Archive: Around Town

Hey there my name is Clover. I am a 6-year-old female domestic shorthair mix. I'm a great cat who needs to find a home with loving people to take good care of me. So come and visit me at the SPCA today!

Visit the SPCA Web Page

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When the New Roots Charter High School opens its doors in the Fall about 125 students from at least 14 school districts will attend.  For these students the school promises an exciting new way to learn, with more individual attention and hands-on experience.  The school is funded with federal and state dollars, as well as money from the students' home districts.  This has fostered some concern in those districts, which will be responsible for paying tuition based on the Per Pupil Expenditure that they average for each student in their own schools.

While that will just become part of the budget process in future years, the unknowns involved in this first year have made it hard to gauge the short-term impact of the new school on the home districts.  "Looking at over $100,000 of new expenses is quite a bit," says Lansing School Superintendent Stephen Grimm.  "It will be an initial shock to the system, but once we start to incorporate that into our yearly planning it will be another program.  Which is what it is."

A Russian proverb reads, "Women can do everything; men can do the rest." Feminism aside, Lou Schuler, author of The New Rules of Lifting for Women, points out that since women really started strength training (about 25 years ago), a notion has grown that women shouldn't use exercises and techniques used by men. Most women exercisers think they are allergic to weightlifting but the ones that do weight-lift generally pick up light weights (low intensity). Women's tendency towards low intensity in weight training is ironic when compared to real life, however. Whether lifting a toddler, a container of cat litter, or even a cat, women regularly lift more weight in real life...yet they won't pick up anything heavier than the vinyl coated 5lb dumbbells in the gym.

“There’s a black dog on the loose downtown!” The SPCA of Tompkins County Animal Control Officers received dozens of calls with the same message: a large black dog, clearly a stray, had been spotted by many downtown business owners and residents over a period of six or seven months throughout the cold winter and into early spring. Everyone wanted to help keep him safe, but he proved to be very elusive. He was on the run, like John Dillinger!

According to the Boy Scouts of America the national average of Eagle Scouts is 5%.  Currently Lansing High School boasts nine Eagle Scouts or candidates who are very close to attaining the rank, almost twice that average.  Most have already earned at least 21 merit badges, served in a leadership capacity for at least six months, and are on the verge of or have completed a community service project.

"In a typical year we may have anywhere from nine to 14 Eagles district-wide," says Mike Brown, the District Commissioner for Taughanock District that encompasses Tompkins and Cortland Counties.  "On average about one per troop, though the troops vary dramatically in size.  To have nine in one of the towns in two counties is really remarkable.  It's a tribute to the scoutmasters here and their programs."

Elementary and Middle School moving up ceremonies were held this week, as well as the high school's torch ceremony.  In the latter seniors literally pass the torch to members of the junior class.

Leverne Andrew Nesmith honestly thought that his cat, Cassidy, had been killed by coyotes. An escape artist, Cassidy disappeared from his home last October. Mr. Nesmith searched high and low for the five-year old kitty and asked his neighbors for information, to no avail. Cassidy had a special place in Leverne’s heart since the day Leverne rescued him from local kids who were throwing him around. He had been injured and grew up with a limp in his left leg.

Unbeknownst to Mr. Nesmith and his family, the lovely gray and white cat had been caught in a live-trap not too far from his Nelson Road home and taken to the SPCA of Tompkins County. By this time, he had an upper respiratory infection and the shelter veterinary staff diagnosed severe arthritis in his left hindquarters. “Oliver,” as the SPCA staff dubbed him, recovered during the fall months and was placed on medication for pain.

(Ithaca, NY) Bob Hoyte is used to braving the elements. Gadabout Transportation Service’s Volunteer Driver of the Year was, at one time, the driver of teams of sled dogs racing across the Alaskan tundra in the world-famous Iditarod.

Hoyte’s willingness to brave Central New York’s worst weather, (how bad can it be compared to winter in Alaska?) and his “unflappable dependability” are being cited as the reasons he was named Gadabout’s Volunteer Driver of the Year.

Once again it is time to celebrate "Movement Day" on June 21st. What do you do on Movement Day? You move! Go for a 15-minute walk. Shoot some hoops down at the park. Ride your bike. Swim a few laps in the pool. Go to early morning drop-in hockey like you've always intended. Hike up a hill just for the view. Take a walk around the block. Walk 18-holes instead of getting a cart. All you have to do is move.

Government statistics show that about 66 percent of adults are overweight or obese. There are many contributing reasons but on a national level, the surgeon general has identified lack of dietary balance and too little physical activity as the root causes of obesity. Consider it this way, the average person takes about 3,000 steps a day. Are you above average? Exercise doesn't have to be complicated; it's simply about moving more. Statistics show that only 13% of the population regularly exercise. Whether you are one of the 13% or the other 87%, June 21st should be dedicated to movement, exercise, and fitness.

The Mobile Food Pantry truck was in Lansing Monday morning to distribute food to those in need.  The 35 foot truck served a hundred households, which Lansing Food Pantry Director Nancy Myers says is the best turnout ever. "I believe that the most we had at one time last year was maybe sixty families," she says.  "This was huge for us."

Hey there my name is Lily. I am a domestic shorthair mix. I'm a great cat who is looking for a loving home to spend the rest of my life. Please come and visit mea t the SPCA to see if I'm right for you.

Visit the SPCA Web Page

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Corey Dake officially donated the new fountain and plantings in front of Lansing High School in behalf of the school's student council at Monday's Board Of Education meeting.  The fountain was installed recently in the middle of the high school pond, and about two weeks ago students planted trees, shrubs, and other plantings on the east side of the pond.  Another area spells out 'LHS.' School Board member Glenn Cobb helped plant the trees and shrubbery.  ""It was enjoyable working with them," he said.  "They were hard workers.  They did the work, they didn't complain.  They didn't leave early.  It was impressive to see the commitment of the students of this district."