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The Rochester Beacon
Effort to establish downtown BID ends
Inadequate support from City Council has nixed plans for a downtown business improvement district. Instead, the Partnership for Downtown Rochester and Rochester Downtown Development Corp. plan to consider other options, expanding on their fundraising model, to revitalize downtown. “After hearing over 1,500 responses to extensive community engagement, one thing was...
For youth: Healing and opportunity
A lifelong educator and a Rochester native, Kareem-Ba McCullough’s path to youth violence prevention and intervention never came fully into focus until it was personal. Several years ago, at the height of a violent crime spike, the brother of a middle school student working with McCullough was killed. McCullough...
Budget cuts to public charter schools are detrimental for students
Why should one public school get more money than another? That’s precisely what New York State dictates for Rochester public charter schools in the 2025 executive budget. While district schools will receive a 3 percent increase in foundation aid, public charter schools in Rochester will lose $227 per student. These cuts will be detrimental to the 28 percent of students who attend public charters in this city. Families and students who attend public charter schools should have the same educational opportunities as those at district schools in Rochester.
Housing projects receive more than $44M in state support
Five housing projects in the Finger Lakes region will receive more than $44 million in state funding in the move to expand and protect housing supply. Early this week, Gov. Kathy Hochul awarded a total $260 million through tax credits and subsidies to create or preserve 1,852 affordable, supportive and sustainable homes. These projects span 29 developments statewide.
Mendoza steps down as public health commissioner
Michael Mendoza M.D. has decided to conclude his service as commissioner of public health, effective immediately. He will focus on future opportunities reflecting his passion for public health and the community, Monroe County says. Marielena Velez de Brown M.D.,deputy commissioner of public health, will serve as acting commissioner of public...
UR Medicine Home Care workers vote to organize
University of Rochester Medicine Home Care workers have voted in favor of a union. Some 115 professional home care workers at the unit voted to join 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East. URMHC includes UR Medicine’s nonprofit, Medicare-certified home health care agencies, licensed home care agencies and hospice programs. Approximately 400...
Pandemic hurts graduation rates
Rochester City School Board member Camille Simmons called a recent update on graduation outcomes for the upcoming senior class “extremely sobering.”. “But I must commend (Demario Strickland) for the transparency in the information,” she said. “The only way we can wrap our minds and our heads around what needs to happen in this district is to be up front, transparent, and direct about the information we put out there about our students.”
How many children should couples have given ongoing climate change?
Beginning with the work of the now deceased Nobel laureate Gary S. Becker, economists have developed an elaborate theory of fertility that sheds light on a number of salient questions such as how many children couples ought to have, how changes in income and prices impact fertility decisions, and the tradeoff that couples face between the quantity and the quality of children.
Ask for nonprofit public power, it’s a smart move
Through our local industrial development agency, Monroe County politicians have wasted millions of our tax dollars in a largely unsuccessful effort to stimulate more investment, create jobs, and generate superior economic growth. State politicians gave away more, almost $60 billion since 1980. However, there is a smart way to make...
Connecting with history
Tinsely Ellis knows the significance of Rochester when it comes to his genre of music–he is not only a blues musician, he’s a blues historian. Ellis becomes animated when discussing one of the pioneers of blues music, Edward James “Son” House. Songs by the delta Mississippi singer rose to prominence in the 1930s and recorded for preservation in the library of congress.
Problems at the Pines
As the Pines of Perinton undergoes a $65 million renovation, some advocates for the low-income apartment complex’s tenants have difficulty trusting its developer, WinnCompanies. While there is much work to be done in gaining that trust, Winn officials say they are open to listening to tenants’ concerns and bridging the divide.
Battery Prototyping Center gets $1.25M in federal funding
With $1.25 million in new federal funds, the Battery Prototyping Center at Rochester Institute of Technology will continue its work to increase services, research and opportunities for energy storage technology. The funding, part of an appropriations bill, will help the center expand in a national effort to bolster the battery...
Expo aims to share expertise, empower women
Mary Bisbee-Burrows is bringing back her Economic Empowerment & Entrepreneur Expo, an event designed for women to connect and gain insights into building wealth and expanding businesses. This year, the expo also features a panel discussion, creating the Women’s Empowerment Weekend. An entrepreneur and health and human services professional,...
Police Accountability Board seeks full-time leader
The Police Accountability Board has launched its search for a full-time executive director. The call for a new leadership comes after a month-long period of outreach to both city administration and the community which included forums and a survey on skills. “The input from the community has been very important...
Li-Cycle inks agreement with Glencore for $75 million
Li-Cycle Holdings Corp. has entered an agreement with Glencore for a $75 million investment, building on a long-term partnership. Officials view the move as an endorsement of Li-Cycle’s technology and its development plans for the Rochester Hub. Glencore is a Swiss producer, recycler and marketer of nickel and cobalt...
Fostering dialogue across divides
Nick D’Amuro likes to tell a variation of the warning about people who don’t learn history: it’s not that they are destined to repeat it, but rather that they will not understand the current moment. The Clarkson educator credits the popular history podcaster Dan Carlin with an...
Laser lab to receive $99.4M in federal funds
The University of Rochester’s Laboratory for Laser Energetics is slated to receive $99.4 million in fiscal 2024 for its Omega laser facility. The funds, which come from the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration’s Inertial Confinement Fusion program, was included in a “minibus” package of six appropriations bills.
UR Black studies department gains momentum
A little over a year ago, Jeffrey McCune Jr. was tasked with building a Department of Black Studies at the University of Rochester. Since then, he has hired new faculty, and in December, UR received a $3 million grant to add more. McCune, director of the Frederick Douglass Institute and...
Find a way to support Afghan women
Afghanistan is considered the worst place on Earth for women’s rights. This has not always been the case. Afghan women used to have better opportunities and rights in their society before the U.S.-backed Mujahideen triumph against the Soviet-backed Communist government in 1992. The event marked the downward spiral for every aspect of life in Afghanistan, including women’s rights.
The sound of emotional truth
The liltingly smooth sounds of experimental folk group georgie belies some of the contradictions in the makeup of the band. For instance, the group’s moniker is a reference to names associated with its banjo-playing vocalist, Claire McClusky. Her middle name is Georgia, and a number of her family members are named George.
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