Local News: Ithaca Common Council approves pay deal with Cornell

– Ithaca Common Council approves payment agreement with Cornell University – The Ithaca Common Council voted 9 to 1 on Wednesday night to approve a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Cornell University. Cornell has tax-exempt status. The MOU sets out what the Ivy League university will pay the city in place of property taxes. The…

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Local News: Ithaca Common Council to vote on Cornell MOU tonight

The Ithaca Common Council is set to vote on a negotiated Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Cornell University in a special meeting tonight. I’ll have a report on the results of the vote tomorrow morning. This is a brief recap of what’s at stake.  Cornell has tax-exempt status so it doesn’t have to pay property…

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Local News – Primary Day, June 27, 2023

By now you may have heard about the contentious zoning debate in the town of Caroline south of Ithaca. But, you may not know that it almost led to criminal charges against one resident.  In April, the Tompkins County Democratic Committee (TCDC) accused Peter Hoyt of violating state election law. There’s a video showing him…

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LISTEN – Conversation with Ward 5 Common Council Candidates

This is the last of our series with Common Council primary candidates. Ward 5 candidates are: Michelle Song, Clyde Lederman, Jason Houghton, and Margaret Fabrizio. The Ward includes Cornell Heights and parts of East Hill. Ward 4 candidates are unopposed. Early voting for the Democratic primary starts on Saturday. The series has been supported, in…

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LISTEN: Conversation with Ward 3 Common Council Candidates

WRFI Community Radio and The Ithaca Voice are bringing you conversations with candidates in the 4 contested Common Council primary races. WRFI’s Celia Clarke and Matt Butler Editor-in-Chief of The Ithaca Voice conducted the interview. The Ward Three candidates are: Nathan Sitaraman, Dave Shapiro, and Pierre Saint-Perez. The Ward includes South Hill and Belle Sherman.…

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2022 WRFI Candidate Interviews AUDIO, TRANSCRIPTIONS

New York’s redistricting process remains unresolved. But you can still tune in for WRFI’s live interviews with candidates in the primaries for what may be New York’s 22nd US Congressional District and the 53rd NYS Senate District Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays at 6pm. Hosted by Fred Balfour and George Christopher. Interview Schedule Expand The interviews…

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Ithaca Seeks to Replace Stephen Smith on Common Council

ITHACA, NY — The City of Ithaca is seeking to replace Common Council member Stephen Smith, who suddenly resigned from his elected position on August 8th. Smith represented Ithaca’s 4th ward for the last nine years. His abrupt departure was in order for him to follow his wife to New York City, where she will…

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Tompkins County Considers How to Spend $19.8M in American Rescue Plan Funds

Tompkins County Interim-County Administrator gives a virtual presentation on how Tompkins County could spend American Rescue Plan Funds on the County’s Capital Program (Provided) Tompkins County Legislator Deborah Dawson (Provided) SUMMARY Tompkins County has almost $20 million in American Rescue Plan Funds. The money is meant to get Tompkins County on track to economic recovery…

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