Cover Story
Ginna’s future in jeopardy
The owner of the R.E. Ginna nuclear power plant says that the facility may close unless it gets a new contract for the sale of its electricity. And even that may only be enough to keep the aging nuclear plant going for a few more years, the owner says. Ginna’s cloudy future is a matter…
Groups target sub-minimum wage for tipped restaurant workers
In New York, restaurants do not have to pay tipped workers the full $8 an hour minimum wage. Instead, they can pay a much lower base rate — somewhere between $4.90 and $5.65 an hour depending on the job and the employer — but the employer has to make up the difference if the worker’s…
Film Review: “The Boxtrolls”
Laika, the film studio behind modern stop-motion animated classics “Coraline” and “ParaNorman,” brings yet another endlessly imaginative tale to the big screen. Based loosely on the book “Here Be Monsters” by Alan Snow, “The Boxtrolls” is a whimsically demented fable centering on the titular creatures: adorably ugly, toothy, grey-skinned beasts who dwell beneath the Dickensian…
Siena Poll puts Funke well ahead of O’Brien in Senate race
Democrat Ted O’Brien is in jeopardy of losing his State Senate seat, if today’s Siena College Research Institute poll is to be believed. The poll gives Republican Rich Funke, the former local news and sports anchor who’s challenging O’Brien, a 25-point lead. For the poll, 471 likely voters in the 55th Senate District were surveyed…
Week Ahead: Question Bridge begins; social justice film; Five to Revive; the Green Party’s Brian Jones is in town
Rochester Contemporary Art Center will host the first in its series of weekly sessions centered around “Question Bridge: Black Males” from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, October 8. The talk, “The Representation of Black Men in the Media,” is organized by the Democrat & Chronicle and will feature D&C staff writer Gary Craig,…
Film Review: “Gone Girl”
Whether in literature or cinema, the mystery story provides an endlessly fascinating source for all kinds of narratives. In a sense, all stories, even all sentences, are mysteries of a sort, since we do not “solve” them until they end. The mystery in the new movie “Gone Girl” demonstrates some of the rich potential of…
Theater Review: “Diversions and Delights” at MuCCC
John Gay’s "Diversions and Delights" begins with Oscar Wilde on the skids, and ends with the writer triumphant. This one-man play presents Wilde giving a lecture on his life and work to a Parisian audience; banned from England after his release from prison, he is living on the Continent without any visible means of support…
Amphipolis tomb could intensify Greece-Macedonia feud
Are you following what’s going on in Amphipolis, Greece? It’s as gripping and interwoven as Game of Thrones. And the story is just as rich — mixing thousands of years of history, geopolitics, imperialism, and hero worship. Archaeologists have discovered a tomb dating back to the reign of Alexander the Great. Yes, I know. This…
Agencies stock Genesee River with young sturgeon
A group of county, state, and federal organizations released more than 1,000 lake sturgeon fingerlings into the Genesee River today. The fish were hatched in June at the State Department of Environmental Conservation’s Oneida fish hatchery. Early this afternoon, a DEC boat took them to Seth Green Island where they were released. The sturgeon will…
Rochester Fringe attendance hits new high
An estimated 60,000 people attended the third annual First Niagara Rochester Fringe Festival, up from 50,000 attendees last year, festival organizers announced today. The Rochester Fringe Festival ran September 18 through September 27 with more than 380 shows across 28 venues in and around downtown Rochester. “We’re obviously very pleased with the increase,” said Fringe…
College Town is filling up
A quick drive around Mt. Hope and Elmwood avenues shows an area completely transformed as a result of the $100 million College Town project under way. “It’s unbelievable,” says Dan Hurley, president of the Upper Mt. Hope Neighborhood Association. “It’s long overdue.” The first retail opening in the 14-acre, mixed-use development will be the Barnes…
College Town residents can move in today
Today (October 1) is the first day that residents can move into their apartments in the College Town project at Mt. Hope and Elmwood avenues. College Town has a total of 154 housing units in two buildings, according to Jordan Debes, of the Cabot Group, which is leasing the units. The first building — which…
‘People just want to know that their lives matter’
A few years ago, the Center for Youth started a program called New Beginnings for young black men who lacked the credits needed to graduate. They typically had grade point averages bordering on minus zero. If Our Streets Could Talk Rough from Matthew Spaull on Vimeo. The center has put together, “If Our Streets Could…
Developer, city to study Vacuum Oil site contamination
The properties around the old Vacuum Oil site in the Plymouth-Exchange neighborhood have a long history of pollution. And though it’s probably going to take a long time to clean them up, there is some progress to report in what’s known as the Vacuum Oil Brownfield Opportunity Area. The owner of 5 and 15 Flint Street…
New environmental film festival announced
A new locally-centered, environmental film festival scheduled for spring 2015 was announced Wednesday morning. The Fast Forward Film Festival will feature short films created by filmmakers from the Rochester and Finger Lakes region. The festival is an initiative of The Lost Bird Project, an organization that aims to highlight environmental issues through art and performance.…
The church inside the Catholic Church
Jamie Manson’s efforts to bring about a more inclusive Catholic Church, one that includes women priests and same-sex marriage, have not endeared her to the church’s hierarchy. But she said that she remains committed to Catholicism and of what she called Catholics’ “sacramental” view of the world. “In the Catholic imagination, every experience we have,…
Ecstatic impressions
One function of art for the artist is fulfilling the urge to interpret and recreate what sings to us. Somewhere within the steady work of this practice, we better understand and feel more fully part of this strange and magnificent place, and share what we see and value with others. Creating is essentially an act…
Urban Action 10/1
This week’s calls to action include the following events and activities. (All are free and open to the public, unless otherwise noted.) Antiwar protest in Syracuse The Upstate Coalition to Ground the Drones and End the Wars will hold a rally and “speak out” from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday, October 5. The…
ART | Encaustic Demo
Maureen McMahon drops a block on the griddle to let it soften, she then picks out a color or a print on vellum paper to add dimension to her piece and if she deems it complete, it is framed and prepared for market. Beeswax is the medium of choice for McMahon and the artist will…
SPOKEN WORD/ROCK | William S. Burroughs Night
It’ll be a glorious collision between words and music as artists like Ian Downey Is Famous, Cody Sparks, Ahura Mazda, Gary Trainer, and other musician and literary types will place their emphasis on the Beat and pay tribute to legendary American writer William S. Burroughs. There will be readings, music, and a screening of “Naked…
ART | Salomé
Considering the historic and ongoing treatment of female sexuality, I always had this sinking inkling that the biblical Salomé got a bad rap, or that the story was conveniently two-dimensional, in the very least. A more fleshed-out look at the sensuous young dancer will be presented this week in a theatrical production which features graphic…
Heroes and cowards in the climate-change war
I would so love to know what really goes on in the mind of Mitch McConnell. Anybody with any sense knows what’s coming if we don’t do something about climate change – quickly. And yet late last week, there was the Kentucky senator, helping lead the resistance. This is the man who may very well…
EVENT | River Romance Weekend
The City of Rochester will host its annual River Romance this weekend, a celebration of Rochester’s history and parks. The weekend will feature more than 40 special events hosted by local businesses, charities, and the Rochester City Council. Public festivities kick off at noon, Friday, October 3, with walking tours of the Heritage Trail. Live…
HIP-HOP | Rochester Hip-Hop United Fest
While Rochester is loaded with Jazz, Rock, and Classical music talent, Sage Keber, owner of The Entertainment Collective, also considers the local hip-hop scene to be very healthy. TEC’s Rochester Hip-Hop United Fest is a two-day event that packs in 27 acts and offers networking opportunities with businesses for artists and concertgoers. Thursday’s line-up includes festival co-headliners…
THEATRE | “The Book of Mormon”
Hello! “The Book of Mormon” is back, and if you’re one of the 15 people in Rochester who didn’t see it last year, here’s your chance to see the tuneful, potty-mouthed, utterly satirical, multi-Tony Award-winning show at the Auditorium Theatre. As everybody must know by now, “The Book of Mormon” was written by the creators…
CLASSICAL | Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra
Music director Ward Stare returns to lead the RPO this week, in a program ceded to him by originally announced guest conductor Jun M#rkl. It’s markedly similar to the concert Stare essayed so successfully a couple of weeks ago, beginning with a short, lively piece by a French composer (Saint-Saëns’s “Danse macabre”) and ending with…
ART | Juan Perdiguero’s “Simios”
Humanity tends to have a sociopathic regard for non-humans, but this isn’t uniformly the case, nor was it always this way. Listening to Jane Goodall speak about what she has learned from closely observing great apes is itself a transformative experience. Three years ago, artist Juan Perdiguero was asked to create a site-specific installation for…
HIP-HOP | Nas
I’m at that age where I’m measuring how old I feel by the mention of how long ago iconic pieces of art came out. Nas’ highly influential and timeless debut album, “Illmatic,” turns 20 this year. Yeah, I’m weeping too. To celebrate, Nas is kicking off his “Time is Illmatic” anniversary tour in Rochester on…
THEATER | “Diversions and Delights”
“The only thing worse than being talked about,” said Oscar Wilde, “is not being talked about.” Oscar gets to do all the talking in “Diversions and Delights,” a solo play in the form of a lecture that Wilde gives after his release from jail on indecency charges and his exile in France. The play is…
Film Review: “Gone Girl”
Whether in literature or cinema, the mystery story provides an endlessly fascinating source for all kinds of narratives. In a sense, all stories, even all sentences, are mysteries of a sort, since we do not “solve” them until they end. The mystery in the new movie “Gone Girl” demonstrates some of the rich potential of…
Aunt Rosie’s
I think for every person that enjoys food, there is a restaurant that fits them in a specific way; an eatery that makes them feel at home with dishes on the menu that seem like they were tailor made. For me, that place is now Aunt Rosie’s, and that chef is Paul Vroman. From the…
CLASSICAL | The Dover Quartet
The Eastman Ranlet Series will begin this weekend with the Dover Quartet, a string quartet of young musicians who are swiftly racing to the top of the classical performance world. The group — violinists Joel Link and Bryan Lee, violist Milena Pajaro-van de Stadt, and cellist Camden Shaw — swept the 2013 Banff International String…
FOLK | Patty Larkin
If a city has a day of appreciation held in a musician’s name, the assumption is they must be pretty good. For Patty Larkin, that is a very safe assumption. The Boston-based — and Boston-loved — singer-songwriter’s warm voice, paired with her fluent guitar playing, combines to create a captivating, incredible soundscape. Her topics aren’t…
Green Dreams
In the never-ending quest to corral punk, to throw a saddle on it and ride, bands and their fans spend countless hours in circular debate over this flexible genre’s beguiling definition and their own adherence to its limits. What is punk? Who is punk? Punk is a sound and attitude perfectly exemplified by Rochester’s Green…
Feedback 10/1
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. For our print edition, we select comments from all three sources; those of fewer than 350 words have a greater chance of being published, and we do edit selections for publication in…
ALBUM REVIEW: “Steady”
Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad “Steady” Easy Star Records Livepanda.com Hey, you guys, I’m a little worried. Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad has put together a record so good, I think the band’s future is in jeopardy. Steady is a simply amazing album full of the band’s deep-dish reggae, ska, and rock steady with an…
BLUES | Charlie Parr
Whether he’s fingerpicking his 12-string or sliding up and down on his steel guitar, Charlie Parr draws deeply from the roots of American music. He’s got the looks and the voice of a hobo musician riding the rails in the early 20th century, but none of his style is affectation. Parr grew up in an…
JAZZ | Chris Eldridge and Julian Lage
What happen when you take a bluegrass great and a jazz virtuoso and hand each of them a 1939 Martin guitar? Pure magic. Chris Eldridge is best known for his bluegrass work with the Punch Brothers but he’s also enhanced the music of artists as varied as Paul Simon, Renée Fleming, and Elvis Costello. Julian Lage…
New party leader faces early test
These are tense times for the Monroe County Democratic Party. Last week, party members elected a new chair, Dave Garretson, to replace Joe Morelle, who had lead the county Democratic Committee for the past nine years. Garretson won a commanding victory against Rochester for Obama founder Ken Preston and Henrietta Democratic Committee leader Simeon Banister.…
FUNK | Mingo Fishtrap
Austin, Texas, funk-soulsters and darlings of the Jazz Festival return to rock you right with just the exact amount of Motown jam and boogie in the parade. You can do every dance to this band, including one I like to call the Mingo Fishtrap. Mingo Fishtrap performs Sunday, October 5, at Water Street Music Hall,…
