Local News for Friday, March 10, 2023

Few Attend Ithaca Public Hearing About Police Reform Draft

A public hearing about the draft plan from Ithaca’s Reimagining Public Safety Committee was sparsely attended on Wednesday night. According to the Ithaca Voice most of the commenters approve of the plan, though one resident criticized the plan’s intention to hire more police officers. Alderperson George McGonigal said more officers were necessary if the city is to create a special team of unarmed responders to accompany police. After the hearing, the Committee agreed to advance the draft plan to the Common Council without much discussion. 

Cornell Faculty Senate Condemns University’s Chinese Partnerships

Cornell’s Faculty Senate voted to condemn the expansion of the University’s partnership in China during its March 2nd meeting. The Cornell Daily Sun reports that the faculty singled out the Chinese government’s political, social, and cultural repression as reasons for the vote. The resolution specifically criticized one partnership: the Global Hubs program. However  a Cornell spokesperson said the university has 26 partnerships in China. Previous rejections of China partnerships have been ignored by the university’s administration. Global Hubs is currently in the process of expanding.

Ithaca DPW Union Approves New Contract

Workers at Ithaca’s Department of Public Works have a new contract. The Ithaca Times reports that the union that represents DPW staff and the Common Council agreed to a contract that will expire at the end of 2025. The new contract will increase pay by 17 to 18 percent immediately. An earlier contract was rejected by the union this past November.