News

There are reports that there may be a buyer for Bausch and Lomb. The Wall Street Journal, Reuters and The New York Times are among the media reporting that a Canadian company called Valeant Pharmaceuticals is getting close to finalizing a deal to buy the Rochester-based eye care company for about $9 billion.

B & L is now owned by the private-equity firm Warburg Pincus, which had entertained offers for the company earlier this year.  

The impact and severity of weather events like the tornado that hit Oklahoma City earlier this week are increasing due to a changing global climate, according to research from the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC).

“We get more extremes everywhere, so really it’s climate disruption, the term global warming is not really the best term to use because what we’re seeing, and what we’re expecting to see from all the models, is a lot of extreme events. Not per se the number, but the extremity of them,” says Laurie Johnson, chief economist for the NRDC’s climate and clean air program.

And, she says, more of the related economic fallout from these disasters is being carried by taxpayers.

A research team at the University of Rochester Medical Center is about to begin a three-year study to determine more effective treatment plans for impoverished women experiencing depression.  

(AP)  The New York state attorney general's office is warning New Yorkers against scam robocalls targeting seniors and offering free medical alert equipment with back-end fees for monitoring. 

The agency says it received consumer queries about a scam targeting seniors by saying they have been "approved'' for the equipment at "no charge". 

The calls warn of injuries and deaths because of delayed responses to medical emergencies, fires, burglaries and falls. 

Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks touched on some familiar themes in Thursday night’s  state of the county address.  One of those themes was related to where the speech was delivered.

The county exec gave her speech in the Theatre on the Ridge building at the Eastman Business Park. Brooks says  that she picked that venue for a specific reason.

"Eastman Business Park to me represents our community's ongoing transformation form a big box image capital to a hub for innovation and technology," Brooks stated during her address.

Read the entire State of the County 2013 address from Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks, delivered Thursday, May 23.

(CNN) Openly gay youths will be allowed to join scouting, delegates to the annual meeting of the Boy Scouts of America voted Thursday. The organization's 1,400-member national council voted for the historic policy change, which will take effect January 1.

The resolution was adopted with more than 60% of the vote. "No youth may be denied membership in the Boy Scouts of America on the basis of sexual orientation or preference alone," says the approved resolution.

The BSA will maintain its ban on gay adult leaders.

 Startups and expanding companies that set up shop on community and SUNY College campuses wouldn't have to pay state taxes for up to 10 years.

That’s under the governor's proposed "Tax Free NY" initiative to spur economic and business growth.

Lt. Bob Duffy visited The College at Brockport's Rochester Educational Opportunity Center in downtown Rochester Thursday. City, business and education leaders attended the event.

New York Education Commissioner John King met with Rochester-area business leaders and educators Thursday. The goal of King’s visit was to garner support for the implementation of the Common Core Standards. New York is one of 46 states implementing the Common Core which is a set guidelines to help ensure students are prepared for college and the work-force. King said the business community can play a key role in assisting this effort.

 A local museum that promotes the display of vintage aircraft is changing its name.  The 1941 Historical Aircraft Group in Geneseo is going back to its original name, the National Warplane Museum. That name had been used by a museum in Elmira, but they are no longer using that title since their mission is changing.

President of the Geneseo group, Austin Wadsworth, says the name change will help them market themselves better.  The Geneseo museum has about 15 vintage warplanes.