Cover Story
Sandra Parker: No apologies
Well, maybe one. The business community has not done enough to improve public education in the city, says Parker, who retires as president and CEO of the Rochester Business Alliance this year.
UR gets $2.1 million to study e-cigs
Earlier this month, researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center began a five-year study to examine the potential health risks associated with electronic cigarettes. E-cigs are battery-powered vaporizers that simulate smoking tobacco. Proponents of e-cigs say they are safer than tobacco cigarettes, but critics argue that not enough is known about them and that…
Film Review: “Boyhood”
The process behind the creation of “Boyhood,” the remarkable new film from director Richard Linklater, is nearly as extraordinary as the film itself. Assembling his cast for a few days at a time, the film’s shoot lasted for a total of 45 days, but those days were spread out over the course of 12 years…
Wiesner case to head back to grand jury
Robert Wiesner faces one less felony criminal charge, but one more is up in the air for now. Wiesner is one of four defendants accused of participating in a bid-rigging scheme that involved county-connected local development corporations. He faced two felony charges as part of the case, which is being handled by the State Attorney…
Judge rules in Teachout’s favor
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Zephyr Teachout will remain on the ballot. Teachout is challenging Governor Andrew Cuomo in a Democratic primary, and a group of his supporters filed a lawsuit contesting her residency. State law says people are eligible to run for governor only if the state has been their primary residence for the past five…
Week ahead: A Teachout ruling, Marvin Maye hearing, and school district consultant’s report
A state judge may rule as early as today on whether Democratic candidate Zephyr Teachout meets residency requirements to run for governor and can appear on the party’s September primary ballot. Teachout is running a primary campaign against Governor Andrew Cuomo, whose reelection bid has the state party’s endorsement. Teachout and her supporters say Cuomo…
Film Review: “Magic in the Moonlight”
The experience of watching Woody Allen’s annual movie, “Magic in the Moonlight,” suggests that last year’s “Blue Jasmine” represents something of an anomaly in his long, prolific career. In that picture he abandoned a number of his perennial subjects — the upper West Side ambiance, the preoccupation with sexual inadequacy, the tendency to rely on…
“True Blood” Season 7, Episode 8: “Almost Home”
In this episode, Bill Compton cemented his place as the biggest idiot on this show. And that’s really saying something, given the terrible decision making all around, especially from the Stackhouse clan. But Vampire Bill is really the absolute dumbest. Before we get into that, I realized about halfway through this episode that something wonderful…
Vargas: results are coming
Rochester schools Superintendent Bolgen Vargas used his State of the Schools speech last week to assure parents, students, and community leaders that the district is on a path to improvement. But creating a culture that’s firmly focused on the basics — literacy, attendance, budgeting, and basic management — will take more time, he said. Vargas…
POP PUNK | Typesetter
Chicago-based indie punk outlet Typesetter is still in the early stages of its career, having only released two small Eps. But this is a sample you go back for again and again. The group brings an upbeat brand of bombastic punk, headlined by rough, rugged singing and loud rhythm work with intermittent riff sections. The…
ROCK | J. Roddy Walston & the Business
Back a year or so ago, me and a pile of music fans piled into CMAC to be illuminated by The Lumineers. The Lumineers were the darlings on the bill, but I was really there to see Richmond, Virginia’s J. Roddy Walston & the Business. With a hint of N’awlins swagger and sweet heat, Walston…
ROCK | Dirty Pennies
Riding the trend of blues minimalism churned out with alt-rock maximalism (yeah, I probably made that up, so what?), Rochester’s Dirty Pennies sets forth a seething, scorching blast. The duo cuts out the fat and window dressing and goes straight for the riff. Definitely something for the kids raised on The Blue Explosion. Dirty Pennies…
EXPERIMENTAL POP | Madeline Mondrala
Madeline Mondrala’s 5-track debut is absolutely captivating. The EP, “Cloud,” runs a little over 14 minutes total, but it covers an impressive amount of heartfelt ground. An indie pop singer-composer, Mondrala employs a host of musicians — playing Violins, Cello, Flute, Trombone, French Horn, on and on — to create the submersive, touching, and slightly…
AMERICANA | Walt Wilkins and The Mystiqueros
There’s a little something for everyone on “Wildcat Pie and the Great Walapateya.” The 2013 album from singer-songwriter Walt Wilkins and his “Texas Hill Country super-group,” The Mystiqueros, is 18 tracks of fine Americana — a little country, a bit of rock ‘n’ roll, a touch of Southern soul and blues. Wilkins has said the…
INDIE ROCK | Summer Jam
There’s really nothing better to wish a band good-luck on tour than a hefty show with friends. Rochester indie rock act Scope & Figure is currently testing the road in support of its debut release “Really Good Time” and is celebrating in Rochester with a Summer Jam show hosted by Spindrift Productions and Dadstache Records.…
ALBUM REVIEW: “Numbers & Letters”
Andrew Rathbun “Numbers & Letters” SteepleChase Andrewrathbun.com Listening to Andrew Rathbun’s wonderful new album, “Numbers & Letters,” you might wonder how the Toronto-born saxophonist comes up with the imaginative themes that run though every cut on the album. Turns out he doesn’t have to venture too far outside his family for inspiration. In fact, most…
DINING REVIEW: Avvino
Avvino has been slightly overshadowed by the other restaurant openings of the last year or so. In my opinion, this is due to the higher profile locations, flashier concepts, and splashy interiors of the other new entrants and not on the quality of the restaurant itself. Purely based on the level of food and service…
ALBUM REVIEW: “Courage Music”
Ellen Rowe Quintet “Courage Music” PKO Records Ellenrowe.com If “Courage Music” seems an odd title for the excellent new album by the Ellen Rowe Quintet, just consider what jazz musicians do. As Rowe’s sister pointed out to her in a poem, the daring act of improvising in the moment should never be taken for granted.…
COMEDY | Sinbad
Comedian Sinbad rose to prominence in the 1990’s with stand-up specials and roles in sitcoms like “A Different World.” Recently, he has portrayed and poked fun at himself in episodes of “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” and “American Dad.” His newest special, “Sinbad: Make Me Wanna Holla,” aired on Comedy Central in early April, and…
The Empty Hearts
Andy Babiuk just wanted to have fun. But after a three decade run with influential garage giants The Chesterfield Kings, some of the fun had checked out. He felt beat up, beat down, wore out. “I’d been doing the Chesterfield Kings for 30-plus years,” Babiuk says. “And it was getting to be a lot of…
FESTIVAL | Carifest
The 30th Annual Caribbean Festival and Parade — also known as Carifest — will take place Saturday, August 9, and offers a host of activities for anyone who stops by. Following this year’s theme “Honoring the Past, Anticipating the Future,” Carifest kicks off in a big way with a costume parade along East Main Street…
It’s way past time to rein in the CIA
So last week we learned the truth. The CIA did indeed spy on members of the US Senate Intelligence Committee: the very people responsible for overseeing the CIA. For the past five years, the Intelligence Committee has been investigating the CIA’s program of “rendition, detention, and interrogation,” the anti-terrorism efforts that included torturing some suspects…
SPECIAL EVENT | Finger Lakes Beer and Wine Festivals
To celebrate and promote the burgeoning wineries and craft breweries of the Finger Lakes region, the first HopsfestNY and the Sixth Annual Finger Lakes Riesling Festival will take place Saturday, August 9, and Sunday, August 10. This weekend, Nedloh Brewing Company will host HopsfestNY, a new event focused on hops and craft beer. The event’s…
Feedback 8/6
Send comments 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, and we edit selections for publication in print. We don’t publish comments sent to other media. Route 52 didn’t have to die Last fall, to…
SPECIAL EVENTS | Jeffrey Bordeaux Game-A-Thon
Three years ago, University of Rochester student Jeffrey Bordeaux was tragically stabbed and killed at a fraternity party. In his honor, the Jeffrey Bordeaux Junior Scholarship fund was organized to both remember Bordeaux and to support members of the community. To support the scholarship, a three-day gaming tournament will be held at A Gamer’s Nostalgia.…
Death by ZIP code
Most people associate high infant mortality rates with third world countries, but Rochester’s rates are higher than the state and national averages, says Patricia Brantingham, executive director of the Perinatal Network of Monroe County. And the risk is higher depending on where you live and the color of your skin, she says. “The rate for…
KIDS | Food Fear Factor
Joe Rogan’s Machiavellian carnival of mortal terror, “Fear Factor,” included everything from contestants being buried alive in a pit of tarantulas to having them chow down on sheep’s eyes. The show represents a tipping point in our television viewing in which watching strangers scream obscenities at one another simply was not enough. The Brighton Memorial…
The business community’s vision for Joseph Avenue
No one in the Joseph Avenue neighborhood wants to talk about the riots, says Neil Scheier, a doctor and owner of Dynamite Dollar on Joseph. While City Hall, the media, and other organizations marked the 50th anniversary of the 1964 riots with special issues and solemn speeches, the people in the neighborhood — the place…
SPECIAL EVENT | Scream Campout Live
Upstate New York is a region known for its sprawling, camping-ready wildernesses — and its countless annual haunted houses and hay rides. It seems like kind of a no-brainer to combine the two into one spectacularly horrifying event. Batavia’s Scream Campout Live promises to “break even the strongest will.” Taking cues from the recent crop…
Urban Action 8/6
This week’s calls to action include the following events and activities. (All are free and open to the public, unless otherwise noted.) Middle East discussion The Lifetree Café will present “Why Do They Hate Us? Understanding Radical Islam,” a discussion that includes filmed interviews with Middle East experts and authors at 7 p.m. on Monday,…
“State of the City”
The work of a gallerist is never done. Immediately following the de-installation of Rochester Contemporary’s annual “6×6” fundraising exhibition — which required the patching of tens of thousands of thumbtack holes — the staff at Rochester Contemporary went and put hundreds more pinholes in the walls, in order to present the massive installations featured in…
“Carmen” of the Finger Lakes
In recent years opera companies, symphony orchestras, and other arts groups have made headlines with their financial difficulties, and some have folded or reorganized — for example, Rochester’s Mercury Opera is no longer a presenting company, but as the Opera Guild of Rochester, the organization supports other operatic events. And Rochester Lyric Opera, formerly Empire…
Theater Review: “The Kingdom Next To Fid” at MuCCC
The poster for “The Kingdom Next to Fid” promises, “There may be unicorns.” You’ll have to find that out for yourself, but if you see the new play at MuCCC, I can guarantee you will see all the other classic adventure-fantasy ingredients: good and evil fairies, chambermaids who are truly princesses, handsome princes, spells and…
“True Blood” Season 7, Episode 7: “This May Be the Last Time”
This fairly low-key episode was notable primarily for the next few stops on the Long-Gone Character Cameo Train. This time around we got more Hoyt, psychic torment courtesy of Steve Newlin (and a cameo by the decapitated former governor of Louisiana), fairy granddad Niall, and best of all, the long-forgotten Dr. Ludwig, who I don’t…
