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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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Local News: March 19, 2024

By Felix Teitelbaum | March 19, 2024 | Comments Off on Local News: March 19, 2024

A pro-Palestine group at Cornell is agitating for the university to divest from weapons manufacturers supplying Israel’s war efforts in Gaza. According to the Cornell Daily Sun, the Coalition for Mutual Liberation, or CML, held a campus-wide action Thursday. Members of the group said they would continue to violate Cornell’s controversial Interim Expressive Activity Policy…

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Local News: March 18, 2024

By Felix Teitelbaum | March 18, 2024 | Comments Off on Local News: March 18, 2024

Former acting Ithaca Police Chief John Joly is suing the city and alleging racial discrimination and other offenses. According to the Ithaca Voice, Joly, who is white, was passed over for promotion to the permanent role after a bungled appointment process in 2022. Then Mayor Laura Lewis selected Joly for the role without the backing…

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Local News: March 15, 2024

By Celia Clarke | March 15, 2024 | Comments Off on Local News: March 15, 2024

– Ann Coulter to return to Cornell April 16 – Ann Coulter will speak at Cornell on April 16. Coulter is a controversial right-wing personality and Cornell graduate.  The Cornell Daily Sun reports Coulter has “a long history of making bigoted remarks against minority groups including South Asians, Jews, Muslims and immigrants.” The paper reported…

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Local News: March 14, 2024

By Celia Clarke | March 14, 2024 | Comments Off on Local News: March 14, 2024

– Ithaca Tompkins airport among projects getting part of over $18 million new federal funding – Ithaca Tompkins International Airport is getting $1.5 million of federal funding for a new facility. A joint statement from New York Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand says the new building will bring the airport’s fire, rescue and snow…

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