Grace Maalouf Village East Cinema manager Steve Albistur sets up the theater’s marquee for Monday night’s premiere screening of Doctor Who, for which fans (below) have been camped out nearly 24 hours.

Saturday night, Jessica Whitton and several of her friends heard about a screening for the BBC cult favorite “Doctor Who.” Showing at the Village East Cinema tonight, the screening of the sci-fi series opener will bring together cast members and producers, and allow several hundred fans an exclusive first glimpse at the season premiere. So Ms. Whitton and several friends drove six hours from Youngstown, New York, to Yonkers, then took a 90-minute train ride into Grand Central.

They got to Village East last night around 9 p.m., and have been camped out in front ever since. The screening will begin at 7 p.m.

“I haven’t eaten today,” says Ms. Whitton, 19. Through last night’s mist, she and her friends slept on the sidewalk. “But it was worth it.”

At 10 this morning, actors from the show surprised waiting fans with some breakfast and took pictures.

“I woke up to Karen Gillan offering me a donut,” said Marjory Collado, referring to one cast member. Ms. Collado, 24, has been waiting near the beginning of the line with the first fans, who arrived at 4 p.m. yesterday. They’ve come from Maine, Connecticut, Tennessee. Others have flown in from Florida and Texas. One of them, Tristan Shippen, 19, has been blogging the campout since it began.
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Tim Schreier

Good morning, East Village.

We begin this morning with the grim news coming from just south of our neighborhood that a woman was stabbed to death inside her apartment during the weekend. Sarah Coit, 23, was found dead in her Lower East Side apartment after a series of screams were heard coming from her home on 63 Clinton Street around 2 a.m. Sunday morning. The authorities say Ms. Coit’s boyfriend Raul Barrera, 33, stabbed Ms. Coit during a domestic dispute. The police said that Mr. Barrera turned himself into the Ninth Precinct station house less an hour later.

In other neighborhood news, McSorley’s Old Ale House on Seventh Street between Second and Third Avenues, recently made headlines about overlooking sanitation responsibilities despite being granted an A by the New York City Health Department. The Times reports that a city health inspector urged owner Matthew Maher, 70, to remove or at least dust a series of wishbones that hung from an old gas lamp. The wishbones were left by soldiers at the drinking establishment, which celebrated its 157th anniversary last February, on their way to war. Mr. Maher cleaned the wishbones just in time, with the opening of a new East Village Irish bar in the works.

Wondering what the line of people on 12th Street have been waiting for? Village East Cinema on 12th Street and Second Avenue is hosting a screening of Doctor Who, followed by a Q & A, Nearsay reports.

As for the weather, today’s forecast reveals fog and wind, but a high of 72 degrees, enjoy a hint of spring, East Village!

Ian Duncan Luis Rivera and Maritza Lopez outside their Puerto Rican restaurant on Loisaida Avenue. For the first time in 30 years, the area east of Avenue B is less than half Hispanic.

The 2010 Census offers a portrait of an East Village that is more populous and less diverse. For the first time since the 1980’s, the area east of Avenue B is less than half Hispanic and the number of white residents in the area has surged.

The total population of the East Village now stands at 73,676, according to the figures, up 5.7 percent over the decade. White people now make up more than half of the population of the neighborhood, while Hispanics make up less than one quarter. The number of blacks in the neighborhood dipped by 5 percent.

East of Avenue B — the census splits records down that street — the trend is even more dramatic. The Hispanic population there fell by a little more than 10 percent, while the white population in that part of the neighborhood jumped almost 38 percent.

Claudio Remeseira, founder and director of the Hispanic New York Project at Columbia University, said the trend illustrates a number of changes taking place to the neighborhood, including gentrification, the upward mobility of some Puerto Ricans, and the decision of others to leave the city entirely.

“We are used to talking about poverty,” Mr. Remeseira added, “we tend to forget there is also upward mobility of Puerto Ricans and Domicans.”
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Vivienne Gucwa

Good morning, East Village.

We begin the day with the news that has taken the city by storm: Cathie Black, chancellor of education, has stepped down at the mayor’s request and will be resigning effective immediately. The news comes after Ms. Black’s brief and tumultuous tenure and a 17 percent approval rating, according to a recent NY1-Marist poll.

In neighborhood news, EV Grieve reports that another corner market, the Fuji Apple Market, on 12th Street and First Avenue is going out of business, continuing a trend that has seen a wave of small markets and bodegas close across the city.

An East Village artist has come under scrutiny from the MTA for creating a series of oil paintings on discarded subway cards. Maybe partnering with the artist could help the MTA with its financial woes? Sounds better than raising subway fares.

The performance space known as Under St. Mark’s was featured on NY1. The building, which has been owned by a theater development group since 1999, is for sale and some fans of the venue are concerned that the new owner might close the theater. Watch the NY1 video here.

As for the weekend weather, the forecast calls for mostly sunny skies and highs in the upper 50’s.

Grace Maalouf During an appearance at Manhattan Criminal Court, a Queens man pleaded not guilty to charges that he punched a woman during a dispute over a parking space in the East Village.

A Queens man who punched a woman in the face in a dispute about an East Village parking spot pleaded not guilty today to a felony charge of second-degree assault.

Oscar Fuller, arrested March 1 for the Feb. 25 incident which left Lana Rosas, 25, hospitalized in a coma, has maintained that the act was one of self-defense, and told reporters in March that surveillance footage would back up his claims.

Prosecutors today presented one security tape as pre-trial discovery, calling it a “very grainy video” taken from a great distance. Thomas Kenniff, Mr. Fuller’s lawyer, told The Local that though he hasn’t seen the footage, he has a “fairly good idea” based on his conversations with the prosecutor and his own investigator of what it would show. Mr. Kenniff has said that Ms. Rosas started the altercation.
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Phillip Kalantzis Cope

Good morning, East Village.

We begin today with a pair of in-case-you-missed-it items.

Two red-tailed hawks have taken to a nest on a ledge of NYU’s Bobst Library, just outside the 12th floor office of University president John Sexton. The Times has set up a live stream video where you can watch Violet, the mother named for the school’s official color and mascot, care for her eggs. Occasionally Bobby, the father named for Bobst library, stops by to check in. We put up a short post about the camera Wednesday afternoon.

We also learned Wednesday that the police are on the hunt for a suspect in a series of seven subway robberies, the latest of which occurred last week outside the Broadway-Lafayette subway station in the East Village.

In other neighborhood news, a new antique shop has opened on Second Street at Avenue A, Kabinett & Kramer. The one-room shop is the Manhattan outpost of an upstate store that has attracted celebrities such as Amy Sedaris and Anderson Cooper, the latter having liked the store so much he hired its owner to decorate his apartment across town.

Even as the number of applications for liquor licenses in the East Village continues to grow, a group of residents on East Fifth Street upset about noise are planning to fight proposals for a new pub on the block.

Bird-fanciers can visit The Times to watch a live video feed of the hawk currently nesting outside the office of N.Y.U. President John Sexton on Washington Square Park. — The Local

Jankor

This summer, a young scholar from the neighborhood, college-bound and interested in journalism, will have the opportunity to participate in N.Y.U.’s Hyperlocal Newsroom Summer Academy, thanks to a full $5,000 scholarship.  The newsroom is the reporting engine of The Local East Village.

The Local is reaching out to schools within its coverage area, asking them to identify a high-achieving rising junior or senior, studying and preferably living in the neighborhood, a student who would not otherwise be able to take advantage of this opportunity.

The Summer Academy is a six-week pre-college program for rising juniors and seniors, being held in the newsrooms of the NYU Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute at 20 Cooper Square in the East Village from July 5 to August 12.

The course in basic reporting or multimedia skills provides four college credits. As part of the program, there will be a newsroom atmosphere all week, where students can get editorial and multimedia support. A planned schedule is in the making of exciting age-appropriate social and journalistic activities, all covered as part of the program.

The centerpiece of the program is The Local East Village, the news and information site being published for the neighborhood collaboratively by the Institute and The New York Times.

More information and a video about the Summer Academy, can be found here.

The authorities are searching for the thief in a series of what has so far been seven robberies in Manhattan subway stations, the most recent of which occurred in the East Village at the intersection of Broadway and Houston Street about a week ago. The thief is believed to be a teenager who targets victims in subway stations before and after school hours, pulling out a knife or gun and then robbing them of their iPod or cell phone. So far all of his victims have been teenagers. — Rachel Ohm

Ian Duncan A passerby inspects South Brooklyn Pizza’s liquor license notice. Despite the hurdles of entering a thoroughly saturated market, owners of bars and restaurants are still flocking to the East Village – and filing applications for liquor licenses.

This weekend, the Post reported what we all kind of knew anyway. The East Village has more places to buy booze than any other neighborhood in the city: 474 in the 10003 zip code by their count. Cue mass eye-rolling in the blogosphere at the non-news.

Concerned by the profusion of bars, Community Board 3 and the authority have started to toughen up. Last month, the board narrowly voted down a liquor license application for a Mexican restaurant run by Two Boots Pizza owner Phil Hartman and music promoter Todd Patrick.

The reason for the proliferation of bars hinges on zoning technicalities and what critics say was the State Liquor Authority’s past trigger-happy attitude to handing out licenses.

That created momentum and now entrepreneurs are desperate to get a foothold in the neighborhood, despite the obstacles. Next Monday, 33 businesses will put their case for new or expanded licenses to the community board.

In a bold step, the owners of South Brooklyn Pizza labeled the community board “infamous” and urged their customers to sign a petition supporting their application. EV Grieve noted the claim, trigging much rumbling from the blog’s commenters.
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The Landmarks Preservation Commisssion approved N.Y.U.’s application to make changes to the open space at the landmarked University Towers site, following a hearing on April 5. The application represents one element of the university’s revised plans to expand in its core neighborhood. — Kim Davis

Bruce Monroe

Good morning, East Village.

Today DNAinfo reports that the East Village Community School is seeking to expand as a solution to overcrowding that administrators expect to worsen as the school, located on East 12th Street, between Avenues B and C, prepares to undergo renovations. The plans for renovation should be finalized by June while the school works with the Community Education Council of District 1 to explore the possibility of leasing community space for EVCS.

The Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation links a dramatic population increase in the East Village, shown by changes in census records for 2010, to the construction of three “enormous dorms” — Palladium Hall and University Hall on East 14th Street and Founder’s Hall on East 12th.

In the Manhattan Supreme Court a trial continues for the alleged rape of an East Village woman by two N.Y.P.D. officers outside her apartment in 2008. Friends of the woman testified Tuesday, saying she was highly intoxicated and had to be taken home in a cab. The cab driver also testified, saying he had to call the police to escort the alleged victim to her apartment, as Taxi and Limousine Commission rules prohibit drivers from assisting passengers on their own.

And finally, on a lighter, foodie note, the East Village is destined for a new donut shop featuring pastries made from mashed potatoes, as well as a new breakfast-all-day joint, B.A.D. Burgers, which will open a second location on Avenue A looking to match the success of their Williamsburg joint.

Phillip Kalantzis Cope

Last week the New Museum announced some of the details for its Festival of Ideas, but it seems that not everyone is keen on the street festival scheduled to take place on the Bowery. The Lo-Down reports that Billy Leroy, “mayor” of the Bowery and proprieter of Billy’s antiques is opposed to what he has labeled another attempt “to gentrify the Bowery.”

City Limits reports on the conditions in First Houses, the city’s oldest public housing on Third Avenue between First Avenue and Avenue A, describing the deterioration of the landmark site.

Meanwhile, EV Grieve broods over the extraterrestrial which appeared in a vacant lot on 13th Street over the weekend. Can the mystery of its origins be solved by looking at a once innocuous photo?

Finally, in transportation news it appears that more MTA stops might be adopting the setup of the Astor Place subway station, where retail and riding the rail go hand in hand. Second Avenue Sagas reports that the commercial opportunities available underground just might be the golden ticket to generating more money. The Chicago Transit Authority is already engaged in a real estate overhaul. Is New York next?

Tim Schreier

Good morning, East Village.

We hope you enjoyed the sunshine over the weekend as today’s forecast calls mostly for rain, although temperatures will be warming up to the 60’s.

NearSay has compiled a list of the best springtime bars in the East Village and Lower East Side and also reports on the closing of the East Village’s beloved Southern food mainstay, Mara’s Homemade.

The list however, might be useful, as The Post reported during the weekend that the East Village contains the city’s most alcohol-soaked zip code, topping the list of most liquor licenses with 474 and making it the “cocktail capital” of New York.

Two quick nostalgia notes: NearSay recalls the history of La Salle Academy on Second Avenue. Later this week a new documentary, “Blank City”, depicting life in the East Village in the 70’s and 80’s will debut at the IFC Film Center.

Finally, Land Use and Zoning Committee of Community Board 3 will meet tonight. On the agenda are affordable housing plans and NYU’s 2031 expansion plans.

Shawn Hoke

This blog began with an invitation. From our very first post, The Local has sought to bring our neighbors in the East Village into the process of producing news and telling their own stories about their community.

Recently, The Local quietly marked six months of publication and while the wonderful experiment that it represents will continue, my time running the site is coming to an end. In August, after what will have been 20 months of planning, developing and publishing The Local, I will step down to pursue other ventures and to devote more time to completing my doctoral dissertation.

Today, NYU is opening the search for the next editor of The Local. Whoever gets the job will be stepping into a position that is exciting, challenging and rewarding and one that is very much helping to drive the industry-wide conversation about digital storytelling, hyperlocal news and the future of pro-am journalism partnerships.
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C. Ceres Merry

Good morning, East Village.

It seems the rain is going to stop, the clouds are going to vanish, the sun will come out…well, not today. But this weekend is slated for decent weather, and Sunday might be rather pleasant.

In a few weeks, your Bowery will host a street fair-slash-art workshop, as the New Museum throws a four-day “Festival of Ideas for the New City.” The event, which will run May 4-8, will feature speeches and interactive art displays, as well as panels and classes given by local community groups.

In artsy news via BoweryBoogie, one neighborhood photographer has turned her shots of the Village into a quilt, with daylight pictures on one side, and night-time pics on the reverse.

And from the Captain Obvious Institute for Totally Necessary Studies, we receive word that the East Village has lots and lots of happy hours — more than any other Manhattan neighborhood, in fact. But it’s Friday, so you, dear readers, will probably need to do a little further research.

Ben Chislett

Good morning, East Village.

And what a morning it is. Button your coats and pull up your boots; this lovely spring-introduction song is set to launch a second (possibly snowy) verse tonight.

That won’t stop the two baseball fans in the new Fourth Street Fan Cave from starting their season-long journey of watching every single Major League Baseball game. The sport (and their paid observation gig) kicks off tonight.

In updates about the future of 94 St. Marks, EV Grieve notes that the Horse Trade Theater Group is trying to buy the property to keep Under St. Marks operational.

And If the venue stays in business, theater-goers will have more places in the neighborhood to grab a drink after the show: there’s a spate of new bars slated for the East Village.

Maybe your favorite neighborhood joint will be a new one – pending Community Board 3 approval, of course. Appearances are scheduled for April 11, by which point we hope it will have stopped snowing.

Vivienne Gucwa

If you see the phrase “East Village” after a byline at The Local, it means that the article is the work of one of our community contributors. These are people who live or work in the neighborhood, or have strong ties to it, and are willing to report on local news, talk about their interests and passions, or just inform and entertain us about aspects of East Village life. The Local is always looking for writers to join the party. Most of the articles we publish are around 500 to 600 words, but we are also on the lookout for brief, focused telegrams from the street.

You don’t need to be a professional journalist. We’ll provide help in getting your copy into shape if you need it. Interested? For more details, email Kim Davis, The Local’s associate editor (kimdavis@thelocaleastvillage.com). Add your voice to the choir.

Gloria Chung

Good morning, East Village.

Welcome to a weather-deceptive Wednesday; it’s clear for now, but two days of rain might start tonight.

If you’re out late and head indoors to buy an umbrella, you might run into some recently-displaced East Village ATMs. We reported several weeks ago on a new law forcing ATMs off the sidewalk, and Bowery Boogie now points out some neighborhood stores are saying a final farewell to their beloved but illegal cash dispensers.

Meanwhile, neighbors of the Upright Citizens Brigade are seeing red over the theater’s new crimson curtains. Previously upset about a now-removed “Hot Chicks Room” sign, community members near the comedy troupe headquarters say its new drapes make the venue look like a “bordello.”

Speaking of houses of sin, former Second Avenue nightclub Sin Sin may have a second life as a bakery. Residents are hopeful this will lead to less rowdiness and fewer noise complaints, but you never know with cupcakes these days.

Finally, is your daily commute just too short? Do you find yourself missing the MTA once you’re back home? Well now you can once again buy a Subway memento of your very own for the mantle — Billy’s Antiques and Props is getting its stash of signs back from the city. Nothing brightens up a living room like the F train logo (change-of-service notices, however, you’ll have to print up yourself).