On December 17, the New York State Senate will reconvene and vote on the Sexual Orientation Non-Discrimination Act (SONDA). If the act passes — which is still far from certain — it will cap a legislative effort to protect gay rights that’s been three-decades in the making. Under the state’s Human Rights Law, it […]
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Doing or undoing a slow burn
Amid snowy tree branches and slush-dappled parked cars, the aroma of wood smoke makes its way down many Rochester streets. Even if you don’t burn wood yourself, you get a taste of the season and all its associations — like that “chestnuts roasting on an open fire” thing. The romance invites itself into your […]
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Justice for rape victims: it’s just a kit away
They’re called “rape kits,” samples of biological evidence collected in hospitals from victims of sexual assault. After collection, the kits are turned over to law enforcement agencies for DNA analysis, in hopes of identifying the perpetrator. But in recent years, a lack of funds to process the kits has created a massive backlog nationwide. […]
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…same as the old boss
After a contentious redistricting process and an election notable mostly for its lack of contention, Monroe County voters sent the same crew of state senators and assembly members back to Albany. No incumbent state legislator from the area lost his or her job, despite widespread frustration over the lack of progress our representatives have made […]
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Desperately seeking Dick
When the candidates for congressional seats representing parts of Monroe County came in for interviews, we barraged them with a stream of tough questions: “Do you support an invasion of Iraq?” “How can the US create peace between Israelis and Palestinians?” “Should Medicare cover prescription drugs?” But the last question was by far the […]
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Congressional District 25: No endorsement
Politically progressive people in Webster and most parts of Penfield and Irondequoit must be mourning the fact that Congressional redistricting took them out of liberal Democrat Louise Slaughter’s 28th District. They’re now in the dark realm known as conservative Republican James Walsh’s 25th District. Walsh, who’s running for an eighth term this year in […]
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Congressional District 26: Ayesha Nariman
Republican Congressman Tom Reynolds has plenty of time outside his legislative schedule to schmooze with wealthy donors on the golf course and feast with fat cats at fundraising dinners. The two-term Erie County Congressman, whose new district includes most of Greece and the southern slice of Monroe County, is charging to the front of the […]
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Congressional District 28: Louise Slaughter
The race for the 28th Congressional District pits eight-term Democratic incumbent Louise Slaughter of Fairport, who’s also running on the Working Families Party line, against Henry Wojtaszek, the City Attorney of North Tonawanda, who’s campaigning on the Republican, Independence, and Conservative party tickets. Political and regional concerns will likely determine most District 28 voters’ […]
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Congressional District 29: Rachel Treichler
As rich Republican congressmen go, Amo Houghton’s not such a bad guy. The former CEO of Corning Glass, Inc., has served a sprawling district in the southern tier since 1987. Redistricting has added Pittsford and parts of Perinton and Brighton to his domain, so we wanted to get to know him a little bit. […]
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The vital center: river talk
Stand beside the Genesee River in the middle of downtown — the several hundred yard stretch from East Main north to Andrews Street — and you feel the impure thoughts welling up. Is this a river or a canal? What’s in that soup of muddy water and driftwood? Is this a living stream or a […]
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New York State Governor: Stanley Aronowitz
Government in any state is an easy target for citizen criticism. But in New York, the criticism is justified. Run by a handful of political leaders, deliberations and decisions often made in secret, dominated by money and special-interest influence, New York makes a mockery out of democracy. This year, in particular, New Yorkers may […]
