News Blog

UPDATE: 2 p.m., Tuesday, November 25: 

Warren responds to criticism of her Facebook post:

Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren says that she was not singling out Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson in a controversial Facebook she made earlier this week (The post appears to have been taken down as of Wednesday morning.) Warren’s post went up shortly after a grand jury declined to indict Wilson, a white officer, in the shooting death of unarmed black teenager Michael Brown.

In a lengthy post, Warren says that, “As I was thinking about how to respond, I went back to how the situation started: With a young, unarmed black man and an authority figure who had little regard for this young man’s life.”

The replies to her post range from praise to accusations of race-baiting. Warren says that she was talking about a flawed grand jury process, and not about Wilson.

Rochester has a long history of advocating for social justice, Warren says, and the situation in Ferguson is “a teachable moment.”

“Our legacy has been about embracing those tough issues, talking about them, and doing something about them,” she says. “So I’m hopeful we’ll be able to do that here.”

Asked what she would tell her young daughter about Ferguson, Warren says she’d tell her to make up her own mind, and to stand for what she believes is right, “even if you’re standing by yourself.”


Local press conference on Ferguson decision:




ORIGINAL BLOG:

A grand jury has decided that Ferguson, Missouri, police officer Darren Wilson should not face any charges for shooting and killing Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager.

In a press conference just now, St. Louis prosecuting attorney Robert McCullough said that there is no question that Wilson shot and killed Brown, but that the question was whether he used authorized force or acted in self-defense. He said the grand jury is the only group who heard from all witnesses in the case and reviewed every piece of evidence, and that it found no probable cause to file any charge against Wilson.

Today, at least two local groups will hold events to respond to the decision:

• The Coalition for Police Reform will hold a press conference at 10:15 a.m. at Downtown Presbyterian Church, 121 North Fitzhugh Street;
  
• Another group — it's not clear who — is organizing a demonstration at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Elmwood Avenue entrance to the University of Rochester. Similar actions are planned at the same time at RIT and Nazareth College. 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

A few names have been circulating as potential Democratic county executive candidates for the 2015 election: former Brighton Supervisor Sandra Frankel, former District Attorney Mike Green, and Lieutenant Governor Bob Duffy.

Yesterday, Duffy was tapped to serve as the new CEO of the Rochester Business Alliance — a job he'll start in January. If Duffy was ever really in the mix, his new job likely removes him from the discussion.

And during a brief interview this morning, Green said that he's currently focusing on his job as executive deputy commissioner of the state's Division of Criminal Justice Services.

"I have no comment right now on any future plans," he said.

That leaves Frankel, who says that she is considering a run. She says that she doesn't have a timeline for a decision, other than "sooner rather than later."

In 2011, Frankel ran against County Executive Maggie Brooks and received approximately 42.5 percent of the vote, compared to Brooks' approximately 56 percent . (Brooks can't run for re-election in 2015 due to term limits.)

"It's clear to me that county government still struggles under the current administration," Frankel says.

Frankel also says that Greater Rochester has opportunities for a brighter future and that it's time for a change in county leadership. But she says that it's too early to get into specifics on her potential platform. 

Should a student be suspended for tugging on a teacher? What’s the likelihood of a student returning to school after a multiple-day out-of-school suspension? Are special-needs students able to make up instruction time lost to suspensions? And how long should it take for school officials to notify parents that their child has been arrested and is sitting in the Monroe County jail?

These are a few of the questions raised by parents and students yesterday at a press conference organized by Metro Justice and several community partners concerning the high suspension rates in the Rochester school district.

Much of the presentation was about a report compiled by Metro Justice’s education committee. The report showed that 88 percent of the 6,373 suspensions in city schools during the 2012-2013 school year were for minor infractions.

But the human toll revealed by the data is devastating. Suspended students and their families are often thrust into a dizzying array of situations that frequently seem inconsistent and disproportionate to the offense — with some ultimately leading to youth arrests.

In some respects, the suspension data is neither new nor shocking. Superintendent Bolgen Vargas said yesterday that he's familiar with efforts to improve school climate going back to 1977.

“This is not a new problem, and it’s getting worse,” he said. 

Bill Cosby, at least for the moment, is scheduled to appear in Rochester next April. Discuss. 

RBTL sent out an e-mail this morning announcing pre-sale tickets for Cosby's April 25 appearance at the Auditorium Theatre. Cosby has been under fire from all directions in recent weeks for the alleged sexual assault of numerous women. The latest to come forward is supermodel Janice Dickinson. 

Cosby has been cancelling appearances in light of the allegations. An attorney for Cosby has said that the allegations are decades old and discredited. 

RBTL spokesperson Jessica Ripple says that RBTL's role in the Cosby appearance is minimal; in this case, a national promoter simply booked Cosby into RBTL. 

"We're literally just a venue for most of our one-night shows," she says. 

UPDATED November 19 — The bill that would have approved the Keystone XL pipeline, S2280, didn't reach the 60-vote threshold it needed to pass. The bill failed with 59 yes votes and 41 no votes. 

Original post: The US Senate is about to approve the Keystone XL pipeline, a project that climate change activists have dubbed "game over for the climate."

The Senate has started debating legislation that would green-light the tar sands oil pipeline, and 59 senators have publicly lined up in support of the bill, according to media reports. New York Democratic Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand are not among the yes votes; their offices told Capital that they plan to vote against the bill.

The House of Representatives passed the bill yesterday, and there was a party split among the lawmakers who represent Monroe and surrounding counties. Democrats Louise Slaughter and Dan Maffei voted against the bill, while Republicans Chris Collins and Tom Reed voted for it. The pipeline's supporters generally portray it as a job- creation measure and a way to lower energy costs.

Legislators will review County Executive Maggie Brooks’ 2015 budget proposal in committee meetings this week.

Brooks presented the plan last week. She told legislators that the $1.2 billion spending plan keeps the county property tax rate frozen at $8.99 per $1,000 assessed value.

But the proposal also cuts funding the county for child day care subsidies. In total, the county will spend approximately $42 million on the programs, with most of the money coming from state grants. The county is contributing $4.2 million, which is down from its $4.6 million contribution in 2014.

Administration officials and department heads had to close a $31.3 million gap in this budget. Brooks said that the proposal includes $7.7 million in savings from internal efficiencies and streamlining, and eliminates 17 positions for a cost savings of $850,000. It also includes some additional revenues, including $5 million from assessment increases and $4 million from a state casino compact.

The committee meetings start at 5 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. A public hearing on the budget will be held on Thursday, December 4. BY JEREMY MOULE 

The final discussion surrounding “Question Bridge: Black Males” at the Rochester Contemporary Art Center focused on black men and the legal system.

The panelists were John Klofas, director of the Center for Public Safety Initiatives at RIT; former Rochester Mayor Bill Johnson; Van White, Rochester school board president; Mary Ann Wolfe, of the Rochester Area Child Abuse Network; and Simeon Banister, director of special programs at PathStone.

Klofas opened the panel with his perspective on the criminal justice system and how it contains racial animosity. But as more people are becoming aware of the systematic oppression, he said, they are working to change it.

An audience member asked about the effects of incarceration and was answered by the panel and by a previously incarcerated man. Wolfe said that “it is important to check on the mental health of those you may know in jail.”

The previously incarcerated man said that the effects are similar to a slave being released.

“You wonder if someone will ever deny you your freedom again,” he said.

A grand jury has again handed up a criminal charge against Robert Wiesner, the husband of Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks.

Today, Wiesner was arraigned on a single felony count of combination in restraint of trade and competition, which is legalese for bid-rigging; he pleaded not guilty. The indictment, which will be prosecuted by the State Attorney General's Office, alleges that Wiesner was part of an effort to rig a Monroe County public safety contract.

Last November, Wiesner was hit with two counts of the same charge in a sweeping indictment that alleged bid-rigging schemes in two county-linked local development corporations: Upstate Telecommunications Corporation and Monroe Safety and Security Systems. He was one of four defendants charged under the indictment.

In August, State Supreme Court Justice Robert Noonan dismissed the original charges against Wiesner, at the request of Wiesner's attorney, James Nobles. Wiesner was never given the chance to testify before the original grand jury, Nobles said, even though he'd requested to do so. The AG's office agreed to the request, but asked the judge for permission to present the case to a new grand jury. Noonan allowed a single charge to go forward and dismissed the other. 

“I welcome the grand jury’s decision to re-indict Robert Wiesner on a felony charge stemming from the joint investigation my office conducted with Comptroller DiNapoli into allegations of bid-rigging in Monroe County," Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said in a statement. "We look forward to bringing this matter to trial.”

All four defendants pleaded not guilty when they were charged last year. The cases against the remaining three defendants have been advancing through the courts.

Rochester Gas and Electric customers will probably have to temporarily prop up the struggling R.E. Ginna nuclear power plant.

This morning, the state Public Service Commission directed RG&E to negotiate a temporary electricity purchase contract with Ginna. Earlier this year, Ginna's owner, Exelon subsidiary Constellation Nuclear Energy Group, filed a petition with the PSC requesting that action. In its filing, the company said that the plant has lost more than $100 million in the past three years and that without the contract it'd move to retire the plant.

Constellation sought what's known as a reliability support services agreement. RG&E would agree to buy electricity from Ginna only when it needs the power, and at negotiated prices. Ginna and RG&E had a previous contract where the utility purchased 90 percent of the plant's power, but that contract expired earlier this year.

“We understand the New York State Public Service Commission acted today on Exelon Corporation's July petition, but we won’t be able to comment until we have an opportunity to review the Commission’s Order,” RG&E spokesperson Dan Hucko said in an e-mail.

Audrey Zibelman, the PSC's chair, said that the main issue is ensuring reliable electricity service in the Rochester area. Suddenly removing a plant of Ginna's size from the power grid would jeopardize reliable service, she said. A power sale agreement between RG&E and Ginna would give the utility, the state, and the organization that operates the state's electric grid time to identify alternatives for meeting power demands, should Constellation ultimately close Ginna, she said.

"The issue for us is how do we have an orderly exit," Zibelman said.

Since Ginna's previous contract with RG&E expired, the plant has been selling electricity in New York's competitive market. But the prices that Ginna gets in the market won't provide enough revenue to cover the plant's operating and investment costs, Constellation said in its petition. Statewide, cheap natural gas supplies have driven down wholesale electricity prices.

Despite the anguish that many Democrats are feeling over the midterms, the Republican takeover of the US Senate may not turn out to be an unmitigated disaster. There could even be some benefits. The GOP will finally have to do something besides criticize President Obama and question his citizenship.

Should we be concerned about Supreme Court nominees, comprehensive immigration reform, Medicare and Social Security, and an economic recovery that is more equitable? Yes. But surely there are areas where the two sides can work together to pass meaningful legislation.

There is one issue, however, that makes the Republican gains troubling. After more than a decade of war and military interventions, the US is arguably no safer than it was after the events of 9/11. But even as the results of the midterms are still being accessed, the war talk has heated up. The threat to the US, if you listen to some conservatives, is everywhere: Syria, Iraq, North Korea, China, Iran, and Russia – the list grows longer daily.

Even though there’s no evidence that arming the Syrian rebels would have solved the most recent crisis in that region, Senator John McCain tells Salon.com it was a missed opportunity. Former President George W. Bush, currently on a book tour, still claims that the war he launched on Iraq was necessary. Some recent fact-checking by the Washington Post shows that much of Bush’s assessment of the war is “twisted.”

And Mitt Romney can’t stop patting himself on the back over his warning about Russia, though he’s never explained exactly what he would do to deter President Putin’s expansionism.

The GOP gains mean different things to different people, and Democrats need to dig deep and really think about their losses. But let’s hope the GOP doesn’t assume that the results are a mandate for another miscalculated and unnecessary war abroad and more militarization at home.

And let’s hope that there are enough liberals in both houses of Congress who are courageous enough to thwart those efforts.