News

Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks presents her State of the County address tonight, and WXXI will provide live coverage on AM 1370 (listen live) starting at 7 p.m. WXXI News Director Randy Gorbman will anchor our coverage from the "Theatre On The Ridge" at Eastman Business Park. You can also follow our real-time Twitter stream during the address - @WXXINews. 

The Memorial Art Gallery cut the ribbon on its Centennial Sculpture Park Wednesday.

Four world-renowned artists created anchoring pieces for the sculpture garden. Albert Paley, Wendell Castle, Jackie Ferrara and Tom Otterness each attended dedication ceremony where they had an opportunity to explain their work.

Governor Cuomo, who still has not issued a decision on whether hydro fracking should be allowed in New York,  is backing further away from the controversial gas drilling process in his economic development plans for the future.  

Two years ago, Governor Cuomo considered hydro fracking a key component of his plans for economic development in the faltering upstate regions of the state.

There's the possibility that the Hickey Freeman plant in Rochester could be sold again.  The CEO of the company that operates that plant, Doug Williams, has confirmed for WXXI News that he's in talks with a Canadian company, Samuelsohn, which is interested in buying the Rochester clothing factory.

Williams says this deal would be a positive move for the local Hickey Freeman plant, and could add jobs here.

Hickey Freeman now employs nearly 400 workers in Rochester.  If the deal goes through, there's no word yet exactly how many more jobs could be added locally.

The City School District wants to change its transportation policy so it can provide busing for students who live within a half-mile of school.

The state provides financial assistance to transport students who live a mile and a half or more from school.
It's asking for permission from the State Education Department to change the guidelines.
Rochester City School Superintendent Dr. Bolgen Vargas says it will take a change in current law, but with an adjustment to the policy, parents would be encouraged to choose their neighborhood school for their children.

Xerox  CEO Ursula Burns is again on Forbes Magazine's annual list of the world's 100 most powerful women. Forbes looks at factors that include revenue, media moment and impact.

It was a near-record crowd and near-perfect weather for the annual J.P. Morgan Chase Corporate Challenge on Tuesday night in Rochester.

A total of  10,921 runners and walkers  in teams representing 460 companies and other organizations competed in the three and a half mile race.

The weather started out muggy, but a cool breeze greeted the participants by race time at the RIT course, and then toward the end, thunderstorms drenched  whoever wasn’t  under the many tents set up at the campus.

Here are the latest Monroe County School District budget voting results

One day after the state’s powerful Assembly Speaker admitted “glaring failures” in his handling of a sexual abuse case, the Albany establishment seemed to be moving on, with the usual round of press conferences, bill passage, and leaders meetings.

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver attended a top level  meeting with Governor Cuomo and Senate leaders on casino gambling ,  and oversaw passage of a one house bill on the Dream Act, to help children of undocumented immigrants get funding for college.

There were a handful of people protesting outside of the Internal Revenue Service office building in downtown Rochester on Tuesday.

The rally is part of a series of protests nationwide in response to the IRS admitting that the agency targeted tea party and conservative organizations for additional scrutiny. That included audits and invasive reviews of their tax-exempt applications.