Local News for Tuesday, February 21st, 2023

According to a report by AARP, New York’s elder care facilities are routinely going uninspected. the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program is responsible for inspecting nursing homes and assisted living facilities to safeguard against abuse and neglect. The report says the oversight office has regularly failed to check on elderly residents in the state. The report revealed that just over half of long-term care facilities did not receive a single visit from an inspector from April through June of 2022. Less than 10 percent received a weekly visit from a staff member or volunteer affiliated with the program. Critics have pointed to a lack of funding for the program and resulting staffing issues. According to the Times Union, reports of abuse and neglect across some facilities are increasing. 

Despite reports that Lansing’s Regal Cinema would soon close, the theater has remained open. In September, Regal’s parent company Cineworld filed for bankruptcy, announcing it would close more than 50 theaters across the country—including the Lansing location. According to the Ithaca Times, the company's management has now said there are no current plans to close the theater, and they hope to keep it open. Without Regal, Ithaca’s movie theater count would drop to only two: Cornell Cinema and Cinemapolis. Unlike Regal, which plays mainstream films and blockbusters, the two remaining theaters play mostly indie, foreign, local films.

The Cornell Daily Sun reports an intruder was found in a Cornell dorm room on Thursday. The scare has since prompted an investigation by university police. The trespasser was discovered  in Court-Kay-Bauer Hall by a student resident who awoke to find the person hiding under their bed. The intruder reportedly stared at them for a few seconds before fleeing the room. The dorm’s residents have since taken extra safety precautions, including locking their doors and cracking down on non-residents “piggybacking,” entry.