Cover Story
Meet your Greens
Our general-election coverage, including endorsements and an in-depth look at the Green Party of Monroe County.
D and C finds new home
The Democrat and Chronicle will move into a new building at Main Street and Clinton Avenue on the Midtown site in downtown Rochester. Michael Kane, president and publisher of the Democrat and Chronicle Media Group, made the announcement today. “We are excited to start this new chapter in our growth and transformation as a local…
Paper details plastics pollution in several Great Lakes
Researchers have released a new paper on microplastics in the Great Lakes and in it they say that the concentration of plastic fragments in many cases exceeds that of the world’s oceans. The paper was written by researchers from the 5 Gyres Institute and SUNY Fredonia and covers samples from Lakes Superior, Huron, and Erie.…
WEEK AHEAD: City board to vote on University Ave. apartments; AG in town; casino forum
The City of Rochester’s Planning Commission will once again take up a controversial proposal to build a 99-unit apartment complex on University Avenue in the East Avenue Preservation District. The meeting is at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, October 30, in City Council chambers at City Hall, 30 Church Street. The commission initially tabled Morgan Management’s…
King is optimistic about Common Core
While there may be some adjustments made to the Common Core curriculum and the Annual Professional Performance Review for public school teachers and principals, State Education Commissioner John King said that he has no plans to slow down or delay the implementation of either. Common Core has introduced higher standards for students in 45 states…
CONCERT REVIEW: RPO “Applachian Spring”
Thursday night, the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra put on a concert of works by Astor Piazzolla, Aaron Copland, Samuel Barber, and Manuel de Falla. They added also an opening work titled “Fanfare to Flora,” to celebrate the life and music of Eastman School of Music Dean Douglas Lowry, who died earlier this month. The headline work…
Grant aimed at wrapping up some Child Protective Services cases
October’s been a relatively quiet month for the Monroe County Legislature, with little in the way of major or controversial legislation. But one piece of legislation did catch my eye. The Lej routinely votes to accept various state and federal grants. And this week, a couple of Legislature committees considered a $50,000 grant that’s meant…
APPR results raise questions
The recent snapshot of the effectiveness of New York’s teachers is getting some fanfare. In a written statement, Education Commissioner John King said that, “The more accurate student proficiency rates on the new Common Core assessments did not negatively affect teacher ratings. It’s clear that teachers are rising to the challenge of teaching the Common…
Richards’ press conference probably won’t end speculation
Nuanced positions don’t lend themselves to Twitter or Facebook status updates, so Mayor Tom Richards’ “I’m out, but…” press conference this afternoon will inevitably lead to more speculation and salivation around the November 5 general election. It came out yesterday that two city employees, Molly Clifford, director of fire administration; and Gary Walker, communications chief,…
Study renews emphasis on pre-kindergarten
Delayed speech and limited vocabularies were often cited by former School 50 principal Tim Mains as clear indicators of how under-prepared many city school children are entering kindergarten compared to their suburban peers. One landmark study dealing with early childhood development showed that by age 3, children from wealthier families have much larger vocabularies. Walking…
![[UPDATED] House passes important Great Lakes legislation](https://i0.wp.com/www.roccitymag.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/slaughterlouise02_square-2.webp?resize=600%2C450&ssl=1)
[UPDATED] House passes important Great Lakes legislation
The House of Representatives has passed legislation that, according to its proponents, will put Great Lakes ports in a better position to compete for certain federal funding.
LECTURE | Native American Lecture Series
As empires, and other human activities, cause different groups of people to clash or brush against one another, individuals caught up in the cultural shifts have dealt differently with the changes. In North America, many Native groups strive to maintain an identity separate from but coexistent with the decedents of colonizers and new immigrants alike.…
CHOW HOUND: Local flavor
The dwindling daylight reminds us that the 2013 harvest is drawing to a close, but that doesn’t mean locavores can’t still find homegrown vittles. Our region is teeming with talented and enterprising individuals who are committed to crafting good things for us to eat, often with ingredients that they too have scored in our big,…
SPECIAL EVENT | Gem & Mineral Show
Those fascinated by geologic history, collectors of fossils or crystals, makers of jewelry, and lovers of all things sparkly will congregate this weekend at The Rochester Lapidary Society’s 41st Annual Rochester Gem, Mineral, Jewelry, & Fossil Show and Sale, to be held at the Main Street Armory (900 E. Main St.). The show will feature…
Feedback 10/23
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…
THEATER | Festival of New Theatre
If you’re interested in theater, playwriting, or both, you’ll want to check out the 2013 Festival of New Theatre starting this week at Geva Theatre Center (75 Woodbury Blvd.). The festival gives patrons the unique opportunity to get a glimpse into the future of American theater, as playwrights will be doing concert-style readings of plays…
South Wedge crime fighters
Some residents of Rochester’s South Wedge are forming an anti-crime group to address what they say is poor police response and follow-through, as well as a failure by the local media to report the truth about crime in their neighborhood. “The people of the South Wedge are left with little recourse or remedy except to…
“Carrie”
Back in 1998 Gus Van Sant directed a remake of Alfred Hitchcock’s classic horror flick “Psycho,” which simply duplicated the original almost shot-for-shot, without adding to or changing or reinterpreting the material. Kimberly Peirce accomplishes much the same result in her new picture, “Carrie,” a remake of Brian De Palma’s 1976 film; like Van Sant…
Housing help
The City of Rochester formed a land bank to give officials some flexibility in addressing vacant, abandoned, and tax delinquent houses in its neighborhoods. But fulfilling that mission requires money. | Enter the state Attorney General’s Office, which is taking $20 million from New York’s share of a nationwide mortgage lender settlement and distributing it…
“The Fifth Estate”
For nearly the entire year leading up to the release of “The Fifth Estate,” WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has actively campaigned against the film, which depicts the creation of his controversial online organization. He’s done everything he can to ensure the film’s failure; supposedly he even met with Benedict Cumberbatch early on to implore him…
“Me and Jezebel”
“Darling, there are no other stars.” That line is ascribed to Bette Davis in “Me and Jezebel,” the opening production in Blackfriars Theatre’s 64th season. The show tells the allegedly true story of what happened when Davis — the legendary movie star who won two Academy Awards for Best Actress, received 10 Oscar nominations, and…
White wants a Rochester ‘for us, by us’
Alex White, the Green Party candidate for Rochester mayor, is fired up about Costco. But not in the way you think. Costco, a membership-only warehouse store, will be part of the CityGate development planned for the intersection of East Henrietta and Westfall roads. Costco received property tax abatements from the county’s industrial development agency worth…
DJ/Electronic | Neuroceptor
Genesis P-Orridge of the proto-industrial group Psychic TV once made the controversial statement that “all music is innately psychedelic.” Whether you agree with him or not, it can certainly be said that some types of music are just more focused on consciousness expansion than others. Rochester’s Neuroceptor creates unabashedly psychedelic music utilizing both electronic tools, as…
Greens take aim at tax incentives
The Green Party of Monroe County is fielding three candidates for the five open seats on Rochester City Council. David Atias, Drew Langdon, and Dorothy Paige will face Council incumbents Carolee Conklin, Dana Miller, Jackie Ortiz, Matt Haag, and Loretta Scott (all Democrats) in the November 5 general election, as well as Working Families candidate…
Gospel | Judah
Turns out Rochester has its own gospel super group: Judah. The group is celebrating its fourth anniversary and its new CD release with a blockbuster gospel music event this Saturday. The lineup also includes comedian Les Long as the MC, Jason Monroe and the Elim Christian Fellowship Choir, Chosen Generation, Shawn Brown and Da Boyz…
Many choices remain for school board
There are three seats available on the Rochester school board this year, and incumbents Van White, Cynthia Elliott, and Jose Cruz are asking voters to return them to office. Our profiles of the candidates who ran in the September Democratic primary appeared in the August 21 issue. Though all three of the incumbents were able…
Pop/Rock | Grouplove
If you prefer a lesson in environmental responsibility to go along with your music, perhaps the Campus Consciousness Tour may be up your alley. Visiting college campuses across the nation, the CCT’s aim is to combine popular music with social consciousness in educating students about the environment; in both message and touring practices alike, the hope…
ENDORSEMENT: Still the best candidate for mayor: Tom Richards
Officially, the campaign for Rochester mayor has narrowed to two candidates: City Council President Lovely Warren, who won the September Democratic primary, and Green Party candidate Alex White. Before the primary, we endorsed incumbent Tom Richards, but Warren won, handily, and she now has the backing of her party for the November 5 general election.…
Folk | Nick Young
Nick Young grew up during the grunge era but cites a connection with alternative country bands like Uncle Tupelo as creating a foundation for his interest in picking up the guitar. Young’s father introduced him to the group and that set the wheels in motion for a self-described shy kid to front a power-pop/alt-country outfit…
ENDORSEMENTS: City Council and school board
Rochester City Council Council’s five incumbents – Carolee Conklin, Matt Haag, Dana Miller, Jackie Ortiz, and Loretta Scott – won the September Democratic Party primary for their at-large seats. In the November 5 general election, they face Marlowe Washington on the Working Families line and three Green Party candidates: David Atias, Andrew Langdon, and Dorothy…
Jazz | Daniel Carter & The Moon
When Daniel Carter plays free jazz, the freedom extends to his choice of instrument. Carter is adept at saxophone, clarinet, flute, trumpet, and keyboard, playing all of them with furious energy. Over the decades he’s worked with musicians as varied as Matthew Shipp, Yo La Tengo, and DJ Logic. When he visits the Bop Shop…
ENDORSEMENT: Vote no on casinos
Of the six proposals on the ballot in the November election, we are focusing on the most controversial: the measure permitting more casinos in the state. If voters approve the proposal, the state could get as many as seven new casinos. The first four would be in Upstate New York, but none would be in…
Pop/Rock | Weekend
San Francisco-based band Weekend delivers a wash of ambient, 80s New Wave influenced post-punk with a relevant, contemporary edge. The songs on its recently released album “Jinx” present a sound that is clearly influenced by New Wave acts such as Joy Division and The Smiths, complete with the pop sensibility of both bands and many…
Election guide
Our endorsements and coverage of the fall campaigns: Endorsements for Rochester mayor, City Council, school board, and the casino proposal; a look at the Green Party and its 2013 candidates; news summaries of candidates for Rochester City Council and school board.
Classical | Rochester Chamber Orchestra
At its concert on October 27, the Rochester Chamber Orchestra will celebrate the start of its 50th season. Headline composers for the concert include Mozart and Haydn, including Haydn’s “Cello Concerto in C,” featuring cellist Cicely Parnas. The concert will also include works by Chevalier de Saint-George, Lucile Grétry, and Francois-Joseph Gossec. (A second concert…
Urban Action 10/23
This week’s calls to action include the following events and activities. (All are free and open to the public, unless otherwise noted.) Casino debate The Interfaith Alliance of Rochester and the League of Women Voters will sponsor “More Casinos in New York?” a debate on the pros and cons of approving additional casinos, including one…
ART | “Being” by Olivia Kim
In her studio in the Hungerford Building, Olivia Kim creates masterful figurative sculptures of cast glass and metals, stone, clay, or plaster, capturing the balance and grace of the human form in motion, and creating human portraits of desire or the dawn with deeply detailed, expressive countenances. Kim’s pursuit of art studies has taken her…
Folk | Mary Cutrufello
Minnesota based singer-songwriter Mary Cutrufello has spent over 20 years in the music business. This Yale-educated country crooner’s forceful approach to Americana has garnered her respect throughout the genre and landed her spots playing with a list of legendary longhorns such as Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Billy Joe Shaver. She’s been on the Tonight Show…
RECREATION | Fall Sky Rides
Take advantage of the beautiful fall weather before the snow starts to appear and head to Bristol Mountain (5662 New York 64, Canandaigua) for the last weekend of Fall Sky Rides. Obviously you can’t ski yet — well you could, it just won’t go that well for you — but you can take a ski-lift…
Halloween Guide 2013
Halloween 2013 falls on a Thursday, which means we’ve got a solid 10 days of costume-related shenanigans. Below find a list of area haunted houses, costume parties, horror-film screenings, masquerades, and trick-or-treating options. Did we miss something? Tell us about it by commenting on this article at rochestercitynewspaper.com, Tweeting @roccitynews, or e-mailing themail@rochester-citynews.com. Thursday, October…
Special Event | Buccaneer’s Ball
If you’ve been waiting for the right time to release your inner pirate, then you’ll want to go on this grand advent-ARRRR!. The Buccaneer’s Ball takes place Saturday, October 26, at the Hilton DoubleTree Inn (1111 Jefferson Road) 6-11 p.m. Enjoy casino-style gambling, munch on hors d’oeuvres, dig into dinner dishes and desserts, partake in…
MoChester
The hearts and influences of its members are visible on its collective sleeve. Clearly a pop vehicle, MoChester jams effortlessly outside the safety of pop’s sugar walls with apparent, and perhaps some not-so-apparent, roots. There’s reggae, there’s jazz, even some darker leanings toward the blues. But the band’s gentle song-based aesthetic gives it a unique…
