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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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Daily features and interviews from our community

Celebrating The International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples

By WRFI News Staff | August 9, 2013 | Comments Off on Celebrating The International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples

Friday August 9th marks the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, first proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in 1994. This year’s focus is “Indigenous peoples building alliances: Honouring treaties, agreements and other constructive arrangements.” According to the United Nations the goal of this year’s theme is to quote: “highlight the importance of…

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Livable Wage Working Group: Livable Wage for Contracted Workers “beyond the County’s immediate reach.”

By admin | August 9, 2013 | Comments Off on Livable Wage Working Group: Livable Wage for Contracted Workers “beyond the County’s immediate reach.”

The group reviewing Tompkins County‘s Livable Wage policy says that it’s still too expensive to pay a living wage to all of Tompkins County’s Contracted workers. The working group’s report indicates that quote, “the cost to bring all contracted employees to the living wage is estimated to range from $1 to $2 million, the equivalent…

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Flooding Reported in Tompkins County Thursday Night

By WRFI News Staff | August 9, 2013 | Comments Off on Flooding Reported in Tompkins County Thursday Night

Last night’s storms caused serious flooding on Tompkins county‘s roads, and more rain is expected to follow into the weekend. WCHU radio reported that last night, several people were trapped on top of their cars after a wal-mart parking lot flooded in Cortlandville. A bridge near Harvey hill Road in Enfield was washed out, and…

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Pew Research Poll: 68 percent of Americans support media’s watchdog role, up 10% from 2011; newspapers decline as major news source; internet news sleuths more skeptical of traditionally dominant media

By admin | August 9, 2013 | Comments Off on Pew Research Poll: 68 percent of Americans support media’s watchdog role, up 10% from 2011; newspapers decline as major news source; internet news sleuths more skeptical of traditionally dominant media

A new poll from the Pew Research center released today indicates that 68 percent of Americans say press criticism of political leaders keeps them from doing things that should not be done, while just 21 percent say press criticism keeps leaders from doing their job.  Support for the media’s watchdog role has risen 10 points…

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