Local News: January 12, 2024

- Cornell president, Ithaca mayor condemn another anti-semitic social media post -

Cornell President Martha Pollock has condemned a social media post that called for the death of Zionists. The post was allegedly made by a Cornell student. In a brief statement released on Thursday, Pollock called the post “heinous”. She says if the post was made by a member of the Cornell community they will be held accountable. Cornell police and the Office of Student Conduct are investigating the matter. Ithaca mayor Rob Cantelmo posted on X, formerly Twitter, that he condemns “violent and hateful language against our Jewish and Muslim neighbors in the strongest terms.” A Cornell student is in custody facing federal charges for making violent antisemitic posts in December.

- TC3 among 9 community colleges facing accreditation problems -

Tompkins Cortland Community College (TC3) is among nine community colleges in the SUNY system asked to provide additional financial or enrollment information to its accrediting organization. The Albany Times Union says Enrollment is considered an indicator of a school’s financial health. Accreditation is a review process that determines the validity of degrees a school offers. Schools must be accredited to receive federal funding. The request for additional information is not unusual but TC3’s status could be affected by the assessment of their information.

- Molinaro announced reelection bid -

Congressman Marc Molinaro launched his reelection campaign on Friday. Molinaro is a first-term Republican. He represents New York’s 19th congressional district which includes Ithaca, Binghamton, and parts of the Catskills. WENY-TV reports Molinaro’s ad says some of his priorities will be stopping inflation, cutting taxes, and border security. Molinaro is being challenged by Democrat Josh Riley. The two previously faced each other in 2022. Riley lost by 2 points.