February 7th, 2022 Daily Headlines

On Saturday, Former Democratic State Assembly Member Sam Roberts, announced he was running for Congress in New York’s new 22nd district. Roberts' announcement came just 2 days after Governor Kathy Hochul approved the state's new congressional map for the next 10 years. The new 22nd district is deeply Democratic running from Ithaca all the way up to Syracuse. Roberts represented parts of Syracuse in the state Assembly till 2015. 

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On Wednesday, outgoing Ithaca Mayor Svante Myrick was awarded a ceremonial “key to the city” during the mayor’s final common council meeting. According to the Ithaca Voice, Myrick is the longest serving Mayor in Ithaca’s history. Myrick’s resignation became official yesterday, with Acting Mayor Laura Lewis taking the position effective today. Lewis will hold the position until a special election can be held later this year to fill the remainder of the term. Myrick’s term concludes at the end of 2023. 

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On Thursday, a Swastika was discovered, drawn in condensation, on Ithaca College’s campus. According to the Ithacan, the drawing was discovered on the Baker Hallway connecting the Whalen School of Music to the Towers Parking lot. The incident drew a response from Interim President La Jerne Cornish who condemned the act in a campus-wide email saying the incident was under investigation. Hillel at Ithaca College also condemned the act. Ithaca had a similar incident back in 2019 when swastikas were discovered drawn on dorm room doors.  

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Yesterday, Governor Kathy Hochul announced New York state’s COVID infection rate has fallen to 3.5 percent. According to Spectrum News, this is the lowest infection rate since Omicron was declared a “variant of concern” by World Health officials. Statewide hospitalizations also fell by over 600 over the weekend. The governor said she was “proud of the work New Yorkers have put in to fight this winter surge.”