Cover Story
Court of second chances
Darryl Ballard says he knows he’s lucky that he’s not in prison. A short young man with a slight build and dreadlocks pulled back from his boyish face, Ballard says that, two years ago, he cussed out a Rochester police officer while the officer was engaged in an altercation with Ballard’s best friend. Things got…
Warren should debate
I get why Lovely Warren, the Democratic candidate for Rochester mayor, wouldn’t want to debate her Green Party opponent, Alex White. Warren says that, instead, she intends to focus on door to door interactions with citizens — the kind of grassroots campaigning that won her the Democratic endorsement. Warren’s ground game has been so successful…
Scientists group offers guides to fracking debate
The Union of Concerned Scientists recently released a couple of publications that should be of interest to anyone with questions about the ongoing fracking debate. The organization hasn’t taken a position on fracking, though drilling companies would probably say that the UCS is against it. Instead, it’s focused on helping the public ask critical and…
Week Ahead: Wegmans, Teamsters back in talks
Wegmans and representatives of Teamsters Local 118 are set to resume contract negotiations on Friday. Approximately 900 Wegmans truck drivers and warehouse employees are represented by the Teamsters. Last week, those employees rejected what Wegmans officials called the company’s final and best offer. At the center of the issue is a plan to change employees’…
Concert Review: AFR, A Beautiful Ending, Filthy Still, Reno Divorce
I’ve determined, especially after Friday night’s show, that the Montage Music Hall needs lots of bodies in it to make it sound right and absorb some of that immense boom and swell. And there’s nothing other than laziness that keeps would-be rockers from peeling their eyeballs off the boob tube and putting themselves in front…
Unshackle Upstate wants fracking, lower taxes
Unshackle Upstate has released a five-point plan for job growth and lower taxes in the parts of the state that aren’t New York City. The plan focuses primarily on eliminating or changing certain taxes and surcharges. But Unshackle officials are also highlighting the potential benefits fracking the Marcellus Shale. During a press conference this morning…
Commissioner King says city schools have ‘potential’
State Education Commissioner John King offered tepid praise for Rochester’s public schools during a visit here yesterday, saying that the schools have “potential” for significant improvement. And he praised Superintendent Bolgen Vargas for the steps Vargas has taken to convert that potential into academic gains: implementing extended learning, increasing of instruction, improving attendance, and focusing…
Hundreds of city teachers appealing APPR
More than 600 Rochester school teachers have formally appealed their Annual Professional Performance Review, says Adam Urbanski, president of the Rochester Teachers Association. The appeals will be looked at by a joint district and union team beginning as early as next week. Teachers could only appeal their evaluation if they received either an “ineffective” or…
Video Game Review: Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 ReMIX
No rose-colored nostalgia glasses here: I never played the original “Kingdom Hearts.” Well, that’s not entirely true. At various points when the game first game out, I attempted it, but I don’t believe I ever made it off Destiny Island, the game’s opening world. I can vividly remember how excited I was for the game;…
Eastman’s Doug Lowry dies
Douglas Lowry, who served as dean of the Eastman School of Music from 2007 until illness forced his retirement last week, died this morning, the school has announced. A Spokane, Washington, native, Lowry was also a composer and had served as professor of conducting and ensembles at the Eastman School. A memorial event is being…
Mayoral candidate White talks about education
Alex White, the Green Party’s candidate for mayor, unveiled his education plan at a brief press conference yesterday. Given that White’s opponent, Democrat Lovely Warren, has made education the cornerstone of her campaign, White had to sa y something on the topic. But his plan is really a repackaged version of the Green Party’s fight…
Hip-Hop/Rap | Tugboat
Like many of his hip-hop contemporaries, Rochester’s own Anthony Hayward (MC Tugboat) tells hard-luck tales delivered with poise and ferocity. His solidly constructed rhymes lock together like Lego bricks. But, what truly distinguishes Tugboat is an open-hearted accessibility and an underdog spirit that you can’t help but root for. After toiling away in the dark recesses…
Blue Falcon
John Viviani certainly knows his way around a fingerboard. You’ll blow out your eyeballs trying to get a bead on his fleet digits as the music expands your ears and mind. The Rochester guitarist is better known and responsible for the sophisticated drive behind the funked-up, jazzified jump of the now-disbanded Filthy Funk. Viviani led…
On the right track
I’ve always considered Ron Howard a talented director, but never one who gets me excited when I see his name attached to a movie. I think it’s because, while he is responsible for a lot of good movies (some, like “Apollo 13,” I’d even call great), he’s also responsible for cinematic travesties like “How the…
Feedback 10/2
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…
DINING REVIEW: Bistro Han
The first items arriving to our table from Bistro Han’s kitchen were the braised pork belly steamed buns ($5). Two to an order, perched on a small plate, these were fit-in-the-palm-of-your-hand-sized sandwiches: thick slabs of browned pork encased in snowy, white dough. The pork belly and the belly of the bun were painted lightly with…
The hots for Henrietta
A proposed law would clear the way for food trucks and carts to operate on private properties with industrial or commercial zoning in the town of Henrietta. But the law would also require permits for the owners of the “mobile food vehicles,” as well as for the property owners who host the vehicles. The latter…
Pot references
Creative work doesn’t exist in a vacuum, and artists often draw influence and inspiration from history and from the world around them. The work presented in the Firehouse Gallery at Genesee Pottery’s current show, the 7th Annual “History in the Making” exhibit, offers a sample of contemporary vessels, figurative works, and decorative objects that were…
Conscience incorporated
When Liz Brenna got serious about starting her own consulting firm, she decided it would be as focused on the greater good as it is on turning a profit. But she couldn’t find a suitable option under the state’s business laws. So Brenna worked to get her company, Socially Good Business, certified as a B…
ART | “Memory Theatre”
The Memorial Art Gallery continues to celebrate its centennial with the new exhibit, “The Memory Theatre,” opening Wednesday, October 9. The exhibit examines the ways in which memory functions in the structuring of personal and cultural identities while also taking a look at the role of the museum as a repository for memory — a…
Urban Action 10/2
This week’s calls to action include the following events and activities. (All are free and open to the public, unless otherwise noted.) Women’s group talk Church Women United will present a Day of Reflection from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Friday, October 4. CWU, a racially diverse and inclusive Christian women’s group, will present…
Punk | Bayside
Since its 2000 inception, this Queens-based quartet has become a significant cog in the punk machine. After releasing its first four full-length albums on Chicago-based label, Victory Records, the band switched to Wind-up Records with the 2011 release of “Killing Time.” While the record continues to showcase the group’s alternative and pop foundation, it is…
Festival | GCVM Fall Festival
Get ready to party like you’re on an episode of “Little House on the Prairie” (a happy episode, not the one with the typhus outbreak). The Genesee Country Village & Museum is holding its annual Fall Festival & Agricultural Fair this Saturday and Sunday, October 5 and 6. Summon your competitive spirit and get involved…
Blues | Candye Kane
How many performers have starred in a film like “Boobsville Cabaret” and recorded a Wanda Jackson tribute album? I’ll go out on a limb and say one: Candye Kane. Kane’s oeuvre is the stuff of which sitcoms are made. Before she was an actress in the Golden Age of Porn, Kane was accepted into the…
Teenagers, fights, and downtown Rochester
You’ve read the stories: As hundreds of teenagers change RTS buses downtown after school, fights erupt, crowds gather, chaos ensues, and the police try to restore order. The fights don’t happen every day. But they happen often enough to be a serious problem. And last week, the chaos had a new element: somebody fired a…
Americana | David Wax Museum
Boston-based duo David Wax Museum is not just an Americana band, but a Mexo-Americana band, borrowing heavily from the Mexican tradition. The duo cites folk legends such as Dylan, Cohen, and Tom Waits as major influences to its sound; while member Suz Slezak even cites classical and Irish music as having been part of her…
KIDS | Magical Creatures Weekend/”Aladdin”
Ever wanted to get your picture taken with a mummy? How about journey to the land of the Wild Things? This weekend is your opportunity as the National Museum of Play is hosting their Magical Creatures Weekend on Saturday and Sunday, October 5-6. Come and take pictures with a wide array of mystical creatures and…
Folk-Punk | Filthy Still
Filthy Still, a folk-punk band based out of Providence, combines traditional bluegrass music with punk vocals and that iconic punk attitude to create a sound that feels unprecedented. While it has recently become commonplace to combine folk and punk aesthetics, a punk band that honors the bluegrass tradition so faithfully is a truly a rare…
SPORTS | WWE Live!
If clotheslines, flying elbow drops, and steel chairs are your thing, then head down to the Blue Cross Arena this Saturday, October 5, to see the superstars from WWE duke it out in person. Names of wrestlers on hand include Dolph Ziggler, Ryback, Fandango, and the main event features Randy Orton vs. Daniel Bryan. Also…
Classical | Plymouth Brass Quintet
In the ever-expanding concept of live classical music going everywhere, the Plymouth Brass Quintet from the Hochstein School of Music & Dance will be tooting its own horn in the Rochester Aqueduct as part of the three-day Rochester River Romance weekend. It’s the perfect opportunity to take a guided tour of the aqueduct, as well…
SPECIAL EVENT | Inside Downtown Tour
Come get an inside look at some old buildings in the Cascade District that are experiencing new life. The Landmark Society of Western New York’s Inside Downtown Tour takes place this Friday and Saturday, October 4 and 5, and it’s a good opportunity not only for those thinking about downtown living, but for those who…
Classical | Ad Hoc
Ad Hoc presents “Songs My Mum Used to Sing.” Doesn’t that just say it all? The minute someone with any English or Irish connection hears “Mum,” we’re taken into a small, cozy kitchen, potatoes peeling, and a Cadbury’s biscuit jar to sneak into and get scolded. Ad Hoc’s new artistic directors Boon Hua Lien and…
THEATER | “Race”
The riveting drama “Race” comes from critically acclaimed writer David Mamet. The play tells the story of two white lawyers working to defend a wealthy white executive accused of raping a black woman. The racial tensions that lurk under the surface come to a boiling point over the course of the trial as the play…
Punk | The Spits
In the spirit of angry and edgy punk, like The Buzzcocks, The Dickies, or even Stiff Little Fingers, The Spits play it classic, lean, and raw. Wallowing in visual absurdity; Reagan masks, ski masks, and toilet paper mummification, this Kalamazoo based outfit is a terrific release and reminder that punk ain’t dead, it just resides…
Guy flick, chick flick, skin flick
Joseph Gordon-Levitt might possibly regard “Don Jon” as his Orson Welles achievement — after all, he wrote, directed, and stars in the movie, a Hollywood trifecta. The picture may perhaps rank somewhat below “Citizen Kane” in quality, but we all know that standards everywhere have declined. Rather than an American epic, it begins as an…
