City Newspaper

Report notes changes in Lake Ontario, other Great Lakes

Jeremy Moule — Sat, 18 May 2013 11:00:00 -0400

Warmer surface water temperatures and declining winter ice cover suggest that climate change is affecting the Great Lakes, including Lake Ontario, says a report released this week by the International Joint Commission.

The report evaluates 16 indicators of the Great Lakes' health and water quality.…

Daily Choices: What to do on Saturday, May 18 and Sunday, May 19

Willie Clark — Sat, 18 May 2013 09:15:00 -0400

Special Event: Preview the brilliance of the coming generations at the Finger Lakes Regional Invention Convention, hosted by Rochester Museum and Science Center (657 East Ave.) on Saturday, May 18, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. The event is included in museum admission ($11-$13). For more info, call 697-1942 or visit rmsc.org.

by Willie Clark and Rebecca Rafferty Special Event: Preview the brilliance of the coming generations at the Finger Lakes Regional Invention Convention, hosted by Rochester Museum and Science Center (657 East Ave.) on Saturday, May 18, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. The event is included in museum admission ($11-$13).…

City budget cuts Mounted Patrol, 311 hours

Christine Carrie Fien — Fri, 17 May 2013 12:30:00 -0400

But more would be invested in youth and recreation and the library system. by Christine Carrie Fien Rochester Mayor Tom Richards has proposed a $482 million budget for 2013 to 2014 that cuts the city's Mounted Patrol, closes the 311 service during the overnight hours, and defers a chunk of the city's pension obligation. The property tax rate would not go up, but most homeowners would see an increase in their tax bill due to increased service fees and state-mandated tax shift.…

Daily Choices: What to do on Friday, May 17

Willie Clark — Fri, 17 May 2013 09:15:00 -0400

Film: "Star Trek Into Darkness" opens in wide release today. For film times head right here.

by Willie Clark and Rebecca Rafferty Film: "Star Trek Into Darkness" opens in wide release today. Showing at the Little Theatre are "Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me," "Project Healing Waters: Fly Fishing," and "The Reluctant Fundamentalist."…

"American Idol" 2013 Finale: And the winner is...

Eric Rezsnyak — Thu, 16 May 2013 22:08:00 -0400

And finally, the finale. The show opened with the Top 10 all dressed in white, lipsynching to “Glad You Came” by The Wanted.…

2013 ELECTIONS: Monroe County Dems pick slate

Christine Carrie Fien — Thu, 16 May 2013 16:55:00 -0400

Incumbents have a big night, with one exception. by Christine Carrie Fien and Tim Louis Macaluso Tonight's Monroe County Democratic convention yielded few surprises. All city incumbents won the designation of the party, with the exception of Rochester school board member Cynthia Elliott.…

Clash between Legislature Dems, GOP continues

Jeremy Moule — Thu, 16 May 2013 16:20:00 -0400

[UPDATED 6 p.m.] Legislature Republicans sent out this statement by Majority Leader Steve Tucciarello:

"The Republican Majority is honored that the voters in the last election chose to increase the size of our caucus," says the statement. "The size of each legislative office budget should be a direct reflection of each caucus’s representation in the overall legislature. The current outdated practice thwarts the intent of the electorate and this proposal honors the will of the voter."

In November, Democrats lost a seat in the Legislature when Joe Carbone defeated Stephanie Aldersley — the incumbent — in a special election.…

Spider-Man crew member robbed in Rochester?

Christine Carrie Fien — Thu, 16 May 2013 15:14:00 -0400

Seriously, what good is having Spider-Man around if he can’t stop a common street mugging?

According to the minutes of the May 13 NBN Sector 6 meeting — and confirmed by someone who was at the meeting — a member of the Spider-Man film crew was the victim of an alleged street robbery while the crew was shooting recently in downtown Rochester.…

"American Idol" 2013: Final 2, Candice vs. Kree Sing-Off!

Eric Rezsnyak — Wed, 15 May 2013 21:13:00 -0400

Finally, the Final 2! Candice Glover vs. Kree Harrison.…

Vargas foresees a smaller Rochester school district

Tim Louis Macaluso — Wed, 15 May 2013 17:10:00 -0400

It’s difficult to create stability in a system whirling from change, but that's where the Rochester school district is today. Historically speaking, the district is facing an unprecedented drop in student enrollment, says Superintendent Bolgen Vargas.…

Tiresome antics at the County Legislature

Jeremy Moule — Wed, 15 May 2013 16:56:00 -0400

This post has been updated to better differentiate between Democratic Legislators John Lightfoot and Willie Joe Lightfoot.

We have complained for years about the bickering, partisanship, and posturing that takes place regularly in the Monroe County Legislature. But last night surprised even us — a new, embarrassing low.…

CityGate plans include a Costco

Jeremy Moule — Wed, 15 May 2013 13:12:00 -0400

This post has been corrected and clarified.

Developers Anthony and Brett Costello are rebooting their proposed CityGate project in Rochester, revealing at a press conference this morning that Costco will be CityGate's anchor tenant. CityGate would be located at the former Iola Campus at the intersection of East Henrietta and Westfall roads.…

Daily Choices: What to do on Wednesday, May 15

Willie Clark — Wed, 15 May 2013 09:00:00 -0400

Art: Head over to Hanlon-Fiske Studios (34 Elton St.) tonight at 7 p.m. for The Icarus Sessions, a series of informal enlightening lightning talks during which you can speak for 140 seconds about art you're working on, what inspires you, what's holding you back, or whatever. by Willie Clark and Rebecca Rafferty Art: Head over to Hanlon-Fiske Studios (34 Elton St.) tonight at 7 p.m. for The Icarus Sessions, a series of informal enlightening lightning talks during which you can speak for 140 seconds about art you're working on, what inspires you, what's holding you back, or whatever. The talks are meant to inspire, to connect, and to help work out difficulties.…

ROCK | Sky People

LEAH CREARY — Wed, 15 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

by LEAH CREARY Local band Sky People describes itself as being "a crowd of cloud-dwellers [who] coalesce to create cacophonous compositions." Alliteration aside, Sky People is a band that has a clear reverence for the psychedelic rock that came out of the 60's, made obvious thanks to the band's frequent use of rich harmonies and its relaxed, laid-back vibe.…

THEATER: "A Midsummer Night's Dream"

Michael Lasser — Wed, 15 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

A frenzied, flamboyant 'Dream' by Michael Lasser For a director, William Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" is always threatening to become "A Midsummer Night's Nightmare." The wide-ranging play, currently at Geva Theatre Center, dives headlong into comedy at the same time that it sidles more subtly toward tragedy.…

FESTIVAL | 2013 Rochester Lilac Festival

Wed, 15 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

The weather wasn't exactly cooperative for the first weekend of the 2013 Rochester Lilac Festival, so let's hope the second half of spring salvo is embraced a little more closely by Mother Nature. Among the free music headliners taking the Main Stage this week are world-music mainstays Rusted Root, "Blood & Roses" rockers The Smithereens, and local favorites like The Prickers, Prime Time Funk, and The Campbell Brothers.…

Rochester's poisoned past

Jeremy Moule — Wed, 15 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

by Jeremy Moule A graffiti-covered building hulks over the end of Flint Street — a dilapidated monument on a blighted landscape in southwest Rochester's Plymouth-Exchange neighborhood. The building is part of the Vacuum Oil site, a 24-acre property along the Genesee River waterfront that once held an oil refinery (it shut down in the 1930's).…

DANCE: "Past, Present, and Future"

Casey Carlsen — Wed, 15 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

Silver linings by Casey Carlsen At an April rehearsal at the Rochester City Ballet studios on University Avenue, the company was running through the George Balanchine work "Serenade" under the direction of Leslie Peck, one of an elite group of dancers authorized by the George Balanchine Trust to stage his ballets, in an effort to keep the artistic integrity of his works intact. It is a much-sought-after privilege in the dance world, to have one of these "repetiteurs" set a Balanchine work on your company.…

ART | "The Price of Freedom is Death: Black Arts Aesthetic Art Show"

Rebecca Rafferty — Wed, 15 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

by Rebecca Rafferty The Black Arts Movement was the artistic branch of the Black Power Movement, initiated by unflinching poet and playwright Amiri Baraka in Harlem in 1965. The movement sought to inspire African Americans to re-evaluate western aesthetics and to define an identity and aesthetic that was distinct from and refused to assimilate with the identity, aesthetics, and value systems imposed upon blacks by Euro-centric oppressors.…

Punk | The UV Race

LEAH CREARY — Wed, 15 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

by LEAH CREARY The UV Race comes all the way from Australia, where the band makes a lo-fi brand of punk that is akin to the likes of Lou Reed, The Sex Pistols, and The Ramones. The band doesn't stray far from the classic punk feel, generally employing a limited melody, defiant lyricism, and conventional punk instrumentation.…

Feedback 5/15

Wed, 15 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

We welcome your comments. Send them to themail@rochester-citynews.com, or post them on our website, rochestercitynewspaper.com, our Facebook page, or our Twitter feed, @roccitynews.…

THEATER | "50 Shades! The Musical"

Rebecca Rafferty — Wed, 15 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

by Rebecca Rafferty Our culture is inundated with what is known as "potato-chip entertainment." We know that certain books, programs, and films offer little intellectual sustenance, if they don't rot our minds outright.…

The Mighty High and Dry

Frank De Blase — Wed, 15 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

Mighty morphing by Frank De Blase In addition to having arguably one of the cooler band names in all of Smugtown, The Mighty High and Dry is the sum of some impressive parts. Members of this elite ensemble have flexed in the wall-o-brash brass that was The Po' Boys Brass Band and the funky-as-it-gets boogie of Street Level.…

"The Great Gatsby"

George Grella — Wed, 15 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

Baz Luhrmann meets F. Scott Fitzgerald by George Grella The hype preceding the long-awaited release of "The Great Gatsby" rivals the hoopla surrounding summer blockbusters — Cartier features Gatsby jewelry and Brooks Brothers (naturally) offers a Gatsby line of clothing; there's a video game, and who knows, maybe the toy stores will sell Gatsby action figures. As someone who has taught F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel for many years, therefore, I approached Baz Luhrmann's production with considerable trepidation.…

SPECIAL EVENT | Uncork Your Imagination

Rebecca Rafferty — Wed, 15 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

by Rebecca Rafferty This week, you can attend an event that is playful in its theme while geared toward adult guests who will be enabled to help a child literacy organization. Whether or not you have children, you'll enjoy this throwback evening of story, song, culinary delights, and community.…