Cover Story
The RCSD’s grant dependency
Grants have become a crucial part of the Rochester City School District’s yearly budget. How important are they? Consider that the RCSD now receives about $100 million in grant money annually from federal, state, and private funding sources. And grants make up 13 percent of the budget just approved by the school board for the…
LGBT poverty bucks stereotype
When I was a kid, one of the boys in my fifth-grade class wore a green shirt with pink stripes. For weeks he was teased and called a queer for wearing pink and green or “fairy” colors. Who knows how the pink and green label got started, but there are hundreds of gay stereotypes. And…
County charter review committee begins its work
The first meeting of a Monroe County charter review committee was brief and ended with homework for the members. The meeting took place this morning. The committee, which was established by the County Legislature during its May meeting, is charged with reviewing two sections of county law that lay out how the county government is…
Video Game Review: Animal Crossing: New Leaf
Sometimes the title says it all. “Animal Crossing: New Leaf,” for the Nintendo 3DS, is the latest entry in Nintendo’s “Animal Crossing” series, and has improved upon nearly every aspect of its predecessors, creating not only a near-perfect gaming experience, but also soaring over the bar of what I expected the game to be.
China gushes with Iraq oil
In the lead up to George W. Bush’s Iraq War, the American public heard alarming reports of Saddam Hussein’s pursuit of weapons of mass destruction. The intervention was sold as a preemptive strike against a madman capable of incalculable harm if left in power. Once into the war, the Bush administration made some outlandish predictions:…
Daily Choices: What to do on Tuesday, June 4
Auditions: Think you’ve got the chops to think (and react) on your feet and entertain the masses? Village Idiots Improv Comedy (274 N. Goodman St.) will hold Improv Comedy Open Auditions tonight, 7 p.m. The event is free to attend. For more information, call 797-9086 or visit improvvip.com.
Elections: Who’s in, who’s out
Incumbent Cynthia Elliott says she’ll keep fighting to stay on the Rochester school board, despite losing the party’s backing.
CONCERT UPDATE: Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings cancel Jazz Fest performance
The Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival announced today that Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings — one of the most buzzed-about acts at this year’s festival – has cancelled its upcoming album release and touring schedule for this year due to Jones’ recent diagnosis of stage one bile-duct cancer. The band will not be performing its…
“Game of Thrones” Season 3, Episode 9: A nice day for a Red Wedding
The Starks and The Tullys really shouldn’t have been that surprised by the ending of last night’s episode. If they’d bothered to look at the bridal registry they could have seen that all the Freys had signed up to bring BETRAYAL and DEATH! I have been waiting for this episode since before the series even…
Week Ahead: Costco plans, county fair moving
It’s a busy week in Rochester.
Daily Choices: What to do on Monday, June 3
Literature: Join the Moving Beyond Racism Book Group, which meets tonight, 7-8:30 p.m., at Barnes & Noble (3349 Monroe Ave., Pittsford). This month’s discussion will feature “Parable of the Sower” by Octavia Butler. The event is free; more info at 288-8644. Music: Looking to get your dance on tonight? Manic Mondays Retro Dance Night will…
Daily Choices: What to do on Saturday, June 1 and Sunday, June 2
Are you ready for the Price Is Right?
Get ready for college loan rates to rise
It’s hard to imagine enrolling in college considering the staggering cost of tuition. What are young people supposed to do if they come from lower income and middle class families? The competition for grants and scholarships is fierce, and on July 1, student loan rates will jump unless Congress intervenes. Student loan rates for more…
Report: lobbyists and interests generous to area legislators
A new New York Public Interest Research Group report says that New York legislators representing the Rochester region relied heavily on campaign donations from lobbying and special interest groups in 2012. The report says that the 18 legislators representing counties in the Rochester region brought in $2.1 million from lobbying firms and their clients, business…
CONCERT REVIEW: RPO’s “The Rite of Spring, and Rachmaninoff”
Guest conductor Tito Munoz pulled out all the stops Thursday night as he conducted the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra in Igor Stravinsky’s “Le Sacre du printemps” (“The Rite of Spring”). The musicians of the orchestra filled the stage, including no fewer than 10 kettledrums and a gong struck by a huge mallet. It was precisely the…
Daily Choices: What to do on Friday, May 31
Film: New movies opening in wide release today include “After Earth” and “Now You See Me.” This week, the Dryden Theatre will screen “Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid,” “Gregory Crewdson: Brief Encounters,” “Magnificent Obsession,” “The Rules of the Game,” and “The Tree of Life.” The Little will present “Kon-Tiki.” For more information on film times,…
Questions linger about RCSD’s plan for longer days
Rochester schools Superintendent Bolgen Vargas has made longer school days a cornerstone of his strategy to improve student performance. Three schools served as pilot programs this year, and Vargas plans to have a total of 10 schools with longer days beginning this fall. But some parents, teachers, and school board members aren’t sold on the…
Concert Review: The Clockmen and Fox Force 5 at the Bug Jar
‘Twas damp and cool within the Bug Jar’s walls Wednesday night as a damp and hot Clockmen banged on the beautiful crowd like a brass-knuckled Basilio with a body bag. I’ve seen these cats a number of times, and this show’s particularly ragged onslaught was one of the best. Recently the phrase “food-truck rodeo” has…
Robach introduces campaign finance legislation
The State Legislature has had no shortage of scandal this year. For a while, it seemed like a new lawmaker was being charged with something almost weekly. Of course, the scandals spurred various high-profile ethics and campaign finance reform proposals, though few have passed. Last week, Republican State Senator Joe Robach added his own proposal…
Rochester school board candidates see only the tip of the iceberg
Some of the most memorable politicians possess a remarkable mix of showmanship, persuasiveness, and likeability. But they often lack the ability to predict future disasters even when the signs are floating all around them. Howard Eagle, Ernest Flagler, Ronald Hall, Tim McCauley, and Candice Lucas each made compelling pitches to mostly parents last night for…
METAL | Divinex
This four-piece outfit from Waterloo, NY, is taking thinking-man’s metal to another level. Thick, muted guitars, a tinge of electronica, and uncanny technical prowess make for a sound that is nothing less than atmospheric. Divinex has been repeatedly praised for its live performances filled with massive swells of ethereal distortion and a distinctive display of…
More busing?
Officials at the Rochester school district have asked the State Education Department for permission to change the district’s transportation policy guidelines. Superintendent Bolgen Vargas says he wants to provide elementary students who live a half-mile or more from their school with bus transportation. The current policy limits transportation to students who live a mile-and-a-half or…
SINGER-SONGWRITER | Tica Douglas
Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter Tica Douglas explores the boundaries of folk music, shifting its gentle, melodic roots through a sparse, atmospheric pop lens. Douglas cites among her influences Sharon Van Etten and Neutral Milk Hotel, two artists who have successfully combined a dark, morose quality with characteristically bright, traditional folk instrumentation. Similar to the aforementioned musicians, Douglas’…
Feedback 5/29
Send comments to themail@rochester-citynews.com, or post them on our website, rochestercitynewspaper.com, our Facebook page, or our Twitter feed, @roccitynews. For our print edition, we select comments from all three sources, and we edit those selections. Help workers, here and abroad On April 24, the Rana Plaza building – which housed six garment factories – crumbled…
AMERICANA | Dan Weber
Dan Weber is relatively new to songwriting, but you wouldn’t know it from his music. Weber has lived a very full life — and, therefore, has many stories to tell. That storytelling aspect is the basis for his music, brought to life through his lively country roots. Weber cites legendary country and folk musicians such…
THEATER PREVIEW: 2013 Shaw Festival
How long can you call yourself The Shaw Festival if you do hardly any Shaw? For most of the last 30 of its more than 50 seasons, the Festival in nearby Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, has mounted a dozen plays, more or less, between April and late October, including three or four by George Bernard Shaw, and…
CLASSICAL | Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra
In these final days of this reluctant spring, head over to Gibbs Street for the final RPO concert of the season featuring Stravinsky’s “Rite of Spring.” The other tried-and-true classic on the program will be the Rachmaninoff Concerto No. 3 in D Minor for Piano and Orchestra, Op. 30, featuring up-and-coming pianist Leonardo Colafelice. City…
Urban Action 5/29
This week’s calls to action include the following events and activities. (All are free and open to the public, unless otherwise noted.) Butler book talk The Moving Beyond Racism Book Group will meet at 7 p.m. on Monday, June 3, to talk about “Parable of Sower” by Octavia Butler. The novel is set in a…
CLASSICAL | Madrigalia W/cordancia Chamber Orchestra
“Of Heaven and Earth.” The concert title offers such promise that one has only to read the program listings and know a bit about Madrigalia and Cordancia to know it will be a special evening. The program will include works for small orchestra and chorus by Vaughan Williams (“Flos Campi”), Mendelssohn (“Kyrie in D Minor”),…
War, policy, and Obama
The days leading up to Memorial Day seem a particularly appropriate time to start a broad discussion about war and national security. And President Obama tried to do that in his speech at the National Defense University last week. If his actions back up his words (and if he can persuade Congress to support him),…
JAZZ | Mack Goldsbury Quartet
If you haven’t heard of powerhouse saxophonist Mack Goldsbury it may be because he’s spent a significant portion of his career in Europe. But over the decades he has contributed his muscular tenor sound to more than 60 albums. Goldsbury, who also plays flute, toured Europe with Joe Lovano and Paul Motian and has also…
MUSIC PREVIEW: International Society of Bassists Convention
Don’t be alarmed if you hear a deep vibration emanating from downtown Rochester next week. It’s not an aftershock from the recent Ottawa earthquake; it’s hundreds of bassists meeting at the Eastman School of Music. “When I play certain low notes on my bass in the orchestra, you can feel it in your skeleton,” says…
SINGER-SONGWRITER | Shawn Phillips
Legendary rock impresario Bill Graham once dubbed Shawn Phillips, “the best-kept secret in the music business.” That’s exactly what a working musician doesn’t want to hear. The Texas-born Phillips sprang forth amidst contemporaries like Donovan, Steve Winwood, and Bernie Taupin. Phillips appeared on several Donovan projects, including “Sunshine Superman,” and sang on The Beatles’ “Lovely…
“The Hangover Part III”
The magical number of three helps account for the success of some of the important literary and cinematic trilogies — in literature, for example, the Oedipus cycle, Shakespeare’s history plays about Henry IV and V, Dumas’s volumes about the Three Musketeers, Dos Passos’s “U.S.A.,” Farrell’s Studs Lonigan novels. In the cinema, the most obvious are…
“Fast & Furious 6”
That’s right, Vin Diesel. It’s me. Did you really think I’d miss our biennial date, the one where I hang out in the dark with a lapful of candy while you drive and punch and growl and drive? Honestly, the fact that we even have this time together is downright shocking, given that the “Fast…
INDIE ROCK | The Rotaries
New York-based band The Rotaries transcends indie rock’s casual indifference — indifference masked as cool — and instead embraces dreamy tones and textures that border on a kind of pop-symphonic aesthetic. Consequently, the tunes liberate, the beat drives, and the cool is genuine. The equally cool Sports, Cottage Jefferson, and the Rochambros also share the…
ART | “6x6x2013”
Rochester Contemporary Art Center’s annual “6×6” fundraiser, during which you can purchase small-format, unlabeled artworks donated by artists from Rochester and around the world, takes on a special significance this year, as the art center is in the midst of a capital campaign to purchase the building it currently rents. RoCo (137 East Ave.) will…
Daily Choices: What to do on Thursday, May 30
Theater: “Barrymore,” a one-man play about John Barrymore, kicks off at 8 p.m. tonight at MuCCC (142 Atlantic Ave.). The show continues through June 8, and tickets cost $10-$12 in advance, and $18-$20 at the door. Call 527-0884 or visit muccc.org for additional information.
ART EVENT | Yarn Bombing
“Yarn bombers” knit panels to stitch around trees, lamp posts, and benches, adding pretty patchwork and some surprise color-pop to a gray urban environment. Artists (and activists) have upped the game, adding humorous knitted bits here and there, or completely wrapping stairways, fences, tanks, and even the bronze bull on NYC’s Wall Street. On Saturday,…
Pride Games for Rochester
Could Rochester become a hub for LGBT sporting events? That’s what officials at the Gay Alliance of the Genesee Valley and Bill Gray’s Iceplex, a multi-sport arena on the MCC campus, envision. In conjunction with Rochester’s Pride Week this year, ROC Pride Games will launch with a hockey tournament. The teams will play from Friday,…
SPECIAL EVENT | Food Truck Rodeo
Rochester’s food-truck businesses are steadily gaining ground for the right to operate legally in the city and suburbs. But we the people already knew we wanted them around. Help the trucks celebrate by attending the summer Food Truck Rodeo events held at the Public Market (280 N. Union St.), which will kick off Wednesday, May…
Broken bonds
People living in the City of Rochester’s troubled neighborhoods can’t wait for committees and studies and prayers to pay off. Yes, they are interested in longer-term discussions like neighborhood schools versus school choice, but they also want to know how to help themselves, their neighbors, and their children right now. Police Chief James Sheppard and…
FESTIVALS | Show on Monroe, Greek Fest, 19th Ward Square Fair, Fairport Canal Days
Roc gals and gentle ‘Chesters: festival season is officially open. Here are just four of the upcoming festivals to be held this week in various pockets of our lovely city. For more reasons to go outside and enjoy the community, visit the calendar at rochestercitynewspaper.com. The Greek Festival (pictured) will take place Thursday, May 30-Sunday,…
DANCE PREVIEW: “Arc of Ages”
PUSH Physical Theatre’s new masterwork, “Arc of Ages,” embraces epic stories of Western civilization and explores basic human archetypes by depicting the legendary struggles of biblical characters. Dramatic, action-packed interpretations of Samson, Delilah, David, Bathsheba, and Job connect audiences to these characters’ flawed humanness, and to the continued relevance of their plights today. “What do…
SPECIAL EVENT | “The Price is Right Live!”
Whenever I stayed home sick from school, I would loaf on the couch and watch “The Price is Right,” weakly amused by the audience members’ flashy outfits and antics, and trying to keep count of how many kisses Bob Barker received from enthusiastic grandmas. It’s likely that most people who have watched the show have…
New life for MCH advisory board
At one time, the Monroe Community Hospital board was an active group that played a vital role for the facility. Its members advised staff on operations, advocated for the hospital, and helped raise money. “The advisory board was a wonderful board that acted as a cheerleader for MCH,” says Fran Weisberg, executive director of the…
THEATER | “Barrymore”
Just because you started an acting or filmmaking dynasty doesn’t mean your apples will fall close to the tree. Take Francis Ford Coppola and his ridiculous nephew, Nicolas Cage, for instance. The legacy of the Drews and the Barrymores has been altered for the new generations by the silly film choices of the grandchild who…
DINING REVIEW: Pomodoro Grill and Wine Bar
On the surface, Pomodoro Grill and Wine Bar in Pittsford appears to have little in common with its older sister establishment in Rochester. The original Pomodoro, which opened in 1994, occupies the rear of a former sawmill factory on an otherwise restaurant-free stretch of University Avenue. Freight and passenger trains rumble by occasionally on the…
SPORTS | Wegmans LPGA Championship
The Wegmans LPGA Championship is back this week, featuring dozens of golfers from around the world, kicking off at Locust Hill Country Club (2000 Jefferson Road, Pittsford) on Monday, June 3, and continuing through Sunday, June 9. Tee time on Monday is 7 a.m., and in addition to the opportunity to watch the players, a…
