Choose your location
The Rochester Beacon
The search for distant signs of life
Despite what its title might lead one to expect, Adam Frank’s “The Little Book of Aliens” is no “Chariots of the Gods?”. Published Oct. 23, Frank’s book is a careful, scientific examination of what we now know and speculation on what we might someday discover about extraterrestrial life and intelligence. In short, it is the polar opposite of Erich Von Daniken’s 1968 book.
The return of Vijay Iyer
In the musical realm of talent and expertise, Vijay Iyer stands out as an amalgam of innovation, thought and emotion. The composer and jazz pianist, who grew up in Fairport, returns to the area next week with the Vijay Iyer Trio. The group will play at Kilbourn Hall on Nov....
Don’t overlook nuclear power as a climate solution
Nuclear power is an important solution to helping reduce CO2 emissions, and should be advocated for and not overlooked when trying to find solutions. Nuclear power generates almost no CO2 when generating electricity and can help improve climate change. Although there are other ways of generating power that don’t produce CO2, they may not be as reliable or as practical as nuclear power. In a study by Michaelides and colleagues, “Impact of nuclear energy on fossil fuel substitution,” they looked at power generation in Texas and found that due to intermittency in wind power it takes almost 3 times as much installed capacity to generate the same annual energy continuously as nuclear power. Nuclear power is advantageous because it would reduce the power requirements of wind and solar as well as the needed storage capacity. Wind and solar power also take up significantly more space than nuclear power.
Monroe County’s high-stakes election
For Monroe County Democrats and Republicans, the Nov. 7 election is pivotal. At stake are the county executive office and all 29 Legislature seats. The leaders of both parties say they see their chances of winning as good. In 2020, Democrat Adam Bello was elected county executive and the party...
Understanding Israel: A conversation with Meredith Dragon
As grief and violence continue to unfold in Israel and the Gaza Strip in the aftermath of the gruesome terrorist attacks by Hamas on Oct. 7, I sat down with Meredith Dragon, CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Rochester. Dragon, who just returned from Israel, spoke of the critically...
Palestinian Americans here voice support for Gaza cease-fire
Born in Palestine, Basem Ashkar has lived in the United States for 54 years. He says he is proud to be an American; he admires our country’s freedoms and democracy. It is one of the reasons he peacefully rallies for his homeland amid the surge of violence in the Hamas-Israel war.
NTID researchers receive $1 million grant
Powered by a $1 million grant, Rochester Institute of Technology researchers will continue their work to improve emergency resources and services for the deaf and hard of hearing community. RIT is among 19 teams to earn the award through the National Science Foundation Civic Innovation Challenge, which brings academic and...
Cornell student from Pittsford charged in antisemitic threats
A 21-year-old Cornell University junior from Pittsford was arrested Tuesday on charges that he posted online threats aimed at Jewish students. Patrick Dai faces federal criminal complaint charging him with posting threats to kill or injure another using interstate communications, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York.
Why small firms’ R&D efforts deserve more public support
Despite the fact that our three erstwhile giants—Bausch + Lomb, Eastman Kodak, and Xerox—are mere shadows of their former enviable selves, Rochester is anything but a dying city. Leslie Eaton and many others have pointed out that even though Rochester was a company town, it is now, and has been for a while, a town of tiny companies.
In this political climate, there’s a clear choice
As the 2024 election rapidly approaches, every climate-conscious American has to take on the duty of trying to steer the United States to a better future. For adults, it means voting. Those younger than 18 have a different role to play: spreading awareness of climate change, of what we can do to stop it, and the stances of the candidates.
Coalition outlines plan to combat gun violence
Shootings in Rochester this year have tapered off slightly from a high watermark set in 2021. In the first nine months of the year, there have been 237 shooting and homicide incidents recorded by the Rochester Police Department. That figure is less than the 245, 324, and 289 total incidents recorded across that same time period in each of the last three years. Over the last two decades, the average was 145 incidents.
A strong voice for social justice
Rev. Lewis Stewart, who died Oct. 27, wanted to be remembered as a man who tried to do his best under harsh circumstances while following God’s will. A champion for social justice, Stewart was president emeritus of United Christian Leadership Ministry. A familiar sight at many a press conference,...
Eastman School adds jazz vocal track
The Eastman School of Music is expanding its undergraduate jazz and contemporary media degree program to include a jazz voice track. Tasked with building and designing this new program is Sara Gazarek, the school’s recently appointed associate professor of jazz voice. A two-time Grammy-nominated vocalist, Gazarek joins Eastman after...
The RPO’s new century
The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra is gearing up for its next century of classical music with a dose of ambition. The orchestra marked the beginning of its centennial season Sept. 21, and programming will bring new community partnerships, commissions and a ping pong concerto. Behind the scenes, the preparation for this...
Beacon’s NewsMatch campaign starts Nov. 1
The Rochester Beacon, which recently marked its fifth anniversary, again has been selected to participate in NewsMatch, the nation’s largest annual fundraising campaign for nonprofit news. The campaign starts next Wednesday and runs through Dec. 31. Through matching gifts, NewsMatch has helped nonprofit newsrooms across the country raise more...
OFC Creations performance series debuts
OFC Creations Theatre Center’s new subscription model and performance series, “Broadway in Brighton,” will bring national talent to Rochester for six musicals. It is expected to help expand and anchor the company’s offerings in the community. The six-show lineup opened last month with “Dance Mums: The...
NextCorps sets second ‘no-code’ bootcamp cohort
NextCorps is rolling out a new six-month training program to help build a workforce of no-code software developers. Called the Embark “No-Code” Bootcamp, the program aims to put county residents on the path to high-paying careers. This is its second cohort, whose programming is part of NextCorps Embark.
Rochester receives Tech Hub designation
The Buffalo-Rochester-Syracuse region has earned the federal Tech Hub designation created in the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022. The bill included a $10 billion authorization for the Tech Hubs program. An effort led by Sen. Charles Schumer, the designation is expected to bolster the region in semiconductor manufacturing and...
Li-Cycle puts hub construction on hold
Li-Cycle Holdings Corp. has decided to hold off on construction at its Rochester Hub project until a comprehensive review of the project’s strategy is conducted. The hub and its warehouse are slated to occupy more than 65 acres, or 50 football fields, at the Eastman Business Park. The Mississauga,...
ITX acquires Philadelphia firm
With the acquisition of Philadelphia’s SUMO Heavy, ITX has an opportunity to delve deeper into e-commerce. “When we looked at SUMO Heavy, we saw an opportunity to pick up deep e-commerce knowledge, which is exciting given our existing capabilities in other data-centric industries like financial services and healthcare,” says ITX CEO Ralph Dandrea. “ITX has never been more capable of delivering excellent services to a broad set of organizations with complex needs.”
The Rochester Beacon
1K+
Posts
3M+
Views
The Rochester Beacon mission: To build a stronger Rochester by serving as a source of and forum for ideas and perspectives that are rooted in intellectual openness and drive informed public action.
Welcome to NewsBreak, an open platform where diverse perspectives converge. Most of our content comes from established publications and journalists, as well as from our extensive network of tens of thousands of creators who contribute to our platform. We empower individuals to share insightful viewpoints through short posts and comments. It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency: our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. We strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation. Join us in shaping the news narrative together.