Family members, neighbors, law enforcement and school staff gathered along North Clinton Avenue in Rochester in a human chain on Saturday, in an effort to positively occupy the space where some people use and sell drugs in the area by saying No Más!

They wanted to temporarily disrupt drug sales on a prominent section of North Clinton where organizers say some of the highest rates of calls for services, opioid overdoses and arrests occur.

A judge in Orleans County has indicated she will likely rule that a case brought by an animal rights group seeking legal “personhood” for an elephant at the Bronx Zoo should be heard in Bronx County.

The case is about Happy, a 47-year-old Asian elephant who has been a focus of a group called the NonHuman Rights Project. It contends the elephant is an autonomous being who is suffering because she is isolated from other elephants.  The organization wants to see the elephant moved to an animal sanctuary.

What’s the future of funding the arts in Rochester? Local artists, officials and event organizers gathered at the Visual Studies Workshop auditorium in the Arts and Cultural Council Center Friday evening to discuss ways to fund Rochester arts in the future. 

The meeting, organized by City Councilmember Elaine Spaull, attracted more than 80 people, including artists or staff members at local major arts organizations, including the Rochester City Ballet and Writers & Books. 

Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren has appointed a new city court judge.

Melissa Barrett will fill the spot left vacant after Leticia Astacio was removed from the bench in October by the New York State Court of Appeals.

Barrett currently serves as principal court attorney for Rochester City Court. She has also been an assistant public defender for Monroe County and an Assistant District Counsel for the U.S. Small Business Administration.

Warren selected Barrett after she was recommended by the city’s Judicial Screening Committee.