Cover Story
Great Lakes: progress and problems
The Great Lakes are much better than they used to be in terms of the presence of toxic pollutants like mercury and DDT. New laws and a healthy amount of public awareness have helped restore the lakes. But challenges still exist; the Great Lakes face an evolving list of environmental threats and problems.
Nominations sought for 2013 Rochester Theater Hall of Fame
Updated 2/19/13 to reflect extended submission deadline: Attention Rochester Theater Community: City Newspaper is getting ready to induct new members into the Rochester Theater Hall of Fame, and we need your nominations. We want you to tell us who you think is the best of the best in the local theater world. We want to…
Daily Choices: What to do on Wednesday, January 15
RECREATION: Rise early to take part in the Bear Hollow Trail Trek at Letchworth State Park in Castile. The hike takes place at 10 a.m., and is free to participate, but the park charges an $8 parking fee. Bring a lunch and spend the day in the gorge-ous outdoors. For more information, call 493-3625.
Former Urban Choice leader starting another charter
Figuring out how to improve student performance in the city’s schools is arguably the biggest challenge facing Rochester. Like many cities across the country, Rochester has pursued multiple avenues to increase student achievement with little success. John Bliss, the co-founder and former head of Urban Choice Charter School, is concerned about the trend among state…
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[UPDATE] Assembly Republicans bash Cuomo, gun proposals
Some tough words from Assembly Republicans on Governor Andrew Cuomo’s proposed package of gun legislation. The legislation is being debated in the Assembly right now. The State Senate passed it last night.
Daily Choices: What to do on Tuesday, January 15
Spesh: Attend tonight’s Monthly Meeting of the Mineral Section of the Rochester Academy of Science and you’ll hear what RIT’s Dr. Tony Vodacek has to say about “Remote Sensing of Geohazards in the African Rift Valley.” The meeting takes place 7-9 p.m. at Brighton Town Hall (2300 Elmwood Ave.) and visitors are welcome. For more…
WEEK AHEAD: Sustainability meeting, RPD outreach, downtown planning, RCSD wants YOU
The coalition developing the Finger Lakes Regional Sustainability Plan will hold a public meeting from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, January 16, at RIT’s Golisano Institute for Sustainability. When it’s finished, the plan will outline actions for improving the long-term sustainability of the region’s communities and natural resources, planners say. It’ll include recommendations…
Daily Choices: What to do on Monday, January 14
Film: The Little Theatre (240 East Ave.) will host two screenings of “Shooting Beauty,” part of WXXI and Al Sigl’s “Dialogue on Disability” series, tonight at 6 and 8 p.m. The film puts the viewer in Courtney Bent’s shoes as she overcomes her own unspoken prejudices and begins inventing cameras accessible to her new friends…
ARTS: RPO, musicians approve new four-year agreement
The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra announced this afternoon that its Board of Directors and the Musicians’ Negotiating Committee have approved a new four-year musician agreement. The full press statement appears below. Although details of the contract were not disclosed, the release states that the musicians will make “painful concessions” (per the Musicians’ Negotiating Committee Co-Chair) in…
Concert Review: Cosmic Shakedown, Ionia at California Brew Haus
After shutter-buggin’ with Violet Mary (watch out, a new LP is on the way), I headed over to the California Brew Haus Saturday night, where an all-day hard-rock line-up had been pummeling away since 4 in the afternoon. I don’t know about you, but an all day rock ’n’ roll show can leave my head…
Daily Choices: What to do on Saturday, January 12 and Sunday, January 13
Music: It’s easy to bitch and moan about this town, especially this time of year. But rock ’n’ roll isn’t part of the problem; it’s the solution.
Parent trigger law invoked in California
Parents of students attending Desert Trails Elementary School scored a major victory this week with their use of California’s parent trigger law. The Adelanto School Board voted unanimously to convert the long-failing school into a charter school. It marks the first time the law in California has been invoked. The country’s first parent trigger law…
Concert Review: Elvis Birthday Bash at the Dinosaur
Things got all shook up Thursday night as Albany’s Lustre Kings hosted its annual Elvis Birthday Bash at Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, where a host of Rochester rockabilly glitterati tore into their equivalent to the great American songbook. Doghouse bassists Brian Williams and Big Mike Woolhaver spanked the bottom end, the Bradley brothers — Todd (bassist in…
Robach: Cuomo’s Upstate plans could be good for the region
I had a chance to talk to Republican State Senator Joe Robach yesterday about Governor Andrew Cuomo’s State of the State address. Robach said he was glad to hear the governor talk extensively about Upstate New York. Specifically, he was pleased with the governor’s plans to boost the area’s economy; for example, the governor is…
Daily Choices: What to do on Friday, January 11
While brass instruments might not always get the spotlight in modern orchestras, this weekend you’ll be treated to not just any trumpeter, but the internationally renowned Chris Botti. Just off a tour with the legendary Barbra Streisand, Botti will be joining the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra for a two-night engagement.
ARTS: Nazareth College Arts Center announces hiatus for Dance Festival
Today the Nazareth College Arts Center announced that its annual Dance Festival, which debuted in 2010, will go on a one-year hiatus for 2013. Organizers are looking to “re-imagine” the festival’s programming and timing before bringing it back in 2014; the three previous editions took place in July. In its three previous incarnations the festival…
Obama inauguration inducts acceptance
Hearing that Richard Blanco had been chosen to write a poem for President Obama’s second inauguration reconfirmed for me why this president will be remembered as a transformative leader. Blanco is a Cuban-American gay poet. His work journals the cross-cultural experiences of two minority groups — the LGBT and Latino communities — at a time…
![[UPDATED] Richards doesn’t support downtown casino](https://i0.wp.com/www.roccitymag.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/richardstom07_square.webp?resize=400%2C300&ssl=1)
[UPDATED] Richards doesn’t support downtown casino
In a phone conversation this afternoon, Rochester Mayor Tom Richards re-stated his opposition to a casino in downtown Rochester, and said he has not had any discussions with Cuomo about a Rochester-area casino.
DA’s also want tougher gun laws
As the gun control debate has unfolded in New York and nationally, there’s been a tendency to associate tougher gun restrictions with Democratic legislators and liberals. But the ideological split in the gun debate is not that linear. In advance of Governor Andrew Cuomo’s State of the State address yesterday, the District Attorneys Association of…
ARTS: Remmereit, supporters address controversial RPO decision
A standing-room-only crowd packed the Central Library’s Kate Gleason Auditorium Thursday evening as a group identifying itself as RPO Community Supporters held a public event to address the November decision made by the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra’s board of directors to terminate the four-year contract of music director ArildRemmereit two years early. Remmereit himself addressed the…
School board member on the state of education in New York
Rochester school board member Willa Powell submitted the following prior to Governor Cuomo’s 2013 State of State address this afternoon. Today, Governor Cuomo delivers his State of the State address. Among other points, I expect he will talk about the difficult fiscal conditions that continue to plague NY in the aftermath of The Great Recession,…
Cuomo’s high-energy, jam-packed State of the State speech
Governor Andrew Cuomo does not lack ideas for New York State. In fact, he’s got a 300-plus page book full of them. During his State of the State address this afternoon, Cuomo laid out his agenda for the next year. He listed off new initiatives for economic development, incentives for state school districts to extend…
Morelle gets high-level Assembly post
State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver has selected Assembly member Joe Morelle to serve as the chamber’s majority leader. Morelle lives in Irondequoit and his district includes the town, Brighton, and parts of the City of Rochester. He also serves as chair of the Monroe County Democratic Committee. During an interview last week, Morelle said he’d…
Concert Review: Roc City Pro Jam at Skylark Lounge
It’s time to double clutch and jam the gears, cut the apron strings, and kick out the jams, m****rf***ers! The Roc City Pro Jam — the now-weekly open jam that rotates venues — has reached its plateau. Or maybe its ceiling, depending on how you look at it. This is a wonderfully organic event that…
Morgan-Jones interview is a delicious media moment
Everyone seeking a rational, common-sense approach to gun legislation should take a minute to watch the recent exchange between CNN host Piers Morgan and radio personality Alex Jones. In a later interview with Politico, Morgan called the Jones interview an advertisement for gun control. Morgan isn’t a particularly good interviewer, nor does he break journalistic…
EXHIBIT | 1812-Style Quilts
The Webster Museum (18 Lapham Park, Webster) is currently showing an exhibit featuring 26 newly made quilts that are true to 1812 period quilting patterns, fabrics, and colors. Accompanying each quilt are Great Lakes Seaway Trail “storyteller” interpretive cards, which share factual history represented by the quilt, or an imagined tale of a family sending…
ART REVIEW: “60 From the 60’s”
Anyone who lived through the 1960’s remembers the period as one marked with tumult, conflict, and social revolution; a time of youth breaking out of the constricting 1950’s ideals and trying to reshape their world. For many who were born after this time, the 1960’s as a decade have become a thing of fascination, a…
RECREATION | Ellison Park Hike/Cross Country Ski
Outdoor exercise is a great way to chase away those winter blues. The Penfield Trails Committee will offer a guided ski/hike at Ellison Park in Penfield on Saturday, January 12. Participants should meet at the north side of the parking lot off Blossom Road at 10 a.m. Bring cross-country skis or snowshoes for a winter…
The national agenda must focus on the poor
During President Obama’s first term and again in his successful re-election campaign, virtually nothing was said or done about people in the United States who are trapped in a cycle of poverty and despair. The focus was on middle class families and their concerns. This is not to say that the nation should ignore its…
THEATER | “12 Angry Men”
Sure, getting that notice in the mail to serve as a juror is annoying and inconvenient, but many of us don’t take the fact that another person’s fate is being placed in our hands seriously enough. Reginald Rose’s 1954 teleplay, “12 Angry Men,” is perhaps best known in its 1957 film manifestation of the same…
DINING REVIEW: Acanthus Cafe
A few days before Christmas, my newborn dining companion and I were having lunch at Acanthus Café on East Avenue. She was having breast milk. I was enjoying an uber-fresh plate of chicken salad and a bowl of steaming hot mushroom soup while entertaining a hope that there might be massive brownies full of fudge…
MOVIE REVIEW: “Hyde Park on Hudson”
Hard on the heels of the Civil War epic “Lincoln,” a very different picture shows a very different president in a very different era. A sort of limited biopic, “Hyde Park on Hudson” concentrates on a few years in the life of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, focusing mostly on domestic events and the people surrounding him…
Feedback 1/9
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. Remembering Karen…
Film Review: “The Impossible”
The term “disaster movie” tends to conjure up thoughts of summer blockbusters; disposable entertainments designed to excite audiences with endless scenes of CGI-enhanced destruction. They’re usually the type of movies that want us to root for the survival of the main characters while simultaneously asking us to ignore the offscreen deaths of hundreds of thousands,…
MUSIC INTERVIEW: Natalie B
New Year’s Eve 2013. Sticky Lips Juke Joint. There I was, doing my best Guy Lombardo/Dick Clark/Lenny Bruce mash-up to toast the lucky new year. When all of a sudden amidst the champagne, prime rib, noise makers, and confetti canons, a firecracker appeared on stage with The Pubic Market Band. She was a blonde in…
ACOUSTIC FOLK | Father John Misty
There are a few talking points frequently mentioned when discussing Father John Misty. You’ll often hear mention of his involvement as former drummer for indie powerhouse Fleet Foxes, and you’re sure to learn of previous solo efforts under his abbreviated given name, J. Tillman. Almost as if in anticipation of these nuggets of history, Tillman…
Daily Choices: What to do on Thursday, January 10
I’m going to tell you it’s alternative up there, but people, what we have ourselves here is some industrial/New Wave mix in the finest, darkest veins. While The Soft Moon comes from the Bay Area,
ALTERNATIVE | THE SOFT MOON/MAJICAL CLOUDZ
I’m going to tell you it’s alternative up there, but people, what we have ourselves here is some industrial/New Wave mix in the finest, darkest veins. While The Soft Moon comes from the Bay Area, the band’s music is clearly dragged screaming out from the depths of a crevasse found under a rock. It even…
Urban Action 1/9
This week’s calls to action include the following events and activities. (All are free and open to the public, unless otherwise noted.) Guantanamo vigil Anti-war activists will hold a “Close Guantanamo” vigil from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday, January 11, at 12 Corners in Brighton. The protestors are asking for the immediate closure…
ROCK | HOMEGROWN II
It’s easy to bitch and moan about this town, especially this time of year. But rock ‘n’ roll isn’t part of the problem; it’s the solution. Lovin’ Cup’s Homegrown II event celebrates all things Rochester: local beer, local vendors, and especially home-bred music. There will be something for just about everybody. You’ve got Celtic punk…
Changes coming for recycling center
The company that operates the county-owned Mill Seat landfill now also runs Monroe’s recycling center. Waste Management was awarded through a competitive process the 10-year recycling center contract late last year, and took over operations on January 1. Cascades Recovery ran the center for 10 years — through two, five-year contracts — and also submitted…
POP/ROCK | MIDGE URE
Midge Ure’s eight-year tenure as lead singer of Ultravox made the Glasgow-born singer a New Wave darling for anyone old enough to remember synth-pop classics “Vienna” and “Reap The Wild Wind.” But it’s Ure’s contribution toward Band Aid — he and Bob Geldof co-wrote “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” and formed the project that raised…
Money challenges for waterfront project
It’s difficult to view the abandoned campus in the Flint Street area of southwest Rochester and not see the possibilities, as well as the clearly daunting challenges. The 25-acre industrial ghost town is on the western bank of the Genesee River between the Ford Street bridge and the recently reopened railroad bridge crossing. It’s secluded,…
ELECTRONIC | BROTHER BEAR
Brother Bear heads east from Buffalo to rock the basement at Dub Land and bust out his best mix of house and electronic samples. It’s a bit seamy, but totally catchy, and those who worry they aren’t going to get their dub on can be assured that’s all in the cards, too. Keto will be…
Preserving Rochester’s African American past
When local historian David Anderson met with Wayne Goodman, executive director of the Landmark Society of Western New York, he brought along a series of photos. They showed the former Adams Street home of James and Bessie Hamm, early 20th-century advocates of education for African American children, as it went from vital institution to vacant…
ALTERNATIVE/ROCK | Red Letter Statement
This Rochester-based band is, in part, named after the practice of marking holy days in red letters in church calendars. Although Red Letter Statement may not be the paradigm of piousness, its six members have undoubtedly devoted themselves to cranking out up-tempo, alternative rock. The band’s bio consists of two sentences: “We don’t play dubstep…
The bumpy path to a smaller RCSD
When Rochester schools Superintendent Bolgen Vargas initially presented his proposal for the $675 million next phase of the schools modernization program, he said the district must eliminate unneeded space. But at a special board meeting last week, he took the conversation one step further. “I’m telling teachers, parents, and administrators to look at the district…
Blood and Bone Orchestra
As I’ve said before, Blood and Bone Orchestra rides the fringe of the fringe. It’s a loosely structured amalgamation of structured vacillation. It’s wonderfully abstract and iconoclastic. Love it, hate it, but you can’t deny it — this is “free” jazz at its finest. Cairo and Rash also perform. Wednesday, January 16 Bug Jar, 219…
Granny-no-guns
Despite the recent shootings that left two Rochester-area firefighters dead, gun-related injuries and deaths are nothing new to this area. | Mass shootings in suburban malls and schools tend to grab national media attention, but gun violence, as most mayors of US cities can testify, is almost a daily occurrence. | Locally and nationally, the…
ART | New Openings
Not every art opening takes place on First Friday, which is good, because who can see 20 shows in one night and appreciate what they saw? The following spaces will host receptions for new shows on Friday, January 11. Admission is free unless otherwise noted. For more art events taking place this week, visit rochestercitynewspaper.com…
DANCE | Island Touch Bachata
Rochester is currently covered in snow, but you can help create a hot little tropical realm on Thursday, January 10, by attending Essence of Rhythm’s Island Touch Bachata Explosion. The event kicks off with a 7-9 p.m. workshop and dancing with the Island Touch team at Rhythm Society Urban Wellness Studios (90 Bittner St.). You’ll…
