Opinion
We've compromised way too much on health-care reform. It's time to get this thing done. And here's a news flash: We're not going to get a perfect reform bill. Neither the House nor the Senate seems willing to clamp down hard on costs. The abortion restrictions in the House bill simply
Opinion
Violence has struck again in Rochester. And again. And again. This year's murder rate isn't as high as last year's, and violent crime is down. But the statistics seem meaningless when we hear reports of yet another shooting and read yet another account of a funeral for a black teenager who
Opinion
This year's election may have been quiet, but next year, when we elect state legislators and a governor, there should be some fireworks. Will it do any good for us to go to the polls? Obviously, we need change. New York, as a recent New York Times editorial put it, "is
Opinion
A hot little topic currently, among people who are fascinated by such things, is School Board member Cynthia Elliott's muttering "dumb motherfucker" at a recent board meeting, aiming it at Board member Van White. Elliott is running for re-election, and the Democrat and Chronicle endorsed her before the September Democratic primary.
Opinion
Many of us felt we had lost a close friend when WXXI radio's Richard Gladwell succumbed to cancer last week. Richard, who hosted "With Heart and Voice" on Sundays, was a bright star in an increasingly monochromatic radio landscape. He brought not only knowledge and creativity but personality to his
Opinion
Last week, I was stewing in this column about Rochester not getting its act together. We've had some bright spots this fall, though, starting with the opening of the new Nazareth Arts Center - and the vision that it expresses. And last week, the University of Rochester opened
Opinion
Where do young adults want to live? The Wall Street Journal recently asked six "experts" what they think will be "the hottest, hippest destinations for highly mobile, educated workers in their 20's" when the economy picks up. The panel's top five choices: Washington, DC; Seattle; New York City; Portland,
Opinion
Not long ago, President Obama called our involvement in Afghanistan "a war of necessity." Now he has stepped back from that precipice and is reconsidering, in part because of Afghanistan's election fraud. But trust in the Karzai administration should be only one part of that consideration. There are way too many
Opinion
The dots couldn't have been connected more clearly:Headline on the front page of the Democratic and Chronicle's A section on Saturday: "Mourners gather to say goodbye to Camry."Headline on the front page of the B section: "Surround Care closes doors."In yet another of our long string of killings, 12-year-old Camry
Opinion
The dots couldn't have been connected more clearly: Headline on the front page of the Democratic and Chronicle's A section on Saturday: "Mourners gather to say goodbye to Camry." Headline on the front page of the B section: "Surround Care closes doors." In yet another of our long string of killings, 12-year-old Camry
Opinion
President Obama's health-care speech to Congress last week wasn't perfect. He made promises he can't keep (dragging out, for example, that old political fiction that we can pay for big new projects by cutting waste.) He took no step toward real, long-lasting reform - a single-payer system. And he didn't talk much
Opinion
On September 15, registered Democrats in the city will choose the majority of the people - five of the nine - who will serve on City Council for the next four years. They'll choose three of the seven School Board members. And Democrats in three County Legislature districts, two
Opinion
Once Renaissance Square died, it took almost no time for suburban towns to start wooing the Rochester Broadway Theatre League and its theater. And while both RBTL board chair Arnie Rothschild and Rochester Mayor Bob Duffy say they want the theater group to stay in the city, RBTL could find
News Articles
DEVELOPMENT | BY JEREMY MOULE The local attorney who led the site selection process for Frontier Field will lead Rochester Broadway Theatre League's search for a new theater site, RBTL officials announced this morning. Frank Hagelberg will chair the RBTL board's site selection committee, and real estate developer Jay Birnbaum will serve
Opinion
Over the next few weeks, we'll learn a lot about ourselves. I sure hope we like what we learn. While they're on summer break, members of Congress will be at home talking about health care, Democrats trying to build support for reform, Republicans trying to kill it. If ever there were a
Opinion
Unless somebody has a dramatic change of heart, Renaissance Square is dead. When that began to sink in last weekend, my stomach did a little flip. Should city officials have killed the theater and insisted on a smaller bus station? Can we walk away from the $24 million - probably all
News Articles
Federal Transit Administration officials seem to have signed the death warrant on Renaissance Square. Brigid Hynes-Cherin, the FTA's regional administrator, notified Ren Square officials this afternoon that it's unlikely that the FTA will be able to approve funding, given the changes in the plan. This morning, Ren Square officials submitted a request
News Articles
Even if the Federal Transit Authority accepts the city's revised proposal for Renaissance Square, the project is dead, says project spokesman Mike Power. This morning, City Council unanimously approved the proposal, which deletes the theater from the project and makes the bus station smaller. Ren Square officials submitted a funding request to
News Articles
Read about the July 22 RGRTA press conference and the city's response. Downtown Development Corporation leader presses for the project. County Executive Maggie Brooks writes to Mayor Bob Duffy. Duffy spokesman says the transit center footprint must shrink. Maybe it was always going to play out like this: city officials on one
News Articles
The head of the Rochester Downtown Development Corporation reiterated her strong support for Renaissance Square today, saying it will help, not hinder, the increased interest in new development in Rochester's central business district. On WXXI radio's 1370 Connection, Heidi Zimmer-Meyer said Ren Square "will allow us to change the whole dynamic
