Cover Story
Powering-up parents
Brenda Coleman says her son LaBronze, 10, is intelligent and has an impressive vocabulary. And there are times when he is extremely talkative, she says. But Coleman says she has to keep LaBronze on a tight, consistent schedule. Any unusual variations can trigger serious behavioral problems, she says. When that happens, she says, “this house…
![[UPDATED] Warren gets credit for Costco deal](https://i0.wp.com/www.roccitymag.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/warrenlovely1_thumb.webp?fit=180%2C180&ssl=1)
[UPDATED] Warren gets credit for Costco deal
Mayor Lovely Warren has faced intense scrutiny lately over her security detail, but she now has a political win on the books, too.
![[UPDATED] Warren says she welcomes ethics board review](https://i0.wp.com/www.roccitymag.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/1366738128-warrenlovely2_sidebar.webp?resize=400%2C300&ssl=1)
[UPDATED] Warren says she welcomes ethics board review
Updated, Tuesday, Jan. 14, 4:40 p.m.: City Council President Loretta Scott said in a press conference this afternoon that Council by mutual consent decided to pursue the ethics review because it is being inundated with calls from the media and from the public. The uproar is sucking the air out of the room, Scott said,…
No map for opening a city school
If someone wants to open a charter school in Rochester, the path is pretty clear. But if you want to open a new school inside the city school system, good luck.
That’s a lot of fracking money
A new report from Common Cause/NY says that between 2007 and July 2013, pro-fracking interests outspent anti-fracking interests nine to one. The report, released yesterday, says that pro-fracking companies and groups contributed $15.4 million to political committees and spent $48.9 million on lobbying, while fracking opponents spent $1.9 million on political contributions and $5.4 million…
Film Review: “Her”
If you’ve ever been around someone who has lost or misplaced his phone, witnessed a frantic search that seems more appropriate for a missing child than a lifeless gadget, or gone out to dinner with friends only to find each other paying more attention to handheld devices than each other, it’s not too much of…
Film Review: “August: Osage County”
If nothing else, “August: Osage County” validates Tolstoy’s famous dictum about happy versus unhappy families. The Weston family of Osage County, in the dry, dreary prairies of Oklahoma, actually easily surpasses the concept of unhappy, achieving a level of dysfunction, anger, and sheer toxicity rarely shown in motion pictures, or even real life. The movie…
Three Republicans appointed to the Monroe County Legislature
When the Monroe County Legislature meets tomorrow, it’ll have two new Republican members. And a third one will be in office at the end of the month. Three Republican legislators successfully ran for different local offices this past November, creating vacancies in the Legislature at the end of 2013. This afternoon, the county Republican Party…
Mayor Warren speeds into trouble
The bad news coming out of the Warren administration is becoming serious. This morning’s attention grabber: According to the Albany Times-Union and the Democrat and Chronicle, state troopers say they stopped Warren’s speeding car last Wednesday on the Thruway. At the wheel, driving Warren to Albany for the governor’s State of the State address, was…
County standoff end in sight; hybrid charter-district school discussion
A messy stalemate in the County Legislature could be mostly resolved Tuesday night. The Legislature meets at 6 p.m. at the County Office Building, 39 West Main Street. Since December, Legislature Democrats have blocked a large borrowing measure that would fund dozens of county projects. They’ve been attempting to get Republican legislators to support their…
Theater Review: “Last Gas” at Geva Theatre Center
“Last Gas,” which opened last week at Geva, is a play about lost chances and last chances, bad choices and no choices. Geva is calling it a “romantic comedy,” which is not really true, even though it is very funny and there’s definitely romance in it. If this a romantic comedy, then so is Chekhov.…
Concert Review: Dub Land Final Show, Ghost Peppers at Abilene, Homegrown at Lovin Cup
After successfully shoehorning myself into two shows of the three I sought to attend this weekend, I’m left with one burning question: are all these ugly people getting laid? No, I kid. My real question is: how do you draw a crowd in this town? Begging? Milking social media? Lap dances? Friday night I thought…
Rethinking school discipline
A recent New York Times editorial looked at the growing intolerance toward “zero tolerance” school disciplinary policies. Since the 1990’s, school districts across the country have been ratcheting up the punishment, including suspensions for what are often minor infractions. A three-year-old Texas study showed that nearly six in 10 public school students were suspended at…
Deal may avert detention center, Costco problem
Democrats in the Monroe County Legislature are re-evaluating their decision to block a big county borrowing measure. Details are fuzzy, but it looks like the measure may now have enough votes to pass. Democrats have held the legislation up since December in an attempt to get Republicans to support their plan to have the Legislature…
East End grocery store could open in May
Hart’s Local Grocers will be located between the Little Theatre and Restaurant 2Vine.
Locally run grocery store coming to the East End
The rumors are true: the City of Rochester is getting a grocery store in the East End. The name of the new store as well as other details are being kept under wraps until a 10 a.m. press conference tomorrow — Friday, January 10. But reliable sources say it will be a local — meaning,…
Warren explains need for bodyguards
Her gender and the things people are saying about her on social media necessitate hires, she says.
Security firm will “sweep” Civic Center garage for homeless
If you’ve spent any time at all in the Civic Center garage in downtown Rochester, you’ve seen the signs: newspapers spread out to form a makeshift mattress, maybe an empty soup can nearby. The garage has been a shelter of last resort for the area’s homeless for many years. The people who use the garage…
Cuomo’s speech gets a B- on education piece
Governor Andrew Cuomo made some encouraging comments about education in his State of the State speech yesterday, but there are also some glaring concerns. The centerpiece of the governor’s education proposals for 2014 is a $2 billion referendum that would go mainly toward a major upgrade of school technology: purchasing laptops, tablets, and wireless services.…
Cuomo lays out his 2014 agenda
During his State of the State address this afternoon, Governor Andrew Cuomo spelled out his 2014 initiatives. But few, if any, of the big ticket items came as a surprise. He announced a plan to allow 20 hospitals to prescribe marijuana as treatment for some serious ailments, but that had already been leaked to the…
Dems tap Rivera to fill vacant Lej seat
Democrats in the 29th Legislative District have selected Leslie Rivera to fill a vacant County Legislature seat. The seat was previously held by Democrat Michael Patterson, who resigned last month to take over the City Council seat held by Mayor Lovely Warren. Officially, County Legislature President Jeff Adair must appoint Patterson’s replacement. Under county law,…
“The Love I Have For You”
Miss Tess & The Talkbacks “The Love I Have For You” Signature Sounds misstessmusic.com The Bon Ton Parade is now the Talkbacks, but Miss Tess — the queen up front — remains with her heart on her sleeve. Said heart is what influences Tess’s music. And on her new six-cover, one-original platter “The Love I…
Rock | The Fighting Jamesons
Similar to acts like Flogging Molly, Dropkick Murphys, and The Pogues, Virginia-based The Fighting Jamesons takes a traditional Irish folk sound and intensifies it by combining folk instrumentation, such as banjo and fiddle, with a plugged-in, standard rock set-up. The Jamesons play updated versions of traditional Irish songs such as “Danny Boy” and “Drunken…
Off Monroe Players
Mention the name of Sir William S. Gilbert to most musical-theater fans, and their response is apt to be “…and Sullivan.” Gilbert and his composing partner Sir Arthur Sullivan are indeed best remembered as collaborators on more than a dozen operettas, including “HMS Pinafore,” “The Mikado,” and “The Gondoliers.” Considered the cream of Victorian musical…
Rock | Dub Land’s Last Call: Official Closing Party
Noteworthy Rochester venue Dub Land Underground will be closing its doors for good on January 11. The venue has put together an epic farewell show, full of some excellent local acts that are sure to give Dub Land a memorable send-off. Performing acts include Mosaic Foundation, Haewa, and RootsCollider, all of whom will be joined by…
ART | “Marsh Madness: Wonders of Wetlands”/”Being Human”
Take a drive this week and check out two art exhibitions that tackle subjects of arguably equal mystery and fascination: one that celebrates nature, and another that explores human nature. “Marsh Madness: Wonders of Wetlands” is on view at the Hurst Gallery at Rochester Museum and Science Center’s Cumming Nature Center (6472 Gulick Road, Naples)…
COMEDY | “A Well-Mannered New Year”
In the immediate period following the holidays, we all have fresh new stories to laugh (and pretend not to cry) about. Comedy is all about finding the humor in commiserating over what’s strangely relatable — you know, “It’s funny ’cause it’s true.” On Saturday, January 11, Polite Ink Sketch & Improv will present “A Well-Mannered…
DANCE | Stardust Open Ballroom Dance Series
Oh, the weather outside is frightful, but inside we’ll twirl past nightfall. Grab your partner and dance away the winter blahs on Tuesday nights from November through May, in the century-old Stardust Ballroom at Edgerton Community Center (41 Backus St.). This elegant spot plays host to a weekly open ballroom dance with live music by…
SPECIAL EVENT | Speakeasy Party
Hoof it to the juice joint and spill the secret password. I swear, I heard there’ll be kittens galore. The Geneva Historical Society will host a speakeasy party on Friday, January 17, at beautiful Belhurst Castle on scenic Seneca Lake (4069 New York Route 41, Geneva). The event takes place 6-9 p.m., and will feature…
SPECIAL EVENT | 6th Annual nICE Festival
My buds didn’t have the time of day for any variety of sweet wine until I tasted ice wine, which is like having a feather-light and refreshing cloud kiss your tongue. The grapes that go into producing this treat are frozen while still on the vine, concentrating the sugars, which do not freeze, and are…
THEATER | Spalding Gray’s “Sex and Death to the Age 14”
American actor and writer Spalding Gray was a master of the confessional monologue. That form of non-fiction narrative can be cathartic for the author, as well as the audience, in that we tend to find commonalities when we compare life notes. On Sunday, January 12, at 7 p.m., to mark the 10th anniversary of Gray’s…
Feedback 1/8
Affordable housing and concentrated poverty I recently retired after spending 25 years trying to develop affordable housing in suburban Monroe County. The nonprofit development corporation for which I worked had a mission to develop one unit in the suburbs of Monroe County for every unit developed in the City of Rochester. This was one small…
Pop/Rock | Pseudo Youth
Pseudo Youth came together when a group of four excellent musicians got tired of doing time on the cover-band treadmill. The quartet had something to say and started saying — and playing — it in 2012. The band soon fell into its own groove and sound; a melodious cacophony of hard rock and thick, chthonic…
Trees for Mount Hope
Hundreds of trees in the historic Mount Hope Cemetery have fallen victim in recent years to weather, old age, and disease — about 250 trees since 2010. The comforting canopy of oaks, maples, spruces, and other tree varieties is a vital part of the aesthetic of the historic cemetery, officials say, so plans are under…
Pop/Rock | Sports
Ever since it formed in Rochester in 2010, the keyboard-driven Sports has skated that fine line between Elvis Costello’s angst, Squeeze’s gorgeous pop, Talking Heads’ quirk, and Rockpile’s hits and hooks. Just what I look for in a band; angst, quirk, hits, and hooks. In the truest sense of the over-used pop label, Sports is…
UR making moves in Brighton
A University of Rochester plan to build out its South Campus in Brighton is inching forward after several years on hold. Most of the 180-acre property, which is home to UR’s laser lab, is situated between East River and Crittenden roads. Besides the lab, it is generally undeveloped. UR officials are asking the Town of…
Classical | Third Presbyterian Church Chancel Choir
The Third Presbyterian Church will present its bi-annual production of the “Boar’s Head and Yule Log Festival.” This Medieval pageant began in 1340 at Magdalen College, Oxford, England. It blends sacred and secular music to celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany (also known as “Twelfth Night”). The production includes a cast and choir of more…
NY’s economic development Hunger Games
New York is three years into its economic development Hunger Games. The analogy between a fictional dystopian death match and Governor Andrew Cuomo’s signature economic development initiative isn’t entirely precise. While the Cuomo initiative pits regions of the state against each other in an annual competition for limited resources, nobody dies. And the distribution of…
Classical | Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra
Bach, Bach, Bach, and Handel – as in J.S. Bach, C.P.E. Bach, and J.C. Bach. And Handel. With cloud cover likely until March, there’s really no excuse not to take in a Sunday afternoon concert at Hochstein presented by musicians from the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra. On January 12, Daniel Meyer will guest conduct, and concert…
Metal | Abigail Williams
Good lordy, if there is a sonic equivalent to a snakebite shot it’s probably Abigail Williams. Like a potent drink, the L.A.-based metal trio pulls you in and drags you along. I’m smitten with Abigail Williams’ ability to create music that is both abrasive and beautiful. This American band is similar to many Scandinavian acts…
Urban Action 1/8
This week’s calls to action include the following events and activities. (All are free and open to the public, unless otherwise noted.) Talk on renewables The Pittsford Public Library will host “100% Renewable Energy for NYS by 2030: Vision or Dream?” The talk by Hal Bauer, NYS Sierra Club at-large delegate, will be held from…
Funknut
Funknut is already the big band it will never be. Don’t get me wrong; the Funknut sound is big and soulful, nestled somewhere between Curtis and Sly and a persistent jazzy jam. This is the cry of a trio that can’t even get past trio as far as keeping permanent guns in its ranks. When…
So much hope: the Warren inauguration
Lovely Warren was officially inaugurated as Rochester’s mayor on January 1, at the bedside of her dying grandfather, but her swearing in was repeated on Saturday at the Auditorium Theatre, so that the public could watch. It was quite an event, one packed with emotion and symbolism. The person now heading the most important government…
ALBUM REVIEW: “Been a Long Time Comin'”
Babayaga “Been a Long Time Comin'” SELF RELEASED I call it stoner rock with soul, metal on the outside with flesh and bone on the inside. It melts in your brain, not in your hands. Though Babayaga has been a part of the Upstate New York heavy scene for a while — collectively and with…
DINING REVIEW: Rio Tomatlan
Tucked on a side street in Downtown Canandaigua is Rio Tomatlan, a restaurant specializing in cuisine from Mexico’s Pacific Coast.
