Local News for Monday, March 13, 2023

New Bus Hub Sought for Tompkins County

Officials from Ithaca and Tompkins County are working with the Downtown Ithaca Alliance to find a new location for an intercity bus hub. Since the bus depot in the West End shut down in 2018, intercity buses have regularly stopped at either the Seneca Street area outside Starbucks or Green Street near the Tompkins County Public Library. According to the Ithaca Voice, both areas already face heavy vehicle traffic from TCAT buses, and neither has well-developed infrastructure such as waiting areas or bathrooms. Early contenders for the new hub include the Seneca Street Parking Garage and a location closer to the Tompkins International Airport. 

State Shuts Down Local Tenants Protections, Ithaca Tenants Remain Challenged

According to the Ithaca Times, on March 2nd, New York’s Supreme Court ruled that local eviction protection laws are preempted by state law. The ruling marked a setback for tenants’ rights activists in Ithaca who had long pushed for protections at the local level. A study by the Ithaca Tenants Union and the DSA found that 70% of Ithaca households are rentals. Among those, 50% spend more than a third of their income on rent, and 35% spend more than half. Activists are now pushing to pass the Good Cause Eviction bill at the state level, and are considering opting into the Emergency Tenants Protection Act which can provide protections for tenants in certain circumstances.

Local Theatre Offers Free Movie Day

In celebration of Movie Day, Cinemapolis is offering free movie screenings on March 18. Customers can receive a free ticket to a movie of their choice, while concessions will still be available for purchase. According to the Ithaca Times, Cinemapolis Board Co-chairs Enid Litman and Sue Perlgut said the event will also give moviegoers a new opportunity to meet the theater’s new executive director, Kate Donohue.