Posts by WRFI News Staff
Coronavirus Update, March 18, 2021
New York State schools will be receiving $335 million dollars in funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC. The money will be spent to increase COVID testing in schools. Right now, only about 57 out of 700 school districts in the state conduct testing for students or staff, according to NYSUT,…
Read MoreCoronavirus Update, March 17, 2021
The Tompkins County Health Department is announcing the receipt of nearly 2,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine. The Covid-19 Vaccine Registry has communicated appointment information to a random selection of nearly 1,200 individuals with co-morbidities and 800 individuals with 1a and 1b essential worker classification. Tompkins County is reporting 21 new positive cases of COVID-19, and…
Read MoreA Year into the COVID-19 Pandemic, County Administrator Writes a Letter to the Community
The following is from County Administrator Jason Molino. It’s hard to believe we have been living in a pandemic for over a year. March 2020 marked the beginning of our collective awareness about COVID-19 and the gravity of the impact it would have around the world and here in New York. The past year has…
Read MoreBack the Blue Rally Calls for Rejection of Police Reform Plan, Met with Counter-Protests
A “Back the Blue” rally held on Sunday, on the Ithaca Commons. Ralliers were there criticizing in full the Reimagining Public Safety Draft Report from the City of Ithaca, and Tompkins County. But the afternoon’s affair was met with anti-racist counter-protestors. The Back the Blue rally was organized by Rocco Lucente Jr.. He stood on…
Read MoreDomestic Violence During COVID-19
While domestic violence has always been a serious societal issue, the challenges survivors face in seeking help have changed, and in many ways increased, since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Organizations such as the Tompkins County Advocacy Center have adapted in how they offer services to survivors and have gained new approaches in how…
Read MoreCoronavirus Update, March 11, 2021
Starting April 1, domestic travelers entering New York State from non-contiguous states will no longer be required to quarantine for two weeks. Travelers will still be required to monitor their health for 14 days upon arrival in New York, and are asked to self-isolate if they show any symptoms of COVID-19. Also, those entering the…
Read MoreCommon Council May Push Back on Deciding to Replace Ithaca Police Department and Focus on Other Recommendations Instead
Ithaca City and Tompkins County Officials have made changes to the recommendations in the Reimagining Public Safety Draft Report. Mayor Svante Myrick and County Administrator presented the updates to the document at a special Common Council meeting on Wednesday night. The report now specifies that if the Common Council approves the recommendation to replace the…
Read MoreCoronavirus Update, March 10, 2021
Schuyler county now has 200 doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. The doses are available for Adults 18 and older with certain medical conditions, employees of the Office for People with Developmental Disabilities and some essential workers. Schuyler County is in phase 1b of their vaccine rollout program, members of the county 65 and older…
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