Posts by George Christopher

On Wednesday local environmentalists applauded President Biden’s executive order directing the Justice Department, Treasury Department and other federal agencies to investigate the legal, economic, and environmental impact of cryptocurrencies. Seneca Lake Guardian, said they were “thrilled” by President Biden’s decision, and went on to call on Governor Kathy Hochul to place a moratorium on crypto…

Assemblymember Anna Kelles has introduced legislation to provide for stable funding of emergency services. The legislation would assist local municipalities that currently fund their own non-profit EMS. Kelles, who represents Tompkins and part of Cortland counties, said that the current funding model for these programs are unsustainable, and that rural communities in particular suffer from…

Ithaca College has named LaJerne Cornish as the College’s new President. According to the Ithaca Journal, Cornish was approved by the Board of Trustees Unanimously following a 5-month search for the college’s new head. Previous president Shirley Collado departed in July of 2021. Cornish has served as the college’s interim president since August and first…

On Saturday, Acting Ithaca Mayor Laura Lewis formally announced her campaign to remain in the Mayor’s office. According to WENY, Lewis took office after the resignation of longtime Mayor Svante Myrick. The city will host a special election in November with the winner filling the remainder of the mayoral term. The current term concludes at…

On Wednesday, the Reimagining Public Safety Working Group published their report detailing their suggestions for the implementation of a new public safety agency in the city of Ithaca. The report suggests a new Department of Community Safety which would be led by a Commissioner of Community Safety. The Department would be split between two divisions,…

Local Schools are updating mask guidelines after Tompkins County lifted its mask advisory on Monday. According to the Ithaca Voice, the Ithaca City School District will no longer require masks indoors. Ithaca College has also announced masks will no longer be required indoors effective tomorrow. The college will still require masks in the Hammond Health…

The Ithaca Common Council will receive a report from the Reimagining Public Safety Working Group today. The report will provide suggestions to the council on how to implement the City’s new Department of Public Safety.  All suggestions made in the report will still have to be approved by the council. The report will be delivered…

Yesterday, the Tompkins County Health Department Suspended the county’s mask advisory. The CDC has reclassified Tompkins County as having “low” community levels of COVID-19. Tompkins County currently has 286 active cases of COVID-19 and 12 active hospitalizations. The change comes just one day after Governor Kathy Hochul announced an end to the state’s school mask…