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Local News: April 26, 2024

Adjustments Expected to Ithaca Water Bills Ithaca property owners may face unexpected water bills starting this year. The city has relied on equipment to remotely read water meters since 2005. However, batteries in the equipment started to fail during the pandemic and were never replaced. This means that many bills have been based on estimated water use. Now that the city has started to replace the equipment, bills based on actual usage can be issued. Many accounts may have been underbilled and some overbilled. Customers who’ve overpaid will be reimbursed. According to the Ithaca Voice, Common Council is looking at a plan to place a $1,000 cap on back charges to customers who…

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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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Local News: April 26, 2024

By Felix Teitelbaum | April 26, 2024 |

Adjustments Expected to Ithaca Water Bills Ithaca property owners may face unexpected water bills starting this year. The city has relied on equipment to remotely read water meters since 2005. However, batteries in the equipment started to fail during the pandemic and were never replaced. This means that many bills have been based on estimated…

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Student Protestors Occupy Cornell’s Arts Quad (Local News: April 25, 2024)

By Felix Teitelbaum | April 25, 2024 | Comments Off on Student Protestors Occupy Cornell’s Arts Quad (Local News: April 25, 2024)

Student Protestors Occupy Cornell’s Arts Quad- Activists at Cornell set up an encampment Thursday morning in the university’s arts quad. The Coalition for Mutual Liberation (or CML) called the encampment a “liberated zone” meant to further pressure Cornell to divest from what they call the university’s complicity in genocide in Gaza.  Malak, a fourth year…

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Local News: April 24, 2024

By Felix Teitelbaum | April 24, 2024 | Comments Off on Local News: April 24, 2024

Pilot Program in Tompkins Adds Emergency Responders- Emergency response times in Tompkins County should be getting shorter. State Senator Lea Webb was in Ithaca Tuesday to announce additional state funding for the county’s Rapid Medical Response program. The two-year pilot program operates three emergency response vehicles and employs nine EMTs. According to Webb, emergency response…

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Local News: April 23, 2024

By Felix Teitelbaum | April 23, 2024 | Comments Off on Local News: April 23, 2024

Cornell Undergrad Vote Supports Gaza Ceasefire, Divestment- Last week Cornell undergraduate voted in a referendum polling their views on a ceasefire in Gaza and divestment from 10 military contractors supplying Israel. According to the Cornell Sun, nearly 50% of eligible students voted. And votes for a ceasefire and divestment outweighed those against by nearly two…

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