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Station News and Events

Here are the latest announcements and opportunities to get involved in WRFI, follow along with us on this journey of serving Ithaca and Watkins Glen with community radio. We love hearing from you! Contact us anytime. 

Creatives on WRFI: Karan Casey and Ellen Grady

By Felix Teitelbaum

Felix Teitelbaum interviews Irish singer-songwriter Karan Casey and Ellen Grady of the Ithaca Catholic Worker. Casey will be performing a benefit for the Catholic Worker on Thursday, March 9, 2023 at the Community School of Music and Arts. Casey is a founding member of the American/Irish supergroup Solas and has released 9 albums of her…

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WRFI’s The Scene Interviews Artist Al-An deSouza on Transcending Boundaries

By Chantal Thomas

This week’s episode of The Scene features an interview with artist and photography professor Al-An deSouza. The Scene’s Chantal Thomas speaks with Professor deSouza about their exhibition, Elegies of Futures Past, at Cornell University’s Johnson Museum of Art, and its meditations on family memory, colonial empire and diasporic identity.  (original air date: November 4, 2022) The Scene airs every…

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Creatives on WRFI: House of Ithaqua Presents Pontypool

By Staff Editor

Stevie Eve Chaneles and Bea Bornstein speak with Pontypool director Jeff Hodges and actors Mike Chen and Ivony Whiteley. HOI is proud to present Pontypool (running November 18-December 3, 2022) by Tony Burgess as an audio horror drama directed by HOI co-founder Jeff Hodges. The show centers on disgraced radio DJ Grant Mazzy, who finds himself…

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Latest from the WRFI News Team

Daily features and interviews from our community

Local News for Tuesday, March 21, 2023

By Lucas Santiago | March 21, 2023

New Proposal Filed to Expand Ithaca’s Learning Farm The Learning Farm in Ithaca is planning to expand. The organization filed documents with the town’s planning board for a kitchen facility, guest housing, parking areas, and walkways. A proposed second phase would include a welcome center and a juicing and bottling building. According to the Ithaca…

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Local News for Monday, March 20, 2023

By Lucas Santiago | March 20, 2023

Cornell Hosts Debate on Urgency of Climate Crisis Cornell hosted a debate Friday on the urgency of reducing climate warming pollution. Professor Robert Socolow of Princeton argued that “climate science compels us to make rapid and large reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.” Professor Steven Koonin of New York University argued that it doesn’t. Both are…

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Local News for Thursday, March 16, 2023

By Felix Teitelbaum | March 16, 2023

New Law Enforcement Pilot Program to Start in Tompkins County A new program to divert people away from incarceration will start in Tompkins County later this year. The pilot program is a partnership between the Tompkins County Sheriff’s Department and Tompkins Whole Health. It will pair a licensed clinical therapist and a specially-trained sheriff’s deputy…

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Local News for Wednesday, March 15, 2023

By Felix Teitelbaum | March 15, 2023

Seneca Lake Fish Contaminated Thanks to a Freedom of Information Act or FOIA filing, a 2020 report from the New York DEC has come to light showing that Seneca Lake fish are highly contaminated with PFAS chemicals. According to environmental reporter Peter Manius, the samples of lake trout and yellow perch contain hundreds of times…

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Local News for Tuesday, March 14, 2023

By Lucas Santiago | March 14, 2023

New York Governor Declares Emergency for Storm Governor Kathy Hochul has declared a state of emergency for today’s winter storm. All five regions of New York State, including the Hudson Valley and Finger Lakes, are expected to receive heavy snowfall and high winds. Utility companies are prepared for widespread power outages from possible downed trees…

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Local News for Monday, March 13, 2023

By Lucas Santiago | March 13, 2023

New Bus Hub Sought for Tompkins County Officials from Ithaca and Tompkins County are working with the Downtown Ithaca Alliance to find a new location for an intercity bus hub. Since the bus depot in the West End shut down in 2018, intercity buses have regularly stopped at either the Seneca Street area outside Starbucks…

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