Category News
NEWS: Familiar names in Assembly battle
BY JEREMY MOULE This story has been updated. Nobody argues that, as dean of Rochester’s state Assembly delegation, David Gantt is an influential and powerful figure in local politics. But Gantt, like every politician, has critics. In Gantt’s case, those critics wonder if the Assembly member truly represents the community’s interests, or his own. The […]
NEWS: School 16 spurs neighborhood action
BY TIM LOUIS MACALUSO The situation at School 16 has many residents in the city’s southwest neighborhoods re-thinking their relationship with the Rochester school district, neighborhood leaders say. Residents are holding a meeting tonight — Wednesday, August 29 — to discuss the situation. The Rochester school board approved closing School 16 for this school year […]
NEWS: Brooks’s busy week
BY JEREMY MOULE Maggie Brooks was in the news a lot last week. On the county executive front, her administration reached a tentative agreement with negotiators from a CSEA unit. The terms will be kept under wraps until union members have reviewed the agreement. Members must also ratify it before it goes into effect. The […]
David the Goliath
PROFILE | BY TIM LOUIS MACALUSO The Democratic primary for the State Assembly’s 137th district is sure to be a referendum on the long career of incumbent David Gantt. Gantt has represented the district for more than three decades. On September 13, voters will decide if they still want or need the influence Gantt’s seniority […]
Test anxiety
BY TIM LOUIS MACALUSO Rochester could join a number of schools around the country that forgo high-stakes standardized testing if the Rochester school board approves a policy proposed by board member Mary Adams. | The resolution will be voted on this month. | High stakes testing was a main feature of the No Child Left […]
Urban Action 8/29
This week’s calls to action include the following and activities. (All are free and open to the public, unless otherwise noted.) Brighton seeks Zoning Board applicants The Brighton Town Board is looking for residents to serve on the Zoning Board of Appeals. The board meets monthly and is comprised of seven members each serving a […]
URBAN JOURNAL: Why not ban guns?
BY MARY ANNA TOWLER I’ve found it nearly impossible to avoid thinking about gun control as the stories kept coming over the past few weeks: 12 people killed and 58 wounded in Aurora, Colorado; six killed, three wounded at a Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin; a security guard shot and wounded at a Family […]
EDUCATION: Battle over high-stakes testing comes to RCSD
This is a corrected version of this story. BY TIM LOUIS MACALUSO PDF: Standardized testing resolution Rochester school board member Mary Adams wants to eliminate high-stakes standardized testing in the school district. Her proposal (above) will be voted on at next month’s board meeting. High stakes testing was a main feature of the Bush administration’s […]
Independent agency still needed to investigate complaints against RPD, residents say
BY CHRISTINE CARRIE FIEN Proposed changes to the process for settling grievances against the Rochester Police Department do appear to give residents more power and to provide greater scrutiny and accountability, but for many, they still don’t go far enough. Residents at last night’s meeting to review the proposed changes said nothing short of a […]
POLITICS: Cruz, Lightfoot petitions upheld
BY JEREMY MOULE State Supreme Court Justice has upheld the candidate petitions of Jose Cruz and John Lightfoot, the Democrats who are challenging incumbent State Assembly member David Gantt in a three-way primary. The validity of the petitions was challenged by Ruth Brooks-Ward. Ark rejected arguments that some of Cruz’s petitions contained fraud and that […]
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