Cover Story
The Rochester 10
CITY’s annual look at 10 movers and shakers whose contributions make greater Rochester a better and more interesting place to live, work, and play.
Democrats show cracks over support for criminal justice reforms
State Republican Party Chair Nick Langworthy is calling on Governor Andrew Cuomo and Democratic lawmakers to repeal the laws, which he calls an “epic failure.”
Budget deficit looms over Cuomo’s State of the State speech
Governor Andrew Cuomo is set to deliver his State of the State message on Wednesday, as New York faces its worst budget deficit in a decade.
Kolb blamed wife for drunken crash, court papers show
Assembly member Brian Kolb told a tow-truck operator, “My wife was driving! You know how women drive,” according to court papers.
City Court starts housing section
The new section will allow tenants to bring small claims actions against landlords who fail to fix code violations.
Monroe County, Rochester won’t tax paper bags
A state ban on single-use plastic bags allows local governments to impose a 5-cent tax on paper bags.
Brian Kolb steps down as Assembly minority leader
Days after his drunken driving arrest, Brian Kolb resigns as the top-ranking Republican in the state Assembly.
New year, new City Council
City Council members Mary Lupien and Jose Peo haven’t previously served in elected offices.
Summer in the snow
Louisiana’s Haitian Restaurant might just be your new favorite spot to get a dose of summer flavors in the dead of winter.
Sheppard is running for Gantt’s seat
Assembly member David Gantt hasn’t said whether he’s running for reelection.
Assembly GOP leader Brian Kolb arrested for DWI
New York state Assembly Minority Leader, Brian Kolb, a Republican from Canandaigua, has been charged with DWI.
More than 150 RCSD teachers to be ‘displaced,’ fewer teachers laid off
Some of the 109 teachers who had been laid off have been recalled to fill vacancies left by retirees and resignations.
Replacing Justice Matthew Rosenbaum is ‘a waiting game’
Odds are good that Monroe County will start 2020 with one less state Supreme Court justice on the bench.
Monroe County GOP legislators pick leaders
In choosing new leadership, Republican legislators gird for a Democratic Monroe County executive
State Supreme Court Justice Rosenbaum under investigation
The state Office of Court Administration has relieved Justice Matthew Rosenbaum of his judicial duties.
Cuomo rejects e-scooter, e-bike bill
Lawmakers will try again in 2020 to legalize scooters and bikes powered by electric motors.
THEATER | ‘Anansi Tales for the Holidays: Brer Rabbit Edition’
Maplewood’s {theatre}+{náfsi} is bringing a unique collection of folktales from the African Diaspora to the stage. The theatre company, named for the Swahili word for soul, has developed an interactive performance that showcases Brer Rabbit narratives through the use of acting, puppetry, and storytelling. The highlight of this run is the children’s workshop on Saturday,…
THEATER | ‘The Scavenger’s Daughter’
The Scavenger’s Daughter is a play for our times—it weaves together the trials of a family struggling with one members’ dementia and an engrossing murder mystery. Originally penned by Buffalo playwright Gary Earl Ross, this drama has been critically lauded throughout the decade and even made into a motion picture in Mumbai. The North Star…
Rochester 10: Oscar Merulla-Bonn
He’s in your corner
Rochester 10: Jenn Beideman
Play isn’t trivial
Rochester 10: J. Simmons
An actor mending, and breaking down, fences
Feedback 12/25
CITY welcomes your comments. Send them to feedback@rochester-citynews.com with your name, your address, and your daytime phone number for verification. Only your name and city, town, or village in which you live will be published along with your letter. Comments of fewer than 500 words have a greater chance of being published, and we do…
Rochester 10: Jeremy Tjhung
Making change through connection
Rochester 10: Chaz Bruce
From music teacher to social media influencer
PROGRESSIVE SOUL | Lost Wax Collective
As its name suggests, Lost Wax Collective is a coterie of various smooth-grooving musicians who play fluidly between the genres of soul, jazz, R&B, and funk. Anchored by the rhythm section of drummer Brendon Caroselli and bassist Hassan Zaman (a contributing writer to CITY), this Rochester band specializes in intricate yet danceable rhythmic interplay, warm…
Rochester 10: Leslie Danks Burke
Standing up for honest government
AMERICANA | The Boyd Parker Ambush
Singer-songwriter Nick Young burns hot. You could even say he burns daylight. With The Boyd Parker Ambush, Young mixes up originals with covers that course through the troubadour vein. There’s a lot of weight swinging in there, from Johnny to Townes to Merle, dancing in there along with plenty of Nick. Honest, intense, and bona…
Rochester 10: Rosalie “Daystar” Jones
Using art to carry tradition forward
ELECTRONIC-DANCE | Sole Rehab
Sole Rehab has been incubating its luminous project for years, offering house and disco soundtracks in decidedly inclusive environments around Rochester and the surrounding region. The local collective is best known for curating party environments, hosting a variety of disc jockeys who spin electro-club-inspired tracks live, which are sometimes accompanied by visuals. To help usher…
Rochester 10: Bella Fanale
Playing the sports she loves, and dominating
SYNTH-POP | The Bad Dreamers
Known for balancing a grim personal aesthetic with ironically bright electronic arrangements, The Bad Dreamers is the synth-wave brainchild of sought-after producer David Schuler. Based in Los Angeles, The Bad Dreamers recently released its newest single, “Georgetown,” a haunting observation of characters in “The Exorcist.” The Bad Dreamers’ highly anticipated sophomore album is set to…
Rochester 10: Dan Gross
A champion for local musicians
ROCK | Overhand Sam & Bad Weapon
Attention has been focused in part on guitarist Overhand Sam’s approach to his instrument. But I urge you, that even though he positions his left hand unconventionally over the top of his guitar’s neck, it’s what he emits from his guitar that is extraordinary. Listening to him perform Prince’s “When Doves Cry.” was intense, except…
COMEDY | The Capitol Steps
In an age where real headlines read like satire, it requires some serious chops to write political humor that feels fresh and relevant. Musical comedy troupe The Capitol Steps have honed their skills poking fun at the nation’s lawmakers for nearly 40 years, and show no signs of slowing down. By the powers vested in…
AMERICANA | The Honey Smugglers
The Honey Smugglers have been prominent players in the Rochester Americana scene for five years now, and they’ll be celebrating the milestone with a show on some familiar stomping grounds at Three Heads Brewing this Friday. Fronted by the affable, energetic singer-mandolinist Brian MacDonald, this six-piece band finds itself flowing somewhere between alternative folk, bluegrass,…
SPECIAL EVENT | ‘Ginger Minj Super Spectacular Holiday Extravaganza’
Sparkling lights, tinsel, intentionally ugly sweaters, and a gigantic disco ball over Times Square: the holiday season is largely about finding pure joy in the campy things in life. It only makes sense to top it off with a drag show. Fortunately, Ginger Minj has got you covered. The multitalented Floridian rose to fame with…
Swimming in Seth Faergolzia’s stream of consciousness
The official release date for the new, self-titled album by Seth Faergolzia’s Multibird is January 1, but you can get a few hours’ head start at the official release show, at 8 p.m. on New Year’s Eve, at Skylark Lounge.
FAMILY | Snowed-in: Winter Break Science Days
Kids love science, and kids love days off from school. I remember combining these favorites in such groundbreaking experiments as “cardboard box stair sledding” and “Can I flush a whole can of cranberry sauce down the toilet?” If your small humans are similarly inclined toward such inquiries, head over to the Rochester Museum & Science…
Album review: ‘Diva & The Boys’
The DIVA Jazz Orchestra ‘Diva & The Boys’ MCG jazz divajazz.com On “Diva & The Boys,” the all-female DIVA Jazz Orchestra gives four male musicians a chance to show their stuff. They do not disappoint. Clarinetist Ken Peplowski rips through tunes like Benny Goodman’s “Slipped Disc,” exchanging intertwining solos with Diva clarinetist Janelle Reichman. Jay…
Term limits lead to new Dem leadership
Legislator Vince Felder is taking over as leader of the County Legislature’s Democratic minority.
Album review: ‘Alegria’
Samuel Torres ‘Alegria’ Blue Conga Music samueltorres.com Colombian percussionist extraordinaire Samuel Torres has worked with Tito Puente, Paquito D’Rivera, Chick Corea, Angelique Kidjo, and many others. Now living in Queens, Torres has just released one of the most ebullient albums of recent years. “Alegria” is brimming with vibrant Colombian and African rhythms, as well as…
Rochester 10: Stanley Martin
Standing up for all struggles
The 15 best films of 2019
It was as good a year for film as it was bad for, well, (gestures broadly to the world) everything else. These are the movies that most spoke to Adam this year, each conveying something unexpected about what it feels like to be alive right now.
Home assessments up 19% across Rochester
Home value sticker shock sweeps city after first re-assessments in four years.
HOLIDAY | Kwanzaa
This year, Rochester Kwanzaa Coalition is celebrating the theme “Kwanzaa 20/20: Vision for Us.” The week of events kicks off at 5 p.m. on Thursday, December 26, with the celebration of Umoja, or Unity, at Nathaniel Rochester School No. 3 (85 Adams Street). The following day starts early at 11 a.m. with a seminar on…
The F Word: A night for the blues
CITY music writer Frank De Blase catches some blues rock from the Allman Brothers tribute band Live at the Fillmore and local outfit Steve Grills and the Roadmasters — with mixed results.
Cuomo’s veto snubs Monroe County’s poor
Vetoed bill would have given public assistance recipients across the state the same protections for those in New York City.
Sharing the muse in Multibird
Seth Faergolzia’s Multibird is a magnificent, multi-genre-defying, multi-genre-defining operation. It is odd and it is contrarian. Faergolzia, who wields the baton at the heart of this oddball parade, is a boisterous, gentle giant who does a bit of everything.
Circle of life
Every millennial in the audience of “The Lion King,” many of whom are now parents, grew up with the 1994 cartoon film from Disney. But does that nostalgia translate to the theatrical adaptation from 1997? Based on Friday’s packed audience at the Auditorium Theatre, it seems that way.
