By Cary Briel / Briel Computer & Network
Monday, October 31, 2007 3:50 PM EDT

Though Linda Ober may live to regret the day that she placed herself right smack in the middle of the Skaneateles village scuttlebutt (or should I say, remember the good ol’ days of solitude), you can now find her spending much more of her time at ‘village central’ in her self-described Newspaper Nook at 2 Fennell Street, office No. 210. Yes, this is the new and improved office of the Skaneateles Journal as of the end of October 2007! Why would you want to find Linda in her new office you ask (besides the fact that she is obviously a terrific reporter and editor in general)? Well, I would boldly venture a guess that she would be interested in hearing all of the inside news (gossip, dirt?) that you can throw in her direction concerning the comings and goings of businesses, people, visitors, etc in Skaneateles! Just remember to say off the record when you’re filling her in on how neighbor Fred looks both ways before dashing to retrieve his newspaper at 5am in his Fruit of the Loom briefs! Unless you have good pictures.

What you may not know about Skaneateles Journal (more…)

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By Cary Briel / Briel Computer & Network
Monday, October 29, 2007 3:52 PM EDT

Skaneateles resident Dr. Robert Kiltz practices art in both ceramics and medicine. Following is an excerpt from an article written by Ellen Leahy of Skaneateles Press speaking of Dr. Robert Kiltz:

Art has always played a role in this scientist’s life. Dr. Robert Kiltz, a native Californian, began his artistic career at a young age. Initially working with wood and metal in primary school, he moved to silver jewelry making and ceramics in high school. Kiltz purchased his first pottery wheel at the age of 16 and sold his artwork on the streets of Westwood, Calif. This is the same wheel he uses today.

Read the full article here.

Visit Dr. Kiltz’s website for CNY Fertility Center here, and also the website for the CNY Healing Arts Center here.

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By Cary Briel / Briel Computer & Network
Monday, October 29, 2007 1:10 AM EDT

In a 4.2-mile run Saturday, October 20, at the Roxbury Road Race Series, Jennifer Peterson, 40, a tri-athlete from Skaneateles, N.Y., was the first female finisher, and took ninth overall in 29:14.  Go Jennifer!

Article here.

The photo to the right is Jen finishing in the Skinnyman Triathlon 2006 competition, where she finished before all the men!

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By Cary Briel / Briel Computer & Network
Sunday, October 28, 2007 1:15 AM EDT

The following article notes how Skaneateles Library will be excluded from upcoming enhancements to the Onondaga County Public Library system, enhancements that will make available the catalogs of member libraries on the web. There may be pros to being an independent library, but this is definitely a con.

By Maureen Nolan / Syracuse.com
Thursday, October 25, 2007

It might seem like a Rodney Dangerfield moment - you go to the library to return your books and the librarian refuses to accept them. It isn’t personal. The Onondaga County Public Library is rolling out a new Web-based catalog and to help that process go smoothly, it is asking patrons not to return books or materials through Sunday. The no-return period began Oct. 15. If you have books that were due during that time, relax. “You just get to keep them an extra week,” said Denise Headd, public information specialist for the library system. Libraries posted signs about the temporary ban more than two weeks before it kicked in so Headd doesn’t expect a problem with book-laden patrons being turned away. The new catalog can be used online and from all county libraries, except the independent library in Skaneateles. It is designed to give patrons more ways to find and reserve books. The library officially launched the catalog Wednesday with a visit by Onondaga County Executive Nick Pirro. Among its cooler features, it gives users a choice of languages - English, Spanish, Vietnamese or Korean and lets them use a Real Simple Syndication feed to track books, DVDs and CDs. There’s a catalog for kids that’s supposed to be easy for them to use, too. For more information go to www.onlib.org.

Article can be viewed here.

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By News10Now.com / Web Staff
Thursday, October 25, 2007 11:19 AM EDT

SKANEATELES, N.Y. — A Skaneateles man is being honored as an Exceptional Community Volunteer.

Frank Moran is with the American Red Cross as a blood courier, bringing donated blood to centers throughout Upstate New York. He also volunteers with Catholic Charities and teaching young children to read.

Both agencies nominated Moran for the United Way Exceptional Community Volunteer Award.

Story here.

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By Cary Briel / Briel Computer & Network
Thursday, October 25, 2007 1:00 PM EDT

Since we’re on the always intriguing subject of cows, there is a great article written by Kihm Winship that tells the historical story of the ambitious cow that swam Skaneateles Lake! The article can be found on Kihm’s Faithful Readers website here. Kihm also authors the Litter in Skaneateles blog here. I also have read historical accounts similar to what Kihm mentions in his The Cow article relating to deer swimming Skaneateles Lake, and hunters chasing them! I hadn’t read about the cow however, nor about hogs making the watery journey! I guess those days are gone for good.

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By Cary Briel / Briel Computer & Network
Thursday, October 25, 2007 2:08 AM EDT

It has been estimated that 9 to 12% of the energy that a cow consumes is turned to methane that is released either through flatulence or burping. Sure to put Skaneateles on the map, the EPA kicked off a first-ever farm air pollution study. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Stephen L. Johnson kicked off a first-ever nation-wide study of air pollution from diary, poultry and swine farms on June 14, 2007 at a dairy farm in Skaneateles, N.Y. The Skaneateles farm is the Twin Birch Dairy Farm 1001 Lacy Road Skaneateles, NY 13152. Phone: (315) 784-5840

Visit the Twin Birch Dairy Farm on the web at http://www.twinbirch.net/dairyfarm.htm.

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By Cary Briel / Briel Computer & Network
Tuesday, October 23, 2007 9:24 PM EDT

You’ve probably seen aerial photos of Skaneateles Lake, but below are two interesting photos shot recently by a R/C airplane. R/C stands for “radio controlled,” which typically means that the pilot operated the aircraft (usually a scale model) from the ground using a R/C controller. These images were posted on the rcgroups.com website here.

Here’s what the author says about the camera and R/C plane used to capture the photos:

Camera: Fuji F20, rubber band and tape holding the shutter down. ISO 200 (it was sundown and cloudy).

Plane: EZ Star with Eflight six-series 2000kv motor.
TP 1320-3s battery (only weighs 3oz and output plenty of power for climbing).

Following are thumbnail versions of the images. Both are recent images illustrating the changing foliage from a heavenly perspective. In the second image, you can see the village in the foreground. Both are beautiful shots! Click on each thumbnail for full size versions.

Following is a photo of an EasyStar plane on the ground (this is just an example, not the plane that was used to capture the images above). Looking at the photo below, it becomes apparent that you are seeing the curved tip of an EasyStar wing in the upper-left corner of the first pic above.

Also, here’s a link to a website that is devoted to the Multiplex EasyStar plane. The link below will display a page that shows EasyStar kit components, including an image of an “Accessory Pack” w/ included electric motor and prop. Looks like this site has lots of interesting EasyStar info! Hey, who knows, you could soon be taking your own aerial shots of Skaneateles lake (although, I’d practice a bit before attaching my expensive digital camera!!)

Visit the EasyStar fan page here.

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By Cary Briel / Briel Computer & Network
Monday, October 22, 2007 2:50 PM EDT

In case you missed it, the following is from a 1999 article published in The Boston Phoenix Weekly Wire archive that aired just after the Clinton visit to Skaneateles, written by Skaneateles native and political satirist Barry Crimmins. See Uncyclopedia.com for similar work!

“Skaneateles” is an Indian word that means “beautiful lake surrounded by fascists.” Well, it means something about a lake, anyway. Be prepared to put your time machine in reverse if you want to talk politics with the locals in this tourist mecca 17 miles southwest of Syracuse.

Full article here. Barry’s website here.

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News10Now.com / Web Staff
Monday, October 22 2007 8:20 AM EDT

ONONDAGA COUNTY, N.Y. — A pretrial hearing is set for this morning in the Craig Cordes case. He’s the man accused of killing two people on Skaneateles Lake in what police say was a drunk boating crash. Skaneateles native and Richmond, Virginia police officer, John Kelly, and his girlfriend, Heather Wilkins, died in the crash. Investigators say Cordes was behind the wheel of the boat that hit them. Kelly died instantly. Wilkins died a short time later. A pretrial hearing is set for this morning in the Craig Cordes case. He’s the man accused of killing two people on Skaneateles Lake in what police say was a drunk boating crash. Cordes is charged with two counts of vehicular manslaughter. His brother, Brian, also faces charges. Police say he lied to them, claiming he was driving the boat at the time of the crash.

Story here.

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