Alex Milan Tracy for Underscore
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The dozens of independent, nonprofit and nonpartisan news organizations that make up the Rural News Network are developing the broadest news alliance reporting on rural America. These newsrooms are pursuing coverage that provides a more complete picture of what it means to live and work in these communities.
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LATEST NEWS FROM THE NETWORK
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Town hall focuses on local impacts of federal spending cuts — so far
June 09, 2025
As federal cuts ripple through higher ed, Ithaca leaders warn that attacks on elite institutions like Dartmouth threaten not just academia—but entire communities built around them.
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Analysis: Lower turnout, fading budget conservatism in Ithaca school district election
June 02, 2025
The voter energy that drove last May’s record turnout largely failed to materialize during the Ithaca City School District (ICSD) elections earlier this month.
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City mulls moratorium on expanding historic districts
May 15, 2025
In a city like Ithaca that struggles with housing supply and has seen a rapid rise in home values, while also being very sensitive to changes in aesthetic character, the conversation around historic preservation can be a tense debate.
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Trump targets sanctuary cities again with new federal funding cuts order
April 30, 2025
The order, issued Monday, sets a murky future for the $50 million or so in federal grant funding that the City of Ithaca and Tompkins County receive.
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Planning begins for new year-round county homeless shelter
April 21, 2025
Tompkins County is seeking an outside organization to run and help design its planned homeless shelter.
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Teachers’ union negotiations to be livestreamed in historic first
February 13, 2025
The move comes after last spring’s high-profile battle over ICSD’s annual budget vote, during which voters consistently called on the school district to be more transparent about its spending.
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Trump Dept of Education to investigate Ithaca schools for diversity event
February 07, 2025
Depending on the findings, the district could lose federal aid — which totaled about $1.7 million last year, according to state and district data.
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County still reliant on motel rooms to shelter homeless this winter
December 10, 2024
The temporary facility is part of a state-mandated program called “Code Blue” that requires counties to provide shelter, no questions asked, on nights when the temperature dips below freezing.
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Elderly driver crashes car into poll site, briefly disrupts voting
November 05, 2024
County officials said they “can confirm no malicious intent related to the accident.”
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Northern Lights potentially visible Thursday night in Tompkins County area
October 10, 2024
The aurora may be visible as far south as Alabama and northern California, but with the advances in smartphone photo technology, people have been able to readily see the red aurora much farther south than previously.
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Dozens rally in support of Black farmer as neighbor charged with hate crime
September 10, 2024
The overwhelming response to the farmer’s case is the latest in what has been a flurry of attention on harassment targeting Tompkins County’s Black community. Members of an anti-racist community group recently organized by a local pastor were well represented in the crowd.
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Ithaca school officials receive racist messages after anti-affirmative action lawsuit
June 21, 2024
The superintendent and Board of Education President, who are both Black, said they received racist and threatening messages in the days after an anti-affirmative action group filed a lawsuit alleging the school district discriminated against white students.
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Officials appear to have missed a public hearing requirement before issuing $2.9M in tax breaks
May 31, 2024
While public hearings may see poor attendance — and officials have no obligation to act on specific recommendations from the public — they are commonly recognized as an important opportunity for public engagement and act as another layer of transparency.
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Council adopts resolution calling for permanent ceasefire in Gaza war
March 07, 2024
The City of Ithaca is now among at least 48 other U.S. cities that have passed resolutions calling for a ceasefire in an effort to collectively put pressure on state and federal elected officials to end U.S. military funding going to Israel.
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IPD’s incentivizing signing bonus to be renewed, staffing challenges continue
February 07, 2024
The practice of offering signing bonuses to lateral transfers has become normalized nationwide as law enforcement agencies everywhere grapple with severe staffing shortages.
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