It’s unclear, however, whether the Senecas are looking exclusively at Henrietta to build a casino. A spokesperson for the Seneca Nation says that other Rochester sites might be in play. She also says that she doesn’t know why the Seneca Nation set its sights on Henrietta, though the Thruway exit may be a factor.
DEVELOPMENT | BY JEREMY MOULE AND TIM LOUIS MACALUSO
EDUCATION | BY TIM LOUIS MACALUSO
Senecas eyes Rochester for a casino Is the Seneca Nation of Indians ready to roll the dice on Henrietta? Late Tuesday morning, the Seneca Nation sent out a press release saying that it had retained a Flaum Management subsidiary to “organize and coordinate gaming and hospitality development in the Town of Henrietta.” The announcement caught some Henrietta officials by surprise. Town Board member Bill Mulligan says he knew something was coming, but doesn’t have details on what the Senecas are pursuing. He says he’ll keep an open mind about a potential casino proposal, just as he would any application to the town. Jack Moore, a Town Board member who’s challenging incumbent Supervisor Michael Yudelson in a Republican primary, also says he doesn’t know the details. He says he’s “in the middle of the road” until he gets specifics, such as a proposed location and plan for a casino. Yudelson could not be immediately reached. It’s unclear, however, whether the Senecas are looking exclusively at Henrietta. Susan Asquith of Travers Collins, the Buffalo-based public relations firm working with the Seneca Nation, says she doesn’t know if Henrietta is the only location in
the Rochester area under consideration. She also says that she doesn’t know why the Seneca Nation set its sights on Henrietta, though the FILE PHOTO Thruway exit may be a factor. And there are locations in Henrietta that have been mentioned as possible casino sites. Among them: vacant land on East Henrietta Road north of I-390, several hundred acres of former Kodak land near East River Road owned by developer Dutch Summers, the Flaum-owned plaza at South Winton and Brighton-Henrietta Town Line roads, and a Wilmorite-owned site at Hylan Drive and Calkins Road. Asquith says that while the Senecas are looking at a casino, there are no specific plans for a broader development. Meaning it’s unclear if a proposed casino project would include a hotel and restaurants.
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Music interlude Rochester schools Superintendent Bolgen Vargas promised city students and parents that he would increase the district’s offerings in arts, music, and sports. How well that is working depends on who you ask. | District officials say that the upcoming school year’s programs in arts and music in particular will be more widely and evenly distributed to all schools. But some music teachers say that leaves them with hardly enough time to teach. | For example, kindergarteners through fourth graders had 60 minutes of instruction per week last year in some schools. But in the fall they’ll have roughly 35 minutes. That includes transition time — the time it takes students to get from one class to the next. | And some music teachers split their schedule with art teachers with 10 weeks on and 10 weeks off. Music teachers say that isn’t enough time to prepare for many of the music events that students like to participate in like band or choir. | At a school board meeting earlier this week, Vargas vowed to find a solution after hearing that ensembles that involve public performances would be limited as a result of the new schedule.
Cost of War The following people have been killed in the City of Rochester in recent weeks: -- Willie Little, 59, Rochester
ROCHESTER TOTALS —
Rochester Police Department
SOURCE:
AFGHANISTAN TOTALS —
2,263 US servicemen and servicewomen and 1,100 Coalition servicemen and servicewomen have been killed in Afghanistan from the beginning of the war and occupation to August 19. Statistics for Afghan civilian casualties are not available. American casualties from August 6 to August 11: -- Staff Sgt. Octavio Herrera, 26, Caldwell, Idaho -- Sgt. Jamar A. Hicks, 22, Little Rock, Ark. -- Spc. Keith E. Grace Jr., 26, Baytown, Texas iraqbodycount. org, icasualties.org, Department of Defense
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Rochester’s premier bicycle shop in the South Wedge rochestercitynewspaper.com
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