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POLITICS: Van White will not run for State Assembly

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POLITICS: Van White will not run for State Assembly

Citing unfinished business on the school board and family commitments, Van White says he will not run a primary against State Assembly member David Gantt this year. White attempted to challenge Gantt in 2010, but a court ruled that White did not have residency in Gantt's Assembly district. White

TAXES: Why the city doesn't collect on Sibley

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TAXES: Why the city doesn't collect on Sibley

Almost no topic raises as much anger and frustration locally than the money owed on the Sibley Building and why the city does not collect. Building owner Rochwil Associates, a limited partnership and subsidiary of Wilmorite, owes the city more than $22 million through a tax agreement. The reason

Police oversight report expected in May or June

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Police oversight report expected in May or June

The committee reviewing Rochester's police oversight system has broken up into smaller groups in order to evaluate the process from several different points of view. The governance, police, and community groups will identify strengths and weakness of the oversight system, best ways to address those weaknesses, and then

PUBLIC SAFETY: ShotSpotter: tin ears on the street?

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PUBLIC SAFETY: ShotSpotter: tin ears on the street?

Pop culture has conditioned us to expect miracles from technology: from the cyberpunk-driven PC that brings down the Defense Department's mainframe to the mild-mannered Mac that is one upgrade short of sentience. The reality is that technology is always a work in progress, and when you throw humans into the

INTERVIEW: MCC: fight or flight?

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INTERVIEW: MCC: fight or flight?

You can say what you want about the perception of crime in the City of Rochester versus the reality. But 200 young people marching down to the Liberty Pole, itching for a fight - or to watch a fight - is not a matter of perception; it's brass knuckles

[UPDATED] Richards says city may forgive debt on the Sibley Building

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[UPDATED] Richards says city may forgive debt on the Sibley Building

This is a corrected version of this story. There are separate but related developments to report on Monroe Community College and the Sibley Building. The first is that City Hall, despite previous assertions, will intervene in the lease dispute between MCC and Winn Companies. And that, says Mayor Tom

NAB gets permission to tear down 13 Cataract Street

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NAB gets permission to tear down 13 Cataract Street

The city's Zoning Board has voted 5 to 1 to allow North American Breweries to tear down the old brew house at 13 Cataract Street. The vote came at the end of a marathon meeting in which more than 20 people had signed up to speak. NAB

BUSINESS: Kodak files for Chapter 11

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BUSINESS: Kodak files for Chapter 11

Recommended links: http://www.economist.com/node/21542796 http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2012/01/18/the-kodak-lie/ http://online.wsj.com/video/kodak-lost-its-focus/C64B3E86-E26A-40C0-B4CD-4C242FF561CD.html http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/17/nyregion/despite-long-slide-by-kodak-rochester-avoids-decay.html?_r=1&ref=nyregion ORIGINAL STORY: Even for those who grew up after the days when Kodak was the Big Yellow Sun that nourished the city and beyond, the words "Kodak bankruptcy" seem an oxymoron. But the Wall Street Journal reports this morning that the company has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy -- an

DEVELOPMENT: Possible setback for brewery project

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DEVELOPMENT: Possible setback for brewery project

It wasn't the answer they wanted to hear. Last night, the City of Rochester's Environmental Commission told representatives of North American Breweries that they have to do more to preserve the facade of the old brew house at 13 Cataract Street and work it into the design of

NEIGHBORHOODS: Neighbors mobilizing to save Monroe Y

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NEIGHBORHOODS: Neighbors mobilizing to save Monroe Y

Some residents in the area of the Monroe Avenue YMCA say they're worried the branch may be in danger of closing, and they're organizing to fight that move. The YMCA of Greater Rochester is in talks with the University of Rochester about creating a new Y in the Mt. Hope

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Recent Blog Posts

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Newt's gay half-sister's wife coming to Rochester

Can't get enough Newt? Well, who can? Rebecca Gingrich-Jones, wife of Newt Gingrich's gay half-sister Candace, is coming to Rochester in April for Bread & Water Theatre's production of She Said/She Said. Rebecca Gingrich-Jones wrote the play, which is about a mother renouncing her homosexuality and trying to keep

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Appeals Court strikes down Prop 8

Just in from the Washington Post: a federal appeals court has ruled that California's ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional. Proposition 8 was approved by a slim majority of the state's voters in 2008.

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Conversion disorder IS a legitimate diagnosis

I am intrigued and bothered by this LeRoy "mystery illness" case. What's really eating at me is the dismissal by some of the "conversion disorder" diagnosis. And I'm not saying that the victims, families, and their doctors shouldn't investigate this spontaneous outbreak of Tourette-like symptoms to exhaustion. Of

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Romney... almost human

FINALLY! Finally, someone has put into words what's been bothering me about Mitt Romney. Much has been made of Romney's pitch-perfect appearance, and he certainly seems like the candidate programmed by central casting. But there's something off, isn't there? The Atlantic nails it in an article called "The Uncanny

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Could the Southwest YMCA be in danger, too?

Another Rochester neighborhood is worried it could lose its YMCA. The Southwest YMCA on Thurston Road is less than a handful of miles away from where the Collegetown YMCA would be, if that deal goes through. A few weeks ago we reported that neighbors - worried about the proposed

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Police oversight committee meets; transparency still lacking

I continue to be troubled by the lack of transparency in the effort to review the police oversight system. I first called for greater transparency back in October when I happened to catch notice of an upcoming meeting in a City Council member's newsletter. That Council member, Matt

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Don't exaggerate Liberty Pole situation, professor says

I had a chance recently to talk to John Klofas, criminal justice professor at RIT, about the situation at the Liberty Pole. Several local media organizations reported that approximately 200 young people met up at the Liberty Pole one afternoon a couple of weeks ago to fight or to

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Mayor Tom Richards reacts to the Kodak bankruptcy

Kodak's role in Rochester's future will be much different from its role in the city's past, said Mayor Tom Richards this morning, reacting to the news that Kodak had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. But, Richards said, most everyone has known that for a long time and the

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Rochester's phantom fight?

This is bizarre. I'm sure you've heard about the big fight at the Liberty Pole last week. As many as 200 kids walked down there after a planned fight at East High was disrupted by administrators and police. The Democrat and Chronicle has reported, directly and indirectly, on the alleged

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I think Mitt Romney is a shape-shifting robot

There's little doubt in my mind that Mitt Romney will end up being the Republican nominee. I think the people who don't like him because he's too corporate, too Mormon, too bland, too... whatever will eventually see him as the only "real" candidate and hold their noses. Like the

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