Democrat and Chronicle
HUNDREDS RALLY TO BACK JANE DOE
In the middle of Ithaca Commons, hundreds of people gathered to rally in support of Jane Doe, the former Cornell student suing the university and seven members of the Chi Phi fraternity for an alleged gang rape. ● With onlookers hanging on every word,...
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Candidates debate data centers, ICE, energy, economy
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul went head-to-head in a debate with Republican challenger Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman for the first and only time this election cycle on Tuesday, Oct. 13. The two candidates faced off in an hourlong back and forth...
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Federal trial for Buffalo mass shooter underway
Jury selection was set to begin Tuesday, Oct. 13, in the federal death penalty case against Payton Gendron, the White supremacist responsible for a 2022 mass shooting at a Buffalo supermarket. Gendron, 23, has already admitted to state charges of...
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STUDENTS PUSH FOR CHANGE
ITHACA — Raven Schwam-Curtis took a breath, steadying her voice: “I was a freshman. He was an upperclassman. I said no multiple times.” ● About 100 Cornell University students gathered for an Oct. 5 student-led town hall on sexual violence. The meeting...
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With Tyson in tow, Trump rallies Republicans in NY
President Donald Trump rallied New York Republican voters during a Syracuse visit that grabbed some added attention when Trump brought Mike Tyson to the upstate city on Friday, Oct. 9. Before Trump flew in on Air Force One with the former heavyweight...
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ABOUT YOUR D&C TEAM
We live in an era when nearly every election is seen as the ultimate battle for the future of our nation, our state and our communities. Yes, in a democracy, elections are vital to how we are governed and to how our society allocates resources based...
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‘Hello, my name is Jane Doe’
Dozens of people turned out to Washington Square Park in downtown Rochester Oct. 8 wearing identical name tags. “Hello, my name is Jane Doe,” the red and white stickers read. The phrase has become a national rallying cry in the weeks since a former...
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Next steps in Pike case uncertain
With the astonishing news that Christa Pike is conscious, talking and making a “medically unprecedented” recovery following her botched execution, Tennessee is now facing a critical question: Will the state try to kill her again? “Against all odds,...
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Thousands rally as sexual assault case fuels call for change
Just weeks after a former Cornell University student known anonymously as Jane Doe filed a lawsuit against the university and seven former fraternity members, the student community rallied together to call for administrative change. On Oct. 5, Cornell...
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Cornell rarely expels for sexual assault
More than 1,200 incidents of sexual assault, dating and domestic violence and stalking were reported to Cornell University’s Title IX office from 2018 through 2024, USA TODAY found in an exclusive analysis of data the school reported to New York state....
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Soon-to-publish Erie Canal book promises to be treasure
I’m proud to share that a new book on the Erie Canal goes to press soon, a joint effort of the Democrat and Chronicle and Syracuse University’s journalism students. Why publish such a book? you might ask. Well, if you live in Monroe or Orleans or...
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Students describe grief, anger over recent filing
Cornell University students say they have been forced to relive the haunting details of an alleged gang rape on campus two years after stories of the assault first rattled the student body. The recent filing of a Jane Doe lawsuit has challenged the...
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Assembly to revisit NY sex-assault laws
The New York State Assembly is forming a working group to take a closer look at the state’s sexual assault statutes in the wake of the recent filing of a civil lawsuit alleging a gang rape took place inside a fraternity house on Cornell University’s...
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PATCHWORK OF POLICIES
Standing in your local retail store, it can be mindboggling to try to weigh the pros and cons of all the packaging options. Take shampoo, for example. Shampoo can come in a rigid plastic bottle, a flexible squeeze tube, a refillable metal canister or...
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Suit spurs DA to revisit Cornell gang rape case
Facing mounting public pressure and a newly filed civil lawsuit detailing allegations of forced drugging and sexual assault, a Tompkins County prosecutor is reversing course to investigate an alleged 2024 gang rape at a Cornell University fraternity...
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LAKE CONTROVERSY A BOON FOR BUSINESS
Business could never, ever be better than this, thought Matt Saxon during the eclipse of 2024, when lines of customers stretched out the door of his small Irondequoit storefront waiting for his screen-printed T-shirts. But Saxon — and fair to say,...
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How we reported on New York police mental health emergency responses
Police in New York were collecting crucial details about emergency responses to people in mental health crises before protests erupted in 2020 over deaths involving similar cases. But that key policing information had been shrouded in secrecy for...
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U.S., Iran talk deal to reopen Hormuz
U.S. and Iranian negotiators in New York are exploring a phased path out of war that would involve Tehran reopening the Strait of Hormuz and Washington lifting its economic blockade of Iran, sources close to the talks said. The strait has become the...
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Oil slicks a hidden cost of war in Middle East
As hostilities in the Middle East drag on, the trail of damaged or destroyed oil tankers and energy facilities is increasingly raising concerns about the oily mess the war is leaving behind. Scientists using satellite images to monitor the region say...
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Trump still targets Biden amid midterms campaign
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump has invoked former President Joe Biden’s name almost 900 times this year, a Reuters review shows, keeping his predecessor at the center of debate as Republicans fight to keep their fragile grip on Congress in...
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Brooks’ family says fight isn’t over
The family of Robert Brooks promised their fight for justice won’t end with a historic $24 million settlement or the conviction of correctional officers who brutally beat the handcuffed man to death in 2024. ● Their focus now turns to people still...
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How Flyers’ McDonald went from Fairport to the NHL
The sudden resignation of Palmyra’s police chief has sparked speculation and discontent in the small canal-side village. Dozens of residents packed a village board meeting Sept. 14, calling on officials to take accountability for rumors around the...
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DIGITAL DETOX
A trove of recent articles bemoan the collapse in recreational reading among younger Americans, with COVID-19 pandemic-related reading declines, artificial intelligence and social media often described as causes. But as the authors of “How Gen Z...
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ABOUT YOUR D&C TEAM
When I learned that Fulton J. Sheen was going to be beatified, I was puzzled, because most of what I had heard of his time as Rochester’s bishop was about his failed plan to give St. Bridget Church away for affordable housing. But if a man is going to...
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At 91, Bills chaplain comes off sideline
For much of his nearly 67 years as a priest, the Rev. Fran Weldgen stood in front of a couple dozen professional football players in Orchard Park and did what he does best. In this abridged Mass, often held in the linebackers’ room in a nearby...
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Hochul’s love for Buffalo Bills runs deep: ‘This is our year’
Read about the Bills’ home opener Thursday against the Lions during the debut of their new stadium.
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EPA reverses clean-air standards on coal, gas
The Trump administration will roll back regulations aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions at the nation’s fossil fuel–fired power plants, the Environmental Protection Agency said Sept. 14. Limits placed on coal- and gas-fired power plants by...
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Maiorana: Bills, Lions appear ready for shootout
Dan Rosenzweig-Ziff, Brad Heath and Kristina Cooke WASHINGTON — The Trump administration has repeatedly said the fight against sex trafficking is one of its top priorities. But investigations have stalled and prosecutions declined because of staffing...
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UNPLUGGED
When the COVID-19 pandemic forced in-person classroom instruction to go virtual, students suddenly needed to have their own laptops or tablets in order to interact with teachers and complete assignments. Most states used federal pandemic funding to...
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County unveils memorial for first responders of 9/11
Monroe County officials, local first responders and community members gathered Sept. 11 as the county unveiled a 9/11 First Responders Memorial. The event began with a performance of Amazing Grace by the ROC City Guardians Pipes and Drums, followed by...
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Summit focuses on Black travel market
MILWAUKEE – Black Americans spent $145 billion on domestic travel in 2023 alone. But the tourism industry often overlooks this segment of the population, many of whom seek experiences that embrace culture and heritage in safe and welcoming...
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AS HE AIDED A VICTIM, SISTER WAS ON 2ND JET
Ruth Clifford McCourt and her daughter Juliana died on Sept. 11, 2001. They were on United Airlines Flight 175. Ruth Clifford McCourt made a big impression. “She was business-like, she was very professional,” said Nancy King of Webster. “But she was...
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Nordquist defendants are sentenced to life
Applause and cheers filled an Ontario County courtroom Tuesday, Sept. 8, as Precious Arzuaga and Jennifer “Brooklyn” Quijano, two people who admitted to torturing and murdering 24year-old Sam Nordquist in 2025, were sentenced to life in prison without...
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‘TRUMPAPALOOZA’ TO PUSH BRAND
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has a solution for his party’s midterm woes as Republicans struggle to match Democrats’ election enthusiasm and face major headwinds to keep control of Congress: More Trump. It’s almost time for “Trumpapalooza,”...
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PILOT’S STORY TO FLY ANEW
Tucked in the back corner of the National Warplane Museum, work is underway to restore a piece of local and national aviation history. ● In the back of the museum’s hangar, an AT-6 Texan has most of its body panels removed. Hand tools and some wiring...
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Could Ontario County, with its history, be renamed, too?
If ever there were a time to change the name of Lake Ontario, it might have been during the War of 1812, a military conflict between Great Britain and the upstart United States that, two years into the fighting, saw the White House set aflame. The...
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ABOUT YOUR D&C TEAM
On a recent afternoon, five retired members of the New York City Fire Department gathered for lunch at O’Hara’s Pub, located half a block from the 9/11 Memorial in lower Manhattan. O’Hara’s, which suffered extensive damage when the Twin Towers...
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402 NY districts adding pre-K seats
The Western New York and Mid-Hudson regions’ school districts will see some of the largest gains in free pre-K seats through funding approved in this year’s state budget, according to Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office. ● More than half of all public school...
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U.S. to NATO allies: Prepare for attack
BRUSSELS – Russian President Vladimir Putin may not be planning an imminent assault on NATO nations, but the United States says its military allies need to train and invest like he is, so they’re ready to fend off a sudden attack. ● After leaked U.S....
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U.S. and Iran trade fire in fiercest battle since July
WASHINGTON — Iranians and their Arab neighbors feared a return of war Sept. 2 after the biggest exchange of fire between Tehran and Washington since July, with U.S. forces striking Iran’s southern coast and Iran firing at American bases across the...
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AIRPORT EXPANDS PLAY AREA
The Frederick Douglass Greater Rochester International Airport recently unveiled an expanded Strong National Museum of Play exhibit area in Concourse A. The play area, located in Concourse A next to the Flight Deck Diner, now provides more than 1,000...
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Medina hosts art show
When people think of an international art exhibition, they probably don’t picture a village of about 6,000 people. But Medina, halfway between Rochester and Buffalo, is exactly where organizers wanted one. On purpose. ● The Medina Triennial, a...
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Trump learning hard lessons in Iran
The twists and turns of the Iran war, six months in, should come as no surprise. President Donald Trump is just the latest commander-in-chief to see the vision of a decisive military campaign risk becoming a longer and more complicated conflict − one...
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If it’s local you want, we’ve got it.
Our Sunday refresh offers more local news and sports, as well as “Weekend Exclusive” content to help you navigate your lives. So enjoy your Sunday reading filled with stories that will inspire, educate, inform and entertain you. FOR THE LATEST LOCAL...
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Lake Ontario to Lake America
New York officials are reacting to President Donald Trump’s executive order directing the federal government to rename Lake Ontario as “Lake America.” ● Trump signed the order Aug. 27 in the Oval Office as trade tensions between the United States and...
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NY economy taking hit from Canada trade war
New York’s economy is taking a hit in the escalating trade war between the United States and Canada, causing red flags to be raised by New York City’s hotel industry and generating increased efforts by the state to draw in more Canadian tourists. Data...
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Dolly touched lives in Rochester
Dolly Parton was born in 1946 in rural Locust Ridge, Tennessee, to Avie Lee and Robert Lee Parton, the fourth of 12 children. The family lived in extreme poverty in a two-room cabin that didn’t have electricity or running water. It was among the many...
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New name floated for Lake Ontario
President Donald Trump said Aug. 25 that the United States is considering renaming Lake Ontario. ● Trump shared his proposal in the morning on Truth Social, saying the United States is “giving serious consideration” to changing the lake’s name to “Lake...
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Navy families irate at Trump comments
A senior Navy machinist aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln pinged a family group chat in early May, asking her sister and mother whether they’d taken time off to be at her son’s graduation at Morehouse College. Getting the 22-year-old kinesiology major...
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Evergreen East rises from Perinton fire
Four years after a fire displaced dozens of residents and raised questions about the future of one of Monroe County’s largest affordable housing communities, Evergreen East has completed an $86 million transformation that secures its affordability for...
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Rochesterians eat up coverage of region’s lively food-drink scene
One thing is reliably clear when studying online readership patterns at democratandchronicle.com: We Rochesterians love us our food and our drink. That became evident yet again in late July, when food and drink reporter Tracy Schuhmacher featured the...
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LICENSE TO SPEED?
A new national study from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety highlights a growing acceptance of speeding among American drivers and explores how risky driving behaviors continue to impact public safety and communities. The August 2026 report shows...
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Film brings focus on other Revolutionaries
It’s a part of our Revolutionary history that few Americans know. ● Two hundred fifty years ago, hundreds of enslaved Black men and women joined the fight on either side of the war, as the British and Colonial armies opened their ranks in exchange for...
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SPORTS, 1C
Kayla Canne and Kerria Weaver A man’s death after falling from a third-story window at Waterview Heights has increased scrutiny of the nursing home as regulators race to relocate residents ahead of the facility’s forced closure next week. The 229-bed...
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DOJ pressed, dropped officer assault cases
Christian Garcia admits that he threw a water bottle toward officers guarding a federal building near Los Angeles during an immigration protest last summer. ● The plastic bottle was empty, he said, and hit no one but Garcia himself — the wind blew it...
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Trail of Tears
NEW ECHOTA, GA — Horror lingers in the knotted sweet gum and bent magnolia trees. To stand here is to feel shock, cruelty and despair emanating from the red clay of north Georgia. Blood is as much a part of this landscape as the honeysuckle...
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4th defendant admits guilt in Nordquist case
A fourth defendant charged in connection with the torture and killing of 24-year-old Sam Nordquist has pleaded guilty. Kyle Sage, 35, pleaded guilty Aug. 14 in Ontario County Court to second-degree murder and second-degree kidnapping in connection...
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ABOUT YOUR D&C TEAM D&C ready for football, all sports
The term “Play ball!” might be the most succinct of calls to excite a sport’s fan base, but that magical clarion call from a baseball umpire doesn’t hold a candle to certain words meant to excite fans of a different sport. And those words are? “Are...
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Blakeman now firmly in Constantino’s corner
On a Sunday afternoon inside a banquet hall overlooking the sparkling Great Sacandaga Lake in Mayfield, New York, several hundred supporters of Republican candidates vying for varying positions across the state joined together in song. Led by Fulton...
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‘THESE PEOPLE KNOW HIM’
Tuesday, August 11, 2026. Chris Wells is in the house, just as he been in the house 999 times before. ● The house in this case is ESL Ballpark, the home of the Rochester Red Wings, who are taking on the Charlotte Knights. ● It’s a perfect night for...
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NYC’s pied-à-terre tax awaits ruling
Since being announced in April, New York City’s new pied-à-terre tax has received praise and scrutiny. Now, it’s getting legal attention. Pied-à-terre, French for “foot on the ground,” means a secondary home or residence. The tax plans to annually...
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Iconic high-rise has new owner
A Rochester landmark anchoring downtown’s Four Corners has been sold. First Federal Plaza, a 383,634-squarefoot high-rise at 26-28 E. Main St. topped by a flying saucer-shaped penthouse, has been purchased by Excelsior Communities, the company...
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Sexual assault survivor faces 20 years of pain
MERRITT ISLAND, FL —For nearly a decade, Karin Morel has kept an unsent letter addressed to the man she said sexually assaulted her after a night at a beachside bar in 2004. She titled it “My Mistake.” For years, Morel believed her mistake had been...
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Rochester reels after back-to-back killings
Two balloons stood out from the rest as hundreds of light pink hearts floated above North Clinton Avenue on the evening of Aug. 6: The numbers 1 and 4 were stretched into gold foil pillows. Fourteen. That’s how old Zah’nia Barr was when someone fired...
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ABOUT YOUR D&C TEAM Farm market fire resonates with people all across region
The Bauman’s farm market fire in Penfield last month prompted a flood of memories for many of us. Some of my most vivid childhood memories involve riding in the back of my parents’ Chevrolet station wagon from Perinton along Five Mile Line Road on...
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Lawsuit seeks to halt Micron’s $100B project
Residents living near the future home of Micron’s chip manufacturing hub in the Syracuse suburb of Clay are suing the tech giant and the state of New York, claiming the project poses a threat to the region’s air and water quality. The lawsuit filed by...
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NY congressman talks ICE facility conditions
Just a day before a high-profile death in a federal detention center in New Jersey, New York U.S. Rep. George Latimer had walked the corridors of that very facility to see firsthand how immigrant detainees are treated in Delaney Hall. ● The Westchester...
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Progressive El-Sayed wins Michigan Senate primary
Progressive Abdul El-Sayed defeated moderate Rep. Haley Stevens for the Democratic nomination for Senate in Michigan, NBC News and Decision Desk HQ projected, a major victory for the Democratic Party’s left wing in one of the most pivotal races of the...
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A year after fire, Grand Canyon starts to recover
GRAND CANYON NORTH RIM, AZ — Ranger Matt Baldwin left two aspiring junior rangers at the information booth window and trotted to a white government pickup to retrieve his signature wide-brimmed hat. There was no line of visitors behind the kids...
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Primary wins, GOP attacks draw attention to the left
Ahead of a challenging midterm election, Republicans have seized an opportunity to castigate their opponents as extremists after democratic socialists won Democratic congressional primaries in New York City, Colorado and Washington, DC. ● GOP leaders...
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Homelessness rises by 13.1% in Monroe County
New York’s homeless population has grown in communities outside New York City, including a 13.1% increase in Rochester, Irondequoit and Greece in Monroe County, despite a statewide decline, a new report from the New York State Comptroller’s Office...
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When shopping centers change, that reflects in all of our lives
I recall going with my parents in the early 1980s to the Sibley’s department store at Marketplace Mall to be fitted for a job interview suit. At that time, Marketplace in Henrietta was the “it mall.” The place was always jam-packed, it felt new and...
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Tenants rally, protest apartment conditions
Residents of buildings operated by one of Rochester’s largest landlords, Conifer Realty, rallied outside the company’s University Avenue office on Thursday, demanding action after city inspectors documented hundreds of code violations, many of which...
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GOP lawmakers seize on Fauci diary entries
Republican lawmakers have seized upon Dr. Anthony Fauci’s personal diary in making renewed attacks against the immunologist who became the public face of the nation’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic – most recently, upbraiding him at a July 29 Senate...
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