May 16, 2012

School budgets pass

The Ithaca Journal reports that Dryden's school budget, purchase of three school buses, and a new roof for the Freeville school passed. Bill Harding, Paul Lutwak, and Lawrence Lyon, the listed candidates, won three-year terms, while write-in Brian June won...

Posted by simon at 12:08 PM

May 15, 2012

School elections today

Live in the Dryden Central School District? Polls are open from 7:00am to 9:00pm at the Dryden High School-Middle School on Route 38 between the Villages of Dryden and Freeville. You can find budget information here (PDF). Three candidates are...

Posted by simon at 12:06 PM

May 7, 2012

Is Groden in the future?

I'm not guessing that the Towns of Groton and Dryden will merge any time soon, but school districts? Maybe. This article on school budget squeezes notes that the state is pushing consolidation pretty much everywhere. At TC3, "Associate Professor of...

Posted by simon at 7:25 AM

April 20, 2012

Dryden schools offer budget, lack candidates

Well, a 2.86% tax levy increase is lower than I would have expected, given the challenges of the past few years. Somehow, though, only three candidates have signed up to run for four school board seats. Dryden High School will...

Posted by simon at 6:35 AM

February 8, 2012

The saddest news

I didn't know Jack, but I know lots of people who did. An obituary is here, and there's a letter from the Dryden school district here (222KB PDF). Via DrydenDailyKAZ, there's an excellent video of him singing with family. My...

Posted by simon at 7:11 AM

January 21, 2012

Public finance fine print

I haven't spent that much time looking at the intricacies of school budgets over the past few years. Dryden Daily KAZ has, and tells a painful story of rising expenses New York State only shifts around instead of addressing....

Posted by simon at 2:43 PM

December 24, 2011

Make-A-Wish causes unemployment issue

Back in October, the Ithaca Journal was reporting on a happy gift to a Freeville 5-year-old. Today, it seems that the trip to Disney World is causing his father painful problems with unemployment benefits. It seems that the eligibility maze...

Posted by simon at 8:47 AM

December 12, 2011

Vote today in Dryden school district

It may be an unusual day for an election, but Dryden Daily KAZ explains what's up. Update: Also from Dryden Daily KAZ - all the propositions passed....

Posted by simon at 9:54 AM

November 29, 2011

Dryden schools to vote on capital improvements

Next Monday, December 12th, voters in the Dryden Central School District will get to vote on proposals for improving school buildings, repaving the parking lot, and establishing a new capital fund: Every five years, New York state requires all school...

Posted by simon at 7:16 AM

November 14, 2011

Economic development done wrong

Tracy Marisa of the Dryden Safe Energy Coalition (and of the One of Nine blog) has a Guest Viewpoint on how New York's Regional Economic Councils are heading the wrong way. Most of it strikes me as the usual Republican...

Posted by simon at 7:55 PM

July 18, 2011

Information security issues at Dryden schools

This morning's Ithaca Journal report on an audit that found security issues in the Dryden Central School District, though it doesn't disclose what they are and the district is working to address them. There will be a forum exploring the...

Posted by simon at 12:23 PM

May 18, 2011

Church tour Saturday; early Dryden pilot

Cathy Wakeman's Dryden Town Talk points out two great events coming over the next week. This Saturday, the Dryden Methodist Church will be open from 11:00am to 1:00pm to showcase its Memorial Windows and tell its history "as part of...

Posted by simon at 8:44 AM

May 17, 2011

State Trooper honored for work on Varna thefts

This month's Office of the Month is State Trooper Seth Littlejohn. His investigation of a Varna burglary led to two arrests and the recovery of more than $1000 of stolen property taken from the Varna Community Association and Habitat for...

Posted by simon at 7:40 AM

School elections today

It's time once again for school elections. Both the Dryden and Ithaca school districts have four candidates running for three seats plus a budget to vote on. In the Dryden School District, polls are open from 7:00am to 9:00pm at...

Posted by simon at 7:21 AM

May 5, 2011

Dryden awards and more

Once again, I've fallen far, far behind on keeping up with the Ithaca Journal. If you have more time than I do right now, here's some good reading: Dryden schools get award for composting TC3 students recognized for excellence Dryden...

Posted by simon at 6:56 AM

April 19, 2011

State takes the edge off school budget pain

It still doesn't sound delightful, but the school budget story seems slightly less dire than before as the state restored some funding to districts. Dryden has four candidates up for three school board seats, while Ithaca schools are still accepting...

Posted by simon at 9:59 PM

April 14, 2011

Piles of articles

I'm way behind in keeping up with the Ithaca Journal, and need to post these links before the articles vanish into the archives, so apologies for the not-lovely presentation. Dryden Town Talk - always a must-read Dryden schools property tax...

Posted by simon at 8:57 AM

March 2, 2011

Dryden school levy to climb six percent?

This morning's Ithaca Journal reports that the Dryden schools' tax levy may climb 6% this year in the face of state aid cuts and Governor Cuomo's proposed property tax cap. Even with that 6% tax increase, the budget's overall size...

Posted by simon at 8:27 AM

January 12, 2011

Dryden school budget; gas drilling conversations

I think most folks figured that this would be an even worse year than last for school budgets, and sure enough, Dryden is looking at a difficult year: "The district will have to cut more than $1.8 million [from $32.9...

Posted by simon at 12:23 PM

December 4, 2010

Pellet gun, pornography, Varna, more

There are lots of Dryden pieces in the Ithaca Journal over the last few days. On the dark side, there's a Dryden student in trouble for bringing a pellet gun to school. A Dryden man was arrested on child pornography...

Posted by simon at 12:00 PM

December 1, 2010

"People believe in the purple and white."

This morning's Ithaca Journal reports on a variety of parent and alumni complaints about sports at Dryden schools, including coaching issues and uniforms moving to black and white from purple and white. (Update: more on this story at YNN.) This...

Posted by simon at 7:34 AM

October 11, 2010

Sorry, kids - schools reopen tomorrow

Yes, the Dryden High School/Middle School will be open as usual tomorrow. The Journal also reports on the Dryden Fire Department's sprinkler demonstration yesterday....

Posted by simon at 12:56 PM

October 9, 2010

Fire at Dryden Middle School

Dryden Middle School was very busy last night, with firefighters battling a blaze in the boiler room, where mechanical equipment seems a likely cause. The Dryden Fire Department will be having an open house Sunday with a demonstration of the...

Posted by simon at 6:19 AM

September 21, 2010

Catching up with the Journal

Travel and work have put me behind, so here's a quick catching up with the last few days of the Ithaca Journal. Little of it is specific to Dryden, but it's all relevant. Dryden schools got dinged by the state,...

Posted by simon at 12:23 PM

September 9, 2010

Dryden Youth Opportunity Fund hosts Fair

The Dryden Youth Opportunity Fund with be sponsoring a Dryden Youth Opportunity Fair Saturday the 11th from 9:00am to noon at the Dryden Fire Hall....

Posted by simon at 12:27 PM

August 31, 2010

New high school principal, hydrofracking forum rescheduled

Today's Journal has a report on Karen Rachetta, Dryden High School's new principal. The EPA forum on hydrofracking that was cancelled in August is now rescheduled for September 13th and 15th in Binghamton. There are more speaker slots available to...

Posted by simon at 4:53 PM

August 20, 2010

Lots of small Ithaca Journal pieces

The Ithaca Journal's news coverage keeps shrinking, and the paper is looking more and more like a general Upstate paper with stories of local interest. There are still lots of interesting bits, but overall I find it less compelling every...

Posted by simon at 7:26 AM

August 10, 2010

Weekend backpack program grows

Dryden Daily KAZ reports from the Dryden Board of Education meeting that Dryden schools, with support from Sertoma, local churches, and the Girl Scouts have sent food home with 24 elementary school children, and will be growing up to 36...

Posted by simon at 6:43 AM

June 26, 2010

Congratulations Dryden High graduates

This morning's Ithaca Journal reports on Friday's Dryden High School graduation....

Posted by simon at 8:22 AM

June 18, 2010

Lime Hollow bats no match for Dryden Eagle Scout who helps them

The Ithaca Journal reports that Dryden High Eagle Scout Ajax Hayes's project coordinated 20 people to build new houses for bats at the Lime Hollow Nature Center, supporting these useful bug eaters while encouraging them to stay out of the...

Posted by simon at 7:28 AM

June 16, 2010

"retirees... all look so young"

Today's Ithaca Journal reports on the farewell given 24 retirees from the Dryden schools who accepted an early retirement package. There's mention of the redemption of a foreclosed parcel that had worried neighbors. Next door in the Town of Ithaca,...

Posted by simon at 11:51 AM

May 19, 2010

DRAC to present petitions; school budgets pass

The Dryden Resource Awareness Coalition will be presenting petitions on zoning home rule and industrial noise to the Town Board tonight, having gathered 452 on noise and 389 on zoning. In a town of around 13,000 residents, that's a lot...

Posted by simon at 6:48 AM

May 18, 2010

School elections today

We may not have any idea what the state budget will bring, but it's still time to vote on school budgets and candidates. In the Dryden School District, polls are open from 7:00am to 9:00pm at the Dryden High School-Middle...

Posted by simon at 8:51 AM

May 6, 2010

Lots of little bits

I don't have time to write as much as I'd like, but you should know: Freeville has a diner again - Casey's Diner is now open where Toad's Diner was, on 38. When I ran for Town Board last year,...

Posted by simon at 4:32 PM

April 21, 2010

Trapped away from Freeville

Rachel Dickinson, who was once the Ithaca Journal's Dryden Town Talk columnist, writes of pining for Freeville while being stuck in Ireland because of the Icelandic volcanic ash cloud. In this week's Dryden Town Talk, Cathy Wakeman explores events that...

Posted by simon at 8:43 AM

February 24, 2010

Dark budget days for Dryden schools

Dryden schools have had difficult budget conversations before, but this year's conversation looks, well, extremely dark. Even if it gets better than "could lay off as many as 17 employees, including 10 teachers, to stay solvent," I don't think it...

Posted by simon at 9:59 AM

December 3, 2009

Hard financial times coming to Dryden schools

This doesn't sound good: The district will likely owe $1.2 million in additional retirement costs, will have $1.3 million less in state aid because federal stimulus aid will have run out, and won't be getting any funding increases from cash-poor...

Posted by simon at 5:46 PM

October 26, 2009

Trees and Forestry

Code Enforcement Officer Henry Slater used to remind the Planning Board about another category of farmer: tree farmers. There are Christmas tree farms, but also a lot of logging operations. Some of the logging is for firewood, some for lumber,...

Posted by simon at 9:25 AM

October 17, 2009

A busy 24 hours for Dryden (and for me)

Dryden had a full set of events from Friday night into Saturday evening. I started at the Sertoma Spaghetti Dinner and finished with a fine Turkey Dinner at the Freeville Methodist Church, but I think it's best to just tell...

Posted by simon at 8:28 PM

October 12, 2009

School spending comparisons

One of the concerns I've heard while doing door-to-door in Dryden is the pressure of property taxes, especially school taxes. New York separates municipal governments from school taxes, so there's a limited amount the Town of Dryden can do to...

Posted by simon at 4:46 PM

October 9, 2009

Town preserves land, encourages start-ups

Yesterday's Ithaca Journal had more of the kind of news I like to hear about Dryden. First, the Town is accepting a 12-acre land donation at the corner of Pinckney and Lower Creek Roads. It's not great land for building,...

Posted by simon at 12:24 PM

February 7, 2009

More caucusing

It seems that the County Legislature has finally sorted out who's in charge and appointed committee heads. The bigger problem, though, isn't just who's in control, but the total process botch that made it clear that key legislative conversations happen...

Posted by simon at 11:52 AM

June 16, 2008

Things I've missed

Here's a quick listing of things in the Journal I normally would have written about in more detail, but didn't get to. Some of them are still on my list of things to write about. One of my neighbors,...

Posted by simon at 12:45 PM

May 26, 2008

Memories

I said I'd take a break from covering the Journal, and then, of course, they started publishing lots of things that deserve highlighting. For Memorial Day, they remember WWII veteran Bud Hulslander and his work remembering veterans. In the Life...

Posted by simon at 1:52 PM

May 20, 2008

School votes today

School board and budget votes are today, with contested elections in both the Dryden and Ithaca school districts. Ithaca City School District voters vote in many places.. As usual, Town of Dryden residents living in the Ithaca City School District,...

Posted by simon at 7:47 AM

May 13, 2008

Meet the Dryden School Board candidates

I'd missed this one, but Dryden Daily KAZ points out that there's a school board candidates forum tomorrow at 7:00pm in room C13 of the Dryden Middle School/High School....

Posted by simon at 7:53 AM

May 2, 2008

Dryden school taxes barely climb

Now there's a fun headline. The Dryden schools' property tax levy will climb less than 1% this year. Spending increased 6.48%, but state aid increased 10%. This is a year to be nervous about state aid, however, as the prospects...

Posted by simon at 8:52 AM

April 25, 2008

Lifton digs deeper

I wrote about Assemblywoman Barbara Lifton's garbage truck trainwreck earlier, and of her fellow Democrats who undermined her case completely in their quest to get things done. There's a strange thing about a trainwreck, though. In movies, where there's a...

Posted by simon at 8:23 AM

April 24, 2008

Youth opportunity and volunteer firefighter taxes

Most of today's Dryden news is on the opinion page in today's Ithaca Journal. The Dryden Youth Opportunity Fund has a letter from Paul Streeter and Michael Dick of Dryden encouraging readers to remember the DYOF and: consider providing your...

Posted by simon at 7:37 AM

April 22, 2008

Dryden School Board race contested

I'm very sad to see that most local school board elections are uncontested, but happy to see that the Dryden schools actually have five candidates for four slots. Three of the candidates - Kathy Zahler, Chris Gibbons, and Karin LaMotte...

Posted by simon at 10:27 PM

Dryden Police leaving Freeville

The April 16th issue of the Dryden Courier leads with an article on the end of Village of Dryden police covering the Village of Freeville. Freeville had been paying $42,000 a year, but according to Dryden Mayor Reba Taylor, "Their...

Posted by simon at 8:02 AM

April 15, 2008

Residents and superintendents

This morning's editorial in the Ithaca Journal emphasizes the importance of including resident input on school superintendent decisions, and notes Dryden's recent search: Last week, Dryden hired Sandra Sherwood to be the next superintendent after serving as elementary school principal...

Posted by simon at 3:16 PM

April 9, 2008

New Dryden schools superintendent

(There was a lot in yesterday's Journal and today's Journal about Dryden, so I'll post separate stories.) The Dryden school district will have a new superintendent who's familiar with the district: Dryden Elementary School Principal Sandra Sherwood. She'll start July...

Posted by simon at 8:27 PM

February 27, 2008

Dryden present, too

There's also a lot of news about current happenings in Dryden today in the Journal. Cathy Wakeman reports on three Dryden residents who bicycled from Dryden to San Diego this fall, leaving Dryden on September 18th and arriving in San...

Posted by simon at 12:31 PM

February 21, 2008

Parenting workshops in Dryden

I always like to see Cooperative Extension classes held around the county, and this looks good: Parenting - the Hardest Job in the World: Parenting Skills Workshop Series Learn how to talk with your child (any age) using the five...

Posted by simon at 11:46 AM

February 16, 2008

Dryden seeks superintendent, green energy

Once again, the Dryden Courier sparkles as the one place in town to find in-depth news on the Town of Dryden. One issue of the Courier is easily worth two weeks of the Ithaca Journal or Cortland Standard. Of course,...

Posted by simon at 4:32 PM

Attempted entry at Dryden Elementary

Maybe it's nothing, maybe it's something, but a man who tried to convince third-graders to let him in to Dryden Elementary is raising concerns. The third-graders did as they were supposed to, and didn't let him in through the locked...

Posted by simon at 9:59 AM

February 14, 2008

Practitioners moving about

I'm still catching up from a couple of days in New York City, but Cathy Wakeman wrote yesterday about medical professionals moving from practice to practice. She also notes a grant that helped Southworth Library buy 54 new children's books....

Posted by simon at 12:30 PM

January 30, 2008

Jazz Knights tonight

Cathy Wakeman's Dryden Town Talk reminds readers that the United States Military Academy Jazz Knights will be at the Dryden High School auditorium tonight, with a workshop for students at 6:00pm and a concert at 7:00pm. Wakeman also looks at...

Posted by simon at 12:54 PM

January 24, 2008

Telling a story of donating hair

Tonight's Cortland Standard visits a Press Day at Dryden Elementary which gave students a chance to talk about donating their hair, learn about journalism, and find out more about the hair donations....

Posted by simon at 6:16 PM

January 21, 2008

Methodist Church needs repairs

This week's Dryden Courier is overwhelmingly loaded with Dryden news. If you have a chance, I'd encourage you to buy a copy, since I can only get so much in here. (Rite Aid and the Mobil usually have it in...

Posted by simon at 2:24 PM

Challenging Seward; thanks from DYOF

This morning's Journal has an article on Caroline Supervisor Don Barber gearing up to challenge State Senator Jim Seward. On the opinion page, the Dryden Youth Opportunity Fund sends a Laurel to supporters of its Honor Tree in Times Square....

Posted by simon at 2:19 PM

January 17, 2008

Superintendent search, Senate race

Looking back through the past few days of the Cortland Standard, they report on the Dryden Schools' Superintendent search, which hopes to have interviews in March. They also report on Caroline Supervisor Don Barber's raising $125,000 toward a State Senate...

Posted by simon at 8:34 PM

January 5, 2008

Dryden students visit 'Nutcracker'

This morning's Ithaca Journal has a piece on Dryden fourth and fifth graders visit to see "The Nutcracker" in Syracuse at the end of November. They also have two articles on the state of the environment here - one on...

Posted by simon at 9:33 AM

December 22, 2007

Freeville Elementary erroneously listed as underperforming

Last night's Cortland Standard reports that Freeville Elementary is on the state's list of underperforming schools, though the school only covers Kindergarten through second grade and testing starts at third grade. They also report on the grant to protect the...

Posted by simon at 5:52 AM

December 12, 2007

Giving at Dryden Middle School

Last night's Cortland Standard has an article on holiday donations from Dryden Middle School. Two teachers participated in the "Give One, Get One" program of One Laptop Per Child. Another teacher gave a goat to an African village, and another...

Posted by simon at 6:24 AM

December 10, 2007

Tree lighting, service awards

This week's Dryden Courier has a picture of Beyond Measure on the front fold, singing at the Dryden Community Cafe during the celebrations around the Christmas tree lighting. Inside the paper, there's a photo of Santa's arrival by fire truck,...

Posted by simon at 8:22 AM

November 26, 2007

AIDS memorial quilt at TC3

This morning's Ithaca Journal reports in Briefly in Tompkins that part of the AIDS Memorial Quilt will be on display from Wednesday through the week in the TC3 Forum. World AIDS Day is December 1st, and there will be events...

Posted by simon at 12:28 PM

November 21, 2007

Coming soon in Dryden

Somehow I missed Cathy Wakeman's Dryden Town Talk in this morning's Ithaca Journal - too much to do on the eve of Thanksgiving, I fear. There is, as always, a lot going on: Dryden students played at last Saturday's Fall...

Posted by simon at 2:51 PM

November 17, 2007

Less sewage than expected

There always seems to be more sewage than expected, but there had to be an exception. Matt Cooper reports in this week's Dryden Courier that the Cortland Road Sewer district appears to be sending less sewage to the Village of...

Posted by simon at 9:50 AM

Caroline school improvements

I've generally covered the Ithaca schools less and less, unless something was directly relevant to Dryden residents. Most Dryden elementary students in the Ithaca School District attend Caroline Elementary, so this report of safety improvements should be welcome. There's also...

Posted by simon at 9:04 AM

November 3, 2007

Dryden schools security; benefit

The Cortland Standard has a lot of Dryden news in today's issue. There's a long article about preparations to limit school shootings that starts at Dryden Elementary. They also have a report on the benefit for Keith and Nancy Yaeger...

Posted by simon at 8:25 PM

October 13, 2007

Sertoma spaghetti dinner brings community together

I was happy to find a parking space and a seat at last night's Sertoma Spaghetti dinner, which always feels like one of the busiest events of the year. Sertoma spaghetti dinner. The spaghetti, meatballs, salad, and garlic bread helped...

Posted by simon at 10:29 AM

October 11, 2007

Redistricting; silent auction tomorrow

The Ithaca Journal reports on yesterday's redistricting forum. I'll have a lot more to say on this when I find a moment, but mostly I have to say that I found Assemblyman William Parment interesting but utterly unconvincing in his...

Posted by simon at 8:41 AM

October 9, 2007

Former Binghamton superintendent to lead Dryden

This morning's Journal reports - catching up to an announcement last Thursday - that retired Binghamton superintendent James Lee will manage the Dryden schools until the school board finds a replacement for departing superintendent Mark Crawford. Briefly in Tompkins a...

Posted by simon at 9:38 PM

September 15, 2007

Seward, Citizenship Day

Most of the Dryden news in today's Journal is in Briefly in Tompkins. Dryden Middle School will be celebrating Citizenship Day this Monday morning: The entire middle school will gathers to say the Pledge of Allegiance, sing the national anthem...

Posted by simon at 9:43 AM

September 5, 2007

Fire on Ringwood damages house

This morning's Ithaca Journal reports that firefighters quickly put out a fire at a house on Ringwood Road yesterday, using water they carried from the Cornell Barns. Dryden led the response, with Varna, Etna, Freeville, Cayuga Heights and Slaterville also...

Posted by simon at 7:56 AM

August 25, 2007

Superintendent, intersection

This week's Dryden Courier just arrived. It reports on Dryden Schools Superintendent Mark Crawford's impending departure for his hometown of Hamburg, where he'll be taking the Superintendent's job.There's also an article on the Lower Creek Road curve that's been a...

Posted by simon at 8:37 PM

August 22, 2007

School violence data released

This morning's Ithaca Journal reports on the latest school violence data. Although the lead article makes a point that New York's data makes it look extremely violent because of reporting standards, an online article on discrepancies within the Ithaca school...

Posted by simon at 12:17 PM

August 17, 2007

Dryden schools superintendent moves on

This morning's Ithaca Journal reports that Dryden schools superintendent Mark Crawford will be leaving Dryden to become superintendent in Hamburg, NY. Crawford, who has served as Dryden superintendent for three years, grew up in the Hamburg area and has family...

Posted by simon at 8:38 AM

August 10, 2007

School lunch budget problems

This week's Dryden Courier has a long article about the Dryden school lunch program's deficit. Last year's contingency budget forced benefits into the program's budget, creating problems, but there seem to be a lot of other issues as well. There...

Posted by simon at 5:34 PM

August 2, 2007

Barn beam falls, kills worker

I was driving down 13 yesterday when emergency vehicles poured down the road, swarming on 1890 Dryden Road, where it was clear someone was injured in a barn being dismantled. Alas, a 29-year-old worker was killed there when a beam...

Posted by simon at 9:33 PM

July 12, 2007

Summer reading for kids; federal funding for sewers

This morning's Ithaca Journal editorial cites Southworth Library and the Dryden schools' Solar Express bookmobile as key programs for helping ensure that kids read during the summer. There's also hope that the federal government may (eventually) help pay to rebuild...

Posted by simon at 5:49 PM

July 3, 2007

NYSEG building prospects

This morning's Journal reports that the County is considering the old NYSEG building as a new home for the Health Department. As convenient as that would be for me - I need to call them to find out if they...

Posted by simon at 12:20 PM

July 2, 2007

HUD loan sorted

I'm behind in covering the June Town Board meeting, and behind in covering the Dryden Courier. Fortunately Matt Cooper reports on the Town Board meeting in the June 20th Courier, so I can manage them together. The Courier leads with...

Posted by simon at 5:11 PM

June 23, 2007

Graduation

This morning's Journal features the Dryden High School graduation, complete with James Bond, a student cutting a teacher's hair, squirreliness, and rocks. There are also college graduates, college news, and Dean's List reports. A couple separated for decades will be...

Posted by simon at 10:01 AM

June 22, 2007

School, legislative sessions come to an end

For some reason, New York State's legislature comes to an end just as schools are getting out. Students finish with finals and a wave of celebrations; the legislature ends with negotiations and last-minute votes. The Journal reports on the achievements...

Posted by simon at 10:05 AM

June 21, 2007

Dryden graduates

Somehow I managed not to include yesterday's listing of Dryden High School graduates, complete with information on the valedictorian and salutatorian. Graduation will be Friday, June 22nd, at 6:00pm at the Dryden Memorial Complex....

Posted by simon at 9:45 AM

June 13, 2007

Dryden vs. Dryden - ?

At first glance, today's Ithaca Journal has very little on Dryden - just this photo from Dairy Day. A closer look, though, finds a lot more. On the opinion page, both guest columns on the ICSD budget have lead authors...

Posted by simon at 5:31 PM

May 15, 2007

School board, budget votes today

This morning's Ithaca Journal reports on the school board and budget votes today, but can't be bothered to report where Ithaca City School District voters should vote.. As usual, Town of Dryden residents living in the Ithaca City School District,...

Posted by simon at 12:04 PM

May 9, 2007

Honoring Cam Viall

Cathy Wakeman's Dryden Town Talk reports on the Dryden Grange's giving Cam Viall their Grange Community Service Award. The mother of 10 children, Viall helped run a variety store, has been active in the American Legion Auxiliary, and worked as...

Posted by simon at 12:21 PM

May 5, 2007

Stretching food money

This morning's Ithaca Journal leads with articles on poverty, visiting a Groton mother as she shops for groceries on food stamps in Lansing, and exploring related issues like transportation costs. There's an article on school food programs with a section...

Posted by simon at 9:03 AM

April 26, 2007

Dryden's 15% dropout rate

This morning's Ithaca Journal has an article on high school dropout rates that oddly doesn't list the Dryden school district's rate, but does say that "Dryden superintendent Mark Crawford was not available for comment". Perhaps they didn't want to print...

Posted by simon at 5:16 PM

April 25, 2007

Dryden Town Talk reaches 100

Ithaca Journal columnist Cathy Wakeman celebrates 100 Dryden Town Talk articles with a look forward at some coming events. There will be a student recital tonight at the Dryden Middle School/High School auditorium at 7:00pm, and a Guest Artist workshop/performance...

Posted by simon at 8:54 AM

April 11, 2007

Music around Dryden

Cathy Wakeman's Dryden Town Talk column today explores the Harmony United Methodist Church's monthly music celebrations at 7:00pm on the second Sunday of the month. On the 22nd, she reports, the Dryden Music Boosters fundraiser will combine jazz, a capella...

Posted by simon at 8:15 AM

April 10, 2007

Dryden schools projects, music fundraiser

The latest issue of the Dryden Courier leads with the passing of the EXCEL capital project, and announces a fundraiser for the Dryden Music Boosters on April 21st from 7:00pm to 9:30pm in the Dryden Middle School/High School gym. They'll...

Posted by simon at 8:50 AM

April 7, 2007

Dryden children sing in Albany

This morning's Ithaca Journal reports on the Dryden Elementary School Chorus's trip to Albany last Friday, where they sang for "several important people" and then toured the city. How They Voted in the Tompkins County Legislature has more details on...

Posted by simon at 9:10 AM

April 3, 2007

Schools vote today; more on ballots

This morning's Ithaca Journal reports on today's Dryden Central School District capital spending vote, which runs from 7:00am to 9:00pm today at the Dryden Middle School/High School Auditorium. Most of the school districts that contain a piece of the Town...

Posted by simon at 8:35 AM

April 2, 2007

Dryden schools EXCEL vote Tuesday

If you live in the Dryden Central School District, you have an opportunity to vote tomorrow on the EXCEL Aid Capital Project. Voting will be in the Dryden High School/Middle School Auditorium from 7:00am to 9:00pm. You can find out...

Posted by simon at 6:27 PM

March 12, 2007

Dryden accomplishments; sewer plant questions

This week's issue of the Dryden Courier arrived in better time than last week's, and if you read this today or tomorrow and want to find out more about an article the paper will still be available in stores. The...

Posted by simon at 7:54 AM

March 9, 2007

Heroism in a fire

This morning's Journal leads with an article on heroism during a fire on Hickory Circle Sunday morning. Anondo "Binji" Mukherjee helped his family get out of their burning house, and returned to find a friend. An article on a new...

Posted by simon at 12:52 PM

February 28, 2007

Jazz concert tonight; sewer hearing delayed

Cathy Wakeman's Dryden Town Talk reports that the Cornell University Jazz Ensemble will be having a workshop and concert tonight at the Dryden High School auditorium. The workshop for students runs from 6:00pm to 7:00pm, and the concert starts afterward....

Posted by simon at 8:25 AM

February 9, 2007

Chocolates tomorrow, music tonight

This week's Dryden Courier stocks its front page with weekend events. They lead with an article on my favorite annual event, the Etna Chocolate Festival, which will be tomorrow, February 10th, from 10:00am to noon at Houtz Hall (map). I'm...

Posted by simon at 12:03 PM

February 5, 2007

State budget, more lottery

This morning's Journal doesn't have much to say about Dryden, but has a few stories on things that affect us directly. There's a report on a meeting of state legislators with area school representatives. Dryden school board member Brian June...

Posted by simon at 12:25 PM

January 29, 2007

Dryden schools performance

This morning's Journal has the article on Dryden schools and the "in need of improvement" list that they'd said would be on the front page of Saturday's paper. It sounds mostly like a complicated data-processing tangle. The Monitor lists a...

Posted by simon at 8:58 AM

January 27, 2007

"In need of improvement"?

Dryden Schools Superintendent Mark Crawford has a letter in today's Journal questioning the state's placing Freeville Elementary School and Dryden High School on their "in need of improvement" list, citing problems in the data collection and interpretation process which had...

Posted by simon at 11:32 AM

January 11, 2007

Dryden students at mock trial

The Local section of today's Ithaca Journal has photos of the Cornell Law School's mock trials. The online version lacks captions and the accompanying story, but the top photo there is Tompkins County Assistant District Attorney Andrew Bonavia, while the...

Posted by simon at 8:04 AM

January 10, 2007

Dryden schools have extra facilities money

This morning's Ithaca Journal reports that the Dryden Central School District has extra funding available for facilities work, which will allow them to get extra state aid for facilities upgrades without a property tax increase. The Journal now says that...

Posted by simon at 8:01 AM

December 22, 2006

Grants coming in to schools, Village of Dryden

This week's Dryden Courier has a picture of the snowless, and likely to stay snowless, Main Street in the Village of Dryden. The village may not be getting snow, but it's getting money through a Community Block Development Grant for...

Posted by simon at 9:42 AM

Accused Dryden teacher resigns

This morning's Ithaca Journal reports that the Dryden Physical Education teacher accused of public lewdness resigned. TC3 grads have new opportunities at Niagara University, including study in Italy. Meanwhile, the fitness center at Dryden High offers fitness opportunities. Sadly, it...

Posted by simon at 9:22 AM

December 18, 2006

Influential student

This week's Dryden Courier leads with an article profiling Corey Earle, a Dryden High graduate just listed as a member of the "25 most influential Cornellians". Earle is president of the Glee Club, president of Quill and Dagger, and writer...

Posted by simon at 6:18 PM

December 11, 2006

Sim Redmond teaches Dryden Middle School

This week's Dryden Courier watches the Sim Redmond Band perform a workshop with middle school students, exploring music and song writing. Also on the front page is a picture from the dress rehearsal of "The Nutcracker" at Dryden Elementary, which...

Posted by simon at 12:40 PM

November 30, 2006

Poisoning sentence

Henry Hanson was sentenced to time served for poisoning his landlord's milk in July. Police and prosecutors originally thought there was intent to murder, but the poison turned out to be oxybutynin chloride, a bladder-control drug. The court also issued...

Posted by simon at 12:22 PM

November 29, 2006

More on Dryden schools funding opportunity

I was delighted to find a more detailed report on last night's Dryden school board meeting in my inbox, from Kathy Zahler. There are some interesting possibilities here: Tiffany covers the bare bones pretty well in today's Journal, but here...

Posted by simon at 12:56 PM

Nutcracker coming up

The Ithaca Journal has a new feature in today's Our Towns section: an Our Schools article written by Dryden senior Wesley Sanders. Sanders reports on the Jungle Performance at Dryden Middle School earlier this month, and notes that the Dryden...

Posted by simon at 8:30 AM

November 28, 2006

Chimney fire on Ringwood

This morning's Ithaca Journal reports on a chimney fire Sunday on Ringwood Road. Varna Fire Chief Natan Huffman advises readers to have their chimneys swept regularly to avoid the creosote buildup that caused this fire. The fire was put out...

Posted by simon at 8:14 AM

October 13, 2006

Some math scores fall

Yesterday's Ithaca Journal had lots of articles with Dryden connections. An article on declining math test scores in higher grades shows the Dryden and Ithaca schools with a similar pattern of better performance in lower grades, with Dryden being a...

Posted by simon at 12:46 PM

September 13, 2006

Alternative energy ordinance; hiking trails

This morning's Ithaca Journal reports that the alternative energy ordinance will be introduced at tomorrow's Town Board meeting, hopefully eventually freeing Dryden residents to take further steps to generate power for their own homes. I'm happy to see that the...

Posted by simon at 7:55 AM

September 5, 2006

School renovations complete; county reductions

This morning's Ithaca Journal includes a look at what's coming to local schools this year, and notes the completion of the Dryden elementary school renovation projects. There's also an article on the county's likely 2007 budget. The budget to be...

Posted by simon at 5:25 PM

August 25, 2006

Dryden school renovations near completion

The Dryden news in this morning's Journal is good news: there's an article on the approaching completion of renovations at the Dryden, Freeville, and Cassavant elementary schools....

Posted by simon at 10:15 AM

July 18, 2006

Dryden teacher on testing

Freeville resident and Dryden High School teacher Charles J. Hanley has a guest column on the impact of testing on education, A few excerpts: Do we teach for the test? Of course we do. At some level we have no...

Posted by simon at 8:16 AM

July 8, 2006

Fast trees by RPM

This morning's Ithaca Journal reports in depth on a project I'd heard bits and pieces about: the large-scale tree nursery planned by RPM on Route 13. They're negotiating tax abatements and sorting out permits, but if all goes well they...

Posted by simon at 10:49 AM

June 24, 2006

Dryden High graduates

Posted by simon at 11:18 AM

June 15, 2006

Dryden schools: higher taxes and less spending per student?

NYCO's Blog highlighted a map showing which school districts face the ugly combination of above average tax rates and lower spending per student. The map comes from the Midstate School Finance Consortium, which is pushing the state for fairer and...

Posted by simon at 12:44 PM

June 9, 2006

Freeville PTA treasurer arrested

I didn't know PTA finances could get this exciting, but the Treasurer of the Freeville PTA was arrested for forging an audit, creating a one-page audit on an auditor's stationery. A picture of students cleaning Ithaca's Stewart Park includes Dryden's...

Posted by simon at 8:17 AM

June 7, 2006

History at Dairy Day

Cathy Wakeman's Dryden Town Talk visits the Dryden History House, and recommends its new model airplanes display as a good stop during Dairy Day this Saturday. (There are also some excellent new exhibits on raising chickens in Dryden.) Wakeman also...

Posted by simon at 12:27 PM

May 25, 2006

Planning Dryden school lunches

This morning's Ithaca Journal has a long article on the Dryden schools' school lunch task force, looking at what students are buying, what the force recommends, and nutrition guidelines. There's a report on a roast held for departing radio show...

Posted by simon at 8:19 AM

May 17, 2006

School budgets pass; disc golf at TC3

This morning's Ithaca Journal reports that every school budget in the county except Lansing's passed yesterday. In Dryden, Jeff Bradley, Brian June, and Brad Rauch were elected to the school board unopposed, while in Ithaca, Carol Warshawsky, Deboran O'Connor, and...

Posted by simon at 8:28 AM

May 16, 2006

School votes today, noon to 9:00pm

This morning's Ithaca Journal includes an editorial summarizing school board elections today. Dryden schools have a vote on the budget and referendums and an uncontested race for the board, while Ithaca schools have a budget vote, a few spending referendums,...

Posted by simon at 8:47 AM

May 13, 2006

School decisions this week

This morning's Ithaca Journal focuses on Tuesday's school board and budget votes. There's an article on school budgets around the state, a summary of local budgets, and a closer look at the Ithaca school budget. The opinion page continues this...

Posted by simon at 8:59 AM

May 11, 2006

Sertoma honors Mike Lane

The May 3rd edition of the Dryden Courier reports on the celebration Dryden Sertoma held of former County Legislator Mike Lane's accomplishments, awarding him their Benjamin Franklin Award. I was frustrated to have a conflicting event, so it's good to...

Posted by simon at 5:01 PM

May 10, 2006

Poetry in middle school, bike rodeo

In this morning's Dryden Town Talk Cathy Wakeman visits Dryden Middle School's "Poem in Your Pocket" event, and writes about Saturday's Sertoma Bicycle Rodeo, which will be held from 9:00am to 11:00am on Saturday, with a rain date of May...

Posted by simon at 8:42 AM

May 4, 2006

Schools test better; wildfire risk

This morning's Ithaca Journal visits local school districts, whose test scores have been improving, and talks with Dryden Superintendent Mark Crawford about trends in the schools. There's also an article about recent dry weather leading to wildfires. It might rain...

Posted by simon at 12:24 PM

May 2, 2006

Dryden school budget up 7.39%

The print edition of today's Ithaca Journal has a summary of the Dryden Central Schools budget. It's a little strange - the subhead says "Faculty Cuts Keep Levy Under Target" - but the box doesn't actually list the tax levy...

Posted by simon at 8:36 AM

April 27, 2006

Dryden schools race uncontested

This morning's Ithaca Journal reports that there are three candidates for the three open seats on Dryden's School Board, all of them incumbents: Jeff Bradley, Brian June, and Brad Rauch. There are six people running for three seats on the...

Posted by simon at 7:49 AM

April 26, 2006

Jazz night, skate park demo Saturday

Cathy Wakeman's Dryden Town Talk talks about events this coming Saturday. The Dryden Music Boosters will be having their biggest fundraiser of the year, Jazz Night, at 7:00pm Saturday in the Dryden High gym. It combines student music with food...

Posted by simon at 9:37 AM

April 19, 2006

No Child Left Behind reporting leaves behind

This morning's Ithaca Journal reports on some strange aspects of the No Child Left Behind law that let school districts exclude test scores for some groups to avoid penalties. Usually those groups are non-white students, though white students' scores were...

Posted by simon at 8:14 AM

April 15, 2006

Cayuga Press departing for Cortland

This morning's Ithaca Journal leads with the news that Cayuga Press is leaving its Hanshaw Road facilities for an Empire Zone in Cortland. The Town Board passed a resolution Thursday night that their departure was for reasons that couldn't readily...

Posted by simon at 6:38 PM

April 14, 2006

Orchid marvels; Dryden schools budget

This morning's Ithaca Journal visits The Orchid Place, a greenhouse and retail store for an amazing set of orchids. I went over to take a picture of their sign for this site, but found myself invited into the store and...

Posted by simon at 12:27 PM

April 5, 2006

Salamanders south of Dryden

They're slimy, and crawling along the roads, moving at night. They're on the section of Thomas Road in Caroline, not the Dryden portion, but apparently they're also in Dryden along Ringwood Road. IC Professor John Confer is working to make...

Posted by simon at 8:17 AM

April 4, 2006

Dryden school budget waits on Governor

This morning's Ithaca Journal visits the latest Dryden school budget meeting. The state legislature's budget includes a lot for Dryden, but the legislature passing the budget isn't enough to make that final: the governor needs to approve the budget too....

Posted by simon at 8:33 AM

April 1, 2006

School aid increased in state budget

This morning's Ithaca Journal reports on the legislature's state budget. It's not a final budget for the state - the governor and his line-item veto are yet to come. It looks like among the winners and losers, Dryden schools came...

Posted by simon at 10:11 AM

March 31, 2006

Dryden senior in state speaking contest

Dryden High School senior Simon Horrocks will be speaking at an FFA state competition in May, having placed first in the regional Extemporaneous Public Speaking competition, second while delivering a prepared speech, and second in a Job Interview contest. Dryden...

Posted by simon at 12:20 PM

March 29, 2006

Dryden native freed in Uganda

I've heard a few times from Dr. Peter Waldron, a missionary in Uganda, who had some questions about people he'd gone to high school with in Dryden from 1960-4. I just stumbled on a story about him being released from...

Posted by simon at 9:26 AM

March 28, 2006

Looking for attrition

Writing about the Dryden schools' budget work this morning reminded me that I hadn't yet covered the Dryden Courier's March 22nd issue. It has an article on last week's discussion, which started by looking for a 7.5% spending increase budget....

Posted by simon at 12:04 PM

Battling school budgets

A pair of articles in this morning's Ithaca Journal suggest that property tax payers will be facing a larger bill from schools soon. The Dryden School District is looking to further reduce a 12.87% tax levy increase in a budget...

Posted by simon at 6:49 AM

March 23, 2006

Dryden schools sorting budget

This morning's Ithaca Journal visits the Dryden School District as they try to sort out their budget for next year in the face of challenges, including a 40% increase in utility costs, which have already caused problems for this year's...

Posted by simon at 7:24 AM

March 18, 2006

Participating in government

As part of a three-day series highlighting Sunshine Week, the Ithaca Journal reports on how residents can participate in their local government meetings. It opens with one of the usual suspects who attend meetings: To Simon St. Laurent, being part...

Posted by simon at 7:57 AM

March 15, 2006

Hello Dolly!, Photo History Day this weekend, election Tuesday

Cathy Wakeman's Dryden Town Talk announces the Dryden High School production of Hello Dolly!, to be held tomorrow through Saturday at 7:00pm at Dryden High School. She also mentions the Photo History Day coming up this Saturday from 10:00am to...

Posted by simon at 9:00 AM

March 14, 2006

Poetry and a musical

The March 8th issue of the Dryden Courier leads with two stories about Dryden schools. The first explores plans for "Poem in Your Pocket Day" and other poetry events to be held at Dryden High School and Middle School later...

Posted by simon at 7:54 AM

March 8, 2006

Rummage and craft sale Saturday

This morning's Ithaca Journal includes Briefly in Dryden, which announces the Dryden National Junior Honor Society's rummage and craft sale, which will be held this Saturday from 9:00am to 1:00pm in the Dryden Middle School cafeteria. Briefly in Dryden also...

Posted by simon at 12:12 PM

March 1, 2006

Groton woman killed on North Road

Unfortunately, the accident the Journal listed as breaking news yesterday turned out to be a fatal accident, killing a woman from Groton. The driver was arrested for DWI and manslaughter. Much of the rest of the Dryden news in today's...

Posted by simon at 8:20 PM

February 20, 2006

School board appointee, Town Hall update

The Feburary 15th issue of the Dryden Courier talks with newly appointed Dryden School Board member Jeff Bradley about returning to the board he served on for twelve years after a three-year break. There's a picture of the Etna Chocolate...

Posted by simon at 11:06 AM

February 17, 2006

Ambassador visits

I've missed a week on the Dryden Courier, so I'd better catch up on that. The February 8th issue leads with an article and photos on the visit of Ambassador Bob F. Jalang'o, former Ambassador to the United Nations from...

Posted by simon at 12:31 PM

February 6, 2006

Mock trials, parties, cooking, and reading at Dryden schools

This morning's Ithaca Journal is once again quiet on Dryden news, but the February 1st issue of the Dryden Courier is busy, largely with school news. The lead article visits the mock trial club at Dryden High School, which is...

Posted by simon at 12:17 PM

February 3, 2006

Library, cheerleaders

This morning's Ithaca Journal has more on the library funding referendum, looking at how other communities in the region have dealt with library funding. I was shocked when Corning Public Library closed for a year after a referendum failed,at a...

Posted by simon at 12:13 PM

February 2, 2006

Dryden teachers find peace

After years of seeing "Support Dryden Teachers" bumper stickers and reading about contract negotiations and protests, it's nice to see "Dryden board approves teachers' contract," with this news: Both sides were enthused that this [6-2] approval came five months before...

Posted by simon at 12:15 PM

January 18, 2006

SANE planning, assessment deadlock

This week's Dryden Town Talk takes a look at planning for "the top secret party known as the Senior All Night Extravaganza 2006, also known as SANE. This event is an adult-chaperoned post-graduation environment for safe celebrating," which will be...

Posted by simon at 6:51 PM

December 28, 2005

Want to serve on the school board?

This morning's Ithaca Journal reports that the Dryden School District is seeking applications for the vacancy on its school board. Briefly in Dryden says that the position will last from February to May 16th, the next election. This position is...

Posted by simon at 4:42 PM

December 14, 2005

High school special education

This morning's Ithaca Journal reports on Dryden schools' bringing high school special education back to their school from BOCES. It sounds like Dryden is both filling a gap in BOCES offerings and complementing the vocational training BOCES provides these students...

Posted by simon at 8:46 AM

December 12, 2005

From Thanksgiving feasts to Santa

Somehow I've fallen behind on covering the Dryden Courier again, and I'd like to at least cover last week's issue while it's still available on newsstands. The November 30th issue of the Courier visited the Freeville Thanksgiving Dinner held at...

Posted by simon at 10:27 PM

November 29, 2005

When 911 goes wrong

The November 23rd Dryden Courier has a story that hopefully won't be repeated: Village of Dryden Police responded to a 911 call on Lee Road, and no one answered. In making sure there wasn't a problem there, they caused $700...

Posted by simon at 8:00 PM

November 28, 2005

Returning from Dryden to New Orleans

This morning's Journal publishes an update to a September story about Rona King's move to Dryden after Hurricane Katrina. After three months at the Ringwood Road house of Linda Lavine, King is heading back to New Orleans and a still...

Posted by simon at 12:16 PM

November 27, 2005

Work, development, and politics

I started to report on this week's Dryden Courier when I realized that I hadn't yet reported on the previous week's issue (November 16th), so thought I should do that first. The Courier led with an article on custodian Dave...

Posted by simon at 10:19 PM

November 17, 2005

Curatolo resigns from Dryden school board

Citing new responsibilities as Ithaca deputy police chief, Dryden school board member John Curatolo resigned from the board Monday night. Curatolo has been on the board for five and a half years. The board has 90 days to appoint someone...

Posted by simon at 8:20 AM

November 14, 2005

Budget, town hall

This week's Dryden Courier leads with a look at the prospects for a new Town Hall, which Town Supervisor Steve Trumbull says will probably cost around $2 million, up from estimates long long ago when they started saving of $300,000....

Posted by simon at 6:15 PM

November 6, 2005

After-school programs, elementary school foyer

I missed covering last week's Dryden Courier, and there are only a few days left to get the current issue. I've chosen some especially unfortunate issues to cover late. If you want to get a feel for all the candidates...

Posted by simon at 4:43 PM

November 2, 2005

Hall Pass to jazz

This morning's Ithaca Journal features Hall Pass, a group of Dryden teachers who play jazz together. If you want to hear them, they have a "semi-official gig on the second Friday of the month at the Dryden Hotel." The rest...

Posted by simon at 12:07 PM

October 23, 2005

$50,000 for firefighters; working for better math scores

This week's Dryden Courier leads with a picture of last week's press conference at which County Legislator Mike Lane and Assemblywoman Barbara Lifton announced $50,000 in funding for firefighting equipment at Dryden's Neptune Hose Company and Freeville's W.B. Strong. $35,000...

Posted by simon at 8:55 PM

October 3, 2005

Foxglove and Wizards

This week's Dryden Courier leads with stories on Freeville's Foxglove Bed & Breakfast, which has been in business since 1997, and the upcoming visit of the Harlem Wizards to take on a team of Dryden school staff and coaches. The...

Posted by simon at 7:36 PM

October 1, 2005

Dryden and Ithaca still have JV Football

I hadn't realized it, but the Dryden and Ithaca school districts are among the few in the county that still have a junior varsity football program. Lansing also has one, and Trumansburg's closed this fall. The pictures with the article...

Posted by simon at 1:33 PM

September 28, 2005

Corgis on Baker Hill Road

The Our Towns section of today's Ithaca Journal and the paper generally have lots about Dryden today, but I'll start with the most fun article, about a Corgi at a house just up the hill from mine who won the...

Posted by simon at 12:30 PM

September 27, 2005

County budget, DA's race

There isn't much in today's Ithaca Journal about Dryden, except a reminder that school taxes in Dryden are due Saturday to avoid a penalty. (In the Ithaca district, they're due October 31st.) There's lots of county news, however. A front...

Posted by simon at 8:52 AM

September 25, 2005

Town Board meeting conflicts

I was planning to spend this weekend catching up on a number of stories, but instead wound up resting (for the first time in too long), painting and fixing storm windows, and replacing my windshield wiper blades after a chunk...

Posted by simon at 8:46 PM

September 23, 2005

Stabbing at TC3 dorms

A Tuesday stabbing at the TC3 dorms will put a Spencer man in Dryden court today, charged with second-degree felony assault, as well as fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon. Dryden firefighters took the victim to Cortland Hopital. In brighter...

Posted by simon at 1:06 PM

September 19, 2005

Dryden Katrina aid collected today

This morning's Ithaca Journal reports that today is the last day to donate to Hurricane Katrina victims through the drop boxes at school and athletic offices in the Dryden schools. An article on Town Supervisors candidates notes that Dryden Town...

Posted by simon at 7:29 AM

September 12, 2005

Dryden defeats Trumansburg at Carrier Dome

I don't normally report on sports here, but how many high school football games happen at the Carrier Dome, and get off to a quick start with a last-minute finish? Dryden defeated Trumansburg 24-18 last night. In county news, the...

Posted by simon at 8:06 AM

September 11, 2005

School construction, HANDS

This week's Dryden Courier takes a detailed look at the contstruction at Dryden Elementary School and efforts to keep it from disrupting the school year, which just started. There's also an article on Help A Needy Dryden Student (HANDS), a...

Posted by simon at 8:09 PM

September 6, 2005

Fixing schools, moving creeks

With the Labor Day weekend, I almost forgot to report on last week's issue of the Dryden Courier. It leads with articles on the Dryden School District's rush to finish renovations on the elementary schools, and with the successful completion...

Posted by simon at 7:05 PM

August 29, 2005

Playground built

This morning's Ithaca Journal visits Saturday's playground build at Dryden Elementary School, talking to volunteers and people who helped raise money for the project. I'll have to stop by and see what it looks like now that it's completed....

Posted by simon at 7:31 AM

August 27, 2005

Work day at Dryden Elementary

I spent most of the morning at Dryden Elementary School, taking pictures and helping rake gravel for the new playground. New sign on a new playground. Spreading mulch. Testing out the fun. I've posted a gallery of pictures if you...

Posted by simon at 2:11 PM

August 26, 2005

School construction

This morning's Ithaca Journal has lots of Dryden news, starting with a report on construction at the Dryden elementary schools that concludes with mention of Saturday's playground work. Briefly in Tompkins notes that the Eight Square Schoolhouse on Hanshaw Road...

Posted by simon at 12:31 PM

August 21, 2005

Hay rides and playgrounds

This week's Dryden Courier visits last Saturday's Farm City Day, with a picture of a horse-drawn hay ride and coverage of the displays and activities as well. They also have an article and photo about work being done at the...

Posted by simon at 7:54 AM

July 31, 2005

Collecting fire trucks, gathering volunteers

This week's Dryden Courier leads with an article about Dave Perkins' fire truck collection, which at one point included 14 motorized trucks (now down to seven) and two buggies. There are pictures of the buggies on the cover and inside....

Posted by simon at 8:46 AM

July 27, 2005

Fire in Freeville

A four-apartment building at 12 Railroad Street in Freeville caught fire last night. Firefighters from the Dryden, Freeville, Etna, Groton, McLean and Cayuga Heights fire departments responded at 6:30pm, and had the blaze out by 7:15pm. No one was injured,...

Posted by simon at 7:04 AM

July 26, 2005

Dryden Elementary recognized for performance

There's lot of Dryden news today, starting with New York State's recognizing Dryden Elementary School as a Higher Performing/Gap Closing School for its work during the 2003-4 school year. The Cornell news for this week includes informaiton on Cornell's participation...

Posted by simon at 8:12 AM

July 24, 2005

Construction and planning

This week's Dryden Courier comes folded very strangely, to accomodate an "Ithaca Times Menu Guide" that I suspect was sized for the larger Ithaca Times. Inside, though, there's plenty of information. There's an in-depth look at the summer construction at...

Posted by simon at 9:12 AM

July 15, 2005

Anderson Young new Dryden School Board President

This morning's Journal reports that the new school board president in Dryden is Anderson Young, with Russ Kowalski as vice-president. In Community News, the Journal notes that Erin Radford, who grew up in Freeville, got a master's degree in international...

Posted by simon at 7:52 AM

July 10, 2005

Creating a place for kids

This week's Dryden Courier leads with articles on improving life for Dryden children. There's an article on Opportunity, Understanding, Respect, and Success (OURS), a group providing activities in Conger's Mobile Home Park started by Jessica Houle, a Cornell student who...

Posted by simon at 10:20 AM

July 4, 2005

Graduation, trails

This week's Dryden Courier leads with the Dryden High School graduation, as well as congratulations given to the Dryden school board and superintendent. Inside the paper, there are articles on the plans for a Freeville-to-Dryden trail and one on the...

Posted by simon at 4:07 PM

June 30, 2005

Dryden school repairs, much more

Since it's all going to vanish in a week, it's probably a good idea to report what's been in the Ithaca Journal for the past few days. The most Dryden-specific story is one on the renovations in progress at the...

Posted by simon at 12:39 PM

June 27, 2005

Dryden graduation

This morning's Ithaca Journal has an article on Saturday's Dryden High School graduation, complete with a photo of exuberant graduates in purple and white robes. In his weekly column on Schuyler County, Neil Chaffie gives an entertaining explanation of how...

Posted by simon at 8:04 AM

June 22, 2005

Dryden graduates

There's lots of Dryden news in the Ithaca Journal today, on a wide variety of subjects. The Journal lists the Dryden High School Class of 2005, and an article on choosing between the military and college at graduation talks with...

Posted by simon at 8:37 AM

June 19, 2005

School to summer; changes at WHCU

This week's Dryden Courier looks at the transitions from the school year to the summer. There's an article on the Montgomery Park summer concert series, which starts this coming Wednesday at 6:30pm with the Burns Sisters. A full list of...

Posted by simon at 11:24 PM

June 15, 2005

Dryden swim team captain killed in crash

This morning's Ithaca Journal leads with sad news: Christopher Ackley, a Dryden High School and BOCES student, was killed in a car crash yesterday on Lake Road. 13-year-old Scott Adams was also injured. In happier news, there's an article on...

Posted by simon at 2:23 PM

June 14, 2005

Courier on Hattery, retirements, Dairy Day

I should probably write about last week's Dryden Courier while it's still available on newsstands. The front page has an article about Town Councilman Mike Hattery's run for the County Legislature seat held by Mike Lane, as well as a...

Posted by simon at 12:22 PM

June 8, 2005

Dairy Day this Saturday

This morning's Ithaca Journal takes a look at Saturday's upcoming Dairy Day, with a schedule of events and a photo from one of last year's floats. Cathy Wakeman's Dryden Town Talk column visits the Dryden Disaster Partnership Group, "future visionaries...

Posted by simon at 7:34 AM

May 29, 2005

Schools, annexation

This week's Dryden Courier takes a look at Dryden Superintendent Mark Crawford's first year. A few of the key points are the formalizing of the HANDS program, creating an after-school program at Cassavant Elementary School, and the recent passage of...

Posted by simon at 2:08 PM

May 25, 2005

Dryden 4th grader wins art award

Devontae Sims, a fourth-grade boy at Dryden Intermediate School, "was awarded Best Design honors by the National Education Association of New York in the kindergarten through fourth-grade division of the first ever Great Public Schools Art Contest," for a poster...

Posted by simon at 8:06 AM

May 24, 2005

Walsh named Dryden Middle School principal

It's another quiet Dryden day in the Journal, except for a report on last night's Dryden School Board meeting. The board appointed Ted Walsh, who had been teaching English at the high school until he became assistant principal of the...

Posted by simon at 8:23 AM

May 22, 2005

Art competition, recreation

The Dryden Courier leads with an article on Dryden High School students placing at the New York Olympics of the Visual Arts. (The article is available online from the Ithaca Times.) There's a picture of students modeling a Louis XVI...

Posted by simon at 8:05 AM

May 19, 2005

English test scores mostly improve

This morning's Ithaca Journal has an article on the latest test scores for fourth- and eighth-grade English released by the State Education Department. Across the state, fourth-graders are doing better while eighth-graders show little change. The article focuses on individual...

Posted by simon at 7:38 AM

May 18, 2005

Dryden, Ithaca school budgets pass

This morning's Ithaca Journal reports that both the Dryden Central School District and Ithaca City School District budgets passed, Dryden's by a 916-678 vote and Ithaca's by a 2032-1481 vote. All of the propositions for both districts also passed. In...

Posted by simon at 7:54 AM

May 17, 2005

School budget and board elections today

This morning's Ithaca Journal has both an article and an editorial on the elections today for school boards and school budgets. In the Dryden school district, four incumbents (Rachel Dickinson, Chris Gibbons, Karin LaMotte, Amanda Kittelberger) and two newcomers (Brad...

Posted by simon at 8:23 AM

May 15, 2005

Dryden prom, school budget

This week's Dryden Courier starts with the Dryden High School prom, and then spends a lot of time looking at the school district. The article looks at both this year's James Bond-themed prom and parents' memories of the proms of...

Posted by simon at 8:02 AM

May 14, 2005

Candidate for District Attorney announced

I'm happy to see that the Democrats have a promising candidate for DA, Gwen Wilkinson, who announced her candidacy yesterday. The occasional writings of the current District Attorney, George Dentes, are substantially responsible for getting me interested in local politics....

Posted by simon at 9:05 AM

May 13, 2005

Running for office

While the Ithaca Journal may not have any interest in encouraging political activity by publicizing party events, they apparently do want to make sure that prospective candidates have some idea what's involved in running for local office, with an article...

Posted by simon at 7:45 AM

May 11, 2005

Jail, probation for Freeville DWI

The Ithaca Journal reports this morning that Jason Kelly was sentenced to 90 days in jail and five years probation for a DWI last June that cost the lives of two friends riding in the car. Dryden Town Talk reports...

Posted by simon at 8:08 AM

May 10, 2005

Dryden Middle School Principal Fedele leaving

This morning's Ithaca Journal has a brief notice that Dryden Middle School principal Roger Fedele resigned last night, after being on the job since last spring. Dryden Mutual Insurance is sponsoring a broad campaign to raise funds for the American...

Posted by simon at 7:55 AM

May 5, 2005

Dryden Town Hall site selected

This morning's Ithaca Journal reports that the Dryden Town Board decided where to put the new Town Hall in a meeting yesterday afternoon. There were several locations on the 47-acre parcel they purchased, and the board chose the easternmost site....

Posted by simon at 8:08 AM

May 3, 2005

Dryden schools budget, candidates forums and vote

Kathy Zahler writes in to let us know: For voters in the Dryden School District, this year's official budget hearing will be on Monday, May 9, at 7 PM in Room C-13 in the MS/HS. The regular board meeting will...

Posted by simon at 9:19 AM

April 28, 2005

Dryden Hotel reopens; duck or not duck?

This week's issue of the Dryden Courier leads with the reopening of the Dryden Hotel, starting with a party last Friday night and returning to its usual schedule this week. Closed for four months because of a flood from the...

Posted by simon at 12:11 PM

April 27, 2005

Upcoming Dryden events

Between Cathy Wakeman's Dryden Town Talk column and the Briefly in Dryden section of today's Ithaca Journal, there's a lot going on in the Town over the next few weeks: The Ithachords, Beyond Measure, and six other a cappella groups...

Posted by simon at 7:58 AM

April 23, 2005

Iraq; lacrosse; school races

This week's Dryden Courier is packed with news about the town, on levels from local lacrosse to the county legislature to a protest at Congressman Boehlert's office to a Dryden dentist returning from Iraq. Once again, if you don't read...

Posted by simon at 8:43 AM

April 20, 2005

Not much Dryden news, many Dryden events

Posted by simon at 8:25 AM

April 14, 2005

School aid numbers ease school district budgeting

Today's Ithaca Journal is quiet about Dryden, except for an article that looks at how having state aid numbers on time means school districts aren't guessing about the actual size of their tax levies. It notes that the Ithaca school...

Posted by simon at 8:23 AM

April 13, 2005

McLean afterschool; TC3 tech award

This morning's Ithaca Journal reports on the evening youth programs at Cassavant Elementary in McLean held each Tuesday and Thursday night. Tutoring and time in the gym give kids academic help, exercise, and social times. There's also a picture of...

Posted by simon at 8:11 AM

April 12, 2005

Dryden school budget cuts teachers

This morning's Ithaca Journal reports that in its difficult quest for a tax levy increase under 9%, the Dryden school board approved a budget with cuts including "money for a fifth-grade teacher, a half-time reading teacher, a full-time aide, and...

Posted by simon at 8:44 AM

April 9, 2005

Dryden Central School reunion

I just got a notice from Gail Finnerty Keech '71 announcing the July 23rd multi-year Dryden Central Schools dinner. 2005 DCS Multi-year Dinner Questions please email DrydenReunion@mindangle.com. Hope to see you this year, Gail Finnerty Keech '71 We MUST have...

Posted by simon at 3:23 PM

HANDS becomes a trust

This morning's Ithaca Journal reports on the Dryden Central School District's making Help a Needy Dryden Student (HANDS) into a tax-exempt charitable organization. Jennie Daley reports on how "the small fund has been used for almost 20 years to buy...

Posted by simon at 8:47 AM

April 5, 2005

Dryden school budget; more on flooding

This morning's Ithaca Journal reports on a possible 9% levy hike in the Dryden schools budget for next year, though the recently-passed state budget "would drop the levy increase by 2 percent" if all goes well. BOCES services and a...

Posted by simon at 8:27 AM

April 3, 2005

School project news good, school budget complicated

This week's Dryden Courier leads with good news: bids for elementary school renovations came in $180,000 under the expected $9.4 million budget. The referendum authorizing the project had been passed two years ago, and the board was very concerned about...

Posted by simon at 10:29 AM

March 30, 2005

School board candidates, Dairy Day theme

This week's issue of The Shopper includes an ad from the Dryden Central School District, calling for school board candidates. Residents of the district who are U.S. citizens and have lived in the district for one year are generally eligible,...

Posted by simon at 5:20 PM

Dryden school budget plans

I picked up the Cortland Standard last night, and it had the Dryden school budget article I've been watching for in the Journal, with plenty of detail. The current budget plan includes cutting the Director of Technology, the elimination of...

Posted by simon at 8:16 AM

Helping education through recipes in memory

Cathy Wakeman's Town Talk column in today's Journal looks at "Heavenly Recipes," a cookbook dedicated to the memory of Michele Longo Ferris. The cookbook is available at Hill's Drugs in Dryden, and all proceeds will be dedicated to education. Wakeman...

Posted by simon at 7:13 AM

March 23, 2005

ICSD redistricts Varna children to Caroline

This morning's Ithaca Journal reports that the Ithaca City School District voted 6-2 last night to implement a plan moving 23 students in Varna from Cayuga Heights Elementary School to Caroline. I need to take a look when new maps...

Posted by simon at 8:49 AM

March 21, 2005

Sustainability

This morning's Ithaca Journal spends its editorial on the difficulties of sustainable power including hydropower and wind. It doesn't mention Dryden, but in some ways it echoes recent resistance to windmills here. Planner George Frantz, who has been the consultant...

Posted by simon at 2:52 PM

March 18, 2005

Freedom of Information in Dryden

This morning's Ithaca Journal devotes its entire editorial page to New York's Freedom of Information Law (FOIL), which gives citizens access to government documents at the state and local levels, complementing the federal government's Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). They...

Posted by simon at 8:12 AM

March 15, 2005

Village candidate perspectives

I just got this past week's Dryden Courier, and should cover it while it's still available. It's also extra-appropriate today because it includes candidate questions and reponses for the Village of Dryden candidates. Polls will be open from noon to...

Posted by simon at 12:15 PM

Village elections today

This morning's Journal reports that there are elections today in the Villages of Dryden and Freeville. Polls will be open from noon to 9:00pm at the the Dryden Village Hall (map) and the the Freeville Village Hall (map). Freeville's election...

Posted by simon at 8:58 AM

March 10, 2005

Wind power on Mount Pleasant?

This morning's Ithaca Journal includes a first look at Cornell's plans to put up to eight wind turbines on Mount Pleasant, near its current observatory. Cornell is "still in the study phase of this," and has put "a 50-meter weather...

Posted by simon at 8:53 AM

March 6, 2005

Village sewer plant may block TC3 expansion; snowmobile benefit

This week's Dryden Courier leads with an article on roadblocks to TC3's expansion. Governor Pataki's veto of funding for it last year has stalled it, but even with the money, there's another large problem: needed repairs for the Village of...

Posted by simon at 10:41 AM

February 27, 2005

Village Board on housing, parking, volunteer fire benefits

This week's issue of the Dryden Courier includes a detailed story on the Village of Dryden's January Board meeting. There's some explanation of the continuation of the multiple unit housing moratorium extension and its future: Mayor Reba Taylor said Tompkins...

Posted by simon at 7:37 AM

February 25, 2005

Dryden superintendent writes on schools' mission

On the opinion page of today's Ithaca Journal, Dryden Superintendent of Schools Mark Crawford writes about the changing mission of schools and the challenges of living up to it. Crawford writes of Dryden: I would also like to mention that...

Posted by simon at 8:34 AM

February 24, 2005

Village of Dryden election ad, school board election coming up

Jerry Carbo, running for Village of Dryden Trustee, has the first ad of the campaign season in this week's issue of The Shopper, and notes that the election will be March 15th from noon to 9:00pm. Looking forward to the...

Posted by simon at 9:27 PM

February 20, 2005

Club Dryden success; high school profiles

This week's Dryden Courier has lots and lots of Dryden news. The cover stories include a continuation of last week's profiles of the two Dryden student school board liaisons, focusing on Amanda Christofferson's accomplishments this time. The Courier reports that...

Posted by simon at 11:43 AM

February 13, 2005

Courier will accept local political letters

The Dryden Courier's editorial this week reverses a policy it had set after the last round of local elections, when it decided "to no longer print letters supporting local candidates." They've changed their minds because: Local elections hit closer to...

Posted by simon at 1:56 PM

February 6, 2005

Helping students, a cappella recognition

This week it looks like I'll manage to cover the Dryden Courier while it's still available, unlike my way-late reporting of the previous two weeks. There's lots in it this week. The lead article look at the Help A Needy...

Posted by simon at 9:33 AM

February 4, 2005

Possible dog park in Dryden?

I don't often find news in the paper that would make my dogs happy, but today they're lucky: the Journal reports that the Tompkins County SPCA is considering creating an off-leash dog park on 12 acres of its own land....

Posted by simon at 8:21 AM

February 3, 2005

Final suspect convicted of kidnapping

This morning's Journal reports that Mao-Sheng Lin was convicted of kidnapping in a robbery of the Song Tao restaurant in November 2003. Lin had disappeared after posting $200,000 in bail and was returned from Texas in November 2004. Two other...

Posted by simon at 8:18 AM

January 28, 2005

Dryden schools consider fiber-optic line

This morning's Journal looks at a proposal to connect Dryden to fiber-optic lines for distance learning possibilities, and notes the resignation of Debra Cox, who is leaving her position as principal of Dryden Primary School for a job in the...

Posted by simon at 8:46 AM

January 25, 2005

Beyond Measure on "Best of High School A Cappella 2005"

This morning's Ithaca Journal reports that the Dryden High School a cappella ensemble Beyond Measure has a song, "Fever," on a collection CD, "Best of High School A Cappella 2005." The CD is not yet available, bit should be out...

Posted by simon at 8:48 AM

January 13, 2005

Land purchase on tonight's Town Board agenda

This morning's Ithaca Journal reports on the space shortage in Dryden Town Hall and a possible land purchase to build a new one which will be discussed at tonight's 7:00pm board meeting. They have a nice collection of pictures illustrating...

Posted by simon at 7:48 AM

January 10, 2005

After school in McLean; tax issues

This morning's Ithaca Journal looks at a new after-school program in McLean, giving kids more to do in the hamlet. Lack of transportation keeps kids in the area after school, and there isn't a place for kids to hang out...

Posted by simon at 8:42 AM

January 7, 2005

Etna fire coverage, schools out yesterday

Today's Ithaca Journal provides more information on the Etna fire coverage agreement that was discussed at Tuesday's Town Board meeting. The article looks at the agreement between the four Dryden fire departments as well as the new Mobile Response Vehicle...

Posted by simon at 7:53 AM

January 5, 2005

Montessori School, Varna Fire Company profile

In this morning's Ithaca Journal, Cathy Wakeman looks at the opening of the Integrative Montessori Nursery School, which will be having an open house Friday through Sunday: The public is invited to visit and learn about this new classroom at...

Posted by simon at 8:52 AM

December 24, 2004

Merry Christmas, You Old Building and Loan

This week's Dryden Courier leads with an article on Dryden's connections to the movie It's a Wonderful Life. They have a picture of John Bailey standing in front of George Bailey Insurance and an article comparing the claims of Seneca...

Posted by simon at 10:33 AM

December 4, 2004

Drug busts, wood stove safety, jail

The Monitor reports on two cocaine busts in Dryden, one tied to an arrest earlier this week, and one marijuana arrest. The Journal has an article on the fatal fire in Slaterville this past week, exploring safety measures needed to...

Posted by simon at 9:34 AM

December 3, 2004

Passing schoolbuses; school assault

There's not a lot of Dryden news in this morning's Journal. Dryden school bus driver Becky Colbert writes about a large problem on her route along Route 13 from Irish Settlement Road to Pinckney Road. Motorists keep driving through her...

Posted by simon at 8:21 AM

December 2, 2004

Education money questions

The announcement earlier this week that a court-appointed panel would require the state spend $23 billion more on New York City schools has created all kinds of questions, including where the money will come from and whether poor rural districts...

Posted by simon at 7:42 AM

November 21, 2004

Etna fire contract, Pirates of Penzance

This week's Dryden Courier is stuffed full of Dryden news. The front page leads with coverage of Dryden Middle School's presentation of The Pirates of Penzance, including both a picture and a story on the musical and its production. An...

Posted by simon at 11:05 AM

November 20, 2004

"The very model of a modern major-general"

I was very impressed last night with Dryden Middle School's production of the "Pirates of Penzance". I only got to see a few minutes of it (I'd driven up from Washington, DC earlier in the day, and can't make it...

Posted by simon at 8:36 AM

November 15, 2004

Quiet weekend on Dryden

The only mention I can find of Dryden in today's Ithaca Journal comes in an editorial congratulating the Dryden boys' soccer team for winning a sectional championship November 6th. There's also a piece from Ithaca City School District Superintendent Judith...

Posted by simon at 7:42 AM

November 14, 2004

Victorian Festival coming to Village of Dryden

This week's Dryden Courier leads with a Victorian Festival that businesses in the Village of Dryden will be sponsoring on Friday, December 3rd. Nineteen businesses have come together in the past three weeks to do this. Businesses will have open...

Posted by simon at 1:05 PM

November 12, 2004

Preparing for Penzance

Dryden Middle School's production of The Pirates of Penzance is in its last week of rehearsals, getting ready for performances next Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Rehearsing The Pirates of Penzance at Dryden Middle School. Here's the press release, with many...

Posted by simon at 8:24 AM

November 10, 2004

Visiting the Crackerman of Etna

Today's Ithaca Journal Our Towns section visits the Crackerman of Etna, a baking business run by John and Beverly Bender of Etna. They've revived old-style crackers, and bake them in their house, a real cottage industry. If you want to...

Posted by simon at 8:30 AM

November 9, 2004

Dryden school audit clean

This morning's Ithaca Journal reports that Dryden Central School District got good marks in an audit, and that the board is looking at academic intervention support and energy management. The Journal also takes a look at TC3's alcohol awareness programs...

Posted by simon at 8:25 AM

October 31, 2004

Decorating funds, wonderful schools, letters

This weeks' Dryden Courier takes a look at the Dryden Decorating Committee's efforts to raise funds, as they look for an additional $4,000 for wreaths to decorate village lightposts. The Village Board turned them down this time. There's also an...

Posted by simon at 2:47 PM

October 20, 2004

New Dryden Intermediate principal, gift box drive

This morning's Ithaca Journal reports on Sandra Sherwood, the new Dryden Intermediate School principal, who came to Dryden from Marathon this September. In the Our Towns section, there's a report (with complete directions for how to participate) on the "Home...

Posted by simon at 8:39 AM

October 8, 2004

School board doors too closed?

This week's Dryden Courier has lots of Dryden news, plus an editorial that looks at the Dryden Central School Board's most recent appointment, and color photos front and back. The front page starts with an article on the unanimous appointment...

Posted by simon at 7:41 PM

October 5, 2004

Dryden graduate in Wells College protest

Several stories in this morning's Ithaca Journal touch on Dryden, so I'll start with a mention I didn't expect to see, given the article's setting up Cayuga Lake in Aurora. The Journal's contact among students protesting Wells College trustees decision...

Posted by simon at 8:37 AM

October 4, 2004

Lawnmower trouble

I seem to have read and enjoyed last week's Dryden Courier without reporting on its contents. The lead story is about people in the Village of Dryden riding lawnmowers on sidewalks for transportation and the problems it causes. The mowers...

Posted by simon at 12:23 PM

Selling anti-depressants in school

This morning's Ithaca Journal is pretty quiet about Dryden, with the first mention of Dryden in the Monitor. A 15-year-old girl at Dryden High School was selling prescription drugs to other students, and she and a 14-year-old customer were arrested...

Posted by simon at 8:23 AM

October 1, 2004

Keeping farms alive; McLean crossing guard

Today's Ithaca Journal explores the many issues around land-use planning and agriculture in Dryden. The article looks at farmers' concerns about disappearing ag land, their financial needs, and different possible ways of addressing the issue. There's also an article on...

Posted by simon at 5:37 PM

September 28, 2004

Meet Dryden Superintendent Mark Crawford tonight

This morning's Journal looks at last night's Dryden School Board meeting. The Board appointed Amanda Kittelberger to the seat Tricia Edgecomb resigned, and worked on annual goals, the strategic planning committee, and the public relations committee. Following state mandates, they...

Posted by simon at 8:27 AM

September 24, 2004

Sometimes a conversation breaks out

I'm not entirely sure why - maybe Google? - but one of my entries keeps getting comments. It's Dryden resident running for ICSD; county news, though most of the comments are actually about the Dryden school board elections, which didn't...

Posted by simon at 5:41 PM

September 23, 2004

Church magic, teachers' contract

This week's Dryden Courier visits a Saturday Kids Club event at the Dryden Assembly of God Church, as Gary Croniser II presented a magic show combined with a religious message. They duplicate a story from last week about having the...

Posted by simon at 2:20 PM

September 16, 2004

Dryden school board approves teachers' contract

It looks like the contract negotiations in the Dryden Central School District have finally reached a positive conclusion, as the school board voted unanimously to approve the contract that teachers approved September 2nd. Meanwhile, in the Ithaca District, negotiations with...

Posted by simon at 12:41 PM

September 9, 2004

Students back at school

Wednesday morning's Ithaca Journal reports on the return of students to schools. Dryden schools opened Tuesday. The Dryden Recreation Department is hosting fall sports events, including an eight-week field hockey program and the NFL Pepsi Punt, Pass and Kick contest,...

Posted by simon at 1:13 AM

September 4, 2004

Schools watch roofs; county transportation

Dryden appears briefly in this morning's Journal, mentioned once in an article about schools inspecting their roofs after a collapse in Washingtonville, and once in an article on the start of football season. The county is working on a long-range...

Posted by simon at 10:11 AM

September 3, 2004

Dryden teachers approve contract 128-2

Dryden teachers finally have a contract, after working four of the last five years without one. The Dryden Faculty Association (DFA) approved a new contract yesterday, and teachers will start the school year with a contract in place. The Board...

Posted by simon at 7:33 AM

September 1, 2004

School renovation costs rise; festivals coming

This morning's Ithaca Journal reports that 10 to 15% increases in the cost of materials may force changes in plans for elementary school renovation. The Dryden Central School Board will have to look at a list of options and choose...

Posted by simon at 8:27 AM

August 25, 2004

Teachers' agreement, water issue

This week's Dryden Courier explores the happier feelings coming out of the Dryden Central School District's negotiations with the Dryden Faculty Association. If all goes well as seems possible in the September 2nd vote, teachers should have a contract in...

Posted by simon at 6:43 PM

$5,000 for Dryden Youth Opportunity Fund

Posted by simon at 8:29 AM

August 24, 2004

Crawford starts well; Gingrich to speak for Boehlert

This morning's Ithaca Journal reports that new Dryden superintendent Mark Crawford "has made a positive impression in a short time." Crawford made progress quickly in reaching a contract agreement with the Dryden Faculty Association that will be voted on September...

Posted by simon at 8:09 AM

August 20, 2004

Dryden teachers, district reach agreement

This morning's Ithaca Journal reports that the Dryden Central School District and Dryden Faculty Association have reached a tentative four-year agreement. (Because of the delay in reaching a contract, it covers from July 2002 to June 2006.) Teachers will vote...

Posted by simon at 7:40 AM

August 12, 2004

Accused restaurant robber skips bail

This week's Dryden Courier has a lot of detail on Mao Shen Lin, who failed to show up to his trial for kidnapping and attempted grand larceny last week after posting $200,000 bail. Mao Shen Lin was arrested in connection...

Posted by simon at 12:53 PM

No Dryden headlines, much Dryden news

There aren't any headlines that mention Dryden in today's Ithaca Journal, but there's lots of news relating to Dryden. There's an article on state aid to local schools that cites Dryden Central School Board President Rachel Dickinson: "Dryden's tax rate...

Posted by simon at 8:39 AM

August 11, 2004

School numbers arrive, jail numbers don't

This morning's Ithaca Journal reports that the New York State Legislature has finally passed an education bill, so schools will know their aid levels before they send out tax bills. Dryden will be getting $12.85 million this coming year as...

Posted by simon at 8:47 AM

August 10, 2004

Catching up with the Courier

A new issue of the Dryden Courier will be out tomorrow, and I'm still catching up on last week's. (Unfortunately I missed the week before, but I'll track one down.) The lead stories are on the Dryden Central School District's...

Posted by simon at 8:54 PM

August 3, 2004

School lunch price hike

This morning's Ithaca Journal talks about impending increases in school lunch prices as well as additional costs (driven by the increasing cost of steel) for a heating and ventilation system. The Dryden Central School Board will vote on what to...

Posted by simon at 9:26 AM

July 29, 2004

School summer program

There isn't much in today's Journal about Dryden, but what there is seems bright: a piece on how Dryden Elementary School managed to keep a summer program going on a much smaller budget than before. The Journal's editorial is on...

Posted by simon at 2:19 PM

July 23, 2004

Dryden school planning, "Headstone Controversy"

This week's Dryden Courier takes a look at the Dryden Central School District's formation of a strategic planning committee to "map out district goals for the next five years," as well as the board's reorganization at its first meeting of...

Posted by simon at 12:06 PM

July 21, 2004

Principal, roads, 2-for-1 cats

Wednesdays are often busy Dryden days in the Ithaca Journal, but today's issue is overflowing. Doug Premo, Dryden Intermediate School Principal for grades three through five, is leaving for a job in Ballston Spa after fifteen months in Dryden. He'll...

Posted by simon at 8:29 AM

July 19, 2004

Fishing, opinions

This morning's Ithaca Journal has a picture of nine-year-old Brandon Elia fishing at Dryden Lake as part of the Wal-Mart Kids All American Fishing Derby that was held Saturday. The State Police seem to have been busy along Dryden's borders,...

Posted by simon at 8:02 AM

July 17, 2004

Teachers' contract negotiations, stream monitoring

This morning's Ithaca Journal reports that there may be hope for Dryden's stalled teacher's contract negotiations, as new Superintendent Mark Crawford sets up informal meetings and the personnel involved shift. There was a brief mention of a Six Mile Creek...

Posted by simon at 1:40 PM

July 16, 2004

Tower, serendipity, making a difference

This week's Dryden Courier looks at the protracted saga of the Crown Castle Atlantic cell phone tower that the Town Board approved last week. They also visit the Dryden Historical Society, looking through the collections and talking about the programs....

Posted by simon at 12:49 PM

July 15, 2004

School budgets, boards, lots of small news items

The Ithaca Journal has lots of news stories on Dryden today, though Dryden plays only a small part in many of them. On the schools front, Tricia Edgecomb is resigning from the Dryden school board a year into her term....

Posted by simon at 8:27 AM

July 11, 2004

Updates in The Shopper

I've been a bit more lax about covering The Shopper, but there's been less in it lately that I haven't covered elsewhere. I do scour it every week, though. This week's Shopper contains, among many other things: An ad for...

Posted by simon at 9:26 AM

July 10, 2004

Busy day for fund-raising in Dryden

It was a busy day for fundraising in the Village of Dryden this morning. At the Neptune Hose Company, Adam Pamel was working on his Eagle Scout project, Supplies for Success (51KB PDF), using a car wash to raise money...

Posted by simon at 12:20 PM

Volunteer fire companies, jail, laurels

Today's Ithaca Journal has a strong focus on volunteer firefighting, with a piece on families volunteering and the difficulties of recruiting volunteers, the latter of which quotes Dryden Chief Ron Flynn about the sign in front of the Neptune station....

Posted by simon at 10:32 AM

July 8, 2004

Intergenerational Band, Fish tales

This week's Dryden Courier takes a look at the Dryden Intergenerational Summer Band and Chorus, which formed to help Dryden celebrate its 1997 bicentennial but "discovered they were having too much fun to disband". They'll be performing August 14th at...

Posted by simon at 12:38 PM

July 1, 2004

TC3 awards tech funds

This morning's Ithaca Journal reports that Tompkins-Cortland Community College has awarded $45,000 in technology funds to local schools, including a Civil Engineering and Architecture Community Collaboration project at Dryden High School. The Journal also has a cheerful picture from the...

Posted by simon at 8:31 AM

June 28, 2004

Dryden graduation, state legislation (or not)

This morning's Ithaca Journal reports on Saturday's Dryden High School graduation ceremony, highlighting speeches by 1970 graduate Tim Tyson, valedictorian Emily Rivest, and salutatorian Daniel Perkins, as well as a farewell from retiring Superintendent Patricia Archambault. The editorial page is...

Posted by simon at 7:51 AM

June 25, 2004

Catching up with the Dryden Courier

I've been falling behind lately as work has been more and difficult, but fortunately the Dryden Courier is maintaining its weekly schedule. I just have to get around to reading it! This week's lead articles cover the retirement reception for...

Posted by simon at 12:52 PM

Emergency radio breaks down, school aid cut

It was a quiet day in Dryden yesterday - too quiet in some ways. The Ithaca Journal reports that Tompkins County emergency radio system was off the air from 9:30am to 12:40pm yesterday, after a circuit board in a tower...

Posted by simon at 7:50 AM

June 24, 2004

Dryden teachers' contract rejected 116-45

This morning's Ithaca Journal reports that that the Dryden Faculty Association voted down a proposed contract because of "finances and lack of respect by the district to the collective bargaining process." DFA president Mary Ellen Bossack is quoted saying "Other...

Posted by simon at 7:15 AM

June 23, 2004

Revised Dryden budget passes 3-2

This morning's Ithaca Journal reports that the revised Dryden Central School District budget was approved by a 1287-860 vote, avoiding a contingency vote. The original budget failed on a 718-718 tie. On a related note, the Our Towns section focuses...

Posted by simon at 8:42 AM

June 22, 2004

New Dryden superintendent

Today's Ithaca Journal reports that the Dryden Central School District has hired Mark J. Crawford as superintendent. Crawford is currently middle school principal in the Williamsville Central School District, and will take over from Patricia Archambault, who retires July 1st....

Posted by simon at 8:00 AM

June 21, 2004

Car crash kills two on Fall Creek Road, blood drive Friday

This morning's Ithaca Journal reports that two Freeville residents were killed and a third critically injured in a one-car crash on Fall Creek Road south of Malloryville. The paper also announces a blood drive sponsored by the Varna Community Association...

Posted by simon at 7:54 AM

June 19, 2004

Ithaca redistricting, Dryden budget

Today's Ithaca Journal reports on prospective Ithaca City School District elementary school redistricting, and links to the school district's report on the matter (694KB PDF). I was hoping for detailed demographics of the areas served by the schools, but didn't...

Posted by simon at 8:18 AM

June 18, 2004

Family reunion, TC3 tuition hike

This week's Ithaca Journal seems to be overflowing with Dryden-related news. This morning's paper brings an article on an upcoming family reunion for Freeville resident Donna Freedline supported by the Fairygodmother Foundation and an article on TC3's 5.4% tuition hike,...

Posted by simon at 7:33 AM

June 16, 2004

Dryden Dairy Day, school budget

The lead article in the Our Towns section of today's Ithaca Journal is Dryden Dairy Day brings town together, which takes a look at last Saturday's event from the parade to events to the current state of dairy farming. Pictures...

Posted by simon at 8:45 AM

June 15, 2004

Preschool, Reagan, specialized degrees

Today's Ithaca Journal mentions Dryden in two stories, while the editorial focuses on TC3. In an article on New York State's efforts to back preschools, Dryden Superintendent Patricia Archambault discusses space problems and the instability of state funding as reasons...

Posted by simon at 8:23 AM

June 12, 2004

Solar powered school, absentee ballots

I'm sorry to have missed it, but the Ithaca Journal covers last night's "School Power Naturally" event, where presenters discussed the two kilowatt system that was installed with a NYSERDA grant. The school's $1500 contribution should be made back in...

Posted by simon at 7:39 AM

June 11, 2004

New Town Hall to be on site of old

This morning's Ithaca Journal reports from last night's Town Board meeting that the board settled on the location of the existing town hall (map) as the best of their options for building a new Town Hall. The combination of its...

Posted by simon at 8:19 AM

June 10, 2004

Schools mourn teacher, student

This week's Dryden Courier is heavy with Dryden school district news. The lead article reports on the district's loss of science teacher Dennis Pollack to a stroke and student Jamie Cutting to an ATV accident, and the other front-page article...

Posted by simon at 5:45 AM

June 9, 2004

Dryden Dairy Day and more

This morning's Ithaca Journal is overflowing with Dryden news. That's not unusual on Wednesday, when the Our Towns section features Dryden and Groton, but today there's news throughout the paper, much of it even good. A cow greets readers at...

Posted by simon at 8:44 AM

June 7, 2004

Contingency budgets, Ithaca Festival

The Ithaca Journal has an article today about the impact of contingency budgets on local school districts, looking at how they're calculated and what their past effects have been. Dryden faces a contingency budget if voters reject the second budget...

Posted by simon at 7:53 AM

June 5, 2004

Dryden budget, IDA, Sodom and Gomorrah

Today's Ithaca Journal takes a close look at the numbers in the revised Dryden school budget, which will increase the tax rate from $21.92/$1000 to $22.56, a 3.39% rate increase. The tax levy increases 10.69%, though spending increases only 7.11%....

Posted by simon at 8:28 AM

June 4, 2004

Dryden school budget changes, children among the eskers

This week's Dryden Courier looks at the Dryden School District's challenge in assembling a new budget after the 718-718 tie. Some challenges the board has to face: a 15% increase in gas prices since January a 14% increase in health...

Posted by simon at 7:30 PM

Guilty plea in robbery; school testing results

Today's Ithaca Journal reports that one of the three men accused of robbing the Song Tao restaurant in Dryden in last November, Cam B. Quan, has pleaded guilty to first-degree burglary. Two other accomplices, also from Texas, have not yet...

Posted by simon at 7:37 AM

June 3, 2004

Dryden school budget, TC3 criminal justice

Today's Ithaca Journal reports on last night's budget-cutting at the Dryden School Board meeting, as the Board tries to modify their budget for a second round of voting after the original budget failed on a 718-718 tie vote. The article...

Posted by simon at 8:22 AM

June 1, 2004

Alumni dinner, creek training

Catching up on yesterday's Ithaca Journal, there was an announcement for the Dryden Central School District all-year reunion dinner, which will be on Saturday, June 12th, at the McLean Fire Station. Festivities start at 4pm, with dinner at 6pm. Today's...

Posted by simon at 8:40 AM

May 30, 2004

Superintendent retirement, county legislation

Yesterday's Ithaca Journal has an article on Dryden Superintendent Patricia Archambault's upcoming retirement, looking over her last five years in Dryden as well as a career that went from South Seneca to Newfield through BOCES and around the state to...

Posted by simon at 10:07 AM

May 29, 2004

Solar school

I saw this poster at the McDonalds/Mobil station in the Village of Dryden on Thursday: Poster advertising Tompkins County's first solar-powered school Following the web link in the poster took me to a description of how this works. Like other...

Posted by simon at 10:32 AM

May 27, 2004

Journal on fire company finances, superintendents

Today's Ithaca Journal catches up on the long-running story of audits of fire companies in the Dryden Fire Protection District. They report that the Etna audit, the last to be done, is in progress, while the Varna, Neptune, and W....

Posted by simon at 8:08 AM

May 26, 2004

All kinds of Dryden news

Today's Ithaca Journal has lots and lots of Dryden-related news. The lead story is on the Dryden School Board's efforts to develop a new budget after the tie vote on the previous one. Developing that budget seemed difficult to start...

Posted by simon at 8:32 AM

May 24, 2004

New Dryden school offices

Today's Ithaca Journal has a brief article on the Dryden school district offices' move to the High School/Middle School, as well as a report on a state BOCES championship in which two Dryden High School students, Daniel Carpenter and Bert...

Posted by simon at 7:56 AM

May 22, 2004

Republican County Chair controversy in ICSD

Dryden news is quiet today in the Ithaca Journal, but the opinion page has some sparks which affect at least part of Dryden. In today's letters from readers, Tompkins County Republican Committee Chairman Mark Finkelstein complains of criticism for his...

Posted by simon at 12:41 PM

May 21, 2004

TC3 graduates 563

Tompkins Cortland Community College had its graduation ceremonies yesterday, reports the Ithaca Journal, which takes a close-up look at Susan Pelfrey, a student who earned her degree while battling cancer. 249 graduates were from Tompkins County, 134 from Cortland County,...

Posted by simon at 5:45 PM

May 19, 2004

Dryden school budget fails in tie; Ithaca budget passes

The Dryden Central Schools budget failed to pass with a 718-718 tie. The school buses proposal passed 738-592, and Anderson Young (1055 votes), Margaret DeGaetano (936), Russ Kowalski (902) will join the board, defeating Paul Lutwak (699 votes). Board President...

Posted by simon at 8:11 AM

May 18, 2004

School elections today

School budget and board elections are today. The Ithaca Journal gives an overview of school elections in the county. In Dryden, the two largest districts by far are the Dryden Central School District and the Ithaca City School District. Voting...

Posted by simon at 8:19 AM

May 15, 2004

School elections

With school elections coming Tuesday, the Ithaca Journal has a collection of articles on different aspects of school elections, as well as lots of letters endorsing various candidates. Included today are: an article on voter apathy, with quotes from Dryden...

Posted by simon at 11:25 AM

May 13, 2004

Wage fraud, redistricting

Today's Journal looks at $107,000 in unpaid wages by a Dryden employer following a guilty plea by the firm's former owner. There are also articles on possible state pension fund changes that might ease the county budget, and Ithaca school...

Posted by simon at 8:58 AM

School happenings in The Shopper

Dryden school elections, budgets, and news dominate the Community News section of this week's The Shopper. There are advertisements from Paul Lutwak, Margaret DeGaetano, and Anderson Young, candidates for the board, as well as an ad from David Branagan opposing...

Posted by simon at 8:27 AM

May 12, 2004

Candidates, proms, and Corvettes

This week's Dryden Courier leads with an article on students attending last weekend's Dryden prom, "when the cosmic powers that be dim the lights a little bit and put on music with real violins in the background and when a...

Posted by simon at 8:14 PM

Meeting the candidates and the budget

Last night I went to the Dryden school budget hearing and meet the candidates session. School coverage has been one of the weakest areas on this site, and I figured this was probably the best event to dive into. While...

Posted by simon at 12:22 PM

Schools forum, Freeville people

Today's Ithaca Journal has lots of Dryden news, including the weekly Our Towns section. Last night's Dryden school budget hearing and candidates forum gets an article, examining reaction to the increases and listening to the four candidates for three seats...

Posted by simon at 8:50 AM

May 11, 2004

Dryden school budget, Ithaca school candidates

Today's Ithaca Journal includes an article on the Dryden Central School District budget, told mostly through the perspectives of candidates running for the board. It also mentions tonight's candidates forum. On the editorial page, the Journal endorses Dryden resident David...

Posted by simon at 8:26 AM

May 10, 2004

Tuesday night meet the candidates

There will be a "Meet the Candidates" session and school budget hearing for the Dryden Central School District tomorrow, May 11th, at 7pm in room C-13 of the Dryden Middle School/High School....

Posted by simon at 6:51 PM

May 8, 2004

School candidates, Ithaca Produce, more

After a quiet week, today's Ithaca Journal is bursting with Dryden news. The Journal profiles the four candidates running for the Dryden School Board: Margaret DeGaetano, Paul Lutwak, Russ Kowalski, and Anderson Young. Paul Lutwak also has a letter to...

Posted by simon at 8:22 AM

May 6, 2004

Courier looks at youth

This week's Dryden Courier cover stories look at what kids are doing in Dryden. There's an appreciative article on the Dryden High School a cappella group Beyond Measure's recent performance at Dryden Jazz Night. It also takes a look at...

Posted by simon at 5:12 PM

May 5, 2004

Schools, town news in The Shopper

There's a new Dryden Board Briefs in this week's issue of The Shopper, covering the April 27th meeting. (They're not yet posted on their site.) There's also an announcement about getting absentee ballots for the May 18th Board Elections, and...

Posted by simon at 9:31 PM

April 30, 2004

School grades, expenditures

The print edition of today's Ithaca Journal contains a "Grading Our Schools" supplement which lists test results for schools and school districts in the area, including Dryden, Ithaca, and many more. It also lists spending per pupil for the 2000-2001...

Posted by simon at 12:47 PM

April 29, 2004

Grange honors, Dryden school renovations lead Courier

The front page of this week's Dryden Courier has a picture of the Dryden Middle School production of Fiddler on the Roof. The lead stories focus on the Dryden Grange's honoring of farmer and school board member Tom Miller and...

Posted by simon at 8:40 AM

April 28, 2004

Elementary principal retiring, open houses

I try to write my coverage of the Ithaca Journal in the morning before the workday starts, but apparently today I wasn't too awake when I did it. In addition to the stories I mentioned earlier, they also report that...

Posted by simon at 5:05 PM

beyondmeasure, Grange recognition, more

Since the Ithaca Journal instituted the Our Towns section, Wednesdays have consistently been a busy day for Dryden news. Today's paper includes: a story on beyondmeasure, the Dryden High School a cappella group that recently recorded a CD (and recorded...

Posted by simon at 8:50 AM

April 22, 2004

Dryden School updates in the Shopper

The April 20th issue of The Shopper includes the Dryden Board Briefs for the April 12th meeting. (Unfortunately this brief doesn't appear to be posted yet, but hopefully that will change. Update: It's been fixed.) I noted this meeting's coverage...

Posted by simon at 9:21 PM

April 21, 2004

This week's Courier

This week's Dryden Courier includes an article on Dryden Middle School's production of Fiddler on the Roof, which will be performed April 22nd through 24th at 7pm each night. On a similar note, the "Mind over Matters" column looks at...

Posted by simon at 9:41 PM

A quiet Our Towns

Today's Our Towns section is mostly about Groton, though there are several Dryden pieces in that section and elsewhere in the paper worth attention: The Dryden Sertoma Club's 2004 Service to Mankind award goes to William Deming, superintendent of Dryden...

Posted by simon at 8:17 AM

April 20, 2004

Rape charges, bridge staying closed

Today's Ithaca Journal is especially unpleasant reading. The most prominent Dryden story is about a 16-year-old charged with raping a 4-year-old, after investigation of a February 4th incident. Elsewhere in the Journal, Freese Road bridge will stay closed until the...

Posted by simon at 7:59 AM

April 14, 2004

Dryden Courier examines school budget, firefighter benefits

This week's Dryden Courier takes a close look at the Dryden school budget, particularly the business education position that was saved by the current proposal. There's also coverage of the proposed LOSAP benefit package for volunteer firefighters (which notably explains...

Posted by simon at 7:25 PM

April 13, 2004

Dryden schools levy to increase 15%, avoiding drastic cuts

This morning's Ithaca Journal reports that the Dryden Central School Board voted 7-1 for a budget that includes a 15% tax levy increase but avoids program cuts residents had opposed. Three teaching positions - two funded by a grant and...

Posted by simon at 8:43 AM

April 12, 2004

Bullying, speeding

The Ithaca Journal reports that there will be a talk about character education and bullying tomorrow night at 7pm at Dryden Middle School/High School. The speaker will be Cornell Researcher Dr. James Garbarino, co-author of And Words Can Hurt Forever:...

Posted by simon at 8:21 AM

April 9, 2004

School board news in The Shopper

This week's issue of The Shopper includes the latest edition of the Dryden Central School Board Briefs, from the meeting where, as item 4 notes: 35 community members addressed the Board about budget related concerns including: concern about too high...

Posted by simon at 5:59 PM

April 7, 2004

Freeville government and teacher-parent communication

This week's Dryden Courier takes the recent uncontested elections as a good reason to take a close look at the Village of Freeville, how it operates, and what it provides to residents. There's also a piece on Dryden Central School's...

Posted by simon at 8:47 PM

April 1, 2004

Fair Housing Month, Art, Etna Community Association

This week's issue of The Shopper includes an ad proclaiming April to be Fair Housing Month in the Village of Dryden, an ad from the Dryden Schools Art Department asking for public support in keeping art programs from getting cut...

Posted by simon at 7:43 PM

March 30, 2004

300 attend Dryden School Board meeting

Difficult issues seem to bring people to meetings, and the Dryden school budget has certainly been difficult. This morning's Ithaca Journal looks at last night's meeting, the attendees seeking mostly to save programs, and the options facing the board. The...

Posted by simon at 7:15 AM

March 25, 2004

More on school, village budget pain

Once again I'm wishing that the Dryden Courier was available on the Web. This week's issue leads with detailed articles on the impact of budget difficulties on both the Dryden Central School District and the Village of Dryden, in greater...

Posted by simon at 12:53 PM

March 24, 2004

Dryden schools issues in The Shopper

Today's Shopper includes two pieces from the Dryden Central School District: a new Board Briefs about a meeting with bleak budget news and a repeat of the invitation to run for the school board noted earlier. Two other items in...

Posted by simon at 5:56 PM

March 18, 2004

School report cards, budgets

Today's Journal reports that New York State issued school report cards yesterday, and the news is mostly good for the Dryden and Ithaca districts: "Ithaca City School District elementary and middle schools did significantly better on state tests than those...

Posted by simon at 8:47 AM

March 17, 2004

Schools testing, budgets, taxes

Today's Ithaca Journal has an extended article on schools looking forward to tomorrow's state test results, and opens with discussion of Dryden Intermediate School's fourth grade. There's also a piece on the Ithaca City School District's budget plan, which currently...

Posted by simon at 7:08 AM

March 16, 2004

More on school board budgets, affordable housing

Today's Ithaca Journal has stories on budgeting at both the Dryden Central School District and the Ithaca City School District. As noted yesterday, the Dryden district's budget looks especially bleak: "Last year when we said we'd keep it to 10...

Posted by simon at 8:57 AM

March 15, 2004

Next year's school budgets look tight already

The Dryden Courier's March 10 issue leads with some difficult news about the Dryden Central School District's budget: mandates, inflation, health insurance, and retirement costs could inflict an 8.9% increase in in the budget (and larger increase in the tax...

Posted by simon at 10:08 PM

March 13, 2004

Request for information on schools, history

Elsie Gutchess has a letter in the Cortland Area Tribune: To Area Senior Citizens, As we speedily move along in the 2000s, I am always interested in hearing personal recollections of bygone times from within the Town of Dryden. Many...

Posted by simon at 9:10 AM

March 11, 2004

Dryden teachers rally; fact-finder's report recommends compromise

The Ithaca Journal reports this morning that members of the Dryden Faculty Association rallied to remind passers by that they have worked nearly two years without a contract, just as a fact-finding report, submitted Monday, suggests that both the District...

Posted by simon at 8:09 AM

March 10, 2004

Dryden school board updates

Today's issue of The Shopper includes the latest Dryden Central School Board Briefs, as well as a notice looking for candidates for the May 18 school board election. If you want to run, you have to have lived in the...

Posted by simon at 1:59 PM

Dryden busing, ICSD budget, vaccinations, Corinthians

Today's Ithaca Journal notes an April 1 deadline for Dryden Central School District residents seeking buses to non-public schools and a report from the Intermunicipal Recreation Partnership, and examines what next year's Ithaca City School District budget would look like...

Posted by simon at 7:30 AM

March 6, 2004

Summer school, art scholarship, board briefs

Today's Dryden schools news comes from three different papers. The Ithaca Journal reports that the Dryden Central School District will include summer school funds in its budget, providing juniors and seniors who need to pass classes to graduate to take...

Posted by simon at 10:26 AM

March 4, 2004

New principal, roof repairs, elections

Today's Ithaca Journal has a story on the new principal of Dryden Middle School, Roger Fedele, interviewing both Fedele and Dryden parents. There will be a welcoming reception for Fedele on March 8th, at 7pm in the Middle School cafeteria....

Posted by simon at 8:35 AM

March 1, 2004

Fifth grader to New Zealand, economy to improve

In today's Dryden Town Talk, Cathy Wakeman tells of Kody Kirkland, a fifth-grade student at Dryden Elementary who will be a "student ambassador to Australia and New Zealand" along with sixteen other kids from central New York and a dozen...

Posted by simon at 7:41 AM

February 24, 2004

Dryden elementary school among "most improved"

The Ithaca Journal has two stories on New York State's releasing the "most improved" list of schools whose test scores have increased, the first a more general story that looks at schools around the state, the second a close-up on...

Posted by simon at 8:06 AM

February 21, 2004

New Dryden schoolrooms open

The Ithaca Journal reports that that the first stage of improvements to Dryden High School is complete, a few months ahead of time. The new rooms will ease the next few stages of the construction, which will continue through summer....

Posted by simon at 9:43 AM

February 13, 2004

Dryden school news

Dryden schools are getting out fifteen minutes early today as an "emergency go home drill". There's also a new Dryden Board Briefs posted (and in The Shopper). They don't seem to be archiving these, so I guess I'll try to...

Posted by simon at 10:43 AM

February 9, 2004

Dryden superintendent search meeting tonight

Residents of the Dryden Central School District are invited to a meeting tonight with Dr. Vincent Coppola, the consultant on the district's search for a new superintendent. This is not a board meeting; it's strictly a meeting for residents to...

Posted by simon at 9:04 AM

February 7, 2004

Lots of Dryden opinions

Today's Ithaca Journal includes three letters and a dart from Dryden residents: In Darts and Laurels, David Connor sends CBS a dart for refusing to run ads from MoveOn and PETA during the Super Bowl; A letter from Kathy Zahler...

Posted by simon at 9:28 AM

February 6, 2004

Dryden elementary science fair

Dryden elementary school had a science fair for third- to fifth-graders yesterday,bringing science and a veterinerian to students from Dryden and Cassavant elementary schools....

Posted by simon at 7:46 AM

February 3, 2004

Dryden schools to look at upgrade costs

Today's Ithaca Journal reports that the Dryden Board of Education authorized planning for replacing the modular music and science rooms with permanent structures, keeping the proposal on time for a June referendum. They also looked at costs for next year....

Posted by simon at 7:20 AM

January 29, 2004

Dryden Central School Board Briefs

The Board Briefs in this week's edition of the Suburban Cortland-Ithaca Shopper (and online) are hardly brief, but they're an excellent way to share information. Twenty-one items under reports and comments, sixteen items the board approved, five other actions of...

Posted by simon at 8:52 AM

January 22, 2004

Dryden school board on open enrollment and more

The Ithaca Journal reports a Dryden school board meeting as a series of bullet points on decisions, including ones not to support open enrollment for kindgergarten unless there are extenuating circumstance and not to change the boundaries of the district...

Posted by simon at 1:43 PM

January 21, 2004

Dryden appoints middle school principal

Last night, the Dryden school board appointed Roger Fedele as middle school principal, hired Vincent Coppola as a consultant to find a new superintendent, and contemplated replacing modular music and science classrooms with new construction. Also in the Dryden schools,...

Posted by simon at 8:21 AM

January 20, 2004

Dryden Schools announcing principal

The Dryden Central School District will be announcing a new middle school principal tonight, as well as a consultant to help them find a new superintendent....

Posted by simon at 8:35 AM

January 19, 2004

Local school districts, state budget

While it'll undoubtedly be months before the state budget is settled, local school districts don't seem to be looking forward to Governor Pataki's budget, to be released tomorrow. The Newfield and Groton Superintendents hold out some hope for better education...

Posted by simon at 8:11 AM

January 10, 2004

Cold doesn't stop the news

Posted by simon at 11:33 AM

January 9, 2004

TC3 summer school closing

Today's Ithaca Journal reports that Dryden Central Schools may no longer have summer school, as Tompkins Cortland Community College is closing its Regional Summer Program after budget cuts by the SUNY Chancellor, and Superintendent Archambault said that Dryden may not...

Posted by simon at 8:33 AM

January 7, 2004

Dryden schools examine grades, audit, superintendent

The Dryden Board of Education had a meeting last night to plan grade weightings for average calculations, examine an audit, and plan the search for a new superintendent....

Posted by simon at 4:23 PM

December 17, 2003

Dryden teachers deadlock continues

It looks like the Dryden Faculty Association will be working without a contract for a while longer, as a meeting with a fact-finder produced no new results. Superintendent Patricia Archambault estimates that this will continue into February or March. Meanwhile,...

Posted by simon at 8:43 AM

December 14, 2003

Comparative tax rates

The County Department of Assessment maintains files of current municipal tax rates and current school tax rates. I wish they also included historical information so I could examine the rate of change, and numbers for the total levy (not just...

Posted by simon at 8:39 PM

December 11, 2003

Schools, small business, traffic

It's another quiet news day for Dryden, but there are some interesting pieces in today's Ithaca Journal. The Dryden School Board approved stipends and held off on a contract for review. The headline of the story seems backward relative to...

Posted by simon at 11:16 AM

December 3, 2003

Snow day in Dryden; superintendent retires

Yesterday was a busy day for the Dryden Central School District - it started with a surprise snow day, and concluded with the approval of the June 2004 retirement of superintendent Patricia Archambault. Archambault, who's retiring to Florida, noted "My...

Posted by simon at 8:44 AM

November 26, 2003

Resource sharing, school vote coverage

There isn't much news about Dryden in the Ithaca Journal today, but the opinion page has a piece on sharing resources between towns in the face of county cuts, and apparently I'm not the only one who thought the Journal's...

Posted by simon at 8:19 AM

November 24, 2003

Dryden Youth Opportunity Fund

In this week's Dryden Town Talk, Cathy Wakeman focuses on the creation of "a vehicle for realizing dreams by encouraging ideas that are forming in the community." (An earlier article on the DYOF is available here.) It looks like it's...

Posted by simon at 8:23 AM

November 19, 2003

Dryden school renovations pass 854-424

Funding for renovations in the Dryden Central School District passed overwhelmingly yesterday. The Ithaca Journal's reporting seems downright strange. While the margin was 2-1 in favor, they quoted three people against the proposal who were still fighting the battle to...

Posted by simon at 8:27 AM

November 18, 2003

Quiet day for news

The news today is quiet, though there are at least two votes today that will have a substantial effect on Dryden. The Tompkins County Legislature is voting on next year's budget tonight. In the Dryden School District, the renovation vote...

Posted by simon at 7:52 AM

November 9, 2003

Eight Square Schoolhouse

I hesitated before adding the DeWitt Historical Society of Tompkins County to my "Organizations" links, since they're based in Ithaca, not Dryden. Unfortunately, the Dryden Historical Society doesn't have a web site, and the DeWitt folks do cover Dryden as...

Posted by simon at 6:39 PM

November 8, 2003

No to a contract, yes to a budget

Teachers in the Dryden Central School District rejected a contract offer. Earlier this week, the Dryden Town Board passed next year's budget. The Journal says that the town tax stayed at $1.47 per $1000 assessment, while the fire tax increased...

Posted by simon at 9:07 AM