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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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Youth Farm Project Celebrates Earth Week with Greta Garrison of the Youth Radio Project

By Felix Teitelbaum

Youth Farm Project participants Stella Sapp-Dietrich and Etienne Exantus and Ray Hage Assistant Director of Cornell’s Science & Technology Entry Program (STEP) with Greta Garrison of the Youth Radio Project on WRFI.

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CREATIVES: New Voices Literary Festival Preview with Raul Palma [AUDIO]

By Felix Teitelbaum

Listen to author Raul Palma in conversation with student organizers April Morales, Emily Trage, Riley Rhoder and Professor Jacob White. The 2024 New Voices Festival runs from April 24-26 at Ithaca College and in your community.  

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Tune in, Turn on, and Take Part! Join Us for WRFI’s Spring “Fun” Drive and Be Part of this Community-Powered Radio Revolution!

By Felix Teitelbaum

What does community radio mean to you? We think this commercial-free, free-form, independent station helps make our listeners lives-and life in our communities-just a little better. We strive to make programing that opens ears, opens hearts, and leads us to ask important questions about our world. Even if it’s just to ask yourself, “What in…

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LISTEN: Freedom of Expression at Cornell – Academic freedom

By Celia Clarke

This is the last of my three stories about freedom of expression at Cornell University this year. Here are links to the first and second stories. The academic theme at Cornell this year is “Freedom of Expression.”  In earlier stories, we reported about the general mood at Cornell around free speech, and students’ opinions about…

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Latest from the WRFI News Team

Daily features and interviews from our community

County Administrator, Jason Molino, Talks One Year of COVID-19

By WRFI News Staff | March 19, 2021 | Comments Off on County Administrator, Jason Molino, Talks One Year of COVID-19

Jason Molino, Tompkins County’s Administrator, released a letter to the community to mark a year since the COVID-19 pandemic began to affect life in Tompkins County.  He sat down with WRFI News Director Jimmy Jordan to talk about that letter

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Q: How can a Youth Ice Hockey League Play During a Pandemic? (A: Their Parents)

By Jimmy Jordan | March 19, 2021 | Comments Off on Q: How can a Youth Ice Hockey League Play During a Pandemic? (A: Their Parents)

Pamela Tan is both a member on WRFI’s news team, and also volunteers with her son’s youth hockey team. Everything from grocery shopping to the way we see our families has been affected by COVID. Hockey is no exception.

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Back the Blue Rally Calls for Rejection of Police Reform Plan, Met with Counter-Protests

By WRFI News Staff | March 15, 2021 | Comments Off on Back the Blue Rally Calls for Rejection of Police Reform Plan, Met with Counter-Protests

A “Back the Blue” rally held on Sunday, on the Ithaca Commons. Ralliers were there criticizing in full the Reimagining Public Safety Draft Report from the City of Ithaca, and Tompkins County.  But the afternoon’s affair was met with anti-racist counter-protestors. The Back the Blue rally was organized by Rocco Lucente Jr.. He stood on…

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Domestic Violence During COVID-19

By WRFI News Staff | March 12, 2021 | Comments Off on Domestic Violence During COVID-19

While domestic violence has always been a serious societal issue, the challenges survivors face in seeking help have changed, and in many ways increased, since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Organizations such as the Tompkins County Advocacy Center have adapted in how they offer services to survivors and have gained new approaches in how…

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