Welcome to the quickest way to learn the week’s most important local news.

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1 – Did we snap a photo of you during the Ithaca Festival Parade?

Ithaca Festival Parade photos are here! — Rain and mud couldn’t stop the 2018 Ithaca Festival from happening Friday night. People with umbrellas and ponchos, along with those who just decided to embrace the downpour sans both, lined both sides of North Cayuga Street to watch the festivities. We published more than 60 photos from the parade. See if we caught a candid of you during the parade!

2 – Police find heroin in vehicle

Newfield man arrested after police report finding $1200 worth of heroin in vehicle — A Newfield man was arrested after police report finding a gun, heroin, cash and packaging materials in his vehicle. Joshua Rice, 40, of Newfield, has been charged with third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, a felony. Police pulled his vehicle over on the 300 block of Elmira Road and executed a search warrant. He’s still in custody at the Tompkins County Jail on $5,000 cash bail or $10,000 bond, a jail official said Monday.

3 – Downtown loses a longstanding restaurant

Madeline’s prepares for final dinner service before closing its doors — Madeline’s Restaurant and Bar closed its doors last week after 21 years of operation. “We are proud of our run, it’s been wonderful, it’s been challenging, it’s been exhilarating, it’s been an adventure,” the restaurant posted on their Facebook page.

Pete and Ursula Browning, owners of a neighboring restaurant, Viva Taqueria and Cantina, are rumored to take over the restaurant within the upcoming months, a conversation which Pete Browning said had been manifesting for several months.

4 – Marijuana tickets in Tompkins possibly taking a hit

Tompkins County District Attorney meets with police to discuss marijuana tickets —  Is writing and prosecuting marijuana tickets the best use of county resources? This is the question District Attorney Matt Van Houten posed to law enforcement during a meeting where they discussed how to “get on the same page” about violation-level marijuana offenses.

“In terms of the level of offense that this involves and the use of officers’ time and the real community safety outlook for this, there’s no tangible risk to community based on possessions of small amounts of marijuana in my opinion,” Van Houten said.

5 – Ithaca growing, County not so much

Pack your bags? Most Tompkins communities lost population in 2017 — For many years, the story went like this – people moved out of the crime and grime of cities seeking greener pastures. According to the latest census estimates for Ithaca city and the towns and villages of Tompkins County, it’s the opposite.

In fact, estimates from the U.S. Census suggest that most communities in Tompkins County lost population from 2016 to 2017. The city of Ithaca was the top performer by population, gaining over 300 residents and nearly 1,000 since 2010, crossing the 31,000 mark for population for the first time in its history.

6 – Chain Works District update

Chain Works District: Team gives update on status of project — It has been a long road so far to analyze the contamination at the former Emerson Power Plant site on South Hill, which a team of developers plan to turn into the Chain Works District, a mix of industrial, commercial and residential space. A remediation plan has been drafted and a complex approval process still lies ahead.

Since the City of Ithaca will be part of the approval process moving forward, members of the Chainworks team gave an update on the project at Common Council on Wednesday.

7 — Old Library development moving forward

Plans to redevelop Old Library site into senior housing move forward — Plans to turn Ithaca’s old library site on Cayuga and Court streets into senior housing are moving along.

The property, located at 310-314 N. Cayuga St., was sold in September to Travis Hyde Properties. After a few quiet months, last week the developer announced it has partnered with Bridges Cornell Heights, a local senior living provider.

“The new residences will blend the Travis Hyde Properties expertise in property development with the Bridges Cornell Heights innovative approach to senior living,” a news release said.