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– New Ithaca police chief selected – A 23-year veteran of the Schenectady police department has been selected to be the new police chief in Ithaca. Thomas Kelly was selected after interviews with community members and a search committee. His appointment must be approved by the Common Council. They are set to vote on it at a December 6 meeting. – One person injured, part of downtown Elmira shut down after shooting – One person was injured in a shooting in downtown Elmira on Monday. Police say the shooting was targeted at one person and not a random act. WENY TV reports that police closed off a one-block area of downtown Elmira for…
Since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas in October there have been several separate rallies in Ithaca supporting Palestine or Israel. Public emotions ran high when the Tompkins County Legislature briefly considered a resolution in support of Israel and flying the Israeli flag in the legislative chamber. It was around that time,…
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We’re sorry to announce to our Watkins Glen listeners that we have gone off the air on 91.9FM as of Friday, November 10. This change will not affect our signals at 88.1FM in Ithaca, or 89.7FM across the Southern Finger Lakes. Nor will it affect our webstream heard here at WRFI.ORG. In fact many Watkins…
Read MoreWRFI Community Radio and The Ithaca Voice are bringing you conversations with candidates in the contested Ithaca Common Council races and the mayoral race. Tonight Matt Butler interviews Ward 5 candidate Jason Houghton. Houghton is running on the Ithacans for Progress ballot line. His opponent is Clyde Lederman, running on the Democratic Party and Working…
Read MoreWRFI Community Radio and The Ithaca Voice are bringing you conversations with candidates in the contested Ithaca Common Council races and the mayoral race. I’m Celia Clarke, with Matt Butler Editor-in-Chief of The Ithaca Voice. Today, Ward 3 candidates Pat Sewell and Pierre Saint-Perez. Saint-Perez is the Democratic Party candidate. Sewell is an Independent running…
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Daily features and interviews from our community
In the last week countless protests have broken out over the world in response to the murder of George Floyd and other innocent black people lost to police brutality and racist violence. On a call with the media, Congressman Tom Reed, who represents Tompkins and Schuyler counties, provided comment on the recent protests. WRFI News…
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Our new public affairs series “The Ripple Effect” dives into the local effects of climate change on our area’s cherished waterways. This project is made in collaboration with the Ithaca Voice, Cornell University, the Community Science Institute, and the Ithaca College Park Scholars. We dive into water hazards affecting the Finger Lakes region, and explore…
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WRFI News Team contributor Pamela Tan speaks with Megan Barber, the Executive Director of the Community Arts Partnership, or CAP. The two discuss CAP’s efforts to support local artists during the pandemic, including reimagining First Friday Gallery Nights and the Greater Ithaca Art Trail.
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In Tompkins County the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 stands at 163, as of Thursday. According to the Tompkins County health department, 0 are hospitalized for the virus. 142 of the positive cases have recovered, and over 10,600 people have been tested in total. There were 14 confirmed cases of the virus in Schuyler…
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