Democrat and Chronicle
Canandaigua, Chili earn Towns of Excellence gold honors
The towns of Canandaigua in Ontario County and Chili in Monroe County have been named New York State Towns of Excellence, earning gold designations from the New York Association of Towns and joining 11 other towns statewide to receive the recognition...
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100-YEAR-OLD PREDICTIONS ABOUT 2026
AKRON, OH – We’ve waited a century for this. Nearly 100 years ago, a group of futurists dared to imagine what life would be like in 2026. Some of their prognostications turned out to be completely wrong while others proved to be eerily true. Let’s...
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NY lawmakers push ICE curbs after fatal shooting
After a 37-year-old woman was shot and killed by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent in Minneapolis on Jan. 7, some state legislators are calling for more protections against the agency in New York. In a news conference outside Albany’s...
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Furor continues over ICE shootings
Tensions remained high Jan. 9 as shootings involving immigration agents in Minneapolis and in Portland, Oregon, drew protesters to the streets and deepened fractures between federal and state officials. In Portland, a U.S. Border Patrol officer shot...
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How WNY police cooperate with ICE
The Cheektowaga Police Department heads the list of a half-dozen Buffalo-area law enforcement agencies that are cooperating with federal agencies to detain and deport migrants. As 2025 drew to a close, police in the Buffalo suburb have turned over at...
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Farewell to Highmark After 53 years, stadium hosts final cold, perfect Bills game
ORCHARD PARK — Just like it has for so many late-season games over the past five-plus decades, Highmark Stadium resembled an icebox the afternoon of Jan. 4. ● The remnants of a midweek snowstorm were mostly removed, but not all, as many sections of the...
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Fountains, first jobs and first dates
Eileen Moriarty of Penfield remembers The Marketplace mall in its heyday. She would take her young children to the shopping destination in Henrietta to get out of the house and get some exercise. One year at Christmastime as a special treat, she...
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U.S. CAPTURES VENEZUELAN PRESIDENT MADURO
The United States seized Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife in an overnight military operation on Jan. 3, President Donald Trump said, as explosions rocked Caracas and targets across the country. The United States “successfully carried out...
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Invisible KILLER
AKRON, OH – Lung cancer? ● “But I never smoked,” Melissa Derrig said after doctors finally figured out what was causing her headaches, vertigo and the strange noise she heard deep inside her throat last year. ● Melissa, a retired small-business owner,...
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Over 1M students homeless in U.S.
WASHINGTON — After T’Roya Jackson discovered the paint in her apartment gave her daughter lead poisoning, she and her children moved out. They couch-surfed for a while before moving into a homeless shelter over the summer. The hairstylist began...
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AI to review Medicare claims in pilot program
A new Medicare program that uses artificial intelligence to review medical claims is set to launch in six states. Critics worry it will lead to patients being denied necessary care and more red tape for providers. The controversial new six-year pilot...
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Savoring sounds before silence
Ella Coonen wears noise-canceling headphones so she doesn’t hear anything while musicians are warming up or people are setting up. “Then when I take them off, it’s like some big dramatic reveal, and it also just looks really cool.” MILWAUKEE — Ella...
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U.S. forces strike ISIS strongholds in Nigeria
President Donald Trump said on Dec. 25 that the U.S. military had attacked Islamic State targets in Nigeria, claiming the group had been targeting Christians. In a post on Truth Social, the president said he directed the military to launch a “powerful...
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BREAKING THROUGH THE NEWS
We’re here to share with you today the impact of the Democrat and Chronicle’s journalism on local lives. From exploring the strengths and weaknesses of the Regional Transit Service bus system to revisiting the unsolved mass shooting on Pennsylvania...
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THE PAINFUL MEMORIES REMAIN
Thirteen years have passed since a gunman set fire to his Webster home and shot four firefighters – two fatally – as they arrived to douse the flames on Christmas Eve. ● Michael Chiapperini, 43, and Tomasz Kaczowka, 19, were killed in the predawn hours...
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‘Help’s farther away’
In the 1960s, doctors believed heart muscle died instantly during a heart attack, like throwing a light switch, according to the American Heart Association. Dr. Eugene Braunwald’s research proposed a heart attack was more like a dimmer — the damage...
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‘FORMIDABLE CHALLENGE’
LONDON — The West’s push to build a homegrown magnets supply chain to reduce its reliance on China — led by massive U.S. backing for Nevada-based MP Materials —is running into a critical problem: the scarcity of so-called heavy rare earth...
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States take up conservation goals terminated by Trump
WASHINGTON — With a snappy title and a laudable goal, “30 by 30” was a landmark plan hatched to help save at least 30% of the planet’s land and oceans by 2030. Alongside this multinational push, the United States had its own trailblazing version of...
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Turning Point USA gains ground on campuses
Apair of students stood in the Indiana University Indianapolis student center asking a simple legal question: “Is ‘hate speech’ protected by the First Amendment of the Constitution?” Students slowed to read the white board, and many shuffled toward...
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Reflecting on the holidays and the memories they produce
Let me be the millionth person this month to state that the December holidays are a time of reflection. A calendar year is ending. Daylight in the Northern Hemisphere is at its nadir. Christmas and Hanukkah are spiritual and connecting times for...
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Brown shooting suspect found dead
PROVIDENCE, RI – Though the suspect connected to the deadly Brown University attack and the fatal shooting of an MIT professor was found dead in New Hampshire, the questions and fallout have only begun. Providence Police Chief Col. Oscar Perez...
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Order could weaken rights of shareholders
A new White House order aiming to rein in proxy advisory firms marks a major step in a broader Republican effort to weaken the role of investors and put more power in the hands of CEOs, according to corporate governance analysts and...
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COURTHOUSE CHILDCARE Monroe County center reopens after nearly 2 years
One room on the third floor of the Monroe County Hall of Justice stands apart from the rest. ● It’s tucked away in a corner, far from the monotonous song of a courthouse: The hushed whispers between attorneys and clients, the creak of a courtroom door...
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Search resumes for gunman in Brown University attack
Authorities Dec. 15 resumed their search for the gunman in the deadly attack at Brown University that killed two students and wounded nine others after a person of interest was released. At a news conference late Dec. 14, Providence Mayor Brett Smiley...
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WHEN ‘YOU CAN’T CALL FOR HELP’
Projection of a barred prison window on the floor with a hand in front of the bars Ashley Dolcy heard panic in her husband’s voice. On most evenings, they would talk after she returned home from her job as an assistant principal at a school in the...
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This season, Bills fans become story for one intrepid reporter
Democrat and Chronicle reporter Emily Barnes has had an unusual assignment the past many months. She gets to attend every home Buffalo Bills game, not to write about the action on the field but about the experiences of the people in the stands during...
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Holiday
Two Rochester area holiday attractions have been named among the best in the nation in the 2025 USA TODAY’s 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards. ● The Readers’ Choice Awards highlight the very best in travel, food and drink and lifestyle. Every week, USA...
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U.S. farmers warn of broken system
A few years ago, Wisconsin soybean farmer Doug Rebout was getting $14.50 a bushel for his crop. Now, amid a trade dispute with China and rising production costs driven by inflation, that price has plummeted to around $9.30. Rebout’s farm, which grows...
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Know the symptoms, what to do for frostbite and hypothermia
With the promise of a blast of Arctic air in early December, thanks to a polar vortex, it’s important to know the symptoms of cold weather-related emergencies such as frostbite and hypothermia. Read on to learn the symptoms, as well as what to do...
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LIBERTY POLE LIGHTS UP SPIRITS
Jonas Valiukas of Greece and Danielle Harris of Rochester sang a little and swayed a bit and smiled a lot to “Winter Wonderland” played by the Prime Time Brass band as a crowd awaited the lighting of the Liberty Pole for the holiday season Dec. 6. ●...
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GROWING THREAT
Botswana’s fertile Okavango Delta is one of the last remaining high-biodiversity ecosystems in the world, home to cheetahs, African wild dogs, baobab trees, crocodiles, termites and owls that catch fish. Roughly the size of the state of Connecticut,...
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Failures marked Yates abuse case
Ateenage girl came forward in May 2023 with a horrifying complaint: Her adoptive father had been raping her since 2021, she told police officers in an interview at her school. After some of the assaults, according to a police report, he would give her...
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AI could worsen school inequalities
Today’s teachers find themselves thrust into a difficult position with generative AI. New tools are coming online at a blistering pace and being adopted just as quickly, whether they’re personalized tutors and study buddies for students or lesson plan...
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U.S.-born children often left behind
WEST PALM BEACH, FL — On Oct. 9, The Palm Beach Post met three children being escorted to Guatemala to be reunited with their mother. They are part of the growing number of children, many of whom are U.S. citizens, who are left behind after their...
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& Confidence crossbows
Women are helping other women learn to hunt in Western New York, and everyone’s journey is different. Selena Ford of Duanesburg describes the convoluted route that took her to crossbow hunting. Over the last few years, she’s picked up a more...
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Lawsuits taking toll on Buffalo police
It’s been more than 11 years since Jeffrey Basil, bar manager of the now-defunct Molly’s Pub on Main Street, pushed William Sager down a flight of stairs, then enlisted off-duty Buffalo police officers working security for the bar to try to cover up...
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Dry summer allows Mount Morris repairs
MOUNT MORRIS – The dry season in 2025 that left much of western New York in drought conditions had one unexpected benefit – it provided an opportunity for some much-needed maintenance and upgrades at the base of Mount Morris Dam. ● The upstream...
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no answers, only questions
Thirty years ago, Christine Reilly sat on her living room couch as a late summer sky cascaded into darkness and asked a seemingly innocent question: Where is Kelley? ● Her 16-year-old daughter had missed curfew, and it wasn’t like Kelley to stay out...
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‘TIPPING POINTS’ TOO RISKY TO IGNORE
As the planet warms, it risks crossing catastrophic tipping points: thresholds where Earth systems, such as ice sheets and rainforests, change irreversibly over human lifetimes. Scientists have long warned that if global temperatures warmed more than...
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Political violence support overstated
Aseries of recent events has sparked alarm about rising levels of political violence in the United States. These episodes include the assassination of political activist Charlie Kirk on Sept. 10; the murder of a Democratic Minnesota state legislator...
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Raising holiday cheer
Already, the messages are starting to come, and they’re hard to hear in a Finger Lakes region known for its bounty of food and drink. This particular family has had a lot of issues over the past few years, especially when the holidays arrive and good...
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Sips of the Finger Lakes
With the holidays being the biggest time for wine sales, online publishers and websites are publishing their “best-of ” lists for the year 2025. ● Each list has its own set of criteria and group of critics evaluating the wines, so winemakers try not to...
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Banned books being judged by their covers
Over the past decade, a growing movement to restrict access to books in public schools and libraries has spread across the country. Every year, there are hundreds of attempts to challenge or ban books, targeting thousands of titles. ● According to the...
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DREAMS TURNED UPSIDE DOWN
CIUDAD HIDALGO, Mexico – Ferrying migrants across the murky Suchiate River from Guatemala to Mexico used to be a lucrative job for Alexis Vargas. Vargas floated groups of migrants across the informal border crossing on a makeshift raft made from...
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ICE guts oversight, pays billions to private prisons
During the 2025 Border Security Expo in Phoenix — an annual trade show for government officials, technology manufacturers and policy advocates — Immigration and Customs Enforcement acting Director Todd Lyons expressed a desire for migrant arrests to be...
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Rural areas see windfall from renewable energy
RANDOLPH COUNTY, IN — When more than 650 kids descended on a local 4-H fair this summer to show livestock and exhibit projects, the grounds looked a little grander than in years past. Children wearing cowboy boots and oversized belt buckles led...
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Gun violence in Rochester down; emergency remains
City officials celebrated new milestones in their efforts to curb gun violence during an end-of-the-year public safety update, but insist a state of emergency is still necessary to achieve further progress. Mayor Malik Evans first declared a gun...
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The greatest game
“We’ve got them right where we want them!” Bloody, hurt and exhausted, McQuaid’s football team entered the locker room quietly. Trailing Aquinas by a touchdown, the Knights wondered how much worse could it get? That’s until coach Tom Seymour preached...
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BIAS FEARS RISE IN ROCHESTER
Nearly 20% of all Rochester-area residents surveyed by The Levine Center to End Hate this year said they are afraid of being verbally or physically attacked because of their background. More respondents also believe discrimination is more prevalent...
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More women take spots on Ontario County board
CANANDAIGUA – Right now, Nancy Yacci is the only woman serving on the Ontario County Board of Supervisors. Yacci, who was elected one of two Canandaigua city supervisors in 2023, will have some bipartisan company come Jan. 1, 2026. Heading into...
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Greece surprise boosts county Democrats’ night
Abig night for Democrats, highlighted by a win for Greece supervisor, has left the Monroe County Republican Committee in rebuilding mode. ● The carrying trend compounds victories for Democrats in 2023 and 2024, a testament to the party’s growing...
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Birds on the wing
When I started bird-watching as a teenager, a few years after the first Earth Day in 1970, several species that once thrived in my region were nowhere to be found. Some, like the passenger pigeon, were extinct. Others had retreated to more remote,...
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AG STARTUPS SEEK GROW-NY FUNDS
WEST BLOOMFIELD — Walking past rows of broccoli, collard greens, beets and Tuscan kale, Sarah Cookfair checks off the reasons why she and husband Alex enjoy working the 40 or so acres of their organic vegetable farm in West Bloomfield, which they have...
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How the canal changed the environment forever
If you visit the Erie Canal today, you’ll find a tranquil waterway and trail that pass through charming towns and forests, a place where hikers, cyclists, kayakers, bird-watchers and other visitors seek to enjoy nature and escape the pressures of...
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from albany to buffalo
Photographer Tina MacIntyre-Yee spent the nice weather months of 2025 on a grand tour along the Erie Canal, on a journey to experience the rhythms and sights of this manmade system in its bicentennial year. The once vital transportation route is...
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New Boscov’s arrives in Greece Ridge mall
Chilly temperatures and steady rains didn’t deter excited shoppers from waiting in line for the first look at Boscov’s, which opened its first Rochesterarea store on Oct. 30. The first day for the new store at the Mall at Greece Ridge was reserved for...
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Looking back on a legendary career
When she was 5, Rita Moreno left Puerto Rico for New York City with her seamstress mother. By 16, she was an established performer and her family’s main breadwinner. At 30, she won an Oscar for her portrayal of Anita in 1961’s “West Side Story. And at...
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Parents say incident at Pittsford school ignored
An 11-year-old girl in Pittsford was sitting with her friends enjoying lunch when an adult monitor stood by her and began to again grab and touch her hair at Barker Road Middle School. The young girl told the lunch monitor to stop touching her, in the...
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Robert Brooks murder case yet to be finished
Though a jury found one of the three corrections officers in the Robert Brooks case guilty of second-degree murder on Oct. 20, there’s still one more case that has to go to court and rumblings of a federal case on the horizon. Brooks, an incarcerated...
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ICE detainees report ‘barely edible’ meals
RICHWOOD, La. – Months after leaving immigration detention, Camila Muñoz can still remember the ice-cream scoop used to ladle food onto plastic trays and the “sour feeling” after every meal. Hunger. “You have to eat no matter what, or the night is...
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A HIGHWAY FOR INVASIVE SPECIES
The opening of the Erie Canal was touted as an incredible achievement of human ingenuity, a 363-mile engineering marvel built 200 years ago. When Gov. DeWitt Clinton completed his journey from Buffalo to New York City on Oct. 26, 1825, the ceremony...
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HAUNTED HOT SPORTS
19 spooky locations to explore in the Finger Lakes this Halloween
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Brockport bookstore gets a community lift
Abook store is not just a store selling books. Not in the sense that they often sell other goods — puzzles, toys, stationery and more — but in the sense of community they bring. Meetings are held there, by local organizations, sure, but there are first...
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Ballroom plan brings East Wing demolition
A White House spokesperson confirmed to USA TODAY that the “entirety” of the East Wing, which traditionally houses the first lady’s offices, will be undergoing “modernization and renovation” as a new ballroom is built, in a stark reversal of earlier...
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DETAILS ON HIGH FALLS UNVEILED
Island Overlook. Relic Garden. Incinerator Plaza. The names of possible features at the proposed High Falls State Park were part of the framework plan released on Oct. 21 to a full room at Monroe Community College’s downtown campus. “I don’t have to...
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Study: App amplifies body content to teens
NEW YORK — Meta researchers found that teens who report that Instagram regularly made them feel bad about their bodies saw significantly more “eating disorder adjacent content” than those who did not, according to an internal document reviewed by...
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‘No Kings’ protesters rally across region
Over 100 “No Kings” protests were held across New York State and in thousands of cities across the country Oct. 18 as part of a pushback against the actions of the Trump administration. This coordinated effort is the second of its kind this year – the...
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Fire department needs more staff, consultant says
CANANDAIGUA – A consultant studying fire service in the city of Canandaigua is recommending the city hire several additional firefighters over a three- to 10-year period and encourages city officials to discuss regional and shared service...
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Your guide to upcoming elections:
The whats, wheres and whens of early voting. Races to watch - who's running and what they stand for. How would a Mamdani win change politics across New York? All about the state proposition on the November ballot.
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FINGER LAKES NAMED WINE REGION OF YEAR
The Finger Lakes wine region has been named Wine Enthusiast magazine’s American Wine Region of the Year. This year marks the magazine’s 26th annual Wine Star Awards; they honor the individuals and companies that make outstanding contributions to the...
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‘CHEMICAL OF CONCERN’
Microplastics seem to be everywhere – in the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat. They have turned up in human organs, blood, testicles, placentas and even brains. While the full health consequences of that exposure are not yet known,...
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Milder fall, early winter predicted
While it may feel like the cooler autumnal weather has just arrived in New York, the winter months are not far away. You may, however, be able to delay digging out your snow gear this season since the forecast calls for a potentially mild fall and...
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HIGH-FLYING HELP
CANANDAIGUA — Scientists and volunteers working to solve the mystery of how, why and when harmful algal blooms form on Canandaigua Lake are looking to the sky for help. Bahram Salehi, associate professor of remote sensing engineering at SUNY College...
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