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Local News: April 19, 2024

Case Against Day Hall Protestors Conditionally Dismissed A case against Cornell student and staff protestors will likely be dismissed. Twenty-four members of the Coalition for Mutual Liberation who staged a sit in at Day Hall in March appeared before Judge Seth Peacock Wednesday. The charges will be dropped  provided the defendants don’t commit further violations in the next month. According to the Ithaca Voice, Lance Salisbury of the Tompkins County DA’s offce described the group as “people engaging in peaceful dissent, trying to exercise their first amendment rights.” HWS Professor Suspended Over Comments A professor at Hobart and Willam Smith Colleges has been suspended for comments about Hammas’ October 7 attack on Israel.…

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Local Activists Establish Mutual Aid Tompkins [AUDIO]

By Esther Racoosin

Juliana Garcia and Josh Dolan, two of the organizers of the Tompkins COVID-19 Mutual Aid Response Facebook Group, discuss what they and other activists are doing to assist local residents during the COVID-19 pandemic. They describe components of the Facebook Group and encourage folks to join whether they need assistance or would like to provide…

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The Animal Itself: Interview with Ithaca storyteller Jay Leeming [AUDIO]

By WRFI News Staff

WRFI’s Roger Smith interviews Ithaca storyteller and poet Jay Leeming, who talks about his career in the arts and why stories are like wild animals. Leeming also gives a sample of his performance style with an excerpt from the ancient Mesopotamian epic of Gilgamesh. Interview first aired on WRFI’s “Your Morning,” March 13, 2020. Jay…

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GIAC hosts 2020 Martin Luther King Jr. Community Breakfast [AUDIO]

By JT Stone

The Greater Ithaca Activities Center hosted its annual Martin Luther King Jr. community breakfast on Saturday, Jan. 18. Gathered in the Beverly J. Martin Elementary School gymnasium, community members enjoyed a meal, musical performances and guest speakers, primarily focusing on the themes of empowerment and racial justice. Photo and reporting by WRFI news contributor J.T.…

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Diane Morton, President of Cayuga Bird Club, talks about the 2020 Christmas Bird Count

By Esther Racoosin

Diane Morton, President of the Cayuga Bird Club, talks about the 2020 Christmas Bird Count.  Starting in the wee hours of New Year’s Day, volunteer birders will venture out to count birds in a 15 mile diameter area around Tompkins County.  This will be the 58th year that the local birding club will take part…

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Local News: April 19, 2024

By Felix Teitelbaum | April 19, 2024 |

Case Against Day Hall Protestors Conditionally Dismissed A case against Cornell student and staff protestors will likely be dismissed. Twenty-four members of the Coalition for Mutual Liberation who staged a sit in at Day Hall in March appeared before Judge Seth Peacock Wednesday. The charges will be dropped  provided the defendants don’t commit further violations…

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Local News: April 17, 2024

By Felix Teitelbaum | April 17, 2024 | Comments Off on Local News: April 17, 2024

ICSD Board Cuts Proposed Budget Ahead of May 21 Vote The Ithaca City School Board has made cuts to their proposed budget. According to the Ithaca Times, the adjustment was made after a 5-hour meeting with the public. Board members heard from a range of homeowners who spoke to the effect of rising taxes on…

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Local News: April 16, 2024

By Felix Teitelbaum | April 16, 2024 | Comments Off on Local News: April 16, 2024

Graduate students at Cornell are pushing the administration to act more quickly in negotiations with their union. According to the Ithaca Voice, last week about 200 graduate students rallied at Day Hall. Organizer Sadie Seddon-Stettler said that the university isn’t making contract negotiation a priority. The union maintains a dashboard showing the status of various…

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Local News April 15, 2024

By Felix Teitelbaum | April 15, 2024 | Comments Off on Local News April 15, 2024

Competing rallies were held at Cornell Sunday. One was billed as a “Jewish Unity” rally and featured speakers who decried what they say is a rise in antisemitism at Cornell and across the country. The other was organized by the Coalition for Mutual Liberation whose demands include that Cornell divest from what they call genocide…

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