Cover Story
We remember Maggie Brooks
The good, the bad, and the ugly of Maggie Brooks’ 12 years as Monroe County executive
Trump supporters sink to new low
Well, this is where we’re at, I guess. Donald Trump was spouting his usual anti-immigrant rhetoric during a campaign stop yesterday, when security personnel ejected a Black Lives Matter protester. Here’s how media reports describe what happened next: one person in the crowd yelled to set the protester — only he called the person a…
Far right has gay rights in its sights, again
If there was ever a banner year in the gay rights movement, it was 2015, with the Supreme Court saying that the right to marry is guaranteed to same-sex couples under the Constitution. Even though many states had already legalized same-sex marriage, those rights and privileges were still limited and unrecognized by the federal government.…
Three of Vargas’s top brass are out
Patricia Malgieri, William Ansbrow, and Ed Lopez will leave on December 31.
Week Ahead: For the week of Monday, December 14
Governor Andrew Cuomo will stop in Rochester this afternoon (Monday, December 14) to present the Finger Lakes Regional Economic Development Council with its Upstate Revitalization award. The council learned it would receive one of the three $500 million awards during a ceremony last week. Cuomo’s visit today is more or less a publicity stop. In…
The City Seen: December 11-13
This was a busy weekend of Christmas shopping (and not just window shopping) at the Metro Justice Alternative Fair and Holidays at the Market. When our lists were checked off, City also learn about a few exotic animals at the Wildlife Educators Coalition show at MuCCC. There were a few cultural vendors at the Metro…
We win
Our region is one of three $500-million winners of the Upstate Revitalization Competition. Now to spend that $.
After-school programs miss thousands of city kids
A new report from the Greater Rochester After-School Alliance found that only 5,932 or 31 percent of city children have access to quality after-school programs. Roughly 14,479 children ages 6 to 17 do not use these programs, for a variety of reasons. Research shows that children who participate in quality after-school programs do better academically;…
County GOP approves $ for sheriff, but not for homeless or the library
The County Legislature says that Sheriff Patrick O’Flynn can have a bigger paycheck, but that funding for a homeless shelter or restoring hours at the Central Library is out of the question. Last night, the Legislature passed County Executive Maggie Brooks 2016 budget proposal without any amendments, despite several Democratic proposals. It also approved a…
Rochester Fringe Festival announces 2016 dates
The Rochester Fringe Festival today announced the dates for its 2016 event. The 10-day Fringe will take place Thursday, September 15, through Saturday, September 24 — a similar time frame as the 2014 and 2015 Fringes. The Fringe also announced that it has also been recommended for a $20,000 Art Works award from the National…
METAL | Ice Nine Kills
It’ll be interesting to see how Ice Nine Kills augments its sound for this acoustic performance. Known for its slithering melody in a pit of metal and post hardcore, this Boston-based band mixes a campy (but not too theatrical) lyric above an avalanche of heavy rhythm. Vocally the music runs from minor keyed send-ups to…
WAYO-FM hits the home stretch
In March 2014, City ran a story about the groups vying for the new spaces the FCC opened up on the FM dial for low-power community radio stations. Some of these stations have since gone on air or are streaming online, including WXIR-FM (100.9), an alternative news station run by Rochester Community TV; a Spanish-English…
JAZZ | Eastman New Jazz Ensemble: The Music of Gil Evans
When the repertoire is selected for student jazz ensembles there are plenty of excellent arrangements to choose from. But only the best bands can tackle the works of perhaps the greatest jazz arranger of all, Gil Evans. His collaborations with Miles Davis included masterpieces like “Miles Ahead,” “Porgy and Bess” and “Sketches of Spain.” You…
RPD trains for transgender safety
The Rochester Police Department is one of the few in New York State that has protocols for interacting with the transgender community, says City Council member Matt Haag. “This is pretty unusual,” he says. “I think it’s something we should be proud of in Rochester, that our police department initiated this kind of leadership.” The…
ROCK | Martin Barre Band
You may not immediately recognize the name Martin Barre but it’s a safe bet you’ve heard his music. Starting in 1969, Barre played lead guitar in the great band Jethro Tull. For the next 43 years, Barre’s distinctive solos were as much a part of the group’s signature sound as the flute and vocal work…
Guacamole holds up with authentic Mexican food
Even though there are local institutions serving respectable Mexican food that have stood the test of time, authentic Mexican cuisine has long been an inconsistent commodity around Rochester, and you would need to travel east to Canandaigua (Rio Tomatlán) or Sodus (El Rincón Mexicano), or west to Medina (Mariachi De Oro), to find the real…
CLASSICAL | RPO plays “Home Alone”
“Home Alone” — that 1990 holiday season classic that taught kids how all you really need to protect your home are some clever booby traps — really has a charming score that can still stand alone from the movie during the snowy months. The score was composed by John Williams (just a year after his…
CAJUN | C’est Bon
C’est Bon’s Facebook page says its “hard-rockin, foot-stompin, girl-powered Cajun dancehall music,” and I don’t know how to put that any better. The five-woman band formed in 2010 and has been consistently hitting the road along the East Coast since. If your band from New York State can get a Cajun old-schooler like Jesse Lege…
Finger Lakes Economic Development Council awaits payday
It’s a pivotal moment for the region’s economy. The Finger Lakes Regional Economic Development Council will find out on Thursday if it won one of three state awards of $500 million. “We’re ready,” says Greater Rochester Enterprise CEO Mark Peterson. “We’re excited about the opportunity that’s been presented to us.” If the Finger Lakes region…
ART | “Flux: Keith Howard and His Legacy”
RIT’s College of Imaging Arts and Sciences will present the second part to a tribute to the late Keith Howard, a printmaking pioneer and RIT associate professor who passed in February 2015, with the exhibition “Flux: Keith Howard and His Legacy.” Howard was well-known in the printmaking community for his contributions to the development of…
METAL | Battlecross
You don’t want to pigeonhole Battlecross — just know that these guys play fast. Really fast. The Michigan-based metal band tosses thrash, melodic death, and a pinch of modern metalcore into a blender and hits the “liquefy” button. Battlecross is out on tour now for its third studio album, “Rise to Power.” Havok, Nekrogoblikon, and…
FILM | “Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child”
Directed by Jean-Michel Basquiat’s friend, filmmaker Tamra Davis, “Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child” tells the story of the famed New York City painter and how he handled being a black artist in a predominantly white field. Released in 2010, the documentary also explores Basquiat’s growth in the art world and follows his journey as an…
McKinley James plays beyond his years
The joint was packed and jumping. It was shoulder to shoulder on a hot Rochester night when McKinley James took the Harro East Ballroom stage. The crowd came on like a groundswell. There was nothing standing between James and the nearly 1,000 voracious spectators except for his red guitar. He had missed freshman orientation at…
LECTURE | The Other Women
The Susan B. Anthony Museum and House on Monday, December 14, will present a lecture on a topic contrary to the usual message associated with Anthony. Bruce Klee, former chair of the department of dramatic arts at SUNY Geneseo, will present a lecture entitled, “The Other Woman: Alice Hay Wadsworth, President of the National Association…
ALBUM REVIEW: “Sticky Mittens”
Watkins and the Rapiers “Sticky Mittens” All Time Records rapiers.org Who wouldn’t like to have their stocking stuffed with this salute to a cool Yule? Watkins and the Rapiers is a brilliant wisenheimer ensemble of musical mirth — just dig the Rolling Stones-inspired cover starring Dick “Tripod” Storms. On “Sticky Mittens,” the band proves it can…
THEATER | “Rented Christmas”
Not everyone is lucky enough to have the exact people they would like to spend the holidays with. In “Rented Christmas,” a man decides not to rent a tree or decorations for his Christmas celebration, but a whole family to celebrate the season with. Middle-aged bachelor John Dale challenges the proprietor of a local rent…
ALBUM REVIEW: “On the Radio”
Noble Vibes “On the Radio” Self-released noblevibes.com Man, this is some rockin’ rocksteady. Rochester’s roots-reggae renegades, Noble Vibes, have kicked into high gear with “On the Radio,” its follow-up to its eponymous 2014 release. Groovin’ under the big reggae umbrella, Noble Vibes still ventures out into the neighboring strains of dub, dancehall, and Ska — done…
SPECIAL EVENT | Metro Justice’s Alternative Fair
Metro Justice’s 34th annual Alternative Fair will feature affordable fair trade, earth-friendly, and locally produced goods, including pottery, textiles, jewelry, art, toys, games, ornaments, and more. There is suggested donation of $5 for admission to the fair for all those over 12 years of age. Free child care will be provided for young children and…
Feedback 12/9
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. Comments of fewer than 350 words have a greater chance of being published, and we do edit selections for publication in print. We don’t publish comments sent to other media. Fear limits…
BLUEGRASS | The Black Lillies
I suppose you’ve gotta classify them some kinda way, but Knoxville, Tennessee’s The Black Lillies don’t park in one stable long enough to come out sounding like others that rely on singular influence to jettison a specific sound. The instrumentation is bluegrass; the vocalization is country; the steady drive is rock. And the pervading sheen…
Urban Action 12/9
This week’s calls to action include the following events and activities. All are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted. Farming for food justice The Downtown Presbyterian Church will hold “Food Justice: the Right to Good, Clean, Local Food,” a Human Rights Day celebration at 5 p.m. on Thursday, December 10. Local activists…
After San Bernardino: fear, guns, and politics
Muslims have caused very, very few of the gun deaths in this country. But with gun violence, facts don’t seem to matter.
Theater review: “Coney Island Christmas” at JCC
The JCC’s CenterStage has a track record of presenting surprising, quality holiday productions. “Coney Island Christmas” is just the latest.
Film review: “Krampus”
For those unfamiliar with the Krampus legend, the horned beast is a character from Germanic folklore who represents the dark side of the Christmas holiday: while Santa rewards the good kids, Krampus punishes the bad, ladling out punishment with birchen rods and burlap sacks. And if the children are especially naughty, he drags them straight…
Film review: “In the Heart of the Sea”
Two years after capturing the adrenaline-fueled world of Formula One racing with thrilling panache in “Rush,” director Ron Howard attempts to do the same for the 19th-century whaling industry with “In the Heart of the Sea.” Reteaming with his “Rush” leading man, Chris Hemsworth, as well as a number of the major behind-the-scenes crew –…
