Brothers Noah and Abram Johnson stood on a perch overlooking their small farm last month, radiating such pride that you’d think they ruled a vast, mighty kingdom. It was an unusually warm day that beckoned insects out of their winter hiding spots to circle in lazy formations over the Johnsons’ field. Noah, 28, and Abe, […]
Tim Louis Macaluso
I was born and raised in the Rochester area, but I lived in California and Florida before returning home about 12 years ago. I'm a vegetarian and live with my husband and our three pugs. I cover education, health care, and local politics for City.
Posted inNews & Opinion
Stubborn grad rate irks Rochester school officials
But they point to other signs of progress, including the number of Regents exams students now have to pass.
Posted inNews & Opinion
Van White: Proposed military academy is part of innovative approach the RCSD needs
In his last public statement before leaving the district, former Rochester schools Superintendent Bolgen Vargas recommended that the school board close one school a year until the quality of city schools improves. Vargas often said that without significant improvements, the city school district will continue to lose students to charter, private, and suburban schools. But […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
When doctors can’t ease suffering
Modern clinical care does not give suffering the attention it needs, says Dr. Ronald Epstein, professor of family medicine, psychiatry, and oncology at the University of Rochester. Even the word sounds slightly out of place in modern medicine, though Epstein says it’s more relevant than ever. Suffering tends to be seen as an end-of-life occurrence, […]
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Planning begins for Pride ‘16
The Gay Alliance of the Genesee Valley will hold a Pride 2016 community forum at noon on Saturday, January 9. The meeting is the first planning session for the annual Pride weekend events. Organizers want to hear from the community. What should be changed or added? What could be done to improve the events? The […]
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Union works for certification overhaul
New York State United Teachers is working with the Board of Regents, the State Education Department, and lawmakers to overhaul the teacher certification process. NYSUT says that there are numerous content and computer format problems with the state’s new certification exams. The union also wants lawmakers to stop for-profit testing companies from charging student-teachers to […]
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Pride Agenda passes the baton
The revelation that Empire State Pride Agenda will discontinue its main operations next year has stunned many in the LGBT community. The Pride Agenda is a pillar in the gay rights movement, advocating on behalf of a long list of issues in New York since 1990, including hate-crime legislation and marriage equality. The group has […]
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Rochester ranks high in brain power
In a knowledge-based economy, where are the brain banks? Washington-Arlington-Alexandria ranks as the biggest brain bank among large US metros, with 23 percent of residents holding graduate and professional degrees, according to a recent study. Rochester rounds out the top 10 of brain-powered metros with 14 percent. And if small cities are included in the […]
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Week Ahead: For the week of Monday, December 21
The Rochester Regional Group of the Sierra Club will hold a candlelight vigil today, Monday, December 21, from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., at Twelve Corners in Brighton. Organizers of the vigil want to bring attention to species that are near extinction and those that have recently been declared extinct due to human activities. Luminaries […]
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Vargas issues dire warning before last board meeting
The performance last night by the boys chorus at the Leadership Academy for young men was moving and bittersweet. The chorus performed before the school board meeting — the last for Bolgen Vargas as superintendent of Rochester city schools. Clad in their sharp navy blue blazers, the boys sang several gospel-tinged songs as part […]
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Calling for Cala
A petition to draft Bill Cala as the next Rochester schools superintendent is on Change.org. It’s not clear who is behind the effort. The petition is directed at the Rochester school board, and the goal is to gather 500 signatures. Cala is former superintendent of the Fairport school district and is also a former interim […]
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Next step: making sure we don’t blow $500 million
It sounds like a lot of money, but in terms of government spending, $500 million really isn’t, which is why careful investment in projects that move the Finger Lakes economy forward and finally shake off the region’s Rust Belt past is so important. The Finger Lakes is one of the three regions to win $500 […]
