I’ve been hoping for years that Swillburg, to mention only one city neighborhood on my list, would get substantial “targeted investment” from higher levels of government. And lo and behold, as the season of good tidings peaked, the government took out its checkbook, wrote a big one ($25 million), and presented it in Swillburg. […]
Columns
Posted inNews & Opinion
Breaking up the party
As far as state election officials are concerned, the Green Party no longer exists in New York. Of course, the 30,000-odd New Yorkers enrolled in the party may beg to differ, but state election law is clear: If an officially recognized party’s gubernatorial candidate fails to get at least 50,000 votes, that party loses its […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
Biz wants Doyle out
Rochester-area business leaders want County Executive Jack Doyle to not seek re-election next fall. Officially, the reason is the “personality clash” between Doyle and Rochester Mayor Bill Johnson. But it’s clear that members of the business community are deeply concerned about Doyle and his effect on the community and its economy. They made […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
Lifting up Liftline
In recent years, Rochester’s Liftline service has gotten a black eye in the media and the court of public opinion, usually for reasons beyond the hard-working employees. Whatever the negative press, Liftline is truly one of Rochester’s hidden gems — a gem that with some polishing could shine brightly. Contributing to the seemingly never-ending […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
Why we ran that cover
We set off a bit of controversy with our November 27 cover, a collage that included a woman’s bare breasts. Some readers called or wrote to complain. Some newsstands refused to distribute that issue of our newspaper. And here at City,we had a rousing staff debate about the cover. One reader called the cover […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
While you were out
The painstaking effort to launch a fast ferry between Rochester and Toronto got a big push on November 20, when the municipal Rochester Urban Renewal Agency agreed to be the “conduit” for state funds earmarked for the project. The Rochester-Genesee Regional Transportation Authority was originally selected to transfer a $6.6 million state loan to Canadian […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
The march of homophobia
Now hear this. The military does not — I repeat, for those of you daydreaming in the ranks, does not — discriminate against gays and lesbians. I have this on the word of Danny Francis, education specialist with the regional US Army recruiter command, based in Syracuse. Francis says the “Don’t ask, don’t tell” […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
The XX files
I sauntered into the plastic-surgery palace on East Avenue cocky and self-assured. I was attending the Botox lecture not as a woman desperate to turn back the hands of time, but as a strong believer in inner beauty. I was on a fact-finding mission — why would anyone submit to cosmetic procedures? What kind of […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
To the barricades!
So how depressed are you? The media had predicted that last week’s election would be a cliffhanger. What a hoot. But we should have seen this rout coming. The Democrats caved on Iraq so they could focus on the economy — and then had no message. No plan. No conviction. No fire. Meantime, the […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
Advance exit polling
Since we go to press hours before the polls close November 5, I’m in a weird position as I write this. I don’t know the outcome of the election, though I’ve tried to prepare myself. Some things are as certain as conservative hatred of the “death tax” (it’s actually the most progressive one we’ve […]
