A new poll from Siena College shows that consumer sentiment among New Yorkers dropped nearly 12 points since the second quarter.
economy
Posted inNews & Opinion
Cuomo loosens capacity restrictions on restaurants
But state officials warn that if COVID-19 infection numbers begin to rise, they may have to tighten capacities.
Posted inNews & Opinion
The state of Rochester’s economy during COVID-19
Though it’s been a tough year for job losses, one advantage Rochester may have in trying to attract companies is the lower population density than other metro areas.
Posted inNews & Opinion
Annual report on Rochester has no surprises on racial, economic disparities
The city of Rochester’s 33 percent poverty rate is well above county and statewide figures, according to ACT Rochester.
Posted inNews & Opinion
Global climate emissions flat last year despite economic growth
The International Energy Agency says that the economy grew in 2014, but global greenhouse gas emissions did not. That’s the first time in 40 years that emissions stayed flat, the agency says, without an accompanying economic downtown. According to information released recently by the IEA, global carbon dioxide emissions totaled 32.3 billion metric tons in […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
Get used to the downpours
Rochester has had a pretty wet July. Going by National Weather Service records, the area has had 7.51 inches of rain this month through yesterday, when the normal level is 3.11 inches. And yesterday’s intense rains broke the daily record: the 2.42 inches measured by the NWS at the Rochester airport topped the 1966 high […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
Bagging the food waste problem
Chew on this: food makes up approximately one-fifth of the waste sent to US landfills every year, and 30 to 40 percent of the country’s food supply goes uneaten annually. Food waste is a global problem. It makes products more expensive for consumers and squanders important resources like water, fertile land, and energy. And with […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
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 […]
Posted inMovies
Woody Allen’s annual picture
Although he dutifully releases something like a film a year, and despite the reflexive gushing of the reviewers, Woody Allen has actually not produced a genuinely good movie in years, perhaps even decades. A good deal of his work ranges from abysmal — “Alice,” “Mighty Aphrodite,” “The Curse of the Jade Scorpion” — to the […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
Don’t get too excited over Chesapeake news
Earlier this week, Reuters scored a massive scoop when it reported that Chesapeake Energy is dropping its court fight to extend gas-drilling leases in parts of New York. At issue were some Chesapeake leases in the Southern Tier, many of which, as Reuters piece put it, “were agreed to long before a boom in hydraulic […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
Casino’s long odds
The Seneca Nation of Indians now has exclusive casino rights in much of New York’s western end, including Rochester. But that doesn’t mean a Seneca-run casino will open here anytime soon. Or ever. The Seneca Nation was granted exclusive rights as part of the resolution of a longstanding dispute with the state over gaming revenues. […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
Wages only part of ‘frackonomics’ picture
The conservative Empire Center for New York State Policy has released a report that says, predictably, that fracking could boost incomes in 28 New York counties. The report’s authors based their conclusions on data from Pennsylvania counties where Marcellus Shale drilling is occurring. They say that had New York allowed its counties to “fully exploit […]
