Ithaca News Archives

The first murder trial in western New York occurred Aug. 26, 1831, in a hotbed of sin, a town where churches struggled for survival -- Ithaca.

In the summer of 1862, 21 young men from the Town of Enfield enlisted in the New York 109th Infantry.

Ithaca officials are expected to vote before the end of the year on a mutual assistance agreement that enables SWAT teams in Elmira and Ithaca to provide reinforcement for each other.

The Ithaca City School District Board of Education is looking for ways to increase diversity among the district's teaching staff.

Ithaca Common Council has voted to make no change to Mayor Carolyn Peterson's proposed 2010 tax rate of $12.31 per $1,000 of assessed property value.

ITHACA -- A hit-and-run case may rest on evidence of how much the defendant and the victim had been drinking, and whether the victim was in the road or on its shoulder when he was hit.

Historic Ithaca will hold its annual Halloween Graveyard Tour from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct.

Ithaca's Board of Public Works has held off, for now, on accepting Tompkins Trust Company's offer to fix the broken time and temperature clocks on the Commons.

Almost 100 people came to a Tuesday night meeting on natural gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale.

The history of Ithaca will come alive during the second annual 'Spirits of the Past,' a haunted history tour running through Halloween weekend.

Potential changes to the outdoor smoking regulations proposed by Ithaca Common Council include eliminating the no-smoking buffer around outdoor dining areas and extending the no-smoking area on the Commons.

Responding to neighbors' concerns, the Town of Ithaca planning committee recommended Monday that the town undertake a comprehensive traffic study of West Hill.

ITHACA A Tompkins County company has been selected to build a pilot solar project at the Wallkill Correctional Facility, near New Paltz in Ulster County.

ITHACA -- The landscape of central New York is a blend of urban and rural that illustrates the historical roots and the evolving nature of the area, and this weekend, a couple of dozen people gathered to appreciate an important connection to the region's agricultural history: barns.

Ithaca College SWIFT is leading a food drive on Halloween. On Oct. 31, Ithaca College students will be trick-or-treating in neighborhoods from 4-7 p.m. requesting cans and other non-perishable items for the Tompkins County Food Distribution Network.

Historic Ithaca has announced the winners of the 2009 Barn Photo Contest, held to coincide with the organization's work on the Tompkins County Barn Survey, which aims to create an inventory of the county's barns and farm structures.

It's the kind of trick an alchemist would be proud of: turning dog poo into gold.

The Compost Education Program at Tompkins County Cooperative Extension will hold its final free public composting class of the season from noon to 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct.

Things are quieter at Wild Things Sanctuary now that baby season is over, but things still get hectic during feeding time.

David Werier of the Finger Lakes Native Plant Society will lead a walk to find 'Lovely Lichens' Sunday.

There won't be much suspense on election night for voters in the City of Ithaca, or the towns of Ithaca and Groton - there are no contested elections for Common Council or Town Board seats in those municipalities this year.

Unity House officials announced Wednesday that they have sold their property at 408 E. State St.

ITHACA - An Ithaca man will be returning to prison following his sentencing for crack cocaine trafficking.

Potential re-designs of the Ithaca Commons could include a children's water feature shaped like Cayuga Lake, diagonally hung lighting to mimic gorges, a trolley down the middle of the Commons, or a return to two-way traffic for Green and Seneca Streets.

Expansive jam band Gov't Mule has a devoted following in Ithaca, and the group returns to town for an 8 p.m. show Oct.

ITHACA -- A convicted Ithaca burglar is now free of felony charges because of an Ithaca police officer's apparent impropriety.

Police are looking for a male who stole a purse from woman in Collegetown Sunday evening.

With a moratorium on the area expiring in mid-December, Ithaca Town Board members on Monday voted to send the issue of development in the town's northeast back to the planning committee.

Ithaca department heads pleaded for more money and no member of the public spoke at a Tuesday night hearing on the city's proposed 2010 budget.

Ithaca's Common Council is looking at revising a city policy that is intended to help young people break into construction trades, but that the City Controller says is resulting in cost overruns on construction projects.

Power has been restored in Ithaca and Spencer at this time. It is still out in Trumansburg and Jacksonville.

Ithaca, N.Y. a " Three documents that distinguished Abraham Lincoln's presidency and now stand etched in American history will be put on rare display at Cornell University beginning next week.The exhibit at Cornell's Carl A. Kroch Library features an original handwritten copy of the Gettysburg Address and signed copies of the Emancipation ...

The first snow of the season could fall in Tompkins County during the next few days with the National Weather Service forecasting cold rain and possible flurries.

Amelia Kearney and her lawyer Ray Schlather announced Wednesday they would continue to push for equity reforms in the Ithaca City School District through the courts after a judge determined last week a decision in Kearney's case was invalid due to a dispute over jurisdiction.

ITHACA -- Thousands of Tompkins County youth may soon be heard reciting lines and spouting rhymes as they go on the prowl for poetry in the run-up to this year's Children's Book Fest.

ITHACA -- Providence Hobbies owner Jeffrey Witty had given up. He had slowly been working his way out of accumulated debt to keep his Seneca Street hobby shop open during this year's economic downturn.

ITHACA -- They come from far and wide, lugging lawn chairs, blankets and steaming thermoses of coffee, dozens of them snaking their way around the block, patiently waiting hours -- in some cases, days -- for the doors to open.

ITHACA -- Police continue to search for a driver suspected of hitting and seriously injuring a 56-year-old Ithaca man in late September.

ITHACA -- An Ithaca woman may sue the city over allegations that an Ithaca police officer intentionally injured her and taunted her because of her sexual orientation while she was in police custody.

Idaho's iconic indie rockers Built to Spill have a brand new record out this week on Warner Brothers, but fans can expect a strong sampling of the group's classics at their live show Thursday at The State Theatre.

Ithaca Mayor Carolyn Peterson's 2010 budget calls for a 4.22 percent increase in the tax levy, and for eliminating free one-hour parking in downtown garages.

Washington - Saturn has a newly discovered ring, a faint trail of particles just visible in between some of its better-known rings, Nasa said on Tuesday.

U.S. Representatives Maurice Hinchey, Michael Arcuri and Eric Massa are urging Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood to approve a deal that would enable U.S. Airways to begin non-stop air service between Ithaca Tompkins Regional Airport and Reagan Washington National Airport.

The Cayuga Lake Floating Classroom will host a two-hour eco-cruise at 4 p.m. Sunday.

The Family Reading Partnership will celebrate Make It Matter Day as part of a national literacy awareness campaign organized by Reader's Digest.

The Ithaca Bipolar Explorers Club, a peer support group that meets bimonthly in the Women's Community Building, welcomes new members to its core group of half a dozen or so regulars who gather to share stories and advice with one another.

ITHACA -- New evidence in a case involving allegations of rape, torture and stalking has led to misdemeanor pleas and a conditional discharge for an aspiring actor and Binghamton native.

Ithaca police officers have made two arrests in the robbery of pain medication from a man last week.