Despite the clamor for more dialogue, we probably won't be seeing Republicans stage another get together with President Obama anytime soon.
Speaking to House Republicans in a televised question-and-answer session last Friday, Obama took...

Former President Bill Clinton was often referred to as America's first black president - that was until we elected a black president.
But in some circles, smaller to be sure, Clinton was sometimes called the first gay president. He was the...

After years of back-and-forth bickering like an old married couple, the mayoral control debate has all the makings of a high-profile divorce - complete with big payouts and the question of child custody.
The most striking thing about the mayoral...

Carla Palumbo says she's definitely not running for Susan John's Assembly seat and that a Smugtown Beacon report insinuating otherwise is wrong.
The author, Christopher Wilmot, served alongside Palumbo in the county Legislature. Clearly...

The NYCLU issued a white paper in 2009 on mayoral control, as Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Chancellor Joel Klein pushed for a renewal of the legislation that first gave Bloomberg control of the New York City schools seven years earlier.
The...

If you grew up in the late 1960's and early 1970's, you probably remember television's battle of the music and dance shows: Dick Clark's American Bandstand, Hullabaloo, and Shindig.
The most successful by far was American Bandstand, and that...

"We should remember what it felt like one year ago, as the ability to recall it emotionally will pass and it is an emotional memory as much as anything else," writes Lawrence Lessig in "How to Get our Democracy Back" in the current issue of The...

Van White's referrals:
nepotism or advocacy?
The agitation over Rochester School Board member Van White is palpable at City Hall.
Rumors are flying that White is running for some other political office, presumably mayor, so the wagons are...

A mayoral-control proposal seems to be taking shape and moving along on schedule in Albany.
Assembly member Joe Morelle, a strong control supporter, says that the Assembly staff is working with the governor's office on the details, and that the...

Molly Clifford attended City Council committee hearings yesterday afternoon - her first appearance since her controversial appointment as director of fire administration. Clifford was impressive: her answers to Council's questions were immediate,...

For years, some educators have been warning that No Child Left Behind would lead to teachers focusing solely on test scores, teaching to the test, or worse.
This morning's Times reports that "worse" has been taking place in Georgia....

A big piece of good news in this morning's Times: Lt. Dan Choi is back with his New York Army National Guard unit. Choi, a talented Guardsman who is an expert in Arabic language, is also openly gay. He was expected to be discharged under the...

Mayor Bob Duffy is on WDKX 103.9 FM right now to take questions about mayoral control.
Some interesting points:

Duffy said he's cancelled public forums at the request of the governor's office and the State Legislature, until a bill is...

Are Rochester parents strongly opposed to mayoral control?
Opponents say the results of a recent telephone poll prove that they are. The poll was conducted by BRX Global Research (a well-known local research company) and was sponsored by the...

Monroe County Democratic Committee chair Joe Morelle says he canceled a party awards dinner for tonight because he didn't want party members to have to cross a picket line. He might not have had a choice; many Democrats are aligned with or...

Good morning, Mr. Mayor. Heard your discussion about mayoral control on WDKX yesterday a.m.
Thought you did really well.
But boy, do you have a challenge.
I think you made a logical decision when you postponed your public forums, waiting until...

During a press conference this afternoon, County Executive Maggie Brooks and Palmer Food Services' Kip Palmer fired back at the state's proposal to dissolve the Genesee Valley Regional Market Authority.
A statement released through Brooks'...

Sometime in late spring, we'll probably start seeing video cameras installed at many intersections in Rochester, designed to catch drivers running red lights. Details about the local system are still being worked out, but a report on NPR's...

Union leaders said yesterday that they want to make something clear: they aren't opposing Democrats, or the local Democratic Party, just several of its leaders who, as they put it, are proposing "a hostile takeover of the school system."
This...

Suburban shopping malls pretty much define local retail now, so it's easy to forget that at one time, Rochester had a fierce core of retailers who believed, heart and soul, in the importance of downtown - so much so that they devoted their time...