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Climate Change: Rochester’s environmental record is mixed
Despite its successes, the Rochester region still has its share of environmental problems.
School Turnaround promises 100 percent graduation at East
School Turnaround says that 100 percent of East High’s students will graduate and be ready for college if the Rochester school district agrees to partner with the organization to fix the failing high school. But to reach those goals, School Turnaround says it will need to fire East’s current principal and hire and train a…
Committee to screen East High proposal tonight
Changing old habits wired into the psyche is difficult even for the most motivated individuals. And in some ways, that’s what an educational partnering organization will confront working with East High School: changing the old habits of the school’s current leaders. The Rochester school board has created an EPO Screening Committee to review the proposal…
Morelle won’t seek re-election as Democratic chair
Joe Morelle will step down as chair of the Monroe County Democratic Committee when his term expires in September. He announced his decision at a press conference this morning. “It’s really time to allow this organization to grow in a different way,” Morelle said. A new leader will be chosen after he steps down. Morelle became…
Theater Review: RBTL’s “Phantom of the Opera”
Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “The Phantom of the Opera” has been a musical-theater blockbuster since its debut in 1986. It has grossed more money worldwide than any other musical, and continues to pack houses in major cities and on global tours. That’s all the more remarkable when you consider that — real talk — the story…
Film Review: Transcendence
Since the Industrial Revolution, a succession of mechanical innovations represents the ambiguous gifts of progress: the power looms of the early 19th century, the locomotive later in the same century, the automobile for most of the 20th century, and the computer in our own time. Beginning with “Colossus: The Forbin Project” back in 1970, a…
“RuPaul’s Drag Race” Season 6, Episode 10: Drag My Wedding
Well, that was a hoot. The drag-daughter makeover episodes are almost always a delight, and I thought this one was especially wonderful — it may even eclipse the previous benchmark, Season 3’s spectacular “Jocks in Frocks.” My viewing party was howling with laughter every few minutes. This is truly such an endearing, funny, likable bunch…
WEEK AHEAD: Police conduct speakout; RCSD budget hearing; county charter changes; Earth Day events; hunger forum
A panel of six Rochester residents will share stories of their encounters with police. The panel will run about an hour and will be followed by a “Know Your Rights” workshop conducted by the Genesee Valley chapter of the New York Civil Liberties Union. The event is from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday,…
“Game of Thrones” Season 4, Episode 3: Breaker of Chains
Following last week’s gamechanger — the death of King Joffrey — this episode was a quieter affair that focused on many of the characters scrambling for position. That said, it still built to several harrowing scenes in some of the far-flung plotlines, and a good old-fashioned orgy back home in King’s Landing. Let’s start in…
Making the case for local communities to act on climate change
Drastic cuts in global carbon dioxide emissions are necessary to prevent the worst effects of climate change. Still, decades of human-generated carbon emissions have already locked the planet into some degree of warming and change, climate scientists say. In other words, the only relevant question is, just how bad will it be? And the answer…
Exhibit Review: “Vulnerable Geometry” at 1975 Gallery
The origin of the current show at 1975 Gallery goes back to the early 90’s, when gallery director Erich Lehman attended college with one of the featured artists. “Vulnerable Geometry,” features the work of three current or recent Denverites. After college, Lehman’s fellow RIT student, friend, and artist Vincent Comparetto moved to Colorado, and Lehman…
Film Review: “Nymphomaniac: Volume II”
In the final moments of Lars von Trier’s “Nymphomaniac: Volume I,” his self-loathing, sex-addicted heroine, Joe (played by Stacy Martin as a young adult, and Charlotte Gainsbourg as a grown woman), had gone sexually numb, discovering that she was suddenly incapable of orgasm just as she had reconnected with her on-again-off-again lover, Jerôme (Shia LaBeouf).…
Legislation would ban toxic chemicals in children’s products
A bill introduced in the State Senate would eventually ban a list of toxic chemicals from use in children’s products, including toys, clothing, car seats, and furniture. The legislation has the votes to pass, going by the number of cosponsors alone, but it’s stuck in bureaucratic limbo. State Senators Ted O’Brien, a Democrat, and Joe…
Rensselaerville offers help for East High
Updated at 5:15 p.m. A statement from the the city school district says the proposal came from School Turnaround, an organization affiliated with Rensselaerville. The Rensselaerville Institute has responded to Superintendent Bolgen Vargas’s request for proposals for an educational partnering organization, or EPO, to turn around East High School. The Delmar, New York-based organization was formed…
Lots of money at stake in Medley Centre dispute
Medley Centre’s developer has a choice: pay now, or pay a lot more later. Yesterday, the Monroe County Industrial Development Agency’s board affirmed that it’ll terminate a tax incentive agreement with Medley owner Bersin Properties if the company doesn’t make $3.9 million in overdue payments by May 1. Losing the tax incentives, which are laid…
ARTS: RPO announces part two of 2014-15 season
The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra announced the remainder of its 2014-15 season, today, which will incorporate five family-friendly OrKIDStra Concerts, two 3-concert Sunday Matinee series, and five special concerts, including a performance from Tony Award-winner Audra McDonald, and a night of video game scores with Video Games Live. In February, the RPO announced its 2014-15 Philharmonics…
Earth Day Events
RELATED STORIES: Climate change: Rochester’s environmental record is mixed Climate change: it’s up to you River vigil The Rochester Zen Center will hold a public, silent vigil for the Genesee River from noon to 2 p.m. on Earth Day, Tuesday, April 22, on the High Falls pedestrian bridge. The vigil is meant to raise awareness…
PUNK | Mystik Motorcycles
French band Mystik Motorcycles seems to love glam punk — if fashion is anything to go by. Lead singer/guitarist Rondelius Gordon sings in English while his bandmates get hyper, a la the dirt and glitter of the 70’s and 80’s music scenes. Established in 2001, Mystik Motorcycles is reminiscent of The New York Dolls at…
Urban Action 4/16
This week’s calls to action include the following events and activities. (All are free and open to the public, unless otherwise noted.) Workshop on poverty Monroe #1 BOCES will host a poverty simulation workshop from 3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 23. The workshop was created by the New York State Association for…
ALTERNATIVE | Deer Tick
When you consider the popularity and radio play The Lumineers have received, it’s hard to grasp how Deer Tick has not garnered the same attention. Add in the fact Deer Tick had several albums out before The Lumineers debuted and it’s downright confusing. The alternative-rock quintet from Providence, R.I., molds rock ‘n’ roll, Americana and…
Changing faces
Rochester has made another National Top 10 list. And like our poverty ranking, this one’s not something to be proud of. Earlier this month, the Smart Growth America organization released a study of metropolitan areas in the U.S., ranking them by how compact or sprawled out they are. Among the large metro regions (defined as…
BLUEGRASS | The Younger Gang
Rochester’s own The Younger Gang describes itself as being, “based in the traditions of Old-Time Appalachia and classic Americana,” while seeking “new interpretations of old music without losing touch with its roots.” The Younger Gang combines the soulful lead vocals of Michelle Younger, of Windsor Folk Family, and a mix of traditional bluegrass instrumentation with…
ART | Sagefest 8
One of life’s beauties is the way in which different people interpret the things around them. What one person may see in one light another might see completely different. That’s one of the wonders of art and the artists who create. On Thursday, April 17, Sage Art Center will be hosting SageFest 8, a celebration…
AMERICANA | The Devil Makes Three
The music of California by-way-of Vermont trio The Devil Makes Three makes it easy to dance with the devil. Or is it to the devil? There is plenty to admire in the band’s folksy blues, whether it’s the fiendishly deployed acoustic guitars, bluegrass-evoking banjos, or the demonically cool stand-up bass. They say idle hands are…
COMEDY | Tim Meadows
To many of us who were still in school when “Mean Girls” hit the screen, Tim Meadows will always be known as Mr. Duvall, one of our favorite high school principals. But before his role in the film, Meadows spent almost 10 years on the set of SNL, holding the record for the second longest…
CORRECTION | Built to Spill
We apologize to our readers who saw the music choice pick on Built to Spill on page 13 of CITY’s April 16 issue. Built to Spill, along with Death Cab for Cutie and The Head and the Heart, will play CMAC on Friday, May 23, not Wednesday, April 23, as was improperly listed in print.…
SPECIAL EVENT | TheatreROCS! Showcase
Grab your best red carpet outfit for this year’s annual TheatreROCS showcase, “Classic Hollywood.” TheatreROCS brings together over 20 local performing companies, with 14 of them showcasing some of their best work at the show. This year’s show will be hosted by “celebrity housewife” Mrs. Kasha Davis and will be held in the Kodak Center…
ROCK | Annie in the Water
Albany band Annie in the Water makes music that seems to fit right into summer. The band’s blend of jam-band rock, blues, upbeat reggae and a touch of pop lends itself to warm weather and carefree evenings. Since starting in 2007, Annie in the Water has continuously toured the Northeast, and released its debut album,…
KIDS | Earth Day
You recycle, you make sure all the lights are turned off before you leave the house, but what else can you do to be help the environment? With Earth Day right around the corner (the official day is Tuesday, April 22), many places offer opportunities to learn more about how you can make a difference.…
EXPERIMENTAL | Julianna Barwick
The music Julianna Barwick creates — through loops and samples of emotional instrumentation and reverberated vocal swells — is so remarkably lush and grand that it not just fills its projected space, but almost magnifies it. As seen on her latest album, 2013’s critically well-received “Nepenthe,” Barwick’s experimental, choral-esque delivery creates a surrounding wall of…
SPECIAL EVENT | Record Store Day
There’s just something different about independent record stores. The intimate spaces, the yet undiscovered new music blasting, and the vinyl-pushing employees behind the counter bring up nostalgia of a time not driven by nationwide chain stores. Record Store Day was created in 2007 by record store owners and employees to celebrate and spread the word…
Open Face Sandwich Eatery
If the South Wedge’s Open Face Sandwich Eatery isn’t on your radar, you’re not alone. “We get a lot of people who come in and ask how long we’ve been here,” says owner Jared Valentine. “We say, ’10 years.'” Open Face, a small shop on South Avenue, is celebrating its 10th anniversary this month. Since…
THEATER | Phantom: Unmasked
Andrew Lloyd Webber has blown the world away with his delicate and moving music in the production of “The Phantom of the Opera.” Based on the 1910 French novel, “Le Fantôme de l’Opéra” by Gaston Leroux, the musical has been a hit since its opening in 1986. The Auditorium Theatre, at 885 E. Main St.,…
Feedback 04/16
We welcome your comments. Send them to themail@rochester-citynews.com, or post them on our website, rochestercitynewspaper.com, our Facebook page, or our Twitter feed, @roccitynews. For our print edition, we select comments from all three sources; those of fewer than 350 words have a greater chance of being published, and we do edit selections for publication in…
“Dirty Dozen: The Outlaw Printmakers”
Though traditional methods of printmaking are arguably outdated forms of creating and mass-producing images, the medium has remained a fresh art form through subject matter and use, and is found everywhere from cottage-industry t-shirt printing, to concert posters, to fine art editions. The current exhibition at Rochester Contemporary Art Center brings together the diverse work…
Maybird
Drop the needle and dig on Maybird and enjoy the trip. This relatively new Rochester outfit is a carefully constructed wash of singer-songwriter insight and pop-psychedelia. It’s the sound of the beautiful and the weird sharing a slow dance — or a joint, perhaps. It’s romantic and it’s epic. Consequently, Maybird sounds like a band…
ALBUM REVIEW: “KROM”
KROM “KROM” KROMmusic Adamkromelow.com When The Bad Plus burst onto the jazz scene in the early 2000’s there was some controversy among purists concerning the rock sensibility of this jazz trio. But that didn’t stop the group from becoming a sensation at festivals around the world. A decade and a half later, the genre-bending jazz…
ALBUM REVIEW: “In The Nature Of Things”
Leslie Pintchik “In The Nature Of Things” Pintch Hard Records Lesliepintchik.com Leslie Pintchik’s latest album begins nicely enough. “With You In Mind” not only showcases Pintchik’s formidable technique and nuanced style at the keyboard, it’s also an excellent original composition. But it’s the CD’s second cut that lets the listener know that Pintchik stands apart…
Game rage
It’s not the video game per se that’s causing your rage; it’s the fact that you stink at it, says a new study from the University of Rochester. Intense feelings of anger after gaming are not unusual, the study says, but the content of the games is not to blame. The hostile behavior some gamers…
Climate change fight: it’s up to you
RELATED STORIES: Climate change: Rochester’s environmental record is mixed Earth Day Events Over the past several months, top scientists from around the world have issued stark warnings about climate change. It’s here, it’s happening on a global scale, and countries are not prepared, they say. Climate change is the defining environmental issue of the modern…
