News Blog, City Newspaper

RCSD: Longer days for an out-of-school culture?

Tim Louis Macaluso — Tue, 21 May 2013 11:48:00 -0400

More than a year ago, Rochester schools Superintendent Bolgen Vargas launched a major campaign to improve abysmally low student attendance in the city school district. Now teachers are in the hot seat.…

Dems protest funding cut, Republicans pass it

Jeremy Moule — Tue, 21 May 2013 10:27:00 -0400

Last night, a committee of the Monroe County Legislature passed legislation to cut funding for the Democratic office and increase it for the Republican office. The legislation now goes to the full Legislature for a vote.…

Confirmed: Spider-Man crew member beaten, robbed while in Rochester

Christine Carrie Fien — Tue, 21 May 2013 10:12:00 -0400

I told you a week or so ago that the grapevine was reporting an incident involving a member of the Spider-Man film crew, which was shooting scenes for the franchise's next installment a few weeks ago in downtown Rochester. Now, the Rochester Police Department has confirmed the buzz.…

WEEK AHEAD: County Lej debates funding cut for Democrats

Jeremy Moule — Mon, 20 May 2013 09:46:00 -0400

A Monroe County Legislature committee will debate tonight Republican-sponsored legislation to cut funding for the Lej’s Democratic office.

The Agenda-Charter Committee, which meets at 6 p.m., will probably vote on the legislation.…

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.…

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 The current outdated practice thwarts the intent of the electorate and this proposal honors the will of the voter."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.…

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.…

How do parents feel about the Rochester school district?

Tim Louis Macaluso — Tue, 14 May 2013 13:39:00 -0400

The Rochester school district has had a tenuous relationship with parents for years. Almost every superintendent in recent memory has made some kind of an effort to improve relations between parents, teachers, and school administrators.…

Citizen budget ideas include closing Durand beach, cutting Mounted Patrol

Christine Carrie Fien — Tue, 14 May 2013 13:20:00 -0400

The suggestions made during the City of Rochester’s Voice of the Citizen budget meetings aren’t really surprising. It’s also not clear how these relatively small adjustments would help the city close its $28 million gap.…

Week Ahead: MCDC convention, Bike Week continues

City news staff — Mon, 13 May 2013 10:42:00 -0400

UPDATE, Monday, May 13, 1:20 p.m.: Hearing from a couple of sources that the race for City Council endorsements will be less exciting than we thought. Two Democratic insiders say all five City Council incumbents have locked up the endorsement of the party by winning a majority of the citywide weighted vote.…

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Beebe will challenge Reilich for Greece supervisor job

Jeremy Moule — Sat, 11 May 2013 13:05:00 -0400

Former Monroe County Legislator Dick Beebe is stepping into the race for Greece town supervisor.

Beebe, a Democrat, announced his candidacy at a press conference this afternoon.…
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A new CO2 record

Jeremy Moule — Fri, 10 May 2013 15:26:00 -0400

Yesterday, atmospheric carbon dioxide levels either broke 400 parts per million for the first time in recorded history, or came incredibly close to doing so.

The figure depends on who's doing the reporting, but either way, it's not a good milestone.…
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Possible delay in controversial University Ave. apartment application

Tim Louis Macaluso — Fri, 10 May 2013 12:53:00 -0400
Updated Monday, May 13, at 3:20 p.m. The Planning Commission will not be taking up the application for the proposed University Avenue complex during its May 20 meeting.…
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Rochester school board passes $734 million budget

Tim Louis Macaluso — Fri, 10 May 2013 10:16:00 -0400

Last night, the Rochester school board unanimously approved a $734 million budget for the coming school year. The budget is about $6 million more than what Superintendent Bolgen Vargas proposed several months ago, and it will fund longer school days in as many as 10 schools this fall.

The budget closes a $50.2 million gap through a combination of attrition — more than 100 teaching positions will not be filled — and by using a plan proposed by Governor Cuomo that offers municipalities and school districts some flexibility for funding pensions.…
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Irondequoit Republicans come out swinging

Jeremy Moule — Thu, 09 May 2013 09:57:00 -0400

Two years can be a lifetime in politics: just look at the way Irondequoit's elections are shaping up, especially the tone of the races.

In 2011, Republicans and Democrats cross-endorsed a slate of candidates for the Town Board.…
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School board and Vargas have last-minute budget fight

Tim Louis Macaluso — Wed, 08 May 2013 12:44:00 -0400

Obtaining reliable data has become a flashpoint of tension between Rochester schools Superintendent Bolgen Vargas and some city school board members. At an often tense board meeting last night for a final review of Vargas’s 2013 to 2014 proposed budget, some members complained about a lack of general information.

With a vote to adopt the budget scheduled for tomorrow night at 6 p.m., board member Van White said last night that the board is being asked to approve a budget while questions remain unanswered at the 11th hour.

For example, when White asked about a program that supports teen mothers and whether school officials knew how many pregnant students don’t participate in the program, school officials didn’t know.…
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Rochester's grad rate dips again

Tim Louis Macaluso — Wed, 08 May 2013 09:39:00 -0400

The four-year graduation rate for the Rochester school district dropped by one point, according to the New York State Education Department. The SED has released its Report Cards for districts throughout the state, and out of Rochester’s 2007 cohort of 2,868 students, 50 percent graduated in 2012, down from 51 percent from the prior school year.…
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Comptroller: Medley created zero jobs in 2011

Jeremy Moule — Tue, 07 May 2013 12:26:00 -0400

It's time to beat on Medley Centre again.

The state Comptroller's Office just released a report on statewide industrial development activity in 2011.…
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Reading program helps stave off the 'summer slide'

Tim Louis Macaluso — Tue, 07 May 2013 10:32:00 -0400

When children leave school for the summer, research shows that many lose a significant percentage of the knowledge and skills they developed during the school year. It varies from child to child, but some studies show that children can lose as much as half of the academic gains they’ve made.…
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Wages only part of 'frackonomics' picture

Jeremy Moule — Tue, 07 May 2013 09:56:00 -0400

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.…
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Week Ahead: Fracking discussion, RCSD budget vote, State of the City address, Preservation Board considers University Ave. complex

City news staff — Mon, 06 May 2013 09:40:00 -0400

On Thursday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., the local anti-fracking group R-CAUSE will hold a panel discussion titled “Hydrofracking as Seen Through the Lens of Public Health.”

Two panelists will discuss the possible environmental consequences of fracking, and fracking’s potential impact on human health.

The speakers are Dr. David Carpenter and David Kowalski.…
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Court says communities can ban drilling

Jeremy Moule — Fri, 03 May 2013 14:41:00 -0400

Yesterday, a state appeals court upheld two towns' bans on oil and gas drilling in separate but similar cases. The decisions were cheered by environmental and anti-fracking groups, as well by some elected officials.…
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