March 4th, Daily Headlines
On Wednesday, the Reimagining Public Safety Working Group published their report detailing their suggestions for the implementation of a new public safety agency in the city of Ithaca. The report suggests a new Department of Community Safety which would be led by a Commissioner of Community Safety. The Department would be split between two divisions, the Division of Police, made up of the existing Ithaca Police Department, and the Division of Community Solutions made up of unarmed civilian first responders. Both divisions would have their own heads with the Division of Police led by the police chief and the Division of Community Solutions led by a new Director of Community Solutions. The report also details which types of calls each division should respond to. The full report is available at publicsafetyreimagined.org
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After the Ithaca School District lifted its mask requirement on Wednesday, the Tompkins County Health Department released guidelines on mask wearing in schools going forward. All students, teachers and faculty who test positive for COVID-19 must isolate at home for at least 5 days. They should also continue to wear a mask for 5 days after leaving isolation. Further, anyone who has been exposed to COVID-19 in the last 10 days or was in the same school room as someone diagnosed with COVID for at least 15 minutes should wear a mask. Finally, any resident who feels more comfortable wearing a mask for personal reasons, or is moderately-to-severely immunocompromised should continue to wear a mask. The County recommends that immunocompromised people discuss mask wearing with their doctor.
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On Wednesday New York Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand called on federal officials to boost Cybersecurity for New York State. According to Spectrum News, the lawmakers expressed concern that New York could be the target of Cyber Attacks by Russia or Russian backed assets. The U.S. has sanctioned the Russian Federation over its invasion of Ukraine. Governor Kathy Hochul has expressed concern for retaliatory attacks on New York’s infrastructure, government, and businesses. The Governor has backed additional funds for cyber security in the state’s $216 Billion annual budget.