Local News: August 3, 2023

- A Celebration of Democracy in Ithaca This Weekend -

The Federal Voting Rights Act was signed into law on August 6, 1965. It outlawed discriminatory practices in the South that made it impossible for many Black people to vote. This weekend, a coalition of groups in Tompkins County is hosting a democracy festival to celebrate voting rights and honor those who faced violence protesting to get the law passed. The festival is the idea of Ithaca resident Jeff Furman.

"[We want to] see if we can improve on civic engagement in our school systems, and really trying to make it fun and joyful so and celebrate this, our goal of having a real democracy. Voting is one part of democracy and democracy is really one part of how we look out for our neighbors and friends and our, our human other human beings in our life," Furman said.

The festival will take place at Southside Community Center in Ithaca, 2:30-5 PM on Sunday. For more details check here.

- WRFI News Feature -

Tune in tonight at 6 PM for a WRFI News Feature. I recently joined a group of volunteers pulling out the invasive wild water chestnut in the Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge. Wild water chestnut isn’t the only invasive species threatening our region's aquatic ecosystems. You can hear the full story on WRFI, and later on WRFI.org, or wherever you listen to podcasts.