Posts by Felix Teitelbaum

Cornell President Pollack to Retire After seven years as Cornell’s President, Martha Pollock will retire on June 30. According to the Cornell Sun, in her announcement Pollack stressed that the decision to leave was her own. She added that she had been considering retirement since last fall. But events at Cornell and other campuses lead…

Housing Market in Tompkins Remains Tight The housing market in Tompkins County continues to shrink. According to the Tompkins Weekly, housing stock is down 14% from last year’s already historic low. Brent Katzmann of the Ithaca Board of Realtors called the decline “disconcerting.” In addition to an overall decline in available houses for sale, he…

Ithaca Starts Clean Up of Homeless Encampment City workers have begun to clean up a former homeless encampment in Ithaca’s West End. The clean up was ordered by the Tompkins Environmental Health in early April. According to the Ithaca Voice, work began at the site last week. The small triangular parcel is bordered by train…

Ithaca City School District Election Roundup The district-wide Ithaca City School District election is coming up on May 21. Eligible voters in the district will vote on three ballot measures and for candidates for three seats on the school board. The first measure is a vote on the district’s proposed $169 million budget. It will…

Coalition Pushes for “Just Cause” Employment in Ithaca The campaign for “just cause” employment legislation in Ithaca continues. According to the Cornell Sun, the Ithaca Just Cause Coalition has been pushing Common Council to adopt their proposal and a working group on the matter is being formed. The coalition includes unions, nonprofits and businesses. The…

Ithaca Passes Short Term Rental Ordinance, Green New Deal Plan- Ithaca’s Common Council passed to major resolutions at its regular meeting Wednesday night. The first enacts a long-discussed short term rental ordinance. Under the new regulation, a permit is required to operate a short term rental. A “short term rental” is defined as one for…

Cornell Professors Condemn Student Suspensions On Tuesday, more than 325 Cornell professors signed an open letter condemning the University’s suspension of four students. The students were suspended for their role in the pro-Palestinian encampment on Cornell’s campus. The letter calls the suspensions “unwarranted and excessive.”  Meanwhile suspended undergraduate protestor Nick Wilson rejected a deal from…

Chemung Sheriff’s Office Gets Boost for Door Breach Training The Chemung County Sheriff’s office has a new training tool. WETM reports that the Elmira-based manufacturer the Hilliard Corporation donated a reinforced door to the Sheriff’s Special Services Unit. The door will be used in training deputies in breaching locked, reinforced doors. The technique is used…