Police reorg brought faster response
Reorganizing Rochester’s police department improved response time and reduced overtime costs: That’s the finding of a new study by the Center for Governmental Research, a draft of which was obtained by City Newspaper. The reorganization was carried out by former Police Chief Bob Duffy, and it has become an issue in the Democratic primary campaign…
Metro Ink 8.24.05
Turn your world upside down I’m going to admit something right up front here. I’m not a big fan of any body of water bigger than my bathtub, especially if that body of water is moving really fast. I figure if God (or whatever higher power you believe in) had wanted me in that fast…
Power play
It’s all about David Gantt. It has nothing to do with David Gantt. Or maybe it’s about Eliot Spitzer. It depends on who you ask. In the Democrats’ primary campaign for Rochester mayor, there are the politics you see, and then there are the politics you don’t see. As people take sides, there’s a lot…
The silent invasion
Six-hundred miles west of Rochester, in suburban Chicago, is a structure that just might save Lake Ontario. Connecting the Chicago and Des Plaines Rivers, the Chicago Ship and Sanitary Canal links up two of the continent’s largest water systems: the Mississippi River and the Great Lakes watersheds. At the bottom of that canal lies a…
Reader Feedback 8.24.05
MISSING MAJ Your recent dissing of Chris Maj as someone who “doesn’t have the basic knowledge of how government works” was very disappointing. For a paper that for over 34 years has been an alternative voice for Rochester, you could have made a more reasonable excuse. Do you really think that the other candidates have…
Living mix tape
“I actually have a pile of records this high that I have yet to listen to,” sighs Keven Atoms. Atoms feels a little anxious about it, the same way you might when there’s homework hanging over your head. It may seem funny, but for Atoms, Queen Knobtweekah, and Jhim — a group of DJs that…
Onstage 8.24.05
Happily resolving controversies Shaw Festival’s last 2005 additions are a lovable American modern classic and a downright weird new Canadian play, both of which bring controversial material to a happy ending. Starting with the tawdry material of either a sociological study or a sex fantasy, William Inge’s Bus Stop(1955) treats its troubled characters with such…
Inbox 8.24.05
The following email is a response from Andrea to Maggie, who wrote in an earlier note: “I am very excited to get out of here. Maybe I won’t come back from the land of cheese. You might get a postcard from me… it will go something like this. ‘Andrea… I’ve scored a job on a…
Your days of plenty are numbered
I know what you’re about to do. You’re planning to read the first paragraph and then the last one to find out what I thought about The Edukators. It’s okay — I understand you’re lazy… I mean busy. But I can’t accommodate all you movers and shakers this week. As a matter of fact, you…
A journey without an ending
Jim Jarmusch’s highly praised new movie, Broken Flowers, demonstrates his gradual climb from a postion as one of the darlings of the art houses to something approaching the status of a tolerated if not an entirely mainstream filmmaker. Just before the release of the film the New York Times Magazine devoted several pages to him…
Family Valued 8.24.05
Where’s the good stuff? So, you’re standing on the library’s threshold with the towhead of your heart beside you. The youngster looks up in dismay and speaks the words that will haunt your childrearing nights: “So, where’s the good stuff?” All Monroe County libraries are organized using the Dewey Decimal system, which arranges non-fiction according…
Invasive species
You guys have a lot to bitch about. Our inaugural Invasive Species issue seems to have, um, grown out of control. The pretense was simple: We invited our readers and contributing writers to submit anonymous rants about all the unavoidable annoyances they encounter. And now our inbox is overflowing with vitriol. The feds define “invasive…
Candidates’ rap sheet
There’s been no shortage of words from the Democratic candidates for mayor. Former Police Chief Bob Duffy and City Council members Tim Mains and Wade Norwood are bright, experienced, and innovative. And since last winter, they’ve been spelling out what they’ll do if Rochesterians elect them. But who’s really best qualified to be mayor? What’s…
Cost of war 8.24.05
The totals: 1,863 US soldiers, 194 Coalition soldiers, and approximately 23,589 to 26,705 Iraqi civilians have been killed in Iraq from the beginning of the war and occupation to August 20. From the beginning of the war through August 6, 13,877 US soldiers were wounded in action. American soldiers killed between August 14 and 20:…
