WXXI Daily News

A local member of Congress says he is happy that a federal government shutdown was averted over the weekend, the search for a missing 9-year-old girl who had been camping with her family in upstate New York continues, and Monroe High School in Rochester is celebrating its centennial.

A man shot by a Rochester police officer on Monday night allegedly tackled and beat the officer before fighting him for his handgun, an administrative law judge has ruled that Grenitch Generation's crypto mining operation near Seneca Lake interferes with emission limits set forth in New York's climate law, and a recent report by AARP shows the number of older adults living in poverty in Rochester increased 70 percent over a 10-year period.

Unionized actors have voted to potentially expand their ongoing strike to include the lucrative video game market, Rochester Mayor Malik Evans is once again calling on parents to be aware of where their children are, and what they're doing, especially late at night, and leaders in the city of Rochester and its police department are getting behind a new police re-organization plan.

A looming federal government shutdown could stall New York State's ongoing efforts to deal with the migrant crisis, owners of a former hotel in downtown Rochester are making a last-minute pitch to save the property from demolition, and a statewide coalition calling for equitable access to quality childcare for all children in New York says it starts with paying a living wage for workers in the field.

Rochester public health icon Rosa Wims has died, the Monroe County Republican Committee has a new chair: Brighton GOP leader Patrick Reilly, and a political scientist at the University of Rochester warns that the war in Ukraine is likely to last through next year and beyond.

A new exhibit at Rochester's Strong Museum of Play delves into the world of dolls while addressing the enduring presence of racism in America, Monroe Community College has a significant increase in student enrollment for this fall semester, and a weekend event in Rochester brought attention to the life and death of Daniel Prude.

Local organizations have produced a report to address the health and wellbeing of older adults, a growing market for electricians spurs a new training center in Henrietta, and the attorney general's office has sent a cease-and-desist letter to a group accused of voter intimidation.

The Greece Central School District is joining a national legal fight to hold social media companies responsible for student struggles with mental health, city funding for downtown and other neighborhood ambassadors is on hold as Rochester City Council seeks more clarity from the Evans administration, and Governor Kathy Hochul signed a slate of bills that expand voting access across the state.

A local hospital says they're seeing increased hospital rates due to new COVID-19 variants, the University of Rochester will be receiving millions of dollars in federal funding to research how to treat and prevent child abuse, and the City of Rochester has ordered the closure a unlicensed nightclub that was the scene of a shooting in the early morning hours of September 16.

Local Jewish leaders are speaking out after several anti-Semitic incidents over Rosh Hashana weekend, the president of the Rochester Teachers Association says concerns about safety have led to a record number of teacher resignations, and we visit a farm sanctuary in Watkins Glen.

A Rochester woman who has been dedicated to community work for decades is getting a top honor this week, New York state has to tell job seekers what a position pays when they advertise open jobs starting this week, and the union representing striking auto workers is describing its latest talks with Ford as reasonably productive.

Families in the Rochester city school district have mixed feelings about plans to close some schools and move others, New York's Cannabis Control Board has passed regulations that will open the adult-use permitting process to the general public on October 4th, and more than a dozen community members staged a protest in Syracuse after two teenagers were shot and killed by a deputy last week.

Families in the Rochester City School District are facing a host of changes next school year, the National Toy Hall of Fame at the Strong Museum in Rochester has announced the 12 finalists being considered for induction this year, and the head of the State University of New York says the fall semester has gotten off to a great start.

The Rochester City School District may close 5 school buildings and about a dozen schools next school year, the town of Brighton is working on connecting a series of bike trails and walkways between three major colleges in the area, and a new COVID-19 vaccine is expected to be available as soon as this week now that the FDA and the CDC have given their approval.

The NYS education department started off the school year talking about the science of reading on Monday; Hundreds of local General Motors employees are ready to strike if the UAW decides to stage a walkout; and a crushing OT defeat for the Buffalo Bills who were beat by the Jets in Monday Night Football.

Dozens of firefighters and other first responders took part in a special 9/11 remembrance event at Innovative Field in downtown Rochester on Sunday, a financial debacle that battered the Rochester City School District 4 years ago continues to dog City Hall, and despite the clouds and some rain over the weekend, a number of people came out to one of Rochester's oldest festivals.

The state's new ethics commission is debating the language proposed in its code of conduct, the governor says she's working on a strategy to deal with recent car thefts, and the State Senate's first public hearing on the rollout of recreational cannabis is scheduled to take place the end of October.

Mayor Malik Evans is cracking down on landlords renting properties without a certificate of occupancy, the Rochester City School District and Monroe 2 Orleans BOCES are in line for millions of dollars in funding under the Empire State Teacher Residency Program, and a downtown Rochester ambassador program could be moving forward with money from City Hall.

The National Weather Service has issued a heat advisory again today for Rochester and Western New York, the state is making COVID test kits available to schools as kids go back this week and cases are on the rise, and workforce development is growing in a market that's short on labor but flush with cash.

Renovations of a significant building on West Main Street in Rochester are finally underway, a new tool aims to use data to create a more equitable prosecutors office, and recent labor victories were a theme at this year's Labor Day parade in Rochester.

A rise in car thefts this summer has sparked debate about how to deal with young teenagers who are accused of crimes; the Rochester City School District is facing another teacher shortage, particularly in the area of bilingual education; AAA and local law enforcement are sharing the same message this week — school will open soon, so drive carefully; the city of Rochester is seeking to make its last standing cobblestone house a historical landmark; and as of Friday, New York state's cigarette tax is the highest in the nation.

Four agencies have collaborated on a local effort to get more people of color with developmental disabilities to live independently; the top leader at Lollypop Farm says discussions are ongoing among that organization and other groups about the need to address the impending loss of a local emergency veterinary practice; and Monroe County is offering all suburban school districts an opportunity to join the county's BusPatrol program.

New York state health officials are on the lookout for a new COVID-19 variant circulating in some parts of the country; New York authorities are issuing guidance to schools across the state reminding them that all students DO have a right to a public school education; and the Village of Fairport is expanding a program for residents who want to reopen their enclosed porches.

The first legal cannabis shop in Rochester is slated to open its doors this week; a civil rights lawyer representing survivors and families of the Buffalo mass shooting last year reacts to last weekend's racist shooting in Florida; and there are some corporate changes in the works for the owners of the Buffalo Bills and Buffalo Sabres.

A demolition hearing has been set for a blighted and barricaded building in downtown Rochester, NBA championship basketball player and Rochester native Thomas Bryant held his annual free basketball camp over the weekend at the Boys and Girls Clubs of Rochester, and repair work continues in Irondequoit where a car fell into a sinkhole a week and a half ago.

Rochester area pet owners have been dealt another blow with the closing of a local emergency animal hospital, a new report from The Children's Agenda shows that thousands of Rochester City School District students experienced housing instability over the last two years, and people who have court appearances at the Monroe County Hall of Justice are finding assistance just outside the courtroom doors.

The Rochester-Monroe Anti-Poverty Initiative is changing its public goals after nearly a decade of work, Rochester's last remaining cobblestone building may be demolished to make way for a parking lot, and relief workers continue to pour into Hawaii after a deadly wildfire ravaged parts of Maui.

The Monroe County Legislature is considering a proposal that sponsors say would strengthen and modernize county laws regulating pawn shops and similar businesses, the Auditorium Theatre is now known as the "West Herr Auditorium Theatre and Performing Arts Center,” and the New York State Fair season begins today near Syracuse and there are some new features this year.

New York state is spending 20 million dollars to speed up the casework filing process for more than 30,000 asylum-seekers in New York City, the Gates Chili School District is offering free meals for all students this upcoming school year, and a state judge has dismissed a lawsuit that sought to nullify the appointment of Julie Cianca to lead the Monroe County Public Defender's Office.

The first of four major environmental cleanups for a proposed High Falls State Park is underway, artificial intelligence robots are the newest companions for older New Yorkers, and the Environmental Protection Agency has scheduled a virtual public hearing this week as it seeks public input on a Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.

Repair work continues at the site of a large sinkhole on Saint Paul Boulevard in Irondequoit, there's a push to have Rochester join forces with Syracuse and Buffalo to get a federal designation as a “Tech Hub,” and a new blueprint to end homelessness in Monroe County could set up an early budget fight.

New York state's health commissioner is offering guidance on how to deal with new COVID-19 strains that are emerging this summer, New York National Guard members are expected to arrive Friday at the downtown Holiday Inn on State Street, and a section of Saint Paul Boulevard in Irondequoit remains closed while crews work to repair a large sink hole that opened up on Wednesday morning.

New York state Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie says it's up to the federal government to provide direction and funds to ease New York's migrant crisis, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration kicks off its “Drive Sober” campaign, and local libraries face ongoing challenges over the books on their shelves.

Research out of Albany indicates the presence of school resource officers may increase the number of gun-related incidents, a local post office has been renamed to honor late Congresswoman Louise Slaughter, and more than a quarter of the 77 migrants who were bused to Rochester from New York City last week have gone back - claiming they were misled.

The governor's statewide Hate and Bias Prevention Unit is moving forward with the creation of 10 regional councils, a new state audit says parks across New York need improvements to remove barriers for people with disabilities, and a group of residents is working to “re-wild” a 100-acre park in Rush.

The company hired to provide care and services to migrants bused to Rochester and other upstate cities is accused of mistreating those in their charge, Eastman Kodak this week reported an increase in profits but a drop in revenues, and the International Toy Research Association is holding its world conference at the Strong Museum of Play this week.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is promoting a new bill that aims to tackle the country's fentanyl crisis, the Buffalo Bills are already facing a budget shortfall just three months since construction began on their new stadium, and a federal lawsuit alleges the University of Rochester was "negligent and reckless” in its handling of student and employee records leading to a massive data breach in May.

Monroe County receives 77 migrants bused from New York City, a second person has died from his injuries in a series of shootings on North Clinton Avenue early Saturday morning, and Rochester General Hospital and its nurses' union have scheduled a new bargaining session on Friday.

A local health center is doing its part to provide people who are homeless with a variety of free services, 77 asylum seekers arrived last night from New York City and were placed in a local hotel, and a federal lawsuit alleges Greece Town Supervisor Bill Reilich used a town employee for unpaid labor at his hot rod side business.

Rochester's longstanding annual Puerto Rican Parade was canceled on Saturday due to two separate shootings, New York state regulators are reviewing health insurance rate increases proposed by a number of companies, and hundreds of people attended the Annual Front Porch Festival at the Anthony Jordan Health Center in Rochester over the weekend.

Open Door Mission is expanding into a fourth building downtown, hundreds of nurses and supporters picketed on the sidewalk in front of Rochester General Hospital demanding safer working conditions and better wages, and state health officials have reported an uptick in reported COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations over the past week. But the numbers are nowhere near what the were during the pandemic.

The Rochester Museum and Science Center is repatriating Indigenous remains that had been part if its collection, the strike is on for union nurses at Rochester General Hospital, and the New York State Department of Health is reporting an increase in COVID-19 hospital admissions.

Dozens of people who are temporarily housed at a local motel will need a new place to live, a disease outbreak late last month forced Rochester Animal Services to close its Verona Street shelter to the public, and teachers are debating how to prepare for an increase in students using artificial intelligence to write their papers or perform their tasks.

Gas prices have risen sharply in the last week, nurses at Rochester General Hospital say they have reached a breaking point and are ready to strike, and Monroe County has expanded eligibility for arts groups to apply for funding.

More job opportunities in the cannabis industry are expected to emerge, Foodlink's Curbside Market is celebrating ten years of bringing fresh and affordable food to Rochester neighborhoods, and Regina Spektor plays a solo show tomorrow night at Rochester's Kodak Center.

The Rochester Police Department says cars and property are safer when there is a crowd in well-lit areas, new owners of CityGate plaza are looking to restart the long-stalled development that is home to Costco on Rochester's southside, and the Syracuse Catholic Diocese will pay 100-million dollars to hundreds of survivors of sexual abuse.

A local philanthropist with deep ties to Rochester is now being celebrated in a new biography on her life and legacy, Stefon Diggs is reassuring but short on specifics in saying he and the Buffalo Bills are back on the same page as training camp opened in Pittsford yesterday, and the new executive director of the Father Tracy Advocacy Center in Rochester is working on a plan to reduce drug dealing on North Clinton Avenue.

A SUNY-ESF expert says recent “unprecedented” weather trends like air pollution and flash flooding are our new normal, there are places people in Rochester can go to get some relief from the heat, and the University of Rochester are offering an update on a cybersecurity attack that was first reported in early June.

The quarter honoring Oswego native Dr. Mary Edwards Walker now has an official face, an extended-stay hotel is being proposed along Elmwood Avenue in Rochester, and after Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin's heart stopped on the field last season many people in Western New York are still interested in learning how to administer CPR.

Rochester Mayor Malik Evans and Police Chief David Smith say there will be extra police presence in parts of the Jefferson Avenue neighborhood on the southwest side in the coming days, federal help is on the way to parts of New York affected by flooding earlier this month, and small team of city ambassadors or guides could begin fanning out across downtown Rochester by early fall.

Nurses at Rochester General Hospital have voted to authorize a two-day strike, a vessel called "the Golden Rule" will be at the Port of Rochester for the next few days to raise awareness about the growing danger of nuclear war, and the annual Grassroots Festival of Music and Dance is underway.