Ithaca's downtown brought in business, Crowdstrike outage, ADA mapping NYDEC, outage info

Good morning and welcome back to the Ithaca Journal’s Daily Briefing ☀️

I’d like to start this week off right by sharing this post highlighting the wonderful work of Sergio Arce at the TST BOCES Smith School, which I mistakenly neglected to include a link to last Friday.

If you have any Finger Lakes moments you’d like to share, send me your best photos and a short passage to JMack@gannett.com so I can share the love with other readers this Friday. Click here to sign up for more daily briefings from the Ithaca Journal.

Without further ado, here’s a look at some new business, or rather businesses, in Ithaca.

Ithaca's downtown, outskirts have brought in new business

If you’ve strolled through Ithaca lately you may have noticed a few unfamiliar faces, or familiar ones in a place that you’re not used to seeing them.

That’s business, and the city recently had several new operations move in, offering new restaurant, retail, education and healthcare options to its visitors and residents.

Check them out in my latest article.

Here’s some more of what you need to know today

• Hopefully this is over by the time you're reading this, but the Crowdstrike outage hit home for Ithacans Friday: A global tech outage slowed or halted many Tompkins County services Friday.

• Over a dozen ADA-accessible recreation areas mapped by NYDEC: The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) announced the creation of an Accessible Recreation Destinations Map last month to help New Yorkers and visitors locate wheelchair accessible outdoor recreation opportunities.

• Worried about more major storms and power outages?: 14850.com’s Mark Anbinder created this extensive guide to preparing for loss of fresh food, water, and electricity after weeks of experiencing major storms across New York.

Keep yourself and furry friends cool with summer snacks

I’m sweating as I’m writing this, so I know some of you are feeling the heat too.

If you’re looking for something to cool you down, check out these recipes that you an even share with your pet to keep them from panting.

While some ice-cream shops have started offering “pup cones,” small servings of vanilla ice cream for dogs, the American Kennel Club points out that many dogs (and even cats) have a dairy intolerance and could cause some discomfort for them. Popsicle sticks can become lodged in a dog’s mouth and possibly cause severe splintering or intestinal dangers.

Try giving them some frozen fruit, green beans, or as AKC suggests, combine ripe banana, pumpkin, or sweet potato with plain yogurt or coconut milk together and freeze in a mold or ice cube tray to make pet friendly popsicles.

“Another option is to fill an ice cube tray with pureed bananas and add a dollop of freshly-ground peanut butter on top and freeze,” the kennel club says. “The best way to make sure the peanut butter you use is xylitol-free is to use only freshly-ground peanut butter, often available at natural food stores.”

Check out this list if you’ve got cats at home. I just might treat Milo to some of these suggestions.

Keep in mind that chocolate and macadamia nuts are toxic to dogs, so only plain vanilla or fruit flavors should ever be considered. The most important thing for pets and humans alike in hot weather is water, so be sure your four-legged pals have easy access to cool and clean water.

I was inspired to share these with you after my best buddy Milo came inside panting like a dog after running around our yard. We hope you and your furry friends appreciate it!

That’s about all I’ve got for you this week but check your inbox Monday for more updates and feel free to reach out to me at jmack@gannett.com regarding this newsletter.

This article originally appeared on Ithaca Journal: Ithaca's downtown brought in business, Crowdstrike outage, ADA mapping NYDEC, outage info