Cover Story
Warren vs. Richards: One city, two visions
The Lovely Warren who walked to the front of the room in early May to ask her fellow Democrats to support her bid for mayor is not the same Lovely Warren who’s on the campaign trail today. There has been an observable transformation. Those first rough, nervous steps have been replaced by confident strides. Candidate…
COMIDA approves tax breaks for Midtown tower
The County of Monroe Industrial Development Agency unanimously approved tax breaks this afternoon for developers of Midtown tower and other projects. The Midtown arrangement has attracted criticism from people who say it’s another example of the government giving away the store to deep-pocketed developers. Midtown tower is being redeveloped for office, retail, and residential by…
Enviro group says cap and trade program is paying off
This week, New York officials are holding public hearings on new rules that would lower the state’s cap on power plant carbon emissions. (One of those hearings is at 2 p.m. this afternoon at Department of Environmental Conservation Region 8 Headquarters, 6274 East Avon-Lima Road, Avon.) Simultaneously, Environmental Advocates of New York has released a report citing…
More black ministers say the school district needs their help
The state of education in Rochester has been elevated from urgent care to critical, said Pastor Shirley Billups-Bell of United Church Ministry at a press conference earlier today. Billups-Bell was joined by several of the city’s African-American religious leaders who say that the faith community is going to become more involved in the Rochester City…
Cuomo pushes community schools
Community schools are not a new idea in education, but they’re getting renewed attention as a way to improve student performance in low-income, high-needs urban districts. Governor Andrew Cuomo is launching “NYS Community Schools,” a $15 million grant program to help develop the concept. Community schools are like neighborhood schools on steroids. The buildings are…
CONCERT REVIEW: C.J. Chenier, Chris Duarte at Abilene
C.J. Chenier certainly laissez les bon temps rouler at Abilene Wednesday, August 21. The joint was one big percolatin’ dance floor as Chenier and his able crew rocked up the zydeco. The show went well past most bedtimes, and into those hours known as wee. I don’t believe I’ve seen Houston, Texas, blues rocker Chris…
Week Ahead: Public safety money up for grabs, filling the inner loop, COMIDA projects, lake levels
Rochester Mayor Tom Richards will hold the first of four Voice of the Citizen — Budgeting for Public Safety forums from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Monday, August 26, at the Edgerton Community Center Stardust Ballroom, 41 Backus Street. The city has set aside $200,000 in its current budget for residents to use for…
State legislators propose massive environmental financing legislation
Two State Legislature committee chairs are proposing a new $5 billion environmental bond act.
Black ministers say parents and students need to make school highest priority
At roughly the same time yesterday that President Obama was swinging through Upstate New York to talk about education, a group of Rochester’s African-American ministers were having their own press event about problems within the city school district. Nearly a dozen ministers from the Baptist Ministers’ Alliance and the Rochester Ministers’ at Large aired their…
POTUS POP IN: Rochester gets a glimpse of Obama
After a day or so of speculation and preemptive sour grapes, Rochester did, in fact, get a quick, casual visit from President Barack Obama today. (It had been thought that Obama would skip Rochester on his upstate swing.) The media and the general public learned about the POTUS pop in at the last minute —…
Concert Review: Kenny Chesney at CMAC
Dammit, someone lied to me and told me I was going to a country concert! Wednesday night, me and nearly 15,000 music fans piled into CMAC to dig on country superstar Kenny Chesney’s “No Shoes Nation” tour. The smattering of cowboy hats throughout the crowd looked as if a giant can of Pringles had been…
DEVELOPING: D&C layoffs hitting newsroom
[UPDATE 4:55 P.M.] An article posted on the Democrat and Chronicle’s website says that the company laid of six full-time workers and one part-time worker today. The article doesn’t specify where those cuts occurred. Original post: Layoffs are hitting the Democrat and Chronicle newsroom this morning, according to unconfirmed reports. The extent of the layoffs…
King uses Rochester as example in fight with Buffalo school leaders
President Obama’s visit may be enough to temporarily shift Buffalo’s attention away from the fairly public brawl between Buffalo schools Superintendent Pamela Brown, the school board, the teachers union, and State Education Commissioner John King. King hasrejected several attempts that the district has made at coming up with turnaround plans for two of Buffalo’s worst…
OBIT: Remembering jazz legend Marian McPartland
Marian McPartland, a beloved figure in the jazz world locally, nationally and internationally, died Tuesday, August 20, at the age of 95. She died of natural causes at her Long Island home. McPartland was best known as the host of the National Public Radio show “Marian McPartland’s Piano Jazz,” which ran for more than 30…
If the Miami school district can do it, can Rochester?
Though Miami-Dade is a much larger school district, there are plenty of similarities with the Rochester district in that most of Miami is African American and Latino, and the majority of students are poor. There was an interesting story on National Public Radio about the remarkable turnaround in that district led by Superintendent Alberto Carvalho.…
Senecas casino announcement: what was the point?
Yesterday’s announcement that the Seneca Nation of Indians is looking at Henrietta as a possible casino site caught a lot of people by surprise, including town officials. Many people are trying to figure out what the nation’s announcement is supposed to accomplish. Last night, I caught a Twitter conversation between WROC reporter Rachel Barnhart and…
ENDORSEMENT: For Rochester school board: White, Cruz, Lucas
As unimaginable as it seems, the state of Rochester’s schools is worsening. Only 5 percent of city students in grades 3 through 8 were proficient in English on recent state exams. Academic performance of black and Latino males is the lowest of any major urban district in the US except Detroit’s, according to a report…
Woody Allen’s annual picture
Although he dutifully releases something like a film a year, and despite the reflexive gushing of the reviewers, Woody Allen has actually not produced a genuinely good movie in years, perhaps even decades. A good deal of his work ranges from abysmal — “Alice,” “Mighty Aphrodite,” “The Curse of the Jade Scorpion” — to the…
ENDORSEMENT: For City Council: Haag, Miller, Ortiz, Scott, Conklin
Rochester’s current City Council is not a group of introverts. Whereas a few previous Councils had one or two members who seemed barely engaged — indeed, barely coherent at times — this nine-member body can be downright rowdy behind semi-closed doors. Some observers say that this is one of the better Councils that the City…
Guess who’s coming to dinner?
There are certain movies that simply demand to be seen with an audience. Comedy and horror films typically benefit the most from a group setting; being able to sit in the dark, screaming, shrieking, and/or laughing your head off alongside a group of perfect strangers undeniably increases one’s enjoyment of a film (it’s for this…
INDIE | Highness
When Eric Richter (guitar/vocals), Brent Eyestone (guitar), Brandon Evans (bass), Graham Scala (guitar), and Ryan Parris (drums) came together, they all brought strong musical pedigrees, and varying aesthetic approaches. The result was Highness — an amalgam of musicians with different stylistic backgrounds, but one thing in common: untapped potential. The quintet mixes the melodic underpinnings…
ELECTIONS: School Board Candidate Essays
JOSE CRUZ I have been a resident of Rochester since 1965. I was educated in public schools. I graduated from Benjamin Franklin High School and Monroe Community College. I also completed a yearlong internship in community development at Pratt University in Brooklyn. As student leader at Franklin High School, I was a founder of the…
Heavy mettle
I’m fascinated by the way people like Gareth Fitzgerald Barry view the world. The recent RIT graduate and emerging artist works for Atlas Builders, a construction company subsidized by the government to revitalize the inner-city landscape with new single-family housing. It’s easy to see where his field of work has influenced his art — Barry…
ELECTIONS: City Council Candidate Essays
CAROLEE CONKLIN Of all the great human institutions created during the past centuries, democracy ranks right up there at the top. It has its warts, but there is no other political system I would trade it for. Democracy works best when people actually vote and make an effort to inform themselves about the issues and…
JAZZ/BLUES | GRR!
Geoff Tesch (guitars), Ron Broida (bass), and Robin Whiteman (vocals) are the soulful collective, GRR! The trio got major exposure during this year’s Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival as it performed every night at the Little Theatre. Audiences are raving about a high-energy blend of jazz, blues, swing, and folk, that is always peppered with…
REVIEW: “The Spectacular Now”
Just one month ago, in this very space, I was marveling at the number of teenage boy coming-of-age movies that have been released in theaters recently. It looks as though I spoke too soon, because here comes one more. Luckily, James Ponsoldt’s “The Spectacular Now” differentiates itself from the others, offering a subtle, bittersweet take…
ELECTRONIC | Adrian Lux
If you’re in the more for a bit more of a euro-flavor, look no farther than Adrian Lux. Swooping in from Sweden and dropping the beat on us, Adrian Lux swings between much more euro-dance music and an almost emo-sounding indie-rock mix, although still with the techno beat on top. It’s no surprise he’s already…
DANCE | Rochester Salsa Cruise
So you think you can dance? MVA Productions and Rhythm Society NY think you can step it up, and shake your groove thing on a boat (that’s some next-level balance and dexterity shenanigans, right there). On Saturday, August 24, 6-9 p.m., take the party to the water and cruise Lake Ontario on the 80-foot Harbor…
FESTIVAL | New York State Fair
The Great New York State Fair in Syracuse kicks off on Thursday, August 22, and continues through Monday, September 2, featuring a host of concerts, competitions, daily parades, midway rides and games, agricultural and livestock competitions, monster truck rallies, dance, sports, a circus, and much more. Before you head to the fairgrounds (581 State Fair…
THEATER | Sankofa Evenings of Theatre and Jazz
The 6th Annual Sanfoka Evening of Theatre & Jazz Fest, which features a cross-section of theatrical artists from the Rochester community, will be presented by Mood Makers Books Theatre 1 Project, Mood Makers Books, and Rochester Playwrights in Residence at MuCCC (142 Atlantic Ave.) on Thursday, August 22, through Saturday, August 24. On Thursday, a…
ALTERNATIVE | West Fest
Why not check out five indie bands that are putting the rock back into Roc City? The third annual West Fest is a two-day concert organized by Dusty West, lead singer of grunge outfit Anchorage, Nebraska and impresario of Eat Here Records. West calls the eponymously titled event, “the thing he works on the hardest…
More good news for sturgeon
Approximately 10 years ago, federal, state, and university scientists took a gamble and reintroduced lake sturgeon into the Genesee River. They believed that the river’s water quality and pollution levels had improved enough that the fish could survive, grow, and ultimately reproduce. And so far, they’ve been right. The fish are growing at good rates,…
SPECIAL EVENT | Paris Flea
Picture leaving work for the evening, and before grabbing a bite and a bubbly with friends, strolling down Main Street for a some chic shopping in the breezy, late summer air. Or setting off on a weekend afternoon to scour a market of wares from Rochester’s top designers and dealers. You can make this a…
Urban Action 8/21
This week’s calls to action include the following events and activities. (All are free and open to the public, unless otherwise noted.) Looking for landmarks The Landmark Society of Western New York is seeking help from the region’s African-American community to identify landmarks. The goal is to find sites of important events and activities to…
ROCK | Goo Goo Dolls
When it comes to bands that resonate in my brain, I don’t go gaga over the Goo Goo Dolls. I mean no disrespect. I like the Dolls when I hear the band’s tunes on the radio. The Buffalo, NY troubadours are the 1-in-1-million inspirational story for anyone with a hockey-sounding last name that has three…
Feedback 8/21
We welcome your comments. Send them to themail@rochester-citynews.com, or post them on our website, rochestercitynewspaper.com, our Facebook page, or our Twitter feed, @roccitynews. For our print edition, we select comments from all three sources; those of fewer than 350 words have a greater chance of being published, and we do edit selections for publication in…
SPECIAL EVENT | Word Play at Hedonist
In addition to offering Rochester an ever-evolving spectrum of truffles, caramels, drinking chocolate, ice cream, and other hand-made, French-chocolate-and-natural-ingredients-treats, local artisanal chocolatier Hedonist offers its interns the opportunity to showcase their diverse creative talents through a very delicious medium. Head to the South Wedge and join Hedonist Chocolates (674 South Ave.) on Friday, August 23,…
DINING REVIEW: Bamba Bistro
I write about restaurants and I work in a restaurant, so it should come as no shock that most of my conversations with others (and, if I’m being truthful, with myself) revolve around the local dining scene. Earlier this year, I became kind of obsessed with Bamba Bistro, located in a little brick castle on…
RECREATION | Singles Mingle Go-Kart & Mini Golf
Tired of trying to spy a fun-loving mate through beer goggles? Too sketched out to try online dating? Gather up your playful, competitive edge, and flirt the day away at the Singles Mingle Go-Kart and Mini-Golf event, which will take place Saturday, August 24, at Clubhouse Fun Center (70 Jay Scutti Blvd., Henrietta). Shy? Bring…
COUNTRY | Reba
Reba McEntire is one of the undisputed queens of modern country music. She’s been churning out hits since the late 1980’s and she’s still going strong. You’ve probably heard her version of the prostitution classic “Fancy,” her amazing duet about a cheating spouse “Does He Love You,” or the moving “Somebody.” And those are just…
ENDORSEMENT: For Rochester mayor: Tom Richards
This year’s mayoral election could be a turning point for Rochester. Like many other cities, this one faces serious, escalating problems and shrinking resources. And the candidates for mayor – incumbent Tom Richards, City Council President Lovely Warren, and Green Party candidate Alex White – offer different paths to Rochester’s future. Richards and Warren compete…
Nothing but a good time
As the summer comes to a close, the time for music festivals is winding down as well. On Saturday, radio station The Zone 94.1 squeezed in its annual Scion’s Bonzai, a music festival celebrating radio-friendly modern rock. “Keep in mind that we only came here to have a good fucking time with you!” yelled Kaleo…
Black ministers to speak out against city schools
Updated August 21, 2013 at 9:50 a.m. Superintendent Vargas understood the ministers’ request for a meeting concerned an employee matter, and he cannot legally discuss such issues, according to Chip Partner, the district’s spokesperson. With regards to concerns about the school day scheduling changes, Partner says that parents in some schools were notified well in…
