Features

Caitlynn Stockwell (Photo courtesy of the Monroe County Sheriff's Office) UPDATE (Wednesday, June 10): Stockwell has been found and is safe, the Monroe County Sheriff's Office reported. The Monroe County Sheriff's Office is asking for the publics help locating a woman missing since Saturday. Caitlyn Stockwell, 27, was last seen on Saturday 6/06/26 at around 7:15AM in the area of Cornflower Drive in North Chili. Caitlynn is a Hispanic white female, approximately 5'2", 165 lbs,

Four long-vacant historic buildings at one of downtown Rochester’s most prominent intersections have been transformed into affordable housing and commercial space through a $12.8 million redevelopment project that state and local leaders say will help fuel continued investment in the city’s urban core. Local leaders and community stakeholders gathered for ribbon-cutting celebrating Harper's Corner project. Gov. Kathy Hochul on Monday announced the completion of Harper’s Corne

Millions of Americans are expected to hit the roads and skies for Memorial Day weekend, and the Rochester region is preparing for one of the busiest travel periods of the year as the unofficial start of summer begins. The 2025 Memorial Day Parade in Rochester, NY featured veterans organizations, military groups, marching bands, civic organizations, and community participants honoring fallen service members. (Photo: City of Rochester) According to the American Automobile Assoc

WXXI Public Media has announced a major change to its radio lineup, naming veteran journalist Mikhaela Singleton as the new local host of NPR’s Morning Edition on WXXI News. Mikhaela Singleton Singleton officially joins the station Monday, May 18, when she will co-host the morning program alongside longtime host Beth Adams during a transition week airing from 5 to 9 a.m. on WXXI News (FM 105.9) and WRUR-FM. Singleton is scheduled to assume full-time hosting duties on May 26.

ROCKVILLE, Md. — The American Kidney Fund on Tuesday marked the third annual APOL1-Mediated Kidney Disease (AMKD) Awareness Day, an initiative aimed at increasing public understanding of a genetic form of kidney disease that disproportionately affects people of African ancestry. The awareness day, observed during National Minority Health Month, seeks to educate communities about AMKD, a rapidly progressing condition linked to variants of the APOL1 gene. Health advocates say t

Philanthropist and entrepreneur Tom Golisano announced a $125 million investment in three children’s hospitals, expanding a nationwide network aimed at improving pediatric healthcare access and outcomes. Tom Golisano The funding will support Akron Children’s Hospital in Ohio with $50 million, Dayton Children’s Hospital in Ohio with $40 million, and Avera Health in Sioux Falls, South Dakota with $35 million. The additions bring the total number of hospitals in the Golisano Chi

A looming U.S. Supreme Court case over birthright citizenship is drawing national attention this week—but for Black Americans, the stakes are deeply rooted in history and could carry lasting consequences. At the center of the debate is a challenge to the 14th Amendment, the post-Civil War constitutional provision that guarantees citizenship to anyone born on U.S. soil. The amendment was ratified in 1868 specifically to overturn the infamous Dred Scott decision, which declared

Cannabis has long held a complex place in society—stigmatized in some circles, celebrated in others. But one truth is becoming increasingly clear: when used responsibly, it can positively influence the creative process. Across music, visual art, writing, and other mediums, artists cite cannabis as a tool that enhances focus, opens perspectives, and sparks new ideas. Moderate use can reduce stress, encourage divergent thinking, and support emotional well-being, helping creati

New research from the American Cancer Society shows that colorectal cancer is now the leading cause of cancer death in people under age 50 in the United States. Three out of four people under age 50 diagnosed with colorectal cancer are found to have cancer at a late stage, when it is harder to treat. Katlyn Newberry March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. The Cancer Services Program (CSP) of the Finger Lakes Region wants people to know that this trend can be changed. Gett

It took just a single word to ignite an international conversation, a word no one invited, no one expected, and that, for one man, came unbidden. At the 79th BAFTA Awards, John Davidson, a Scottish advocate for Tourette’s syndrome and inspiration for the film I Swear , experienced a vocal tic that produced a racial slur as Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo presented an award. What was meant to be a celebration of life and resilience suddenly became a lightning rod for debate

From the neighborhoods of Rochester to doctoral halls and district leadership tables, Dr. Shalonda Garfield’s life traces a line many systems were not built to accommodate — yet one she refused to let define her limits. Born and raised in Rochester, Garfield describes her childhood as “interesting” — marked by poverty, yet animated by imagination. As a little girl, she played school with her siblings, already rehearsing a future she could not yet see but somehow sensed. She w

Demitria Lawton-Greggs On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, I talked over the phone with Demitria Lawton-Greggs, principal of Flower City School No. 54, to talk about legacy, not as abstraction or slogan, but as something lived daily in classrooms, hallways, and hard conversations. For Lawton-Greggs, King’s legacy is not simply remembered; it is practiced. “King opened doors,” she told me. “The fact that we can have all types of people sit in one room, not worry about status, not