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Station News and Events
Here are the latest announcements and opportunities to get involved in WRFI, follow along with us on this journey of serving Ithaca and Watkins Glen with community radio. We love hearing from you! Contact us anytime.
WRFI Community Radio is on the air thanks to the support of our listeners, like Gail & Naoki Sakai, Suzanne & Lynn McMannis, Esther Racoosin, Karl Madeo who gave in memory of Fred Madeo, and Sandra Repp. To learn how you can join them in keeping our local independent community radio station on the air,…
Read MoreLast month we managed to raise $6944 from 104 donors! Many thanks to all the volunteers who helped get our letter printed and into the mail on time, as well as those volunteers who modeled our new T-shirt design around town during the Ithaca Festival and beyond — we are working on getting shirts printed…
Read MoreWRFI is holding our spring fundraising campaign and we have limited-edition vintage pirate radio logo t-shirts available to donors who contribute of $60 or more. These shirts were designed by the Radio Free Ithaca pirate radio station in the early 1980’s. These shirts are one-of-a-kind, printed on high-quality made-in-USA American Apparel t-shirts and produced locally…
Read MoreLatest from the WRFI News Team
Daily features and interviews from our community
Local News for Tuesday, March 21, 2023
New Proposal Filed to Expand Ithaca’s Learning Farm The Learning Farm in Ithaca is planning to expand. The organization filed documents with the town’s planning board for a kitchen facility, guest housing, parking areas, and walkways. A proposed second phase would include a welcome center and a juicing and bottling building. According to the Ithaca…
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Local News for Monday, March 20, 2023
Cornell Hosts Debate on Urgency of Climate Crisis Cornell hosted a debate Friday on the urgency of reducing climate warming pollution. Professor Robert Socolow of Princeton argued that “climate science compels us to make rapid and large reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.” Professor Steven Koonin of New York University argued that it doesn’t. Both are…
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Local News for Thursday, March 16, 2023
New Law Enforcement Pilot Program to Start in Tompkins County A new program to divert people away from incarceration will start in Tompkins County later this year. The pilot program is a partnership between the Tompkins County Sheriff’s Department and Tompkins Whole Health. It will pair a licensed clinical therapist and a specially-trained sheriff’s deputy…
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Local News for Wednesday, March 15, 2023
Seneca Lake Fish Contaminated Thanks to a Freedom of Information Act or FOIA filing, a 2020 report from the New York DEC has come to light showing that Seneca Lake fish are highly contaminated with PFAS chemicals. According to environmental reporter Peter Manius, the samples of lake trout and yellow perch contain hundreds of times…
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Local News for Tuesday, March 14, 2023
New York Governor Declares Emergency for Storm Governor Kathy Hochul has declared a state of emergency for today’s winter storm. All five regions of New York State, including the Hudson Valley and Finger Lakes, are expected to receive heavy snowfall and high winds. Utility companies are prepared for widespread power outages from possible downed trees…
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Local News for Monday, March 13, 2023
New Bus Hub Sought for Tompkins County Officials from Ithaca and Tompkins County are working with the Downtown Ithaca Alliance to find a new location for an intercity bus hub. Since the bus depot in the West End shut down in 2018, intercity buses have regularly stopped at either the Seneca Street area outside Starbucks…
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