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Ithaca Starts Clean Up of Homeless Encampment City workers have begun to clean up a former homeless encampment in Ithaca’s West End. The clean up was ordered by the Tompkins Environmental Health in early April. According to the Ithaca Voice, work began at the site last week. The small triangular parcel is bordered by train tracks and by Six Mile Creek and is visible from the Taber St bridge. In December, Common Countil adopted a one-year pilot program aimed at providing basic services for unhoused people living in a prescribed encampment zone. The area being clieaned up is not part of that sanctioned zone. Until the cleanup, ten people had been living in…
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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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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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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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
Ithaca Starts Clean Up of Homeless Encampment City workers have begun to clean up a former homeless encampment in Ithaca’s West End. The clean up was ordered by the Tompkins Environmental Health in early April. According to the Ithaca Voice, work began at the site last week. The small triangular parcel is bordered by train…
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Ithaca City School District Election Roundup The district-wide Ithaca City School District election is coming up on May 21. Eligible voters in the district will vote on three ballot measures and for candidates for three seats on the school board. The first measure is a vote on the district’s proposed $169 million budget. It will…
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Coalition Pushes for “Just Cause” Employment in Ithaca The campaign for “just cause” employment legislation in Ithaca continues. According to the Cornell Sun, the Ithaca Just Cause Coalition has been pushing Common Council to adopt their proposal and a working group on the matter is being formed. The coalition includes unions, nonprofits and businesses. The…
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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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