Rochester Beacon

The mission of the Rochester Beacon is to strengthen the Rochester community by providing a platform for sharing ideas and viewpoints that promote open dialogue and encourage informed public engagement. We tackle the various challenges facing Rochester by offering thoughtful opinions, thorough analysis, and diverse commentary. Our commitment lies in the careful effort to shed light on the complexities of truth through accurate facts, extensive research, and an inclusive approach, understanding that true journalistic objectivity is a goal we strive for, but may never fully achieve. We bring attention to the community's urgent issues, engage in essential public debates, and foster discussions aimed at finding solutions. We uncover the unseen, amplify underrepresented voices, question the norm, and support initiatives that work towards a brighter future for everyone. We create a space for open-minded conversations about vital social, economic, and political matters, welcoming a variety of perspectives. We aim to establish a sustainable business model for responsible, high-quality journalism in the digital age, focusing on innovation and welcoming new ideas.

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Three Eastman School students among national competition winners - Rochester Beacon

2 weeks ago | rochesterbeacon.com | Smriti Jacob

Three Eastman School of Music students have been named winners of the 2025 Yamaha Young Performing Artists competition. The program honors young musicians studying in the United States who demonstrate excellence in jazz, classical and contemporary genres. In total, 11 students earned the honor. Saxophonist Zachary Costello, percussionist Kai Gray, and pianist Yanzuo Nicole Liu from Eastman are among the winners. Pianist Christopher Yao received an honorable mention.
A reshaped RCSD board race - Rochester Beacon

2 weeks ago | rochesterbeacon.com | Jacob Schermerhorn

The race for three seats on the Rochester City School District Board looks strikingly different today than it did just a month ago. Instead of a seven-candidate contest in the June 24 Democratic primary, the number has fallen to four: current RCSD board president Camille Simmons, and board hopefuls Kareem-Ba McCullough, Vince Felder, and Heather Feinman.
Jewish Federation CEO Dragon takes new post - Rochester Beacon

2 weeks ago | rochesterbeacon.com | Smriti Jacob

The Jewish Federation of Greater Rochester will see a change in leadership. CEO Meredith Dragon is leaving the area to be chief executive of the Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest NJ., one of the largest and most prominent chapters in the federation system. Dragon, who joined the local federation in 2016, will be executive vice president and CEO of the New Jersey organization.
Tichner and Jacobi project gets financing deal - Rochester Beacon

2 weeks ago | rochesterbeacon.com | Smriti Jacob

Development The $16 million historic Tichner and Jacobi building renovation project has received $10.8 million in construction financing. The Community Preservation Corp. Tuesday said it has closed on the finance deal with REO Holdings Carthage LLC. The downtown building is slated to be a mixed-use development with 41 rental apartments and commercial space. Eight of the apartments will be income-restricted affordable housing.
Watchdog sting uncovers alleged housing discrimination - Rochester Beacon

2 weeks ago | rochesterbeacon.com | Jacob Schermerhorn

Following an undercover investigation, Housing Rights Initiative, a housing watchdog group, recently filed one of the largest housing discrimination complaints in New York history. The investigation was conducted statewide in Rochester, Buffalo, Syracuse, Albany, White Plains, and Suffolk and Nassau counties, an effort HRI says is key to expanding its impact.
Raymond Corp. plans expansion in Honeoye Falls - Rochester Beacon

2 weeks ago | rochesterbeacon.com | Smriti Jacob

The Raymond Corp. has made another commitment to the area. The company plans to lease a Carriage Street facility in Honeoye Falls, a nearly $1.9 million project that’s expected to create up to 20 jobs. The site, which is expected to be operational in late 2027, will be used to test and validate fuel cell systems for Raymond’s products. The company received $400,000 in state tax credits from Empire State Development.
Workers at UR Medicine Home Care ratify pact - Rochester Beacon

2 weeks ago | rochesterbeacon.com | Smriti Jacob

Health & Science Late Friday, professional and clinical workers voted to ratify their first three-year contract with UR Medicine Home Care. The fight to organize began more than a year ago, and a tentative agreement was reached on May 13. Caregivers, across seven rural upstate counties, are represented by 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East.
RBTL project receives nearly $3 million - Rochester Beacon

3 weeks ago | rochesterbeacon.com | Smriti Jacob

Culture The Rochester Broadway Theatre League has received more than $2.9 million from the New York State Council on the Arts for its Project Restouration. NYSCA gave a total of $86 million to 134 capital projects statewide. RBTL has been working to reinvigorate the West Herr Performing Arts Center, including the West Herr Auditorium Theatre.
An advocate from prison for the incarcerated - Rochester Beacon

3 weeks ago | rochesterbeacon.com | Jacob Schermerhorn

A new historical work reveals many connections to issues of incarceration and inequality in Rochester today. “A Continuous Struggle: The Revolutionary Life of Martin Sostre,” is a political biography of Sostre, a Black Puerto Rican man who became a “politicized prisoner” and jailhouse lawyer in the 1950s and 1960s. “He was a remarkable figure.
A time of transition for Catholics - Rochester Beacon

3 weeks ago | rochesterbeacon.com | Justin O'Connor

In the past weeks, Catholics worldwide, and in Rochester, have been thrown into a complicated storm of mourning, prayer and forward-looking with the death of Pope Francis on April 21 and the naming of an American—Cardinal Robert Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV—as his successor on May 8.