Even to the jaded New York eye, it was difficult to enter ABC No Rio Friday night and not be bewildered. Over loops of brash R&B and his mother's anecdotes of his childhood, artist Michael Alan methodically applied just about every incarnation of paint, glue, paper, fabric and to the otherwise nude human instruments of his Living Installation. more ›

The against-all-odds LES mainstay, artist collective ABC No Rio, is back on top with news of money coming in for their rebuilding costs. Three years ago the deed of the Rivington Street tenement that's housed the group for 30 years, was sold to them for $1 by the Department of Housing Preservation and Development. Soon after they were told they'd need about $2.4 million to rebuild what was beyond repiar, and now the NY Times reports that $1.65 million has come in. Last week "the Manhattan borough president, Scott M. Stringer, and City Councilman Alan J. Gerson allocated $1.65 million for a new building. Mr. Stringer arranged for a capital grant of $750,000, citing ABC No Rio’s resilience and cultural value. The rest of the money came in the form of a grant of $450,000 from Mr. Gerson’s discretionary budget, which was matched with another $450,000 by the City Council. The money will be controlled by the Department of Cultural Affairs." Demolition is slated to begin around next Spring. more ›

• Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a missing child on Church Ave. in Brooklyn, a fatal person struck by a train at Jerome Ave. and East Fordham Rd. in the Bronx, and an escaped prisoner at Church and Albany Aves. in Brooklyn.
• The trailer for Martin Scorsese's Rolling Stones concert documentary "Shine a Light" has been released and can be seen here.
• Arts group ABC No Rio has abandoned plans for a gut renovation of its LES building that it acquired for $1. Architectural and budget constraints mean that the building will have to be rebuilt from the ground up.
• One million New Yorkers, or 17% of the adults in the city lack health insurance.
• Mayor Bloomberg's got game: golf game. Even Phil Mickelson said he was impressed with the mayor's game after they played recently.
• A man being questioned in a homicide investigation is on the loose this evening after jumping out of a third story window at the 103rd Precinct station house in Jamaica, Queens.
• Disabled transit riders lauded NYC Transit head Howard Roberts for recent improvements made to the subway system, like posting notices of elevator and escalator outages online in a timely manner.
• With plans in the works to examine rezoning Sunset Park, Brownstoner asks residents what they think of tall buildings in the nabe ("If you want high buildings, you can go to Manhattan.").

In 1979 a collective of artists occupied a vacant city- owned building on Delancey Street and mounted an exhibition. The police padlocked the show but after community and media support of the artists the city offered use of a building at 156 Rivington Street as a compromise. more ›

THEATER: Though some might balk at an outdoor performance in this muggy, thunderstormy weather, The Drilling CompaNY's version of As You Like It, the next installment of Shakespeare in the Park(ing) Lot (directed by Jesse Ontiveros), is bound to exude enough cool to counteract the waves of heat rising from the asphalt. It also helps if you show up with your own chair so you don't have to exert yourself in a scuffle to nab one of the limited number available there. - Mallory Jensen more ›

If They Come For You In The Morning: A Benefit Art Show for Daniel McGowan, will be held tonight at ABC No Rio (who now own their building!). The show will raise money for the legal defense of local activist Daniel McGowan, who was arrested last December during Operation Backfire, a multi-state sweep of environmental activists who have now been charged with virtually every unsolved earth and animal liberation case in the Northwest. He is currently facing life plus 335 years in prison on federal charges of arson, property destruction, and conspiracy - he has pled not guilty to all charges. more ›

PARTY: ABC No Rio is the 26 year old LES center for art and activism that has JUST received the title to their building. "Envisioned for the site is a multi-use community arts center with darkroom, silk-screen printing facility, small press resource center, computer center, expanded space for art, music, performance, educational and community activities, and meeting and office space." more ›

BBQ: The BBQ season has officially begun. Luckily, there's always an option for the non-carnivores in town. Today that option is the Annual Summer Vegan BBQ Extravaganza run by Books Through Bars. This organization is a volunteer group that donates reading material to prisoners all over the country. Not an organization geared towards drinking and reading in bars. more ›

Ask.MeFi has been assembling an eclectic guide to "the best alternative/weird/unusual/eye-opening places in Manhattan." Most of the suggestions are actually located in the outer boroughs, but nevermind that. We've pulled out the highlights and linked everything for your browsing pleasure: more ›

There's a fun article in this weeks Villager on the growing trend of Green roofs coming to the New York, something our friends over in the Windy CIty know all about. more ›

CRAFTY CONSUMERISM: The Renegade Craft Fair is a DIY extravaganza which has only since taken place in Chicago. This weekend it sets up shop in Brooklyn with 150 vendors who will showcase and sell their one-of-a-kind handmade wares, including reconstructed clothing, comics, zines, jewelry, silkscreened gigposters, iPod cozies and more. more ›

Looking for something to do tonight, here are some suggestions: more ›