the foremost tradition is “old-timey,” as it is commonly known: countrified folk music, stemming mainly from the Appalachians, played on string instruments.

In New Orleans the tradition is jazz, although Knewstub noted that some musicians consider the word limiting and practically pejorative. (Among them is New Orleans luminary and favorite of Knewstub’s, trumpeter and pianist Nicholas Payton, who instead uses the various terms Traditional, Modern, Avant-garde, Neoclassical, and Post-modern New Orleans Music.)

“New Orleans is really a musical melting pot,” Knewstub said. “You have to know a lot of styles to play there.”

At the same time, Knewstub said, there are fundamentals. “Slow blues is a requirement,” Knewstub said. It was not a forte of his, but he developed it in semiprivate (not by design) at the first gigs he could get, at the foot of the ladder, in clubs and bars from 3 - 6 a.m.

Knewstub has climbed the ladder to where he now plays more civilized hours, and has work “every night.”

Opportunities to gig are a major difference between New Orleans and Ithaca (and perhaps between New Orleans and anywhere). But Knewstub also cited in New Orleans a “genuine interest” in music that is practically a civic ethos, with “respect and appreciation” for musicians.

“But it has to be earned, “ Knewstub said, harking back to those 3 a.m. gigs (among others) where “if they don’t like what you’re playing, they’ll let you know.”

Knewstub cited the importance of mentors to any music scene, and mentioned Ithaca’s colleges as potential sources of mentors for musicians who want not just to study, but to gig. He said he has wondered why music teachers don’t take more opportunities to play (and create) more frequent gigs in town.

With particular affection and regard, Knewstub spoke of a (non-academic) mentor of his in Ithaca, the late Bernie Upson, a bassist who played regularly (often with Knewstub on keyboards) at Maxie’s Supper Club, the (now-defunct) Felicia’s Cafe, and other venues.

Knewstub said Upson’s work ethic helped create and maintain chances to play, work, listen, and learn in a town where such opportunities, in his words, “are not limitless.” (He laughed when I suggested this is a polite way to say “pretty limited.”)

Knewstub showed his own dedication to maintaining scenes by playing out while on vacation here. Maybe he will be back for GrassRoots: July is a lot more temperate in Ithaca than New Orleans (New Orleans holds its epic Jazz and Heritage Festival in early spring).

Presently for Knewstub, Mardi Gras calls, along with all that regular work.

COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS Contin u ed From Page 6

of residents. Perdita Flats will incorporate these features: -Super-insulated envelope with double stud framing, triple glazed, low-e, fiberglass framed windows, efficient building geometry; -Maximized daylighting to minimize reliance on artificial lighting, and LED lighting; -All-electric (no combustion), with ground-air heat exchange system to preheat/precool/filter outdoor fresh air; -Energy-recovery ventilation and airsource heat pumps, plus on-site solar PV generation.

Other features emphasize resilience and passive design: The building uses water conserving plumbing fixtures,

York, we felt strongly we needed to work on eliminating the impact of these high Global Warming Potential (GWP) refrigerant usage in buildings. The combination of the heating and cooling systems we are using in our building, (more than half of the energy comes freely from the ground and waste recovery, and the remaining from air source heat pumps that uses carbon dioxide refrigerant) has extremely low GWP.” Both Umit and Courtney have worked over the years with NYS’ Energy Research and Development Agency, even before they moved from their consulting and engineering jobs in NYC to Ithaca. Now NYSERDA is promoting Royal-Sirt’s integrated design project. NYSERDA’s funding through incentive programs and a cash prize in the first Buildings of Excellence competition, enables Courtney and Umit to replace toxic refrigerants (in the

legislative salary. Fortunately, we will not have to provide this do-.nothing, mediocre legislator with another term to pad his retirement pension.

This week, Tompkins County Democrat, Leslie Danks Burke, who ran against O’Mara in 2016 will announce that she again will challenge O’Mara.

Danks Burke has spent the past three years establishing the Trailblazers PAC, a nonpartisan organization that trains and supports candidates for local office who stand up for honest government. A tireless community volunteer, Leslie also has enriched our communities with her work for Tompkins Cortland Community College, Planned Parenthood and the Tompkins County Library. Her character, service to the community and devotion to everyone who lives in the Southern Tier stands in sharp contrast to Tom O’Mara.

She will be the loud, clear voice we need in Albany.

Nick Salvatore City of Ithaca

THE TALK AT

ithaca com YOUR LETTERS Dear Ithaca Times Editor,

L

ike the majority of Ithacans, the mediocrity and lack of leadership our State Senator Tom O’Mara (R. NY58th) displays in Albany has long troubled me. His vote against the right of women to make their own health care decisions, a sorry environmental record, and his unrelenting opposition to campaign finance reform alone make him a questionable voice for Ithaca. He also has failed to speak out clearly and compellingly for those in the Southern Tier who have not shared in the economic recovery since 2008, including our farmers and displayed workers. His only clear goal appears to be the use of his office for personal enrichment. A partner in a powerful New York law firm, he bills many of the same cities and towns he represents for legal services.

O’Mara used campaign funds to pay for a lawsuit that demanded he be allowed to continue to earn a pricey salary of around $150,000 in addition to his $120,000

Write to us!

Say something or respond to an article by writing editor@ithacatimes.com. Letters must be signed and include an address and phone number. We do not publish unsigned letters. Letters may be edited for length and readability.

To the Editor, Ithaca Times,

DANKS BURKE Contin u ed From Page 3

Courtney Royal, Umit Sirt and family. (Photo provided)

rainwater harvesting, and native landscaping that require minimal water and maintenance.

One of the major contributors to global warming is leakage from refrigerants, and specifically heat pumps in a building.

Even tiny leaks of chemical refrigerants cause irreparable damage. Traditional refrigerants have 1,000 to 9,000 times greater capacity to warm the atmosphere than a natural refrigerant such as carbon dioxide.

“Reading the book, ‘Drawdown,’ we became more aware of refrigerant leakage and the extent of the damage in terms of global warming,” Sirt said. “Although we are taking on fossil fuel usage by eliminating it in buildings and taking advantage of the clean grid in upstate New

air-source heat pump) with carbon dioxide (which we use to carbonate healthy bubbly water).

Key players on the Perdita design and construction team have worked together for years. STREAM Collaborative is the architect on the project and is working closely with Taitem Engineering on the mechanical and plumbing design. They are using a Construction Manager, Mike Carpenter, additionally Courtney and Umit will be playing general contractors’ role.

“The intention behind the name is that residents will thrive and feel connected to the living Earth, beyond saving energy,” Royal said. “The benefits of fresh air, water, and light support better physical

candidates in 12 states. Yet still, when this election season came along, the pull to get more directly involved was too strong.

“It’s the same thing that’s changed for all of us,” she said. “As Americans, we have really recognized over the last three or four years that our country needs us. This democratic republic only functions if we are participating. [...] After 2015-2016, I realized that I wanted to put my career as a lawyer on hold to spend as much time as I could doing what I could to help improve our region and our country. I think we’re all called to do that.”

That sense of responsibility appears to be the driving force behind Burke’s reentry into direct involvement with politics.

Having kids has made it additionally personal for her, she said, as she’d like to help secure a future that opens opportunities for people here instead of watching them leave for either New York City or other states.

“I really think we all have an obligation to fully participate in our democratic republic to the extent that we are able,” Burke said. “Honestly, I look at my kids and my kids’ future here in the Southern Tier and the Finger Lakes, and I see that J a n ua ry

8 – 1 4,

young people are leaving, and I don’t want that for my kids. I want them to find a bright future here, and I want all our kids to have that opportunity.”

During an interview, Burke emphasizes throughout that she believes upstate New York bears a disproportionate tax burden to support people statewide despite not having its needs addressed by the state government. When asked what kind of liberal she identifies as, Burke said she doesn’t believe the currently vogue terms like “progressive” or “centrist” are adequate, and that she doesn’t think either apply to her.

“I am very progressive, I am also deeply concerned about the expansion of the state and its intrusion into our civil liberties,” Burke said, noting that Republicans seem to have decreased their prior focus on small government. “I’m not sure the labels hold anymore. The government is there to do what the government is supposed to do, which is the common purposes that people can’t do for themselves: build bridges and roads, make sure that we treat each other fairly and kindly, make sure there are schools for our children to go to.

When we get hung up on labels, we lose sight of what we’re supposed to be doing as Americans.”

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It h ac a T im e s 7

Action Required Cornell’s continuing effort to control Greek life

F

By M att Bu tler or some, Greek life is an invaluable part of the college experience, providing a support system in school and opportunities post-graduation. For others, it’s a pox on universities and rife with examples of nearly every toxic problem on college campuses.

Adding ammunition to the latter’s arguments is the fact that seemingly every year, Greek systems at schools nationwide come under scrutiny for something either tragic or offensive. For Cornell, an apparent inflection point was reached in late October with the death of Antonio Tsialas, an 18 year-old freshman student from Miami, whose body was found in a local gorge. In the wake of Tsialas’ passing, Cornell President Martha Pollack has pledged reforms to the Greek life system on campus, measures aimed at cleaning up the “persistent culture of misconduct in the Greek-letter system.” Her proposals, released late last month, are certainly open to criticism but do represent the most significant reforms to the system in recent memory.

Meanwhile, attorney David Bianchi,

( L e f t) A f o r m e r H o u s e o f Tau E p s i l o n Phi w ho h a d their r ecogn ition r evok ed f o l l ow i n g a h a z i n g i n c i d e n t i n 2 0 1 3 ( R i g h t) P h i K a p pa P s i ’s f r at e r n i t y h o u s e , w h e r e A n t o n i o Ts i a l a s wa s t h e n i g h t o f h i s d e at h . ( P h o t o b y C a s e y M a r t i n)

who’s representing the family, said he has assembled a team of four private investigators to help piece together the events of that night. He said his team has conducted interviews with many people who were at the party in question, but wouldn’t comment further. When asked if a lawsuit is coming, Bianchi said the family was not sure yet.

“We have developed information about what took place inside the fraternity house that night,” Bianchi said. “I’m not in a position to share that information, but I will be shortly.”

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clearer today than on the day it was first reported. Cornell Police haven’t publicly released very much information, and most updates have come incrementally and through the press. Tsialas’ body was found in the Fall Creek Gorge, hours after he was reported missing when he didn’t show up to meet his parents on Oct. 25. Since then, it has come out that Tsialas was attending a party at the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity the night that he died, at which Cornelll University President Martha Pollack told the Cornell Daily Sun there was “significant misbehavior.” The timeline of events since then have only intensified scrutiny on the fraternity and the school: first, Pollack announced the suspension of all sanctioned fraternity events through the end of 2019. Following that, the Tsialas family announced that they’d be establishing a reward of $10,000 for information that could provide more clarity about what occurred that night to their son, and hired Bianchi’s law firm from Miami that specializes in hazing lawsuits. Pollack then suspended most Greek life activities for the rest of the semester and promised that more proposals and reforms were on the way.

Pollack eventually announced the reforms on Dec. 18 in a letter to the Cornell community. They stick to two central themes: stronger enforcement and shifting Greek culture through changes to the recruitment process. She noted her previous set of initiatives related to cleaning up Greek life, which had been released in May 2018.

“At that time, naysayers told me that the new policies would not have their intended impact of eliminating misconduct,” Pollack’s November statement said. “Unfortunately, those naysayers were correct. In the 19 months since those new policies went into effect, fully six Greek organizations have engaged in behavior so problematic as to merit suspension of their recognition by the university. This number does not include the current interim suspension of Phi Kappa Psi.” The enforcement points of Pollack’s Cornell proposal state that Greek organizations “be required to retain independent event monitors for all events,” while the organizations must hire third-party vendors for

alcohol service and security during large events.

Inter-Fraternity Council did not respond to a Beyond that, Pollack said that a “universityrequest for an interview, and the school’s Panhelstaffed, roving security team” will be sent out lenic Council deferred to Cornell’s media relanightly to conduct “random spot-checks” at ontions department. and off-campus properties for event manageWhile significant at face value, it’s obviously ment violations; if violations are found, the team unknown yet if Pollack’s agenda will have any will call the police (how this is different than the tangible impact. They certainly represent more duties of Cornell University Police Department is severe action than Pollack’s May 2018 initiatives. unclear). If health and safety risks are found, the After reviewing them, Bianchi said he feels like Greek organization chapter would face a tempothe additional reforms introduced by Pollack “are rary suspension, and if the viomissing the mark,” at least in lations are proven the chapter terms of what happened to would face at least a three year Tsialas. suspension from campus, or “There are already regulaup to a permanent dismissal tions and laws in place that from Cornell. should have prevented the As for changing the recruitevents of that night, but they ment process, Pollack wrote didn’t,” Bianchi said. “That’s that VP of Student Life Ryan because the laws and the regLombardi and that departulations are not being propment would be working with erly enforced. It’s an enforceGreek leadership to “design ment issue, it’s not a lack of an entirely new recruitment regulations or laws.” process,” focusing on inclusion Bianchi said neither and reducing competition. he nor the family had not The process will be in place by been consulted on Pollack’s the 2020-2021 academic year, reforms before they were and among other things Polpublished, and thus had not lack says it will “replace parties given any direct feedback to with philanthropy and service the school about them. He activities as core process continued that he felt as components.” As for immeif the real focus should be diate action, Pollack ruled on punishing or expelthat all formal and informal ling individuals involved A n t o n i o Ts i a l a s , a C o r n e l l recruitment (Tsialas died in problematic pledgfreshman who died in after the latter) and new ing or rushing behaviors O c t o b e r . ( P h o t o p r ov i d e d) member education activiin Greek life, as opposed ties will now be dry events to Pollack’s approach of with a curfew of 8 p.m. targeting entire chapters Punishment for violation of that will preclude a for suspension or removal, would be the more Greek organization from recruiting a class that impactful strategy. semester.

“Right now, the disciplinary focus at Cornell Pollack has been sure to mention that the is more focused on the chapter itself and whether school’s grappling with Greek life isn’t unique. or not to impose some discipline on the chapIn fact, while the Cornell community was reelter,” Bianchi said. “The real focus needs to be ing from Tsialas’ death, Syracuse University was on the individuals. I guarantee you, if you had suspending all fraternity activities after a string a new policy at Cornell that said ‘Any fraternity of racist incidents on the campus during the fall or sorority officer who plans or participates in a semester culminated with members of a fraternity hazing event will be immediately expelled from hurling racist epithets at a black student.

Cornell,’ you would stop it instantly. That’s what “Yet, while there are things to applaud in they need to do, but so far they aren’t doing it.”

Greek life’s contributions, there is also much Further, he made it clear that the family’s that is wrong in that system, both at Cornell and intent is not to do away with Greek life entirely. nationally,” she wrote. “We must find ways to But that the right people, like chapter presipermanently curtail behaviors that are putting dents or organization officers, need to be in the the safety of our students at risk – from excessive crosshairs when Greek organizations run afoul and harmful drinking and substance abuse; to of school rules in order to correct behaviors sexual harassment and assault; to demeaning and long-term. extremely troubling hazing activities.”

“We don’t need to eliminate the Greek system,” The school’s media relations department Bianchi said. “We simply need to weed out the referred the Ithaca Times to Pollack’s previrotten apples.” ous statements on the matter. The school’s J a n ua ry

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It h ac a T im e s 9

sports

Looking Forward

BomberTHON sets the tone for 2020

By Ste ve L aw re nc e

L

ast week, we took a look back at some of the sports stories that unfolded in 2019, but I left one out, and for good reason. I want to use that upbeat and inspiring story to set the stage for what I hope to see more of in 2020.

Just before calling it a semester, many Ithaca College athletes took part in the first-ever BomberTHON for the purpose of raising funds for the Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital in Syracuse. The effort was a part of the larger Miracle Network Dance Marathons and the Children’s

Miracle Network, organizations that dedicate their work to providing financial and emotional support for families facing childhood cancer.

In a time when we hear so many stories about the underbelly of collegiate athletics – entitled athletes, crooked agents, money-grabbing coaches and back door dealings – we don’t hear enough about regular college students working hard to make their campuses and communities better places.

I reached out to Susan Bassett – Ithaca

College’s Athletic Director – and she told me, “The effort involved many Ithaca College students – athletes and non-athletes – and while it was not officially sponsored by the Athletic Department it was great to see the Bomber name used, as it so often is, for such good things.” Bassett called the event “a great collaborative effort,” and conveyed her opinion that she was impressed by the “student-run, student administered” event.

Ms. Bassett also said, “We like to see students take responsibility, learn outside the classroom, plan and execute. I was thrilled - not just with the outcome - but to see such a high level of cross-campus engagement. It’s exactly what we want to see the Ithaca College community doing.

Not just what we do, but how we go about it.”

Ah, yes… the outcome. Bassett offered, “The goal was to raise $15,000, and they brought in $28,233!” The I.C. athletes accounted for $7,200 of that haul, led by the women’s crew team north-of-$2,000 effort.

Men’s lacrosse raised nearly a thousand, men’s and women’s soccer each raised nearly $700, field hockey hit the $600 mark and men’s swimming and diving raised $500.

Susan Bassett wrapped up our conversation by saying, “It was great to see the I.C. athletic teams take part in such a large effort. We are very proud.” ● ● ●

Red teams are off to strong starts, and Cornell women’s ice hockey coach Doug Derraugh was kind enough to take the time to update me on the team’s season to date, and when a team is 13-1-1 overall and 7-0-1 in conference play, the obvious question is “What do you do to keep it going?” Derraugh said, “At the start of the year, we were hoping to play strong team defense, and in the first half of the season we did that.” He added, “We’re hoping to also get really balanced scoring from all three lines, and we’re starting to get there.”

Doug was clear that for a team to go deep into the post-season, such balance will be key. He offered, “We have more players scoring and that’s a positive sign.

As the season progresses, if your ‘top line’ isn’t clicking, and the second and third line can step up, that depth is important.”

I also asked Derraugh how much attention he pays to rankings (C.U. is currently ranked 4th), and he said, “We do pay attention to the computer rankings, because they decide a lot at the end of the year.”

Asked about the 13-1-1- start, Doug said, “At the start of every season, you want to win every game, and you take every loss to heart, but yes, I’d say if someone would have asked if I’d be happy with our start I would say ‘Yes, I am.’”

Before returning to Lynah on Jan. 17, the Big Red women’s ice hockey team will travel to Central New York to take on ECAC Hockey foes Union and Rensselaer on Jan. 10-11.

Local hockey fans know that both Big

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West End Blend is smaller than before, but comes to town with momentum

T

By G.M. Burns

he West End Blend will perform at the Haunt on January 16th at 8 p.m.

West End Blend has been playing its own form of funk, soul and jazz in venues all over the Northeast, and while fronted by vocalist Erica T. Bryan, the eight member ensemble honors the classic retro sound while contributing a dance party flair and verve when they perform on stage. Currently, the

band is on tour and in this interview drummer Sam Horan talks with the Ithaca Times about the group’s music and their upcoming performance in Ithaca.

Ithaca Times: You have a rich backstory – can you talk about how the group formed and what keeps you going?

Sam Horan: The band started back in 2012 right after we had all graduated college. Most of the band went to college together at The University of Hartford studying music. Once we got out of college we were pretty burnt out on jazz so we decided to start a big dance/ party band for fun. The band started as a 15-piece ensemble. We would play every Thursday at a local bar/ hot dog joint in downtown Hartford. We had that residency for close to two years which really got our live chops up along with really learning how to work a crowd week

after week. Seven years later, we are chiseled down to an 8-peice unit but still keep that dance party vibe going.

The love and support we continue to see from our fans keep us going. We celebrate our victories both big and small. Sometimes it’s the smallest things that keep us going. Other times it’s playing for a sold out hometown show to really keep our heels dug in.

IT: You have a recent single out now titled, “Dangerous,” tell us about the inspiration for this song and how it came about?

SH: Our lead singer Erica T. Bryan had this to say about the lyrical inspiration of this song: “‘Dangerous’ is an important message, written with love and respect, about love and respect.

It’s addressed to not just West End Blend continued on page 13

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Arts&Entertainment

Test of Time

I t h a c a T i m e s 11

movies

True-Life Adventures

A trio of true stories to close 2019 in cinema

By Br yan VanC ampe n

A

uto racing pictures like “Days of Thunder” and “Driven” really aren’t my bag, baby. My favorite drive-fast movies are “Death Race 2000” and “The Love Bug.” James Mangold’s “Ford v. Ferrari” (2019, Fox, 152 min.) grabbed me right from the get-go because it’s a fascinating slice of automotive history that I knew nothing about, and because it tells the surprising story of auto designer Carroll Shelby (Matt Damon) and British driver Ken Miles (Christian Bale). (I found out after seeing the movie that there are two Netflix documentaries that cover the same ground.)

Lee Iacocca (Jon Bernthal) convinces Henry Ford II (Tracy Letts) that Ford Motors should get into the auto racing game by participating in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Ford proposes a partnership with Fiat that ends up imploding. Shelby and Miles are hired by Ford and given a blank check to get them a place at the starting line.

I like James Mangold because he makes movies for adults, muscular yet emotional pictures like “Logan” and his remake of “3:10 to Yuma.” Because Ford v Ferrari is a great true tale, Mangold is the right guy to craft an auto racing movie that may indeed have visual effects from one end to the other and yet still feels real, raw and in your face. And Damon and Bale are the right guys to lead one of the best ensemble casts in recent memory. You can practically smell the burning rubber and oil.

● ● ●

Director Jay Roach made his bones with the raucous and raunchy “Austin Powers” and “Meet the Fockers” film franchises, but in the last 12 years has shifted to pointed and sardonic political films made for HBO; my favorite is “Game Change,” the Sarah Palin film starring Julianne Moore. Roach’s latest, from a screenplay by Charles Randolph, is “Bombshell” (2019, Lionsgate, 108 mins.), about the Roger Ailes sexual harassment case in the runup to the 2016 election as seen through the perspective of Fox News personalities Megyn Kelly (Charlize Theron), Gretchen Carlson (Nicole Kidman) and Kayla Pospisil – a composite character (Margot Robbie).

At first, Bombshell doesn’t feel focused, as the first third of the film concentrates on Donald Trump’s Twitter war with Kelly. But from the moment we meet Kate McKinnon as a lesbian news producer – another composite – the film’s Rashomon structure regarding what awful things may have happened in Ailes’ (John Lithgow) office coalesce and become sickeningly real for everyone involved. McKinnon’s engaged and spontaneous supporting performance sets the tone for the cast, which includes veteran character actors Stephen Root, Alison Janney and Brooke Smith.

It’s good to have a smart and barbed picture like Bombshell out there, not just as a document of the Me Too movement,

“Ford v. Ferrari” stars Matt Damon and Christian Bale in a Formula One automobile technology arms race. (Photo online)

but to point out the ugly truth that Ailes and Bill O’Reilly left Fox News with bigger golden parachutes than the accusers combined.

One step forward, two steps back… ● ● ●

There I was, all set to watch “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” (2019, Sony, 109 mins.). I hope the people sitting next to me weren’t weirded out when I swapped my suit coat for a sweater and changed from my dress shoes into sneakers. To say nothing of how I managed to get a piano into the theater.

That’s Tom Hanks as Mr. Rogers on the poster, but the beloved PBS icon is

NEW ROOTS Contin u ed From Page 4

new vaccination requirements. The school stirred turmoil over the summer when the Board of Trustees eliminated the position of Kris Haines-Sharp, a well-liked and long-serving administrator with the school who Nilsen-Hodges said was in place to help with the potential expansion to include a middle school, something New Roots had applied for in 2018 for 60 students and in 2019 for 40 students before withdrawing. Once the school pulled back its application to become a middle school, Nilsen-Hodges claims the position became unnecessary and was thus vacated, which angered some parents enough to pull their students out of New Roots.

Operationally, the probation doesn’t change much about New Roots’ day-today business, it just adds another layer of oversight. According to the school, the goals remain the same: attract more students and educate them. As noted in the state’s memo, though, being placed on 12 T

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probation does make New Roots ineligible for state or federal grants awarded by the Charter Schools Institute.

Nilsen-Hodges, who founded the

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school and has led it since the beginning, said New Roots was taken aback by the CSI’s decision, but added that the school now has a balanced budget through the

really a supporting character in this movie.

Actually, he’s more like the Wizard of Oz. Based on a famous 1998 profile in Esquire, the film is about a cynical writer (Matthew Rhys) coming to terms with his family after being assigned to profile Rogers.

I was a Mr. Rogers kid as far back as I can remember, and sure enough, the combination of Hanks’ performance, the letter-perfect recreation of the sets and puppets, and Rogers’ utter lack of guile left me weeping at least four times during the film. And there are visual surprises related to the way Rogers sees the world that bowled me over because I suppose I was expecting a much more conventional film.

I’ll leave them as surprises for you.

end of the school year, as well as a plan to “raise awareness of the school as a free public school high school option for students in the wider Ithaca region.” NilsenHodges also explained that the reason for the missed payments to the TRS was because when the LEAP program was ruled a charter violation, New Roots didn’t receive any of the state money it was expecting to receive for each student. Operating with a thin budget, she said, is something they anticipate, but it also means that when something goes awry, the consequences can be more severe.

“SUNY is monitoring the school’s health and wellbeing during this period of fiscal challenge resulting from unusually low enrollment and unexpected cash flow issues,” said Dr. Jason Hamilton, Chair of the New Roots Charter School Board of Trustees. “The plan will provide our students and families with the assurance that New Roots is doing what is necessary to sustain our school, and that we have a solid plan to grow our school community’s enrollment and resources in 2020-21.”

The remaining members of West End Blend toasting. (Photo online)

WESTEND BLEND Contin u ed From Page 11

audiences, but people everywhere as a reminder that we need to look out for one another. And sometimes that means giving others the space they need to be comfortable and independent. Other times it means stepping in and speaking up when a situation just doesn’t seem right. I wrote this from the perspective of someone in a one-to-one relationship, but it applies to many. Just open your eyes and ears, and respect the people around you. There’s a reason this subject has garnered so much

attention lately, but the concept isn’t new.

Exercise a little empathy. That’s what it really comes down to.”

IT: The band is creative in the jazz and funk music you perform. But talk about which artists’ or other bands’ music has influenced West End Blend’s music and direction?

SH: We definitely have a lot of love for the classic funk/soul bands from the ‘70s and ‘80s but if you dig a little deeper, you will hear a lot of other diverse influences in our music. We have some Dead-heads and Phish fans in the band but we also have some big hip-hop and neo-soul lovers

as well. Artists like Erykah Badu, Lauryn Hill, D’Angelo, J-Dilla and more have a big influence on our writing. There are other songs that are definitely just rocking songs with influences like Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, Rolling Stones etc. At the end of the day, each person brings their own flavor to the table to make a delicious “Blend.”

IT: What is the songwriting process like for the band and are you working on a new CD in the coming year?

SH: The song writing process is very collaborative and varies from writer to writer. Almost every person in the band has a song they wrote in our repertoire.

One writer might bring in a simple set of riffs recorded as a demo and we will build on that. Other writers will bring in fully written out charts and we will fine tune them to fit our sound and vibe. It all depends, but the one constant is that we tend to run our new songs live quite a bit before

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we record them.

In terms of a new CD, we do have a full length album in the works due in the fall or spring of 2021, but in the meantime we will be releasing another single this Spring.

This will be the first full length album since 2015 and the first full length album as our current 8-peice ensemble. This album will definitely be the best representation of who we are as a band currently and we can’t wait to release it to the world.

IT: Some artists enjoy the touring and the work it takes--what would you say is the most exciting things about touring as a group?

SH: The most exciting thing about touring for us is meeting and making new fans. It’s always surprising to play somewhere new and to meet someone who knows our music. On the other hand, it’s also great to meet someone who has never heard of us and for them to come up to us after a show to tell us that they are our new biggest fans. Also, we love trying all the great food from city to city.

IT: Would you like to add anything else about your music or the upcoming show in Ithaca?

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Ithac a T imes

/January

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arts

Covering All the Bases

“Plus One” show features a deep mix of offerings

By Ar thur W hit m an

W

hile the image of the contemporary visual artist tends to be deeply individualistic, the art world in practice is inevitably a social place—often held together through relationships of friendship and admiration.

For the latest exhibit at Corners Gallery, director Ariel Ecklund asked a handful of familiar standbys; each was encouraged to invite an additional artist of their choice.

Up through Jan. 25, “Plus One” features 15 artists (all but three are women) working in a range of media. Not the most cohesive or collectively satisfying of presentations, the show nevertheless highlights both the range and ambition of the gallery as well as an able balance of local and non-local art.

Barbara Page’s gifts as a painter sometimes get lost in her eclectic, brainy oeuvre. Two square-shaped oils on canvas, “Homeward Bound” and “East is East” return to her roots, while maintaining her signature interest in aerial topography. The former, depicting or imagining a landscape of forests and farm fields cut with an approximate grid of gray roads, gives voice to an interplay between nature and human intervention. The latter, with its pale shades and mosaic-like assembly portraying urban blocks, has a less naturalistic, more abstracted cast.

Similarly to Page’s best work, Rosalyn Richards’ weds humane touch and texture to a scientifically-inspired subject matter.

Above: Suzanne Onodera “Plume” Below: Rosalyn Richards “Beacon” (Photo: provided)

This is most striking in her intaglio prints, which suggest micro- and macro-cosmic settings. Two color etching-aquatints, “Beacon” and “Fabric of Space,” convey a Leonardo-esque fascination with the more alien realms of the universe.

Both Richards and her invitee, Devon Stackonis, spring from Pennsylvania. With their patient realism, measured tonality, and mechanical texture, the junior artist’s black-and-white mezzotints evoke photography while remaining emphatically hand-rendered. Working from elaborately constructed still-life setups but evoking landscape, both “Entropic Space” and “Reunion” conjure an uncanny fantasy of natural and architectural forms.

Local abstract sculptor Ann Reichlin is generously represented, with two wallmounted works as well as a freestanding piece. Both framed, “Measures of Happiness (a)” and “(b)” feature gridded arrangements of wood, masonite, house paint, and graphite constructions evoking pie charts and cakes. “Iteration #18,” a layered, see-through box of wire mesh and green plastic netting, has a similar rough grace.

Wedding Romantic dreaminess to the layered gesturalism of Abstract Expressionism, Suzanne Onodera’s abstract landscape oils have a grandeur unique in local painting. “By The Nature of This Place” is characteristically rich: both far away and up front, pull and push. Pale blue and salmon strokes accent an already dense palette of grays and browns—flickers of light and matter congealing in a suggestion of smoke, water, and sky.

While Onodera’s canvas holds it own here, single pieces by abstractionists Patricia Bender, Amy Callahan, and John McLaughlin unfortunately come off as Ja n ua ry

8 – 1 4,

afterthoughts. One wants to see more, in particular, of the former two.

Combining printmaking and drawing, Minna Resnick presents suggestive, purposefully disjoint sign-scapes exploring feminine role-playing. Eclectic virtuoso Stan Taft is showing “Fanzago’s Confession II,” a brash oil canvas combining realistically rendered drapery with fancifully decorative spiralings. In contrast, Cuba Ray’s two winter landscapes, also in oil, are modest if able variations. Mixed-media abstractions by Masha Ryskin and Ruth Sproul offer just-enough space for these distinctive voices. Less familiar locally, veteran artist Carey Corea of Rochester presents large encaustic panels dense with color, texture, and pattern.

If Corners has a signature approach to photography, it’s one that favors the oblique and the lyrical over the more straightforward. In that light at least, three small digital photo landscapes by Rachel Dickinson seem out-of-place: well enough done but without the heft of most of the work here.

It is somewhat unusual to see a local show with this approximate number of artists. Exhibitions with a couple or a few people are common enough, while both the State of the Art Gallery and the Community School of Music and Arts notably hold annual year-end juried shows with much larger groupings.

“Plus One” comes off as a bit of an odd duck—neither deep investigation of particular bodies-of-work nor survey of anything in particular. Given the size of the gallery space, some sense of incompleteness is probably inevitable. Still, one might have hoped for a somewhat fuller and more equitable presentation of the artists.

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| Photographer Rachel Philipson and painter Ivy Stevens-Gupta explore land, water and sky in their exhibition of photographs and paintings with a strong abstract quality. Both award-winning artists, display their landscape artwork .Through 1/31.

Music Bars/Bands/Clubs

1/8 Wednesday Canaan Jam Session | 7:00 PM, | Canaan Institute, Brooktondale

1/10 Friday Sandbox | 6:00 PM, | Hopshire Farm & Brewery, Freeville Popa Chubby | 8:00 PM, | The Haunt, Ithaca | $20/$25 Terrapin Station| 9:00PM | Casita Del Polaris, 1201 N. Tioga St., Ithaca | w/ Brian Lauri from Root Shock on keys.

1/11 Saturday Salsa at The Range | 7:00 PM, | The Range, Ithaca | $5 before 10pm, $7 after

1/12 Sunday Ithaca Jazz and Blues Jam | 4:00 PM, | Mix Kitchen and Bar, Ithaca

1/15 Wednesday Canaan Jam Session | 7:00 PM, | Canaan Institute, Brooktondale Concerts/Recitals CCO Youth Orchestra Winter Concert | 4:00 PM, 1/11 Saturday | Ford Hall, Ithaca College, Danby Rd, Ithaca | Join us for our third annual Winter Concert this Saturday. Program

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features Prokofiev “Lieutenant Kije,” the World Premiere of Josh Oxford’s “Shuggie’s Boogies” commissioned by the CCOYO, soloist Kate Wyly in Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto, and the first installment of the Festival Chorus in Borodin’s “Polovtsian Dances” from his opera, Prince Igor. | $10 adult; Free under 18

the underworld to wrestle with death, rebirth, and the age-old miracle of life sprouting out of dark earth, and to get a full dose of the uproarious story of the birth of Hermes, the god who invented the lyre, thievery, and quite possibly rock and roll itself. | $15/$10

Art Philipson and Stevens-Gupta: HORIZONS and ABSTRACT REALITIES | Ongoing | Collegetown Bagels, East Hill Plaza, 329 Pine Tree Road,, Ithaca

Black Sheep Handspinners’ Roc Day Celebration | 10:00 AM, 1/11 Saturday | All Saints Community Room, 347 Ridge Road, Lansing | Spinning demonstrations, vendors, competitions and spinning circle. Free and open to the public with lots of free parking. Come enjoy fellowship, food and fun with other handspinners and fiber artists.

Stage The Sharemony II: One year in love | 6:00 PM, 1/11 Saturday | Six Mile Creek Vineyard, 1551 Slaterville Rd, Ithaca | Music, Comedy, Stories from the Bedroom, a DJ, Dancing and more, means you want to be there. | $25 - $35 VIP and Couples tickets Includes Food, and a Bottle of Wine.

Film

Persephone: Queen of the Underworld | 1:00 PM & 7:30PM, 1/12 Sunday | Cherry Artspace, 102 Cherry Street,, Ithaca | An ancient myth brought alive into the here and now by storyteller Jay Leeming, with music by the Calliope Chorus. It’s a perfect time for a trip to the underworld to wrestle with death, rebirth, and the age-old miracle of life sprouting out of dark earth, and to get a full dose of the uproarious story of the birth of Hermes, the god who invented the lyre, thievery, and quite possibly rock and roll itself. | $15/$10 Persephone: Queen of the Underworld | 7:30 PM, 1/12 Sunday | Cherry Artspace, 102 Cherry Street,, Ithaca | An ancient myth brought alive into the here and now by storyteller Jay Leeming, with music by the Calliope Chorus. It’s a perfect time for a trip to

Ithac a T imes

/January

8– 1 4,

20/20 Hindsight | 20 years in Prints and Books plus Portfolios & Ephemera | 5:00 PM, 1/10 Friday | Ink Shop Studio Gallery and CSMA corridor, 330 E.State / MLK Street, ITHACA | The 20th Anniversary exhibit celebrates two decades of printmaking. Will include current and past artists and printmakers, fellows and exhibitors who participated in portfolio exchanges over the years and will display selected posters, postcards, news and reviews.

Cinemapolis

Week of Friday, January 10 through Thursday, January 16, 2020.

Contact Cinemapolis for showtimes. New films listed first*.

A Hidden Life* | |The Austrian Franz Jägerstätter, a conscientious objector, refuses to fight for the Nazis in World War II. | 174 mins PG-13

CHICKEN & BISCUIT DINNER Saturday, January 11 at 5:00 PM Newfield Fire Hall, 77 Main Street, Newfield | Sponsored by the Newfield Lioness Club. Lioness Clubs are civic organizations that raise money to meet the needs of local communities. The Lionesses will be serving chicken & gravy, biscuits, mashed potatoes, veggies, beverages & assorted desserts.(photo: provided )

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Uncut Gems | |A charismatic New York City jeweler always on the lookout for the next big score, makes a series of high-stakes bets that could lead to the windfall of a lifetime.

Howard must perform a precarious high-wire act, balancing business, family, and encroaching adversaries

on all sides, in his relentless pursuit of the ultimate win. | 135 mins R Little Women | Four sisters come of age in America in the aftermath of the Civil War. Directed by Greta Gerwig, starring Saoirse Ronan, Timothee Chalamet, & Emma Watson.| 135 mins PG-13 Jojo Rabbit | A young member of Hitler Youth finds out his mother is hiding a Jewish girl in their home.| 108 mins PG-13 Parasite | All unemployed, Ki-taek’s family takes a peculiar interest in the wealthy and glamorous Parks for their livelihood until they get entangled in an unexpected incident.|132 mins R

Regal Ithaca Wednesday 1/8 through Tuesday, 1/14. Contact Regal Ithaca for showtimes. New films listed first*.

1917* | Two young British soldiers during the First World War are given an impossible mission: deliver a message deep in enemy territory that will stop 1,600 men, and one of the soldiers’ brothers, from walking straight into a deadly trap.| 119 mins R Like A Boss* | Two friends with very different ideals start a beauty company together. One is more practical while the other wants to earn her fortune and live a lavish lifestyle. | 83 mins R Just Mercy* | World-renowned civil rights defense attorney Bryan Stevenson works to free a wrongly condemned death row prisoner. | 136 mins PG-13 The Grudge* | A house is cursed by a vengeful ghost that dooms those who enter it with a violent death. | 93 mins R Underwater* | A crew of aquatic researchers work to get to safety after an earthquake devastates their subterranean laboratory. But the crew has more than the ocean seabed to fear. | 95 mins PG-13

Wednesday | Southworth Library, 24 W. Main Street, Dryden |

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Spies in Disguise | When the world’s best spy is turned into a pigeon, he must rely on his nerdy tech officer to save the world. | 101 mins PG Star Wars:The Rise of Skywalker | The surviving Resistance faces the First Order once more in the final chapter of the Skywalker saga. | 141 mins PG-13 Cats | A tribe of cats called the Jellicles must decide yearly which one will ascend to the Heaviside Layer and come back to a new Jellicle life.| 102 mins PG Bombshell | A group of women decides to take on Fox News head Roger Ailes and the toxic atmosphere he presided over at the network.| 108 mins R Jumanji: The Next Level | As they return to rescue one of their own, the players will have to brave parts unknown from arid deserts to snowy mountains, to escape the world’s most dangerous game..| 123 mins PG-13 Richard Jewell | American security guard Richard Jewell (Paul Walter Hauser) saves thousands of lives from an exploding bomb at the 1996 Olympics, but is vilified by journalists

and the press who falsely report that he was a terrorist. | 129 mins R

Kids

Frozen II | 103 mins PG

Preschool Storytime at Southworth Library | 10:00 AM, 1/10 Friday | Southworth Library, 24 W. Main Street, Dryden | A different theme every week!

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood | 108 mins PG Knives Out | 130 mins PG-13 Ford vs Ferrari | 152 mins PG-13

Books Poetry Open Mic | 6:00 PM, 1/10 Friday | CSMA, 330 E State St, Ithaca | Ithaca Area Poets presents a poetry open mic, on the second Friday of the month. New venue, and new MCs. Come read or listen. All are welcome.

TCPL’s Young Adult Book Club | 4:30 PM, 1/15 Wednesday | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 E Green St, Ithaca | For young adults grades 6 through 12. For the January meeting of this monthly book club, participants will read and discuss These Witches Don’t Burn, by Isabel Sterling. This is a great opportunity, because author Isabel Sterling will be visiting TCPL on Wednesday, January 22, 2020. Copies of the book are available for participants from the Teen Services office.

Early Communication Strategies for Babies and Families | 10:30 AM, 1/10 Friday | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 E Green St, Ithaca | A program exploring ways caregivers can help children up to 18 months improve communication skills.No registration is required for this free program.

Open Heart Kids Yoga | 11:00 AM, 1/11 Saturday | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 E Green St, Ithaca | A weekly yoga program is best suited for children ages 3 to 9, but younger siblings are also welcome. Space is limited for this free program, and registration is required.

Families Learning Science Together at TCPL: Astronomy | 1:00 PM, 1/11 Saturday | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 E Green St, Ithaca | At this intergenerational, hands-on science program, families will explore some features of our solar system and space. Participants will build a sundial

that uses the position of the sun to tell time, learn about the different planets in our solar system, create constellations, and build a straw rocket. Please register.

Sew Amazing | 6:00 PM, 1/13 Monday | Seneca Falls Library, 47 Cayuga Street, Seneca Falls | Here’s a sewing class just for kids and teens in 4th grade and up. Learn basic hand-sewing techniques and create your own stuffed animal. All materials provided.

Preregistration is required.

Family Story Time | 10:30 AM, 1/14 Tuesday | Newfield Public Library, 198 Main St. , Newfield | Join us every Tuesday for stories, songs and fun.

There is a different theme each week.

Preschool Science Series | 11:00 AM, 1/14 Tuesday | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 E Green St, Ithaca | Designed for preschoolers and their families and caregivers. Each week a new animal classification will be covered: amphibians, reptiles, mammals, and arthropods (bugs). Some weeks will feature live animals. No registration is required.

Cuddle-up Infant & Toddler Library Time | 10:00 AM, 1/15

Ithaca Sociable Singles | 6:00 PM, 1/8 Wednesday | 1/8, 6:00 PM Dinner: Souvlaki House. Host: Hans F., RSVP: hansfleischmann83@gmail. com.; NEXT WEEK: 1/15, 6:00 PM Dinner: Crossroads in Lansing. Host: Juice M., RSVP: thomasson5@me.com INHS Homebuyer Class | 6:30 PM, 1/8 Wednesday | Ithaca Neighborhood Housing Services (INHS), 115 W Clinton St., Ithaca | The 4-week class will cover:How much money you need to buy a home; Your credit score and how it affects you; How much house you can afford; What a Realtor can do for you; How to get a mortgage; How to pick the right home; Home Inspections!; How to protect your investment. Service area includes: Cayuga, Chemung, Cortland, Schuyler, Seneca, Tioga, Tompkins Counties! | $75 Consumer Credit Issues | 11:00 AM, 1/9 Thursday | CCE-Tompkins Education Center, 615 Willow Avenue, Ithaca | In this Consumer Issues Program, a NY State Attorney General’s Office representative will make a brief presentation, then consult with individuals on unresolved consumer problems until 1:00 pm. Free and open to the public.

No appointment is needed. Presentations are taped and broadcast on Cable Access Channel 15 on Mondays at 7:00 am, 1:00 pm & 7:00 pm.

Doug’s Fish Fry | 11:00 AM, 1/9 Thursday | Trumansburg Fair Grounds, Route 96, Trumansburg | To support the South Seneca Volunteer Ambulance Corp.

Full Moon Fire Ceremony | 7:00 PM, 1/10 Friday | Foundation of Light, 391 Turkey Hill Rd, Ithaca | Come into ceremony with us at this full moon fire ceremony. At this fire we will be gifting the Munay- Ki ‘Healer’s Rite’ to all who wish to receive. This rite helps us to ignite our own healing. This rite is placed in our hands ~ connecting us to all healers. This brings healing not only to ourselves, but also to those around us and the world. The Fire is open to all (no pets please) Donations accepted to keep these fires going.

Chicken & Biscuit Dinner Newfield Lioness | 5:00 PM, 1/11 Saturday | Newfield Fire Hall, 77 Main St. , Newfield | Serving: Chicken & gravy, biscuits, mashed potatoes, veggies, beverages & assorted desserts. | Adults - $8.50, Seniors - $7.50, kids under 12 -$5.50 Enfield Volunteer Fire Company Chicken Barbecue | 11:00 AM, 1/12 Sunday | Enfield Fire Hall, 172 Enfield Main Rd, Ithaca | Until gone. The Ladies Auxiliary holds a bake sale at each BBQ. | $10 adult; $7 halves Habitat for Humanity Open House | 2:00 PM, 1/12 Sunday | Habitat for Humanity of Tompkins and Cortland Counties (TCHFH) has an affordable homeownership opportunity in the Village of Trumansburg (19 Salo Drive), a 3 bedroom, 1 bathroom home, approximately 1,100 square feet. Sales price will be $97,800, and it will be part of Habitat’s community housing trust. TCHFH is in search of homebuyer applicants and will be taking applications for homeownership until 1/31/2020.

Knitters and Crocheters | 3:00 PM, 1/12 Sunday | Varna United Methodist Church, 965 Dryden Rd, Ithaca | Come meet other fiber artists and share skills with one another.

Word Basics | 2:00 PM, 1/13 Monday | Seneca Falls Library, 47 Cayuga Street, Seneca Falls | Learn how to navigate Microsoft Word! This class will show participants how to open new word documents, copy, past and set margins. We will also explore fonts, sizing and views. Free. Preregistration is required by calling the library at (315) 568-8265 x2 Cayuga Bird Club Monthly Meeting | 7:30 PM, 1/13 Monday | Cornell Lab of Ornithology, 159 Sapsucker Woods Rd, Ithaca | This month will be our popular annual “Share Your Photos Night”, hosted by Kevin McGowan, in which club members bring in their

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SATURDAY, JANUARY 11 AT 4:00 PM

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Ford Hall, Ithaca College | Join them for their third annual Winter Concert this Saturday. Program features Prokofiev “Lieutenant Kije,” the World Premiere of Josh Oxford’s “Shuggie’s Boogies” commissioned by the CCOYO, soloist Kate Wyly in Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto, and the first installment of the Festival Chorus in Borodin’s “Polovtsian Dances” from his opera, Prince Igor. (photo: provided)

The Cherry Artspace, 102 Cherry St., Ithaca | An ancient myth brought alive into the here and now by storyteller Jay Leeming, with music by the Calliope Chorus. It’s a perfect time for a trip to the underworld to wrestle with death, rebirth, and the age-old miracle of life sprouting out of dark earth, and to get a full dose of the uproarious story of the birth of Hermes, the god who invented the lyre, thievery, and quite possibly rock and roll itself. (photo: provided) Ja n ua ry

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ThisWeek

CAYUGA CHAMBER YOUTH ORCHESTRA WINTER CONCERT

Notices

Beginner Bird Walks | 8:30 AM, 1/11 Saturday | Cornell Lab of Ornithology, 159 Sapsucker Woods Rd, Ithaca | Guided bird walks every Saturday and Sunday morning, sponsored by the Cayuga Bird Club. For more information, go to the club’s website, http://www. cayugabirdclub.org/calendar

I t h a c a T i m e s 17

Town & Country

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Newsline

VOL.XL / NO. 20 / January 8, 2020 Serving 47,125 readers week ly

The Greek Problem ����������������������� 8

Hot Sales

Will Cornell’s new approach be enough?

Downtown apartment buildings sell for $25 million

West End Blend ���������������������������� 11

T

he Lofts @ Six Mile Creek and Cayuga Place Apartments, two apartment buildings in downtown Ithaca, have sold to Marylandbased real estate investors Hopkins Holdings, LLC. In a pair of deals registered with the Tompkins County courts on Thursday, the two apartment complexes sold for $9.5 million (Lofts @ Six Mile Creek) and $14.8 million (Cayuga Place Apartments).

The Lofts @ Six Mile Creek are located at 217 South Cayuga Street, across from the Hotel Ithaca, while Cayuga Place Apartments are located at 131135 East Green Street, across the street from the Green Street Garage. Both properties were previously owned by Bloomfield/Schon, which is based in Cincinatti.

The total land assessments on the properties had been $6.74 million and $10.5 million, respectively, in 2019, according to the Tompkins County Assessment office.

Ithaca Urban Renewal Agency Executive Director Nels Bohn confirmed the sales.

According to a letter sent to the IURA by the property purchasers, they do intend to continue operating at least the Lofts @ Six Mile Creek as market-rate apartments.

While there’s no letter referencing the Cayuga Place Apartments, Bohn said that as he understands it, there’s also no indication that its usage will be changed. Currently that building houses apartments on its upper floors, as well as the Green Street Pharmacy and Urban Outfitters on its ground-floor.

Requests for comment from the buyers were not returned.

M att Butler

NE W S & OPINION Newsline ��������������������������������������������������3-7 Sports �������������������������������������������������������� 10

ART S & E N T E RTAINME N T

Leslie Danks Burke will challenge for Republican Tom O’Mara’s State Senate seat. (Photo by Casey Martin)

2020 Election

Leslie Danks Burke announces campaign for State Senate

L

ocal political organizer and former lawyer Leslie Danks Burke, of Horseheads, has announced her intention to seek the New York State Senate seat currently occupied

by Republican Tom O’Mara, representing the 58th state district. She will vie for the Democratic nomination.

Danks Burke has run twice before for public office, having lost previously to O’Mara in 2016 for his seat in the State Senate and to Nate Shinagawa during the Democratic primary for the House of Representatives seat for New York’s 23rd Congressional District in 2012.

Shinagawa would eventually lose to Tom Reed, a Republican who still holds the seat.

She’s the first challenger to announce in the race, and O’Mara has not made an official announcement regarding his intentions, but his office said he will seek re-election to the office he has held since 2010. The election will be held

▶▶ Try It Workshop -hosted

by Clay School Ithaca, gives people a chance to put their feet to the pedal and try some of the finer points of claymaking from 6:30-8:30 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 10. For $44, you can come test out the potter’s wheel without having to commit to weeks of

Cover: Photo: Casey Martin, Design: Marshall Hopkins

Nov. 3, 2020. Democrats currently hold a 43-20 majority in the State Senate after a wave of success in 2018.

According to Danks Burke, her new campaign will be similar to her previous one, even reusing some of her left-over campaign brochures from 2016. The mantra for that race was “jobs, schools, farms,” touting jobs, education (especially early education) and support for agriculture, all of which remain primary focuses for Burke, though her overarching priority is on enhancing representation for people in the rural parts of the state.

“I’m running because we have been left behind for too long here, we’ve had 40 years of broken promises,” she said. “It’s not a Democrat problem, it’s not a Republican problem, it’s a leadership in Albany problem.

We need someone to go to Albany who’s going to fight for a real seat at the table for the Southern Tier and the Finger

T a k e

Movies ������������������������������������������������������� 12 Art �������������������������������������������������������������� 15 TimesTable ������������������������������������������ 16-17 Classifieds ������������������������������������������18-20

Lakes.”

She argued that a “powerful coalition of interests” in New York City and Albany have the true power in the state and have worked to box out regular people, who have in turn been left behind and have lost the chance at any real benefit even if the economy booms.

Her 2016 loss was not entirely for naught, as it led her to establish her own political action committee, the Trailblazers PAC. The PAC’s mission is to support local candidates in contested races, claiming that they will assist candidates regardless of party affiliation as long as their views align with the organization’s aim to make politics more transparent.

Running Trailblazers has been Burke’s full time job since early 2017 when she announced its formation, and during the last election cycle Danks Burke said they worked with continued on page 7

N o t e

classes, although if you end up wanting to take a full class the price of the first workshop goes toward the total cost. ▶▶ Winter Free Days Museum of the Earth are starting up again, this week on Jan. 12 from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.held at the Paleontological Research

Institution and its Museum of the Earth. Each second Sunday is free admission for January, February and March. Hunt for fossils, visit Steggy the Stegosaurus, and learn about the importance of bees all in one spot. The museum is located at 1259 Trumansburg Road in Ithaca.

J a n ua ry

8 – 1 4,

ON T HE WE B Visit our website at www.ithaca.com for more news, arts, sports and photos. Call us at 607-277-7000 M a t t B u t l e r , M a n a g i n g E d i t o r , x 224

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l a r r y@ I t h a c aTi m e s . c o m F r e e l a n c e r s : Barbara Adams, Rick Blaisell, Steve Burke, Deirdre Cunningham, Jane Dieckmann, Amber Donofrio, Karen Gadiel, Charley Githler, Linda B. Glaser, Warren Greenwood, Ross Haarstad, Peggy Haine, Gay Huddle, Austin Lamb, Steve Lawrence, Marjorie Olds, Lori Sonken, Henry Stark, Dave Sit, Bryan VanCampen, and Arthur Whitman

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It h ac a T im e s 3

INQUIRING PHOTOGRAPHER

By C a se y Mar tin

HOW WILL YOU REMEMBER 2019?

“I got a shiny new hip!”

-Adam S.

“I started a youth soccer program here in Ithaca – The Ithaca Youth Soccer Academy” -Ziggy H.

“We both passed our classes!”

-Alicia & Miranda M

N e w s l i n e

E-Scooters

Cuomo’s veto pauses plans for e-scooters in Ithaca

W

hile many were celebrating the holidays, Governor Andrew Cuomo was finishing up 2019 by vetoing proposed legislation that would have formally legalized e-bikes and e-scooters statewide. Cuomo, in a statement, said there were several crucial safety precautions he felt were omitted from this legislation.

“The Legislature’s proposal inexplicably omitted several of the safety measures included in the budget proposal,” Cuomo’s statement said. “Failure to include these basic measures renders this legislation fatally flawed. Indeed, a recent study published in the American Journal of Otolaryngology [study of the head and neck] concluded that head injuries have tripled in the past ten years due to the use of these motorized vehicles, and of these injuries, two-thirds of victims were not wearing helmets. Helmets are a commonsense requirement that should be imposed on operators of these vehicles to protect the public.”

For Ithaca, that puts a wrench in the plans to allow a pilot program for Lime’s e-scooters throughout the city, though it does not appear that there will be much impact on the already active bike-sharing program. The topic was the subject of great debate from residents and members of the Common Council during its June 2019 meeting. At the meeting, the City of Ithaca’s Mobility, Accessibility and Transportation Commission (MATCOM)

NRCS Probation

New Roots Charter School placed on probation after low enrollment, money issues

N “I Moved to Ithaca!”

-Miles F.

“I was elected to the Town of Danby Council!”

-Sarah S.

4 T

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Ithac a Times

presented their findings and research to the council. Megan Powers, a commissioner for MATCOM, said the city’s study examined existing e-scooter programs and some of the commonly reported issues.

“We found that all the cities we contacted were pleased with the e-scooter programs they had overall, but all the cities also reported challenges,” Powers said. “Sidewalk riding was the most common issue. The pilot program in Portland, Oregon, found that the e-scooters did help replace car trips, especially for services such as Uber and Lyft. Cities had the most success with their e-scooter programs when they had a comprehensive implementation plan; that was what we recommended to Common Council.”

Powers thought Cuomo would sign the legislation but for now, the issue is on pause, according to Mayor Svante Myrick.

He said it will remain that way, at least for e-scooters, until the state drafts and passes new legislation, though initial research has already been completed. Despite the fact that the Lime bike program is technically still illegal, it’s expected that Cuomo’s decision won’t actually impact the bike program much, if at all.

“We had a task force meeting, met with the Lime folks as well as IPD, Engineering, Planning, some folks from MATCOM, to try to put together an MoU [Memorandum of Understanding] but that MoU was for Lime, who would govern the use of scooters on the streets,” Myrick said. “But

ew York State’s Charter Schools Institute (CSI), which oversees charter schools in the state, has placed New Roots Charter School on probation after charging it with financial mismanagement and failing to meet its minimum enrollment thresholds.

Additionally, the school was charged with admitting students outside of its permissible grade range as a result of its LEAP program, started in 2018, which allowed students younger than high school age to attend preparatory classes at New Roots, as well as failing to submit student performance data and financial statements. Plus, the institute alleges that the school hasn’t paid any of its 2018 invoices towards the state’s Teachers’ Retirement System (TRS), amounting to a debt of around $279,000. Though New Roots administration remains confident in its

/January

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future, the letter makes it clear that the CSI fears New Roots may not be able to meet necessary financial benchmarks unless the enrollment situation changes significantly.

This year, the school’s enrollment is just 117 students, falling well short of its stated 160-student minimum.

“After consulting with the auditors, school staff, and NYS Teachers’ Retirement System staff, the Institute was extremely concerned that the reduced enrollment, and retirement system obligations would make it more difficult for [New Roots] to achieve its academic and financial plans, which ultimately could affect ]New Roots]’s fiscal soundness, and jeopardize [New Roots]’s ability to fully fund its obligations to its teachers’ retirement,” the letter stated.

The memo includes a list of directives to the school that it must fulfill over the

that MoU has to be tailored to the law so it doesn’t really make sense to do any work in the interim. We’ll wait to see what the new law allows and we’ll follow that.”

Jeff Goodmark, Operations Manager for Lime in Ithaca, declined to comment about the matter and Powers said her commission has not heard a response from Lime either.

“The public seems very concerned about the potential impact of e-scooters on pedestrian safety and on rider safety,” Powers said of the feedback they had seen locally. “I think the public was grateful for the scope and depth of our research. Some citizens asked about particular studies and challenges that were not included in our first draft, so we tried to go back and address those issues where possible.”

Due to the relative youth of e-scooter programs, the risks and challenges, according to Powers are unknown or haven’t been thoroughly vetted yet. She also said finding areas with geography similar to Ithaca’s was a challenge for their work specifically as well. Powers said e-scooters have plenty of potential in relation to satellite parking programs, but there are still unique obstacles to utilizing them even if they are eventually cleared and approved.

Myrick is hoping the legislation will be passed soon to keep the city’s goals outlined in the Green New Deal on track.

“We would urge them to legalize as soon as possible,” Myrick said. “We think these micro-mobility actions are a good way to get moving people around the city quickly without a large carbon footprint, free up parking spaces and reduce traffic congestion.”

E dw i n J. Vi er a

next several weeks and months as part of its probation punishment. New Roots, founded in 2009, must provide audited financial statements as of June 30, 2019; a recruitment plan and budget; monthby-month reports of current enrollment and applications received for next year; a “fiscally sound budget” for the current year that deals with the current or lower enrollment and includes at least $80,000 of payments to the retirement system; quarterly unaudited financial reports, annual budgets, annual audits, and accountability reports for as long as the charter lasts; and documents showing the 2020-2021 class meets age and grade requirements.

The memo also contains language that indicates if the school fails to comply with the aforementioned rules, the institute’s board might terminate the charter, effectively meaning the school would likely have to shut down.

Executive Director Tina Nilsen-Hodges acknowledged the low enrollment, blaming a variety of factors including small freshman and graduating classes, as well as losing several students due to the state’s continued on page 12

N e w s l i n e

Speakeasy

Ofc. Mary Orsaio takes the lead as LGBTQ Liaison for IPD

T

he Ithaca Police Department has established a new position of LGBTQ Liaison, which will have an officer work with Ithaca’s LGBTQ community by establishing an ongoing dialogue. Chief Nayor has appointed Officer Mary Orsaio to the role. She sat down for an interview about her new role in IPD and how she will work as a connection between Ithaca’s LGBTQ community and law enforcement.

Ithaca Times: Tell me about how the position came to be.

Mary Orsaio: One of Chief Nayor’s 2020 goals is to strengthen our relationship with the community and one specific sector he wanted to strengthen the relationship with is the LGBTQ community. I’ve always done a lot of community policing things, I was the Commons officer for two years and when he approached me and asked me if I would do this, I was more than honored and excited to take on the position IT: What are some of the things you hope to bring and establish in this new position?

MO: Quite a few

things. One thing I will be working on is education within my department. I’ve attended some trainings and I’m currently in an online course that’s being put on by a company called Coming Out From Behind the Badge about LGBTQ awareness within law enforcement. I’m looking to take that knowledge that I am learning and educate my department so we can all be further aware of this topic when it comes to this community.

IT: What are some of the particular cases you’ll be dealing with?

MO: One of the other things I’m doing is attending a lot of community meetings and speaking with community groups to hear what their concerns are. And, to be the middle man, to bring it back to my department and my superiors to see what we could improve on as far as our

relations go and what they’re looking for our department to do to strengthen our relationship with the LGBTQ community. Another thing, I would be acting as an advocate. So, if someone came in to report a hate crime I could be in the room with them or I could be taking the report as the liaison, to create an environment where they are comfortable in reporting whatever’s happened to them and a whole bunch of other initiatives. We just joined a group of places in Ithaca where we have the inclusion sticker on our front door. So, if someone comes who identifies with being in an LGBTQ group, upon seeing that sticker, they know this is a safe space for them to be and they can make their report.

IT: What are some of the challenges you are expecting to deal with?

MO: I think, just from history, the LGBTQ population isn’t necessarily always comfortable with law enforcement and that goes all the way back to the 1960s where the police were put in charge of raiding gay bars. But, we have come such a long way to where police are wearing gay pride pins or marching in gay pride parades. But we still have a long way to go to have that transparency and that trust with the community, so that’s going to be a challenge but I’m up for it and

I see the need for it.

IT: What are some of the city agencies you’ll be dealing with?

MO: That’s all in the beginning stages. I’ve attended some meetings with Chief Nayor for the Workforce Diversity Advisory Board. This is all so new so I’m still getting all my resources and aligning with everyone I need to be aligned with. That being said, if anyone reads this article and wants me to attend their meetings or have concerns for me, they certainly can contact me by my email. For the department, I’m also an implicit bias instructor so I have my certification in that as well as some Fair & Impartial Policing courses. I also serve on the Criminal Justice/ Alternatives to Incarceration Board for the county.

IT: How does it feel to be taking on this responsibility?

MO: I’m honored to do it.

It’s something I’m passionate about. I’m a part of the LGBTQ community and I’m a law enforcement officer so it means a lot to work with both groups to bring them together and work collaboratively.

E dw i n J. Vi er a

UPS&DOWNS

Thumbs Up - The first wave of artists performing in the Finger Lakes Thaw Festival has been announced, along with a schedule of the event. Featured performers include the Comb Down, TATTAT, Kyra Skye, kurt.riley + praxis, and plenty of other well known local acts. It’s set to be held March 19-21, with a kick-off party on the 19th and then 30 musical acts around downtown over the next two days.

Thumbs Down - Another year, another street closing for an extended period. Elm Street will close between Floral Avenue and Chestnut Street for the next two months after a storm sewer collapsed, apparently over the weekend. It seems to be another example of the worsening infrastructure in the City of Ithaca, and the problems that will continue as that infrastructure ages, even as the city works to update it as much as possible.

Seen - Something to keep an eye on with the power plant in Lansing: Lansing Town Council passed a resolution to establish an advisory committee that will work with the invested parties, like the town, state and the Cayuga Operating Company, to foster transparency with the public as the future use of the former power plant is decided.

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

QUESTION

Officer Mary Orsaio, IPD’s first LGBTQ community liaison

OF THE WEEK

Should the city require landlords to live on-site in residential neighborhoods?

56 Yes

28 No

N ext Week ’s Q uestion :

Do you want a war with Iran?

Visit ithaca.com to submit your response.

J a n ua ry

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ITHACA NOTES

COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS

Creating Perdita Flats in Southside Ithaca Music Scenes C ourtney Royal, from Chicago, and Umit Sirt, from the Hemsin region in Turkey, are known and admired as practical visionaries in the world of energy efficiency and sustainability. They are both longtime staff of Taitem (Technology as if the Earth Mattered) Engineering, and parents of Beckett of Belle Sherman Elementary, and Gisele of the Waldorf School.

In 2010 when this couple moved to Ithaca, they made their home on Green Street, until they completed Zero-Energy Hemsin House in 2017. When Courtney, Umit and Kids offered an Open House at their zero-energy home on West Hill (overlooking Cayuga Lake), more than 50 people toured it: Bright open spaces and whimsical, tucked-away nooks, with touches of Turkish culture. Hemsin House is a delightful example of doing it right, while making it affordable and sustainable. Their home makes the energy it uses to heat and cool them all year round.

Talking about Ithaca’s Green New Deal to address the growing threat of Climate Change, Courtney and Umit dreamed of sharing their successful net-zero energy homebuilding plan with others. Now they are returning to their favorite Southside neighborhood to do just that.

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I

By St e ph e n P. Bu r k e

By M a rjor i e Z . O l d s

“We loved living in the Southside when our children were born; walking to work and then speed walking home to the kids,” Royal said. “Taitem is the best possible employer in our world of energy efficiency, so we had the excitement of stimulating work with terrific colleagues, yet having the maximum flexibility to work around our young children’s needs.”

They are pleased to return and build in the neighborhood where former slave Peter Webb helped build St. James AME Zion Church. Where Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass spoke out against slavery and for women’s rights. The Southside Community Center, which proudly hosted Eleanor Roosevelt and now hosts childcare, summer camp, Cornell’s Vet Clinic, after-school care, Unity Studio, Recycle Ithaca’s Bikes.re thriving. This proud, historic community is the perfect locale to create new history in sustainable affordable housing: The Royal-Sirts will build a low-rise four-unit all-electric multifamily building downtown across from the skatepark.

The goal is to demonstrate zero-energy performance, while enhancing the lives

/January

continued on page 7

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n 1993, I moved to Ithaca from New Orleans, and although I was enthusiastic about the ease and simplicity of small town living, I was somewhat concerned about the differing amounts (that is, the possible paucity here) of things to do in terms of entertainment, particularly live music.

For aficionados, New Orleans is as much a music scene that has a city as a city that has a music scene.

Ironically, upon arrival here I got involved with a fledgling music event called the GrassRoots Festival, which aimed in part to create, or at least solidify or define, a music scene for this region.

GrassRoots took some inspiration from the Crescent City and bayou country by importing musicians from there.

Louisiana headliners the first few years included the ReBirth Brass Band, jazz singer Charmaine Neville, and Cajun musicians Balfa Toujours, Walter Mouton and the Scott Playboys, and Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys. The Preston Frank Zydeco Family Band played the first GrassRoots, and each one since.

Sometimes the mountain comes to you (low-lying Louisiana is at least a musical mountain, in metaphor), but most times you have to go to it, and spend time, if you really want to scale it.

Zack Knewstub is a pianist from Ithaca who relocated to make that effort. Five years ago, at age 24, he moved to New Orleans to become a professional musician by means of complete engagement.

I spoke with Knewstub after a gig of his here on a holiday visit home, and asked him about cities as music scenes.

Knewstub cited certain similarities between Ithaca and New Orleans, saying both places have a lot of musicians, avid audiences, and respect for musical tradition.

In Ithaca the foremost tradition is “old-timey,” as it is commonly known: countrified folk music, stemming mainly from the Appalachians, played on string instruments.

In New Orleans the tradition is jazz, although Knewstub noted that some musicians consider the word limiting and practically pejorative. (Among them is New Orleans luminary and favorite of Knewstub’s, trumpeter and pianist Nicholas Payton, who instead uses the various terms Traditional, Modern, Avant-garde, Neoclassical, and Post-modern New Orleans Music.)

“New Orleans is really a musical melting pot,” Knewstub said. “You have to know a lot of styles to play there.”

At the same time, Knewstub said, there are fundamentals. “Slow blues is a requirement,” Knewstub said. It was not a forte of his, but he developed it in semiprivate (not by design) at the first gigs he could get, at the foot of the ladder, in clubs and bars from 3 - 6 a.m.

Knewstub has climbed the ladder to where he now plays more civilized hours, and has work “every night.”

Opportunities to gig are a major difference between New Orleans and Ithaca (and perhaps between New Orleans and anywhere). But Knewstub also cited in New Orleans a “genuine interest” in music that is practically a civic ethos, with “respect and appreciation” for musicians.

“But it has to be earned, “ Knewstub said, harking back to those 3 a.m. gigs (among others) where “if they don’t like what you’re playing, they’ll let you know.”

Knewstub cited the importance of mentors to any music scene, and mentioned Ithaca’s colleges as potential sources of mentors for musicians who want not just to study, but to gig. He said he has wondered why music teachers don’t take more opportunities to play (and create) more frequent gigs in town.

With particular affection and regard, Knewstub spoke of a (non-academic) mentor of his in Ithaca, the late Bernie Upson, a bassist who played regularly (often with Knewstub on keyboards) at Maxie’s Supper Club, the (now-defunct) Felicia’s Cafe, and other venues.

Knewstub said Upson’s work ethic helped create and maintain chances to play, work, listen, and learn in a town where such opportunities, in his words, “are not limitless.” (He laughed when I suggested this is a polite way to say “pretty limited.”)

Knewstub showed his own dedication to maintaining scenes by playing out while on vacation here. Maybe he will be back for GrassRoots: July is a lot more temperate in Ithaca than New Orleans (New Orleans holds its epic Jazz and Heritage Festival in early spring).

Presently for Knewstub, Mardi Gras calls, along with all that regular work.

COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS Contin u ed From Page 6

of residents. Perdita Flats will incorporate these features: -Super-insulated envelope with double stud framing, triple glazed, low-e, fiberglass framed windows, efficient building geometry; -Maximized daylighting to minimize reliance on artificial lighting, and LED lighting; -All-electric (no combustion), with ground-air heat exchange system to preheat/precool/filter outdoor fresh air; -Energy-recovery ventilation and airsource heat pumps, plus on-site solar PV generation.

Other features emphasize resilience and passive design: The building uses water conserving plumbing fixtures,

York, we felt strongly we needed to work on eliminating the impact of these high Global Warming Potential (GWP) refrigerant usage in buildings. The combination of the heating and cooling systems we are using in our building, (more than half of the energy comes freely from the ground and waste recovery, and the remaining from air source heat pumps that uses carbon dioxide refrigerant) has extremely low GWP.” Both Umit and Courtney have worked over the years with NYS’ Energy Research and Development Agency, even before they moved from their consulting and engineering jobs in NYC to Ithaca. Now NYSERDA is promoting Royal-Sirt’s integrated design project. NYSERDA’s funding through incentive programs and a cash prize in the first Buildings of Excellence competition, enables Courtney and Umit to replace toxic refrigerants (in the

legislative salary. Fortunately, we will not have to provide this do-.nothing, mediocre legislator with another term to pad his retirement pension.

This week, Tompkins County Democrat, Leslie Danks Burke, who ran against O’Mara in 2016 will announce that she again will challenge O’Mara.

Danks Burke has spent the past three years establishing the Trailblazers PAC, a nonpartisan organization that trains and supports candidates for local office who stand up for honest government. A tireless community volunteer, Leslie also has enriched our communities with her work for Tompkins Cortland Community College, Planned Parenthood and the Tompkins County Library. Her character, service to the community and devotion to everyone who lives in the Southern Tier stands in sharp contrast to Tom O’Mara.

She will be the loud, clear voice we need in Albany.

Nick Salvatore City of Ithaca

THE TALK AT

ithaca com YOUR LETTERS Dear Ithaca Times Editor,

L

ike the majority of Ithacans, the mediocrity and lack of leadership our State Senator Tom O’Mara (R. NY58th) displays in Albany has long troubled me. His vote against the right of women to make their own health care decisions, a sorry environmental record, and his unrelenting opposition to campaign finance reform alone make him a questionable voice for Ithaca. He also has failed to speak out clearly and compellingly for those in the Southern Tier who have not shared in the economic recovery since 2008, including our farmers and displayed workers. His only clear goal appears to be the use of his office for personal enrichment. A partner in a powerful New York law firm, he bills many of the same cities and towns he represents for legal services.

O’Mara used campaign funds to pay for a lawsuit that demanded he be allowed to continue to earn a pricey salary of around $150,000 in addition to his $120,000

Write to us!

Say something or respond to an article by writing editor@ithacatimes.com. Letters must be signed and include an address and phone number. We do not publish unsigned letters. Letters may be edited for length and readability.

To the Editor, Ithaca Times,

DANKS BURKE Contin u ed From Page 3

Courtney Royal, Umit Sirt and family. (Photo provided)

rainwater harvesting, and native landscaping that require minimal water and maintenance.

One of the major contributors to global warming is leakage from refrigerants, and specifically heat pumps in a building.

Even tiny leaks of chemical refrigerants cause irreparable damage. Traditional refrigerants have 1,000 to 9,000 times greater capacity to warm the atmosphere than a natural refrigerant such as carbon dioxide.

“Reading the book, ‘Drawdown,’ we became more aware of refrigerant leakage and the extent of the damage in terms of global warming,” Sirt said. “Although we are taking on fossil fuel usage by eliminating it in buildings and taking advantage of the clean grid in upstate New

air-source heat pump) with carbon dioxide (which we use to carbonate healthy bubbly water).

Key players on the Perdita design and construction team have worked together for years. STREAM Collaborative is the architect on the project and is working closely with Taitem Engineering on the mechanical and plumbing design. They are using a Construction Manager, Mike Carpenter, additionally Courtney and Umit will be playing general contractors’ role.

“The intention behind the name is that residents will thrive and feel connected to the living Earth, beyond saving energy,” Royal said. “The benefits of fresh air, water, and light support better physical

candidates in 12 states. Yet still, when this election season came along, the pull to get more directly involved was too strong.

“It’s the same thing that’s changed for all of us,” she said. “As Americans, we have really recognized over the last three or four years that our country needs us. This democratic republic only functions if we are participating. [...] After 2015-2016, I realized that I wanted to put my career as a lawyer on hold to spend as much time as I could doing what I could to help improve our region and our country. I think we’re all called to do that.”

That sense of responsibility appears to be the driving force behind Burke’s reentry into direct involvement with politics.

Having kids has made it additionally personal for her, she said, as she’d like to help secure a future that opens opportunities for people here instead of watching them leave for either New York City or other states.

“I really think we all have an obligation to fully participate in our democratic republic to the extent that we are able,” Burke said. “Honestly, I look at my kids and my kids’ future here in the Southern Tier and the Finger Lakes, and I see that J a n ua ry

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young people are leaving, and I don’t want that for my kids. I want them to find a bright future here, and I want all our kids to have that opportunity.”

During an interview, Burke emphasizes throughout that she believes upstate New York bears a disproportionate tax burden to support people statewide despite not having its needs addressed by the state government. When asked what kind of liberal she identifies as, Burke said she doesn’t believe the currently vogue terms like “progressive” or “centrist” are adequate, and that she doesn’t think either apply to her.

“I am very progressive, I am also deeply concerned about the expansion of the state and its intrusion into our civil liberties,” Burke said, noting that Republicans seem to have decreased their prior focus on small government. “I’m not sure the labels hold anymore. The government is there to do what the government is supposed to do, which is the common purposes that people can’t do for themselves: build bridges and roads, make sure that we treat each other fairly and kindly, make sure there are schools for our children to go to.

When we get hung up on labels, we lose sight of what we’re supposed to be doing as Americans.”

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It h ac a T im e s 7

Action Required Cornell’s continuing effort to control Greek life

F

By M att Bu tler or some, Greek life is an invaluable part of the college experience, providing a support system in school and opportunities post-graduation. For others, it’s a pox on universities and rife with examples of nearly every toxic problem on college campuses.

Adding ammunition to the latter’s arguments is the fact that seemingly every year, Greek systems at schools nationwide come under scrutiny for something either tragic or offensive. For Cornell, an apparent inflection point was reached in late October with the death of Antonio Tsialas, an 18 year-old freshman student from Miami, whose body was found in a local gorge. In the wake of Tsialas’ passing, Cornell President Martha Pollack has pledged reforms to the Greek life system on campus, measures aimed at cleaning up the “persistent culture of misconduct in the Greek-letter system.” Her proposals, released late last month, are certainly open to criticism but do represent the most significant reforms to the system in recent memory.

Meanwhile, attorney David Bianchi,

( L e f t) A f o r m e r H o u s e o f Tau E p s i l o n Phi w ho h a d their r ecogn ition r evok ed f o l l ow i n g a h a z i n g i n c i d e n t i n 2 0 1 3 ( R i g h t) P h i K a p pa P s i ’s f r at e r n i t y h o u s e , w h e r e A n t o n i o Ts i a l a s wa s t h e n i g h t o f h i s d e at h . ( P h o t o b y C a s e y M a r t i n)

who’s representing the family, said he has assembled a team of four private investigators to help piece together the events of that night. He said his team has conducted interviews with many people who were at the party in question, but wouldn’t comment further. When asked if a lawsuit is coming, Bianchi said the family was not sure yet.

“We have developed information about what took place inside the fraternity house that night,” Bianchi said. “I’m not in a position to share that information, but I will be shortly.”

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clearer today than on the day it was first reported. Cornell Police haven’t publicly released very much information, and most updates have come incrementally and through the press. Tsialas’ body was found in the Fall Creek Gorge, hours after he was reported missing when he didn’t show up to meet his parents on Oct. 25. Since then, it has come out that Tsialas was attending a party at the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity the night that he died, at which Cornelll University President Martha Pollack told the Cornell Daily Sun there was “significant misbehavior.” The timeline of events since then have only intensified scrutiny on the fraternity and the school: first, Pollack announced the suspension of all sanctioned fraternity events through the end of 2019. Following that, the Tsialas family announced that they’d be establishing a reward of $10,000 for information that could provide more clarity about what occurred that night to their son, and hired Bianchi’s law firm from Miami that specializes in hazing lawsuits. Pollack then suspended most Greek life activities for the rest of the semester and promised that more proposals and reforms were on the way.

Pollack eventually announced the reforms on Dec. 18 in a letter to the Cornell community. They stick to two central themes: stronger enforcement and shifting Greek culture through changes to the recruitment process. She noted her previous set of initiatives related to cleaning up Greek life, which had been released in May 2018.

“At that time, naysayers told me that the new policies would not have their intended impact of eliminating misconduct,” Pollack’s November statement said. “Unfortunately, those naysayers were correct. In the 19 months since those new policies went into effect, fully six Greek organizations have engaged in behavior so problematic as to merit suspension of their recognition by the university. This number does not include the current interim suspension of Phi Kappa Psi.” The enforcement points of Pollack’s Cornell proposal state that Greek organizations “be required to retain independent event monitors for all events,” while the organizations must hire third-party vendors for

alcohol service and security during large events.

Inter-Fraternity Council did not respond to a Beyond that, Pollack said that a “universityrequest for an interview, and the school’s Panhelstaffed, roving security team” will be sent out lenic Council deferred to Cornell’s media relanightly to conduct “random spot-checks” at ontions department. and off-campus properties for event manageWhile significant at face value, it’s obviously ment violations; if violations are found, the team unknown yet if Pollack’s agenda will have any will call the police (how this is different than the tangible impact. They certainly represent more duties of Cornell University Police Department is severe action than Pollack’s May 2018 initiatives. unclear). If health and safety risks are found, the After reviewing them, Bianchi said he feels like Greek organization chapter would face a tempothe additional reforms introduced by Pollack “are rary suspension, and if the viomissing the mark,” at least in lations are proven the chapter terms of what happened to would face at least a three year Tsialas. suspension from campus, or “There are already regulaup to a permanent dismissal tions and laws in place that from Cornell. should have prevented the As for changing the recruitevents of that night, but they ment process, Pollack wrote didn’t,” Bianchi said. “That’s that VP of Student Life Ryan because the laws and the regLombardi and that departulations are not being propment would be working with erly enforced. It’s an enforceGreek leadership to “design ment issue, it’s not a lack of an entirely new recruitment regulations or laws.” process,” focusing on inclusion Bianchi said neither and reducing competition. he nor the family had not The process will be in place by been consulted on Pollack’s the 2020-2021 academic year, reforms before they were and among other things Polpublished, and thus had not lack says it will “replace parties given any direct feedback to with philanthropy and service the school about them. He activities as core process continued that he felt as components.” As for immeif the real focus should be diate action, Pollack ruled on punishing or expelthat all formal and informal ling individuals involved A n t o n i o Ts i a l a s , a C o r n e l l recruitment (Tsialas died in problematic pledgfreshman who died in after the latter) and new ing or rushing behaviors O c t o b e r . ( P h o t o p r ov i d e d) member education activiin Greek life, as opposed ties will now be dry events to Pollack’s approach of with a curfew of 8 p.m. targeting entire chapters Punishment for violation of that will preclude a for suspension or removal, would be the more Greek organization from recruiting a class that impactful strategy. semester.

“Right now, the disciplinary focus at Cornell Pollack has been sure to mention that the is more focused on the chapter itself and whether school’s grappling with Greek life isn’t unique. or not to impose some discipline on the chapIn fact, while the Cornell community was reelter,” Bianchi said. “The real focus needs to be ing from Tsialas’ death, Syracuse University was on the individuals. I guarantee you, if you had suspending all fraternity activities after a string a new policy at Cornell that said ‘Any fraternity of racist incidents on the campus during the fall or sorority officer who plans or participates in a semester culminated with members of a fraternity hazing event will be immediately expelled from hurling racist epithets at a black student.

Cornell,’ you would stop it instantly. That’s what “Yet, while there are things to applaud in they need to do, but so far they aren’t doing it.”

Greek life’s contributions, there is also much Further, he made it clear that the family’s that is wrong in that system, both at Cornell and intent is not to do away with Greek life entirely. nationally,” she wrote. “We must find ways to But that the right people, like chapter presipermanently curtail behaviors that are putting dents or organization officers, need to be in the the safety of our students at risk – from excessive crosshairs when Greek organizations run afoul and harmful drinking and substance abuse; to of school rules in order to correct behaviors sexual harassment and assault; to demeaning and long-term. extremely troubling hazing activities.”

“We don’t need to eliminate the Greek system,” The school’s media relations department Bianchi said. “We simply need to weed out the referred the Ithaca Times to Pollack’s previrotten apples.” ous statements on the matter. The school’s J a n ua ry

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sports

Looking Forward

BomberTHON sets the tone for 2020

By Ste ve L aw re nc e

L

ast week, we took a look back at some of the sports stories that unfolded in 2019, but I left one out, and for good reason. I want to use that upbeat and inspiring story to set the stage for what I hope to see more of in 2020.

Just before calling it a semester, many Ithaca College athletes took part in the first-ever BomberTHON for the purpose of raising funds for the Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital in Syracuse. The effort was a part of the larger Miracle Network Dance Marathons and the Children’s

Miracle Network, organizations that dedicate their work to providing financial and emotional support for families facing childhood cancer.

In a time when we hear so many stories about the underbelly of collegiate athletics – entitled athletes, crooked agents, money-grabbing coaches and back door dealings – we don’t hear enough about regular college students working hard to make their campuses and communities better places.

I reached out to Susan Bassett – Ithaca

College’s Athletic Director – and she told me, “The effort involved many Ithaca College students – athletes and non-athletes – and while it was not officially sponsored by the Athletic Department it was great to see the Bomber name used, as it so often is, for such good things.” Bassett called the event “a great collaborative effort,” and conveyed her opinion that she was impressed by the “student-run, student administered” event.

Ms. Bassett also said, “We like to see students take responsibility, learn outside the classroom, plan and execute. I was thrilled - not just with the outcome - but to see such a high level of cross-campus engagement. It’s exactly what we want to see the Ithaca College community doing.

Not just what we do, but how we go about it.”

Ah, yes… the outcome. Bassett offered, “The goal was to raise $15,000, and they brought in $28,233!” The I.C. athletes accounted for $7,200 of that haul, led by the women’s crew team north-of-$2,000 effort.

Men’s lacrosse raised nearly a thousand, men’s and women’s soccer each raised nearly $700, field hockey hit the $600 mark and men’s swimming and diving raised $500.

Susan Bassett wrapped up our conversation by saying, “It was great to see the I.C. athletic teams take part in such a large effort. We are very proud.” ● ● ●

Red teams are off to strong starts, and Cornell women’s ice hockey coach Doug Derraugh was kind enough to take the time to update me on the team’s season to date, and when a team is 13-1-1 overall and 7-0-1 in conference play, the obvious question is “What do you do to keep it going?” Derraugh said, “At the start of the year, we were hoping to play strong team defense, and in the first half of the season we did that.” He added, “We’re hoping to also get really balanced scoring from all three lines, and we’re starting to get there.”

Doug was clear that for a team to go deep into the post-season, such balance will be key. He offered, “We have more players scoring and that’s a positive sign.

As the season progresses, if your ‘top line’ isn’t clicking, and the second and third line can step up, that depth is important.”

I also asked Derraugh how much attention he pays to rankings (C.U. is currently ranked 4th), and he said, “We do pay attention to the computer rankings, because they decide a lot at the end of the year.”

Asked about the 13-1-1- start, Doug said, “At the start of every season, you want to win every game, and you take every loss to heart, but yes, I’d say if someone would have asked if I’d be happy with our start I would say ‘Yes, I am.’”

Before returning to Lynah on Jan. 17, the Big Red women’s ice hockey team will travel to Central New York to take on ECAC Hockey foes Union and Rensselaer on Jan. 10-11.

Local hockey fans know that both Big

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SPORTS MEDICINE

West End Blend is smaller than before, but comes to town with momentum

T

By G.M. Burns

he West End Blend will perform at the Haunt on January 16th at 8 p.m.

West End Blend has been playing its own form of funk, soul and jazz in venues all over the Northeast, and while fronted by vocalist Erica T. Bryan, the eight member ensemble honors the classic retro sound while contributing a dance party flair and verve when they perform on stage. Currently, the

band is on tour and in this interview drummer Sam Horan talks with the Ithaca Times about the group’s music and their upcoming performance in Ithaca.

Ithaca Times: You have a rich backstory – can you talk about how the group formed and what keeps you going?

Sam Horan: The band started back in 2012 right after we had all graduated college. Most of the band went to college together at The University of Hartford studying music. Once we got out of college we were pretty burnt out on jazz so we decided to start a big dance/ party band for fun. The band started as a 15-piece ensemble. We would play every Thursday at a local bar/ hot dog joint in downtown Hartford. We had that residency for close to two years which really got our live chops up along with really learning how to work a crowd week

after week. Seven years later, we are chiseled down to an 8-peice unit but still keep that dance party vibe going.

The love and support we continue to see from our fans keep us going. We celebrate our victories both big and small. Sometimes it’s the smallest things that keep us going. Other times it’s playing for a sold out hometown show to really keep our heels dug in.

IT: You have a recent single out now titled, “Dangerous,” tell us about the inspiration for this song and how it came about?

SH: Our lead singer Erica T. Bryan had this to say about the lyrical inspiration of this song: “‘Dangerous’ is an important message, written with love and respect, about love and respect.

It’s addressed to not just West End Blend continued on page 13

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Arts&Entertainment

Test of Time

I t h a c a T i m e s 11

movies

True-Life Adventures

A trio of true stories to close 2019 in cinema

By Br yan VanC ampe n

A

uto racing pictures like “Days of Thunder” and “Driven” really aren’t my bag, baby. My favorite drive-fast movies are “Death Race 2000” and “The Love Bug.” James Mangold’s “Ford v. Ferrari” (2019, Fox, 152 min.) grabbed me right from the get-go because it’s a fascinating slice of automotive history that I knew nothing about, and because it tells the surprising story of auto designer Carroll Shelby (Matt Damon) and British driver Ken Miles (Christian Bale). (I found out after seeing the movie that there are two Netflix documentaries that cover the same ground.)

Lee Iacocca (Jon Bernthal) convinces Henry Ford II (Tracy Letts) that Ford Motors should get into the auto racing game by participating in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Ford proposes a partnership with Fiat that ends up imploding. Shelby and Miles are hired by Ford and given a blank check to get them a place at the starting line.

I like James Mangold because he makes movies for adults, muscular yet emotional pictures like “Logan” and his remake of “3:10 to Yuma.” Because Ford v Ferrari is a great true tale, Mangold is the right guy to craft an auto racing movie that may indeed have visual effects from one end to the other and yet still feels real, raw and in your face. And Damon and Bale are the right guys to lead one of the best ensemble casts in recent memory. You can practically smell the burning rubber and oil.

● ● ●

Director Jay Roach made his bones with the raucous and raunchy “Austin Powers” and “Meet the Fockers” film franchises, but in the last 12 years has shifted to pointed and sardonic political films made for HBO; my favorite is “Game Change,” the Sarah Palin film starring Julianne Moore. Roach’s latest, from a screenplay by Charles Randolph, is “Bombshell” (2019, Lionsgate, 108 mins.), about the Roger Ailes sexual harassment case in the runup to the 2016 election as seen through the perspective of Fox News personalities Megyn Kelly (Charlize Theron), Gretchen Carlson (Nicole Kidman) and Kayla Pospisil – a composite character (Margot Robbie).

At first, Bombshell doesn’t feel focused, as the first third of the film concentrates on Donald Trump’s Twitter war with Kelly. But from the moment we meet Kate McKinnon as a lesbian news producer – another composite – the film’s Rashomon structure regarding what awful things may have happened in Ailes’ (John Lithgow) office coalesce and become sickeningly real for everyone involved. McKinnon’s engaged and spontaneous supporting performance sets the tone for the cast, which includes veteran character actors Stephen Root, Alison Janney and Brooke Smith.

It’s good to have a smart and barbed picture like Bombshell out there, not just as a document of the Me Too movement,

“Ford v. Ferrari” stars Matt Damon and Christian Bale in a Formula One automobile technology arms race. (Photo online)

but to point out the ugly truth that Ailes and Bill O’Reilly left Fox News with bigger golden parachutes than the accusers combined.

One step forward, two steps back… ● ● ●

There I was, all set to watch “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” (2019, Sony, 109 mins.). I hope the people sitting next to me weren’t weirded out when I swapped my suit coat for a sweater and changed from my dress shoes into sneakers. To say nothing of how I managed to get a piano into the theater.

That’s Tom Hanks as Mr. Rogers on the poster, but the beloved PBS icon is

NEW ROOTS Contin u ed From Page 4

new vaccination requirements. The school stirred turmoil over the summer when the Board of Trustees eliminated the position of Kris Haines-Sharp, a well-liked and long-serving administrator with the school who Nilsen-Hodges said was in place to help with the potential expansion to include a middle school, something New Roots had applied for in 2018 for 60 students and in 2019 for 40 students before withdrawing. Once the school pulled back its application to become a middle school, Nilsen-Hodges claims the position became unnecessary and was thus vacated, which angered some parents enough to pull their students out of New Roots.

Operationally, the probation doesn’t change much about New Roots’ day-today business, it just adds another layer of oversight. According to the school, the goals remain the same: attract more students and educate them. As noted in the state’s memo, though, being placed on 12 T

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probation does make New Roots ineligible for state or federal grants awarded by the Charter Schools Institute.

Nilsen-Hodges, who founded the

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school and has led it since the beginning, said New Roots was taken aback by the CSI’s decision, but added that the school now has a balanced budget through the

really a supporting character in this movie.

Actually, he’s more like the Wizard of Oz. Based on a famous 1998 profile in Esquire, the film is about a cynical writer (Matthew Rhys) coming to terms with his family after being assigned to profile Rogers.

I was a Mr. Rogers kid as far back as I can remember, and sure enough, the combination of Hanks’ performance, the letter-perfect recreation of the sets and puppets, and Rogers’ utter lack of guile left me weeping at least four times during the film. And there are visual surprises related to the way Rogers sees the world that bowled me over because I suppose I was expecting a much more conventional film.

I’ll leave them as surprises for you.

end of the school year, as well as a plan to “raise awareness of the school as a free public school high school option for students in the wider Ithaca region.” NilsenHodges also explained that the reason for the missed payments to the TRS was because when the LEAP program was ruled a charter violation, New Roots didn’t receive any of the state money it was expecting to receive for each student. Operating with a thin budget, she said, is something they anticipate, but it also means that when something goes awry, the consequences can be more severe.

“SUNY is monitoring the school’s health and wellbeing during this period of fiscal challenge resulting from unusually low enrollment and unexpected cash flow issues,” said Dr. Jason Hamilton, Chair of the New Roots Charter School Board of Trustees. “The plan will provide our students and families with the assurance that New Roots is doing what is necessary to sustain our school, and that we have a solid plan to grow our school community’s enrollment and resources in 2020-21.”

The remaining members of West End Blend toasting. (Photo online)

WESTEND BLEND Contin u ed From Page 11

audiences, but people everywhere as a reminder that we need to look out for one another. And sometimes that means giving others the space they need to be comfortable and independent. Other times it means stepping in and speaking up when a situation just doesn’t seem right. I wrote this from the perspective of someone in a one-to-one relationship, but it applies to many. Just open your eyes and ears, and respect the people around you. There’s a reason this subject has garnered so much

attention lately, but the concept isn’t new.

Exercise a little empathy. That’s what it really comes down to.”

IT: The band is creative in the jazz and funk music you perform. But talk about which artists’ or other bands’ music has influenced West End Blend’s music and direction?

SH: We definitely have a lot of love for the classic funk/soul bands from the ‘70s and ‘80s but if you dig a little deeper, you will hear a lot of other diverse influences in our music. We have some Dead-heads and Phish fans in the band but we also have some big hip-hop and neo-soul lovers

as well. Artists like Erykah Badu, Lauryn Hill, D’Angelo, J-Dilla and more have a big influence on our writing. There are other songs that are definitely just rocking songs with influences like Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, Rolling Stones etc. At the end of the day, each person brings their own flavor to the table to make a delicious “Blend.”

IT: What is the songwriting process like for the band and are you working on a new CD in the coming year?

SH: The song writing process is very collaborative and varies from writer to writer. Almost every person in the band has a song they wrote in our repertoire.

One writer might bring in a simple set of riffs recorded as a demo and we will build on that. Other writers will bring in fully written out charts and we will fine tune them to fit our sound and vibe. It all depends, but the one constant is that we tend to run our new songs live quite a bit before

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we record them.

In terms of a new CD, we do have a full length album in the works due in the fall or spring of 2021, but in the meantime we will be releasing another single this Spring.

This will be the first full length album since 2015 and the first full length album as our current 8-peice ensemble. This album will definitely be the best representation of who we are as a band currently and we can’t wait to release it to the world.

IT: Some artists enjoy the touring and the work it takes--what would you say is the most exciting things about touring as a group?

SH: The most exciting thing about touring for us is meeting and making new fans. It’s always surprising to play somewhere new and to meet someone who knows our music. On the other hand, it’s also great to meet someone who has never heard of us and for them to come up to us after a show to tell us that they are our new biggest fans. Also, we love trying all the great food from city to city.

IT: Would you like to add anything else about your music or the upcoming show in Ithaca?

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arts

Covering All the Bases

“Plus One” show features a deep mix of offerings

By Ar thur W hit m an

W

hile the image of the contemporary visual artist tends to be deeply individualistic, the art world in practice is inevitably a social place—often held together through relationships of friendship and admiration.

For the latest exhibit at Corners Gallery, director Ariel Ecklund asked a handful of familiar standbys; each was encouraged to invite an additional artist of their choice.

Up through Jan. 25, “Plus One” features 15 artists (all but three are women) working in a range of media. Not the most cohesive or collectively satisfying of presentations, the show nevertheless highlights both the range and ambition of the gallery as well as an able balance of local and non-local art.

Barbara Page’s gifts as a painter sometimes get lost in her eclectic, brainy oeuvre. Two square-shaped oils on canvas, “Homeward Bound” and “East is East” return to her roots, while maintaining her signature interest in aerial topography. The former, depicting or imagining a landscape of forests and farm fields cut with an approximate grid of gray roads, gives voice to an interplay between nature and human intervention. The latter, with its pale shades and mosaic-like assembly portraying urban blocks, has a less naturalistic, more abstracted cast.

Similarly to Page’s best work, Rosalyn Richards’ weds humane touch and texture to a scientifically-inspired subject matter.

Above: Suzanne Onodera “Plume” Below: Rosalyn Richards “Beacon” (Photo: provided)

This is most striking in her intaglio prints, which suggest micro- and macro-cosmic settings. Two color etching-aquatints, “Beacon” and “Fabric of Space,” convey a Leonardo-esque fascination with the more alien realms of the universe.

Both Richards and her invitee, Devon Stackonis, spring from Pennsylvania. With their patient realism, measured tonality, and mechanical texture, the junior artist’s black-and-white mezzotints evoke photography while remaining emphatically hand-rendered. Working from elaborately constructed still-life setups but evoking landscape, both “Entropic Space” and “Reunion” conjure an uncanny fantasy of natural and architectural forms.

Local abstract sculptor Ann Reichlin is generously represented, with two wallmounted works as well as a freestanding piece. Both framed, “Measures of Happiness (a)” and “(b)” feature gridded arrangements of wood, masonite, house paint, and graphite constructions evoking pie charts and cakes. “Iteration #18,” a layered, see-through box of wire mesh and green plastic netting, has a similar rough grace.

Wedding Romantic dreaminess to the layered gesturalism of Abstract Expressionism, Suzanne Onodera’s abstract landscape oils have a grandeur unique in local painting. “By The Nature of This Place” is characteristically rich: both far away and up front, pull and push. Pale blue and salmon strokes accent an already dense palette of grays and browns—flickers of light and matter congealing in a suggestion of smoke, water, and sky.

While Onodera’s canvas holds it own here, single pieces by abstractionists Patricia Bender, Amy Callahan, and John McLaughlin unfortunately come off as Ja n ua ry

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afterthoughts. One wants to see more, in particular, of the former two.

Combining printmaking and drawing, Minna Resnick presents suggestive, purposefully disjoint sign-scapes exploring feminine role-playing. Eclectic virtuoso Stan Taft is showing “Fanzago’s Confession II,” a brash oil canvas combining realistically rendered drapery with fancifully decorative spiralings. In contrast, Cuba Ray’s two winter landscapes, also in oil, are modest if able variations. Mixed-media abstractions by Masha Ryskin and Ruth Sproul offer just-enough space for these distinctive voices. Less familiar locally, veteran artist Carey Corea of Rochester presents large encaustic panels dense with color, texture, and pattern.

If Corners has a signature approach to photography, it’s one that favors the oblique and the lyrical over the more straightforward. In that light at least, three small digital photo landscapes by Rachel Dickinson seem out-of-place: well enough done but without the heft of most of the work here.

It is somewhat unusual to see a local show with this approximate number of artists. Exhibitions with a couple or a few people are common enough, while both the State of the Art Gallery and the Community School of Music and Arts notably hold annual year-end juried shows with much larger groupings.

“Plus One” comes off as a bit of an odd duck—neither deep investigation of particular bodies-of-work nor survey of anything in particular. Given the size of the gallery space, some sense of incompleteness is probably inevitable. Still, one might have hoped for a somewhat fuller and more equitable presentation of the artists.

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| Photographer Rachel Philipson and painter Ivy Stevens-Gupta explore land, water and sky in their exhibition of photographs and paintings with a strong abstract quality. Both award-winning artists, display their landscape artwork .Through 1/31.

Music Bars/Bands/Clubs

1/8 Wednesday Canaan Jam Session | 7:00 PM, | Canaan Institute, Brooktondale

1/10 Friday Sandbox | 6:00 PM, | Hopshire Farm & Brewery, Freeville Popa Chubby | 8:00 PM, | The Haunt, Ithaca | $20/$25 Terrapin Station| 9:00PM | Casita Del Polaris, 1201 N. Tioga St., Ithaca | w/ Brian Lauri from Root Shock on keys.

1/11 Saturday Salsa at The Range | 7:00 PM, | The Range, Ithaca | $5 before 10pm, $7 after

1/12 Sunday Ithaca Jazz and Blues Jam | 4:00 PM, | Mix Kitchen and Bar, Ithaca

1/15 Wednesday Canaan Jam Session | 7:00 PM, | Canaan Institute, Brooktondale Concerts/Recitals CCO Youth Orchestra Winter Concert | 4:00 PM, 1/11 Saturday | Ford Hall, Ithaca College, Danby Rd, Ithaca | Join us for our third annual Winter Concert this Saturday. Program

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features Prokofiev “Lieutenant Kije,” the World Premiere of Josh Oxford’s “Shuggie’s Boogies” commissioned by the CCOYO, soloist Kate Wyly in Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto, and the first installment of the Festival Chorus in Borodin’s “Polovtsian Dances” from his opera, Prince Igor. | $10 adult; Free under 18

the underworld to wrestle with death, rebirth, and the age-old miracle of life sprouting out of dark earth, and to get a full dose of the uproarious story of the birth of Hermes, the god who invented the lyre, thievery, and quite possibly rock and roll itself. | $15/$10

Art Philipson and Stevens-Gupta: HORIZONS and ABSTRACT REALITIES | Ongoing | Collegetown Bagels, East Hill Plaza, 329 Pine Tree Road,, Ithaca

Black Sheep Handspinners’ Roc Day Celebration | 10:00 AM, 1/11 Saturday | All Saints Community Room, 347 Ridge Road, Lansing | Spinning demonstrations, vendors, competitions and spinning circle. Free and open to the public with lots of free parking. Come enjoy fellowship, food and fun with other handspinners and fiber artists.

Stage The Sharemony II: One year in love | 6:00 PM, 1/11 Saturday | Six Mile Creek Vineyard, 1551 Slaterville Rd, Ithaca | Music, Comedy, Stories from the Bedroom, a DJ, Dancing and more, means you want to be there. | $25 - $35 VIP and Couples tickets Includes Food, and a Bottle of Wine.

Film

Persephone: Queen of the Underworld | 1:00 PM & 7:30PM, 1/12 Sunday | Cherry Artspace, 102 Cherry Street,, Ithaca | An ancient myth brought alive into the here and now by storyteller Jay Leeming, with music by the Calliope Chorus. It’s a perfect time for a trip to the underworld to wrestle with death, rebirth, and the age-old miracle of life sprouting out of dark earth, and to get a full dose of the uproarious story of the birth of Hermes, the god who invented the lyre, thievery, and quite possibly rock and roll itself. | $15/$10 Persephone: Queen of the Underworld | 7:30 PM, 1/12 Sunday | Cherry Artspace, 102 Cherry Street,, Ithaca | An ancient myth brought alive into the here and now by storyteller Jay Leeming, with music by the Calliope Chorus. It’s a perfect time for a trip to

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20/20 Hindsight | 20 years in Prints and Books plus Portfolios & Ephemera | 5:00 PM, 1/10 Friday | Ink Shop Studio Gallery and CSMA corridor, 330 E.State / MLK Street, ITHACA | The 20th Anniversary exhibit celebrates two decades of printmaking. Will include current and past artists and printmakers, fellows and exhibitors who participated in portfolio exchanges over the years and will display selected posters, postcards, news and reviews.

Cinemapolis

Week of Friday, January 10 through Thursday, January 16, 2020.

Contact Cinemapolis for showtimes. New films listed first*.

A Hidden Life* | |The Austrian Franz Jägerstätter, a conscientious objector, refuses to fight for the Nazis in World War II. | 174 mins PG-13

CHICKEN & BISCUIT DINNER Saturday, January 11 at 5:00 PM Newfield Fire Hall, 77 Main Street, Newfield | Sponsored by the Newfield Lioness Club. Lioness Clubs are civic organizations that raise money to meet the needs of local communities. The Lionesses will be serving chicken & gravy, biscuits, mashed potatoes, veggies, beverages & assorted desserts.(photo: provided )

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Uncut Gems | |A charismatic New York City jeweler always on the lookout for the next big score, makes a series of high-stakes bets that could lead to the windfall of a lifetime.

Howard must perform a precarious high-wire act, balancing business, family, and encroaching adversaries

on all sides, in his relentless pursuit of the ultimate win. | 135 mins R Little Women | Four sisters come of age in America in the aftermath of the Civil War. Directed by Greta Gerwig, starring Saoirse Ronan, Timothee Chalamet, & Emma Watson.| 135 mins PG-13 Jojo Rabbit | A young member of Hitler Youth finds out his mother is hiding a Jewish girl in their home.| 108 mins PG-13 Parasite | All unemployed, Ki-taek’s family takes a peculiar interest in the wealthy and glamorous Parks for their livelihood until they get entangled in an unexpected incident.|132 mins R

Regal Ithaca Wednesday 1/8 through Tuesday, 1/14. Contact Regal Ithaca for showtimes. New films listed first*.

1917* | Two young British soldiers during the First World War are given an impossible mission: deliver a message deep in enemy territory that will stop 1,600 men, and one of the soldiers’ brothers, from walking straight into a deadly trap.| 119 mins R Like A Boss* | Two friends with very different ideals start a beauty company together. One is more practical while the other wants to earn her fortune and live a lavish lifestyle. | 83 mins R Just Mercy* | World-renowned civil rights defense attorney Bryan Stevenson works to free a wrongly condemned death row prisoner. | 136 mins PG-13 The Grudge* | A house is cursed by a vengeful ghost that dooms those who enter it with a violent death. | 93 mins R Underwater* | A crew of aquatic researchers work to get to safety after an earthquake devastates their subterranean laboratory. But the crew has more than the ocean seabed to fear. | 95 mins PG-13

Wednesday | Southworth Library, 24 W. Main Street, Dryden |

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Spies in Disguise | When the world’s best spy is turned into a pigeon, he must rely on his nerdy tech officer to save the world. | 101 mins PG Star Wars:The Rise of Skywalker | The surviving Resistance faces the First Order once more in the final chapter of the Skywalker saga. | 141 mins PG-13 Cats | A tribe of cats called the Jellicles must decide yearly which one will ascend to the Heaviside Layer and come back to a new Jellicle life.| 102 mins PG Bombshell | A group of women decides to take on Fox News head Roger Ailes and the toxic atmosphere he presided over at the network.| 108 mins R Jumanji: The Next Level | As they return to rescue one of their own, the players will have to brave parts unknown from arid deserts to snowy mountains, to escape the world’s most dangerous game..| 123 mins PG-13 Richard Jewell | American security guard Richard Jewell (Paul Walter Hauser) saves thousands of lives from an exploding bomb at the 1996 Olympics, but is vilified by journalists

and the press who falsely report that he was a terrorist. | 129 mins R

Kids

Frozen II | 103 mins PG

Preschool Storytime at Southworth Library | 10:00 AM, 1/10 Friday | Southworth Library, 24 W. Main Street, Dryden | A different theme every week!

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood | 108 mins PG Knives Out | 130 mins PG-13 Ford vs Ferrari | 152 mins PG-13

Books Poetry Open Mic | 6:00 PM, 1/10 Friday | CSMA, 330 E State St, Ithaca | Ithaca Area Poets presents a poetry open mic, on the second Friday of the month. New venue, and new MCs. Come read or listen. All are welcome.

TCPL’s Young Adult Book Club | 4:30 PM, 1/15 Wednesday | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 E Green St, Ithaca | For young adults grades 6 through 12. For the January meeting of this monthly book club, participants will read and discuss These Witches Don’t Burn, by Isabel Sterling. This is a great opportunity, because author Isabel Sterling will be visiting TCPL on Wednesday, January 22, 2020. Copies of the book are available for participants from the Teen Services office.

Early Communication Strategies for Babies and Families | 10:30 AM, 1/10 Friday | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 E Green St, Ithaca | A program exploring ways caregivers can help children up to 18 months improve communication skills.No registration is required for this free program.

Open Heart Kids Yoga | 11:00 AM, 1/11 Saturday | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 E Green St, Ithaca | A weekly yoga program is best suited for children ages 3 to 9, but younger siblings are also welcome. Space is limited for this free program, and registration is required.

Families Learning Science Together at TCPL: Astronomy | 1:00 PM, 1/11 Saturday | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 E Green St, Ithaca | At this intergenerational, hands-on science program, families will explore some features of our solar system and space. Participants will build a sundial

that uses the position of the sun to tell time, learn about the different planets in our solar system, create constellations, and build a straw rocket. Please register.

Sew Amazing | 6:00 PM, 1/13 Monday | Seneca Falls Library, 47 Cayuga Street, Seneca Falls | Here’s a sewing class just for kids and teens in 4th grade and up. Learn basic hand-sewing techniques and create your own stuffed animal. All materials provided.

Preregistration is required.

Family Story Time | 10:30 AM, 1/14 Tuesday | Newfield Public Library, 198 Main St. , Newfield | Join us every Tuesday for stories, songs and fun.

There is a different theme each week.

Preschool Science Series | 11:00 AM, 1/14 Tuesday | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 E Green St, Ithaca | Designed for preschoolers and their families and caregivers. Each week a new animal classification will be covered: amphibians, reptiles, mammals, and arthropods (bugs). Some weeks will feature live animals. No registration is required.

Cuddle-up Infant & Toddler Library Time | 10:00 AM, 1/15

Ithaca Sociable Singles | 6:00 PM, 1/8 Wednesday | 1/8, 6:00 PM Dinner: Souvlaki House. Host: Hans F., RSVP: hansfleischmann83@gmail. com.; NEXT WEEK: 1/15, 6:00 PM Dinner: Crossroads in Lansing. Host: Juice M., RSVP: thomasson5@me.com INHS Homebuyer Class | 6:30 PM, 1/8 Wednesday | Ithaca Neighborhood Housing Services (INHS), 115 W Clinton St., Ithaca | The 4-week class will cover:How much money you need to buy a home; Your credit score and how it affects you; How much house you can afford; What a Realtor can do for you; How to get a mortgage; How to pick the right home; Home Inspections!; How to protect your investment. Service area includes: Cayuga, Chemung, Cortland, Schuyler, Seneca, Tioga, Tompkins Counties! | $75 Consumer Credit Issues | 11:00 AM, 1/9 Thursday | CCE-Tompkins Education Center, 615 Willow Avenue, Ithaca | In this Consumer Issues Program, a NY State Attorney General’s Office representative will make a brief presentation, then consult with individuals on unresolved consumer problems until 1:00 pm. Free and open to the public.

No appointment is needed. Presentations are taped and broadcast on Cable Access Channel 15 on Mondays at 7:00 am, 1:00 pm & 7:00 pm.

Doug’s Fish Fry | 11:00 AM, 1/9 Thursday | Trumansburg Fair Grounds, Route 96, Trumansburg | To support the South Seneca Volunteer Ambulance Corp.

Full Moon Fire Ceremony | 7:00 PM, 1/10 Friday | Foundation of Light, 391 Turkey Hill Rd, Ithaca | Come into ceremony with us at this full moon fire ceremony. At this fire we will be gifting the Munay- Ki ‘Healer’s Rite’ to all who wish to receive. This rite helps us to ignite our own healing. This rite is placed in our hands ~ connecting us to all healers. This brings healing not only to ourselves, but also to those around us and the world. The Fire is open to all (no pets please) Donations accepted to keep these fires going.

Chicken & Biscuit Dinner Newfield Lioness | 5:00 PM, 1/11 Saturday | Newfield Fire Hall, 77 Main St. , Newfield | Serving: Chicken & gravy, biscuits, mashed potatoes, veggies, beverages & assorted desserts. | Adults - $8.50, Seniors - $7.50, kids under 12 -$5.50 Enfield Volunteer Fire Company Chicken Barbecue | 11:00 AM, 1/12 Sunday | Enfield Fire Hall, 172 Enfield Main Rd, Ithaca | Until gone. The Ladies Auxiliary holds a bake sale at each BBQ. | $10 adult; $7 halves Habitat for Humanity Open House | 2:00 PM, 1/12 Sunday | Habitat for Humanity of Tompkins and Cortland Counties (TCHFH) has an affordable homeownership opportunity in the Village of Trumansburg (19 Salo Drive), a 3 bedroom, 1 bathroom home, approximately 1,100 square feet. Sales price will be $97,800, and it will be part of Habitat’s community housing trust. TCHFH is in search of homebuyer applicants and will be taking applications for homeownership until 1/31/2020.

Knitters and Crocheters | 3:00 PM, 1/12 Sunday | Varna United Methodist Church, 965 Dryden Rd, Ithaca | Come meet other fiber artists and share skills with one another.

Word Basics | 2:00 PM, 1/13 Monday | Seneca Falls Library, 47 Cayuga Street, Seneca Falls | Learn how to navigate Microsoft Word! This class will show participants how to open new word documents, copy, past and set margins. We will also explore fonts, sizing and views. Free. Preregistration is required by calling the library at (315) 568-8265 x2 Cayuga Bird Club Monthly Meeting | 7:30 PM, 1/13 Monday | Cornell Lab of Ornithology, 159 Sapsucker Woods Rd, Ithaca | This month will be our popular annual “Share Your Photos Night”, hosted by Kevin McGowan, in which club members bring in their

PERSEPHONE: QUEEN OF THE UNDERWORLD

SATURDAY, JANUARY 11 AT 4:00 PM

SUNDAY, JANUARY 12 AT 1:00 PM AND SECOND SHOW AT 7:30 PM

Ford Hall, Ithaca College | Join them for their third annual Winter Concert this Saturday. Program features Prokofiev “Lieutenant Kije,” the World Premiere of Josh Oxford’s “Shuggie’s Boogies” commissioned by the CCOYO, soloist Kate Wyly in Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto, and the first installment of the Festival Chorus in Borodin’s “Polovtsian Dances” from his opera, Prince Igor. (photo: provided)

The Cherry Artspace, 102 Cherry St., Ithaca | An ancient myth brought alive into the here and now by storyteller Jay Leeming, with music by the Calliope Chorus. It’s a perfect time for a trip to the underworld to wrestle with death, rebirth, and the age-old miracle of life sprouting out of dark earth, and to get a full dose of the uproarious story of the birth of Hermes, the god who invented the lyre, thievery, and quite possibly rock and roll itself. (photo: provided) Ja n ua ry

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CAYUGA CHAMBER YOUTH ORCHESTRA WINTER CONCERT

Notices

Beginner Bird Walks | 8:30 AM, 1/11 Saturday | Cornell Lab of Ornithology, 159 Sapsucker Woods Rd, Ithaca | Guided bird walks every Saturday and Sunday morning, sponsored by the Cayuga Bird Club. For more information, go to the club’s website, http://www. cayugabirdclub.org/calendar

I t h a c a T i m e s 17

Town & Country

Classifieds In Print

|

On Line |

10 Newspapers

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

| 59,200 Readers

Internet: www.ithaca.com Mail: Ithaca Times Classified Dept

PO Box 27 Ithaca NY 14850 In Person: Mon.-Fri. 9am-5pm

109 North Cayuga Street

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I t h a c a T i m e s 19

BackPage

For rates and information contact Cyndi Brong at cbrong@ithactimes.com

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

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N e w J o b fo r 2 0 2 0 ! s alt h Be ne fit 5 Ne gotia te d Wa ge an d He Prog ra m 5 NY S Re tirem en t Pe ns ion 5 CD L/ Pa id Train ing ye r 5 Eq ua l Op po rt un ity Em plo ns and app licl ant s fro m *Wo me n, min ori ties, vet era are enc ourage d to app ly. und er- rep res ent ed gro ups

128 Call for Info: 607-274-2

I C S D Tr a n s p o r t a t i o n S e r v i c e s 20 T

h e

Ithac a T imes

/January

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Diversity Enriches our workplace