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The Rochester Beacon
The public power defeat in Maine is a lesson
The pandemic is over but its effects are still being felt across Upstate New York. Our supply chains aren’t the same, COVID is still with us, and staffing challenges persist at all manner of businesses. Rochester Gas and Electric, like many long-standing Rochester businesses, grappled with these challenges. With...
A Rochester business rich in history
Standing at the fish counter of Palmer’s Direct to You Market in Henrietta a few years ago, I glanced up from the trays of salmon, swordfish, mackerel and cod, and was transported decades back to the early 1960s. Confronting me in a black-and-white photo was the very familiar face...
Public utility study fails in county vote
Despite advocates rallying for months, the allocation of $1 million in Monroe County’s budget for a public utility study will not move forward. The proposal was defeated, 17-12, in the Monroe County Legislature on Tuesday. Rochester City Council approved $500,000 in funding this summer, but it was contingent on the county also contributing funds.
A march for Jews, now and long ago
By 3:45 a.m., over 200 souls had lined up near the rear parking lot of Temple B’rith Kodesh in Brighton. Many of the sleepy travelers were managing to spot familiar faces in the crowd and were greeting each other in the subdued tones appropriate for the hour, and the occasion. Each participant was then offered a “ROC for Israel” shirt before being checked in to our assigned buses.
Commission delivers Graduation Measures recommendations
Graduation requirements in New York are likely to change in the coming months to become more inclusive and learning-centered with a focus on every student. The Blue Ribbon Commission on Graduation Measures presented its recommendations to the Board of Regents on Nov. 13. The Graduation Measures Initiative includes the community at large–parents, educators, administrators, school support staff, higher education and business–together with student voices.
Li-Cycle’s cost estimate for Rochester Hub soars
Li-Cycle Holdings Corp. is evaluating financial and strategic options to continue the construction of its Rochester Hub, which now could cost as much as $1 billion–up from its previous estimate of less than $600 million. In reporting its third-quarter results, the company said it has made moves to preserve...
Building a bridge to a dream college
When Rochester high schooler Azhyia Clemons applied for college scholarships, she was fueled by resolve rooted in a simple but strong desire: to help her mother. “It was great, because I knew what I was doing was going to help my mother,” says Clemons, who is now a first-year student at North Carolina Central University. “She was really tense trying to figure out, ‘How can I pay for school?’ She had been saving up money for years, so I wanted to do everything I could to make it easier on her, because she made it easy on me.”
Ontario County recognizes FLCC’s ROI
As chair of the Finger Lakes Community College Board of Trustees, I would like to thank the Ontario County Board of Supervisors for increasing its annual contribution to the college by 32 percent to $5 million as part of the county budget adopted on Oct. 26. FLCC’s trustees appreciate the...
After 30 years, a new mission
After three decades and more than $2 million going to programs that benefit women and girls, the Women’s Foundation of Genesee Valley is changing its approach. This year’s anniversary will be marked by a redefined mission several months in the making. Interim Director Krystle Ellis says the organization will deepen its mission to remove barriers to success that all women and girls face, particularly those coming from marginalized settings and other historically resilient communities.
How the Democrats did it
On Tuesday, Monroe County Democrats captured a prize that had eluded them for more than 30 years: control of both the executive and legislative branches of county government. Adam Bello swept to victory over Republican challenger Mark Assini by a margin of more than 20 points, becoming the first Democrat to win re-election as Monroe County executive. The only other Democrat to hold the office since Monroe County began electing its county executive by popular vote four decades ago was Tom Frey, who served a single term that ended in December 1991.
Bello sweeps to re-election victory
Monroe County Executive Adam Bello easily won re-election Tuesday and unofficial results showed Democrats winning a majority in the county Legislature. If the results are confirmed, the Democratic Party next year will control both the county executive’s office and the Legislature for the first time in more than three decades.
Journal retracts second article led by UR physicist
The scientific journal Nature has retracted a second paper led by University of Rochester physicist Ranga Dias. The retraction of an article published by the journal last March comes several years after Dias, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering and UR Laboratory of Laser Energetics researcher, drew laudatory worldwide attention for his claim to have discovered a room-temperature electrical superconductor.
Trillium Health receives nearly $5 million in funding
With a nearly $5 million investment from Monroe County, Trillium Health is poised to become one of the largest food programs in the region, officials say. The dollars, part of Bring Monroe Back, are being used to renovate Trillium Health’s existing food pantry, increase the volume of food being offered, support full-time staff, and purchase a large freezer/cooler for storage. ARPA funds are also being used to open two mini food pantries at satellite locations, officials say.
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.
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