modestmerlin

Good morning, East Village.

The New York Post runs a photo of a deliveryman close to collision with a pedestrian in the East Village. James Vacca, the chairman of the City Council’s Transportation Committee, tells the paper he will introduce legislation requiring commercial cyclists to finish a bicycle-safety course and submit proof of completion to employers. “If nothing else, this bill will ensure that commercial cyclists have been educated about what the rules actually are,” he said.

Fourth Arts Block still needs about $900 of the $3,000 it’s trying to collect through KickStarter for its ArtUp program, reports Bowery Boogie. The program “transforms construction sites…in the East Village/Lower East Side into street-side galleries.”

In a “Vanished” series, Jeremiah’s Vanishing New York laments the loss in 2011 of some notable East Village structures and figures, including 35 Cooper Square, Mars Bar, and the booting out of Edgar Oliver, “one of the East Village’s last Bohemians.” Read more…

Joel Raskin

Good morning, East Village.

The owner of 77 East Seventh Street, Robert Koziej, is among those honored on public advocate Bill de Blasio’s 2011 list of “NYC’s Worst Landlords,” with 110 infractions listed.

So do you think teachers should be allowed to wear flip-flops and tank tops to school? An editorial in the Daily News sides with East Village principal Marlon Hosang of Public School 64, who wants a “professional” dress code. The paper sarcastically says of the teacher who filed a complaint: “Good policy: Defend the right to look like a slob. Challenge the ability of a school leader to set a respectful tone in his building.”

Jazz musician Sam Rivers died on Monday, reports The New York Times. Studio Rivbea, the noncommercial performance space he ran out of his Bond Street loft, was an anchor of the 1970s loft scene, and “served as an avant-garde hub through the end of the decade.” Read more…

Modestmerlin

Good morning, East Village.

The Post reports that Madonna Badger was a former East Villager. The fashion marketing executive lost her parents and three children in a Christmas-morning fire in her Stamford, C.T. home.

DNA Info reports that firefighters extinguished a blaze at Jacob Riis Houses II on Monday afternoon.

According to CBS New York, Matt Sky, an East Village resident, was among those celebrating Christmas at Zuccotti Park.

CBS News also reports, along with the Post and DNA Info, that an East Village housing officer, Rafael Casiano, is facing drunk driving and vehicular assault charges after his car flipped over on the Bronx River Parkway, leaving his partner in a coma. Read more…

Yesterday, City Room reported that “the picture of crime in New York City in 2011 is shaping up as virtually a mirror image of the year before, according to police statistics.” In the East Village, statistics released this week (tracking incidents reported to the Ninth Precinct in the period ending Dec. 11) show that crime complaints were almost universally down with three weeks left in the year. Petit larceny (theft of property valued at $1,000 or less), grand larceny auto, and misdemeanor sex crimes were the only categories that saw increases in reported crime following Deputy Inspector Kenneth Lehr’s appointment as precinct commander in January. Below, our chart comparing this year’s numbers with last year’s, and comparing the percentage of change in the Ninth Precinct to the same citywide.

Scott Lynch

Good morning, East Village.

The Post and Gay City News report that a mistrial has been declared after a jury weighing second-degree murder charges was unable to decide whether Davawn Robinson intended to kill CUNY professor Edgar Mercado in his Avenue C apartment.

Skaters who’ve been shut out of Open Road Park may be curious to see the renderings for the forthcoming Coleman Skate Park on the Lower East Side. Bowery Boogie has its doubts about the project: “Judging by the proposed renderings, it appears the area will become just another corporate haven to sell advertising.”

The Times reviews “Accidentally, Like a Martyr,” the play at Paradise Factory Theater that’s set at a local gay bar: “Though these men are only sometimes good to one another, they are good company for 80 minutes in the theater, especially Mr. Blasius’s warm, wounded Edmund.” Read more…

Just a couple of weeks after State Assemblyman Brian Kavanagh announced a new basketball program operated by the Police Athletic League at the Campos Plaza housing complex, the Manhattan District Attorney’s office has announced that it is teaming with P.A.L., the police department, and the D.E.A. to bring a similar program to the Henry Street Settlement’s Boys & Girls Republic at 888 East Sixth Street next month.

At a Community Board 3 meeting Tuesday night, Linda Jones-Janneh of the District Attorney’s Community Affairs Unit announced that the Pro Hoops L.E.S. Free Basketball Training Camp would start Jan. 6, and would include two Friday evening sessions for boys (one for ages 12 to 14, the other for ages 15 to 19) and a Saturday evening session for girls aged 15 to 19. The program will run through Feb. 25. Read more…

Kevin Farley

Good morning, East Village.

The Washington Post reports that the army has charged eight soldiers in the death of Pvt. Danny Chen. Though it’s unclear whether the death of Pvt. Chen, who grew up in Chinatown and the East Village, is still being considered a suicide, the charges include involuntary manslaughter, negligent homicide, dereliction of duty, making a false statement, maltreatment, and assault.

Bowery Boogie points out that thanks to some new projects from meatpacking district restaurateurs, the Lower East Side has been increasingly referred to as the Lower Eastpacking District, a term The Local’s editor coined back in 2006.

Boogie gets word that the last day for Billy’s Antiques is Jan. 1. Read more…

PKSB Architects The original and final proposals for a rooftop addition to the Puck Building.

The Landmarks Preservation Commission finally approved a rooftop addition to the Puck Building today, concluding a four-month process that resulted in numerous rejections of numerous designs.

The owner of the landmarked building at Lafayette and East Houston Streets, Jared Kushner, expressed his pleasure with the outcome, which only came after four other designs were rejected by the commission.

Michael Natale Puck.

“I am very pleased with the results. We got an extension approved that allows us to go forward with a special project,” said Mr. Kushner, who owns the New York Observer. “The additions to the building will further enhance one of the most iconic buildings in the world.”

Elisabeth de Bourbon, a spokeswoman for the commission, said that the latest design would not amount to a drastic change to the Puck Building.

Commissioner Michael Devonshire, an architectural conservator, said, “They’ve reached the target of minimalism in terms of massing.”
Read more…

Last month, The Local introduced you to the owners of the East Village Cheese Shop, Tibetan refugees who attend rallies in support of their homeland’s independence and regularly send funds to their family there. The Cheese Shop isn’t the neighborhood’s only link to the Himalayas: Just a block away at The Three Jewels – the Buddhist community center at 61 Fourth Avenue – a lama and some of his students are raising money for the neediest inhabitants of Nepal. Read more…

Phillip Kalantzis-Cope

Good morning, East Village.

According to The Times, Julian Schnabel wasn’t the only boldface name at his daughter Lola’s opening at The Hole last week. Courtney Love, Francesco Clemente, Sandro Chia, Salman Rushdie and John Ahearn also showed up. As The Local reported last week, some of Ms. Schnabel’s paintings were first shown during The Hole’s whirlwind tour of Miami earlier this month.

DNA Info chats with Eileen Johnson, the director of Little Missionary’s Day Nursery on St. Mark’s Place (one of the oldest nurseries in the city) and the author of “The Children’s Emotional Bill of Rights.” The new book is based on her philosophy that “children need to be respected. Their boundaries need to be respected.”

Crains reports that 255 East Houston Street, near Suffolk Street, is on the market and could go for between $250 and $300 per square foot, depending on whether the buyer wants to build a condo or rental. Read more…

If you want a piece of Mars Bar, now’s the time to ask. As you can see in video shot this morning, the wall separating the old dive from its neighbor has come down, and construction workers are clearing away wooden beams.

Meanwhile, a few blocks away, the 7-Eleven that had been slated to open on the Bowery last week was accepting deliveries this morning. A worker on the scene said it would finally open this Friday (an early Christmas gift to the East Village?). We’ve asked corporate headquarters for the official word.

Have your own photos of the Mars Bar’s demise? Add them to The Local’s Flickr pool.

Good morning, East Village.

The Observer reports that on Sunday, a “Charas Comes Home For The Holidays” demonstration in favor of turning the former P.S. 64 building into a community center ended in “at least three arrests and numerous confrontations.”

Meanwhile, The Local’s contributor Tim Schreier took the above photo at the march against Trinity Church. You can see more of his photos here. The Times reports that at least 50 people were arrested at demonstrations on Saturday and quotes Matt Sky, an Internet consultant from the East Village, as saying, “Everything about this movement is momentum. We need to show people that we are still relevant.”

The Post reports that a man has been arrested for three muggings, including an incident in which he allegedly followed a woman into her East 12th Street apartment at 2:30 a.m. Read more…

Stephen Rex Brown Firefighters outside of Lil’ Frankie’s.

A fire in the walls at Lil’ Frankie’s, on First Avenue near First Street, was extinguished this afternoon before anyone was injured, firefighters said.

“It would have been a good fire in about 45 minutes if people hadn’t smelled it,” said Battalion Chief Steve Deloughry.

Twelve trucks and 60 firefighters arrived at the popular pizzeria at 21 First Avenue at around 2:10 p.m. after a resident on the third floor smelled smoke. Mr. Deloughry said that his crew “poked around for a while” trying to find the source of the smell, and at times suspected it was just coming from the wood burning oven at the restaurant. Eventually, firefighters did find the fire behind the ceiling and walls near the oven, and declared it under control at around 4 p.m.

An employee at Lil’ Frankie’s said the pizzeria will be open, but that as much as half of the dishes on the menu may not be available.

Scott Lynch

Good morning, East Village.

The Villager notes that on Sunday, locals will commemorate the anniversary of the eviction of the C.H.A.R.A.S. Community and Cultural Center with “music, food, dancing and a community speak-out.” As The Local has reported, activists are hoping the organization’s former headquarters — the onetime P.S. 64 building — will be used as a community center again.

The Villager has discovered that Ray Alvarez of Ray’s Candy Store, who turns 79 on Jan. 1, is dealing with a “leaky heart” and is debating surgery.

In a Villager profile, Amy Micelli — half of the couple that runs Ciao for Now — says the cafe’s block on East 12th Street between Avenues A and B “has transformed many times…and there are fewer crazy people and drug addicts now.” Read more…

Noah Fecks

Our photographer Noah Fecks noticed a sign, as did EV Grieve, on the door of Affaire on Avenue B indicating that the lounge has been closed by the Department of Health for operating without a permit. We’ll let you know when we have more.

Foursquare isn’t the only tech start-up moving out of 36 Cooper Square. The Atlantic notes that Curbed and Hard Candy Shell are also leaving the building that was the birthplace of the Hartz Mountain pet supplies empire and is still home to the Village Voice. Kevin Kearney, the CEO of Hard Candy Shell, says, “I think that now the people are leaving there’s not gonna be anything left. I think we all would’ve stayed if we could’ve figured out how it worked. If The Village Voice had finally gone under, we could’ve taken over.”

A blog in the Curbed network, Racked, reminds us that later today, Bedlam Bar at 40 Avenue C will host the Bright Young Things Holiday Market: “Markdowns go up to 50% off, and participating designers include Bijules, Chrishabana, and Mary Meyer. There’s an open vodka bar from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., and Becka Diamond and Nicolette Santos of the Six Six Sick Girls will DJ.” Read more…

Harold Schrader Anthony Amato

Anthony Amato, who founded the Amato Opera and trained generations of opera singers at his small theater on the Bowery, died yesterday morning on City Island. He was 91.

Rochelle Mancini, a former singer at the Amato Opera who helped Mr. Amato write his recently published memoir, said the cause was cancer.

From its founding in 1948, the Amato Opera served as a training grounds for young singers with grand ambitions. Mr. Amato was said to have a keen eye for talent, and the likes of Neil Shicoff, Mignon Dunn and George Shirley performed there before going on to play famous venues like the Metropolitan Opera and City Opera.

After stints in theaters around the city, the opera opened on the Bowery at East Second Street in 1964; a location that harkened back to the thoroughfare’s history as a poor man’s Broadway. Less than 10 years after its opening it would share the block with C.B.G.B.; a vivid example of the eclectic arts scene in the neighborhood. Read more…

Meagan Kirkpatrick

Good morning, East Village.

According to a letter sent to Bowery Boogie, Agata Olek, the crochet artist who yarn-bombed the Astor cube, has been arrested in London after what she describes as “an incident with a drunk and aggressive male who behaved reprehensibly.” Fans can contribute to her legal fees here.

Meanwhile, the Astor cube got another makeover today.

DNA Info reports that Shanna Spalding, the so-called “Cat Woman Burglar,” has been found guilty of robbing an Astor Place shoe store in June 2010 while disguised as, yes, Catwoman.

The Post reports that deliberations will begin tomorrow in the case in which Davawn Robinson is accused of strangling CUNY professor Edgard Mercado to death in his East Village apartment. Read more…

Daniel Maurer A sign posted at 13th Street and Avenue C.

In an apparent response to a shooting in the courtyard of Campos Plaza II on Saturday morning, signs have been posted around the housing complex advertising rewards of up to $2,000 for tips leading to the solving of a crime. The police are said to have upped their presence at the complex (yesterday evening, a cruiser was stationed on 13th Street between Avenues B and C) and have also announced the reward via a roving bullhorn. Meanwhile, a source close to the 19-year-old who was shot in the leg said that the unnamed teen is walking again, and was due to be released from the hospital yesterday.

The police said today that the case remains open and there have been no arrests. A representative of the N.Y.P.D. also revealed that at 12:20 a.m., just five to ten minutes after the gunfire was said to have erupted, a 32-year-old woman, Frances Rodriguez, was arrested at the location of the incident, outside of 641 East 13th Street. She is alleged to have been fighting with others when she assaulted a police officer. It was unclear whether or not the incident was connected with the shooting or the events leading up to it. Read more…

Nick DeSantis

The first event at the former site of the BMW Guggenheim Lab got off to an unlucky start on Saturday.

Volunteers from First Street Green – the neighborhood organization that helped transform the park from a rat haven to a community event space – put together their “visioning wall” in the shape of a tall arch. Shortly afterward, the afternoon breeze brought the colorful sculpture crashing to the ground in a heap of foam tiles.

Undeterred and in good spirits, the group broke the sculpture apart and continued with the real business of Saturday’s gathering: soliciting ideas from neighbors about the park’s future, which remains in question since the Guggenheim Lab’s departure.

John Bowman, a member of First Street Green, said the two biggest hurdles facing the group are logistics and funding. They plan to use the wintertime, when the park is dormant, to work out permitting and scheduling details. The installation of a sculpture garden has been delayed till spring. Read more…