Author: ed

ULYSSES, N.Y. — A 10-year-old girl who was the subject of an intensive search in the Town of Ulysses on Thursday morning has been located safely, authorities said. The Tompkins County Sheriff’s Office announced that Joanne Washburn was found off Rabbit Run Road near Trumansburg. She was found “late Thursday morning,” according to the announcement. Deputies had responded to the 5000 block of Cold Springs Road around 6:30 a.m. after the girl’s parents reported she was missing. According to Sheriff Derek Osborne, the parents last saw her at approximately 6 p.m. Wednesday and discovered she was not in her room…

ITHACA, N.Y. — Just 18 months after its grand opening, the Asteri Ithaca high-rise has been declared an “immediate threat” to resident safety, leading the City of Ithaca to issue a formal “Order to Vacate” for all 181 residential units. Ithaca Mayor Robert Cantelmo announced the emergency order during a Common Council meeting on Wednesday evening, citing severe fire safety violations. Fire officials discovered that the 12-story building’s two stairwells, which are required to serve as protected exits under state law, are currently unreliable due to damaged enclosures and numerous broken windows in hallways. While residents were not immediately forced…

ALBANY – Governor Kathy Hochul has introduced the Local Cops, Local Crimes Act, a landmark bill that would outlaw state and local police cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for civil enforcement. The proposal, announced alongside top state law enforcement officials, aims to prevent local resources from being “weaponized” for federal deportation efforts. A Clash of Jurisdictions The Governor’s legislative push comes as the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ramps up its presence in New York. On January 8, 2026, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem announced Operation Salvo, a federal initiative targeting the Trinitarios gang that has already resulted…

The deployment of AI-powered surveillance cameras by Flock Safety has sparked a wave of community resistance across New York and the nation, pitting local law enforcement’s search for efficient crime-fighting tools against residents’ fears of mass surveillance and federal immigration crackdowns. What began as a quiet rollout of automatic license plate readers (ALPRs) in 2023 has evolved into a high-stakes political debate in municipalities like Ithaca, Saranac Lake, and the Cornell University campus. In the Ithaca area, the Tompkins County Sheriff’s Office currently operates 51 cameras, while the Ithaca Police Department (IPD) manages 22. While these systems allow officers to…

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The City of Ithaca is launching a three-year pilot program called the ROOTS team to respond to non-violent crises and behavioral health concerns in collaboration with police and community partners. ITHACA, N.Y. — The City of Ithaca is launching a new public safety initiative aimed at responding to non-violent crises and behavioral health concerns in the community. The program, known as the Responders Offering Outreach, Trust and Support team, or ROOTS, will assist law enforcement during certain non-violent situations. City officials said the multidisciplinary team will be trained to address behavioral health and quality-of-life issues and may be dispatched through…

BINGHAMTON, N.Y. — Binghamton University is poised to become a national hub for ethical artificial intelligence, fueled by a historic $30 million gift—the largest academic donation in the university’s history. The funding, provided by a group led by Binghamton alumnus and Bloomberg LP co-founder Tom Secunda, will establish the Center for AI Responsibility and Research. The philanthropic gift is being paired with an additional $25 million in state investment from the State University of New York (SUNY), bringing the total backing for the initiative to $55 million. The investment is the engine behind an ambitious “cluster hire” initiative that is…

ITHACA, N.Y. — Cornell University has announced a record-breaking $371.5 million gift from alumnus David A. Duffield, a contribution that marks the largest single donation in the institution’s 161-year history. In recognition of the gift, the university will rename its engineering school the Cornell David A. Duffield College of Engineering. The funding will support a massive overhaul of the university’s engineering infrastructure, including a 130,000-square-foot expansion of Duffield Hall and a total renovation of Phillips Hall, the longtime home of the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering. “I welcome the opportunity to help advance technological research, innovation and leadership at…