First vote, and then eat.  What's election day without the annual North Lansing Auxiliary Dinner and Supper?  Luckily there is no need to answer that question, because the annual event Tuesday at the North Lansing Fire Station was a grand success.  264 Dinners were served, and 407 Suppers, which, most importantly, included 120 pies.  Additionally the Auxiliary sold 60 quarts of canned beets.

The Dollar General Literacy Foundation awarded the Lansing Central School District a $2,000 grant to support youth literacy. This grant is part of more than $3.4 million the organization awarded to 915 recipients on August 28, 2018. Awarded annually at the beginning of the academic school year inception, youth literacy grants help support teachers, schools and nonprofit organizations throughout the 44 states that Dollar General serves.

"The Lansing Groton Teacher Center was thrilled to be able to work in collaboration with Jennifer Kadlecik, eighth grade ELA teacher at the Lansing Middle School, to help secure funding for her book study project," said Teacher Center Director Rhody O'Donnell. "Although the Teacher Center wasn't able to fund this work out of our own budget when Ms. Kadlecik originally approached the Teacher Center last spring, we were able to reach out to our community to see what potential funding was out there for Ms. Kadlecik. After talking with our colleague Sarah O'Shea, Head of Youth Services at the Tompkins Public Library, she was able to point us in the direction of the Dollar General Youth Literacy Grant. After a few brainstorming sessions with Ms. Kadlecik, we submitted the grant proposal for the project titled, Social Justice and the Power of Reading. The proposal was submitted late spring of 2018 and we were so happy to hear that we were awarded the funding for the 2018-2019 school year. This was a beautiful example of many of the stakeholders of our school community, including our partners from the School Improvement Services at TST BOCES, coming together and helping to create a really powerful learning experience for our students."

With Thanksgiving just around the corner and the holiday season nearly in full swing, snow and ice will be arriving in Tompkins County soon enough. Want to be better prepared for this winter? Meteorologists predict that the temperatures will be slightly higher than average, but there will be plenty of snow and ice.

During the month of December, the high temperatures are predicted to be higher than average at the beginning of the month, will drop to below average mid-month, and rise back up to above normal to finish off 2018.

United Way of Tompkins County (UWTC) announced their 2018-19 Campaign Committee and fundraising goal at an event this Thursday evening. This year's United Way campaign will be led by Co-Chairs Reverend Tim Dean, Reverend Nathaniel Wright and Pastor Ron Benson.

Dean is Chaplain at Cayuga Medical Center, a historic partner of United Way of Tompkins County. Wright is the pastor at Calvary Baptist Church and Benson is pastor at Baptized Church of Jesus Christ. These faith leaders will be joined by Honorary Co-Chairs and radio personalities Dave Ashton and Jenn Mattison from Lite 97.3. "This dynamic campaign team represents the values and history of United Way focusing on inclusivity, diversity, and community engagement," shared UWTC Chair of the Board Lynnette Scofield.

In the current divisive political climate, I am a bit torn about social media postings. I want to have my voice heard and my opinions considered. I feel that by being silent I'm complicit in activities that go against my beliefs. I also want to use social media to see what my family is up to, see who got married, and learn who is in dire straits so I might aid in their comfort. However, it seems I can't accomplish both goals. How do you suggest I navigate this emotional minefield and still stay in touch with those I care about?
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