Local News: January 25, 2024

- Voting rights groups say state redistricting process should be open to the public -

A State Court of Appeals ruled in December that New York’s congressional district maps needed to be redrawn. New maps were created for the 2022 elections but the court ruled that was temporary. WRVO Public Radio reports Common Cause New York and some voting rights groups say this time the process should be more transparent. They say the public should be able to watch the meetings of the state’s redistricting commission, the mapping exercises and sessions should be public, and there should be hybrid meetings across the state. The state’s independent redistricting commission has until the end of February to submit a new map to the legislature for approval.

- Cayuga Nation buys 40 acres, finds itself in boundary dispute with neighboring business -

The Cayuga Nation recently purchased 40 acres of land only to find itself in a boundary dispute with its new neighbor, the Finger Lakes Drive-In. The land is in the town of Aurelius in Cayuga County east of Auburn.  FingerLakes1.com says part of the drive-in including the main entrance are on the land bought by the Cayuga. The Nation found out about the problem after it applied to the federal government to have the land taken into trust by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Clint Halftown, the federally-recognized Cayuga leadership says the acreage is within the boundaries of land designated for the Cayuga in the Treaty of Canandaigua in 1794. He says he is hopeful there can be a quick resolution to the issue.

- Cornell part of large group of elite universities in federal lawsuit over need blind admissions practices -

Cornell University is one of 17 schools in a federal lawsuit relating to needs-blind admissions practices. The lawsuit involves members of the 568 Presidents Group. The federal government has accused all member schools of price-fixing. The allegation is that the schools’ method for determining financial aid took into consideration a student’s ability to pay, something that the schools in the group are prohibited from doing. A provision of membership in the 568 Group means that all members are responsible for the actions of any of its members. The New York Times reports that five universities recently agreed to a $13 million settlement. Cornell  is not one of them. A university spokesperson said on Wednesday that Cornell will not comment on “pending litigation matters.”