Democrat and Chronicle
SOCIAL MEDIA MOSTLY UNPOLICED
As the historic social justice movement gripped the nation in 2020, Sgt. Ferdinando “Fred” Pacicca III and his fellow Rome police officers were dispatched to a Black Lives Matter protest in a small city in upstate New York. It wasn’t long before...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Baby reindeer Odin is here!
It literally was a dark and stormy night when baby Odin joined the reindeer herd at Shortsville Reindeer Farm. ● A fuzzy, cuddly, dark brown Odin came into the world the night of March 31, weighing 10.5 pounds. Odin arrived nearly a year after another...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Can Masters rookie win green jacket for 1st time since ’79?
The cost of gas is still rising, and as Veo returns to Rochester, a businesswide survey revealed that residents nationwide are increasingly choosing ebikes and scooters over their own cars this spring. According to AAA data released on Monday, April...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Shareholders seek clearer info on water use and climate risks
LONDON – Amazon, Microsoft and Alphabet’s Google have each recently abandoned construction of multibillion-dollar data centers over community opposition and now the companies are coming under shareholder pressure over the environmental impact of their...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Image gives astronauts new perspective on life
As the four astronauts on the 10-day Artemis II mission around the moon got their first clear glimpse of Earth, the view of their home planet in the distance stopped them in their tracks. They captured a remarkable photo of Earth from the first crewed...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Public defender shortage ripples across legal system
The Oregon Supreme Court on Feb. 5 issued a ruling that will have a wide impact. More than 1,400 criminal cases had to be dismissed, the justices ruled, due to lack of adequate counsel available for defendants. Like other states, Oregon must provide...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
On Easter, remembering the deep roots of faith communities
Government websites contain vast amounts of fascinating data, some quite relevant to our lives and some existing simply for the curious. On the U.S. Census website, there is a page listing the date of Easter every year from 1600 until 2099. Really,...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
High court debates birthright citizenship
WASHINGTON − President Donald Trump’s effort to redefine who is an American did not get the quick rejection from the Supreme Court that many expected going into the April 1 oral arguments, but key conservative justices seemed skeptical of the...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Trump: Victory at hand in Iran war ‘very shortly’
On Day 33 of the war with Iran, President Donald Trump declared victory was at hand. Almost. In a prime-time address from the White House on April 1, Trump extolled what he called “swift, decisive, overwhelming victories on the battlefield” −...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
NY cities shatter snowfall totals after brutal winter Rochester stands as state’s second snowiest city with 113.8 inches
This winter has been a doozy throughout the Empire State. Two feet of snow on a single day in Syracuse in December, a string of extreme cold temperatures throughout upstate New York and a bona fide blizzard that brought Long Island, New York City and...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Privatizing space brings COMPLICATIONS
Private companies are no longer peripheral participants in U.S. space activities. They provide key services, including launching and deploying satellites, transporting cargo and astronauts to the International Space Station, and even sending landers to...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Rochester protest brings 1,000-plus
More than 100 No Kings protests were held across New York on March 28, with thousands more taking place nationwide, as demonstrators pushed back against actions by the Trump administration. The coordinated effort marked the first of its kind in 2026,...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Albany revisits long fight over wine access
Beer and pretzels may go together like wine and cheese. But not in New York where you can buy beer with your pretzels but wine – that’s another story. If you’re looking for the perfect food pairing for that bottle of Riesling you picked up, you’ll...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
COST OF CRISIS
In just seven pages, the nonprofit that oversees New York’s electric grid offers up a thorough, if alarming, take on an issue confronting ratepayers statewide. ● Why are my electric bills so high? ● “Fuel cost volatility, increasing demand due to...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
U.S. weighs sending 10K more troops to Mideast
The Pentagon is weighing sending an additional 10,000 troops to the Middle East as the war with Iran rages, multiple news outlets reported. It remained unclear when a decision will be made on whether to send the additional combat soldiers, according...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Outdoor light fixtures would need to be shielded
New Yorkers could more easily see the stars in their backyards if a bill aiming to reduce artificial lighting at night across the state gets approved. ● Assembly member Deborah Glick, D-Manhattan, has proposed regulating outdoor lighting by requiring...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
‘FAILURE ON OUR PART’
MILWAUKEE – In June 2023, a 13-year-old Wisconsin girl for the first time entered a website known for videos and images depicting publicized death, torture and rape. Eighteen months later, she committed the deadliest school shooting in state history...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Marketplace Mall gets new purpose
The Marketplace Mall in Henrietta is opening the door to a major redevelopment focused on education and health care after closing its interior stores Dec. 31. On March 20, Gov. Kathy Hochul and billionaire entrepreneur and philanthropist Tom Golisano...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
2 pilots die after jet hits fire truck at LaGuardia
Two pilots were dead, dozens of people were injured, and New York City’s LaGuardia Airport was closed March 23 after an Air Canada Express jet hit a fire truck on a runway there late March 22, officials said. An Air Canada Express CRJ-900 plane was...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Movement fights mental health crisis
Jayla Cole never experienced the carefree teenage years. She could not get a driver’s license because of epilepsy and frequent seizures. She didn’t want to take photos or selfies because Bell’s palsy left her with facial paralysis – a twisted smile...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
SHIELDED FROM CONSEQUENCE
Around New York, police officers who have been stripped of their badges are getting hired by other departments despite laws intended to prevent them from doing just that
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Henrietta advances housing plan near former Delphi site
A 300-unit multifamily housing development in Henrietta was approved by the town’s Planning Board on March 17. The Delphi Housing Development plans call for construction of five 40unit apartment buildings and 10 10-unit townhome buildings near the...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Gas prices surge amid escalations in Iran war
Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth wants billions more from Congress to fund the war with Iran as gas prices hit $3.90 a gallon nationwide and global oil prices surged amid the continued closure of the Strait of Hormuz. The national average price per gallon...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
You can help vet police recruits
The city of Rochester is looking for volunteers to help vet police candidates. Since 2022, city officials and the United Christian Leadership Ministry have organized citizen-led panels to interview police recruits about their opinions on policing,...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
REQUESTS BEGIN FOR TRUMP DOCS On Jan. 20, five years to the day after Trump first left office, the National Archives started taking requests for records from Trump’s first term in office. More than 200 requesters got in line that day.
Reporters want to know what the president was first told about COVID-19, researchers want to know more about Jan. 6 riot text messages and others want to see who held the president’s ear. On Jan. 20, five years to the day after Trump first left...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
RUNNING GROUP HONORS WWII VET
CANANDAIGUA — Back in January, when ultra runner Noah Coughlan passed through the Finger Lakes region on his “Run for America: A Tribute to the American People,” he met 104-year-old Eugene “Gene” Gerrard. Gerrard, of Canandaigua, a Brooklyn native and...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
SYRUP SEASON
More than 60 maple producers across western New York will open their doors to visitors curious about how the sweet treat comes to be. Maple Weekend includes two weekends, March 21-22 and 28-29, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. with exceptions noted by...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Deliciously GERMAN
Swan Market is already a beloved Rochester institution. But now? It’s made national news. According to USA TODAY’s 2026 Restaurants of the Year list, the local landmark is one of the top 39 places to eat in America. Food writers across the country...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
50 YEARS OF LOVE, LOSS AND LOYALTY
Attend the St. Patrick’s Day parade in downtown Rochester and one of the many festive floats you’ll spot is one based on a wooden boat riding atop a trailer; it proudly represents Carroll’s Bar and Restaurant on East Main Street. But Carroll family...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Rochester has No. 2 flower fest in U.S.
Rochester’s annual Lilac Festival has been named among the best flower festivals in the nation in the latest USA TODAY Readers’ Choice poll. The festival landed second on the list of the country’s best flower festivals. ● The 2026 USA TODAY 10Best...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Assembly Democrats eye utility refunds up to $500
Millions of New Yorkers could receive up to $500 in refunds on rising gas and electric bills under a measure proposed by Assembly Democrats. Households with incomes under $150,000 would get a rebate check for $500 while those earning between $150,000...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Rochester bridges, roads may see boost
Rochester may see an increase in funding as Gov. Kathy Hochul outlines plans for the state’s executive budget for the 2027 fiscal year. Hochul proposes a $260 billion budget, while prioritizing the state’s reserves, currently at $14.6 billion for...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Tehran retaliates after leader killed in strikes
Three U.S. service members were killed amid the ongoing conflict in Iran and five were seriously wounded, according to American military officials. “Several others sustained minor shrapnel injuries and concussions – and are in the process of being...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
ATTACK ON IRAN
The United States launched military strikes and “major combat operations” against Iran on Feb. 28, President Donald Trump said, targeting the country’s missile capabilities. “Our objective is to defend the American people by eliminating imminent...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Greece native’s death shocked communities
e still has a locker at the Horseheads state police barracks, even though it has been two decades since state Trooper Andrew J. Sperr last used it. ● The Greece native, a 1991 graduate of Aquinas Institute, once utilized that locker to store his...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Restaurant founder stuck in ICE detention
The founder of a well-known Mexican restaurant in Rochester will remain in ICE custody until his appeal for asylum is decided. His case reflects the latest debate over whether thousands of people picked up in the Trump administration’s crackdown on...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Trump touts economic gains
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump declared the country is booming, his opponents are “crazy” and his administration is engaged in unprecedented levels of “winning” in a marathon State of the Union address that comes as polls showed deep skepticism of...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Full effects of DOGE may never be known
Billionaire Elon Musk appeared at a White House news conference Feb. 11, 2025, defending plans to cut “waste” in the federal government with the Department of Government Efficiency. Though the fanfare over DOGE has faded, hundreds of lawsuits continue...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Fed minutes show officials dealing with policy split
WASHINGTON — Federal Reserve policymakers were in near-unanimous agreement to keep interest rates on hold at their January meeting but remained split over their next steps, with “several” open to rate hikes if inflation remains elevated, others...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Judges harshly criticize ICE in recent rulings
WASHINGTON – A striking trend is unfolding at federal courthouses across the nation: Judges appointed by presidents from both parties are issuing uncharacteristically scathing rebukes of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. Since...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
CHANGING OF THE GUARD
Months after Democrats flipped a stretch of Monroe County suburbs in the fall elections, the early question isn’t whether the political map has shifted — it has — it’s whether any of that change shows up in day-to-day work of town governments. That is...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
SNOW SCULPTURES TURNING HEADS
CANANDAIGUA – When wintertime hits Canandaigua, you can expect four things: snow, cold, gray and Iveta Buck’s elaborate and beautiful snow sculptures. This winter is no exception on all accounts. “Everyone is complaining about the cold and snow,”...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Election security chief pushed false claims in 2020
WASHINGTON – As President Donald Trump ramps up his interest in taking federal control of the November 2026 elections, he’s tapped one of the lawyers who worked on his efforts to overturn the 2020 election to be his administration’s “director of...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Does dirty snow alter winter ecosystems?
With so much snow on the ground — and much of sticking around from previous storms — a lot of what’s out there is a slushy brown, black or worse. New research has learned more about the environmental implications of that darkened snow. And previous...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
FBI won’t share evidence about Pretti shooting
The FBI notified Minnesota state investigators that it will not share information or evidence related to the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by federal officers in Minneapolis, the state’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension said in a Feb. 16 statement.
Read Full Story (Page 1)
ICE DEATHS PROTESTED
The ratatat-tat of a snare drum set the backdrop as dozens of protesters readied themselves to march toward an ICE detention center in Batavia on Feb. 15 in support of the people locked inside, awaiting immigration hearings or deportations. Sean...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
WINTER WALLOP
New York’s winter snowfall totals continue to climb, with several cities nearing – or surpassing – their seasonal averages. ● Rochester has officially surpassed the 100-inch mark for the 2025-26 winter season, according to the National Weather Service...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Melissa and Jason’s lasting legacy
Along a stone dust trail that follows the Erie Canal in Pittsford, near the calm water and shady trees, is a railroad bridge. Just underneath it sits a rock wall and a metal plaque. ● Both the marker sticking up from the ground and some writing on the...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
New York Times finds internal system in NY downplayed abuses and unevenly punished cases
Sammy Sussman pored over thousands of State Police disciplinary records of active and recently retired officers to report this article, which is part of a series by The New York Times’ Local Investigations Fellowship. An investigator with the New York...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Student informants spur academic freedom debate
Texas A&M University told philosophy professor Martin Peterson in early January that he could not teach some of Greek philosopher Plato’s writings that touch on “race and gender ideology.” The university’s local chapter of the American Association of...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
HOMELESS CRISIS RISING
A 390-page report was released Feb. 9 by Rochester City Council President Miguel A. Meléndez Jr. detailing the region’s approach to homelessness and ideas on a better system to combat the issue. The report hopes to change the region’s approach to...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
ARRESTS STOKE FEAR IN IMMIGRANT HUB
Oto ne of the first to go was Milton Guamarrigra, a father and volunteer firefighter who had lived in Port Chester for more than two decades, raised three kids there and saved enough finally own a home. ● The American dream he thought he’d achieved...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Trump actions worry free-speech advocates Analysis: Searches, lawsuits against journalists spur fears of autocracy
The FBI search of a Washington Post reporter’s home Jan. 14 was a rare and intimidating move by an administration focused on repressing criticism and dissent. In its story about the search at Hannah Natanson’s home, at which FBI agents said they were...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
POWER PROBLEMS
Over 400,000 households in New York had their gas or electric service shut off for failing to pay their bills last year, surpassing levels from the Great Recession, state records show. Year-end totals tallied by the state Public Service Commission show...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
A CUT ABOVE
After wrapping our roundup of the region’s must-visit dive bars late last year, USA TODAY Co.’s food and drink writers in the Northeast, including the Democrat and Chronicle’s Tracy Schuhmacher, sharpened their knives and dug into the best steakhouses...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
BAD PAVEMENT COSTS DRIVERS
Transportation research organization, TRIP, reports that Rochester drivers lose over $2,000 per year due to poor road conditions and a lack of safety features. Based in Washington, DC, TRIP is a private, nonprofit organization that analyzes and...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
U.S.-Russia nuclear treaty comes to end
WASHINGTON – A 15-year-old treaty that restricted how many nuclear weapons the United States and Russia can maintain has come to an end, as experts warn that no new agreement could portend a new arms race not seen since the Cold War. The New START...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Note to readers
Due to severe winter weather, you may experience delivery changes of your printed newspaper. Delivery of some editions might be delayed until road conditions are deemed safe. Visit us online at democratandchronicle .com for the latest updates on the...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
‘Everyone in Minneapolis is feeling the pressure’
It took all but 10 minutes of wandering around a Minneapolis neighborhood before the Rev. Dan Brockway had his first run-in with immigration officials. ● Soon, the anecdotes he read about in the news became his reality. ● The pastor of Brockport First...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
1986 shuttle Challenger explosion stunned America
On Jan. 28, 1986, the world watched in horror as the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded above the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Cape Canaveral, Florida, 73 seconds aboard. Forty years have passed, but those old enough will remember exactly where they...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
It takes more than a lot of snow for a storm to be called blizzard
Massive amounts of snow inundated the Lower Hudson Valley over the weekend into Monday, but was Winter Storm Fern a blizzard? Not quite. But that’s not because of snow amounts. The one missing criterion: Winds of 35 mph or more, sustained for...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
Dodgers face criticism for historic Tucker salary deal
Inside Lake effect snow warning issued. Bitter cold across U.S. New York Connect Team USA TODAY NETWORK Rochester and three other major New York cities set record daily snowfall totals Jan. 25 as a massive storm dumped more than a foot of snow in...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
PEAKER DEMAND
CHICAGO — In Chicago’s workingclass Pilsen neighborhood, a 1960s-era oil-fired power plant rises up from an industrial lot behind Dvorak Park, which in warmer weather is packed with children climbing on its colorful playground and zooming down...
Read Full Story (Page 1)