Cornell’s College of Engineering just got the kind of gift that makes even seasoned fundraisers pause. Tech billionaire alumnus David A. Duffield pledged 371.5 million…
Posts published in “News”
Student Representatives to the Board of Education Update
By LILY COWDER on March 2026
Recently, the student representatives to the Board of Education have been working on a tentative policy for the new ex officio law required by New…
Ithaca School Board Looks Into Falling Enrollment, ‘No Active Plans’ to Close Schools
By ELI WARSHOF on March 2026
A Cornell study outlined the benefits of closing some of Ithaca’s elementary schools in the next decade. As the local population of school-age children decreases,…
Cornell Increases Funding to ICSD
By JULIA KLEINBERG on March 2026
Over the past many years, the subject of Cornell University’s contributions to its Ithaca neighbors has grown contentious. The school, being a nonprofit, does not…
Cayuga Medical Nurses Form Union Amid Mounting Staffing Concerns
By CHRIS ERRICHIELLO on February 2026
On December 3, the nurses of the Cayuga Medical Center (CMC) announced their unionization in the wake of understaffing, cutback benefits, and the lack of…
District Approves New Safety Plan
By ACE DUFRESNE on February 2026
Content warning: school emergencies. In accordance with a New York State mandate, ICSD approved a new district safety plan at its January 13 Board of…
Hurricane Melissa’s Effect on Jamaica’s Schools
By CHARLOTTE POLLAK on February 2026
Hurricane Melissa was one of the most powerful Atlantic storms on record, hitting Jamaica in late October as a Category Five hurricane. The storm claimed…
Green Policies Challenged by Federal Pressures
By ELI WARSHOF on February 2026
Faced with rising energy costs and pressure from the federal government, New York State appears to be compromising on its climate goals. Specifically, the Department…
Data Center Planned for Lansing
By ELI WARSHOF on February 2026
Maryland-based technology company TeraWulf is vying to open a data center in Lansing. The center, planned on the site of Milliken Station, a decommissioned coal…
America’s Delayed Nuclear Age
By JACK PIERETTI on February 2026
The power of the atom entered the public consciousness through its use at Hiroshima and Nagasaki, a legacy that continues to shape how it is…
Trump’s University Compact and Agreement with Cornell
By CHRIS ERRICHIELLO on December 2025
Writer’s Note: This article concerns an ongoing issue and the matters in it may be subject to change. At the beginning of October, the Trump…
President Attracts Largest Single-Day Protest in American History in His Opposition
By CORALLUS MEEKS on December 2025
On October 18, an estimated seven million people organized together across the nation in cities large and small—from San Francisco, to Boston, to Ithaca—in a…
Lieutenant Governor and Gubernatorial Candidate Antonio Delgado Visits Ithaca
By CORNELIA YE on December 2025
Lieutenant Governor Antonio Delgado visited Ithaca on Sunday, October 26, as part of his campaign for governor. Across two events—a campaign stop at Liquid State…
IHS Model United Nations Club Finds Success at First Conference of the Year
By CORNELIA YE on December 2025
On November 7 and 8, Ithaca’s Model United Nations (MUN) Club attended a conference at Hilton High School in Rochester, New York. Over forty IHS…
ICSD Test Scores are Improving. Here’s What’s Working.
By ACE DUFRESNE on December 2025
Like all school districts, ICSD is still reeling from the severe impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to low test scores in five schools, especially…
Election 2025: Democrats Take Spots in Local Elections and Key US Races
By ELI WARSHOF on December 2025
Democrats scored victories in elections across America on November 4, providing much-needed energy to a party staggering after President Trump’s win last year. Locally, the…
Common Council-Elected Jorge DeFendini and Hannah Shvets Discuss Local Climate Justice
By OLIVIA HAO on December 2025
This November, two young democratic socialist candidates won their elections for Ithaca Common Council: Jorge DeFendini and Hannah Shvets ’23. Just ahead of the election,…
Food Banks, School Nutrition Programs Scramble as Federal Funding Sources Thin Out
By ELI WARSHOF on November 2025
Earlier this year, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced it was cutting a pair of major nutrition funding programs: the Local Food for…
Government Shutdown Paralyzes U.S. as Funding Impasse Continues
By KAITLYN BURKE on November 2025
Author’s Note: This article was written in mid-October. It may not accurately reflect the state of the shutdown at the time of print. The United…
Student Representative to the Board of Education Update: Cell Phone Ban
By LILY COWDER on November 2025
As the beginning months of the school year come to a close, let’s look back on the student opinions regarding the cell phone ban. Recently,…
Mysteries of E-Wing, Uncovered
By CHARLOTTE POLLAK on October 2025
Have you ever heard construction noises in the school during class and wondered what’s happening? The school is developing a new technology wing in E-Wing,…
Protagonist Books and Coffee Opens in Dryden
By ZADIE WANG on October 2025
On September 3, 2025, Protagonist Books and Coffee opened its doors to the downtown Dryden community. Owned and operated by married couple Amber and Sam…
Revised Ithaca Climate Plan Emphasizes Resilience, Achievable Goals
By ELI WARSHOF on October 2025
Ithaca’s Climate Action Plan (CAP), at the heart of the City’s Green New Deal, is getting a makeover. Whereas previous iterations focused almost exclusively on…
The Ithaca Teachers Association’s September 18 Rally
By CORNELIA YE on October 2025
After school on Thursday, September 18, teachers from across ICSD gathered with community members at the IHS bus loop for an Ithaca Teachers Association (ITA)…
Tompkins County History Center Hosts Scavenger Hunt Fundraiser
By LIVIA AVGAR on October 2025
This year, for the first time, the Tompkins County History Center put on a scavenger hunt as a fundraiser. It consisted of puzzles hidden throughout…
The Federal Government’s Summer of Funding
By CORNELIA YE on September 2025
One of Donald Trump’s signature promises during his 2024 presidential campaign was to cut government spending. Trump claimed his reductions would shrink the size of…
June Primary Results and What They Mean for Ithaca
By MILES HALL on September 2025
This year’s June primaries have attracted widespread attention to New York across the nation because of close and competitive races in the state. Here in…