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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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Tompkins Food Future: Development of a Food Systems Plan in Tompkins County

By Esther Racoosin | March 12, 2021 | Comments Off on Tompkins Food Future: Development of a Food Systems Plan in Tompkins County

Katie Hallas, the Coordinator of the Community Food System Plan, discusses Tompkins Food Future.  This project will create a local food system whereby sustainable, equitable healthy and affordable food is available for all members of our community. For more information, visit http://www.tompkinsfoodfuture.org (photo: Compost SDIM0891 by Stefan Szczelkun, courtesy of Creative Commons)  

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Common Council May Push Back on Deciding to Replace Ithaca Police Department and Focus on Other Recommendations Instead

By WRFI News Staff | March 11, 2021 | Comments Off on Common Council May Push Back on Deciding to Replace Ithaca Police Department and Focus on Other Recommendations Instead

Ithaca City and Tompkins County Officials have made changes to the recommendations in the Reimagining Public Safety Draft Report. Mayor Svante Myrick and County Administrator presented the updates to the document at a special Common Council meeting on Wednesday night. The report now specifies that if the Common Council approves the recommendation to replace the…

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Ithaca Black Town Hall Responds to Reimagining Public Safety Draft Report

By Jimmy Jordan | March 8, 2021 | Comments Off on Ithaca Black Town Hall Responds to Reimagining Public Safety Draft Report

  Southside Community Center hosted a Black Town Hall to talk about the Reimagining Public Safety draft report. It was held on Thursday, March 4th, and titled, “The Future of Public Safety?” Mayor Svante Myrick, and County administrator Jason Molino attended the meeting, presenting the recommendations of the report, and gathering input from members of…

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Reimagining Public Safety Draft Report, From Release to Now

By WRFI News Staff | March 5, 2021 | Comments Off on Reimagining Public Safety Draft Report, From Release to Now

The Reimagining Public Safety Draft report has made waves in Ithaca and Tompkins County, and has even rippled into the National news.  Here, we track how the draft report was first released to the press, referred to in a GQ article, then presented to the Ithaca Common Council.  Find the GQ article here. To watch…

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