Local News: October 16, 2023

– Cornell Trustees approve payment deal with City of Ithaca – The payment agreement between Cornell University and the City of Ithaca has gotten it’s final approval. The Executive Committee of the University’s Board of Trustees approved the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) last Friday. The agreement took effect immediately which means the city will get…

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Local News: October 13, 2023

– Two more cases of Legionellosis found in Tompkins County in August, September – Two more cases of Legionellosis were diagnosed in Tompkins County in August and September. Tompkins Whole Health says that brings the total number of cases to 14 since June. One person has died. Whole Health says the last reported case was…

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Local News: Ithaca Common Council approves pay deal with Cornell

– Ithaca Common Council approves payment agreement with Cornell University – The Ithaca Common Council voted 9 to 1 on Wednesday night to approve a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Cornell University. Cornell has tax-exempt status. The MOU sets out what the Ivy League university will pay the city in place of property taxes. The…

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Local News: Ithaca Common Council to vote on Cornell MOU tonight

The Ithaca Common Council is set to vote on a negotiated Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Cornell University in a special meeting tonight. I’ll have a report on the results of the vote tomorrow morning. This is a brief recap of what’s at stake.  Cornell has tax-exempt status so it doesn’t have to pay property…

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Local News: October 10, 2023

– Some Ithaca first responders issue statement opposing city’s new homeless encampment policy – Over 60 Ithaca police and emergency responders have signed a letter critical of the city’s new homeless encampment policy. The policy creates a “Green Zone” where camping is legal and services like toilets, garbage collection, and phone charging stations will be…

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Local News: October 6, 2023

– Ithaca Police reach a new contract agreement with the City – Ithaca Police and the Ithaca Common Council have unanimously voted for a new labor contract. The two-year contract will go into effect on January 1. The base pay for an officer will increase from a little over $57,000 to $74,000. The top base…

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Local News: October 5, 2023

– Watkins Glen to begin live-streaming of village board meetings – The Watkins Glen Village Board voted to begin livestreaming their meetings. The Odessa File reports that no date was set for when the streaming will start. Only one person voted against the change. Right now, recordings of the meetings are made available on the…

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Local News: Cornell Faculty Issues Letter Opposing MOU

– Cornell Faculty Issues An Open Letter Opposing Proposed MOU with Ithaca – Over 200 Cornell faculty members have signed a letter opposing the proposed payment agreement between their employer and the city of Ithaca. In the letter shared with WRFI on Wednesday, the faculty call Cornell’s current contributions to Ithaca, “miserly” and says “Cornell’s…

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