Stephen Rex Brown A member of the Just For Kicks adult softball league (left) testifies at today’s hearing.

The proposed changes to the system governing ball fields in city parks drew around 140 people today, many of whom expressed concern that a new priority for youth leagues would end up pushing adult games out.

If the reforms by the Parks Department are approved, youth leagues will be given priority when considering new ball-field permit applications.

“It’s silly to think this can’t lead to adult leagues being pushed out entirely,” said David Nierenberg, who plays in the Mundys Softball League in Brooklyn. “I don’t think that’s fair.” Read more…

The plot thickens: Another intriguing sign has gone up in the window of the law office of Zenon B. Masnyj, on East Seventh Street between Second and Third Avenues. The Local is still trying to get to the bottom of these leading questions; in the meantime, click on our photo to read the latest.

Stephen Rex Brown Jeff Greenberg, the owner of Elan Antiques.

Elan Antiques stayed in business for 23 years, but it couldn’t survive the ailing economy.

“2008 was really the death knell,” said Jeff Greenberg, the owner of the store at Bleecker and Lafayette Streets, just a few blocks away from the temporarily shuttered Billy’s Antiques. “I wasn’t able to recover. It kept getting worse — I really haven’t seen it get better.”

Mr. Greenberg, 58, said that he had been on a month-to-month lease for several years, and that a new tenant — it’s not certain who — had made a large offer on his space. “I can’t bear ill will — that is business,” he added, noting that his current rent is under the market rate. Read more…

Matt Rosen Mosaic Man’s latest.

The East Village’s most ubiquitous street artist is in the midst of a particularly prolific period, and he shows no signs of slowing down.

Matt Rosen Jim Power, alongside Porchetta co-owner Matt Lindemulder.

This morning, “Mosaic Man” Jim Power alerted The Local to his new pig mosaic, which he had just delivered to to Porchetta on East Seventh Street.

Recently, Mr. Power unveiled signage for Tompkins Square Bagels and the new location of The Bean.

The Local will probably get a firsthand look at the porcine mosaic any day now. We just finished off a punch-card for a free sandwich, and those burnt ends are irresistible.

Good morning, East Village.

Above: footage of 13th Step celebrating the Giants win on Sunday.

Marky Ramone tells City Room that he never actually wore the leather jacket being auctioned off as his own. He posted on Facebook: “It’s a fake. Yes, I had more than one coat. But this is not mine.” Update: The auction house tells City Room that it has taken the jacket off the block while it investigates its authenticity.

Speaking of CBs nostalgia, Gothamist quotes from a press release for “Bye Bye CBGB.” Opening at the Clic Gallery in SoHo on Jan. 30, the exhibition of Bruno Hadjadj’s sketches, photographs, and video from the last 48 hours of the rock club’s existence promises to pay “testament to the incredible endurance of CBGB’s influence.”

Delving still deeper into the neighborhood’s music heritage: Dangerous Minds posts some footage of Lead Belly, the blues and folk legend who lived at 414 East 10th Street. Researching Greenwich Village History writes that while living in the East Village, the bluesman would often stop into the Avenue B apartment of Elizabeth Barnicle, an NYU professor and folklorist, to record songs. Read more…

This nugget of news from an online auction house fits right in with the upscaling of The Bowery. City Room reports that a leather jacket once worn by drummer Marky Ramone (of The Ramones, obviously) is currently going for $3,146. An employee at the auction house says that it does not come with any lingering odors of stage sweat. Meanwhile, a more affordable option for Ramones fans: the new Dee Dee and Johnny Wacky Wobblers.

Suzanne Rozdeba Tommy Waters (right) and picketing electrical workers.

Electrical workers with Local Union 3 were picketing this morning outside Saint Brigid’s Church on Avenue B.

About 20 members of the union had been standing outside the church since 7 a.m. Tommy Waters, the picket captain, said they were on strike against Denmar Electric, a contractor doing electrical work for the church’s renovation.

“These workers have been on this job, working on St. Brigid’s, for over a year now. It’s an ongoing project,” he said. “They were told by the owner of Denmar Electric on Jan. 6 that he would have no more use for them.” Read more…

View full graphic

Recently released 311 complaint data reveals a veritable who’s-who in the neighborhood’s ongoing struggle with nightlife.

An analysis of commercial noise complaints submitted to 311 between January 2010 and October 16, 2011 finds that some familiar faces like La Vie, Sin Sin Lounge and Nublu are near the top of the list. The data, which represents the most recent 311 complaints available on NYC Open Data, shows that the undisputed champion of noise complaints in the East Village is Sutra Lounge. The hip-hop lounge had a whopping 265 complaints during the 22-month stretch — 116 more than the runner-up.

“We have the number one most vigilant neighbor, that’s what it really means,” said Ariel Palitz, the owner of Sutra and a member of Community Board 3. Read more…

Kim Davis was good and thorough during his recent tour of East Village biscuit destinations, but something occurred to us: he overlooked 7-Eleven’s $1 biscuit! We asked our trusted chowhound to swallow his pride and give it a nibble. Here’s how it stacked up against the others.

Lauren Carol Smith

Ninety years ago, the New York columnist O.O. McIntyre was complaining that the Bowery wasn’t what it used to be. He detected “the faint rustle of silk.” What he couldn’t have anticipated was the faint rustle of hungry bargain-hunters unwrapping hot, steamy dollar biscuits, sold at the front counter of a spanking new 7-Eleven.

A review? Well, the biscuit tasted biscuity, thanks no doubt to the “natural butter flavor” listed along with dozens of other ingredients on the wrapper. It was more soggy than dry, its texture contrasting sharply with the springiness of the pale pork patty. “Spices,” the wrapper duly noted, and in fact I found pepper flakes in the sausage, responsible for the warm after-burn in the throat. Read more…

Ralph Feldman, 76, was a fireman in the Bronx with Engine 45 for two decades, and then in Harlem with Engine 37 for several years. Before retiring about 26 years ago, he served as a fire marshal intermittently. In 1969, he bought a building at 315 East Eighth Street and in the 1970s and ’80s he photographed fires near there, sometimes giving a hand to his fellow firefighters.

On his block of mostly vacant buildings, there were as many as five fires a week, said Mr. Feldman. “At the same time when the Bronx was burning, the East Village was burning,” he said. “All of Brooklyn was burning. In the ’70s and ’80s, big portions of the city burnt down.” Mr. Feldman spoke with The Local about his photos.
Read more…

Police are searching for a suspect who locked a local woman in her bathroom while he ransacked her apartment on Jan. 16.

The 31-year-old victim told police that the suspect got in the elevator with her, followed her, and then forced his way into her apartment. He then locked her in the bathroom while searching in vain for valuables in the bedroom. The victim screamed for help, perhaps leading to the suspect leaving empty-handed.

The suspect is described as a white or Hispanic man in his 20s with brown eyes who was last seen wearing a long jacket, hooded sweatshirt, dark jeans and black-rim glasses.

Daniel Maurer Lucky Cheng’s at 24 First Avenue.

The end of the East Village’s biggest drag destination is just around the corner.

Lucky Cheng’s will move to 240 West 52nd Street in May or June, and owner Hayne Suthon says that club-kid turned designer Richie Rich, formerly of Heatherette, will sell a new fashion line in the space.

“He wants to put his new designs for clothing on the upper floor,” said Ms. Suthon of her new collaborator. “It’s kind of a wild venue, and he’s a wild guy.” Read more…

Joel Raskin

Less than a week after 12-year-old Dashane Santana was killed crossing Delancey Street, a new report finds that intersections near public housing complexes are by far the most dangerous for children.

In the East Village, Lower East Side and Chinatown, “a person struck by a car is nearly two times more likely to be a child than a crash victim on the Upper East Side,” according to the new report released by the advocacy group Transportation Alternatives. The data, culled from statistics from the state Division of Motor Vehicles from 1995 to 2009, also highlights intersections on East Houston Street and Delancey Street as high-crash areas.

According to the figures, Ms. Santana, a resident of the Jacob Riis Houses, was disproportionately exposed to dangerous intersections on the east side compared to her peers in other parts of the city. Read more…

Stephen Rex Brown

The new owner of the building that houses Cabrini Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation has failed to come to terms with a  potential new operator of the nursing home, increasing the likelihood that it will close when its lease expires in April.

Kenneth Fisher, an attorney representing Magnum Real Estate Group, which bought the building at Avenue B and Fifth Street late last year, said that negotiations to resell the building to a for-profit nursing home operator fell apart earlier this week. “On Sunday, we believed there was an agreement on the price,” he said. “On Tuesday, they had walked back from the agreement.” He added, “We’re disappointed that the transaction wasn’t reduced to a written contract.”

Michele deMilly, a consultant for Cabrini who is authorized to speak for the company, confirmed that a deal is no longer in the works: “Yesterday we heard that Magnum, meaning Ben Shaoul, was no longer negotiating with the prospective new operator of the nursing home facility on that site – he had terminated all negotiations –  and that Cabrini was going to proceed with their closing plan.” Read more…

Daniel Maurer A 7-Eleven is said to be opening in
the former porn shop next to IHOP.

Back in November, Amber Tamblyn told The Local that she and her fiancée, comedian David Cross, planned to leave the East Village for Brooklyn. Last month, Mr. Cross, who had previously bemoaned the arrival of a Subway on Avenue B, complained to Gothamist about the neighborhood’s new 7-Eleven and IHOP (that was before news broke, today, of another 7-Eleven.) This week, The New Yorker tags along as he makes the big move to – wait for it – Dumbo.

In the Talk of the Town piece, which is available online to subscribers only, the comedian reiterates, “I’m really not one of those whiny, annoying people who complain about any change, but there’s a 7-Eleven and an IHOP in the East Village now. It could be a suburban mall. Also, I was a younger man when I came here, doing younger-man things.” He clarifies: “I’m trying to be classy about saying ‘I don’t go out and get laid anymore.’” Read more…

Courtesy of Daniel Squadron Ms. Spink with State Senator Daniel Squadron

Mary Spink, a member of Community Board 3 recognized for decades of community activism, including work on sustainable and affordable housing, died yesterday morning at around 12:30 a.m. after struggles with liver and kidney failure. Her colleague at the Lower East Side People’s Mutual Housing Association, Rona Clemente, said Ms. Spink was 64. The news was first reported by The Lo-Down.

In an e-mail to The Local, Susan Stetzer, the board’s district manager, wrote, “Mary was a good friend and a hero in the community. Many people talk about making change — Mary made things happen.”

“Mary was [a] comrade in everyday battles to work for the Lower East Side and she was friends/family with many people in the L.E.S.,” Ms. Stetzer added. “She was on many boards dedicated to working for people in the community — such as the Girls Club (until very recently) and the East Village Community Coalition, as well as the Community Board — and there were no boundaries between this work and her everyday life. Mary is much loved and will be very missed.” Read more…

Noah Fecks East 10th Street. The second building from the right was approved for a rooftop addition only hours before the street was designated a landmark district.

The Landmarks Preservation Commission approved a historic district on a block of East 10th Street along Tompkins Square Park today, though a controversial rooftop addition that led to the expedited hearing also got the go-ahead literally hours before the vote.

With the designation, the exteriors of the 26 buildings between Avenues A and B will essentially be preserved as-is. But at the meeting the executive director of the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation, Andrew Berman, revealed that developer Ben Shaoul’s plans for a rooftop addition to 315 East 10th Street had been approved by the Department of Buildings.

“It reflects poorly on Shaoul and the city agencies that they couldn’t get their act together,” said Mr. Berman. Read more…

Daniel Maurer

Some folks get prickly about discarded Christmas trees littering the street well after they were due to go to the evergreen graveyard (MulchFest was a week ago!), but those rogue conifers are more or less invisible to us: See, we’re fixated on some unsightly leftovers from All Hallows’ Eve. On East 12th Street between First and Second Avenues, inside of a fenced-in lot behind P.S. 19 Asher Levy School, about ten pumpkins have been squatting on a bench and a table – ever since Halloween, presumably. And as you can see from our close-ups below, these pumpkins are in desperate need of chunkin’. We’re about to roll up our sleeves and get to the gooey, seedy bottom of this mystery, but in the meantime: is anyone else similarly vexed by this? Can someone from Liquiteria, the Juice Press, or Rawvolution walk a few blocks over and juice these suckers already? Read more…

Handsome Dick Manitoba, the owner of Manitoba’s bar on Avenue B, appeared on “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” last week to promote his Throbblehead doll, his upcoming reunion show with the Dictators, and his radio program. Mr. Fallon is a big fan of the jukebox at Manitoba’s, which he calls the “best in any bar in New York City.” A bold claim considering The Library, Double Down, Mona’s, Sophie’s, Doc Holliday’s, B-Side, International Bar, and Mars Bar all have fine jukes (to name just a few). What’s your favorite in the neighborhood?