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The Rochester Beacon
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.
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...
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