Alexis McLean

How do you end up a college instructor?  Instructor Heather Hill answered this among many other questions for The Commuter . She completed both a bachelor of arts in physics and a bachelor of music from Ithaca College before getting a master’s in physics from Oregon State University . She’s been one of LBCC’s astronomy and physics instructors for seven years, teaching both STEM and humanities students alike.  Most will recognize her from their own classes or from the recent story in The Commuter about the Eclipse Chasers which she gave interviews for.  What’s the greatest influence you feel you're able to have on students here? Bringing appreciation of science and astronomy to students' everyday lives to make science useful and practical and not just something in a textbook or that smart people do. Also to engage students in the deeper process of scientific exploration.  You have a dual degree in physics and music, how’s that different from dual majoring? Dual majo...

  Source: Netflix  Several of the most recognizable comedians of the past five years appear on a brand-new show on Netflix: “Tires”. Among the established stand up comedians starring in “Tires” are Shane Gillis playing Shane the Manager’s cousin, Stavros Halkias playing Dave the owner’s second-in-command, and Andrew Shulz playing a car salesman. Their involvement in the project especially made me hopeful but also hesitant about this new show - as did its 43% score on rotten tomatoes. As is common among comedians, their standup plays with what is funny and what is offensive. I haven't loved every joke from them. After watching the show, my feelings are unchanged. A lot of the jokes ride the line of using offensive subject matter in an inoffensive way, or making a crude character's behavior the butt of the joke. However, some of the jokes I think are just ill-advised. Shane Gillis, especially in his new special “Beautiful Dogs” on Netflix, has been able to really effectively ca...

Negroni Bianco  Visitors to Lucca Taverna will discover an environment that is sultry with slightly dimmed lights, gentle jazzy music, and accents of gold throughout. The menu is reminding diners that Mediterranean food is more than hummus, with influences from southern France, Italy, and northern Africa. It’s on Madison Avenue just across the street from the waterfront and it’s been open since December 2023. Executive chef and co-owner  Danielle Lewis has been cooking for over 20 years and got a degree in culinary arts from Lane Community College. Her role focuses on menu design, cooking, everything back-of-house. Director of operations and co-owner Evan Deffenbacher’s role focuses on the bar and front-of-house elements. Those unfamiliar with Lucca Taverna would likely recognize Castor, which was opened seven years ago by the same trio of owners. Lewis and Deffenbacher call Lucca a “sister-restaurant” to Castor, which serves Southern-style food with a whiskey bar. Lucca’s atm...