Here’s the Ithaca Minute for January 15th.

Banks, post offices, and government offices are closed Monday for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and there’s free parking in the City of Ithaca, but TCAT is operating full bus service and trash & recycling pickup will be on the usual schedule this week.

Rising water levels in Fall Creek due to a buildup of ice led the City of Ithaca to issue a warning Sunday morning that the Ithaca High School parking lot was flooding and access to Ithaca Falls was blocked due to high water. City officials warned that basements could start to take on water, and urged residents to check their basements and consider getting stuff off the basement floor.

The Sciencenter just rolled out their new Sonic Sensations exhibit, all about experiencing and creating sound. “Experience our sonic world while exploring the science of sound. Experiment with pitch, test your own hearing, create a movie soundtrack, and test your lung power in the Scream Chamber,” says the Sciencenter web site. The family-friendly facility at 601 First Street is open until 5 on Monday.

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Here’s the Ithaca Minute for January 12th.

Water service will be shut off in the neighborhood around the 400 block of North Tioga Street for much of Friday for a water valve replacement. Tioga Street is closed between Court Street and Farm Street until about 2pm.

Temperatures Friday should hit as high as the upper 50s, but winter roars back to the Ithaca area this weekend after heavy rain brings a chance of localized flooding. Starting Friday evening, several inches of snow is likely, according to the National Weather Service. Finger Lakes Weather has higher snowfall totals through Saturday evening in the forecast, with accumulations up to two feet near Lake Ontario, and “widespread amounts of a foot or more” for the rest of the Finger Lakes.

It’s been nearly two and a half years, but Forest Home Drive has reopened to through traffic near the Thurston Avenue Bridge. The road was closed down in September 2015 “due to ongoing erosion of the gorge wall” along Fall Creek Gorge. Cornell officials say signage will be added to warn pedestrians of the change to crossings, and the road will be closed again briefly this summer for repaving.

The first community pancake breakfast of 2018 brings with it some exciting new menu items! The Varna Community Center holds a monthly pancake breakfast from September through May, and it’s 8am to 12 noon this Sunday.

The menu includes pancakes, french toast, waffles, made-to-order locally sourced eggs, breakfast meats from Clark’s in Dryden, fruit, hash brown potatoes, and orange juice. Tea, coffee, condiments, and freshly made whipped cream and butter are included.

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Here’s the Ithaca Minute for January 11th!

The City of Ithaca now says the 400 block of North Tioga Street will be closed BOTH Thursday and Friday between Court Street and Farm Street for replacement of a water valve. The closure will be from 7am to 2 or 3pm both days, and water will be turned off to the area on Friday.

GIAC hosts an annual community breakfast to commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day in Ithaca, and this year’s breakfast is Saturday morning. The theme for this year’s community MLK breakfast follows a Dr. King quote: “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, What are you doing for others?”

The guest speaker will be Dr. Shirley Collado, Ithaca College’s new president. The event is this Saturday, January 13 at the Beverly J. Martin Elementary School, in the gym. Breakfast costs $4 for seniors and students, $5 for adults, and $15 for a family of 4-6.

And Downtown Ithaca’s First Friday Gallery Night was officially postponed last Friday due to the extreme cold. Gallery Night is now this Friday from 5-8pm, and details on venues and the shows they’re offering this month are at gallerynightithaca.com.

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Here’s the Ithaca Minute for January 10th!

The City of Ithaca says the 400 block of North Tioga Street will be closed in Downtown Ithaca this Thursday, between Court Street and Farm Street, so crews can replace a water valve “to address a faulty component that was discovered during main repair last week.” The closure is slated to last from 7am to about 2pm.

If you’ve been thinking about ditching cable TV, check out our cord-cutters guide in the 14850 Magazine section at 14850.com.

And after almost nine years in Downtown Ithaca, The Shop is closing its doors at the end of this week. You may have driven past The Shop without noticing it; it’s Ithaca’s combination tattoo parlor and coffee shop, on East Seneca Street.

The folks at The Shop announced this Monday morning that they’ll be closing at the end of the week. They’re open 8am-6pm through Thursday, and 8am-7pm for their final day, Friday, January 12th.

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Here’s the Ithaca Minute for January 8th!

Downtown Ithaca’s First Friday Gallery Night was officially postponed due to the extreme cold, though a couple of venues were open and went ahead with their plans. The official Gallery Night is now January 12th from 5-8pm, and details on venues and the shows they’re offering this month are at gallerynightithaca.com.

One last United Express turboprop flight from Central New York took place on Sunday night, from Syracuse Hancock International Airport to Dulles outside Washington DC. It was the last United Express Bombardier Dash-8 flight. CommutAir, which operates regional flights for United mostly in the northeast, announced last year it would be retiring its Dash-8 turboprop fleet in favor of additional Embraer regional jets. Last fall, airlines at the Ithaca airport finished their transition to all jet aircraft. The final United Express Dash-8 flight arrived at Dulles 20 minutes early.

And Cornell Big Red men’s hockey had a pair of wins at Lynah Rink this weekend, with a high-scoring 7-1 win against Princeton on Friday and a 1-0 shutout of Quinnipiac on Saturday night.

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School districts throughout the area, including Ithaca, are closed this Friday due to the extreme cold weather and wind chills.

TCAT says they will provide free bus rides to all riders this Friday and Saturday on all of their routes, “due to predictions of dangerously cold temperatures” in the Ithaca area. “No one should be exposed to these temperatures and this is just one way that TCAT can pitch in to protect our community from the deadly elements,” said TCAT general manager Scot Vanderpool. Due to the frigid temperatures, TCAT operations manager Mike Smith says buses won’t be able to use the “kneeling” function. Drivers will be able to lower ramps, though.

The Ithaca Farmers Market starts its indoor winter season this weekend. They’ll be at the Space at GreenStar on Fulton Street every Saturday through March from 10:30-2pm.

And cold weather is soup weather, so 14850 Dining is ready with some of Ithaca’s finest soup offerings to help us all warm up this winter.

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Here’s the Ithaca Minute!

Ithaca had one of New York State’s oldest McDonald’s restaurants, which closed last summer for a complete rebuild on the same Elmira Road lot. The new restaurant celebrates this Thursday with a grand opening ceremony that features a flag display by Ithaca’s American Legion post, free coffee for all veterans, and food and drink specials.

Ithaca won’t get above the single digits this Friday or Saturday, and may not get above zero, with high winds that will mean bitter wind chills.

With the extreme cold weather, frozen water pipes are a risk, especially in trailers, barns, or other buildings that aren’t well insulated. Leaving cabinets open to help warm room air circulate under sinks can help prevent pipes from freezing. Running the water for a little bit in each bathroom and kitchen sink each day can also help avoid freezing by keeping the water moving. If your pipes do freeze, never use anything but a hair dryer to thaw them!

A hair dryer on hot, aimed at pipes from a few inches away, might take a while, but that’s the only safe way to thaw a frozen pipe, says Lt. Tom Basher of IFD. “Pipes conduct heat extremely well, so even if the freeze is behind a wall, you can usually thaw it out.”

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Here’s the Ithaca Minute for January 3rd!

Troopers from the New York State Police were first on the scene of an armed robbery at the Top Shelf Liquor Store on Ithaca’s south hill last Wednesday, December 27th, and investigators say there are still “no suspects at this time.”

According to State Police investigators, a tall black male suspect with a heavy build entered the liquor store, displayed a handgun, and left with an undisclosed amount of cash. “He was last seen wearing a colored hat, dark colored jacket, blue jeans, and boots.”

A $500 reward announced last month for tips that lead to finding Nicole Marranca is now up to $1,000, and family and friends are planning a search party to go out looking next weekend. Nicole’s 28th birthday was last month.

“If the weather cooperates,” according to a Facebook event page, the search party will start in “the Jungle,” the natural area behind Ithaca’s big-box stores that has been used as a homeless encampment. The search is scheduled for 10am-2pm on Saturday, January 13. Organizers suggest dressing for cold weather, and don’t recommend children under 18 participate.

And the closure of Route 79, Green Street through Downtown Ithaca, to deliver a crane for the City Centre project, has been postponed. The road was originally going to be closed Wednesday night.

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Here’s the Ithaca Minute for January 2nd!

The City of Ithaca says Green Street, or Route 79 eastbound through Downtown Ithaca, will be closed this Wednesday night for placement of a crane for the City Centre project.

East Green Street will be closed from Cayuga Street to the intersection with East State Street at Seneca Way, starting at 7pm on Wednesday, January 3rd, and “until early morning Thursday.”

Several Ithaca musicians have collaborated on “I Won’t Give Up,” a song released on New Year’s Day to benefit Planned Parenthood of the Southern Finger Lakes. The track features Maddy Walsh, Mike Suave, and Mike Parker of the Blind Spots, Dan Lisbe of the Gunpoets, Richie Stearns of the Horse Flies, Samuel B. Lupowitz of Noon Fifteen, and Ted Walsh of GoGone, with Pyramid Sound’s Alex Perialas engineering.

100% of proceeds after the initial recording costs are covered will go to Planned Parenthood of the Southern Finger Lakes. Find the track at 14850.com.

And the New Year means a small pay raise for New Yorkers making minimum wage. The minimum has gone up from $9.70 to $10.40 an hour for hourly employees, not including tipped workers.

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Here’s the Ithaca Minute for January 1st!

The Ithaca Fire Department has wise words for area residents who are experiencing frozen water pipes in their houses and apartments due to the frigid weather: never use anything but a hair dryer to thaw them!

A hair dryer on hot, aimed at pipes from a few inches away, might take a while, but that’s the only safe way to thaw a frozen pipe, says Lt. Tom Basher of IFD. “Pipes conduct heat extremely well, so even if the freeze is behind a wall, you can usually thaw it out.” “If in doubt,” Basher says, “call a plumber or heating contractor to safely thaw the line and make any necessary repairs.”

Cornell men’s ice hockey had a hat trick from freshman Kyle Betts to beat the #20 Canisius Golden Griffins on Saturday afternoon. Final score was 6-2.

Most stores and many eateries are open on New Year’s Day, but check 14850.com for our list, including some restaurants taking a vacation for a few days or a few weeks.

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