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Local News: May 3, 2024

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 proposal would end “at will” employment in Ithaca. Under the proposed rule, employers would need to demonstrate that progressive steps were taken to address poor work performance before terminating an employee. Employers would also be able to fire people for illegal or dangerous behavior, or for economic reasons like loss of income.   Employers who violate the rule would…

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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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Daily features and interviews from our community

The Hangar Theatre Participates in the Red Alert Solidarity Movement to “Save Our Stages” [AUDIO]

By Esther Racoosin | September 1, 2020 | Comments Off on The Hangar Theatre Participates in the Red Alert Solidarity Movement to “Save Our Stages” [AUDIO]

Adam Zonder, Production Manager of the Hangar Theatre talks about a special virtual rally taking place Tuesday, September 1st, called “The Red Alert Solidarity Movement”.   This movement is being put on by the National Independent Venue Association, or NIVA, and is promoted on social media with #SaveOurStages. NIVA is also posting information at http://wemakeevents.org. DJ…

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Coronavirus Update, September 1, 2020

By WRFI News Staff | September 1, 2020 | Comments Off on Coronavirus Update, September 1, 2020

The Watkins Glen School Board has cut $710,000 from the 2020-21 budget, eliminating multiple positions and its football season, in response to decreased state aid funding due to the pandemic. According to the Odessa File, the loss of state aid to the district amounts to nearly 3 million dollars. The cuts include a school clerical…

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New Civic Ensemble Leadership [AUDIO]

By WRFI News Staff | August 31, 2020 | Comments Off on New Civic Ensemble Leadership [AUDIO]

The Civic Ensemble, which calls itself Ithaca’s civic-minded theater company, has had a change in leadership. WRFI Community News contributor Pamela Tan spoke with Julia Taylor, the Civic’s new Executive Director, and members of the newly created Artistic Ensemble Sage Alia Clemenco and Carley Robinson.

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Coronavirus Update, August 31, 2020

By WRFI News Staff | August 31, 2020 | Comments Off on Coronavirus Update, August 31, 2020

On Friday it was announced that Cornell has seen its first cluster of COVID-19 cases as a result of people not following social distance or mask-wearing protocols at several small social gatherings. According to the Cornell Daily Sun, the Tompkins County Health Department identified a nine-person cluster in this instance. Generally, a COVID-19 cluster is…

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