Cover Story
Unholy alliance
After retiring from his position as a New York State Family Court judge, Anthony Sciolino has published “The Holocaust, The Church, And The Law Of Unintended Consequences: How Christian Anti-Judaism Spawned Nazi Anti-Semitism.” The book paints a scathing picture of the Catholic Church’s anti-Jewish bias over many centuries, a bias that Sciolino says helped create…
Rochester teachers bruised by reviews
Most teachers in the Rochester school district received the results of their first evaluations under the new state law last week, and most were rated either “effective” or “needs development,” says Adam Urbanski, president of the Rochester Teachers Association. Four ratings were possible: highly effective, effective, needs development, and ineffective. Urbanski says that while he…
Smart growth advocacy group troubled by DOT policy
Sometime this month, the state Department of Transportation will submit a multi-year plan laying out $11.7 billion worth of projects, all receiving federal funds, for approval by federal agencies. The department’s goal, according to a press release, is to have total approval by October 1. But Empire State Future, a statewide smart growth advocacy group,…
Major upset: Lovely Warren wins mayor’s race
They’ll be dissecting this one for months. City Council President Lovely Warren has soundly defeated Tom Richards in the Democratic primary for mayor. Unofficial results from the Monroe County Board of Elections put the margin of victory at approximately 57 percent to 42 percent. This makes the general election infinitely more interesting. Warren and Richards…
Big election week
It’s all about elections this week with crucial Democratic primaries for City Council, mayor, and school board taking place on Tuesday night. Some suburbs have primary races, too. Polls are open from noon to 9 p.m. The title event is the mayoral contest between Tom Richards and City Council President Lovely Warren. Voters seem to…
Not much new out of Medley meeting
Earlier today, Medley Centre developer Scott Congel met with representatives of the Monroe County Industrial Development Agency, the Town of Irondequoit, and the East Irondequoit Central School District. But the meeting didn’t bring any dramatic news about the project. In a sense, the meeting is an apt metaphor for the project: much talk with little…
Greece Dems outline open government agenda
During a brief press conference this morning, Greece Democratic candidates presented a 10-point plan for opening up town government. The agenda isn’t complicated and many of the proposals center on community outreach. The proposals include: Establishing citizens advisory committees for finance, communications, public works and public safety; Having community meetings in the different town wards…
Council members grill police chief over Hardaway arrest video
While Deputy Chief Mike Wood briefed the press Thursday afternoon on the latest in the city’s recent spate of killings, on the other side of Main Street, Rochester Police Chief James Sheppard answered tough questions from City Council members on an arrest video that has the whole community talking. A video posted on YouTube last…
Has the city school district hit bottom?
In light of threats from state officials about closing failing schools and taking control of failing districts, many people wonder if the Rochester school district has finally hit bottom. Were the last round of state exams the worst of it? And should we lo ok for student achievement to begin inching upward? That’s been the general…
Solar’s odd couples
There’s an old trope that politics makes strange bedfellows, and that’s apparently true with solar power subsidies. Yale Environment 360 published an article yesterday that details the fights over solar power subsidies in some states, Arizona in particular. The article says that the opposition in these states has come from fossil fuel interests, including utility…
Special Event | Rochester’s White Party
Get ready for a white out, Rochester. Relax: it’s not the kind that will have you struggling to see 5 feet in front of you. We’re still a few months away from those (knock on wood). Trillium Health is putting on the 2nd Annual Rochester White Party, a fundraising event benefiting comprehensive medical care, including…
Student Survival Guide 2013
All you students better hope that the much-ballyhooed zombie apocalypse doesn’t start while you’re in college. It is a well-known fact — science, really — that the undead love themselves some brains. So the shambling hordes will likely be making a beeline right for the Rochester area’s many college campuses. They’re like all-you-can-eat buffets for…
Festival | Mendon Station Festival
If you’re looking to close out summer — or welcome in fall — with one last quaint area festival, consider the Mendon Station Festival. The event includes a wide variety of activities, including a 7-mile bike rally, 5K and 15K trail races, an appearance by the 64th Regiment of Foot, a classic car cruise, a…
Global studies
By the time you graduated from high school, you’d probably been sitting next to the same classmates since freshman year, middle school, or even elementary school. By now, you’re ready to get out of that bubble and meet new people. That is one of the most exciting things about college. You get to meet people…
Special Event | Antiquarian Book Fair
Every serious reader loves a book sale, but the annual Antiquarian Book Fair held by the Rochester Area Booksellers Association is an especially enticing option for bibliophiles. More than 40 exhibitors will buy and sale books, with a focus on hard-to-find books, unusual books, out-of-print books, rare books, prints and photographica, and more. It’s basically…
Screen gems
Many of you are eager to spend freshman year partying, exploring Rochester, getting involved in campus activities, and partying some more. Studying will presumably fit in there somewhere. But the cool kids all know the best way to spend your free time. That’s right: shunning the outside world and taking refuge in movie theaters. Friends…
Special Event | Greentopia Festival 2013
Looking for a reason to go green? Here’s a big one: Greentopia Festival 2013. The festival, which runs from September 10-15, is in its third year, is a celebration of all things sustainable. The festival evolved from a two-day event to a six-day event, in part because it offers pretty much every festival activity you…
You betta work
College: it’s an eye-opening experience during which students can gain a wealth of knowledge. Savor it, because it’s about the only thing that will increase in wealth during your time in academia. As much brain power as students will acquire throughout their years at college, it’s unfortunately also a time in which money is quickly…
Special Event | A Late Summer Fete Gala
Building that time machine didn’t quite work out for you? Worry not, because Writers & Books is bringing the past to you — 1920’s Paris, to be specific. On Saturday, September 7, the Nixon Peabody event space at 1300 Clinton Square will be transformed into Ernest Hemingway’s version of Paris. The event is inspired by…
Fun before 21
Ah, freshman year. A new campus, a new city, and new people. Only one problem: if you are lucky enough to befriend upperclassmen, you’ll soon realize that they may leave for certain mystical locations that a practice known as “getting carded” prohibits you from entering. But fear not. There’s no need to risk your future…
MOVIE PREVIEW: Greentopia | FILM
Greentopia began in 2011 as a two-day event. Now, just three years later, it has blossomed into a week-long multimedia festival that includes a conference, art exhibits, musical performances, and even a fashion show. Presented by Friends of the GardenAerial, the festival’s purpose is to educate and raise awareness for the environmental issues facing our…
Seeking Rochester
Hey, smarty pants! Welcome to college. And if you came from outside the area, welcome to Rochester. Chances are you’ll be spending the next four years here while you pursue your degree. You could spend the next 1400-some-odd days in the (metaphorically) warm embrace of your campus. Or you could venture outside the bubble and…
“Closed Circuit”
The recent revelations about the long history of the American government spying on its citizens through a variety of sophisticated methods make the appearance of the British film “Closed Circuit” especially relevant. Public knowledge and even tolerance of the myriad surveillance devices that observe and report on the actions of millions of people create an…
Important events taking place both on- and off-campus
College life will probably keep you pretty busy. But there’s lots going on in and around Rochester all year long, so you’ll want to put aside the books every once in a while and get off campus. Below you’ll find a list of major upcoming events in the Rochester area, along with major campus events…
Witness Palestine
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has raged for nearly four decades, and the issue is just divisive today as it was at the start. I’m not for a minute going to pretend that I understand all of the intricacies involved in the conflict, but it’s clear that each side has enough evidence of wrongdoing to keep the…
DJ/Electronic | Zedd
Anton Zaslavski, better known by his stage name Zedd, is the son of two classically trained musicians. While growing up in Germany, he learned to play piano by age 4, drums by 12, and soon started writing and recording a rock song nearly every day in his own studio. Despite his pedigree, and dabbling in…
DINING REVIEW: Unkl Moe’s BBQ & Catering
Early on a Saturday evening, I drove with my husband along 490, toward West Avenue. The sun was shining, traffic was flowing, and my stomach was growling in anticipation of dinner. Just prior to crossing the Douglass-Anthony Bridge, the scent of barbecue — a perfume of smoke, meat, and char — wafted through the air.…
Folk | Turtle Hill Folk Festival
Summer’s not over yet. There’s still time to squeeze in one more music festival. If you’re looking for a laid-back vibe, Turtle Hill Folk Festival is a three-day weekend just down the road. Six groups that are rooted in the folk genre anchor the event. There’s the sweet vocal harmonies of The Honey Dewdrops, the…
Feedback 9/4
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…
Rock | Haewa
Rochester’s Haewa can be better described by what it isn’t. The group jams, but it isn’t a jam band. It circles psychedelic rock, but doesn’t get lost in the ether. It’s a rock ‘n’ roll band that doesn’t adhere to merely the one, the four, and the five. It’s odd, but not intentionally obtuse. Haewa…
Uninsured can start shopping soon
While the Republican majority in Congress and many Republican governors have spent their time attacking the Affordable Care Act, New York and many other states have been establishing the health insurance exchanges that the law requires.
Hardcore | D.O.A.
D.O.A. is a band that has been around for more than three decades, and has achieved legendary status in the punk and hardcore scenes. With the onset of the album “Hardcore ’81,” led by singer and songwriter Joey “Shithead” Keithley, D.O.A. helped publicize and popularize the hardcore genre in the 80’s. The band has been…
To Russia, with tough love
In Los Angeles, City Council members are giving serious consideration to severing Sister City ties with St. Petersburg, Russia. Last year, Venice and Milan broke off their relationships with the city. In all of those cases, the actions were a direct response to Russia’s anti-LGBT laws, which have been widely characterized as prohibiting the dissemination…
Americana | Landmark
Local band Landmark claims that it writes “traditional Americana music for the modern ear.” Similar to bands such as Punch Brothers and Trampled by Turtles, Landmark takes Americana music and adjusts the sound to fit in a contemporary setting, while still retaining the best parts of the tradition. The band is made up of four…
Hip-Hop | Svet Radoslavof
The content of violence in hip-hop music has always been controversial. Violins in hip-hop is another story. Having gained attention from his appearance on NBC’s “America’s Got Talent,” Bulgarian-born musician-violinist-rapper Svet Radoslavof will be celebrating his birthday in Rochester, where he currently resides. Svet graduated from the Eastman School of Music and has made quite…
Urban Action 9/4
This week’s calls to action include the following events and activities. (All are free and open to the public, unless otherwise noted.) Race in the classroom Moving Beyond Racism book group will meet at 7 p.m. on Monday, September 9, to discuss “Other People’s Children” by Lisa Dulpit. The book examines race in the classroom…
The Beautiful Ending
Lisa Canarvis is a study in passion and intensity. Whether you get caught in her piercing gaze or walloped by the siren call of her lilting voice, Canarvis is riveting. But beneath the cool burn is the undeniably palpable excitement of her new project, The Beautiful Ending. Known for her vocal work in the local…
What’s next? Obama, Syria, and Congress
Obama’s address on Syria on Saturday wasn’t what anybody expected. And it didn’t take long for the predictable critics to launch the predictable criticisms. (He looks weak; he’s making the US look weak; he doesn’t know what he’s doing; he’s emboldening Assad.) But I thought the speech was excellent. And seeking Congressional authorization before attacking…
Festival | M&T Bank Clothesline Festival
One of the area’s best arts and crafts events, the M&T Bank Clothesline Festival returns to the grounds of the Memorial Art Gallery (500 University Ave.) this weekend. The Clothesline Festival will feature more than 450 artists from across New York State showing and selling their wares in a variety of media, including ceramics, metal,…
WallTherapy continues into Fall Therapy
After the ambitious endeavor put on in Rochester this past July, it would be reasonable for the Wall\Therapy organizers to call it a season and kick back for a bit. But the momentum for the local street-art festival is showing no signs of slowing, as Dr. Ian Wilson and his crew have more in store…
