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

We call it the Ithaca news cheat sheet. It features a rundown of the 10 biggest headlines from the area.

(The cheat sheet launched yesterday with 15 headlines, but readers suggested we go with 10 instead.)

For news updates throughout the day, be sure to follow us on Facebook and/or Twitter.

— Jeff Stein

1 — A look at $ and federal politics

What has Rep. Tom Reed spent $1.4 million in campaign cash on? – Catering, at $85K, is Rep. Reed’s biggest campaign expenditure since January 2013. The Ithaca Voice

2 — Ithaca mourns musician’s death

Bernie Upson, beloved jazz musician, dies; tribute scheduled – “In the beginning, we booked him because of his music, and then we all fell in love with him.”

3 — GrassRoots starts! The silly photos to prove it

GrassRoots 2014: Our 10 favorite photos from the festival — so far – The Trumansburg music festival kicked off on Thursday, and we have compiled 10 great photos from the opening acts. The Ithaca Voice

4 — Cornell student death suit proceeds

Lawsuit Against Cornell Over 2010 Gorge Death May Continue, Court Rules – A lawsuit charging Cornell with negligence after a sophomore student fell 200 feet into a gorge and died in 2010 will not be dismissed, a judge ruled. Cornell Daily Sun

5 — How to fight panhandlers in Ithaca?

Ithaca discusses panhandler problem, as business owners express concern – Businesses in the downtown area are concerned about panhandlers and are hoping to work with the city on a way to fix the problem. WHCU Radio

6 — I’ll be the judge of that, 3 say

Three on ballot for Sept. 9 Ithaca judge Democratic primary – Democratic voters in Ithaca will have a choice among three candidates for city judge in the Sept. 9 primary The Ithaca Journal

Judge Peacock is one of the three candidates for the seat.

7 — Another step in rebuilding process

Ithaca gets ‘some needed good news:’ North Aurora Street reopens – Mayor Svante Myrick announced the reopening in a post on his Facebook page. The Ithaca Voice

A lane of traffic on Aurora Street has reopened. (Michael J. Connor/Ithaca Voice)

8 — A cure for the blind?

Interview with the Dean: A Vision to Cure Blindness – Neuroscientist Dr. Sheila Nirenberg sees the brain as a giant math problem — one she wasn’t always planning to work on. Cornell University

9 — Responders pull Danby man from gorge

Danby man okay after fall into gorge – The man suffered minor injuries and was taken into an ambulance but not hospitalized. The Ithaca Voice

10 — Gov. Cuomo out to strong lead

FiveThirtyEight: Gov. Cuomo has largest lead in the nation – Gov. Andrew Cuomo has the largest lead in the polls among states with governor’s races this year, according to an analysis published Thursday. Rochester Democrat & Chronicle