Ithaca, N.Y. — Looking for a way to relax before Monday morning makes its dreaded arrival?
Catch up on the top 10 in-depth Ithaca Voice stories and profiles from this week that you wanted to read but were too busy to get through.
Here are the top 10 features we ran this week:
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
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
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
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
Local author imagines sci-fi world of ‘highly fictionalized, noir vision of Ithaca’ – Meet Benjamin Mumford-Zisk. The Ithaca Voice
The Cornell building we should all regret – When it came to being a disaster of a project, Uris Hall wins the gold medal. The Ithaca Voice
Police records: Ithaca man was stabbed in face by his own brother – The fight occurred in broad daylight on the 300 block of West State Street. The Ithaca Voice
An essay about the soul-searching reflected in Ithaca’s recent growth spurt – Through local character and some luck, the downtown residential units are full and most of the retail space is occupied. The Ithaca Voice
How should officials respond to Jason Fane’s ultimatum? – Teasing out the game of chicken. The Ithaca Voice
New-look Big Red football team looks to open strong vs. Colgate – As Cornell exited Penn’s Franklin Field last November after a thrilling 42-41 victory over the rival Quakers, an era was ending. The Ithaca Voice
For more in-depth Ithaca Voice reporting, see below:
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
Video sponsored by Ithaca Family Chiropractic