Ithaca, N.Y. — Looking for a way to relax before Monday morning makes its dreaded arrival?
Catch up on some of the in-depth Ithaca Voice stories and profiles from this week that you wanted to read but were too busy to get through.
Scroll further down for all the stories that ran before September 1.
In-depth Ithaca Voice reporting from Sept. 1 – Oct. 19:
Got a suggestion for a long form story? Email me at jstein@ithacavoice.com
Art | Commons construction | Crime | Development | Local life | Politics | Profiles | Simeon’s
Art
Cornell scientist uses tiny people to ‘deliver happiness’ with art – When Paul Ge’s not studying particle physics at Cornell’s synchrotron laboratory, he’s composing still-life photographs at his home studio in Lansing. The Ithaca Voice
Trumansburg’s best doodler is on the brink of the big time art world
– Way up on the top floor of a rustic four-story barn in Trumansburg, Jim Garmhausen is drawing. The Ithaca Voice
Local author imagines sci-fi world of ‘highly fictionalized, noir vision of Ithaca’ – Meet Benjamin Mumford-Zisk. The Ithaca Voice
Commons construction
Mayor Myrick blames NYSEG’s office in Spain for construction delays – Mayor Svante Myrick spoke about the Ithaca Commons construction in an interview published on WHCU Radio’s website on Monday. The Ithaca Voice
Ithaca delays completion date for part of Commons construction project – Unexpected delays have pushed back the projected completion date for the surface of the western stretch of the Commons into the spring. The Ithaca Voice
Ithaca Commons business owners pack City Hall, lamenting construction – A few dozen people, including many Ithaca Commons business owners, packed City Hall on Wednesday to express dissatisfaction with the Commons construction project. The Ithaca Voice
Amid construction, Commons hot dog vendor asks for old spot back – Louis “Lou” Cassaniti wheeled out his equipment Wednesday morning for another day of grilling. The Ithaca Voice
Crime
Newfield man fights to keep dog he rescued after shooting – On the evening of Sept. 17, Ken Colburn heard two gunshots ring out from his neighbor’s house across the street. The Ithaca Voice
How ‘big team effort’ from local police nabbed 2 serial burglars – One day during the second week of August, a group of police gathered in a room of the Tompkins County Sheriff’s Office. The Ithaca Voice
Records: 5 crying kids watched Ithaca teen viciously stab their mother, sister – A case involving a bloody melee that sent four people to the hospital in 2013 is now working its way through the court system. The Ithaca Voice
Ithaca magician repeatedly threatened, attacked while on street corner – “They punched me. They punched me in the face.” The Ithaca Voice
Tompkins teen attacked in sleep is hard-working farmhand from Mexico – The teenager in Dryden violently assaulted and robbed in late August is a Mexican immigrant and farmhand who was sleeping on a rare night off when the attack occurred. The Ithaca Voice
Man admits to felony in death of girlfriend found on Tompkins County road – A man has pleaded guilty to a felony after his girlfriend was found dead on the shoulder of a road in Tompkins County in November 2013. The Ithaca Voice
Investigator: Both ATV and dirt bike in fatal Lansing crash lacked lighting – The dirt bike and ATV four-wheeler traveled in the same direction down Decamp Road Friday night. They’d left from the same residence. The Ithaca Voice
In tragic fatal crash, Lansing father loses his best friend – Lynn Eastman Jr. and his son Lynn Eastman III were metal workers together. The Ithaca Voice
The mystery of the 142 Chinese manuscripts stolen from Cornell library – The theft was discovered Wednesday when, while reshelving books in Kroch Library’s Asia Collection book stacks, a library staffer thought one of the cases seemed a little light. The Ithaca Voice
Development
How should officials respond to Jason Fane’s ultimatum? – Fane is requesting what essentially amounts to a tax break — in this case, what’s called an “abatement” — for the project. The Ithaca Voice
Ithaca area company expects to add 91 jobs, and 5 other development updates – Construction company lined up for Marriott hotel. The Ithaca Voice
New six-story building, pedestrian walkway, GreenStar coming to Ithaca’s Collegetown – A project that will transform the landscape of Ithaca’s College Avenue was unanimously approved by city officials Tuesday night four years after it was first proposed. The Ithaca Voice
The Ithaca area seems to be doing well: A look at the jobs numbers – The weather may have been cooler and cloudier than usual this summer, but the jobs numbers are bringing a silver lining to those grey skies. The Ithaca Voice
Meet 4 startups moving into Ithaca’s Carey Building as Rev.’s engine ignites – Four local startups have moved into Ithaca’s Carey Building as “Rev: Ithaca Startup Works” — a downtown hub for the region’s entrepreneurial community — officially opened on Monday. The Ithaca Voice
Local life
Cornell expels student, demands more than $100,000 over application dispute – A student was forced to leave Cornell and told to repay three semesters’ worth of financial aid for failing to disclose on her application that she had attended a community college several years prior. The Ithaca Voice
Rulloff’s employees say they were blindsided by bar’s sudden closure – Sometime last week, the employees of Rulloff’s Bar and Restaurant learned that there would be a staff meeting on Monday. The Ithaca Voice
Buddhist monks in Ithaca near end of ritual for world peace and ‘all prosperity’ – Up on South Hill, 17 monks from Ithaca and India are nearing the end of the 14-day ceremony known as “Kalachakra.” The Ithaca Voice
‘Dreamy’ new vegan food truck to open on Ithaca waterfront – “cafeWILD,” as the food truck is called, will hold its soft opening in Ithaca Sunday after Porchfest. The Ithaca Voice
Hunger in Ithaca: Understand the ‘new normal’ facing the Southern Tier food bank – The Food Bank of the Southern Tier saw requests for help surge by 25 percent when the Great Recession struck. The Ithaca Voice
43 photos, and 1 poem, to usher in autumn in Ithaca – Zac Peterson took 106 photographs of autumn in Ithaca to help The Ithaca Voice usher in the fall season, which officially began on Tuesday. The Ithaca Voice
Politics, city gov. and hospitals
Ithaca, Cornell sued over Ph.D.’s 2012 death in gorge trail – Cornell University and the city of Ithaca are being sued by the family of a graduate who fell to his death at the Cascadilla Gorge Trail in 2012. The Ithaca Voice
Myrick says new role at Hobart will not interfere with mayoral responsibilities – Mayor Svante Myrick was named the “Presidential Fellow for Civic Engagement” at Hobart William and Smith Colleges last week. The Ithaca Voice
Officer sues Ithaca police union, claiming racial bias – An officer says the police union refuses to help him fight disciplinary action taken against him because of his race. The Ithaca Voice
2 big priorities in Mayor Myrick’s proposed budget for Ithaca – The budget was unveiled Wednesday. The Ithaca Voice
Community Police Board says review of incident with teens is complete, results not public – In line with the board’s standard protocol, the results of the review are not being made public, according to the board’s co-chairs. The Ithaca Voice
How the Cayuga Medical Center is preparing for Ebola – Someone walked into the Cayuga Medical Center last week, told the receptionist about some symptoms and mentioned recent travel to Liberia for a conference. The Ithaca Voice
Despite push to clear Ithaca’s ‘Jungle’ encampments, sites remain – Despite attempts by city officials and private organizations to rid Ithaca of its “Jungle” encampments, homeless men and women continue to set up permanent residence under tent and tarp within city limits. The Ithaca Voice
‘Continuity and restraint’ at heart of Tompkins budget plan, official says – Its moderation is the result of the planning and hard choices county lawmakers have made over the past several years.
Understand how Ithaca officials hope to reform city’s noise complaint policy – Ithaca officials want to resolve one problem with the city’s policy for noise complaints without creating a bigger one. The Ithaca Voice
Ithaca’s female planners say city government has stifling gender bias – “The positions to allow women to advance have been cut.” The Ithaca Voice
Profiles
Ithaca man to join aid mission to northern Iraq for refugees fleeing ISIS – An Ithaca man who works at the local rescue mission is planning to join a trip to northern Iraq to help refugees fleeing from ISIS. The Ithaca Voice
Ithaca mourns death of sanitation supervisor who ‘took pride in how the city looked’ – “He took pride in how the city looked,” said Ray Benjamin, Dan Spencer’s supervisor and a friend for years. The Ithaca Voice
Ari Lavine’s story: How Ithaca’s city attorney returned home – Lavine once exited his office and found his first grade teacher sitting there. The Ithaca Voice
Kyle Dake sets his sights on Olympic gold – He bounded toward the blown-up photograph in the lobby of Cornell’s Friedman Wrestling Center and put his face close to the glossy poster surface. The Ithaca Voice
Ithaca woman starts new business after getting cancer, losing Commons eatery in fire – “Our whole life, our whole world was burned down,” said Nancy Gruen, who owned Blue Stone with her husband. The Ithaca Voice
Simeon’s
Feds shut down truck company in Simeon’s crash – A federal agency, citing a pattern of “serious violations” of safety regulations, has shut down the Washington-state trucking company that owned the tractor-trailer involved in the fatal crash June 20 at Simeon’s on the Commons. The Ithaca Voice
Simeon’s owner: ‘We’re going through on the rebuild’ – Simeon’s on the Commons will reopen after it was badly damaged in a fatal June crash, according to the restaurant’s owners. The Ithaca Voice
In-depth Ithaca Voice reporting before September 1:
Got a suggestion for a long form story? Email me at jstein@ithacavoice.com
Art | Crime | Development | Local life | Politics | Profiles | Simeon’s
Art
Local photographer finds hidden worlds with close-ups of frozen bench – Frank Leahy, of Trumansburg, took the photographs. The Ithaca Voice
Swordfights, soliloquies and stagecraft: An Ithaca summer of Shakespeare – It is a cool midsummer night, and the sun has just started to sift through the trees that hug the perimeter of the grassy amphitheater. The Ithaca Voice
Groucho Marx’s next act: Reincarnation as 58 Ithacans – Groucho Marx once said, “I intend to live forever or die trying.” The Ithaca Voice
Colorful snails, sci-fi robots, and sunbathing sharks give Ithaca’s electrical boxes new power – Once dull and gray, many of these boxes have undergone complete wardrobe makeovers thanks to 21 Boxes, a community art project. The Ithaca Voice
For Ithaca’s State Theatre, ‘everything is moving in right direction’ after financial scare – After teetering on the brink of bankruptcy and facing condemnation, the State Theatre of Ithaca has found a new strategy to secure its financial foothold: Move forward by looking back. The Ithaca Voice
Crime
Records: Dryden teen was held down for 10 mins during armed robbery – ‘I feared for my life’ – A Dryden teenager was sleeping in his bed at night when someone entered his room and woke him up. The Ithaca Voice
Ithaca police, call records differ on key timing in incident involving unarmed teens – Police have released a statement of “clarification regarding the timeline of events” during the incident. The Ithaca Voice
Ithaca police sergeant pulls gun on unarmed minority teens; mayor promises investigation – Mayor Svante Myrick has promised an investigation into an Ithaca police sergeant’s decision to pull out his gun while pursuing four unarmed 15-year-olds in the city last weekend. The Ithaca Voice
Records: Syracuse University physics professor confronted armed robber at Cornell – “We struggled through both sets of doors with me holding and struggling with him.” The Ithaca Voice
Woman working for Cornell prof. steals more than $365K from psychology society – Christie Talbot, 38, of Freeville, pleaded guilty to second-degree grand larceny, a felony. The Ithaca Voice
Person stabbed in Ithaca trying to protect woman on west side, court records show – An Ithaca woman and her sister were on their way to show police how their house had been egged and vandalized when they were confronted by three people The Ithaca Voice
7 bizarre police reports from Cornell’s Slope Day – Reports of people throwing peanuts, hanging from branches and loudly “studying” were all calls the Ithaca Police Department had to respond to on recent Slope Days. The Ithaca Voice
Gunpoets’ guitarist fights felony drug charges with fans’ help – On Oct. 31, 2012, the guitarist for one of Ithaca’s most popular bands held a Halloween party at his house on Warren Road. The Ithaca Voice
Records show unfolding, aftermath of Newfield double shooting – Around 1 p.m. in the town of Newfield on April 30, 2013, a man pulled out a gun and said that he was only going to ask one more time. The Ithaca Voice
Naked Ithaca College student tries taking police officer’s gun while on LSD, records show – Peter Rose was driving down South Cayuga Street on May 17 when a naked man ran in front of his vehicle. The Ithaca Voice
Charged with rape, former Cornell wrestler says he was too drunk to be guilty – The former Cornell University wrestler arrested on rape charges was too drunk the night of the crime to be found guilty, his lawyers have argued. The Ithaca Voice
Ithaca police records detail unraveling of woman’s TCAT embezzlement scheme – It all started with a simple question about a few errant invoices. The Ithaca Voice
Development
Long-simmering fight over affordable housing plan ends amid mayor’s emotional plea – Mayor Svante Myrick approached the microphone slowly, with an understated nod to a roomful of people mostly furious about what he was about to do. The Ithaca Voice
The history (and future?) of development on Ithaca’s inlet – Looking at the waterfront development proposal. The Ithaca Voice
What caused confusion over toxic contaminants at Ithaca development? – The question is why city officials — including Mayor Svante Myrick — were wrong about the status of the review. The Ithaca Voice
Jason Fane proposes 12-story Collegetown building that would be twice the current height limit – “I really don’t think there’s a snowball’s chance in hell of this passing,” one official said. The Ithaca Voice
Opinion: What is Jason Fane up to with ‘spectacularly overboard’ 12-story building proposal? – Let’s be clear: this will not happen. The Ithaca Voice
Ithaca officials change story about toxic contaminants at controversial development – The executive director of the Ithaca Neighborhood Housing Services acknowledged Tuesday that the state is in fact requiring the city to submit a clean-up plan subject to state oversight. The Ithaca Voice
Local life
One gorge ranger said he was hit by a drunken swimmer. The Ithaca Voice
An Ithaca success story: Inside the phenomenal growth of Ithaca Carshare, Inc. – Q: How’s that Ithaca Carshare thing working out so far? A: It’s picking up speed. The Ithaca Voice
Basketball court rededicated to the ‘godfather of Ithaca basketball’ – Melvin Bell was “shooting three-pointers before anyone knew what it was.”
Mayor Myrick says how Ithaca restaurants could win key to the city – Mayor Svante Myrick wants a garbage plate — and he’s willing to hand over the key to the city to get one. The Ithaca Voice
Politics & city government
Using psychedelic color swirl, Rep. Reed calls opponent an ‘Extreme Ithaca Liberal’ – As the 2014 Congressional elections draw closer, Rep. Tom Reed has set up a website that calls his Democratic challenger an “Extreme Ithaca Liberal.” The Ithaca Voice
Editorial: Sentence against Ithaca drones protester is a farce and an outrage – An Ithaca Voice editorial denounced the year-long sentence of a drones protester. “An Ithaca woman crossed the street and stood for a few minutes where she wasn’t supposed to stand. Then she crossed back to where it was OK to stand. Now she’s going to jail for a year.” ithacavoice
Editorial: Mayor Myrick’s proposed police reforms are bold, innovative and meaningful – They could make a meaningful difference in the everyday lives of some of Ithaca’s most disadvantaged citizens. The Ithaca Voice
Crucial agency in Ithaca’s natural disaster relief says it’s stretched dangerously thin – “This year, we’ve had more weather events than we’ve had in the last several years” The Ithaca Voice
What has Rep. Tom Reed spent $1.4 million in campaign cash on? – Catering, at $85K, is Rep. Reed’s biggest campaign expenditure since January 2013. The Ithaca Voice
Officials: Simeon’s crash, other factors again delay completion date for Commons redesign – The completion date for the Ithaca Commons redesign has been pushed into next year. The Ithaca Voice
Profiles
In Ithaca mayor’s tiny and rural hometown, the ‘myth’ of Myrick grows – Students hear his name in the classroom. Stories about him are swapped in the dining halls. The Ithaca Voice
Ithaca lawyer, 89, represents client of six decades in Simeon’s crash lawsuit – Walter Wiggins began representing the Cornell Barber Shop as a law school student in the early 1950s. The Ithaca Voice
On quiet Ithaca street, magician labors 15 hours a day, 7 days a week – Magician William Metro almost blends into the quiet Ithaca street corner where you can find him seven days of the week into the wee hours of the morning. The Ithaca Voice
Criminal or martyr? 7-part series on the political formation of Ithaca’s jailed grandmother – “Gasps filled the courtroom when the sentence for drones protester Mary Anne Grady Flores was announced last Thursday.” The Ithaca Voice
Seth Peacock’s story: How a mother’s death spurred trucker’s rise to Ithaca judge – The story of Seth Peacock is about surpassing one’s own expectations. The Ithaca Voice
Simeon’s crash coverage
Trucking firm in Simeon’s crash has lost its operating authority from feds – The company that owns the truck that crashed into Simeon’s on the Commons in June has lost its authority to operate across state lines, according to federal documents. The Ithaca Voice
Titus Gallery, shuttered and splintered in Simeon’s crash, reopens with eye to the future – After nearly two months of restoration, the Titus Gallery is reopening its doors. The Ithaca Voice
What if truck safety in Ithaca is simply impossible? Scrutinizing 8 decades of evidence – “Water runs down hills … and so do vehicles and trucks if they lose their brakes.” The Ithaca Voice
Owners want to rebuild structure that houses Simeon’s – The owners of the building housing Simeon’s on the Commons intend to restore the structure, and the owners of Simeon’s intend to reopen their popular restaurant in the same location. The Ithaca Voice
History of accidents at Commons raises questions about Ithaca intersection – Past traffic accidents at the intersection of North Aurora Street and East State Street both suggest the possibility of future incidents and raise the question of what can be done to prevent them. The Ithaca Voice
Could better signs have helped? Official looks at similar Ithaca roads after Simeon’s tragedy – Former Ithaca Mayor Carolyn Peterson wonders if road signage for trucks ought to be prominent among the questions discussed after the crash. The Ithaca Voice
As life resumes in downtown Ithaca, a city registers its shock — and asks questions – In some ways, life in downtown Ithaca went on as usual Saturday morning. The Ithaca Voice
Ice-cold beer, bubbling mozzarella & Ithaca style: The history of Simeon’s Restaurant – Located on the corner of South Aurora, with a stenciled ceiling and eclectic design, Simeon’s serves its customers in a building more than 140 years old. The Ithaca Voice