Cover Story
Dialing it down: local media changes
Across the country, shared service agreements have come under scrutiny from media critics including journalists, public interest groups, and a few former members of the Federal Communications Commission.
New York will be a drone research site
The Federal Aviation Administration says it wants to see drones sharing domestic airspace with commercial flights by 2015. And the FAA has designated six research sites around the country to help reach that goal, including one in New York. According to an article in USA Today, the sites will work on different aspects of drone use.…
Quack in A&E’s wall of integrity
Well, that didn’t take long. A week after the A&E network suspended production of Duck Dynasty due to show patriarch Phil Robertson’s homophobic remarks in GQ, A&E blinked. And Robertson is back. In its defense of ending the suspension, A&E officials say that Robertson expressed his personal beliefs, not the network’s, and that the show…
State will finish detention center work
Monroe County will be able to move its children’s detention center to the Industry Residential Center in Rush as of January 10, say state officials.
Film Review: “The Wolf of Wall Street”
Initially, the heavily hyped Martin Scorsese film, “The Wolf of Wall Street,” seems an unusual effort for the director of so many dark, urban crime stories rich in violence and ethnicity. The rollercoaster ride of his latest movie offers a different set of subjects, situations, and characters — no cops, no mobsters, no shootings, stabbings,…
Film Review: “Saving Mr. Banks”
It is often said that history is written by the victors, and that viewpoint goes a long way in explaining the slightly bitter taste left in my mouth by “Saving Mr. Banks,” John Lee Hancock’s (“The Blind Side”) otherwise charming retelling of the behind-the-scenes battle to make Disney’s “Mary Poppins.” It’s expected that liberties will…
Film Review: “At Berkeley”
Worlds away from the beer bongs and hazing rituals typically associated with films about college life, Fred Wiseman’s sprawling “At Berkeley” immerses us in life at one of the country’s most renowned public institutes of higher learning. Utilizing his strictly observational style (it’s refreshing in the current climate of documentary features that too often tell…
Week Ahead: Lots of swearing-in ceremonies; trial of antiwar activists begins
In governments all over Monroe County, new and returning elected officials will take the oath of office this week in preparation for the new year. The most anticipated swearing-in is, of course, that of Rochester Mayor-elect Lovely Warren. There will be a private swearing-in ceremony on Wednesday, January 1, followed by a community event at…
More troubles for Pittsford project
The rocky road continues for the proposed Westport Crossing apartment project at 75 Monroe Avenue in the Village of Pittsford. Westport Crossing is being developed by a subsidiary of Mark IV Enterprises. The village board voted this morning to set a special meeting for 8:30 a.m. on Monday, December 30, to discuss hiring a consultant to…
Testing the waters
Monroe County public health officials may have found a better way to determine if and when the county’s beaches should be closed to swimming. The county has long used a model that considers several factors, including recent rainfall, algae levels, the Genesee River’s flow into Lake Ontario, and water cloudiness. The model has been refined…
Urban Action 12/25
This week’s calls to action include the following events and activities. (All are free and open to the public, unless otherwise noted.) Book talk The Moving Beyond Racism Book Group will meet at 7 p.m. on Monday, January 6, to discuss “1491.” The book by Charles Mann examines science, history, and archeology and provides a…
Winning public safety projects announced
The City of Rochester has announced the winning projects in its Citizen Budgeting for Public Safety initiative.
KIDS | Holiday Science and Technology Days at RMSC
Close out 2013 in an educational way by bringing your kids to the Rochester Museum and Science Center’s Holiday Science & Technology Days this weekend. The event is geared to kids and designed to foster interest in some of the fascinating fields of science. Local scientists and organizations will be on hand to offer demonstrations…
Schools overhaul ready for phase two
Some Rochester school officials travelled to Albany recently to meet lawmakers on several pressing issues, including phase two of the massive project to overhaul city schools. School officials gave legislators a brief overview of the roughly $1.2 billion construction project — one of the largest projects in Rochester’s history. The second phase of the multi-phase…
FILM | “Gremlins” Double Feature
When purchasing an adorably furry, exotic pet for your child from an antique shop, it’s best to heed the three very important rules that come with it: don’t expose your Mogwai to bright light, don’t allow it to get wet, and don’t feed the beast after midnight (no matter how much it pleads with its…
SPECIAL EVENT | Kwanzaa Celebrations
Celebrate the African cultural holiday of Kwanzaa this year by taking part in a series of special events organized by the Rochester Kwanzaa Coalition. The theme of this year’s celebration is “Black to the Future,” which places special emphasis on the role of the black youth in carrying on the African cultural legacies. There will…
Our crisis of poverty, racism, and segregation
This has to be an almost dizzyingly heady time for Lovely Warren. On January 1, she’ll be sworn in as Rochester’s mayor, the first woman to hold that position. Her administrative appointments are getting positive reviews. Last week, she joined other newly elected mayors at the White House for a discussion with President Obama. But…
THEATER | Big Wigs: Divas Las Vegas
If you’re not already familiar with the Big Wigs, it’s a high-energy, Las Vegas-style impersonation show featuring Rochester drag queens Aggy Dune and Kasha Davis. In their show, Dune and Davis don glamorous outfits and big hair as they hit the stage impersonating a series of iconic divas; think Cher, Tina Turner, Madonna, Joan Rivers,…
DINING REVIEW: Fraiche Bistro and Dessert Bar
Dessert is often a casualty in culinary cost-cutting. An eatery might work to keep a good steak on the menu, top-shelf liquor behind the bar, and fresh greens in the salad, only to phone it in for the final course. Sometimes literally, by placing an order with Sysco. On the flip side, when a café…
“Another Christmas with the Calamari Sisters”
“Another Christmas With the Calamari Sisters: Feast of the Seven Fishes” is the latest in the series of campy, irreverent musical-comedy shows featuring bickering (but loving) sisters Carmela and Delphine Calamari, hosts of Brooklyn public-access-television cooking program, “Mangia Italiano.” The characters, created by Jay Falzone, Dan Lavender, and Stephen Smith, have been charming audiences over…
New Year’s Eve 2014 Guide
Congratulations! If you’re reading this you’ve survived another year on this planet. If you’re reading this and you didn’t survive, then I guess that means the zombie apocalypse that we keep hearing about is finally upon us.
Rock | King Buffalo
When a phoenix rises from its allegorical ashes, it does so as an exact copy of its predecessor. But, when members of renowned Rochester indie rock acts Abandoned Buildings Club (Sean McVay/Dan Reynolds) and Velvet Elvis (Randall Coon/Scott Donaldson) got together to begin their ascent, they had a whole other beast in mind. While King…
Pop/Rock | Pickled Brain From Outer Space
With so much music to sift through in the digital age, how does a band find an audience? While I don’t have the ultimate answer, I’m pretty sure that originality is a prerequisite. Band name: Pickled Brain from Outer Space. Check. Genre description: sludgy instrumental surf music. Check. Ken Luk (guitar), Wyatt Kaidy (guitar), Hannah…
Pop/Rock | Clutch
What’s really going to make this show is the dichotomy between its headliners. You’ve got Maryland heavies Clutch with its new studio release “Earth Rocker” bringing the brutal yet aerodynamic rock and the groove-centric swirl of its label mates Lionize, resulting in a spine bending, spine melting dose of loud and heavy. Clutch and Lionize perform Sunday,…
Singer-songwriter | Jon Lewis
Jon Lewis is a local singer-songwriter, with a real knack for melody and a gift for writing catchy songs. Lewis cites some of his major influences as Pete Yorn, Rogue Wave, and Matt Costa. Like those aforementioned artists, Lewis has mastered the art of the singer-songwriter genre through writing heartfelt, confessional songs with widespread appeal.…
Pop/Rock | Rubblebucket
Brooklyn-based Rubblebucket is a frantic eight-piece rock ‘n’ roll phenomenon. Its influences are wide; world-beat, soulful brass, New Wave, synth-pop, and funk all come together into a polyrhythmic world-beat thunder. The band’s sound — an assault of bass, guitar, B-3 organ, drums, horns, and percussion — isn’t easily placed and as unique as can be.…
Red Inc.
Often in rock ‘n’ roll, the best bands have a weak link, a member that comes up short, or a particular dynamic that feels a little flat among the others that sparkle. And we’re not just talking local kids-in-the-garage bands, either. There are major acts with major deficits in their ranks. Hell, The Ramones made…
Feedback 12/25
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…
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[UPDATED] Assembly Democrats want increase in child day care funding
For years, Monroe County’s child day care subsidy funding has been a concern of local child advocates. And during the 2014 county budget debates, a proposed $1.3 million cut in the county’s contribution to the programs became a major issue. Child advocates and Democratic legislators pushed for the funding to be restored. But administration officials, along…
King seeks more power for Regents
Earlier this year, State Education Commissioner John King made the unprecedented decision to move two of Buffalo’s most troubled schools under the supervision of Johns Hopkins University and Erie 1 BOCES. The arrangement, which weakens the control of superintendents and school boards, is referred to as an educational partnership organization or EPO. He also had…
