RochesterWriters

As the Israeli-Hamas conflict stormed into a fourth day Tuesday, passions were on display in the Rochester-area as protesters rallied against Israeli airstrikes, while Jewish leaders worried over civilian deaths.

The Department of Environmental Conservation advises against feeding waterfowl, but people who already have started this winter shouldn't stop now, officials say.

The state Crime Victims Board distributed $27 million last year to crime victims and their families, even though only 13 percent of victims of violent crimes applied for benefits, officials said Tuesday.

An August baby death has been ruled a homicide, police said today.

Seeking a $51 million federal economic recovery package, Mayor Robert Duffy on Tuesday detailed a wide-ranging list of "ready-to-go" capital projects that could create 2,000 jobs in 2009.

While no one from the public turned out to comment on plans to stage Homearama in Victor next summer, the Town Board nonetheless held off Monday night on approving a mass gathering permit for the event until an environmental review of the home show is done.

Town Attorney Sheila Chalifoux advised the board to table the resolution after she realized the application from the Rochester Home Builders Association requested the grading of about six acres of land to make room for parking.

The median sales price of existing homes in Ontario County was 29 percent lower in Novembera than it was a year ago, according to the New York State Association of Realtors.

The median sales price in November 2007 was $156,250; last month it was $110,450.

The trend was similar but not as steep in Wayne County, where the median sales price of existing homes dropped 4.6 percent from $115,000 to $109,750, from November 2007 to November 2008.