March 9th, 2022 Daily Headlines

Assemblymember Anna Kelles has introduced legislation to provide for stable funding of emergency services. The legislation would assist local municipalities that currently fund their own non-profit EMS. Kelles, who represents Tompkins and part of Cortland counties, said that the current funding model for these programs are unsustainable, and that rural communities in particular suffer from the high cost. Kelles introduced the bill with State Senator Michelle Hinchey of the 46th District.

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Members of the Ithaca Ukrainian community gathered at the Bernie Milton Pavilion on Sunday to protest the invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation. According to the Ithacan, about 80 protesters gathered chanting “slava ukrayini” or “glory to ukraine” a popular phrase since the beginning of the war. The invasion began two weeks ago, and, according to the Washington Post, has displaced over 2 Million people. UNICEF has also reported 27 children have been killed and 42 wounded during the invasion.

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The CDC is no longer recommending masks in any of New York’s 62 counties. According to Syracuse.com the CDC changed its guidelines two weeks ago removing mask advisories for most counties. Initially, masks were still recommended in 11 New York Counties including Tompkins. Since then all 11 have been downgraded to “medium” or “low” risk of COVID-19.

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Yesterday gas prices hit a record high in New York State following an overnight spike. According to WKTV, average gas prices increased to $4.36, the highest level since 2008. Prices have now increased by over 80 cents since last month. On Tuesday President Joe Biden announced the U.S. would move to ban the import of Russian oil suggesting prices could continue to rise. While the U.S. is not as dependent on Russian oil as other European nations, it could still have an impact on U.S. gas prices.