They came, they
didn’t saw
Calls have been
trickling into the City Newspaper office about an obsession of ours: the future of the city-owned Hemlock-Canadice lakes watershed, a
source of Rochester’s municipal water for more than a century.
           Based on
what’s been said at some recent public forums, rumors are circulating that city
crews may soon start cutting timber near Hemlock Lake. (A year ago, city
foresters and environmental managers proposed some selective cutting high above
the lake’s western shore. No cutting took place, but some preparatory work was
done, including the construction of a gravel access road for taking in heavy
equipment and carting out sawlogs.)
           Nothing is happening now, and won’t
for some time, if at all, says local Sierra Club activist and open-space
watchdog Hugh Mitchell. Last year, says Mitchell, city officials adopted a
two-year moratorium on any cutting at Hemlock-Canadice. So spring 2004 is the
time to watch.
Giving sanctuary
Folks from all over
are gearing up for a major event at Crowfield
Farm, a combination organic-bison ranch and not-for-profit education center
in the town of Arcadia, Wayne County. (Crowfield also hosts the independent
Peacework organic farm, associated with Genesee Valley Organic Community
Supported Agriculture.)
           The “Sense of Sanctuary” workshop,
scheduled for May 23 to 26, will cover a lot of ground: workshops on things
like Sufi and international folk dance, aromatherapy, animal tracking, tai chi
and chi gong; and “youth activities” like puppet-making and nature walks. The
Sanctuary project aims to “enlighten and enrich” all people and build
“community and natural creation.”
           Registration fees, including the
cost of meals and materials, are $130 for adults and $100 for those under 18.
The registration deadline is May 1. For information: Mary and Steve,
315-331-8128; Corrie and Becky, 315-331-6873; e-mail m1bobcat@msn.com; or visit
www.crowfieldfarm.com.
Back from the war
zone
When US forces rolled
out against Iraq, local schoolteacher Tom
Little-Moore hopped on a plane bound for the Middle East. His was a spur-of-the-moment, one-man mission to be a
counterweight — however small — to the military machine and massive human
suffering.
           Today, Little-Moore’s back in Rochester,
having not quite made it into Iraq. But he did get close enough to meet and
work with victims of war, and do some good. And while he was there, he e-mailed
home, sharing his thoughts and experiences with friends and groups like Metro
Justice.
           In a March 25 e-mail from Amman,
Jordan, Little-Moore tells this anecdote: “A rambunctious little boy named
Mustafa lives at my hotel. Whenever he sees me he wants me to swing him around
or give him a ride on my back around the hotel lobby. He seems oblivious that
he has tiny bits of shrapnel in his back moving slowly through his tissues
toward his spine. When this happens his playfulness will cease. He will be
paralyzed. And having only half his left hand does not stop him from grabbing
hold of me as he climbs up onto my back. Mustafa sustained these injuries when
the bombing resumed in parts of Iraq back in the late 1990s. Washington had
called the [weapons] inspectors out, just before the bombing was to begin and
just before [the inspectors] were able to conclude that there were no weapons
of mass destruction…”
           The e-mail has a mostly upbeat coda:
“I did not come here to test the hospitality of the Middle East. I didn’t know
what to expect. I only wanted to give them the message in the flesh that there
are many of us who cannot bear that they must endure more war and suffering.
And that we are sorry we could not stop this madness… I have received countless
expressions of appreciation which I shall try and pass onto you here. These
people are truly touched. Graciously I have been given food to eat, places to
sleep, free taxi rides, free coffee, tea, bread, and countless hugs and
handshakes. Oh yes, and the twinkle from Mustafa’s eyes. More than I expected
in a time when the death toll continues to rise.”
Alliance appeals
Members of the Seneca Park Alliance recently filed a
notice to appeal a State Supreme Court ruling that paves the way for the
construction of a 600-car Seneca Zoo parking lot in historic Seneca Park.
           The Alliance, a group that formed to
oppose Monroe County’s plan to expand the Seneca Park Zoo, filed its appeal on
April 10. In it, the Alliance argues that the county “Failed to take the
required hard look at the irreparable harm [its] project would cause the
Frederick Law Olmsted-designed park.” The Alliance also asks that the county
scrap its plans for a zoo expansion and redo the planning process.
           “We feel that planning for the zoo
must be redone with a new plan that will support the twin goals of improving
the zoo while enhancing the beautiful and historic landscape,” writes Henry
McCartney, executive director of the Landmark Society of Western New York, in a
press release. The Landmark Society is one of the parties filing the appeal.
           The county recently announced plans
to build a new animal hospital and veterinary classrooms within current zoo
boundaries. McCartney says this appeal does not affect that project, which he
calls “important.”
           Because the county’s expansion plans
are now tied up in court, and because the county is facing a fiscal crisis, the
expansion has been stalled indefinitely.
Casting calls for
Otto and Bob
Rochester already has
a Todd Solondz connection, via
Philip Seymour Hoffman’s performance in Happiness.
But that link might just be getting a little cozier this summer. Solondz, the
indie filmmaker who has won awards from Cannes and Sundance, could be shooting
his latest project in and around the Rochester area, according to the
Rochester/Finger Lakes Film and Video Office.
           His latest — titled Palindromes — is about an awkward
13-year-old girl (a la Welcome To the
Dollhouse‘s Dawn Weiner) named Aviva. No stranger to pushing buttons,
Solondz’s production is also looking for children with both physical
disabilities and experience in music. There is also a fairly major role to be
filled by a vision-impaired actress.
           Hopefully Solondz will carefully
consider the Rochester option. After all, our track record in hosting films
that feature physically challenged acting talent (remember After Image and Terrylene?) isn’t too spectacular.
While you were out
The fun continues in
the controversy over the closure of FunQuest
Roller Sports and Family Recreation Center in Henrietta. FunQuest co-owner
Ross Catalano has filed a lawsuit against the town, the town fire marshal, and
Henrietta Supervisor Jim Breese. The federal suit, which seeks $90 million in
damages, claims that town officials forced the club to close because too many
black kids were shaking their booties there. As City reported in March 2002, the club became overcrowded the night
of March 9, and was evacuated with the help of sheriff’s deputies and scores of
cops who responded to a call for backup. Minor melees erupted in the parking
lot outside before patrons were readmitted. In a letter to FunQuest’s owners
sent shortly after the incident, Breese criticized the dance club for
attracting “teens who live within the city limits.” He based this claim on
pictures taken during the evacuation. How did Breese know the teens’ addresses
based on their pictures? Good question, and one that raised allegations of
racism at the time. “I was stating that the owners were targeting populated
areas,” Breese told City last year,
and added that he was concerned the club didn’t have enough security to handle
the crowds it drew. The lawsuit alleges that Breese also made racist remarks
during a meeting between town officials and the club’s owners — an allegation
Breese denies.
This year’s race for Monroe County District Attorney features more party hoppers than a crowded suburban dance club (but, thus far,
no black people). Republican Mike Green is seeking the Democrats’ nomination to
fill the post being vacated by his boss, Democrat Howard Relin, a former
Republican. The Elephant Party’s likely candidate, Republican Family Court
Judge Ann Marie Taddeo, used to swing with the Donkey Party, too. Green will be
challenged for the nomination by another Green, Scott Green, who is not a
Green, but a Democrat. Which raises a key question: Who the hell cares what party
the DA represents so long as he or she puts bad guys and gals in jail? Answer:
political party animals.
— Compiled by Chris
Busby from news reports, interviews, and color photos of prospective district
attorney candidates.
This article appears in Apr 16-22, 2003.
