Barb Van Kerkhove

Thank you, @cityofrochester.bsky.social, for (finally) plowing the South Ave sidewalk under I-490. Now people can safely walk to/from the South Wedge & downtown #ROC. And thank you to the City staffer in the downtown sidewalk plow I spoke with last Tues am. You made it happen that day & yesterday!

‘They Couldn’t Break Me’: A Protester, the White House and a Doctored Photo

The Trump administration needs to be held accountable for this. AND so do AI companies. Just another reason, among many, to say NO to AI. www.nytimes.com/2026/02/03/u...

Hey, #ROC. Check this out.

The Power of Private Museums The Equal Justice Initiative’s historical sites in Montgomery, Alabama, show what’s possible when history isn’t subject to federal funding cuts or executive orders.

The Legacy Museum, which is “perhaps the closest thing America has to a national slavery museum,” is free from government control and displays the “history that the Trump administration aims to de-emphasize—if not outright erase,” @clintsmithiii.bsky.social argues.

Homelessness on the Rise in Finland - Y-Säätiö Asunnottomien ihmisten määrä on kääntynyt kasvuun. Nyt asunnottomien määrä kasvoi Helsingissä, vaikka asunnottomia asutettiin vuoden aikana vaikuttava määrä.

Sadly the current right-wing coalition government in Finland has foolishly cut the funding for the nation’s “Housing First” success story, and homelessness is predictably now on the rise again. That just reinforces the fact that such programs work, if lazy political ideology doesn’t get in the way.

Thanks, just book marked this!

Legislation making its way to President Trump’s desk stands to have wide-ranging effects on the economy — bolstering tax benefits for businesses, higher-income households while threatening health insurance for millions of Americans.

More: nbcnews.app.link/lE2aQBZdIUb

It's impossible to make sense of American zoning, historically or today, without understanding that it has almost nothing to do with separating residential and classic nuisance. It's a mechanism of segregation, that's it.

Three more in comments.

Federal officials should be immediately decrying this. Full stop. Enough of the "we're working behind the scenes" crap. Give people some confidence that you're doing the right thing.

The experts on walking are the walkers.

On February 23, 1954, Rochester banned jaywalking. As an experienced walker, Sally Otis had something to say on the subject.

Welcome walkers, wheelchair users, and bicyclists.

Walking did not merely decline. It was deterred.

When authorities were drafting plans for Rochester’s downtown expressways, few Rochesterians ever drove downtown. The great majority rode streetcars and buses – and walked.

More on Rochester transportation history.

We can learn from transportation history.

What's Up With That: Building Bigger Roads Actually Makes Traffic Worse The concept is called induced demand, which is economist-speak for when increasing the supply of something (like roads) makes people want that thing even more. Though some traffic engineers made note ...

“We found there’s this perfect one-to-one relationship. If a city increased its road capacity by 10% then driving in that city went up by 10%.” Still one of the best articles on why building bigger roads leads to more driving. Understanding #InducedDemand Via @wired.com

Thanks for printing @economist.com and for bringing it to my attention @hcrichardson.bsky.social, but I really don't want to wait that long.

REPORT: Projected Economic Benefits of the NY Packaging Reduction & Recycling Infrastructure Act — Beyond Plastics - Working To End Single-Use Plastic Pollution New report from Beyond Plastics estimates roughly $1.3 billion in savings over 10 years after passing key packaging reduction legislation in NYS.

Read how the NY Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act makes both economic and environmental sense. Pass it this session! www.beyondplastics.org/publications...

Measuring the True Value of Renting versus Owning a Home Accounting for differences in property and neighborhood characteristics, the value of homeownership relative to renting is greater than what existing methods suggest.

Is owning a home less valuable than #renting?

In an Urban Wire post, Urban researchers offer a method for more accurately comparing the value of renting versus owning a home that #policymakers can use to address systemic barriers to #homeownership.

We’re always thinking of innovative ways to address the lack and cost of housing. @alexbores.bsky.social and I sponsor the Land Value Tax Bill (S1131), which we discussed on Capitol Pressroom. This would shift the tax burden from buildings to land, spurring housing development and economic growth.

Blue sky through budding trees, so we can take a break and breathe.

Another example of the Trump administration supporting corporate profit on the backs of the poor and working class.

Direct File makes it free and easy for millions of Americans to file their taxes.

Getting rid of this popular program makes zero sense.

Trump's admin is taking money out of the pockets of working people and giving it away to their Big Business and tech bro buddies.

Breathing in America Is Going to Get More Dangerous A third of Americans still breathe unhealthy air after decades of improvements—which the Trump administration wants to roll back.

Through new policies and aggressive cuts, the Trump administration is taking steps that will encourage more pollution while muffling the science that shows its harms. The very air that Americans breathe will likely become less safe, @zoeschlanger.bsky.social reports:

Image of people holding protest signs including one big sign that is slightly cut off but reads "us get around new york!" Over the photo is text that reads: "'New York State is spending billions on highways - while New Yorkers wait for a bus that's never coming.' Want to help change that? Join the New Yorkers for Transportation Equity coalition! Thurs. April 10 6PM 1115 E Main St Light Refreshments"

Join us on Thursday to learn about the grassroots effort for frequent, reliable, and accessible public transportation as well as safe streets for walking and biking all across New York!

#ROC shows up for #HandsOff! #HandsOffDemocracy #HandsOffCFPB #HandsOffImmigramts

WOW! Stark comparison. @senatorcooney.bsky.social

Toronto shopping street

Half of business owners on this Toronto street estimated that more than 25% of their customers arrived by car.

In fact, it was 4%.

And the % of customers who who walked or cycled? 72%.

Retailers routinely overestimate the # of “car customers.” Via @carltonreid.com www.forbes.com/sites/carlto...

Vaccines are why 1 of every 4 of us didn't die in infancy.
Fluoride is why most of us keep our teeth into old age.
The ACA is why 21 million of us can see a doctor.
The FDIC is why we don't lose our life savings.

And a handful of GOP billionaires want to take it all away.