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I wish I knew why local politicians can't figure out that they're soiling their reputations -- and that of their communities -- over truly insignificant banter. Continuum Generation in Photonic Crystal Fibre. Photo by Jean-Christophe, Michel, Delagnes (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0  via Wikimedia Commons Ongoing disagreements between a low-level state Assemblyman and the leader of the SUNY Polytechnic Institute threaten to erode support for the much-lauded American Institute for Manufacturing Integrated Photonics in Rochester, if you listen to Gov. Andrew Cuomo. The AIM Photonics Institute , funded with state and federal dollars, may bring thousands of jobs to New York's Finger Lakes Region. But, if you listen to the Governor, the squabble places the project at risk . I want to believe that greater Rochester has the ability to rise above petty disputes over projects that might strengthen the area's choppy economy. But it took more than 10 years to secure federal ...

Colleges have the difficult problem of when to disclose the name of a student who's run afoul of the law. Or worse. This weekend, the "worse" happened. A student drowned in the Erie Canal in Brockport, NY. The College at Brockport, a SUNY campus, did the right thing by communicating news of the drowning. College at Brockport's Facebook feed, May 10, 2015 But the initial announcement didn't disclose the student's name, which sent thousands of anxious parents across New York state into panic. Is it their son or daughter?  As it happens, the student's family asked that the victim's name not be released. Which is terribly unfair to thousands of families wondering if their child is that victim. SUNY Brockport needs to respect the family's wishes, but at the same time, reassure parents of thousands of students that their child is not the victim. A few parents' unhappy reactions are captured in the screen shot of the college's ...