Rochester Beacon (https://rochesterbeacon.com/author/paul-ericson/)
It’s now been a half-decade since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has claimed more than 3,350 lives in the Rochester area and 7 million worldwide. For many people who lived through the pandemic, the experience has had a profound and lasting impact.
In 2024, the S&P 500 surged more than 20 percent for the second straight year. Some stocks of local interest did even better—but not all.
Over the last 12 months, the Beacon posted hundreds of articles. For our readers and writers, a number of these pieces stood out.
In the Rochester Beacon’s year-end reader survey, nearly three-quarters of respondents said they are pessimistic about the outlook for the country over the next four years. They are more upbeat about the region’s prospects, however.
Workforce development grants to boost skills training and employment opportunities were awarded to Foodlink and four other businesses and organizations in the Finger Lakes region.
The University of Rochester students face charges of felony criminal mischief for distributing the posters, which the university has described as antisemitic.
The judge ruled, however, that the Department of Environmental Conservation has the authority to deny the renewal application for the power plant used for bitcoin mining and sent the matter back to the agency for further proceedings.
Nearly 60 percent of Monroe County voters cast their ballots for Democrat Kamala Harris, but surrounding counties—and the nation as a whole—chose Republican Donald Trump for president. The outcome of the 2024 election shocked and dismayed many Rochester Beacon readers. (AP Photo)
While former President Donald Trump was leading Vice President Kamala Harris in the presidential contest late Tuesday, area Democrats posted strong showings.
The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and the Gannett papers are part of an accelerating trend. When a newspaper stops endorsing presidential candidates, is it “a principled decision” or “cowardice, with democracy as its casualty”?