Praise flowed for Ann Romney even before she delivered her speech at the Republican National Convention last night. Hours earlier, Republicans nominated Mitt Romney for president. But Romney, polls indicate, is having trouble with women and minority voters. And it was on Ann Romney’s shoulders to help recast his image in an effort to endear […]
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
Test anxiety
Rochester could join a number of schools around the country that forgo high-stakes standardized testing if the Rochester school board approves a policy proposed by board member Mary Adams. | The resolution will be voted on this month. | High stakes testing was a main feature of the No Child Left Behind law, and it […]
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David the Goliath
The Democratic primary for the State Assembly’s 137th district is sure to be a referendum on the long career of incumbent David Gantt. Gantt has represented the district for more than three decades. On September 13, voters will decide if they still want or need the influence Gantt’s seniority offers, or whether the district is ripe for a fresh face.
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School 16 spurs neighborhood action
The situation at School 16 has many residents in the city’s southwest neighborhoods re-thinking their relationship with the Rochester school district, neighborhood leaders say. Residents are holding a meeting tonight — Wednesday, August 29 — to discuss the situation. The Rochester school board approved closing School 16 for this school year for much-needed repairs — […]
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WEEK AHEAD: SW Neighborhood meeting on School 16
Residents of the 19th Ward and nearby southwest neighborhoods are meeting on Wednesday, August 29, to discuss ways to become more engaged in School 16’s future and to better support area parents and students. The meeting is at 6 p.m. at the SW Community Center, 275 Dr. Samuel McCree Way. It is open to the […]
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NEWS BLOG: O’Brien’s interviews are one of the few worth watching
A frustration with watching news interviews on television is the sorry lack of tough follow-up questions. Mainstream anchors instead seem to rely more on giving equal time to both sides of a political issue. It’s easier, it’s less risky, and they can almost count on what type of response they’ll get. So-and-so gets the last […]
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NEWS BLOG: The Party of No and the price of obstructionism
If anyone needs an explanation for why public approval of Congress has plummeted to an all-time low, reporter and blogger Michael Grunwald gives an excellent account in his new book, “The New New Deal: The Hidden Story of Change in the Obama Era.” Grunwald has been making the case for some time that President Obama […]
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Blood on the brain
Head injuries bring roughly 1.7 million people to the nation’s emergency rooms every year. During his early years in emergency medicine, Dr. Jeffrey Bazarian worried about these patients and the severity of their injuries. He says he couldn’t even be sure if someone had a concussion. The technology has improved, Bazarian says, but he’s not […]
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Iffy results for incentive pay
The Rochester school district has paid thousands of dollars in extra income to teachers through programs designed to test incentive pay. The state and federal governments are investing in the programs — one in its third year and another set to launch in the fall — to test a key component of education reform: Does […]
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NEWS BLOG: Do you take this chief of staff for better, for worse?
Rochester school board members who are upset that Superintendent Bolgen Vargas hired a district critic still haven’t been able to meet with her. The board’s staff tried to coordinate some meetings with Vargas’s new chief of staff, Patty Malgieri, to discuss her role and her criticism of the district when she was deputy mayor. Malgieri […]
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NEWS BLOG: The Romney campaign’s faux anger
The word of the moment for conservatives is outrage. We heard them use it most of the day yesterday, and it’s likely we’ll hear it again today. In a campaign stop in Virginia yesterday, Vice President Joe Biden reminded the crowd that some government monitoring of the banking industry might help to prevent another financial […]
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Malgieri contract under fire by board
TopQuote: Patricia Malgieri has been a strong critic of the school district, and most board members are furious that she was chosen for a key district position. In an interview last week, board member Van White said some board members are considering defunding the chief-of-staff position. Since being named Rochester schools superintendent in April, Bolgen […]
