Headlines for September 15, 2022

By Friday, the Tompkins County Ethics Board will be releasing responses to its inquiry into the Reimagining Public Safety process. The Ithaca Voice is reporting that the board has not yet received a response from the Yale-based Center for Policing Equity which collaborated in the public safety review. However, the board will release what it has so far, to preserve transparency and prevent the process from dragging on too long. The county board’s opinion on the matter is not expected this week. 

Area Democrats are responding to the proposal for a nationwide abortion ban made by Lindsey Graham on Tuesday. Assemblywoman Donna Lupardo and State Senate candidate Lea Webb released statements condemning the proposal. Webb described Democrats as “unwavering” in their commitment to protecting reproductive rights. While there’s no chance the Democratically controlled Senate will hold a vote on the bill, according to the New York Times, on Tuesday Graham said of Republicans, “If we take back the House and the Senate, I can assure you we’ll have a vote on our bill. If the Democrats are in charge, I don't know if we'll ever have a vote on our bill.” 

This coming Tuesday, September 20 is the 9th annual National Voter Registration Day. Locally, the League of Women Voters of Tompkins County is partnering with several organizations to provide non-partisan civic education and voter registration help.  Afternoon events will be held at county libraries in Groton, Lansing, Newfield, Dryden, Trumansburg and Ithaca as well as at the Finger Lakes Independence Center (FLIC), TC3, and Significant Elements.

A new painting at Cornell honors the Law School’s first Black graduate George Washington Fields. According to the Cornell Chronicle, Fields is the only formerly enslaved Cornell graduate and was a member of the Law School’s first graduating class in 1854. He practiced law and fought for civil rights in Virginia until his death in 1932. The portrait painted by artist Terry Plater hangs in Cornell’s Myron Taylor Hall.