WRFI Community Radio News
1,158 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 2 months ago -Original features and interviews originally aired on WRFI Community Radio News.
The show airs Monday-Friday at 6pm at 88.1 FM in Ithaca, 91.9 in Watkins Glen, and online around the world at http://www.wrfi.org/online-stream/
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Episodes
Local News: May 28, 2024
May 28, 2024 21:31Mass Evictions and Rent Hikes at West Hill Apartments Residents at a West Hill apartment complex in Ithaca are facing eviction. According to the Ithaca Times, the Delaware-based new owners of Cayuga Gardens Apartments plan to raise the rent in all units by $600 a month. In February they served every resident in the complex…
Local News: May 27, 2024
May 27, 2024 23:07Protests Interrupt Cornell Commencement Cornell’s class of 2024 graduated Saturday. Like commencement ceremonies at many universities this year, the event was disrupted by pro-Palestinian student protestors. According to WSKG, about 12 people chanted and then walked out. Others wore black and white keffiyehs but stayed seated throughout the proceedings. Kelly's Dockside for Sale A storied…
Juneteenth Preview with Dr. Nia Nunn and Rev. Kenneth Clarke on a Special Big Scoob Show
May 27, 2024 17:31Tuesday, May 28, 2024 at 2:15 PM. [AUDIO will post after the broadcast.] Dr. Nia Nunn and the Reverend Kenneth Clarke will join Big Scoob on a special Big Scoob Show, Tuesday, May 28 at 2pm to talk about Juneteenth, its significance, and Southside Community Center’s Juneteenth Jubilee. Dr. Nunn is a professor of education…
Juneteenth Preview on the Big Scoob Show [AUDIO]
May 27, 2024 17:31Tuesday, May 28, 2024 at 2:15 PM. [AUDIO will post after the broadcast.] Dr. Nia Nunn, Kayla Matos, and the Reverend Kenneth Clarke join Big Scoob on a special Big Scoob Show, Tuesday, May 28 at 2pm to talk about Juneteenth, its significance, and local Juneteenth Celebrations. Dr. Nunn is a professor of education at…
Voices from the Cornell Encampment: Andre
May 24, 2024 21:18In early May, pro-Palestinian activists at Cornell voluntarily took down their "Liberated Zone" solidarity encampment. In this series, we'll listen to some of them explain why they participated and what they learned. "The word of the day is "solidarity" not only with the encmapment here, but especially with the people in Gaza and in Rafah that are…
Voices from the Cornell Encampment: Sivan
May 23, 2024 23:27In early May, pro-Palestinian activists at Cornell voluntarily took down their "Liberated Zone" solidarity encampment. In this series, we'll listen to some of them explain why they participated and what they learned. Sivan is a graduate worker. "I came to the encampment because I was raised as a Jewish person to fight for what I believe in…
Voices from the Cornell Encampment: Yomna
May 22, 2024 22:15In early May, pro-Palestinian activists at Cornell voluntarily took down their "Liberated Zone" solidarity encampment. In this series, we'll listen to some of them explain why they participated and what they learned. Yomna is a PhD student: "I have been here since minute one. We were in October in front of..in Ho Plaza—a few of us, and…
Ithaca City School District Election TODAY
May 21, 2024 21:02Ithaca City School District Elections are TODAY, Tuesday, May 21, 2024. Polls are open until 9pm. Find your polling place here. Check out our roundup of ICSD election issues.
Voices from the Cornell Encampment: Malak
May 21, 2024 19:43In early May, pro-Palestinian activists at Cornell voluntarily took down their "Liberated Zone" solidarity encampment. In this series, we'll listen to some of them explain why they participated and what they learned. Malak is a senior: "I came to the encampment because I'm Palestinian and I have family in Gaza. So it was really beautiful…
Voices from the Cornell Pro-Palestinian Liberated Zone
May 20, 2024 21:54Each day this week (May 20-24, 2024) we'll add a comment from a Cornell activist from the Coalition of Mutual Liberation's "Liberated Zone" Palestinian solidarity encampment. The comments were recorded on Monday, May 13, 2024, the day the group voluntarily dismantled their tents and ended the occupation. Photo: CML Voices from the Cornell Encampment: Andre…
Voices from the Cornell Encampment
May 20, 2024 21:54Each day this week (May 20-24, 2024) we'll add a comment from a Cornell activist from the Coalition of Mutual Liberation's "Liberated Zone" Palestinian solidarity encampment. The comments were recorded on Monday, May 13, 2024, the day the group voluntarily dismantled their tents and ended the occupation. Photo: CML Voices from the Cornell Encampment: Malak…
Voices from the Cornell Encampment: Milay
May 20, 2024 21:46In early May, pro-Palestinian activists at Cornell voluntarily took down their "Liberated Zone" solidarity encampment. In this series, we'll listen to some of them explain why they participated and what they learned. Millay is a senior: "I'm a Buddhist. I believe in the mutual liberation of all beings. I think really the thing that I…
Cornell Palestinian Solidarity Encampment Closes
May 16, 2024 00:06Protestors at Cornell’s Palestinian solidarity encampment took down tents and left the Arts Quad Monday. On April 25, the day the encampment was set up, Cornell’s administration told the group it had only hours to vacate. However, 18 days later, members of the Coalition for Mutual Liberation (or CML) voluntarily ended their occupation. As dusk…
Alcance Latino: Cornell Small Farms Program [in Spanish]
May 15, 2024 18:16Spanish Farm Field Day at West Haven Farm (Photo: Jamie Johnson) Carlos Gutiérrez habla con Mildred Alvarado, María José Oviedo y Tim Shenk, quienes forman parte del programa Futuro en Ag en Cornell. Hablan sobre oportunidades educativas para agricultores de habla hispana y aspirantes a agricultores en el estado de Nueva York. Carlos Gutierrez speaks…
Investment Crowdfunding Platform Launches In Ithaca
May 14, 2024 20:50The buy local movement isn’t new. But now, an initiative in Ithaca is offering a different kind of opportunity: to invest in local businesses. Crowdfunding platforms like Kickstarter and GoFundMe are nothing new and are donation based. The new Ithaca Exchange is investment crowdfunding. “Investment crowdfunding works with businesses to create actually SEC approved investment…
Local News: May 13, 2024
May 13, 2024 22:38State Targets ICSD for Improvement Ithaca City Schools have been targeted for improvement under New York’s Every Student Succeeds Act. Enfield and Beverly Martin schools had already been identified as needing improvement. According to the Ithaca Times, the district received the new designation after Dewitt and Boynton middle schools also received poor marks. The state’s…
Local News: May 10, 2024
May 13, 2024 19:13Sabotage Cuts Candidate Forum Short A forum for Ithaca City School Board candidates Thursday night was interrupted and then cut short. The event was hosted by the Ithaca Teachers Association (or ITA) via Zoom. Seven candidates were slated to participate, three of whom are endorsed by the ITA. According to the Ithaca Voice, the attack…
Local News: May 9, 2024
May 09, 2024 21:32Cornell 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…
Local News: May 8, 2024
May 09, 2024 21:29Housing 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…
Local News: May 7, 2024
May 08, 2024 00:49Ithaca 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…
Local News: May 6, 2024 – 2024 ICSD Elections
May 06, 2024 21:00Ithaca 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…
Local News: May 3, 2024
May 03, 2024 21:08Coalition 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…
Local News: May 2, 2024
May 02, 2024 21:45Ithaca 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…
Local News: May 1, 2024
May 01, 2024 21:32Cornell 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…
Local News: April 30, 2024
April 30, 2024 21:14Chemung 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…
Local News: April 29, 2024
April 29, 2024 22:03More Suspensions for Cornell Protestors- The student encampment at Cornell remains in place. On Friday four students were temporarily suspended for their participation in the self-described “Liberation Zone.” According to the Ithaca Voice, Cornell administration announced Saturday that more students would be suspended and that referrals to human resources are being made for staff and…
Local News: April 26, 2024
April 26, 2024 21:07Adjustments Expected to Ithaca Water Bills Ithaca property owners may face unexpected water bills starting this year. The city has relied on equipment to remotely read water meters since 2005. However, batteries in the equipment started to fail during the pandemic and were never replaced. This means that many bills have been based on estimated…
Local News: April 25, 2024
April 25, 2024 22:02Student Protestors Occupy Cornell's Arts Quad— Activists at Cornell set up an encampment Thursday morning in the university’s arts quad. The Coalition for Mutual Liberation (or CML) called the encampment a “liberated zone” meant to further pressure Cornell to divest from what they call the university’s complicity in genocide in Gaza. Malak, a fourth year…
Student Protestors Occupy Cornell’s Arts Quad (Local News: April 25, 2024)
April 25, 2024 22:02Student Protestors Occupy Cornell's Arts Quad— Activists at Cornell set up an encampment Thursday morning in the university’s arts quad. The Coalition for Mutual Liberation (or CML) called the encampment a “liberated zone” meant to further pressure Cornell to divest from what they call the university’s complicity in genocide in Gaza. Malak, a fourth year…
Local News: April 24, 2024
April 24, 2024 21:53Pilot Program in Tompkins Adds Emergency Responders— Emergency response times in Tompkins County should be getting shorter. State Senator Lea Webb was in Ithaca Tuesday to announce additional state funding for the county’s Rapid Medical Response program. The two-year pilot program operates three emergency response vehicles and employs nine EMTs. According to Webb, emergency response…
Local News: April 23, 2024
April 23, 2024 22:59Cornell Undergrad Vote Supports Gaza Ceasefire, Divestment— Last week Cornell undergraduate voted in a referendum polling their views on a ceasefire in Gaza and divestment from 10 military contractors supplying Israel. According to the Cornell Sun, nearly 50% of eligible students voted. And votes for a ceasefire and divestment outweighed those against by nearly two…
Local News: April 22, 2024
April 22, 2024 22:44Public Hearing on ICSD Budget Announced— Ithaca City School District has announced a public hearing on its proposed 2024-2025 operating budget. The meeting will take place May 14 at 5:30 p.m. at York Hall at Ithaca High School. Last week we reported on a 5-hour meeting during which the board heard from taxpayers concerned with…
Local News: April 19, 2024
April 19, 2024 12:28Case Against Day Hall Protestors Conditionally Dismissed A case against Cornell student and staff protestors will likely be dismissed. Twenty-four members of the Coalition for Mutual Liberation who staged a sit in at Day Hall in March appeared before Judge Seth Peacock Wednesday. The charges will be dropped provided the defendants don’t commit further violations…
Local News: April 17, 2024
April 17, 2024 22:03ICSD Board Cuts Proposed Budget Ahead of May 21 Vote The Ithaca City School Board has made cuts to their proposed budget. According to the Ithaca Times, the adjustment was made after a 5-hour meeting with the public. Board members heard from a range of homeowners who spoke to the effect of rising taxes on…
Local News: April 16, 2024
April 17, 2024 00:42Graduate students at Cornell are pushing the administration to act more quickly in negotiations with their union. According to the Ithaca Voice, last week about 200 graduate students rallied at Day Hall. Organizer Sadie Seddon-Stettler said that the university isn’t making contract negotiation a priority. The union maintains a dashboard showing the status of various…
Local News April 15, 2024
April 16, 2024 00:01Competing rallies were held at Cornell Sunday. One was billed as a "Jewish Unity" rally and featured speakers who decried what they say is a rise in antisemitism at Cornell and across the country. The other was organized by the Coalition for Mutual Liberation whose demands include that Cornell divest from what they call genocide…
LISTEN: Freedom of Expression at Cornell – Academic freedom
April 11, 2024 22:00This is the last of my three stories about freedom of expression at Cornell University this year. Here are links to the first and second stories. The academic theme at Cornell this year is “Freedom of Expression.” In earlier stories, we reported about the general mood at Cornell around free speech, and students' opinions about…
Local News: April 11, 2024
April 11, 2024 21:00- Former Cornell student who threatened Jewish campus community pleads guilty - The former Cornell undergraduate who posted violent, antisemitic threats against the Jewish campus community pleaded guilty in the federal court in Syracuse on Wednesday. WRVO Public Radio reports Patrick Dai admitted to “posting threats to kill or injure another using interstate communications.” Under…
Local News: April 10, 2024
April 10, 2024 21:00- Cornell Tech diversity program sued for alleged discrimination against men - Cornell is facing another allegation of discrimination. The Cornell Daily Sun reports that Cornell alumnus Justin Gaffney Samuels filed suit in March against Cornell Tech and the City University of New York (CUNY). He alleges the admission policy for their “Break Through Tech” program…
Local News: April 9, 2024
April 09, 2024 21:00- Water shut off planned for Watkins Glen this week - Residents in Watkins Glen should expect the water to be temporarily shut off later this week. WETM-TV reports water will be cut on Thursday, April 11 starting at 4 AM. The shut-off is so work can be done on a high-pressure line. It should…
Local News: April 8, 2024
April 08, 2024 21:00- Horsehead’s considers property tax increase in proposed budget - The Village of Horseheads in Chemung County is considering a 7.5% property tax increase. Village trustees accepted the proposal in last week’s meeting. WENY-TV reports a public hearing about the budget will be held April 18 at 6 PM. You can find more information about…
Local News: April 5, 2024
April 05, 2024 21:00- Tompkins Whole Health issues eclipse safety reminders - Tompkins County isn’t in the “zone of totality” but a partial eclipse will be visible. Tompkins Whole Health says people should still be careful on April 8. Health officials say don’t look directly at the sun during the eclipse. Even a partial eclipse can cause temporary…
Local News: April 4, 2024
April 04, 2024 21:00- Groton awarded $4.5 million from state for downtown revitalization - The village of Groton has been awarded $4.5 million from NY Forward. The state initiative is for downtown revitalization and economic development projects. The Ithaca Times reports Groton plans to use the funds to attract more businesses, renovate some housing, and build new trails.…
Local News: April 3, 2024
April 03, 2024 21:00- TCAT to buy more diesel buses due to electric bus problems - The Tompkins Consolidated Area Transit (TCAT) plans to buy five more diesel buses. TCAT officials say they won’t be buying any more electric buses soon. The Ithaca Voice reports electric buses haven’t performed well in Ithaca’s cold winter weather and steep hills.…
Local News: April 2, 2024
April 02, 2024 21:00- Ithaca seeks public comment about proposed short-term rental policy - The City of Ithaca wants feedback from residents about the proposed short-term rental ordinance. The law will regulate residential rentals of less than 30 days. Links to more details and how to submit a comment are on our website, WRFI dot org slash news.…
Local News: April 1, 2024
April 01, 2024 21:00- Cornell issues comments about ongoing protests, Congress sends second letter - Cornell President Martha Pollack and Provost Michael Kotlikoff remain critical of ongoing protests on Cornell’s campus. In an op-ed in The Cornell Daily Sun, they say the protests are disrupting university activities. They say there should be “a robust campus discussion about what…
Local News: March 29, 2024
March 29, 2024 21:00- Tompkins County may pay for a support specialist for tenants of a private developer - Tompkins County is considering hiring a specialist to help people transition from homelessness into properties owned by the Vecino Group. That’s the Missouri-based company that owns Ithaca ArtHaus and the soon-to-open Asteri on Green Street. The Ithaca Voice reports…
LISTEN: Freedom of Expression at Cornell – Student views
March 28, 2024 22:10The academic theme at Cornell this year is “Freedom of Expression.” A few weeks ago we reported on the general mood around free speech at Cornell. Today, we’re sharing students' opinions about their free speech rights. WRFI asked to speak to someone in Cornell’s administration about free speech on campus. The request was denied. The…
Local News: March 28, 2024
March 28, 2024 21:00- State DOT to hold info session about upcoming road work in Ithaca - Residents in Tompkins County learn about some upcoming state road repairs on April 3. The State Department of Transportation is holding an information and feedback session about work it will be doing on State Routes 13/34/96 in the City of Ithaca.…
Local News: March 27, 2024
March 27, 2024 21:00- The Town of Caroline approves its first zoning law - The Caroline Town Board approved its first comprehensive zoning law by a vote of 3-1 during its meeting last Wednesday. WSKG Public Radio reports the decision comes after about four years of sometimes contentious community debate. The law was designed to limit development and…