Justin O'Connor 🌻⛱️
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justinoconnor.bsky.social
Justin O'Connor 🌻⛱️
@justinoconnor.bsky.social
Bossier City & Parish government reporter for @SBCAdvocate.bsky.social via Report for America. Past: @BuffaloNews.com & @RochesterBeacon.bsky.social.
Story: Last week, there was a $12.5 million civil judgment against the Rochester City School District and Edwin Fleming, the former music department director at East High who's been accused of child sexual abuse in nine cases. Read free below⤵️
rochesterbeacon.com/2025/03/06/a...
A $12.5 million verdict  - Rochester Beacon
The first case with a judgment against the Rochester City School District and Edwin Fleming, a former East High School music teacher accused of sexually abusing girls, was decided on Feb. 24.
rochesterbeacon.com
March 7, 2025 at 1:58 AM
i have made a triumphant midwestern homecoming for #NICAR25 ! come say hi :)
March 6, 2025 at 2:41 PM
A judge has ordered the liquidation of Community Resource Collaborative for its misuse of ARPA funds. There are still outstanding questions, like whether CRC has the assets to meet its obligations and whether the for-profits due money will get it. Read my story free below ⤵️
Judge orders Community Resource Collaborative to be liquidated
The Rochester-based nonprofit misused American Rescue Plan Act funding intended for local organizations that help needy families access housing, food, and other essential services.
rochesterbeacon.com
January 8, 2025 at 6:21 PM
Story: Footage of corrections officers beating Robert Brooks before his death Dec. 10 triggered plenty of shocked statements from NYS officials, but red flags about violence by guards at Marcy prison near Utica have been thrown up for years. (1/3).

Read free in the Rochester Beacon ⤵️
Was the death of an inmate foretold?
For years, there were red flags about violence by guards at Marcy Correctional Facility. Had they been heeded, would Robert Brooks still be alive?
rochesterbeacon.com
January 2, 2025 at 11:56 PM
Back in 1968, a rep from RG&E was int'l president of the Administrative Management Society, which—among other things, I imagine—administered the "Federal Government Paperwork Management Awards" for outstanding leadership in effective... paperwork management.
December 24, 2024 at 3:25 AM
You can read the story for free here—includes info about how the strong version came to be and the rationale behind some of the councilmembers' votes, along with some painstaking bullet points shoved in at the end covering the specifics.
December 18, 2024 at 12:42 AM
Rochester City Council just passed Good Cause eviction protections after about six months of deliberations, making the city the largest in NY aside from NYC to adopt the law.

The version passed tonight is the so-called "strong" version of Good Cause. Story forthcoming.
December 17, 2024 at 11:53 PM
Yesterday, graduate student union organizers at the University of Rochester announced that they have reached a tentative agreement to include over 400 PhD students in their bargaining unit after they were excluded in a university proposal pitched last month. Read free below⤵️
Tentative agreement includes some UR PhD students in potential union vote
The decision could allow over 400 students to vote in a prospective union election after being excluded in a previous proposal.
rochesterbeacon.com
December 13, 2024 at 11:17 PM
"Josh Allen" seems to be some kind of sleeper activation phrase for SEO specialists
December 2, 2024 at 5:21 AM
The Monroe County legislature just unanimously confirmed Dr. Marielena Vélez de Brown as commissioner of public health. She's been serving as acting commissioner since March, when Dr. Mike Mendoza suddenly stepped down from the role.

Her term will run until 2030.
November 13, 2024 at 12:27 AM
oh wow it's cool that there's people on here now lol
November 12, 2024 at 7:44 PM
The body pulled from the Genesee River Tuesday belonged to missing University of Rochester Professor Heikki Rantakari, Simon Business School Dean Sevin Yeltekin just confirmed in an email.
Missing professor Rantakari’s body pulled from Genesee River Tuesday
RPD recovered missing professor Heikki Rantakari's body from the Genesee River midday Tuesday.
www.campustimes.org
November 1, 2023 at 8:53 PM
RPD say they have video showing missing University of Rochester Professor Heikki Rantakari falling in the Genesee River.

UR didn't issue any info to the entire student & faculty body about the situation — even when RPD said he might be in danger.

I spoke with 42 students about how they found out.
Missing professor Rantakari fell into Genesee River, police say. UR still hasn’t notified students...
Professor Heikki Rantakari has been missing since Oct. 21. Police said Friday they found video of him falling from a bridge into the Genesee River.
www.campustimes.org
October 30, 2023 at 2:39 AM
Lauded Nigerian novelist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie headlined UR's alumni homecoming event, but her invitation was criticized by a coalition of student groups due to her past comments about transgender women

Below is a breakdown of the whole situation.
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie headlines Mel Weekend amid transphobia controversy
Despite student pushback over her past comments about trans women, Nigerian novelist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie headlined Meliora Weekend on Oct. 7.
www.campustimes.org
October 24, 2023 at 10:02 PM