Stephen Rex BrownA 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.
Runnin’ Scared reports that La MaMa E.T.C. is evicting Millenium Film Workshop from the building it has occupied at 66 East Fourth Street since 1975. Millenium board member Jay Hudson admits that the film collective, which has been hurt by steep cuts from the New York State Council for the Arts, hasn’t paid rent in about ten months.
Rumors that CBGB will stage some sort of return swept the internet yesterday after Gothamist said it had it “on good authority that the legendary venue is still alive in spirit, and angling to take over a new space in Manhattan.” Brooklyn Vegan noted a tweet from a CBGB Twitter account claiming to be official: “who would you like to see at the #CBGB Music Festival this summer? No band to big or to small.” And this morning, Bowery Boogie, without explaining much about its origin, posts a flyer indicating that “CBGB is Coming” July 3 to 7.
DNA reports from the funeral of Dashane Santana. Her middle school principal told tearful mourners, “We’re broken in the sense that one of our angels is no longer with us.” Read more…
In 2008, Barack Obama got 86% of the vote in Manhattan, and crowds floodedSt. Marks Place to celebrate. The East Village tends to be a liberal neighborhood, see. Evidence: this “East Village Other” cover from 1967 making light of Lyndon B. Johnson’s State of the Union address (a blog with an unpublishable name posted it on the heels of President Obama’s address to Congress last night). Decades after the hippie era, it’s still hard to find a Republican in this cradle of anarchy.
To find out just how hard, we hit the streets with cameras rolling yesterday and lo and behold, we found one! Watch the video above, and tell us: are you, too, an East Village Republican? Have you ever had to bite your tongue while talking politics at a local dive because you didn’t want the bartender spitting in your drink? Don’t be shy: None other than Johnny Ramone once said that “punk is right wing.”
Daniel MaurerLisa Burriss and Cafe Khufu owner Paul Said.
A longtime East Village resident’s request for a beer-and-wine license sparked a crisis of conscience among Community Board 3 members last night, who wrestled with whether to give a good neighbor the benefit of the doubt or remain committed to a hardline stance against new booze-selling establishments on quiet streets.
At last night’s board meeting, Lisa Burriss, 32, a public housing advocate and native resident of the Lower East Side, asked the board to support her application for a beer-and-wine license at Cafe Khufu, the hookah lounge and cafe on Third Street between First and Second Avenues that she manages. In 2009, the board recommended that the State Liquor Authority turn down the cafe for wine and beer, noting in its decision that “Community Board #3 has taken the position that it does not want the City to permit eating and drinking establishments on side streets where they are not zoned or to extend such noncompliant use to eating and drinking establishments.”
Earlier this month, the board’s S.L.A. Licensing committee once again recommended that Cafe Khufu stay dry, but at last night’s meeting of the full board, personal considerations trumped policy. Testimony by several members turned the tide of opinion in favor of Ms. Burriss, a former director of organizing at Good Old Lower East Side Read more…
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 RozdebaTommy 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…
Teresa Pedroza, a resident of the Riis Houses, tells DNA Info that her family has raised more than $5,000 for the funeral of Dashane Santana, her granddaughter who was killed while crossing Delancey Street.
With the Board of Standards and Appeals holding a hearing about rooftop additions at 514-516 East Sixth Street today, Off the Grid reiterates its stance that “it is clear that the construction is inappropriate, out of scale and detracts from the character of the buildings and the streetscape.”
The Indypendent notes the opening of “Street.Life.Live” at the 14th Street Y, featuring the work of photographers Rebecca Lepkoff, Silvianna Goldsmith, Marlis Momber, Anna Sawaryn, and Shell Sheddy. The exhibition of photos of the Lower East Side from 1968 to the present “serves as a reminder of a time when things weren’t as rosy in the Lower East Side, a neighborhood that includes enclaves such as the East Village, Chinatown and Little Italy. Images of run-down houses and anti-drug protests remind viewers of darker times, when even the photographers themselves feared for their safety. ” Read more…
As previously reported here, The Times writes that religious leaders are opposing the creation of an East Village historic district. “Almost a dozen houses of worship, including the late-19th-century Cathedral of the Holy Virgin Protection and a crumbling century-old synagogue, argue that they are dependent on donations and that including them in a landmark district would make simple projects like repairing a window or fixing a roof more expensive and bureaucratically time-consuming.” In August, Ido Nissani, an architect and member of the Meseritz Synagogue on East Sixth Street, complained to The Local that “people who never stepped foot in this building now feel entitled not only to have a say, but to even have control over the building.” Read more…
Daniel MaurerPolice outside of the store on Jan. 6.
A cell phone store on East 14th Street near First Avenue was robbed again last night, two weeks after a pair of men held it up at gunpoint.
A police officer was seen dusting for prints inside of the Metro PCS store at 350 East 14th Street last night. The police said that shortly before 7:10 p.m., a black man wearing all-black clothing walked into the store, demanded money while keeping a hand in his pocket, and fled with an undisclosed amount of cash. No further details could be revealed because the investigation is ongoing.
Two weeks ago (also on a Friday evening) two men entered the same store, flashed a gun, and left with around $4,000. The police released surveillance camera footage of that incident.
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.
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…
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…
The Local will now offer weekly roundups of notable crimes within the confines of the Ninth Precinct, which covers the East Village. In addition to possible gunshots at Lillian Wald Houses on Friday, here’s who fought the law in recent days.
New Year’s Mayhem
A knife-wielding thief from New Jersey took cash from a New Year’s reveler mere hours after the ball dropped.
The victim told the police that a trio approached at the corner of East Fourth Street and Avenue A at around 1:40 a.m. and said, “Happy New Year. Let me see your wallet.” The victim then tried to walk away, and the suspect reiterated his demand and flashed a blade while his cohorts looked on. The victim handed over $50 and the group left. About 20 minutes later, the police arrested Dion Watson and charged him with robbery, possession of a deadly weapon and possession of stolen property. His alleged cohorts, Krishard Jones and a 17-year-old girl, were also charged with robbery.
Trouble at the Tavern
A thief chatted up a bar-goer on Jan. 7 at the Village Tavern and then forced him to hand over $200.
The victim told the police that the suspect kept chewing the fat with him in the bar on Avenue C at East 10th Street. At around 2:15 a.m. the suspect reached into the victim’s pocket, took his cellphone and wallet and said, “You’re not getting this back unless you give me money.” The suspect then forced the victim to go to an ATM and withdraw $200. About 30 minutes later, the police arrested Adam J. Soto, a 31-year-old resident of Campos Plaza, and charged him with robbery in the third degree and grand larceny. Read more…
In case you missed it last night, The Local reported that Benjamin Shaoul’s Magnum Real Estate Group, 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.
EV Grieve has photos of workers dismantling the roof at 315 East 10th Street, which is also owned by Magnum. The building sits on the block that the Landmarks Preservation Commission designated a historic district on Tuesday. Grieve writes that the work started at 8:30 a.m., shortly after Magnum got the go-ahead for a controversial rooftop addition only hours before the L.P.C. vote.
The New York Post has a cover story on “East Village apartments with eye-popping asking prices,” including penthouses for between $3.6 and $4.525 million at 123 Third Avenue. The Post also reveals that 74-84 Third Avenue, the former home of Nevada Smith’s, will be turned into a rental building, and the vacant lot at 211 East 13th Street will house an 82-unit, eight-story development. Read more…
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…
Further to yesterday’s news that the Department of Buildings issued a permit for a rooftop addition to a building on East 10th Street shortly before the Landmarks Preservation Commission approved a historic district on the block, State Senator Daniel Squadron has issued a press release stating that “the timing of D.O.B.’s permit to allow the expansion of 315 East 10th Street is disturbing and raises serious questions about coordination between city agencies.” The text of the release, along with the senator’s testimony yesterday can be found on his Website.
Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver is urging Transportation Department Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan to improve safety conditions on Delancey Street after the tragic death of Dashane Santana, who was struck by a car while crossing Delancey Street at Clinton Street. In a letter excerpted by The Lo-Down, Mr. Silver writes, “The recent accident which took the life of 12-year-old Dashane Santana is yet another reminder that we must act immediately to improve safety conditions for pedestrians at several dangerous intersections on Delancey Street.”
In an e-mail to The Local this morning, State Senator Daniel Squadron shares his thoughts on the loss of local activist Mary Spink, who died on Jan. 16. “I am lucky to have known Mary, and our community is lucky to have had her. Stories and commitment to the community like hers are rare and a unique inspiration. She will be sorely missed.”
The New York Times expands on reports that Booker & Dax, “a new bar that places technology squarely in the service of mixology,” is opening Friday in the old Milk Bar space in David Chang’s Momofuku Ssam Bar. Zagat first heard the rumors last week. It’s a collaboration between Mr. Chang and the French Culinary Institute‘s director of culinary technology, Dave Arnold.
Courtesy of Daniel SquadronMs. 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…
The Local was a journalistic collaboration designed to reflect the richness of the East Village, report on its issues and concerns, give voice to its people and create a space for our neighbors to tell stories about themselves. It was operated by the students and faculty of the Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute at New York University, in collaboration with The New York Times, which provides supervision to ensure that the blog remains impartial, reporting-based, thorough and rooted in Times standards. Read more »
Stephen Rex Brown A member of the Just For Kicks adult softball league (left) testifies at today’s hearing.
