Cover Story
Mental illness: smashing the stigma
This is the first installment of a two-part series on mental health attitudes, research, and available services in the Rochester region. For much of the last century, the subject of mental health has been locked away in the public psyche, to be dragged out only after tragic events seize national attention: the student who walks…
COMIDA grants incentives to mall project
A planned expansion at Marketplace Mall won’t just be retail space, it’ll be a tourist destination. At least that’s the argument that the mall’s owner and Monroe County Industrial Development Agency are advancing. The mall’s owner, Wilmorite, plans to re-use the former Bon-Ton space for an as-yet-unannounced purpose. Wilmorite will also build a new anchor building…
Vargas warns board of $33 million to $46 million budget gap
In a preview of his proposed budget for the 2014-2015 school year, Rochester schools Superintendent Bolgen Vargas told board members last night that the district faces a $33.2 million budget gap. But that figure doesn’t include fully funding some of what Vargas called academic priorities, such as increasing reading support to meet third grade proficiency…
Dems’ LDC legislation defeated
Republicans on a County Legislature committee have shot down Democratic legislation that would have formed a panel to lead an internal probe of county-linked local development corporations. The county administration hired a Buffalo-based law firm to assist with ongoing state Attorney General’s Office and FBI investigations and one of the firm’s partners, former Attorney General…
Molly Clifford resigns from Rochester Fire Department
Molly Clifford has resigned from the Rochester Fire Department, effective December 31. Clifford is well-known in political circles and held various positions in city government. Currently she is the city’s director of fire administration. “It has been an honor and a privilege to work with you over the past four years, and I will miss…
City Council selects Mike Patterson to fill Warren’s seat
Michael Patterson is joining City Council. Patterson, currently a member of the Monroe County Legislature, is Council’s unanimous choice to fill the seat vacated by former northeast representative Lovely Warren. Warren will take the oath of office as Rochester mayor in January. She recently resigned her Council seat. Sources close to Council say that Patterson was…
Week Ahead: Dems push independent LDC probe; charter school renewals
Today, a County Legislature committee will take up a Democratic proposal to create a special committee to take over the internal investigation into local development corporations. To ensure that the Legislature considers the proposal, Democrats voted last week against borrowing for the county’s annual capital project plan. Such measures need a two-thirds majority to pass,…
FILM REVIEW: “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug”
Peter Jackson’s epic, three-part adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Hobbit” continues with “The Desolation of Smaug,” and though it still suffers from some of the same issues that plagued the first installment — specifically feeling like an hour of story crammed into three hours of film — this chapter feels more confident, with a renewed…
County Republican wants city to pass legislation for drug-free zones
This is the kind of thing that drives me crazy. Tony Micciche, a Republican in the Monroe County Legislature, has submitted legislation at the county level calling on City Council to pass a proposal to create drug-free zones in the City of Rochester. The city legislation has been proposed by Council member Adam McFadden, chair…
Warren makes appointments
Rochester Mayor-elect Lovely Warren has announced the first round of appointments for her incoming administration. Staying on will be Deputy Mayor Leonard Redon and Chief Information Officer Lisa Bobo. The rest are new and semi-new faces. Christine Christopher, who was Warren’s chief spokesperson during the mayoral campaign, will be the director of communications. Christopher is…
Senator Flanagan’s early Christmas gift to testing critics
Many parents, teachers, and education advocates may be sighing with relief today. The reason? At least some of their concerns about high-stakes testing, implementation of the more rigorous Common Core curriculum, and teacher evaluations have been heard by New York State Senator John Flanagan. After five hearings, Flanagan issued a report yesterday that might cause…
Erie County passes anti-fracking law
In Monroe County, anti-fracking activists have struggled to get government officials to take fracking-related issues seriously. In particular, they’ve asked the county to pass a law banning its water treatment facilities from taking fracking waste, but their requests have fallen flat. Erie County is a different story. Yesterday, its Legislature passed a law banning fracking on…
New York’s City Council says enough testing
Former New York City education chancellor Joel Klein spent years extolling the benefits of high-stakes testing. But now, the NYC City Council is saying enough is enough. And they’re asking the state Education Department to forgo using student test results as a main assessment tool. The council, according to an Ed Week article, unanimously passed…
![[UPDATED] Finger Lakes projects will receive $59.8 million from state](https://i0.wp.com/www.roccitymag.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/development_sidebar.webp?resize=600%2C450&ssl=1)
[UPDATED] Finger Lakes projects will receive $59.8 million from state
The Finger Lakes Regional Economic Development Council will receive $59.8 million in state funding and tax incentives to advance projects it’s identified as priorities across the nine-county area. The award were just announced as part of the ongoing state Regional Economic Development Council awards. Details of the funding are not yet available, but earlier this…
County budget passes, but new political battle emerges
Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks’ 2014 budget proposal passed last night with a party-line vote. The 19 Republicans voted in favor, while all 10 Democrats voted against. The final budget is unchanged from Brooks’ initial proposal, with one significant exception. Prior to the meeting, Republicans announced that they would eliminate a proposed $37,000 pay increase…
Public relations battle continues over Common Core
For the last two months, State Education Commissioner John King has been on what officials call a “listening tour” in communities around the state.
“Out of the Furnace”
An odd prologue sets the tone and establishes the central subject of “Out of the Furnace.” Harlan DeGroat (Woody Harrelson), a rural drug dealer and gang leader, anonymous at that point in the film, watches a movie at a drive-in theater, complains of feeling nauseated, then when his girlfriend expresses concern, shoves a hot dog…
THEATER REVIEW: RBTL’s “Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical”
Rochester Broadway Theatre League’s current show is the holiday-themed, kid-oriented “Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical.” (That is a mouthful.) Since I am not a kid, and I tend to like my holiday programming more subversive (think “Scrooged,” “A John Waters Christmas,” “Gremlins”), I am admittedly not the target audience for this…
“Black Nativity”
Every so often, movie-studio executives suddenly seem to wake up and realize that white people aren’t the only ones who go see movies, and that black audiences in particular are an underserved market. That results in periods like the current holiday season, which sees the release of a whopping three Christmas-themed releases targeted toward African-American…
“The Last Days on Mars”
Despite mostly skipping theaters and receiving a quiet release on Video On Demand, I had hopes that “The Last Days On Mars” might turn out to be an undiscovered gem. It has impressive production values, an audience-friendly, sci-fi thriller premise, a talented cast including Liev Schreiber, Olivia Williams, Elias Koteas, and Tom Cullen, and received…
R&B | Natalie Cole Holiday Spectacular
Over the last four decades Natalie Cole has won nine Grammy Awards. Though she is undoubtedly one of the greatest soul singers of all time, she has also recorded seven albums of Christmas music. The daughter of Nat King Cole (who was no slouch in the holiday music genre; think chestnuts roasting), Cole is bound…
Jazz | Eastman New Jazz Ensemble
Specializing in music of the last two decades, the Eastman School of Music’s New Jazz Ensemble is one of the most innovative college jazz bands anywhere. This week’s concert features the world premiere of director/conductor Dave Rivello’s “Re-Imagining The World,” which involves the band singing as well as playing. Also on the bill are challenging…
THEATER REVIEW: “Parfumerie”
“Parfumerie” By Screen Plays Through December 21 MuCCC, 142 Atlantic Ave. $15-$20, muccc.org
Pop/Rock | Lower Town Trio
The Quakes from Buffalo was one of the best American bands that ever played British psychobilly, and former Quakes stand-up drummer, Chris Van Cleve, now beats the tubs for Buffalo’s Lower Town Trio. LTT is accelerated and intense but not as breakneck and roughneck. You’ll still dig it, you’ll still want to dance. Bare bone,…
Pop/Rock | Declan Ryan
Back in November 2012, Declan Ryan (a nice Irish boy from the neighborhood) told CIty he was planning to go in a more electric direction with his already eclectic material. In assembling the troops, Ryan lamented “I want to get some more people involved in it, but it seems that everybody that’s really talented…
Funk | Robert Randolph and the Family Band
Steel master Robert Randolph tempers the sour of his music’s hellbent fury with sweet salvation. This ain’t no ‘Can I get an amen?’ Gospel schlock either. Randolph is a righteous barn-burner. With his new album, “Lickety Split” in tow, Randolph returns this time with a little Rochester in its blood. Former Giant Panda Guerilla Dub…
Holiday | Connie Deming
One of Connie Deming’s fondest memories while growing up was participating in family sing-alongs of Christmas songs at her home in Massachusetts. But it was a concertgoer’s enthusiastic reaction towards Deming’s rendition of a holiday tune that caused the Rochester-based singer-songwriter to decide on releasing a Christmas album. The resulting album, “Heavenly Night Heavenly Day,” is a…
FILM | Holiday Films at the Dryden
While I enjoy watching the same classic Christmas movies on TV every year, there’s always something missing: a big screen. That’s where the Dryden Theatre (900 East Ave.) comes in. This holiday season, make watching holiday classics an even better time by seeing them in the theater, the way they were meant to be seen.…
Classical | Eastman Philharmonia, Women’s Chorus/Repertory Singers
Sometimes, right in the thick of the holiday season, we all could do with a little break and just relax. As part of your strategy, why not slip quietly into the back row for a lovely pair of concerts by students of the Eastman School of Music? On December 11, the Eastman Philharmonia will be…
KIDS | “The Wizard of Oz”
Lions, and tigers, and… ah, you know where I’m going with this. What you may not know is that Rochester Children’s Theatre is putting on a production of “The Wizard of Oz” at the Nazareth College Arts Center (4245 East Ave) starting this Saturday, December 14. Whether or not you’ve seen the classic movie, you’ll…
B.C. Likes You
Robert Mostyn, better known as B.C., is a regular presence on the Rochester scene, but he makes music that is noticeably different from the output of most other local acts. He’s part of a genre, and musical movement, called chiptune. Chiptune can be defined, in the words of B.C., as “music made with retro video…
SPECIAL EVENT | ROC the Day
Many of us feel far too strapped for time to make a big, positive impact on our community, but when we put our heads together, we can always find a way. ROC the Day, which takes place on Wednesday, December 11, is a 24-hour online event that invites all residents of the Greater Rochester nine-county…
SPORTS | Frozen Frontier
As the landscape of Rochester turns icy and gray, we bid our memories of catching a Red Wings game at Frontier Field farewell until the summer. But wait, not quite yet: beginning this week, The Rochester Americans and Rochester Red Wings will host the Frozen Frontier games, a 10-day outdoor hockey festival held at the…
Legal wrangling complicates Pittsford project
Redeveloping the former Monoco Oil site at 75 Monroe Avenue in the Village of Pittsford was never going to be an easy task. The site’s industrial history meant that complex and expensive cleanup work would be necessary before it could be reused. And its location at a major gateway into the village meant that any…
RECREATION | Christmas Bird Count
While many birds have already migrated to warmer places for the course of the bleak season, there are plenty of tough ones who’ll stick it out through the winter with us. Learn more about our area’s wee winter wildlife and help assess their numbers with one of the upcoming Christmas bird counts. The 39th Annual…
Urban Action 12/11
This week’s calls to action include the following events and activities. (All are free and open to the public, unless otherwise noted.) Meeting on public safety The Rochester Police Department will hold “Policing in the Spirit of Service,” a public meeting to gain input on how to better serve the community with professionalism, courtesy, and…
SPECIAL EVENT | Boobies & Bells Burlesque
The holidays are a source of a great deal of fun, but a lot of stress comes with them as well. If the stressful times have gotten to you, why not relax with some scantily clad women, meatballs, and beer? That’s exactly what you’ll get to do if you go to the Boobies & Bells…
Cops and the Edison 3
Rochester’s next police chief, expected to be named later this month, will walk into an extraordinarily tough job: fighting crime and improving police-community relations. At the same time. Over the past couple of weeks, we’ve gotten vivid examples of how hard that will be. There’ve been almost daily reports of shootings, fights, and stabbings. Reining…
“Relatively Speaking”
The JCC CenterStage’s new production is “Relatively Speaking,” a program of one-act plays, recently presented on Broadway, by writers better known for their work in the movies: Ethan Coen, Elaine May, and Woody Allen. Does anything tie them together? Well, each of them contains a generous sprinkling of wisecracks, as you might expect. And each…
DINING REVIEW: Nikko
When a new restaurant hits the scene, the first adjective that often gets tossed around is “trendy,” and that’s not exactly a compliment. Because while being of-the-moment is cool and all, that moment won’t last forever. There will always be someplace newer, and those so-called foodies will wander off to chase the proverbial dragon. At…
