Rochester City Newspaper - News

Cuomo has reservations about his own proposal to tax the rich

Fri, 22 Jan 2021 13:39:17 GMT

The governor expressed concern that the tax, which would be the highest income tax in the nation, would cause the super rich to flee the state. In his budget plan, Gov. Andrew Cuomo proposed imposing new higher income taxes on New York’s wealthiest residents if President Joe Biden and Congress don’t come through with enough federal aid to close the state’s budget deficit.…

City’s Person in Crisis team will replace police on some calls

Thu, 21 Jan 2021 21:17:33 GMT

The 14 member Person in Crisis team will respond to behavioral health calls either as an alternative to police, or in tandem. The city of Rochester has officially launched its Person in Crisis (PIC) team, a corps of social workers which will be available to respond to mental health and substance abuse calls that would otherwise be fielded by police. The PIC Team consists of 14 full and part-time workers who will respond in teams of two to crisis calls around the clock, every day of the week.…

Helicopter crash in Mendon leaves three soldiers dead

Thu, 21 Jan 2021 12:06:12 GMT

A military helicopter crash in Mendon left three soldiers dead Wednesday evening. Officials with the New York State Division of Military & Naval Affairs confirms that three soldiers are dead after a New York Army National Guard UH-60 medical evacuation helicopter crashed early Wednesday evening in the Town of Mendon. It happened during a routine training mission.…

Rochester City School District teachers balk at hybrid plan

Wed, 20 Jan 2021 22:25:48 GMT

The Rochester Teachers Association is calling for in-person instruction to be paused until teachers' resources and COVID-19 vaccines increase. Rochester Teachers Association leader Adam Urbanksi is urging the district to pause in-person instruction as part of a hybrid learning approach until teachers are given a “coherent” plan how to do it. “Because they’re being asked to perform tasks that are simply not doable,” said Urbanski.…

Dome Arena COVID-19 vaccination site opens in Henrietta

Wed, 20 Jan 2021 20:31:42 GMT

Hundreds of people lined up Wednesday at the Dome Arena in Henrietta, one of the state-run sites where COVID-19 vaccinations are being given. VIDEO BY MAX SCHULTE Hundreds of people lined up Wednesday at the Dome Arena in Henrietta, one of the state-run sites where COVID-19 vaccinations are being given.…

Democrats call for outside probe of Flagler-Mitchell

Tue, 19 Jan 2021 23:24:54 GMT

Democratic legislators want an "outside counsel" to investigate the circumstances that led Legislator Ernest Flagler-Mitchell to send a sexually-explicit photo to a 19-year-old woman. Democrats in the Monroe County Legislature are calling for an independent investigation into the circumstance that led one of their own, Legislator Ernest Flagler-Mitchell, to send a sexually explicit photo to a 19-year-old woman. …

Court denies Mayor Warren's request for change of venue in campaign finance trial

Tue, 19 Jan 2021 15:46:54 GMT

The appellate division left open the possibility of changing venues if it is determined that an impartial jury cannot be drawn in Monroe County. A regional appellate court has denied a plea for a change of venue by lawyers representing Mayor Lovely Warren and two of her campaign associates in their criminal campaign finance case — setting the stage for a trial in Rochester. Attorneys for the accused contended in court papers filed in November that media coverage of the charges against the mayor, and protests related to the Warren administration’s handling of the death of Daniel Prude in which demonstrators called for her resignation, ensured that she could not receive a fair trial in Monroe County.…

Monroe County expects 1,500 more COVID-19 vaccines this week

Tue, 19 Jan 2021 13:03:38 GMT

Word that vaccines are on their way comes on the heels of news that Monroe County's supply would be depleted this week. Monroe County officials said Monday they are expecting another 1,500 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to arrive this week — an amount they said was enough to fulfill previously scheduled appointments of essential workers. Word of the incoming vaccinations was announced in a joint statement by County Executive Adam Bello and county Health Commissioner Michael Mendoza, days after Mendoza had warned that the county's supply would be depleted by Martin Luther King Jr. Day.…

City Councilmember Malik Evans announces run for mayor

Tue, 19 Jan 2021 12:42:55 GMT

City Councilmember Malik Evans presents the most potent threat to Mayor Lovely Warren to date, but he trails in fundraising by a wide margin. Malik Evans, a member of the Rochester City Council and former president of the Rochester Board of Education, has launched a campaign to challenge Mayor Lovely Warren as she seeks a third term in office. Evans, a Democrat, announced his candidacy on Martin Luther King Jr. Day with a recorded video message and news releases sent to media that touched on themes of "building bridges" and "trust and transparency."…

Rochester man faces federal charges in U.S. Capitol rioting

Fri, 15 Jan 2021 21:39:10 GMT

Dominic Pezzola, an Aquinas Institute graduate, has been arrested and charged in connection with the rioting at the U.S. Capitol last week. A Rochester man has been charged in connection with the rioting at the U.S. Capitol last week.…

Lawsuit seeks a federal monitor for RPD

Fri, 15 Jan 2021 20:43:52 GMT

The claim follows a federal lawsuit filed earlier this year by the family of Daniel Prude which seeks a monitor for the department. Three Rochester men are seeking a federal monitor for the Rochester Police Department as part of an excessive force and false arrest lawsuit they’ve filed against the department. In a complaint filed Thursday in federal court, the three men allege that they were physically assaulted by a Rochester police officer whom top brass neglected to discipline and remove from patrol as a result of a previous excessive force complaint.…

Amazon considers putting up another local distribution facility

Fri, 15 Jan 2021 13:56:14 GMT

The proposal, which is up for a public hearing on Friday, calls for a facility that would create about a thousand positions and around 300 construction jobs. The Town of Gates may soon be home to a very large Amazon warehouse and distribution facility under a plan that comes up for a public hearing on Friday. COMIDA, Monroe County’s industrial development agency, will meet Friday to listen to plans for a 2.6 million square foot facility that Amazon would like to put in at the Rochester Tech Park on Manitou Road.…

Restaurants in Rochester's "orange zone" can reopen dining rooms

Thu, 14 Jan 2021 22:01:03 GMT

But the reprieve appears, for now, to be temporary, a fact that's tempered celebration among restaurant owners. Restaurant owners in Rochester’s “orange zone” are cautiously celebrating a decision by state officials, spurred by an Erie County court ruling, that will allow them to offer indoor dining again, but at half-capacity. The state’s decision is a win of sorts for restaurant owners, who have been calling on the state to let them reopen their dining rooms.…

Monroe County's current vaccine supply expected to be exhausted by Monday

Thu, 14 Jan 2021 12:01:50 GMT

The current supply of COVID-19 vaccines in Monroe County is expected to be exhausted by Monday. Coronavirus vaccinations are still underway for people in the 1a and 1b groups, but Monroe County Commissioner of Public Health Michael Mendoza said the current supply will be exhausted by Monday. About 76,000 vaccine doses will be administered by next week within the Finger Lakes region, according to Dr. Nancy Bennett with the University of Rochester Medical Center.…

Joe Morelle Jr. announces bid for Irondequoit supervisor seat

Wed, 13 Jan 2021 20:38:02 GMT

The lifelong Irondequoit resident has represented part of the town in the Monroe County Legislature for eight years. Joe Morelle Jr., the son of House Rep. Joe Morelle, has announced his intention to run for Irondequoit supervisor. The Democrat’s declaration comes just one day after incumbent Irondequoit Supervisor David Seeley, also a Democrat, announced that he would not seek reelection.…

Across Monroe County, students will soon have anti-racist lessons

Wed, 13 Jan 2021 19:58:30 GMT

This spring, all Monroe County school districts will provide an anti-racism course initiated by East High School Superintendent Shaun Nelms. Last May, after George Floyd was killed in police custody and nationwide protests for social justice began, East High School Superintendent Shaun Nelms challenged his colleagues across Monroe County to teach students about Rochester's history of segregation and disparity. "I would also say that the death of Daniel Prude in Rochester was also a reminder that this work is critically important," Nelms added, referring to the man who died last March after Rochester police restrained him.…

Cuomo unveils ambitious green energy program for New York state

Wed, 13 Jan 2021 19:32:33 GMT

Gov. Andrew Cuomo has proposed a $26 billion green energy plan that would expand solar energy farms and offshore wind farms in New York state. Gov. Andrew Cuomo unveiled an ambitious plan to bring more green energy and what he says will be thousands of jobs to New York State. Plans include new solar farms and offshore wind turbines, and more transmission lines across the state.…

COVID-19 vaccine eligibility expanded to include more New Yorkers

Wed, 13 Jan 2021 10:01:00 GMT

Gov. Andrew Cuomo has expanded the vaccine eligibility requirements in New York to include anyone over the age of 65. Gov. Andrew Cuomo again expanded the vaccine eligibility requirements in New York to include anyone over the age of 65. Cuomo said Tuesday that the state is following new federal guidance issued by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.…

Gov. Cuomo plans COVID-19 rapid testing to kickstart live arts performances

Tue, 12 Jan 2021 21:54:51 GMT

Gov. Andrew Cuomo detailed plans to use rapid coronavirus testing in 2021 to reopen restaurants, theaters and arts venues in New York state. Gov. Andrew Cuomo detailed his plans Tuesday to use rapid coronavirus testing in 2021 to reopen restaurants, theaters and arts venues — including New York City’s Tribeca Film festival in June — even before most New Yorkers are vaccinated. Cuomo said the New York State Council on the Arts will begin sponsoring pop-up performances with 150 artists in outdoor venues, like state parks, in early February.…

@MedleyCentre, dead mall parody Twitter account, dies at age 6

Tue, 12 Jan 2021 19:10:55 GMT

@MedleyCentre's witticisms on daily life in Rochester injected levity into the dreary existence of doomscrollers everywhere. @MedleyCentre, the parody Twitter account for the shopping mall-turned-post-apocalyptic movie set in the heart of Irondequoit, whose witticisms on daily life in Rochester injected levity into the dreary existence of doomscrollers everywhere, has died. It was 6 years old.…