A sergeant investigating a reported arson, shown above, pulled his weapon on 4 teenagers Saturday night. The police timeline and records give different accounts of the incident. (Reader photo)

Welcome to the quickest way to learn the day’s most important local news.

We call it the Ithaca news cheat sheet. It features a rundown of the 10 biggest headlines from the area.

For news updates throughout the day, be sure to follow us on Facebook and/or Twitter.

— Jeff Stein

1 — Parents speak out after police pull gun on sons

Mothers say Ithaca police sergeant should not have pulled gun on their teenage sons – Four friends were riding their bicycles to Short Stop Deli on a recent summer’s night when they noticed they were being followed… The Ithaca Voice

2 — Riding on elephants, sleeping in the jungle … inside the long journey to Ithaca

How Ithaca woman, then a child, escaped deadly Burmese upheaval of 1980s – The daughter of a Burmese freedom-fighter, May and her family escaped from the chaos, political upheaval and killings that gripped the southeast Asian country in the late 1980s. The Ithaca Voice

May, (front row, 2nd from left) and her family after they fled Burma. May, (front row, 2nd from left), after she, her mother and brothers are reunited with her father.
May, (front row, 2nd from left) and her family after they fled Burma. May, (front row, 2nd from left), after she, her mother and brothers are reunited with her father.
May, (front row, 2nd from left) and her family after they fled Burma. May, (front row, 2nd from left), after she, her mother and brothers are reunited with her father.

3 — Frustrations mount as more Ithaca businesses are targeted by burglars

Purity Ice Cream, Subway latest hit in round of break-ins at Ithaca businesses – At least 12 businesses have now been hit. The Ithaca Voice

4 — Though one would-be burglar was arrested after a failed break-in attempt

Ithaca police find man hiding in bushes after break-in attempt – Police were called to John’s Convenience Store, at 333 West State St., around 1:03 a.m. Monday for an alarm activation. The Ithaca Voice

5 — And law enforcement also did a great job at the jail

Deputies’ quick thinking saved life of Tompkins County inmate – The sheriff’s deputies were honored Monday with the Officer of the Month Award from the Kiwanis Club. The Ithaca Voice

A photo from the Kiwanis event today.
A photo from the Kiwanis event today.

6 — New cops were added to the IPD

3 Ithaca police officers are sworn in during City Hall ceremony – Mayor Svante Myrick and Police Chief John Barber welcomed the officers in front of friends. The Ithaca Voice

Chief Barber, far left, and Mayor Myrick, far right, with IPD's newest officers.
Chief Barber, far left, and Mayor Myrick, far right, with IPD’s newest officers.
Chief Barber, far left, and Mayor Myrick, far right, with IPD’s newest officers.

7 — The Journal writes a preview for the fall sports season

Summer comes to ‘end’ for fall sports athletes in area – Dryden High has a new football coach, but he’s a stranger to neither the school nor the program. The Ithaca Journal

8 — Could Tompkins County ban e-cigarettes?

This Week: Tompkins Says No to E-Cigs; Land Deal with Parks Could Net County $19K – On the table is an amendment to a 2003 local law that bans cigarette use in places of employment, restaurants and bars. The Ithaca Times

9 — Inside Dryden’s fight against national oil giants

Opinion column: How Dryden neighbors turned the tables on national oil giants – Written by the environmentalists at EarthJustice. The Ithaca Voice

10 — Ithaca’s Dustin Brown involved in ice bucket challenge

Kings’ Dustin Brown gets back at Rangers fan (a FedEx delivery guy) on Twitter – Kings captain Dustin Brown basically just said, “Scoreboard” as a comeback to a Rangers fan who wrote something on a package delivered to him recently. NJ.com

Jeff Stein is the founder and former editor of the Ithaca Voice.