Good morning, Ithaca.

Newfield United Methodist Church is hosting its annual fall festival on Saturday, Oct.

17 at 227 Main St. The event will feature local vendors, a bake sale, silent auction & luncheon to support church women's mission work.

The Village Pantry — a local shop offering baked goods and products from local farms — opened in Freeville on Sept.21 and quickly became a community hub with customers lining up for fresh treats.

The store plans to expand its selection with more bread and pastries as it grows.

Regal Ithaca is showing Drishyam: The Conclusion; the Bollywood film opened in India on Oct.

2 and now connects diverse audiences in our community with its familiar cultural touch. The screening brings home a sense of belonging by merging global cinema and local tradition+ offering a shared experience for moviegoers.

A study by the ILR School’s Worker Institute shows private equity firms have maintained poor conditions in New York home care after controlling half the agencies in 2025, with low wages + weak oversight harming workers.

The report calls for better wages, union rights and stricter regulation.

Cornell University is hosting two Unmasking the CCP lectures this October.

Former Ambassador McFaul will discuss autocratic and democratic shifts on Oct. 23 at 4:45 p.m. in Rhodes-Rawlings Auditorium (preceded by a reception), and historian Dikötter will review communism on Oct. 27 at Schwartz Auditorium.

Ithaca Zoning Board of Appeals granted Nexamp Solar a variance to clear 23.16 acres of woodland for its Bomber Heights solar and battery project on Troy Road, resolving a significant zoning hurdle.

Nexamp must now secure planning approvals and permits before construction, which will take about 14 to 16 months.

Tompkins County health plans will change in 2027 when some Medicare PPO plans end and Medicaid renewals shift to twice a year.

The Office for the Aging at 31 Dutch Mill Road now offers counseling and urges residents to review notices and their insurance accounts to avoid gaps.

Gary Koretzky, a Cornell professor emeritus (and former leader of Ithaca’s COVID testing program), released his book Your Immune System: The Amazing Science of Who You Are yesterday to explain immunology from basic biology to advances in cancer treatment and vaccine science.