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LAURA E LEE

Biking in the Buff

NYC World Naked Bike Ride 1Jim Kiernan
NYC World Naked Bike Ride 2Jim Kiernan Images of last year’s ride.

Among some hardcore cyclists, wearing a helmet is considered a little square. For this Sunday’s nude bike ride, wearing anything at all might seem a bit prudish.

Like modern-day Lady Godivas, local bikers will strip down and pedal around town as part of New York City’s third annual World Naked Bike Ride.

“It really is about environmental consciousness, first and foremost,” said Paul Nocera, one of the ride’s organizers.

Biking in the buff promotes cycling as a safe and fun mode of transportation while offering a visual demonstration of the vulnerability of cyclists, both in terms of bike safety and larger environmental concerns, he said.

The event began in 2004 with two nude cycling groups protesting dependence on oil but the message has evolved to include support of the struggles in the Arab World, solidarity with the people of Japan and protest against vehicular dominance, police harassment and nuclear energy, according to the group’s Facebook page.

But photographs from previous events show the ride isn’t all serious political action. Participants are encouraged to ride as “bare as you dare” and to decorate themselves with brightly colored body paint.

Only one person was ticketed last year for blocking traffic and no one received citations for nudity, Mr. Nocera said.

Participants will meet in the East River Park at Delancey Street at 4 p.m. when the full route will be disclosed. The ride concludes with an afterparty at Time’s Up, an environmental organization in Brooklyn.
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Honoring Ray Deter, New Orleans Style

DBA Second Line tromboneJoshua Davis About 150 people turned out for a Second Line tribute to Ray Deter.
DBA Second Line UmbrellasJoshua Davis
DBA Second Line Hula HoopJoshua Davis
East Village Jazz Funeral (II)Roey Ahram

A trumpet sounded. A trombone rose. And in a mix of mourning and celebration, dozens of feet danced up First Avenue Monday night in a true New Orleans tradition — a Second Line parade honoring the life of Ray Deter, owner of d.b.a. bar who died July 3, six days after he was struck by a car while cycling.

About 150 people turned out for the march, which wove from the bar on First Avenue through the East Village and ended at Mr. Deter’s Sixth Street apartment. The procession spilled out from the sidewalks and blocked traffic for several blocks. Led by musicians, the crowd sang songs, waved umbrellas and lit candles in memory of their friend.

Linnzi Zaorski, a jazz singer, offered an a capella song in memory of her friend as the parade paused in front of the New York City Marble Cemetery where Mr. Deter’s memorial service will be held on Wednesday. Then she looked up, smiled and blew a kiss towards the sky. “We love you, Ray,” she said, as the brass music began again.


Sounds of the Second Line

The Local’s Laura E. Lee and Chelsia Rose Marcius share their video of Monday night’s Second Line parade honoring Ray Deter.


Cooling Centers to Open Tomorrow

With temperatures soaring to the mid-90’s today and tomorrow, the National Weather Service has issued a heat advisory for New York City. Residents can avoid the extreme heat in one of the city’s cooling centers, which will be open tomorrow, an Office of Emergency Management spokesman said. After the official announcement, the list of center locations will be available here or by calling 311. — Laura E. Lee


Welcoming Our Summer Interns

The Local East Village 2011 Summer IntersTop row (from left) Khristopher J. Brooks, Joshua Davis, Ian Duncan. Second row (from left): Meghan Keneally, Laura E. Lee, Chelsia Marcius.

Earlier, we told you about the arrival of Todd Olmstead, who today starts work as The Local’s assistant editor for digital and community outreach.

We’d also like to welcome the members of the 2011 New York Times/NYU Hyperlocal Digital Reporting Internship class, who start work today.

You will see their faces in our community, and their bylines on our posts and we encourage you to follow them all on Twitter.

The interns are:



And follow The Local on Twitter @nytlev.


The Local’s Summer Interns

The Local is proud to announce the members of the 2011 New York Times/NYU Hyperlocal Digital Reporting Internship class. The interns were chosen after a national competition and have been selected to participate in The Local’s paid, 10-week summer internship program.

“These are among the most talented and promising student-journalists in the country,” said Richard G. Jones, editor of The Local. “They have demonstrated a commitment to digital storytelling and hyperlocal news. We very much look forward to working with them this summer.”

The members of the intern class are:

Khristopher BrooksKhristopher J. Brooks.

Khristopher J. Brooks is a student in the Literary Reportage master’s degree concentration at the NYU Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute. Mr. Brooks, who came to NYU after working as a reporter at the Bristol Herald Courier and the Omaha World-Herald, is a graduate of Central Michigan University. He has held internships at the Associated Press bureau in Louisville, Ky. and the Lansing State Journal. He has also filed on-air reports for WJHL-TV in Johnson City, Tenn.


Josh DavisJoshua Davis.

Joshua Davis is the Roy H. Park master’s fellow in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. A veteran videographer and editor, Mr. Davis began his coursework at UNC after holding a range of production positions at the Travel Channel, PBS Frontline and Rollingstone.com. A graduate of the University of Maryland, Mr. Davis has taught digital video editing at Rutgers, NYU and UNC. He is also an Apple certified instructor for Final Cut Pro.


Ian DuncanIan Duncan.

Ian Duncan is a student in the master’s degree program in Journalism and International Relations in Global and Joint Program Studies at NYU Journalism. An international student from England, Mr. Duncan is a graduate of St. Anne’s College at Oxford University, where he served as editor-in-chief of Cherwell, a weekly student newspaper. Mr. Duncan, who has also studied at Fukuoka University of Economics in Japan, was a Rupert Murdoch Scholar during an internship at The Times of London and he has also held an internship at The Birmingham Post. Mr. Duncan’s work has appeared on The Local.


Meghan KeneallyMeghan Keneally.

Meghan Keneally is a student in the master’s degree program at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism. Ms. Keneally has held internships at The New York Observer, The Washington Post and The Sunday Times of London. A graduate of Georgetown University, she has studied at the University of Marc Bloch in Strasbourg, France and is also the creator of a restaurant review blog.


Laura E LeeLaura E. Lee.

Laura E. Lee is a student in the master’s degree program at the Philip Merrill College of Journalism at the University of Maryland College Park. Ms. Lee went to Maryland after earning a law degree at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and working as an attorney and consultant. Ms. Lee, who also earned her undergraduate degree at UNC, currently works as a political reporter for the Capital News Service in Washington, D.C. She also reports for Patch.com, The Washington Blade and the Prince George’s Sentinel and has held an internship with National Public Radio. Ms. Lee is a member of the bar in North Carolina and the District of Columbia.


Chelsia MarciusChelsia Rose Marcius.

Chelsia Rose Marcius is a student in the Reporting the Nation master’s degree concentration at NYU Journalism. She has held reporting internships at the Chicago Sun-Times and Fox Chicago News and is the editor of Pavement Pieces, an online publication featuring work by Reporting New York and Reporting the Nation students. A graduate of Loyola University-Chicago, Ms. Marcius holds bachelor’s degrees in both journalism and international studies and minored in Italian. Ms. Marcius, who has also studied at The John Felice Rome Center in Italy, is a member of Phi Beta Kappa. Her work has appeared on The Local.