Headlines for December 22, 2022

County Awards Community Recovery Fund Grants

Yesterday Tompkins County announced the local organizations who will receive Community Recovery Fund Grants totaling over $6.5 million. Grants were awarded to 53 different projects with one more pending a State Environmental Quality Review. The largest single grant was $1.5 million given to the Cayuga Medical Center for an Intensive Crisis Stabilization Center. Other organizations that will receive funds include the Greater Ithaca Activities Center, The Downtown Ithaca Alliance, and the Ithaca Farmers Market among many others.

Scam Calls for Tompkins Notification System Reported in Seneca

The Seneca County Sheriff's Office says it has received reports of suspected scam robocalls requesting personal information to sign up for a Tompkins County emergency notification system. According to the Ithaca Voice, the county does use a SIREN emergency alert system, but residents can only sign up on the county website or by texting SIREN to 67283. No personal information is necessary to sign up nor should it be requested. Residents are being urged to contact local police if they receive suspected scam calls.

White Christmas: Severe Storm Expected over Holiday Weekend

Weather forecasters are expecting a harsh winter storm this weekend. According to Syracuse.com, torrential rain, low temperatures, high winds, and lake effect snow are expected to combine into a once-in-a-generation storm that could make traveling over the holiday weekend in upstate New York extremely difficult. The worst of the storm is expected to be in Western New York but the entirety of upstate could be hit as well.