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Two years ago, voters in the Ithaca City School District rejected a proposal for a sweeping school district renovation project ... and by staggering margins.

Meanwhile, the issues have only continued to pile up: Leaky roofs. Overheated classrooms. Science labs that are no longer fully usable due to safety issues.

But now, in exactly one week, that project goes back in front of voters again — albeit at a third of its original size.

This week on Backstory: the plan to fix Ithaca’s ailing school buildings, plus a look ahead at the other things at stake in this year’s school district elections on May 19.

For more on how to vote in the Ithaca City School District elections, click here. If you don't live within the boundaries of ICSD, school districts across New York hold elections on May 19 too. Visit your school district's webpage to find polling places and other information. If you're not sure what school district you live in, find out here.

Access a time-stamped transcript by clicking the button with three lines on the embedded player. For a full page transcript, click here. The transcript is auto-generated and may contain errors.

Original air date: May 12, 2026

Produced and reported by Megan Zerez.

Hosted by Jimmy Jordan

Cover photo by Megan Zerez

Listen and subscribe to Backstory on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Amazon Music or wherever you get podcasts.

We're back!

For this inaugural episode of the second season, we’re returning to an issue that we’ve covered several times on Backstory: Flock cameras. Last spring, dozens of the artificial intelligence (AI) powered cameras began to pop up at intersections around the county. These cameras — and the software that powers them — allow law enforcement to track the path of a specific vehicle as it travels through the network of cameras. The idea, manufacturer Flock Safety says, is to help police officers respond quickly to crime.

But activists have been pushing back. And now elected officials are reversing course, less than a year since the first cameras were installed. But as we're finding out, there's still a ways to go before the cameras are completely gone.

Stay tuned until the end for additional news from this week.

Access a time-stamped transcript by clicking the button with three lines on the embedded player. For a full page transcript, click here. The transcript is auto-generated and may contain errors.

Original air date: May 5, 2026

Produced and hosted by Megan Zerez.

Reported by Jimmy Jordan and Megan Zerez

Cover photo by Casey Martin.

Listen and subscribe to Backstory on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Amazon Music or wherever you get podcasts.

Editor’s Note: This bonus episode of Backstory was originally scheduled for Dec. 19, but a technical issue prevented it from being released until today.

Former Ithaca Voice editor Matt Butler has been living and reporting in Ithaca for nearly a decade. This week, he's behind the mic one last time for this bonus episode looking back at a few of the thousands of stories he's reported in the past nine years. Plus, some musings about sports, local government and the future of news.

We’re also going to be taking a break from our regular release schedule after this episode: there are some big changes underway at The Ithaca Voice and we want to make sure it all goes as smoothly as possible. But stay tuned, we'll be back next year.

Access a time-stamped transcript by clicking the button with three lines on the embedded player or a full screen transcript here. The transcript is auto-generated and may contain errors.