Cover Story
Trash talk
In five years, Monroe County’s Mill Seat landfill, which takes waste from the county and the City of Rochester, could be full. But county officials want the Riga landfill to last another 25 years, so they’ve applied to the Department of Environmental Conservation for permission to add 118 acres to the current 95-acre landfill. County…
Battery testing center headed to Rochester
A Pennsylvania energy storage testing lab is relocating to the Eastman Buisness Park. DNV KEMA Energy & Sustainability, a global energy consulting company that specializes in testing, inspection, and certification, will work with the New York Battery and Energy Storage Technology Consortium to relocate its lab, says a press release from Governor Andrew Cuomo’s office. …
Report criticizes campaign contributions by pro-fracking groups
A coalition that’s advocating for public financing of New York elections wants Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Moreland Commission to look into campaign contributions made by pro-fracking groups and lobbyists. Fair Elections New York issued the call yesterday, basing its arguments on a Common Cause/NY analysis of the contributions, which was also released yesterday. Common Cause is a…
WEEK AHEAD: RCSD considers big grant, COMIDA to vote on Xerox tax breaks, shaming animal abusers
County Dems will hold a public hearing this week on the possibility of creating a registry of animal abusers.
Glock with your soda?
The Trayvon Martin-George Zimmerman case focused most of the country’s attention on race relations. And that’s where much of the conversation remains. But if you would like to know more about how Florida’s Stand Your Ground legislation got signed into law, watch this report by MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow. SYG was signed into law by former…
Irondequoit Dems lay out Medley plan
There’s no way around it, Medley Centre will be an issue in the Irondequoit town elections. And this morning, the Democratic candidates for supervisor and Town Board held a press conference to lay out their plan for dealing with the dead mall. During a separate interview, Adam Bello, who’s challenging incumbentRepublican Mary Joyce D’Aurizio for…
Biking image and infrastructure go hand in hand
It’s no secret that cycling advocates, transportation planners, elected officials, and health officials have been trying to make the Rochester area more bikeable. They’ve put considerable time, effort, and money into developing plans, building infrastructure, and encouraging the public to pedal more and drive less. And each year, Rochester gets better ratings from the League…
URMC study shows socioeconomic status determines who gets pain meds
Anyone who has experienced severe pain or pain that becomes debilitating and chronic knows that pain medications can play an important role in recuperating and returning to a normal life. But concerns about narcotic abuse, also a serious health problem in the US, cause many physicians to be reluctant about prescribing these types of medications.…
Solar manufacturing facility coming to Greece
The newly independent SUNY College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering plans to establish a solar power manufacturing and technology development hub in the Town of Greece. The new Photovoltaic Manufacturing and Technology Development Facility will be located in a 57,000-square-foot former Kodak building at 115 Canal Landing Boulevard. The building contains a clean room, which will be…
Fringe Festival announces 2013 lineup
The First Niagara Fringe Festival will feature 360 performances across 28 venues, as well as over 120 free performances.
Perinton Republicans may have supervisor primary
An almost last-minute filing last week may mean a Republican primary for supervisor in the Town of Perinton. The town Republican committee endorsed Mike Barker, who currently represents part of Perinton in the Monroe County Legislature, as its candidate for the job. But late Thursday afternoon, Edmund Dunn also filed to run for supervisor on…
House | DJ Neill MacLeod
If the Pride Picnic doesn’t do enough to get you pumped, then head out to Pearl to get your house on. DJ Neill MacLeod will be in from Toronto to show us his freshest electronic and house mixes, and most likely his abs, as I have not yet found a picture of him with a…
Turning Colors
Despite a protracted absence from the glow of the live stage’s limelight, Turning Colors always was, and always will be. And though guitarist Bob Olson slings guitar all over the Rochester musical-genre map in numerous outfits like Anonymous Willpower and the John Payton Project, Turning Colors will always be his home. That’s not to say those other bands don’t give…
Folk | Eric Taylor
Eric Taylor was born and raised in Georgia, but the bulk of his musical education took place in Texas. While working at a club in Houston in the 70s, Taylor was exposed to the soulful blues of artists like Lightnin’ Hopkins and Mississippi Fred McDowell. His own unique guitar style — combining elements of Americana…
Bike boulevards for Rochester
Some Rochester streets are friendly to cyclists. They have bike lanes or good shoulders, they aren’t heavily traveled, and their intersections are relatively easy to pass through. Other streets are inherently difficult — even dangerous — for cyclists. They may have heavy traffic or little room between lanes of moving cars and lines of parked…
Celtic/Folk | Great Big Sea
There may be an ocean separating Newfoundland from its rich Irish heritage, but this critically-renowned rock group has spent the past twenty years building a great big bridge between the two. Great Big Sea has sold over ten million records in Canada and has been nominated for multiple Juno awards. It has built its ever-improving…
Infant death study
Infant mortality is a serious issue in Monroe County, and it’s about to get some added attention. County officials will work with the Perinatal Network of Monroe County to study the causes of death in local children less than a month old. Last week, the County Legislature approved a measure allowing the study to go…
Surf | Dick Dale
**UPDATE: This show has been cancelled. Refunds are available at point of purchase.** With its blurred staccato of rapidly picked notes, its rhythmic thunder, and the roar of its reverb-drenched volume, the music of surf-guitar godfather Dick Dale is full-on primal, savage, and untamed. It’s the call of the wild, the scream from the jungle.…
Restore Rochester fights for the Fourth
The reason former FBI director J. Edgar Hoover stayed in power so long despite his reputation as a ruthless bully is because he knew where all the dirty underwear was buried. Secrets are power, and they can be abused. History is rife with examples. Part of the pushback against the recently leaked government mass-surveillance programs…
Folk | Americanarama Festival of Music ft. Bob Dylan
I’m sure Dylan fans may wanna lynch me, but the last few times I’ve seen him, one of the greatest American songwriters in history, it fell sorta flat. His voice is shot and he gets buried under the weight of an amazing array of hired guns. Still, there’s something spiritual about his songs that even…
Primary focus
The petitions are in, and it looks like the City of Rochester will have Democratic primaries for mayor, City Council, and school board. The Town of Henrietta will see a Republican primary for the supervisor’s office between incumbent Michael Yudelson and current Town Board member Jack Moore. | Yudelson also has the Independence and Conservative…
POPS | Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra
Every once in a while I’ll hear about an upcoming concert combination and just know it’s going to have that extra sparkle and snap. This Saturday night’s concert brings together the RPO, conductor Jeff Tyzik, and vocalist Matthew Morrison, and is just that kind of combination. Morrison is best known for playing Will Schuester on…
The Zimmerman verdict
The not-guilty verdict in the George Zimmerman trial wasn’t a surprise, at least not to me. I hadn’t expected anything else. Proving beyond reasonable doubt that Zimmerman didn’t act in self-defense seemed a steep climb. Was Trayvon Martin beating Zimmerman, beating him so severely that Zimmerman was afraid for his life? Zimmerman said he was.…
Urban Action – 07-17-13
This week’s calls to action include the following events and activities. (All are free and open to the public, unless otherwise noted.) Community building conference The Zion Hill Missionary Baptist Church will sponsor “July 1964 to July 2013: Envisioning and Building a Better Community,” an all-day conference from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday,…
“64th Rochester-Finger Lakes Exhibition”
There is plenty of captivating work to appreciate at the Memorial Art Gallery’s 64th Rochester-Finger Lake Exhibition, currently on view in the Grand Gallery. Guest curator Alex Nyerges, the director of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, was tasked with selecting 100 works from the 623 submitted. Eighty-one artists are represented, 31 of whom are…
RECREATION | Jungle Jog 5K
When I need a little extra motivation to push my running routine, I pretend there’s a giant, truck-sized tarantula pounding the pavement after me. It works, because I have a very vivid imagination. You could dream up similar motivations this weekend at the Jungle Jog 5K, which takes runners (safely) through lower Seneca Park and…
THEATER | “Cindy Miller’s You Ain’t Heard Nothin’ Yet”
If you’re a fan of classic singers and Vegas-style entertainment, treat yourself to “Cindy Miller’s You Ain’t Heard Nothin’ Yet.” The eclectic musical retrospective celebrates great entertainers of the past century, including Al Jolson, Fred Astaire, Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland, Julie Andrews, Barbra Streisand, Liza Minnelli, and others. Miller’s show is family-friendly, and features contemporary…
SPECIAL EVENT | Rochester Pride 2013: “There’s No Place Like Pride”
This year’s Pride festivities will include the special celebration of the recent striking-down of the DOMA and Prop 8 laws. Another special element is that Rochester Pride’s producer, The Gay Alliance, will be celebrating its 40th year. What better way to mark the “ruby anniversary” than with a “Wizard of Oz” theme: “There’s No Place…
SPECIAL EVENT | Full Moon Flashlight Tours
The United States is a baby country, and we don’t have the abundance of thousand-year-old structures that Europe does. (It’s unlikely that we ever will, considering our short-sightedness in knocking down cultural feats of architecture, such as our Claude Bragdon-designed train station.) Organizations such as The Landmark Society of Western New York seek to preserve…
SPECIAL EVENT | “Arrested Development” Quiz
If you know where there is always money (the Banana Stand). If you know who has a low center of gravity (it’s Ann/Egg). If you know the name of Tobias’ book (“The Man Inside Me”). If you have started “The Final Countdown,” have spent the past months cornholing without Buster, and would take second place…
2013 Rochester Jewish Film Festival
According to Jewish tradition, a child comes of age once they turn 13. This is known as becoming a bar (or bat for girls) mitzvah, and it means that they’re now mature enough to truly be considered a part of the community. And usually, their parents throw a big party to mark the occasion. It’s…
CHOW HOUND: Fuego Coffee Roasters, Finger Lakes Cheese Fest, more
UPDATED 7/24/13 to correct Rita’s Italian Ice address. “I think Rochester has the potential to be the new Portland or the new Seattle as far as coffee goes,” says Tony Colón, who is doing his part to make his prediction a reality. Along with wife his wife, Renée, Tony co-owns Fuego Coffee Roasters, Rochester’s newest…
“Gypsy Strings and The Masque of the Red Death”
Anything written by Edgar Allan Poe is memorable, not the least of which is “The Masque of the Red Death.” First published in 1842 in Graham’s Lady’s and Gentleman’s Magazine, it has been adapted into everything from heavy metal by Crimson Glory to a film starring Vincent Price to the literary spice of Stephen King’s…
Feedback – 07-17-13
Beyond DOMA Thank you so much for Tim Louis Macaluso’s piece, “After Marriage: the Future of Gay Rights” (News). While I agree that the repeal of Section 3 of DOMA marks significant progress for the United States, to say “after marriage” is really a misnomer. The Supreme Court decision mostly benefits those who are fortunate…
Folk | Tim Avery/The Big One
Local singer-songwriter Tim Avery is a common presence in the Rochester scene. His music is playful and effervescent, infusing a genre that is often thought of as somber with unbridled joy. Avery pulls his melodies and vocal delivery from the punk tradition, while his acoustic guitar has hints of country and Americana. However, his affinity for…
“Pacific Rim”
The fact that the great beast from the depths of the sea haunts the human imagination may account in part at least for the appearance of “Pacific Rim,” perhaps the most excessive blockbuster of the season. The sea monster that threatened Andromeda, the mother and son duo that Beowulf fought, Moby Dick, the great white…
