The Day | A Grim Discovery

all along the watchtower.jdx

Good morning, East Village.

We begin the week with word of a grim discovery.  A woman was found dead outside St. Brigid’s Church Sunday morning; the authorities are not treating her death as crime. EV Grieve has details about a spontaneous memorial that’s developed at the scene.

Two police officers are set to go on trial next week after being accused of raping an East Village woman, according to The Post.  Kenneth Moreno, 43, and Franklin Mata, 28, patrolmen of the Ninth Precinct, both face up to 25 years in jail for rape, burglary and official misconduct. The Village Voice notes that both officers are still on the city’s payroll.

Meanwhile, there are apparently more shake-ups on the local restaurant scene. Grieve reports that Tonda, the Fourth Street pizzeria originally famous for its $30,000 brick oven, seemed to be open for the first time in two weekends. Upon closer inspection, however, its gates were down, and the restaurant appeared to be closed. And though Olympic Deli on First Avenue has shut down, it’s being replaced by Hamptons Market Place, an upscale grocery and deli that already boasts two locations on the West Side.

And it turns out the weekend was a false alarm, East Village. After a beautifully warm day on Friday and a feel-good hangover this weekend, Mother Nature is reminding us that it’s still winter. According to The Weather Channel, we should expect between three and five inches of snow today, highs in the mid-30s, and more snow tomorrow.