Would you drink a Frederick Douglass lager, knowing that Douglass condemned alcohol consumption?
Christine Carrie Fien
I'm City's news editor, which means I oversee all aspects of our news-gathering operation. I also sneak in to an occasional City Council meeting and cover Rochester's intriguing and eclectic neighbors. My family has a long legacy here, and I'm proud to continue to represent.
Posted inNews & Opinion
Tepid response so far to police reorg
Included in Mayor Lovely Warren’s new budget is troubling news about the Rochester police reorganization, which went into effect last year. Warren led the reorg, which is more of a realignment since it doesn’t include new police buildings. The city is currently studying the how, where, and when of neighborhood precincts. The city sought public […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
Downtown development misses prime parcel
The University of Rochester has had nearly five years to develop a prime piece of downtown real estate known as Block F on East Main Street, diagonally across from the Eastman School of Music. But Rochester’s big-gun developers, the ones most likely to take on such a project, are tied up with other ventures, according […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
Warren’s new budget lowers taxes, increases spending
Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren has proposed a $517 million budget for 2016-2017 that increases spending but lowers taxes for homeowners and businesses. Warren unveiled the spending plan this morning. Public hearings will be held early next month, followed by a City Council vote on June 14. An 8 percent increase in the city’s overall property […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
Does Rochester really need Uber?
Rochester cab drivers are bracing for what they say may be the fight of their livelihoods, as the Uber revolution prepares to march on Upstate New York. State lawmakers are talking about bringing ride sharing to Upstate and how to do it. Uber is a tech-based transportation service that operates in more than 400 cities […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
[UPDATED] State ed. commissioner rebuffs Warren’s request
Commissioner MaryEllen Elia said that no legal provision exists to create an achievement district that operates independent of a school district in New York.
Posted inNews & Opinion
North Winton Aldi clears court hurdle
A State Supreme Court ruling (see below) appears to clear the way for an Aldi store at the corner of North Winton and Blossom roads in the North Winton Village neighborhood. The City of Rochester’s Zoning Board approved the store late last year, over the objections of some in the North Winton and Browncroft neighborhoods […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
Week Ahead: Port project update, Lilac Fest starts
The Lilac Festival starts on May 6 and runs through May 15 at Highland Park. Music begins daily at 10:30 a.m. (12:30 p.m. on the weekends) and runs through 8:30 p.m. All shows are free to the public. The festival itself runs from 10:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. daily and also includes the Lilac Parade, […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
Report measures region’s health
Mortality rates are down in the nine-county region, as are median home values. Violent crime continues to decrease throughout the state, but in the City of Rochester it increased by 9 percent from 2000 to 2014, according ACT Rochester’s annual community report card (see below). The group released its latest assessment on Tuesday. It looks […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
Warren wants a voice in city schools
Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren said in her State of the City address tonight that she has asked the state education commissioner and the Board of Regents to let her have a role in the plans for improving struggling city schools. The Rochester school district has a number of low-performing schools that could end up in […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
Candidate Kasich makes his case in Greece
John Kasich’s first stop was the room set aside for the overflow crowd, which ticked off some of the people in the main area, who incorrectly figured they were being made to wait so Kasich could charm local VIP’s. The GOP presidential contender swept into that first room to a roll of applause and cheers, […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
Two city charter schools on the move
Growth is pushing two local charter schools out of their current buildings in the northwest quadrant of the city. Young Women’s College Prep, an all-girls public school, is moving from 311 Flower City Park to the Summer Sands Campus on Hoover Drive in Greece. And Vertus, an all-boys public high school, is moving from 2 […]
