Headlines

– Cornell issues comments about ongoing protests, Congress sends second letter – Cornell President Martha Pollack and Provost Michael Kotlikoff remain critical of ongoing protests on Cornell’s campus. In an op-ed in The Cornell Daily Sun, they say the protests are disrupting university activities. They say there should be “a robust campus discussion about what…

– Tompkins County may pay for a support specialist for tenants of a private developer – Tompkins County is considering hiring a specialist to help people transition from homelessness into properties owned by the Vecino Group. That’s the Missouri-based company that owns Ithaca ArtHaus and the soon-to-open Asteri on Green Street. The Ithaca Voice reports…

– State DOT to hold info session about upcoming road work in Ithaca – Residents in Tompkins County learn about some upcoming state road repairs on April 3. The State Department of Transportation is holding an information and feedback session about work it will be doing on State Routes 13/34/96 in the City of Ithaca.…

– The Town of Caroline approves its first zoning law – The Caroline Town Board approved its first comprehensive zoning law by a vote of 3-1 during its meeting last Wednesday. WSKG Public Radio reports the decision comes after about four years of sometimes contentious community debate. The law was designed to limit development and…

– State Senate passes bill banning permits for new gas extraction method – The New York State Senate voted to ban permits for natural gas extraction using carbon dioxide. The bill was introduced by Senator Lea Webb of the 52nd district which includes Binghamton and Ithaca. It came after a Texas-based company, Southern Tier Solutions…

– Early voting for presidential primaries has begun – Early voting in New York’s presidential primaries began this past Saturday. Tompkins County has two early voting sites. They are in the Town of Ithaca town hall on Tioga Street in downtown Ithaca and the Finger Lakes Library System building on Dryden Road in Ithaca. To…

A new report says wage growth in Ithaca is the slowest among 30 similar college towns. Peter Meyers of the Tompkins County Workers Center told WHCU the report highlights what he called a “perfect storm of worker suffering.” Ithaca’s wage growth between 2017 and 2022 was just 16.9%. The top wage growth reported by the…

Overdose deaths and emergencies in Tompkins County continue to rise. According to data from Tompkins Whole Health the number of deaths has increased every year since 2019. The annual number of 911 calls related to overdose or poisoning has also trended upward. The ongoing impacts of COVID-19 and the increased presence of fentanyl and xylazine…