March 18th, 2022 Daily Headlines

Local Doctor Ammitai Worob has dropped out of the Democratic race for New York’s 53rd Senate District. According to the Ithaca Voice, Worob endorsed Former Binghamton City Councilor Lea Webb. Webb and attorney Leslie Danks-Burke are the only two candidates remaining in the race. Worob had struggled to establish himself in the race as Webb and Danks-Burke received the most prominent endorsements in the primary. The new 53rd senate district is deeply Democratic and includes both Ithaca and Binghamton. 

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The Town of Newfield has suspended their Recreation Supervisor following their arrest for allegedly sending “indecent images” to minors. According to the Ithaca Times, Town Recreation Supervisor Andrew Kuczek worked previously as a teacher’s aide in the Newfield Central School District. Kuczek has been charged with two counts of disseminating indecent materials to minors. The town said they’ve received no complaints regarding Kuczek performance as Recreation Supervisor. 

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Earlier this month an event hosted by the Cornell Institute for Public Affairs or CIPA resulted in a walk-out of Chinese Students following a question about the Uyghur genocide. According to the Cornell Daily Sun, the event hosted Democratic Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin from Michigan, a Cornell Graduate. During the event student Rizwangel NurMuhammad asked a question regarding the United States’ response to the oppression of Uyghurs in China. NurMuhammad’s brother was arrested by Chinese authorities in 2017. Following the question some Chinese students walked out of the event. 80 Chinese students later signed a letter saying they felt the atmosphere had turned hostile towards them during the event. A statement from Brooks School Dean Colleen Barry and CIPA Director Matthew Hall condemned the oppression of Uyghers as well as any derogatory anti-Asian expression. Congresswoman Slotkin condemned the student response to NurMuhammad and called on Cornell to ensure all students are free to express themselves “free of intimidation or threats.”