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Local News: September 25, 2023

– Budget for Slope Day more than doubled for 2024 – The Cornell Student Assembly voted to add $400,000 Slope Day budget making it $715,000 for 2024. That’s more than double the current budget. The day is an end-of-school-year celebration on the campus and headlines well-known musicians. The Cornell Daily Sun reports that the bump is partly because of student complaints about last year’s line-up and the rising cost of booking star talent. – Reinventing Public Safety initiatives move forward in Enfield and Groton – Tompkins County’s Reinventing Public Safety plans are moving forward. The county opened two Community Resource Hubs in Enfield and Groton. The hubs are staffed and open two hours…

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LISTEN: Memories of Lost Cat, Gavin Mahoney

By Celia Clarke

The Ithaca artist known as Lost Cat died in April. His name was Gavin Mahoney and he was 55. Mahoney was best known for the many stick cat figures he painted around the city. Shortly after his death friends, admirers, and fellow artists put on a memorial art exhibition. And in July, a sculpture was installed downtown in his memory. I spoke with a few of his friends at both events. Here’s some of what they said about Mahoney’s life and how they will remember him.

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LISTEN: Interview with Dareth Glance, New York Department of Environmental Conservation Director, Region 7

By Celia Clarke

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation divides the state into nine regions. Dereth Glance is the new Region 7 Director. It covers Onondaga, Tompkins, Cortland, Chenango, Oswego, Madison, Cayuga, Tioga, and Broome counties. Glance most recently oversaw the DEC Environmental Remediation, Materials Management, and Mineral Resources divisions. Before joining the DEC, she served…

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CREATIVES: Quintron and Miss Pussycat [AUDIO]

By Felix Teitelbaum

Felix Teitelbaum interviews New Orleans-based artists Quintron and Missy Pussycat on August 24, 2023. They’ll be appearing in Ithaca at the Cherry Arts, Sept. 11. The show is a benefit for WRFI. You can learn more about the duo and get tickets to the show here.

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This Week on The Scene: Desiree LeClercq on the Battle for Workplace Democracy at Starbucks

By Chantal Thomas

In this week’s episode of The Scene, international labor law expert Desiree LeClercq breaks down the 2023 National Labor Relations Board proceeding that held three Ithaca store closures by Starbucks to be in violation of federal protections for organizing workers, and discusses the larger contexts in national and international worker rights.

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Coronavirus Update, August 31, 2020

By WRFI News Staff | August 31, 2020 | Comments Off on Coronavirus Update, August 31, 2020

On Friday it was announced that Cornell has seen its first cluster of COVID-19 cases as a result of people not following social distance or mask-wearing protocols at several small social gatherings. According to the Cornell Daily Sun, the Tompkins County Health Department identified a nine-person cluster in this instance. Generally, a COVID-19 cluster is…

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Coronavirus Update, August 28, 2020

By WRFI News Staff | August 28, 2020 | Comments Off on Coronavirus Update, August 28, 2020

The Tompkins County Health Department announced yesterday that a TCAT customer who rode the Route 30 bus on Wednesday has tested positive for COVID-19. Anyone who rode the outbound Route 30 bus on Wednesday, August 26, between 11:51 a.m. to 12:26 p.m., or inbound from 2:28 p.m. to 2:51 p.m. to Seneca Street station, should…

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Coronavirus Update, August 27, 2020

By WRFI News Staff | August 27, 2020 | Comments Off on Coronavirus Update, August 27, 2020

As Cornell students move into their living spaces amid the COVID-19 pandemic, those coming from states on the New York quarantine list must stay in their apartments for a period of 14 days.  Because Cornell is supplying food only to students living in on- campus housing, students living off campus have to find a way…

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Coronavirus Update, August 26, 2020

By WRFI News Staff | August 26, 2020 | Comments Off on Coronavirus Update, August 26, 2020

During their regular meeting Tuesday night, the Ithaca City School District Board of Education approved the expenditure of $1.2 million dollars to enhance buildings for reopening schools during the pandemic. The Ithaca Voice reports over $300,000 will go towards repairing deficient or outdated HVAC and air filter systems to strengthen airflow and combat the spread…

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