Ravitch on education’s reign of error
It’s a gross understatement to say that Diane Ravitch is a lightning rod for politicians, teachers, and education reformers. Once a marshal of former President George W. Bush’s No Child Left Behind education law, she later rejected NCLB and the reform model it energized, saying it was completely wrong. Charter school and education reform advocates…
Irondequoit’s curfew question
Sporadic fights at the Regal Cinema’s Culver-Ridge Plaza move theater last Friday night have the Irondequoit community demanding action. The theater is supposed to release a new security plan by Thursday, says an article in today’s Democrat and Chronicle. Of course, the matter is also becoming an election issue. Sitting Republican Supervisor Mary Joyce D’Aurizio and…
COMIDA gives incentives for beer, bitters, and lodging
Today’s Monroe County Industrial Development Agency board meeting can be summed up in a simple phrase: hotels and drinks. The COMIDA board approved incentives for two E. J. Del Monte Corp. hotel projects, for an expansion at the Genesee brewery, and for Fee Brothers to add more warehouse space. The board also approved incentives for…
![[UPDATED] Mayor Tom Richards officially ends reelection campaign](https://i0.wp.com/www.roccitymag.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/richardstom01_thumb.webp?fit=180%2C180&ssl=1)
[UPDATED] Mayor Tom Richards officially ends reelection campaign
Rochester Mayor Tom Richards has just announced that he is ending his campaign for re-election. He lost the Democratic Primary last week to City Council President Lovely Warren, but remains on the ballot for the November election on the Working Families and Independence Party lines. But he said in a press conference today that he…
CONCERT REVIEW: Barrence Whitfield, Charlie Mitchell Group, Anonymous Willpower, Dust & Bone
You put a powerful black voice in front of a garage band you’ve got some unstoppable rock ‘n’ roll. Put Boston’s bombastic blues belter Barrence Whitfield blasting in front of The Savages (including two of the original Savages) and it’s like an operatic Howitzer. The band unleashed an incredible r&b-tinged garage barrage on the unsuspecting…
![[UPDATED] Less testing for city students](https://i0.wp.com/www.roccitymag.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/vargesbolgen3_thumb.webp?fit=180%2C180&ssl=1)
[UPDATED] Less testing for city students
Updated at 9:15 on September 17, 2013: The district plans to move forward immediately to reduce the number of tests taken by city students, Superintendent Bolgen Vargas said at a press briefing yesterday. The decision requires approval from State Education Commissioner John King, but Vargas said he’s confident that King will approve the change. Both…
![[UPDATED] Week Ahead: Public safety in city neighborhoods, COMIDA meeting, Pittsford project ruffles feathers again](https://i0.wp.com/www.roccitymag.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/police-car01_thumb.webp?fit=180%2C180&ssl=1)
[UPDATED] Week Ahead: Public safety in city neighborhoods, COMIDA meeting, Pittsford project ruffles feathers again
Rochester Mayor Tom Richards will conduct the fourth and final Voice of the Citizen — Budgeting for Public Safety forum from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Monday, September 16, at the Carter Street Community Center, 500 Carter Street in the city’s northeast quadrant. The city has set aside $200,000 in the fiscal year 2013…
Two Dems seek Town of Pittsford seats
For at least the past 40 years, the Pittsford Town Board has been exclusively Republican. Democrats are out-registered by Republicans in the town. Monroe County Board of Elections figures show that Pittsford has 6,259 Democrats and 7,439 Republicans. (The town also has 4,854 voters not registered to any party). In 2011, Democrats didn’t run candidates for…
How about partnering with the district?
It is difficult to resist shaking the bony finger of disapproval at the Rochester City School District. But this morning’s Democrat and Chronicle editorial telling Superintendent Bolgen Vargas and the school board to “reassess” was simplistic to the point of being ridiculous. Their recommendation follows the announcement that Rochester Institute of Technology will partner with…
Should Richards keep campaigning?
Tom Richards has a decision to make. And my hunch is that it’s one of the toughest he has faced in a long time. Having lost the Democratic primary to Lovely Warren, does he try hold on to the office of mayor and run in the November general election? He’s still on the ballot, on…
Vargas and the RCSD’s management problems
During the 1990’s, business schools and management gurus gushed over the virtues of managing chaos. As the money masters of Wall Street made millions buying and selling companies or shifting manufacturing overseas, managers and rank-and-file workers were urged to learn how to thrive in quixotic, ever-changing times. In the 2000’s, managing chaos has been replaced…
Questions raised by Lovely Warren’s victory
Short- and longer-term questions in light of Lovely Warren’s victory in Tuesday’s Democratic mayoral primary election: Short term 1) Will Tom Richards campaign on the Independence and Working Families lines? 2) How will the mayoral campaign of Green Party candidate Alex White adjust? White, like almost everyone else, was probably expecting to face Richards, not…
RIT partners with Uncommon Schools
The Rochester Institute of Technology is partnering with the charter schools group Uncommon Schools to open a high school in Rochester in the fall of 2014. The school will open with a 60-student freshman class and grow to about 500 students serving grades 9 to 12, according to a letter to the RIT community from…
PLEX brownfield project still moving ahead
In 2011 and 2012, the City of Rochester and the Plymouth-Exchange neighborhood spent a lot of time developing plans to address a blighted area at the end of Flint Street, near the Genesee River. The result was a master plan for Vacuum Oil Brownfield Opportunity Area, which is intended to guide efforts to redevelop the…
CD Review: Brussels Jazz Orchestra & Joe Lovano “Wild Beauty”
When I first heard Joe Lovano’s “Viva Caruso” album a decade ago, I fell in love with a tune called “Streets of Naples.” Listening to the same tune, arranged by Gil Goldstein for the Brussels Jazz Orchestra, with Lovano soloing, I just couldn’t believe my ears. “Streets of Naples” was even richer, even more beautiful.…
FRINGE 2013: Critic picks
City’s art writers sound off on their most-anticipated shows at Fringe 2013
CHOW HOUND: Vine and dine
At the risk of channeling Goldilocks, summer in Western New York can be too hot, winter too cold, and spring, while charming, a little too soggy. Autumn, however, is just right, a heady collision of beauty and bounty, especially in the Finger Lakes region. And it’s arguably the best time to do that winery tour…
CD Review: Lou Caimano & Eric Olsen “Dyad Plays Puccini”
Lou Caimano is an extraordinary saxophonist who has played in the orchestras of top Broadway shows like “Cats,” “A Chorus Line,” and “Evita.” Eric Olsen is an excellent pianist who teaches at Montclair State University and has performed all over the world. Together they are a duet known as Dyad. Both musicians have one foot…
Feedback 9/11
Send comments to themail@rochester-citynews.com, or post them on our website, rochestercitynewspaper.com, our Facebook page, or our Twitter feed, @roccitynews. Those of fewer than 350 words have a greater chance of being published in print, and we do edit those selections. We don’t publish comments sent to other media. Country, live “Where Have All the Cowboys…
Harmonica Lewinski
Harmonica Lewinski: you can’t wave a name like this under my nose and expect me to pass up the opportunity to be a wiseass. So let’s get this out of the way: Harmonica Lewinski doesn’t suck. In fact, the band blows me away. There, I feel better. It goes without saying that this band is…
Monroe Avenue water war
The Town of Brighton is taking on a project to make a section of Monroe Avenue more attractive and more pedestrian friendly. But the project’s main aim is to control storm water runoff along the heavily traveled road. The streetscape between Twelve Corners and Allens Creek near Westfall Road will be remade into a “green…
CD Review: Robb Cappelletto Group “!!!”
The unpronounceable title of guitarist Robb Cappelletto’s new album is strangely appropriate. The CD is full of excellent instrumentals that, at their core, are as abstract as the exclamation points in the title. It’s a fascinating mix of wonderful takes on jazz standards like Cole Porter’s “It’s All Right With Me” and Antonio Carlos Jobim’s…
Classical | Greentopia Classical Series 2013
Greentopia has the allure of Sir Thomas More’s “Utopia”: six days at High Falls packed with music, films, design, and summits on creating a sustainable future. Nestled in this programming is a three-day classical series, flying under program titles like Schubert’s “Trout Quartet” (featuring the Ying Quartet and friends from the Eastman School of Music)…
CD Review: Brian Landrus Kaleidoscope “Mirage”
It can be a challenge to combine jazz with strings. Danger lurks just around the corner in the form of saccharine arrangements that can neutralize the edginess of even the best players. But that threat never becomes a reality on Brian Landrus Kaleidoscope’s wonderful, and highly accessible new CD, “Mirage.” This is because the string…
Urban Action 9/11
This week’s calls to action include the following events and activities. (All are free and open to the public, unless otherwise noted.) Film about children of incarcerated parents The Green Party of Monroe County and the Rochester Organization for Workplace Democracy will show “Solutionz,” a documentary film by local filmmaker Nicholle LaVann at 5:30 p.m.…
ART EVENT | Artist Row
Do you enjoy live entertainment like musicians, dancers and singers? How about art? Free stuff? If you answered yes to any of the above, check out the 9th Annual Artist Row at the Rochester Public Market (280 N. Union St.) on Sunday, September 15. If you answered no, go anyway and have your mind changed.…
Folk | The Hot Mess
This NYC-based troupe is, more often than not, billed as Jessy Carolina and the Hot Mess. But, Carolina and her washboard are resting up in the Catskills as she gets ready to have a baby. So, the Hot Mess (and some friends of its own) is coming to Rochester in her stead. The five remaining…
LIT | VSW Pub Fair
If you’re looking for something a little edgy to read this weekend, then head over to Prince Street for the Visual Studies Workshop’s Pub Fair. The event is designed to showcase a wide range of independently published works from the Rochester area and features everything from artist’s books to zines to photo-book works. The event…
Jam | Keller Williams
When I think of a one-man band, I can’t help but picture Dick Van Dyke in “Mary Poppins.” As memorable a character as Bert the Chimney Sweep is, Keller Williams has got him beat. K-Dub, as he is known to many on the festival circuit, often utilizes an array of loop pedals and a plethora…
RECREATION | Historic Maplewood Home Tour
Residents of Rochester’s historic Maplewood neighborhood are opening their doors to the public this weekend as part of the annual Maplewood Historic Homes Tour. The tour allows visitors the opportunity to stroll along the beautiful Seneca Parkway and take a step back in time to a bygone era of the city’s gilded past. The tour…
JAZZ | Howard Alden/Bob Sneider
With his brilliant technique and gorgeous solos Howard Alden turns heads every time he picks up his seven-string guitar. In addition to releasing 30 albums as a leader, Alden has collaborated with some of the top names in jazz, including Benny Carter, Mel Tormé, and Clark Terry. When he visits Rochester he’ll be joined by…
SPECIAL EVENT | City Newspaper’s South Wedge-Ucation
It’s time to get Wedge-Ucated again. Make a stop in the South Wedge neighborhood Thursday, September 12, where City Newspaper will be putting on its annual South Wedge-Ucation event. If you’re like every person ever and you like a good deal, this is one event you don’t want to miss. Merchants in the Wedge will…
Pop/Rock | Restorations
Maybe it’s the effortlessly ragged vocals, but I’ve got a suspicion that Philadelphia’s Restorations is influenced by The Replacements. The pop intensity and epic attack in the face of rock simplicity doesn’t hurt either. The band has gentle spots but for the most part rocks relentless and true — two things I expect out of…
SPECIAL EVENTS | Festival of Food/Purple Foot Festival
Eat, drink, and be happy. Oh, and add stomping grapes into the equation to be even happier. Foodlink is hosting its 10th annual Festival of Food Monday, September 16, while Casa Larga’s 18th annual harvest celebration, the Purple Foot Festival, will be held Sunday, September 15. The Festival of Food will be held Monday at…
Pop/Rock | Airborne Toxic Event
This Los Angeles-based band is a study in orchestral beauty. Even when stings aren’t employed, the arrangements hint at a symphonic largess and brooding complexity, quite beautiful in their seemingly stark strain. This is music of deep thought and exquisite execution. The Airborne Toxic Event is a lovely ride outside the fenced in confines of…
SPECIAL EVENT | ImageOut Festival Fair
The 21st annual ImageOut LBGT film festival will run October 11-20, but you can get a sneak peek Thursday, September 12, with the event’s Festival Fair. The official line-up for the festival will be unveiled and tickets will go on sale for the first time. The fair also offers guests an opportunity to schmooze with…
Folk | Old Soul, Squanto
Maine-based band Old Soul will combine forces with local experimental act Squanto to bring Rochester a peaceful night of music. The two pair very well together, as both acts make complex yet idyllic folk music. Squanto’s music is ambient in nature; the artist reaches beyond the folk singer-songwriter label by combining those qualities with an…
Lightning lectures: TEDxRochester turns 5
The nonprofit organization TED began in 1984 as a conference to bring together individuals working in the realms of technology, education, and design, and is devoted to promoting, in its words, “ideas worth spreading.” By the end of 2012 TEDx sessions — officially licensed franchised versions of TED — had been held in 1200 cities…
Best of Rochester 2013 Final Ballot
Voting continues through Friday, October 18, at 5 p.m.!
“In a World…”
The curious title of “In a World…” comes from a repeated phrase, the opening words of the voiceover introduction of a series of amazon-warrior films, which the characters refer to as a “quadrilogy.” In a sense the whole movie revolves around those words, which come to accumulate more meanings as the story progresses through a…
Our terrible dilemma: the options with Syria
Let me think out loud again, if you will, about Syria. Russia’s proposal to put Syria’s chemical weapons under international control offers some hope. But given Vladimir Putin’s lack of initiative previously, this feels more like a delaying tactic. If that’s the case? President Obama has told us what he thinks we should do. Now…
“Ain’t Them Bodies Saints”
There are some films (and filmmakers, for that matter) that wear their influences on their sleeves, unabashedly declaring to which cinematic predecessors its creators are most indebted. There’s nothing wrong with that in and of itself, but the catch is that the director should bring enough of his or her original voice to the material…
DJ/Electronic | Icicle
Since the mid-90’s, drum and bass has enjoyed a particularly devoted following within Rochester’s electronic dance music scene. Some credit for this can surely be pinned on the local Jungle Bums crew, whose legendary Thursday nights (which ran from 2002 to 2006, a respectable run for a club night anywhere in the world) and provided…
2013 Rochester Fringe Festival Preview
A year ago Rochester still didn’t really know what to expect from a Fringe festival. But after five days of dancing on buildings, light shows, A-list comedians, improvisational puppets, gospel choirs, geriactors, drag queens, kids shows, physical theater, and dozens of other acts, the people got it. More than 32,000 people turned out for the…
INTERVIEW: Marc Maron
Comedian Marc Maron has sometimes had trouble fitting in over the course of his two-decade career. He’s had problems with drugs and alcohol, two failed marriages, and a radio show that got cancelled. But for a Fringe festival, Maron may be the perfect fit. A few years ago, with no prospects on traditional media and…
