Lansing Star Online
The Lansing Star Online
The Lansing Star Online - Lansing, NY's On-line Newspaper

  • Town Audit Finds Procedural Conflicts
    When the New York State Comptroller's audit (http://osc.state.ny.us/localgov/audits/) of the Town of Lansing's financial operations was publicly released on July 12, one of the findings it showed was that Town purchases from two companies constituted a conflict of interest for Supervisor Scott Pinney. The Town Highway Department rented equipment from Eagle Rental and purchased gravel from Genoa Sand and Gravel, both owned by Pinney's wife Tracy. While the audit found that the Town board had instituted a Code of Ethics in 2006, it also found that Pinney had a 'prohibited interest.' Pinney's position is that it didn't represent a conflict of interest in part because he has no operational authority in his wife's companies, and in part because Highway Superintendent Jack French is himself an elected official who acts independently from the Supervisor. Additionally French purchases through the County Bid process -- which gets the best prices for participating municipalities from qualified suppliers -- not directly with the companies. Pinney outlined these positions in a 2008 Lansing Star article (content/view/3940/67/) .

  • Spotlight On... Lucas Zelehowsky
    The Lansing Community Aquatic Swim Team (LCATS) is a relatively small club. Rides are shared, overnights happen, parents know parents, parents know kids, and the kids know parents. My first introduction to Lucas Zelehowsky and his mom, Barb, came when my son commented on how 'cool' Mrs. Z was as he walked me over to her car where a group of teen agers were gathered. I investigated and found Mrs. Z with an open cooler filled with bread, meats and cheeses, milk, water, Gatorade… I found that interesting and then I found out why.

  • Sewer Project Will Bring Jobs to Lansing
    Monday morning was a milestone for the Town of Lansing, local business, and Tompkins County Area Development (TCAD) when officials gathered for the ground breaking for the Warren Road Sewer Project. Somewhat like the Phoenix, the project rose from the ashes of the town's larger sewer project that failed three years ago because of its cost. When that project failed Transonic Systems Chief Operating Officer Bruce Kilmartin and TCAD's Heather Filiberto approached to town to see if a smaller project could bring municipal sewer up from the Village of Lansing's sewer to the Warren Road Business Park, where Transonic is located. We kept meeting and meeting and meeting until we found a way to get a sewer line to this business park, Filiberto said. And here three years later we're going to break ground. We're going to grow a little bit.

  • Significant Changes to Lansing Athletic Code of Conduct
    Starting in the coming school year Lansing schools will institute a new code of conduct. At the July 12 Board of Education meeting Lansing High School Principal Eric Hartz presented the new code, explaining some of the reasons for significant changes. In the Spring of 2009 we started considering an athletic code of conduct that included academic eligibility and have a little higher set of expectations for our athletes, says Superintendent Stephen Grimm. An athlete could be failing four or five subjects and still be participating fully, off the radar of getting the intensive service that you really need.

  • Lansing Star 5th Anniversary Issue
    It's hard to believe but this issue marks the Lansing Star Online's fifth anniversary. Karen and I published our first issue on July 22, 2005. The top story was about the Town Board considering a domestic partner policy for employees who are part of same-sex couples. Also in that issue were articles about the Triphammer Road reconstruction project being held up, the Town approving the Searles/Conlon Road cell tower, part one of a three part interview with the Lansing High School Athletic Director, girls softball, a school board report, and an article on a $70 million capital project (that eventually died), the library's summer reading program, a review of a new Harry Potter book, and a series of articles on the Rogue's Harbor Inn. In honor of our anniversary I interviewed myself. In the interview I reflect on the past and talk about what it has been like to produce a local newspaper every week.

  • Over 360 Riders in Veterans Ride
    The 2nd Annual Vietnam Veterans Memorial Highway of Valor Tribute Ride , formed up in Marvin Park in Owego beginning at 7am on Saturday, July 17th. Three hundred and sixty motorcycles of every color and every make, plus cars, trucks and military vehicles left the park at 10am bound for Groton on Route 38. They arrived in Groton around 11am where they stopped for gas, food and to pay tribute to 2nd Lieutenant Terrance Graves, USMC, a posthumously awarded recipient of the Metal Of Honor for his action in the Vietnam War.