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The New York Working Families Party has endorsed Tiffany Kumar for Ithaca’s Fourth Ward Common Council seat. The party touted Kumar’s work with the Ithaca Tenants Union, and her support for a $15 minimum wage for student workers. Kumar is challenging Incumbent councilor Patrick Mehler in the Democratic primary. Mehler was appointed to the council…
Read MoreThe Tompkins County Health Department has issued COVID-19 precautions ahead of the holiday weekend. Residents are encouraged to wear high quality masks like KN-95s when around those who are ill, are not vaccinated, immunocompromised, at high risk of severe illness, or are on public transit. Residents are also urged to get tested if experiencing COVID…
Read MoreWRFI is your hyper-local, community news source for Tompkins and Schuyler counties. George Christopher, Lucas Santiago, and Felix Teitelbaum report.
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While the most ambitions Reimagination of Public Safety in New York might be happening in Ithaca, the surrounding college’s police and safety departments will be continuing as they were. This Episode of Which Way Forward is all about that dynamic. This story comes to us from Ithaca Park Scholars Maia Noah and Lauren Leone. The…
In this Episode of Which Way Forward, we hear from a student activist and professor from Ithaca College reflect on a year since Black Lives Matter protests swept across the United States. This piece comes to us from Ithaca College Park Scholars Jess Moskowitz and Syd Pierre. The music in this piece is from BlueDotSession.…
On this episode of Which Way Forward, we explore many, many opinions and views on the Reimagining Public Safety process. All these comments and thoughts are from the public feedback period of the Reimagining Public Safety Draft Report. This ranged from early February 2021, to March 31st 2021. In that fast-moving span of time, community…
On April 1st, Ithaca and Tompkins County submitted their plans for reforming public safety. Although the Common Council and the County Legislature have committed to the points of their plans, they still have a long way to go before they’re realized. The recommendations don’t have the mechanics and power of policy behind them yet, and…
This is the last episode of part one of the Which Way Forward: Redefining Public Safety series. WRFI News Contributor Fred Balfour lays out how Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Executive Order for every municipality with a police department to reimagine its public safety practices will play out in Tompkins County. Ithaca Voice intern James Baratta walks…