Cotton, kickboxing, and cornbread
Big Al Anderson drives up to his Genesee Family Restaurant and apologizes for opening late, saying he’s been helping a friend. Priorities matter, and there’s no question that a friend comes before opening on time for a man raising his seventh and eighth foster children (he also raised two of his own). Anderson opened this…
Reader Feedback 7.17.02
Just fed up A day after reading Mary Anna Towler’s “A God-fearing People” (July 3), the following appeared on my e-mail: “No God, no peace. Know God, know peace.” At a time when we are “at war,” to quote President Bush, it is a sad commentary to find that we are being censored for using…
The other crisis for Catholics
When Charles Ara fell in love, at the age of 39, he faced an anguished choice. As a priest in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, he had taken a vow of celibacy. But after working alongside the 28-year-old religion educator in his parish for almost three years, he felt that his vows had become impossible…
Religious journeys in the Rochester Diocese
“Getting married?” asks a webpage hosted by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester. “The Church welcomes you and is delighted you are considering celebrating this time in your life in the presence of God…. Call your parish to begin the process.” This applies only to the laity, however. Roman Catholic priests and nuns who…
Politics: The price of influence
Democrats who voted to oust José Cruz as minority leader of the County Legislature hoped his demotion would grant them freedom. That is, freedom from the influence Democrats at the city and state levels were exerting on their caucus. Instead, the uproar from that vote may have freed them from the opportunity to advance their…
News Briefs 7.17.02
Those who frequent the Water Street Music Hall know to make a beeline for the long bar’s left side for the coldest beer, swift service, and a slice of local history. There, beneath the neon and Rattlesnake Pete’s gaze, stands Chops, Rochester’s notoriously sharp-witted, longest-running bartender. “Chops is an institution,” says Water Street owner John…
No protection for child protectors
Monroe County officials, faced with a budget shortfall that may exceed $19 million, have vowed not to compromise health and public safety as they reduce the county workforce. But to the dismay of county Child Protective Service employees, their work to help children suffering abuse and neglect doesn’t fit the administration’s definition of “health…
The Believer highlights second Jewish film fest
The bulk of Rochester’s film festival season doesn’t begin until October with the ImageOut and High Falls fests, but if you just can’t wait until the leaves change color, you’re in luck. The second annual Rochester Jewish Film Festival kicks off this Sunday, offering a diverse batch of features and shorts that will appeal to…
1930s-style gangsters, without the pace or pulse
Paul Newman and Tom Hanks star in Sam Mendes’s “Road to Perdition.” Perhaps because it constitutes just about the only adult movie (in the old sense of the term) of the summer so far, Sam Mendes’s Road to Perdition has provoked almost as many raves as his previous hit, the wildly overpraised American Beauty. Mendes…
