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Local News: May 2, 2024

Ithaca Passes Short Term Rental Ordinance, Green New Deal Plan- Ithaca’s Common Council passed to major resolutions at its regular meeting Wednesday night. The first enacts a long-discussed short term rental ordinance. Under the new regulation, a permit is required to operate a short term rental. A “short term rental” is defined as one for fewer than 30 days. Only owners or long-term lease holders would be granted the permits. Permit holders must live in the building at least 184 days per year. Short term rentals are allowed only in one- and two-family homes and owner-occupied apartments. The other resolution Common Council passed Wednesday is called Justice50. It lays out a plan to…

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COVID and Vaccine Town Hall Meeting, Wednesday, January 6, 4-5pm

By Felix Teitelbaum

Join Tompkins County Officials and Cayuga Health System CEO Dr. Martin Stallone for a virtual COVID-19 Town Hall on Wednesday, January 6 at 4:00pm. The meeting will be broadcast on WRFI and streamed live to YouTube. Members of the public can submit questions for the panelists by emailing Dominick Recckio, Tompkins County Communications Director at drecckio@tompkins-co.org,…

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Environmental Groups Report that NYS Municipalities May Be Using Oil and Gas Liquid Waste For Road Deicing

By Esther Racoosin

Three environmental groups:  NYPIRG, Earthworks and Food and Water Watch, have published an analysis showing that some municipalities in New York State have been granted permits to use liquid waste from gas and oil operations for deicing roads. Liz Moran, Environmental Policy Director for the New York Public Interest Research Group, or NYPIRG, discusses their…

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Help WRFI Get a Strong Start for 2021

By Felix Teitelbaum

2020 has been a rough year, and your small but mighty community station has been here with with you every step of the way. Please join our year-end campaign and help us raise $17,000 so we can take on 2021. Every little bit helps deliver more great local programming emphasizing inclusion, justice, and truth. When…

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Area Congregations Together Hosts 2020 Virtual Thanksgiving Service

By Esther Racoosin

  On November 22, 2020, Area Congregations Together, also known as ACT, hosted a virtual Thanksgiving Service.  Suzanne Scholten, one of the organizers of the service, talks about how ACT decided on the theme for this year’s event, “Finding gratitude in hard times: What I learned from the impacts and challenges of Covid-19, economic crisis,…

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Local News: May 2, 2024

By Felix Teitelbaum | May 2, 2024 |

Ithaca Passes Short Term Rental Ordinance, Green New Deal Plan- Ithaca’s Common Council passed to major resolutions at its regular meeting Wednesday night. The first enacts a long-discussed short term rental ordinance. Under the new regulation, a permit is required to operate a short term rental. A “short term rental” is defined as one for…

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Local News: May 1, 2024

By Felix Teitelbaum | May 1, 2024 | Comments Off on Local News: May 1, 2024

Cornell Professors Condemn Student Suspensions On Tuesday, more than 325 Cornell professors signed an open letter condemning the University’s suspension of four students. The students were suspended for their role in the pro-Palestinian encampment on Cornell’s campus. The letter calls the suspensions “unwarranted and excessive.”  Meanwhile suspended undergraduate protestor Nick Wilson rejected a deal from…

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Local News: April 30, 2024

By Felix Teitelbaum | April 30, 2024 | Comments Off on Local News: April 30, 2024

Chemung Sheriff’s Office Gets Boost for Door Breach Training The Chemung County Sheriff’s office has a new training tool. WETM reports that the Elmira-based manufacturer the Hilliard Corporation donated a reinforced door to the Sheriff’s Special Services Unit. The door will be used in training deputies in breaching locked, reinforced doors. The technique is used…

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Local News: April 29, 2024

By Felix Teitelbaum | April 29, 2024 | Comments Off on Local News: April 29, 2024

More Suspensions for Cornell Protestors- The student encampment at Cornell remains in place. On Friday four students were temporarily suspended for their participation in the self-described “Liberation Zone.” According to the Ithaca Voice, Cornell administration announced Saturday that more students would be suspended and that referrals to human resources  are being made for staff and…

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