WRFI Community Radio News
Egyptian Singer and Human Rights Advocate Ramy Essam, Off the Couch
Ramy Essam was on the Cornell Campus for two events on Monday, February 18. He addressed his life as a musician and activist for human rights and freedom of expression, about current events in Egypt and more and then he gave a live performance at Barnes Hall. The event was co-sponsored by the Cornell Deptartment…
Read MoreJohnny Dowd on his 24th Album: “Family Picnic.”
Johnny Dowd returns to his roots and reinvents himself (again) for 24th Album: Family Picnic on Mother Jinx Records. With Felix Teitelbaum for WRFI Community Radio. Originally aired Off the Couch (Fridays at 5pm) on WRFI 2019.03.01 All music © Johnny Dowd, Mother Jinx Records. If you are the rights holder and believe material has…
Read MoreHiring: WRFI News Director – Apply by April 15, 2019
Hiring: WRFI News Director (Part-Time) WRFI is seeking to hire a part-time news director who will oversee and develop news programming at the station and who will train and direct volunteers and interns within the news department. The station is also currently accepting proposals for news content collaborations. While this is a temporary hire to…
Read MoreIthaca pastor responds to United Methodist Church decision to maintain same sex marriage ban [AUDIO]
Retired Methodist pastor Rebecca Dolch served as a pastor for decades in Ithaca, including at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, and at Forest Home Chapel Methodist Church. They are both “reconciling churches,” which means they’re inclusive of all sorts of people. Here, Rebecca Dolch speaks with WRFI’s Laura Rosbrow-Telem about a recent United Methodist Church…
Read More“Bogdan’s Journey” explores a man’s quest to heal a community.
Larry Loewinger, co-director of the documentary film, “Bogdan’s Journey”, talks about how the eponymous character tried to help the residents of his home city, Kielce, Poland, come to terms with the violent pogrom that occurred there over 70 years ago. Loewinger was invited to Ithaca to speak about the film by Cornell’s Jewish Studies Program.This…
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 MoreCan standardized testing improve teachers? [AUDIO]
A bill detaching students’ scores on state exams from the way teachers are assessed for hiring and promotion passed the state legislature in January. This is a huge reversal in state policy — from emphasizing state tests in teacher evaluations to now, almost doing away with them. In this report by WRFI’s John Yoon, teachers…
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…
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