HIT: Hundreds of students graduated from Cayuga County-area high schools over the past week, the culmination of a lot of hard work and unwavering support from teachers and families.
The class of 2024 overcame more obstacles than some, having more than a full year of its educational journey disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Future plans for the young people will be as varied as the graduates themselves. Southern Cayuga High School valedictorian Norah McCarthy pointed out that going straight into the workforce is just as noble a choice as any other, because those students will become "the backbone of our community, and your contributions will shape our future."
AUBURN — The students of the Auburn class of 2024 began high school in their bedrooms, uncertain about their futures.
MISS: When Downtown Auburn Business Improvement District Executive Director Stephanie DeVito parted ways with the organization in April, she told ÈËÊÞÐÔ½» that she had resigned to pursue opportunities "that are more aligned with my career for the future."
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It turns out, there was a bit more to it than that.
DeVito, who also serves on the Cayuga County Legislature, was the subject of complaints of bullying, absenteeism, conflicts of interest and other misconduct by BID colleagues. The organization's board hired a consultant to investigate the complaints and subsequently placed the executive director on a performance improvement plan.
A former Auburn official who now serves as a Cayuga County legislator was accused of bullying, absenteeism and other misconduct at her city po…
After not fully complying with the plan due to what a committee called "insubordination and a lack of sense of urgency," DeVito submitted her resignation.
The BID is now left to recover its footing in the community so that it can serve the best interests of Auburn without internal distraction.
HIT: The National Park Service recently opened the doors to a renovated church in Auburn that was the site of Harriet Tubman's 1913 funeral.
Thompson Memorial AME Zion Church and its Parker Street parsonage are now ready for visitors as part of the Harriet Tubman National Historical Park. The structures were vacant for more than 20 years before being rehabilitated as part of a $5 million project.
Tubman contributed $500 for construction of the church in 1891, and worshipped there until her death.
The church and parsonage join the national park, which includes Tubman's former brick residence and Home for the Aged on South Street.
The church that hosted Harriet Tubman's 1913 funeral opened to the public Saturday.Â
