This is a developing story. It will be updated as more information becomes available. ITHACA, N.Y. — Cornell University has reached an agreement with the United States Department of Justice […]

ITHACA, N.Y. — The Tompkins County Public Library (TCPL) remains without a permanent leader as a second interim director takes the reins for the next three months. The library’s last permanent director, Leslie Tabor, resigned in February amid controversy and division over major changes implemented during her time heading the organization. Youth services librarian Kat Savage began her role as interim director on Oct.

ITHACA, N.Y. — Tompkins Consolidated Area Transit (TCAT) management said they need a cash infusion from its underwriters to help balance the agency’s 2026 budget. Otherwise, TCAT will have to make service cuts. Tompkins County, the City of Ithaca, and Cornell University are TCAT’s three financial underwriters. All three received a request for an additional $500,000 in financial support from the organization, which would bring their total contributions to TCAT to just over $1.5 million each.

ITHACA, N.Y. — After filing a request with the Public Service Commission (PSC) to increase delivery rates for its customers and thus raise electricity costs, New York State Electric and Gas (NYSEG) held its required public hearings in Ithaca last week to field residents’ input in the case. The rate cases, filed June 30, 2025, would increase NYSEG electricity delivery rates by 35% and natural gas delivery rates by nearly 40% if they are approved by the PSC, which oversees NYSEG and Rochester Gas & Electric (RG&E).

ITHACA, N.Y. — Traffic signals along the some of the busiest sections of Meadow and Fulton Street in Ithaca are malfunctioning. Tompkins County officials said the cause is yet unknown as of 9:42 a.m. Wednesday and that the outage had an "unknown timeframe." The outage as of 9:30 a.m. reached between Third Street near the Aldi supermarket until at least the Meadow Street bridge near the Wegmans supermarket, though it's possible the issue could be more widespread.

ITHACA, N.Y. — Rallies are a routine sight on the Ithaca Commons, but it’s seldom that those events feature flags celebrating President Donald Trump or other right-wing figures. Nevertheless, a group of about 18 people waved Trump and American flags during rush hour Tuesday as part of an event honoring the life of right-wing podcaster and political organizer Charlie Kirk, who was shot and killed during an event in Utah last month. 

This story originally appeared in New York Focus, a nonprofit news publication investigating power in New York. Sign up for their newsletter here. ALBANY, N.Y. — A surprise move by the Trump administration could result in hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers losing their food assistance benefits as soon as November — disrupting one of the country’s oldest safety net programs months earlier than expected.

ITHACA, N.Y. -- For those seeking more fall-like conditions, this week will be favorable. Following a coastal system that will impact the Ithaca area tonight and tomorrow, a cool but dry pattern will take hold for the remainder of the week, with no rain expected from about sunrise Tuesday through about next Sunday afternoon. It'll be good weather for some warm cider and chunky sweaters, …

ITHACA, N.Y. — Volunteers of America Upstate New York (VOA) will operate Tompkins County’s emergency cold-weather shelter this year, adding those duties to their existing agreement to run the county-owned permanent housing shelter when it is constructed.  The contract with Rochester-based VOA was unanimously approved by the Tompkins County Legislature on Tuesday. VOA will operate the shelter out of the Cherry Street location soon to be vacated by Found in Ithaca, a vintage and antique marketplace, which is moving elsewhere.

ITHACA, N.Y. — Nighttime low temperatures are set to dip below freezing Thursday night for the first time this fall. Tompkins County will offer emergency shelter to anyone who asks through the state mandated “Code Blue” program. Tompkins County does not have a conventional congregate facility available, so those seeking shelter are expected to be provided rooms in local motels at no cost.

ITHACA, N.Y. — The City of Ithaca’s proposed 2026 budget tops $112 million, about a $6.1 million increase from 2025. City Manager Deborah Mohlenoff presented her proposed budget to the Common Council on Oct. 6. Spending increases, she said, are “based on the cost of doing business” for the city, and the budget is aimed at slowing down the rapid growth in property taxes seen in recent years without slashing services.

ITHACA, N.Y. — Cornell University's spending spree in Collegetown doesn't appear to be over yet, as the university moved forward with plans to purchase the property at 209-215 Dryden Road, just steps from the Big Red's campus. The Breazzano Family Center is a six-story, 76,200 square-foot office and academic building, purposely built for Cornell's use by developers John Novarr and Phil Proujansky in 2017…

This is an opinion piece written by Ward 3 Alderperson David Shapiro. It was not written by The Ithaca Voice. To submit opinion pieces, please send them to Matt Butler at mbutler@ithacavoice.org. Every year when budget season arrives, we face the same dilemma: our city has more needs than it has dollars. This year, two proposals in particular highlight that tension.

ITHACA, N.Y. — The hills are changing color. There’s a distinct crispness in the air. It can all mean only one thing: budget season is upon us here in the City of Ithaca. The city’s yearly operating budget covers everything from property tax rates to availability of city-funded youth programs to parking rates in municipal garages. Common councilmembers received an…

ITHACA, N.Y. — Being a senior in high school comes with its fair share of challenges — college essays, placement exams and navigating the complicated world of being a teenager with adult responsibilities looming on the horizon are a few examples. And yet, some students in Tompkins County have managed to balance all of this with the additional responsibility of helping local governments create climate policy, with the goal of not only protecting the county’s natural environments but also building resilience against a warming climate.

ITHACA, N.Y. — Ithaca Mayor Robert Cantelmo announced on Friday the formation of an advisory committee to study the financial compensation the city’s elected officials receive. The group will be responsible for delivering a report and recommendations on what elected officials in Ithaca should be paid. Its members will be tasked with reviewing pay structure in similarly sized municipalities, work requirements of council members, as well as living wage standards in Ithaca.

ITHACA, N.Y. — Local officials and public schools received a spate of threatening emails Monday morning, spurring an investigation from federal and local law enforcement. Tompkins County Sheriff Derek Osborne said in a press release that the threats appear to be part of a larger campaign, as several other counties reported similar incidents Monday morning. Osborne said local law enforcement is investigating the threats, as well as the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

NEWFIELD, N.Y. — Law enforcement responded to a fatal two-vehicle crash that killed a Newfield man over the weekend. Officials said Shaquille M. Stuttle, 31, was pronounced dead at the scene after a black 2019 Toyota 4-Runner struck his Honda CR-V while he attempted to cross Route 34 while driving east down Decker Road in the town of Newfield around 11:13 a.m.

ITHACA, N.Y. -- It feels uncannily summer-like right now, other than the early sunsets and late sunrises. However, this heat will be replaced with more autumnal conditions following a sharp cold front Tuesday night, which will also be our only chance for significant rain this week. If you're waiting for sweater weather, hang on, it's coming. Dry conditions continue into Sunday.

This story originally appeared in New York Focus, a nonprofit news publication investigating power in New York. Sign up for their newsletter here. ALBANY, N.Y. — In theory, the process that determines your energy bills plays out in public, through innumerable documents and comments posted online and hearings that are open to all.  In practice, watchdogs say, the key decisions are made behind closed doors, in confidential settlement proceedings where utilities set the agenda and bring legal firepower that is impossible for most other participants to match. 

ITHACA, N.Y. — Cayuga Health and Foodnet Meals on Wheels have announced a new partnership that intends to bring food and connection for senior citizens throughout Tompkins County. Starting on Oct. 23, the two organizations will collaborate to provide weekly community dining lunches served at Cayuga Health’s location at The Shops at Ithaca Mall in the former Sears location. Doors will open each Thursday at 11 a.m.

ITHACA, N.Y. — What happens when you try to ban students from using smartphones throughout the school day? In the Ithaca City School District (ICSD), in practice, the state-mandated ban hasn’t resulted in a total, cold turkey elimination of student phone use. Nevertheless, hundreds of students and educators across two schools reported a significant, across-the-board decline in student cell phone usage, according to student-run surveys.

ITHACA, N.Y. — The first frost advisory of the season has been put into effect for the overnight hours leading into Thursday morning. The National Weather Service announced that the temperature is expected to dip between 33 to 38 degrees from midnight Thursday until 8 a.m., which will result in frost formation. The most direct threat of the low temperatures is to outdoor plants.

ITHACA, N.Y. — A candidate forum for the Tompkins County Legislature revolved around affordability issues — a perennial concern in Tompkins County — and raising the minimum wage, along with the looming financial challenges the county will face as a result of federal spending cuts. There are 16 open seats on the Tompkins County Legislature, but just four of them…

ITHACA, N.Y. — Steeped in the waters of the Finger Lakes, and raised among their rolling hills, Yvonne Taylor knows just how precious the nature that surrounds her is. For her commitment to keeping titans of industry from changing that, she’s now been recognized as one of the most influential climate leaders in the country. Taylor, the co-founder and vice president of advocacy group Seneca Lake Guardian, was named to Grist’s List of National Climate Leaders, one of the most prominent environmental awards in the country.