Ria Chung

Good morning, East Village.

The police officer who was arrested for stealing weapons out of station-house lockers and selling them for drugs has pled guilty, according to The Times. Nicholas Mina is expected to be sentenced to 15 and a half years of prison on Nov. 7. Runnin’ Scared, The Post, and CBS News also covered it.

Also in the Ninth, The Daily News reports that the officers who were acquitted of raping an East Village woman are contesting charges of official misconduct: “If it’s not related to your official duties, it’s not misconduct,” their lawyer argues. “Going to check up on a woman that is drunk is not part of their job, but it shouldn’t constitute a crime.” The Post also has coverage.

The Post discovers the identity of the woman who jumped to her death from a University Place building yesterday.

DNA Info interviews Darlene Despeignes of S.T.A.R. academy, their teacher of the week. She explains why the school changed its name: “I think we have changed in many ways by really creating an identity in the community, knowing that we are a school that really wants to be part of the neighborhood.”

Bowery Boogie reports that Rivington Street rock bar St. Jerome will close on Nov. 1 and will be taken over by Joshua Yerington of Black and White and Matt Romano of Niagara and Cabin Down Below.

Grub Street has more about Graffiti’s next-door annex, Graffiti Me, which will be dedicated to “customizable private dining”: “If you’ve caught a fish, you can bring it to us, and we’ll create a five-course meal from it,” explains Jehangir Mehta.

Dangerous Minds puts in a good word for “Shame Wave,” the new show from L’asso EV co-owner and comedian Greg Barris.

Flaming Pablum also recalls the Gas Station, “a former gas station that turned into a junkies’ shooting gallery that turned into an art-installation-cum-performance space over on Avenue B back in the late `80s and early 90’s.”

Fork in the Road notices that Rhong-Tiam, which briefly had a location in the East Village, has reappeared in food cart form.

Grub Street notes that La Maison du Croque Monsieur has opened on East 13th Street: “The restaurant from the guys behind Jones Wood Foundry will serve classic croques with your choice of cheese, ‘new’ croques, sweet croques, and breakfast croques.”