Good morning, Ithaca.

Bangs Ambulance workers ratified their first union contract after over three years of negotiations; the agreement includes a significant pay boost, revised health insurance thresholds and incentive pay for understaffed shifts, setting the stage for improved EMS services in Ithaca.

Cornell helps local meat producers connect with customers through MeatSuite — a free website featuring a Meat Math Wizard that shows savings for bulk purchases amid rising prices.

Katherine Winton of Cornell has curated her Solar Flare playlist, which features summer tunes and nostalgic hits for students as the season shifts from vacation to classes; the weekly column appears every Monday — offering the campus community a final taste of summer before school resumes.

14850 Dining is exploring what cuisines Ithaca is missing by considering restaurant concepts like a German wursthaus, Polish eatery (and Brazilian steakhouse) to fill gaps in local dining.

The initiative invites community feedback on these ideas.

Gabriella Carini, former Brookhaven associate laboratory director, has been named the new CHESS director at Cornell and will also serve as a professor in engineering (she succeeds Joel Brock, who served since 2013).

She will lead facility upgrades starting Oct. 1.

At Cornell, sophomore Aariyana Edwards offers first-year students practical tips for the first week of classes by suggesting they plan their day (for example, by mapping out campus routes) and try club meetings and free events to balance socializing with quiet time.

The SEC is proposing Regulation E-Delivery to make email the default for sensitive financial notices, raising phishing concerns for older investors (a notable issue for New Yorkers); comments on the proposal remain open until Sept.

21.

Tompkins County DSS and local partners are launching a three-part video series over the next week on Facebook to help residents understand new SNAP work requirements and find volunteer, training, and job opportunities.

The series features local experts and directs viewers to tompkins-opportunity.org for more details.

City officials started repairing and replacing the sidewalk on the 100 block of West Green St’s north side Monday, Aug.

24 to improve pedestrian safety. The work is set to last two weeks with a planned finish on Monday, Sept. 7 (work may adjust with weather).

Sidewalk repair on the 400 Block S Geneva St began on Aug.

24 and will finish by Sept. 7 to improve pedestrian access on the West Side.

Cornell researchers boosted the immune system to clear residual melanoma cells that survived targeted therapy in mice, published on Aug.

5 in Cancer Research. Their work may help guide better timing for combining treatments to overcome cancer resistance.

Cornell sports guide highlights key games this academic year including the football Homecoming on Oct.

17 at Schoellkopf Field, a volleyball showdown on Sept. 26, and hockey contests on Nov. 13 and Jan. 22. Fans get extra homecoming weekend festivities starting the day before (Oct. 16) to rally support for the team.