Democrat and Chronicle
Canadian wildfire smoke brings dangers to health
The hazy orange-yellow hue of skies across New York remained Thursday, July 16, as smoke from Canadian wildfires continues to move into the region, bringing unhealthy air quality and a dystopian feel. “Today is the worst we’ve seen so far,” said...
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Big water problems need big solutions
When a drought turns into an urban water crisis, a city’s first step is often to limit lawn watering and launch a campaign to encourage everyone to conserve. It might raise water-use rates or offer incentives for installing lowflow devices. ● While...
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IT’S A WORLD CUP PARTY!
The FIFA World Cup will run from June 11 through July 19, with the United States, Mexico and Canada serving as co-hosts for the world’s biggest men’s soccer tournament. With 48 teams competing, it will feature 104 matches over 39 days. Joe McBane,...
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best bites in Rochester
It’s common knowledge that the food business is a tough one. The hours are long, the work is hard and the margins are small. That’s why it’s remarkable when restaurants remain in business with more or less the same approach for decades. It means they...
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DRIVEN TO RELOCATE
The highly anticipated Bull’s Head Street Improvement Project began this year. However, the city’s $350 million transformation came at a cost for some local businesses. ● Francis “Andy” Winterkorn, owner of Andy’s Automotive Enhancements, is one of...
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House votes to end war in Iran
In a severe political blow to President Donald Trump, the House of Representatives on June 3 voted for the first time to end the war in Iran. The 215-208 vote, which was mostly symbolic, marked a new period of congressional unease with the conflict in...
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A NEW APPROACH TO HOUSING CRISIS
Housing projects, most with millions in state and local funding, have been in the headlines in recent months. Many are large multi-family housing projects or developments with single-family homes costing hundreds of thousands of dollars. ● But what if...
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Ebola cases drop after hundreds are cleared
GENEVA — The World Health Organization said there have been 321 confirmed cases of Ebola in the Congo outbreak and 116 suspected cases, marking a large drop in the number of suspected cases as hundreds were ruled out after investigation. The agency...
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POPE’S ENCYCLICAL ON AI WINS PRAISE
What are humans worth when the work and thoughts they produce threaten to be replicated by technological algorithms? And what is artificial intelligence worth if in the end it does not benefit humanity? With his first major document as head of the...
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Wanted: Guard to be first line of defense in a shooting Pay: $18/hour
SAN DIEGO – On average, they make $18 an hour. Many are required to provide their own body armor. And if a gunman bursts through the door of a church, store or government office, they’re relied on to confront intruders hell-bent on wreaking deadly...
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DEWEY AVE RISING
Dewey Avenue is dark by the time dozens of people slip inside an unassuming storefront on a cold and snowy night early this winter. The room is not big enough for all who have come. The mayor is here, sitting in the front row with a manicured envelope...
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NASA SHARES PLANS FOR MOON BASE
Fleets of landers, rovers and drones will head to the moon in the months and years ahead before humans even step foot on the lunar surface for the first time in more than 50 years. So says NASA, which is already working toward sending vehicles and...
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Judge orders detained farmworker’s release
Dolores Bustamante Romero, a Wayne County farmworker whose detention by ICE garnered considerable attention last month, was released from custody late May 27. U.S. District Judge Meredith Vacca granted a habeas corpus petition that argued Bustamante...
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5 projects on Main Street
A stretch of downtown Rochester is seeing the fruits of millions in state funding, with several projects stemming from its 2021 Downtown Revitalization Initiative award complete. ● The $10 million in state funding, first announced in December 2021, was...
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U.S. MILITARY STRIKES BOATS, MISSILE SITES
The U.S. military May 26 launched new strikes on Iran, threatening to shatter a 7-week ceasefire and derailing negotiations in Qatar just days after President Donald Trump said an agreement was almost completed. U.S. Central Command said it carried...
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Pope Leo urges regulation for AI
VATICAN CITY — Pope Leo urged governments to slow down and closely regulate the development of AI systems in his first major document, released May 25, warning that they spread misinformation, prioritize conflict and risk leading the world down a path...
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Rural hospitals close in increasing numbers
Some Pennsylvania hospitals are being pushed beyond the brink of closure. Taylor Hospital in Ridley Park closed in April 2025, Crozer-Chester Medical Center in Upland closed in May 2025, and Heritage Valley Kennedy Hospital, formerly the Ohio Valley...
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LOSING ONE BADGE, GETTING ANOTHER
In November 2025, Ryan Zarnowski’s public career as a peace officer appeared to have ended. ● Internal documents show mistakes and discipline marked his only year as a jail deputy at the Oswego County Sheriff ’s Office: He failed to complete training;...
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Mamdani may change media access policies
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s office is reviewing its media access policy amid outcry over controversial statements supporters of murder suspect Luigi Mangione made while wearing city-issued credentials. The three individuals were identified as...
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Jan. 6 officers sue to block Trump’s $1.8B ‘slush fund’
WASHINGTON – Two police officers who defended the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, sued President Donald Trump and his administration in a bid to block the Justice Department’s new $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund. The lawsuit, filed May 20 by...
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Rights park endangered
Women’s Rights National Historical Park in Seneca Falls has been named one of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. A backlog of more than $10 million in deferred maintenance is the main reason...
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Trump delays strikes on Iran amid possible deal
President Donald Trump said he delayed strikes on Iran planned for May 19 following progress on a possible deal to end the war, though Tehran’s latest proposal appears little changed from an earlier deal that the president rejected as “garbage.” “It’s...
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Court battle with Target may decide old mall’s fate
The future of the former Irondequoit Mall might be held in the hands of a court decision on Target’s ability to control development around it. The agreement in question grants the Target in Irondequoit broad powers over access, utilities, signage and...
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Rising diesel costs strain school budgets
LOS ANGELES — Soaring diesel prices since the onset of the Iran war are draining already tight school district budgets, making it more expensive to bus students and run generators in a shock officials say they will not be able to afford for...
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Charting his own path
It’s been nearly 1,000 years since King Henry IV stood barefoot in the Italian snow to beg forgiveness after clashes with Pope Gregory VII, and over two centuries since Napoleon imprisoned Pope Pius VII in France. Now, a battle is underway between a...
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ACCESS TO ART
Sometime next year, admission to the Memorial Art Gallery, now $20, will be free for everyone all the time – forever. Gallery officials shared the news May 13. It has not revealed a 2027 start date, saying it will be announced in the coming months....
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Pension changes, taxes dominate negotiations
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced a “general agreement” around the state budget last week, but as she and several state lawmakers have pointed out, many details have yet to be nailed down. As of Thursday, May 7, Hochul said the total budget cost is...
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Redistricting wars in uncharted waters
The redistricting wars are raging. What happens next? ● History provides little guidance, because never before has there been a cross-country campaign to redraw congressional districts at mid-decade and on the fly. But the repercussions, both immediate...
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Iran stalemate crimps global crude supplies
DUBAI – President Donald Trump’s swift rejection of Iran’s response to a U.S. peace proposal has fueled concerns that the 10-week-old conflict will drag on and continue to paralyze shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, pushing oil prices higher, on...
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U.S. sanctions aimed at severing Iran supply line
The Trump administration unveiled new sanctions on May 8 against 10 people and companies in the Middle East, Asia and eastern Europe that are “enabling efforts by Iran’s military to secure weapons,” and U.S. ally Bahrain said on May 9 it had arrested...
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‘ I don’t know where is safe now’ right
Two immigration officers were drawing attention downtown. Did they bring a bigger force with them? And who were they after? ● “ICE on State St in front of Innovative Field 2/12/26 @9:46am.” ● A Rochester Reddit post clocked their appearance. A half...
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LONG, HOT SUMMER AHEAD
Expect sultry heat and an increased risk of severe thunderstorms across much of the nation this summer – including in New York. According to AccuWeather’s long-range summer forecast, most of the United States is expected to see above-average...
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Thruway gets $78M for road upgrades
Gov. Kathy Hochul announced a $78 million investment in four New York State Thruway infrastructure projects spanning the Capital Region, Central New York and the Finger Lakes. The work includes pavement rehabilitation and safety upgrades on heavily...
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Trump allies dominate in Indiana primaries
In Indiana’s May 5 primaries, allies of President Donald Trump annihilated most of the Republican legislators who opposed Trump’s plan to redraw congressional maps for the 2026 midterms. Of the seven GOP incumbent Indiana state senators on the ballot...
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Microplastics may be warming Earth
Two of our planet’s most serious environmental issues —microplastics and global warming — have collided in a new scientific study released May 4. Microplastics are in our oceans and mountains, our food and even our bodies. And now, according to the...
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KEEP IT COOL
It’s the calm before the storm — for the temperature, that is. After an early spring marked by ups and downs in temperature trends, forecasters say much of May will be cooler than normal for most of the country, ahead of what could be a summer of...
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States fighting DOJ over voter data access
Anthony Nel was surprised when his voter registration was revoked in Texas after he cast an early ballot for the November 2025 election. The Denton County resident was born in South Africa in 1996 and became a U.S. citizen in 2013 when his parents were...
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ABOUT YOUR D&C TEAM Telling Rochester’s history through its fire department
We are a mere two months away from America’s semiquincentennial, or 250th birthday. Whatever age you are, wherever you sit on the political spectrum, this is a major milestone for our nation, our communities and ourselves. The Democrat and Chronicle...
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TrumpIRA site offers retirement savings
President Donald Trump signed an executive order on April 30 that will broaden access to retirement savings for workers whose employers don’t offer 401(k)type plans. The order creates a new website, TrumpIRA.gov, that workers can use to enroll in a...
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