Ithaca Voice

10/15/2024

Obituary: Joan E. Lawrence

July 9, 1930 – October 7, 2024 Joan E. Lawrence, beloved wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and community advocate, passed away on October 7, 2024, at the age of 94. She […]

10/13/2024

ITHACA, N.Y. -- Rural hilltops of Tompkins County have already hit the "killing frost" of 28 °F, and it's come close in some of the outlying valleys, especially last Friday morning, when temperatures fell to 29 °F at Cornell's weather station on Game Farm Road, and 30 °F at the airport (the conditions were great for viewing auroras, but not for plants)....

ITHACA, N.Y. — Rural hilltops of Tompkins County have already hit the “killing frost” of 28 °F, and it’s come close in some of the outlying valleys, especially last Friday […]

10/11/2024

We couldn't fit all 470 pictures of last night's Northern Lights display that our readers submitted, but here's as many as we could fit on the site.

ITHACA, N.Y. — The Northern Lights made a rare appearance in the area Thursday evening, with a slight chance the colorful sky phenomenon could be visible Friday night as well. […]

10/11/2024

Massive tax break resoundingly approved for neighborhood-scale South Hill development

ITHACA, N.Y. — An estimated $85 million tax break was approved this week for a massive development project that will change the face of Ithaca’s South Hill. The Tompkins County […]

10/11/2024

Ithaca's Climate Action Plan scrapped in favor of new plan with a "human element," signaling a pivot to a significantly different path with the same goals.

ITHACA, N.Y. — The road to reducing Ithaca’s greenhouse gas emissions has been long and slow. Now, the City of Ithaca is rerouting its Climate Action Plan to address the […]

10/11/2024

A prominent Collegetown corner is the newest target for redevelopment

ITHACA, N.Y. — A high-profile street corner in the center of Collegetown has new owners and a new development plan. Local businessmen Charlie O’Connor and Nick Robertson have submitted plans […]

10/11/2024

A home for formerly unhoused kids may close. Some residents have nowhere to go.

ITHACA, N.Y. — One of Tompkins County’s only homes for youth transitioning out of homelessness may close in the coming weeks. In an unexpected reversal, the program’s federal funding will […]

10/11/2024

📸 Got any good pictures of the Northern Lights tonight? We’re putting together a gallery of our readers’ pictures for tomorrow. Submit them in the comments or send them to us on Facebook messenger or at [email protected]!

10/10/2024

Momodou Taal, an international student at Cornell University who faced deportation after being temporarily suspended for participating in a pro-Palestinian protest on the university’s campus Sept. 18, will not be permanently suspended.

ITHACA, N.Y. — Momodou Taal, an international student at Cornell University who faced deportation after being temporarily suspended for participating in a pro-Palestinian protest on the university’s campus Sept. 18, […]

10/10/2024

The Northern Lights could be visible around Ithaca Thursday night, with the best opportunity for viewing southwest of the city.

ITHACA, N.Y. — On Thursday night, Ithaca may be greeted by a rare geomagnetic spectacle, potentially showing residents the Northern Lights and bringing possible impacts to critical infrastructure technology.  A […]

10/10/2024

One person dead after bus crash in Dryden

ITHACA, N.Y. — A bus carrying six people crashed into a tree on West Lake Road in the town of Dryden on Wednesday afternoon, killing one of its passengers. Tompkins […]

10/10/2024

GreenStar workers voted to unionize Collegetown and Dewitt Mall locations

ITHACA, N.Y. — Workers at GreenStar Food Co+op’s Collegetown and Dewitt Mall locations voted on Monday to unionize with Workers United. Of the 26 eligible voters, 12 votes were cast […]

10/10/2024

Ithaca man sentenced following COVID loan fraud conviction

ITHACA, N.Y. — An Ithaca man was sentenced to 24 months in federal prison Wednesday after being convicted of defrauding the pandemic-era Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). Ejembi Onah, a 61-year-old […]

10/09/2024

Cinemapolis will stay in its location of over 15 years thanks to a recent deal to take control of its Green Street space.

ITHACA, N.Y. — Downtown Ithaca’s primary movie haven, Cinemapolis, will remain in its current location for the foreseeable future. Theater leadership worked out a deal earlier this month to take […]

10/09/2024

Four former Cornell men's hockey players make NHL rosters as season begins

ITHACA, N.Y. — Four former Cornell men’s hockey players have made rosters of National Hockey League (NHL) teams as the professional hockey season begins this week. Winnipeg Jets defenseman Morgan […]

10/08/2024

Ithaca teachers union opposes proposed tax break for giant development on South Hill. Here’s why.

ITHACA, N.Y. — The Ithaca Teachers Association is calling for a change to the terms of a proposed tax break package for a massive development project in Ithaca.  The union […]

10/08/2024

Obituary: Terry Riordan

Terry Lee Riordan, age 68, of Sodus Bay passed away at home with family by her side on Sunday, October 6, 2024. Terry was born in Syracuse on November 13, […]

10/07/2024

Many fear the project will significantly decrease the neighborhood’s existing green space, cause more traffic and fundamentally change the community.

ITHACA, N.Y. — The developers of a 400-unit mixed-use development planned for West Hill will delay plans for a few months after community members turned out in large numbers to […]

10/04/2024

Developers are proposing to transform the site of a shuttered factory in Ithaca into a thriving neighborhood, but the size of the tax break the project could receive has ignited concerns.

ITHACA, N.Y. — Developers want to transform a vacant 95-acre former industrial site on top of Ithaca’s South Hill into a thriving neighborhood, complete with commercial and retail space, natural […]

10/04/2024

Schoharie County leader picked for Tompkins County Administrator role

ITHACA, N.Y. — Tompkins County has picked its newest leader: Korsah Akumfi, currently the administrator for Schoharie County in New York, appears set to step into the role of Tompkins […]

10/04/2024

Brooktondale man gets year in jail for hate crime against Black neighbor

CAROLINE, N.Y. — Longtime Brooktondale resident Robert Whittaker, Jr. was sentenced to a year in county jail Thursday afternoon for hate crime charges stemming from his prolonged harassment of his […]

10/04/2024

Varna firefighters responded to a natural gas pipe leak after it was nicked on a construction site Thursday.

ITHACA, N.Y. — The Varna Fire Department and NYSEG crews responded to a natural gas leak at a construction site on Dryden Road Thursday afternoon. Varna Fire Department Deputy Chief […]

10/04/2024

A local shopping center sold for over $20 million this week, one of the largest property transactions in Tompkins County this year.

ITHACA, N.Y. — Just as some people buy their wares and goods at shopping centers, some companies buy shopping centers. In the case of one Ithaca shopping plaza this week, […]

10/03/2024

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10/03/2024

County preparing temporary downtown shelter for winter season

If you anticipate you may need to access emergency shelter, you can find more information and resources here or by calling or texting 2-1-1. New York State requires counties to provide […]