Cover Story
Ate days a week
In each of our busy lives, we can all get a little bogged down in routine, forget to have fun with food culture, or forget to eat at all until we’re raging. Bearing that in mind, our approach to this year’s edition of DISH was to take it a day at a time — dividing…
Fight brews over school governance
An exchange of emails obtained by CITY shows that state education officials drafted a plan to replace the Rochester school board with a state-appointed board for at least five years.
Judge finds RPD officer used excessive force
Suspended Rochester police officer Michael Sippel has been found guilty of a misdemeanor assault charge by City Court Judge Thomas Rainbow Morse, according to media reports. Sippel’s case centered around his use of force during a May 2018 incident, which resulted in the arrest of Christopher Pate on charges of disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. A…
State officials draft RCSD takeover plan; future in doubt
[ UPDATED ]State education officials have drafted a plan to replace the Rochester school board with a state-appointed board for at least five years, according to documents CITY has obtained. At the end of the five years, the district’s governance would return to an elected board. The plan is a result of ongoing concerns about the…
Developer Robert Morgan hit with fraud charges
Real estate developer Robert Morgan faces dozens of federal charges for his alleged role in what the US Attorney’s Office says was a half-billion-dollar mortgage fraud scheme.
Rochester City Council approves Police Accountability Board
Tuesday night was a milestone in a decades-long fight over how police misconduct claims in Rochester should be handled. In a unanimous vote, City Council passed a new law creating an independent, civilian Police Accountability Board.
CITY and WXXI: joining for enhanced coverage
Norm Silverstein, the president of WXXI, is chair of Rochester Area Media Partners, owner CITY Newspaper and CITY digital media. Mary Anna Towler’s Urban Journal will return next week. To CITY Newspaper readers: As president of WXXI, I try to keep in touch with our friends in the community with a monthly letter about what’s…
THEATER | ‘Black Comedy’
British playwright Sir Peter Shaffer is best known for his Tony and Oscar-winning scripts for “Equus” and “Amadeus.” But before writing those, he penned “Black Comedy,” a one-act farce that follows broke artist Brindsley Miller’s attempt to impress his fiancée’s super rich father. But thanks to a blown fuse, Brindsley’s apartment loses power on the…
Taco Tuesday
Taco Tuesday is a sacred tradition, but nobody likes a stale routine. Put these joints in your rotation. We’ve included their Tuesday hours and a standout fact about each. Bitter Honey (127 Railroad Street; bitterhoneyroc.com; open 5 p.m. to midnight) Try the homemade masa bread drizzled with honey. Dorado (690 Park Avenue; doradoparkave.com/family; open 11:30…
SPOKEN WORD | ‘Stories of Resilience’
Under the coordination of their teacher, Alicia Renner, a group of eighth-grade students from School #17 will present “Stories of Resilience: An Evening of Song, Poetry & Photography this week. Held in collaboration with Calvin Eaton of 540WMain Communiversity, the event seeks to spotlight the creative expressions of students of the Enrico Fermi School. Leading…
Patios and potables
The evenings are longer, the weather is better. It’s not the weekend yet, so you’re probably not in going-out mode. But you may not want to just head directly home from work and stay put. If you’re feeling like having an unwinding beverage somewhere chill, you’ve got options. There are plenty of bar patios and…
The meal ordeal
Meal-delivery services take the guesswork out of lunch hour We’ve all got those friends who balance their busy lives so well that they eat three healthy meals each day. Perhaps they spend a day meal-planning for the week. Maybe they prep for the next day in the evenings, or rise early to eat some eggs…
Don’t feed after midnight
It’s Friday night (ok, technically Saturday morning), you’re still out on the town, and you’re hungry again. But oops, the kitchen’s closed. It can be tough to think of spots that serve food after midnight in Rochester. But we found a bunch! Acme Bar and Pizza (499 Monroe Avenue, acmebarandpizza.com) has a full bar menu…
ART | ‘de/composition’
A new group show opens this week at Main Street Arts, featuring paintings, photography, printmaking, sculpture, and mixed media works under the theme of decay and destruction. The exhibit, “de/composition,” was juried by Memorial Art Gallery’s Head of Exhibitions Margot Muto, who selected work by 31 artists from 12 states. The 36 works range from…
Goals
Sign up for a cooking class at the Rochester Brainery rochesterbrainery.com Get friends together for a sunset picnic dinner at Durand Beach Round up some buddies and take a Rochester Pedal Tour (leg day!) rochesterpedaltours.com Gorge on hotdogs & Dippin’ Dots at a Red Wings game milb.com/rochester Step 1: Plant a veggie garden. Step 2:…
Feedback 5/22
We welcome your comments. Send them to feedback@rochester-citynews.com with your name, your daytime telephone number for verification, and your city, town, or village. Comments of fewer than 500 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. Pei left…
EMO-AMERICANA | Aaron West and the Roaring Twenties
Aaron West and the Roaring Twenties is sincere lyricism draped in an Americana tinge. It’s the solo project of Dan “Soupy” Campbell, frontman of the Pennsylvania pop-punk group The Wonder Years. Fans of folk-punk will find a stripped down grace to appreciate here, like that of artists Bright Eyes, Dawes, or Dolfish. Online, Campbell describes…
SPECIAL EVENT | Flower City Days
Our region has had such a wet spring that all of nature seemed to burst to life suddenly in the last week or so. Everywhere you look, Rochester is dressed in lush greens and cascading blossoms. If you didn’t get to work planting early enough, you can still bring home the floral results of other…
CHAMBER POP | Kitchen
Kitchen dreams up airy songs about love, lust, and small moments in nature that reflect the beautiful miracles of life. Light on lyrics but dripping with poeticism, Rochester’s quiet chamber pop trio Kitchen is making a big impression with its new album, “Pussy Willow,” released in March. The band can ease anyone into a relaxed…
Youth ask county for climate plan
In light of federal inaction on climate change, a group of Rochester-area young people is asking the County Legislature make Monroe County carbon neutral by 2050. The Rochester Youth Climate Leaders, an interscholastic group of middle and high school students, made their request during the Legislature’s May 14 meeting. The group wants the Legislature to…
INDIE FOLK | Justin Roeland and the Nightswimmers
Justin Roeland and the Nightswimmers is an alternative rock soda can, fizzing with ambient folk, psychedelia, and country roots. Based in Ithaca, NY, arranger and multi-instrumentalist Justin Roeland is currently celebrating his third album, “Doomed to Bloom,” released back in January. Justin Roeland and the Nightswimmers deliver a vast sky of vocal harmonies like Crosby,…
JAZZ | Pat LaBarbera
UPDATE: This concert has been postoned. Born in Warsaw, New York, tenor saxophonist Pat LaBarbera grew up in one of Upstate New York’s great jazz families, along with his brothers — drummer Joe LaBarbera and trumpeter John LaBarbera. After graduating from Berklee College of Music, Pat LaBarbera toured with the bands of Louie Bellson and…
FOLK | Susanna Rose Trio
Inspired by challenging winters and inward contemplation, local singer-songwriter Susanna Rose has been playing lonely folk originals for a decade. Currently, Rose performs with banjoist Chaz Hearne and cellist John Delmonico as a trio. Rose has a soft and tender alto voice, and plays simple yet intentional guitar strums with no need for frills. It’s…
WORLD | The Buddhahood
Known for its complex drumming and genre-bending grooves, The Buddhahood is a reggae-funk melting pot heating up the kitchen and your ear buds. Reigning in the Rochester region for almost two decades, the band is currently performing behind its latest release, “The Space.” An octet complete with brass section, The Buddhahood comes equipped to keep…
Have yourself a movie little picnic
Try out these summer recipes based on meals from films People have always taken their movie fandoms seriously. But now it’s not enough just to watch your favorite films over and over. And while wearing the t-shirt or reading the graphic novel prequels are all well and good, these days we’re all about the immersive…
SPECIAL EVENT | ‘Opulence’
Rochester native and fashion designer and cosmetologist LaMar P. Jackson, or “Sir Pierre,” was one of the first male models to graduate from the Barbizon modeling program, and later landed teaching positions at Barbizon and John Robert Powers Modeling School. Jackson had his fashion debut in Chicago in 1992, and has since held fashion shows…
FILM | ‘Alien’ 40th Anniversary Screening
Ridley Scott’s iconic film that spawned a franchise, as well as crossover movies, turns 40 this year. For anyone who’s been living under a rock, “Alien” follows the fate of space travelers aboard a merchant vessel who answer what they believe is a distress call. A crew member is attacked by a vicious lifeform, no…
Scavenger Sunday
Before the workweek begins, it’s high time you relaxed Many people begin a lazy Sunday by meeting friends for brunch, but the popularity of that nebulous meal often means long waits for a table, crowded eateries, and feeling more rushed than you’d like. That’s not everyone’s idea of a relaxing day. Self-care Sunday has become…
The Rochester school district and the change we need
The school district’s future might be the best barometer for whether Rochester will live up to its ideals or remain a racially and economically divided community for another 30 or 40 years.
Album review: ‘Panama Sessions’
John Weyl ‘Panama Sessions’ Self-released johnweylmusic.com John Weyl is a talented singer-guitarist and leader of the local blues trio Deep Blue Band. Influenced by the jazz and Latin music he heard while playing solo gigs in Panama every winter, Weyl decided to make an instrumental guitar album. Joined by bassist Ted Johansen, drummer Eric Metzgar,…
Album review: ‘Evil Hearted You’
Evil Hearted You ‘Evil Hearted You’ Self-released evilheartedyouu.bandcamp.com Singer-songwriter Amber Tracy has had a haunting effect on audiences around Rochester since 2017. On her solo project’s self-titled debut album, "Evil Hearted You," Tracy paints a sepia-toned reflection of her deepest, darkest self by mixing elements of indie pop with roots, country, and psychedelic rock. Tracy…
The spice life at Szechuan Opera
The chefs patterned the menu after cuisine from China’s Sichuan province. You can still get the Chinese food that most Americans are accustomed to, but if you feel a bit more adventurous, Szechuan Opera offers a menu of more traditional, spicy dishes.
Film preview: ‘Booksmart’
Smart, funny, and empathetic, Olivia Wilde’s directorial debut is a love letter to the blissfully uncool dorks among us. Both referential and thoroughly modern, it feels like an instant classic of the high school genre.
Lexi Weege returns to Rochester
A quiet gym receptionist by day and a sultry diva by night, Lexi Weege is stomping back into town on May 31, this time with her band The Wondertwins.
Film review: ‘John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum’
“Parabellum” picks up immediately where the last film left off, finding Wick excommunicated, with a $14 million bounty on his head and the entire population of the criminal underworld very keen to collect.
