Cover Story, City Newspaper

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).…

Dish 2013

City Features Staff — Wed, 08 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

If there is a theme to this edition of Dish, it is "starting early." Each of the three features in our annual dining guide refers to that concept in one way or another. by City Features Staff If there is a theme to this edition of Dish, it is "starting early." Each of the three features in our annual dining guide refers to that concept in one way or another.…

Rochester's apartment boom

Christine Carrie Fien — Wed, 01 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

by Christine Carrie Fien For more on this topic: See Mary Anna Towler's "City should turn down University Ave. project" in this week's Urban Journal. This is a corrected version of this story.…

Bassnectar: a spaz of madness

Willie Clark — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 04:00:00 -0400

Bassnectar may not be a household name, but for underground electronic fans, he's a musical maelstrom. He's a painter whose canvas is musical waves and ambient beats. He's half metal, half underground-style aficionado, collector, and librarian, and all electronic-music guru. And when that bass drops, watch out. The fans lap it up. by Willie Clark Bassnectar may not be a household name, but for underground electronic fans, he's a musical maelstrom. He's a painter whose canvas is musical waves and ambient beats.…

The 2013 High Falls Film Festival

Adam Lubitow — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 04:00:00 -0400

Established in 2001, the High Falls Film Festival was originally conceived with the intent of highlighting the contributions of women in all aspects of the film industry. by Adam Lubitow Updated 4/18/13 to correct the dates of Pat Brown's term in office. Established in 2001, the High Falls Film Festival was originally conceived with the intent of highlighting the contributions of women in all aspects of the film industry.…

Latino Rochester: pride and power

Tim Louis Macaluso — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 04:00:00 -0400

by Tim Louis Macaluso Don't be too hard on yourself if you don't remember, but the City of Rochester has already had its first Latino mayor. City Commissioner Carlos Carballada filled the office for a blink-and-you-missed-it period of time in 2011, when everyone was arguing over the legal process to replace former Mayor Bob Duffy.…

Man made

Rebecca Rafferty — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 04:00:00 -0400

Four local male artists broaden traditional stereotypes of "crafts" by Rebecca Rafferty If the term "craft fair" brings up imagery of all things sweet, delicate, and pretty, with hair clips, jewelry, knittery, and journals, think again. While it may be true that the local-focusing craft markets have been mini-femme fests, lately there has been an increase in male artists mixed in with the gals.…

MUSIC FEATURE: Green Day

Frank De Blase — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 04:00:00 -0400

It's easy being Green by Frank De Blase A Green Day show is simply spectacular, but without too much emphasis on spectacle and fluff. Green Day just digs in and goes, plugs in and peels out.…

College students in fossil fuel fight

Jeremy Moule — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 04:00:00 -0400

Colleges in the Rochester area and across the country have gone to great lengths to build up their sustainability cred. by Jeremy Moule Colleges in the Rochester area and across the country have gone to great lengths to build up their sustainability cred. The efforts vary from campus to campus, but include changes that greatly reduce waste from dining halls and retrofits that slash energy use in campus buildings.…

Finding Paradise

Frank De Blase — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 04:00:00 -0400

Local musician Jesse Sprinkle has been going on humanitarian trips to Africa since 2008. But last year he realized that his unique skill set as a musician and producer could allow him to help the millions of orphans in Uganda in a very different way. By teaching these children about music, he and his musical partner Kurt Johnson are hoping to make an impact on their lives. by Frank De Blase It was in the early hours of the morning in Kivulu, a slum in the capital city of Kampala, Uganda, that Rochester musician Jesse Sprinkle had an epiphany. While working with the Ugandan Water Project, Sprinkle visited a little hut called Paradise.…

The Squirrel that gathers causes

Tim Louis Macaluso — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 04:00:00 -0500

On almost any day or evening, the Flying Squirrel Community Space is home to a potpourri of progressive artists, musicians, and social justice activists. The Squirrel is a meeting space. But it’s also an organization with its own members, who often describe it as a collective: a community that’s part of other communities. by Tim Louis Macaluso Zachary Ceru placed his toy hoop over his head and stepped out on the dance floor. The brightly-colored ring glowed in the dark as it swung from Ceru's neck with hooping's familiar twirl.…

Chills, thrills, and gills

Kathy Laluk — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 04:00:00 -0500

Rochester is obviously known for its icy cold winters. But few would guess that, according to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, the Greater Rochester area is home to roughly 2000 sportsmen willing to trek out on frozen ponds, cut through the surface ice, and try to catch a fish on just about any pond or body of water by Kathy Laluk UPDATE 3/7/13: Edited to correct the cost of a NYS fishing license. "C'mon!…

Rare political rancor in Pittsford

Jeremy Moule — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 04:00:00 -0500

A proposed development at 75 Monroe Avenue, a prominent gateway into the village of Pittsford, is at the center of an unusually contentious election. by Jeremy Moule Village elections are unique in the political world. They can bring out the best in government by giving constituents a direct, strong voice and allowing them to work hand in hand with elected officials to achieve common goals.…

Degrees of debt

Tim Louis Macaluso — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 04:00:00 -0500

by Tim Louis Macaluso Melissa Nicholson had a bachelor's and a master's degree in education, and zero job prospects. "I discovered I couldn't get a job just being certified to teach elementary school," she says.…

Local plays link college, community, and theater

Eric Rezsnyak — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 04:00:00 -0500

Our local college theater programs, as well as local playwrights, rarely get significant community exposure. This month, a production by the University of Rochester's International Theatre Program will bring those two elements of the local theater scene together by Eric Rezsnyak Updated on 2/7/13 to correct the end date of the play; it runs through March 2. Rochester has no shortage of live theater.…

Second chance for controversial fire program

Christine Carrie Fien — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 04:00:00 -0500

Lieutenant Lawrence "Shawn" Brumfield was part of the second class of students to graduate from a firefighter trainee program formerly at East High School. The purpose of the program as it existed then was to introduce interested East students to a potential career in the fire service. by Christine Carrie Fien This is a corrected version of this story. There were no slurs, no outright harassment.…

Winter Guide 2013

Wed, 23 Jan 2013 04:00:00 -0500

After two tepid years winter has returned to Western New York in a major way. We’ve had some major snowfall, bitter temperatures, and all the attendant snow and ice. Instead of hiding or complaining about the season, make the most of it. Catch the chill Winter 2012-2013 has already made more of an impact than the previous two winters.…

Holding history and framing futures

Rebecca Rafferty — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 04:00:00 -0500

Rochester Museum and Science Center at 100 by Rebecca Rafferty All endeavors are precarious, and those that seek to last must weather the ebb and flow of cultural shifts, prosperity, and community needs. Even a space based on history must earn its place in the passage of time, and in doing so over the course of the past 100 years, the Rochester Museum and Science Center has had to shift its role from purely a keeper of historic record to a facilitator of the present and future community.…

Great Lakes: progress and problems

Jeremy Moule — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 04:00:00 -0500

The Great Lakes are much better than they used to be in terms of the presence of toxic pollutants like mercury and DDT. New laws and a healthy amount of public awareness have helped restore the lakes. But challenges still exist; the Great Lakes face an evolving list of environmental threats and problems. by Jeremy Moule The Great Lakes are much better than they used to be in terms of the presence of toxic pollutants like mercury and DDT. Pollutants persist, but in much lower concentrations.…

Resolutions 2013

City Features Staff — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 04:00:00 -0500

A new chance for a new you by City Features Staff So that whole Mayan Apocalypse thing didn't quite work out a few weeks back. I bet you're regretting those holiday binges and end-of-the-year spending excesses even more than usual.…

Rubblebucket's un-quiet riot

Frank De Blase — Wed, 26 Dec 2012 04:00:00 -0500

by Frank De Blase Face it — there's no pure rock 'n' roll anymore. But it could be argued that there never was any in the first place; that the genre was the bastard offspring of mismatched parents looking for kicks in the backseat of America.…

The economic arms race

Ron Netsky — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 04:00:00 -0500

It’s a mixed metaphor of major proportions: the country’s headed for the fiscal cliff, with the debt ceiling closing in. And Robert H. Frank, professor of economics at Cornell University’s Johnson Graduate School of Management, says we might have to go off that cliff before Republicans realize they’re holding a losing hand. by Ron Netsky This is a corrected version of the story. It's a mixed metaphor of major proportions: the country's headed for the fiscal cliff, with the debt ceiling closing in.…

Dodging the digital bullet

Eric Rezsnyak — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 04:00:00 -0500

If you see a new movie in a big-screen chain theater today, what you’re seeing is likely being projected digitally, the information embedded in a hard drive. In Rochester, our local independent cinemas are ready for this major shift, and area film professionals debate digital’s impact on artistry, archiving, and business. by Eric Rezsnyak ILLUSTRATION BY MATT DETURCK The way you watch movies has changed, and you probably haven't even noticed.…

Vargas's grand plan for the RCSD

Tim Louis Macaluso — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 04:00:00 -0500

by Tim Louis Macaluso Rochester school district Superintendent Bolgen Vargas rarely talks about increasing the district's graduation rate or raising test scores, the standard promises of most new superintendents. From his first days in office as interim superintendent, Vargas has instead approached the district's many problems from the outside in: unabashedly declaring that nothing will get fixed if the district has to do it alone.…

Busk a move

Frank DeBlase — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 04:00:00 -0500

MUSIC PROFILE: "The Pickpockets" by Frank DeBlase The Pickpockets is a beautifully rag-tag busker outfit straight out of Tin Pan Alley, boasting a faded sepia romanticism and nostalgic charm. The instrumentation is stark yet achingly beautiful.…