Posts by Fred Balfour
Watkins Glen Citizens Concerned on Clute Park Development (Audio)
Schuyler County and the village of Watkins Glen are proceeding on long-planned redevelopment of Clute Park at the foot of Seneca Lake. Some village residents are concerned about disturbing the natural beauty of 100-year-old park and why they were not aware of the planned changes. Fred Balfour interviews one Watkins Glen resident and a county…
Read MoreCongressman Tom Reed – Town Halls: February 2019 (Audio)
Congressman Tom Reed (NY 23rd District) has started holding more frequent town halls around the district since his serious challenge three months ago from Tracy Mitrano of Penn Yann. On Saturday February 23, 2019, he met with about 50 attendees in Owego (Tioga County) and 60 attendees in Groton (Tompkins County). Attendees raised 14 major…
Read MoreKitchen Table Conversations: Schools As the Glue in a Community (Audio)
And now for another episode in WRFI’s occasional series: Kitchen Table Conversations. Small towns and villages are watching a slow decline in the number of community organizations —main line churches, Kiwanis and Rotary Clubs, little league teams, volunteer groups, and locally owned businesses. Ithaca resident Walter Peck recently retired from 30 years of teaching high…
Read MoreTwo Ithacans Raise $12,500 to Forgive over $1.5 Million in Family Medical Debt (AUDIO)
During the summer of 2018, two Ithacans, members of the Finger Lakes Chapter of the New York Health Campaign, raised $12,500 to forgive and erase over $1.5 million in medical debt held by low-income families. They worked through RIP Medical Debt (Medical Debt Resolution, Inc.), a not for profit corporation that locates, buys, and forgives…
Read MoreEconomic Development – When People Matter – A 30-Year Project Restoring a City for Its Citizens (audio)
Forty years ago, Burlington Vermont was a tired and rundown old industrial city with vacant storefronts, a high unemployment rate and a rapidly shrinking industrial base. Today, Burlington’s unemployment rate is among the lowest in 372 metropolitan areas. Its foreclosure rate hovers around zero. It has a thriving arts and cultural program with over 100 annual…
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