Features
LISTEN: 2023 Ithaca Common Council Candidate Interviews
2023 Ithaca Common Council Election Coverage For the first time in 10 years, Voters in the City of Ithaca have the chance to elect a new mayor and the entire Common Council. WRFI and the Ithaca Voice have teamed up to bring you a week of interviews with Common Council candidates before the primary. Tune…
Read MoreAir Quality Worsens Across The Finger Lakes
The effects of Canadian wildfires are getting worse in our area. For a third day, the state Department of Environmental Conservation has issued an air quality warning. And they now say the air is unhealthy for everyone. The state health department is encouraging all of us to avoid spending much time outdoors. And it’s asking…
Read MoreVoices: Ithaca CarShare Members on Life without Car Access
It’s been over a week since Ithaca CarShare temporarily closed. The nonprofit stopped operating on May 19 because of an insurance problem that can only be solved with new state legislation. I called Ithaca CarShare members – Ellie Santoro, Jayne Soulman, and Marybeth Michelson-Theiry to find out how not having access to the car share…
Read MoreINTERVIEW – Liz Field, Ithaca CarShare
Ithaca CarShare is closing down today. They intend for this to be a pause but they are facing insurance problems that can only be solved by the state legislature. I spoke with Executive Director Liz Field about the situation, how it’s affecting their members, and what comes next. We talked on the day before the…
Read MoreINTERVIEW: Assemblyperson Anna Kelles discusses Ithaca CarShare problems and solutions
Earlier this week, Ithaca CarShare announced it will be suspending its operations on May 19. The reason is that they are losing their insurance because of a regulatory issue unique to New York State. Assemblyperson Anna Kelles introduced legislation to remedy the problem. She spoke with me about the situation, the legislation and possible fate…
Read MoreHistory Center Exhibit Tells How Tompkins County Women Changed the World
Zoe Van Nostrand, the Marketing & Visitor Experience Coordinator at the History Center in Tompkins County, talks about the new exhibit on display at the museum, “Breaking Barriers: Women’s Lives and Livelihoods”. Listeners will also hear from Claire Deng, a Cornell undergraduate and student intern working on the exhibit. Breaking Barriers is on display until…
Read MoreOpen Doors English Language Program Welcomes Students
Open Doors English, the Julie Rudd Coulombe Language Program, is celebrating the beginning of its second year. Liz Susmann, co-director of the program, talks about her school and how it moved rapidly to remote learning at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Listeners will also hear from Jose, a dairy worker from Guatemala, who talks…
Read MoreThe Cherry Arts Presents the Headphone Walking Play, “Trap Door”
WRFI Community Radio News contributor Esther Racoosin speaks with Cynthia Henderson and Lyrae Van Clief-Stefanon. They are the director and lead writer, respectively, of the Cherry Arts new headphone walking play, “Trap Door”. Participants will be able to contemplate and meditate on the experiences of local African American freedom fighters as they listen to the…
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