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– Air Quality Warning Stays In Effect – The state Department of Environmental Conservation has issued another air quality warning for today. Smoke from Canadian wildfires is causing hazy skies and poor air quality across most of New York state including the southern Finger Lakes. Joanne Labounty is with the Binghamton office of the National Weather Service. She says, “It’s probably going to be at least another day or two. And we’ll have to see what happens with fires and our northwest flow changing a bit over us as well.” Labounty says smoke is in the upper and lower atmosphere because it’s from fires in western Canada, as well as Quebec and Ontario. The DEC…
It’s been over a week since Ithaca CarShare temporarily closed. The nonprofit stopped operating on May 19 because of an insurance problem that can only be solved with new state legislation. I called Ithaca CarShare members – Ellie Santoro, Jayne Soulman, and Marybeth Michelson-Theiry to find out how not having access to the car share…
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Ithaca CarShare is closing down today. They intend for this to be a pause but they are facing insurance problems that can only be solved by the state legislature. I spoke with Executive Director Liz Field about the situation, how it’s affecting their members, and what comes next. We talked on the day before the…
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In this week’s episode of The Scene, photographer and art professor Dan Torop discusses his recent work in the exhibitions Falling Water and Three Rainbows; the science and technology that he has used in rendering images of the physical world; and the social and cultural histories that accompany and shape tools of photography and other forms of visual rendering.
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Daily features and interviews from our community
Local News for May 11, 2023
– School Board Budgets: Groton, Trumansburg – This week, we’re sharing information about school district budgets. Next Tuesday voters will choose to accept or reject their district’s proposals. Here are links to the $25.8 million proposal for Groton, and Trumansburg‘s $31 million proposal. – Working for Tompkins County Pays Well Compared to Similar Places –…
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Local News for Wednesday, May 10, 2023
-Ithaca’s State Theater Gets Over $100,000 in New York Budget- The State Theater in Ithaca is getting $103,000 allocated in the newly-passed state budget. The Ithaca Voice reports the money is from a $5 million program for over thirteen historic upstate theaters. The State Theater’s attendance has dropped about 38% since the onset of the…
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Local News for May 9, 2023
A hearing about Ithaca school district budget set for Tuesday A hearing about the Ithaca school district budget is set for today at 5:30 at Ithaca High School. Members of the public can attend in person or by Zoom. The Ithaca Times reports the school board adopted a $158.5 million budget last month. Residents can…
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Local News for May 8, 2023
– Next Ithaca Police Chief Will Get A 13% Raise – Ithaca’s next police chief will earn $150,000 a year and get a $50,000 hiring bonus. WSKG reports the city’s Common Council voted 8-2 last week for the raise. The city has had an interim police chief for over 2 years. It’s now conducting a…
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Local News for May 5, 2023
– Republican Candidate for Ithaca Mayor Ends Campaign – The Republican running for mayor in Ithaca has withdrawn from the race. Daniel Medina told the Ithaca Voice he ended his campaign because he might not be living in Ithaca much longer. The home Medina rents was sold. He says given the cost of housing in…
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INTERVIEW: Assemblyperson Anna Kelles discusses Ithaca CarShare problems and solutions
Earlier this week, Ithaca CarShare announced it will be suspending its operations on May 19. The reason is that they are losing their insurance because of a regulatory issue unique to New York State. Assemblyperson Anna Kelles introduced legislation to remedy the problem. She spoke with me about the situation, the legislation and possible fate…
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