First hour: What is Rochester's future as a city for a minor league sports?
Second hour: How racist flyers impacted a local election
From the Red Wings to the Flash to the Rhinos, Rochester was once considered a hub for minor league sports, but the landscape has changed in recent years -- especially in the last week. The owners of the Rochester Rhinos announced Thursday that they need help to keep the soccer team in Rochester. Declining ticket sales and a lack of corporate and fan support pushed owners David and Wendy Dworkin up against a deadline: if they don't raise $1.3 million by November 30, the team won't play in 2018. The Dworkin's announcement came just one day after the Rattlers announced their team will be moving to Dallas. So what's next? This hour, we'll discuss what the future may hold for the Rhinos, for Capelli Sport Stadium and its surrounding neighborhood, and for minor league sports in Rochester. Our guests:
- David and Wendy Dworkin, owners of the Rochester Rhinos
- Scott Pitoniak, longtime Rochester sports columnist and author
- Jeff DiVeronica, sports writer for the Democrat & Chronicle
Then in our second hour, when white supremacists posted racist flyers around the town of Pittsford, residents rallied against racism and pushed for change. They formed a group called PittsForward, and one of its members -- Kevin Beckford decided to run for the Pittsford Town Board...and won. Beckford is the suburb's first African American town board member. He joins us to discuss his journey and how he thinks the flyers and PittsForward impacted the election. In studio:
- Kevin Beckford, Pittsford Town Board member-elect
- Kendra Evans, organizer of PittsForward