While we celebrate the legal judgement that dropped all charges against Cadji Ferguson and Rose DeGroat, we believe our community needs to take concrete steps and change priorities in order to prevent the injustice and suffering endured by Cadji and Rose from ever happening again.

I am writing in regard to TCAT Bus 2506, which services various routes. Riding this bus is like entering an MRI machine without prior warning. At first glance, I thought this bus was a mobile clinic, protecting confidentiality of its users. I was shocked that it was in fact my TCAT transport…

My office has offered a literal door directly into the Mayor’s Office for eight years this January. Through that door, I have seen Svante Myrick at work as few others have. As I now share some of what I’ve seen, and I believe objectively so, let me nonetheless place an important disclaimer r…

New staff positions are quite necessary for the changes agreed upon with the adoption of the Ithaca Green New Deal.

The Town of Caroline is lucky to have Mark Witmer as their Town Supervisor. He is everything an elected official should be: smart, dedicated, a good communicator, fiscally responsible, and a strong environmentalist. He is the clear choice over his pro-fracking opponent. Please vote for Mark …

Thank you for your article highlighting a problem that many families in Ithaca have been aware of for years – in Ithaca, football is a dying sport. While it is true that national trends toward specialization and a lot of bad PR is playing a role in the programs’ decline, your article didn’t …

With all due respect to my fellow Americans, most of us simply don’t seem to know that a “liberal/progressive” is not the same thing as a “socialist.”

It must be understood that global warming is not a technical problem; it is a systemic problem. The capitalist economic system requires continuous growth of markets and profits, which means continuous growth of resource extraction and worker exploitation - all accelerated by various forms of…

On May 2, I was at the Ithaca Sunrise forum where Mayor Svante Myrick announced that the city would implement a Green New Deal (GND).  The term Green New Deal was brought into the national lexicon by Senator Markey and Representative Ocasio-Cortez who introduced the Green New Deal resolution…

It is my expectation that President Trump is going to do all of us a big favor and decide some time in early-to-mid 2020 not to run for re-election partly as a result of an economic slow-down. When that happens, I hope that the Republicans will nominate someone of good character such as Nikk…

Our family always looks forward to attending the Trumansburg Fair, but our visits have also been marked by discomfort and sadness due to concerns about the wild animals at the traveling petting zoo. We believe it is our community’s ethical responsibility to ensure that safety, comfort and re…

With regard to Ross Haarstad’s review of Katrina, A New Musical, Haarstad made erroneous presumptions. He wrote, “But for this show to have a future, a critical flaw must be addressed: a white-centered narrative about black people.” First, David Frumkin and I were telling a story bigger than…

On June 13, 2019 Governor Cuomo signed legislation that removed non-medical exemptions from school vaccination requirements for children. This means parents or guardians may no longer claim any exemption other than a medical one. To attend public, private or parochial schools for pre-kinderg…

Regarding Letter to the DA from Common Council

After weed-killer was applied on the lawn in my apartment complex, ornamental plants died and crab-apple trees were affected. Evidently, the herbicide was very toxic. It will end up in ground water and in the lake! Vinegar and hot water are a safer alternative to herbicides. Herbicides are n…

In recent weeks, we have been presented with horrific descriptions of what is happening to families and children at the border between the United States and Mexico. In the past people wanting to enter the U.S. have been mostly men from Mexico who were looking for work to support their famili…

In these difficult economic times, it is especially important to patronize your favorite restaurants and honor the employees who make them a success.  Why not join me in celebrating National Waiter and Waitress Day on May 21st?  As regular patrons of your local neighborhood restaurants, ther…

I am writing to support the passage of the New York Health Act (NYHA) that provides for universal health care for all New York residents. My wife and I own a small business in Tompkins County, and employ 12 persons full time during our high season. I offer my employees a certified living wag…

State run health care wouldn’t “save” Tompkins county  $9.6 million per year. To be correct, it would shift those costs to the state and they would still be paid by taxpayers in Tompkins county and everywhere else in NY. True health care cost savings are very hard to achieve on a village, ci…

I am writing to share widespread concerns about the proposed replacement of the historic one-lane bridge over Fall Creek in Varna. The Fall Creek valley in this area would be devastated by a new, wider bridge and by the realignment and rebuilding of Freese Road.