Waking up in Rochester today feels a bit like living inside a snow globe that someone shook way too hard. If you looked out your window this morning, you probably saw a wall of white.
There is a massive winter storm hitting us right now. We're talking up to 10 inches of snow in some spots. The Rochester City School District didn’t even hesitate—they called a snow day immediately. Honestly, can you blame them? Mayor Malik Evans already has the plows out, and the city opened up three R-Centers with special hours just so kids have a warm place to go while their parents are stuck trying to figure out how to shovel a foot of heavy slush.
But snow isn't the only thing people are talking about at the coffee shop—or on Reddit—this week. From the chaos of the school budget to a "Rochester Renaissance" happening downtown, there is a lot to catch up on.
The Massive Budget Gap That Won't Go Away
The Rochester City School District (RCSD) is in a tough spot. Again.
Basically, the district is staring down a $53 million funding gap for the upcoming year. This isn't exactly new—they had a $38 million hole last year—but it’s getting harder to fix. Superintendent Eric Rosser and his team are "looking under every rock," but the math is brutal.
Why is this happening? A few reasons:
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- Health insurance costs are skyrocketing, up maybe 15% to 18%.
- Transportation is costing way more (a 17% jump!).
- Federal grants are shrinking, especially the ones that help students with disabilities.
There’s also the whole Oracle payroll mess from last year that left hundreds of employees without checks or with totally wrong pay. People are still salty about that. The school board is rightfully worried about sustainability. They’ve got a "comfy" cushion of cash right now, but at this rate, it’ll be gone in four or five years.
Protests and the ICE Shooting Fallout
If you drove past the U.S. Customs and Border Protection station in Irondequoit last week, you saw the crowds.
Hundreds of people lined Pattonwood Drive to protest the death of Renee Nicole Good. Now, she wasn't killed here—the shooting happened in Minneapolis—but the ripples hit Rochester hard. Why? Because the federal government's actions are under a microscope in "sanctuary cities" like ours.
Mayor Evans didn't hold back, calling the incident an example of "dangerous chaos." It’s a tense time. On one hand, you have federal agents like Waheed Allah Mohammad being arrested in Rochester for serious crimes (he was convicted of trying to kill his sister). On the other, you have a community that is deeply skeptical of federal overreach. It’s a balancing act that feels like it’s tipping over.
The "Rochester Renaissance" at Four Corners
Okay, let’s talk about something more optimistic. Downtown might actually be getting its groove back.
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The historic Four Corners—where Main, State, and Exchange meet—has looked like a ghost town on weekends for years. But a group called OakGrove Companies just bought the Wilder Building. They want to sink $20 million into it to create "middle-income" housing.
This is huge.
Most downtown apartments are either super expensive "luxury" lofts or low-income housing. There’s almost nothing for the regular person who just wants to live near work without spending their whole paycheck on rent. If they can pull off the renovations on the Wilder and Talman buildings, we might actually see people walking around downtown after 5:00 PM again.
Quick Hits: What Else is New?
- New Leadership Awards: Colleen Wegman (Wegmans CEO) and Julia Tedesco (Foodlink CEO) are getting Community Stewardship Awards this year. Say what you want about the price of eggs, but these two keep the city’s heart beating.
- The Gun Violence Emergency: It’s still in effect. Mayor Evans renewed the State of Emergency on January 6. The good news? Homicides were down in 2025 compared to the nightmare years of 2022 and 2023. The bad news? Four people have already been shot in the first week of 2026.
- Summer Jobs: It feels like it's -10 degrees outside, but the city is already hiring for summer lifeguards and camp counselors. If you want a job at the pool, now is the time to apply.
Navigating Rochester Right Now
If you're trying to make sense of all this Rochester New York news, here is what you actually need to do this week.
First, check the PlowTrax app before you leave the house. The city's snow removal is decent, but 10 inches of snow is 10 inches of snow. Don't be that person who gets stuck in a snowbank on 490 and blocks traffic for everyone else.
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Second, if you have a kid in RCSD, keep an eye on the budget hearings in February. This $53 million gap isn't just a number; it usually ends up meaning program cuts or staff changes.
Finally, if you're a small business owner, the Greater Rochester Chamber just opened applications for the MWBE Awards. If you're a minority- or woman-owned business, get your name in there. There is a lot of grant money floating around right now, like the Neighbors In Action (NIA) grants, and it's basically sitting there waiting for people to apply.
Rochester is a weird, snowy, complicated place. We've got massive budget problems and beautiful new building projects happening at the same time. But hey, that's just life in the 585.
Actionable Next Steps:
- Check the Weather: Monitor the National Weather Service for updates on the current Winter Storm Warning before traveling.
- Apply for Grants: If you run a local non-profit or neighborhood group, check the City of Rochester website for the second round of NIA grant applications.
- Voice Your Opinion: The RCSD is looking for feedback on personal technology use in schools through January 18. Take the five-minute survey if you have students in the district.
- Plan for 2026: If you have a child entering Kindergarten, enrollment for the 2026-2027 school year is officially open as of this month.