Results tagged “injanuary”

Some good news in the ongoing saga to save 1520 Sedgwick, better known as the Birthplace of Hip Hop. Today Senator Schumer, who has been lobbying on behalf of the tenants to preserve the building's affordability, announced that "the city Department of Housing Preservation and Development rejected the proposed sale to developer Mark Karasick because current rents could not be sustained if the sale had gone through." The move doesn't insure that the building’s owner won't still opt out of the Mitchell-Lama program, however.

The city has agreed to pay $2 million to the parents of an unarmed Brooklyn teen who was fatally shot by a police officer three years ago. In January 2004, police officer Richard Neri was patrolling a Brooklyn rooftop with another officer at 1AM. Around the same time the other officer had opened a door to the stairwell, Timothy Stansbury and his friends were heading upstairs, to go to a party in another building in the Louis Armstrong Houses development by crossing over the roofs. But Neri had fired his gun and Stansbury died an hour and a half later. The NY Times has a particularly evocative illustration of the circumstances of the death.

Did you ever hear the one about the vineyard in Queens, just minutes away from the Little Neck Parkway Q46 bus stop? Even if you haven’t, it’s true. First reported three years ago, the borough is finally set to prove it has terroir in spades with the imminent production of its namesake wine. The epicenter for this oenophile revolution is the Queens County Farm Museum, described on its website as “New York City's largest remaining tract of undisturbed farmland,” and “the only working historical farm in the City.” It’s also one of the oldest farms in the entire state of New York, celebrating its 310th birthday this year. It’s about time for Queens to have its own wine. Gothamist visited the farm yesterday, and got the full story from vintner Gary Mitchell.

Two long-festering plans could come together: Redeveloping Governor's Island and bringing car racing to NYC. The NY Sun reports that the Indy Racing League might be interested in including a Governor's Island race in its circuit. A spokesman told the Sun:

"Governors Island certainly is something that has come up, but in terms of definitive plans, we still have a long way to go. We've had some discussions with people in the greater New York City area [ including the agency overseeing the island's development]. No single idea has been approved or shot down."

We can't figure this out! Apparently former NJ Governor James McGreevey wants custody of daughter Jacqueline AND child support from ex-wife Dina Matos. The last time we checked, McGreevey was living in a 17-room mansion with his boyfriend Mark O'Donnell, a financier. And he wrote a book that could pay some of the bills, we think.

Mayor Bloomberg's longtime girlfriend Diana Taylor is known as the "de facto" First Lady of the city. She was recently the State Banking Superintendent, with previous stints as a VP at Keyspan and CFO of LIPA, and will be working at Wolfensohn & Company, an investment firm, in a few days. Her fashion sense has been praised in Vogue, yet she stands by her man when he wears shorts and white socks. In other words, she flies under the radar.

Yesterday, three pedestrians were killed in Brooklyn, Queens and Manhattan:

- At around 12 a.m, Mario Sagastume was hit by a Nissan Maxima when crossed Ashford Street near Liberty Avenue in East New York. The Maxima did not stop, though people were chasing the car. Residents mentioned that there are frequent accidents and that there should be a light at the intersection.

Continue reading "Three Pedestrians Killed Across the City"

Jerry Seinfeld sure has come a long way from being a struggling stand-up comic to trying to avoid paying a real estate broker her commission! Seinfeld and his wife Jessica say that when they called their broker Tamara Cohen to see a townhouse on West 82nd Street, she didn't pick up her phone. But it turns out the Cohen is an observant Jew and was observing the Sabbath. Here are some details from the NY Law Journal:

Cohen began showing apartments and buildings to the Seinfelds' "estate manager," Steven Galistinos, in September 2004, according to the decision. In January 2005, Cohen showed the 82nd Street townhouse to Galistinos. The listing broker for the townhouse agreed to "co-broke" the house with her.

Continue reading "Seinfeld's Broker Fee Stiffing Won't Stand"

One of the wonders of a nice fir tree for the holidays is that they can stay beautiful for a while. But the bummer is getting rid of the tree. The Department of Sanitation encourages city residents to clear out their trees by mid-January, as its annual Christmas tree curbside collection starts on Friday, January 5 an runs through Tuesday, January 16. Here's how it works:

Residents should remove all tree stands, tinsel, lights, and ornaments from holiday trees before they are put out at curbside for removal. Trees must not be placed into plastic bags. Clean, non-bagged Christmas trees that are left at the curb between Friday, January 5th and Tuesday, January 16th will be collected, chipped, and then mixed with leaves to make compost. The compost will be processed and subsequently spread upon parks, ball fields, and community gardens throughout the city.

Continue reading "2007 To-Do: Getting Rid of Your Christmas Tree"

It's PARK(ing) Day from the Rebar group! They set up a veritable oasis at a West 30th Street and Eighth Avenue parking spot. Our friend at Transportation Alternative sent us this picture - note the high production value: Bench, trees, and three people! We're not sure if the space is still there (we heard it would be up until noon or 2PM), so if you work near there, swing by and let us know.

Note to everyone tempted to go wild with a laser pointer: Don't - unless it's in a meeting or the privacy of your own living room. A Brooklyn teenager was arrested after shining a laser at a NYPD helicopter last night. And the pilot was momentarily blinded. The police chased Anthony Pepe through Dyker Park and finally caught up with the 19 year old, who was with some friends. Pepe was charged with reckless endangerment and criminal possession of a weapon, as the police want to remind people lasers are dangerous. In January 2005, a NJ man was charged under the Patriot Act for lasering a plane and helicopter in December 2004.

Have you noticed the sensors at certain subway stations for the MTA's "contactless payment" system? Or, are you part of the program that is actually using them? In January, the MTA announced the Lexington Line, plus Jay Street/Borough Hall A/C/F and 23rd Street Ely Avenue 2/V stops would be the pilot test stations. We wonder if the testers need the special MTA fob, plus a Metrocard, as people will probably commute outside of the test zone.

Aw, Gary Barnett is making sure Jay-Z might still get to wear a Brooklyn Nets jersey: The rival bid from Extell for the Brooklyn railyards is offering a compromise to give Bruce Ratner's team a chance to build the Nets arena if the Extell plan (a considerably less extensive complex) can get built. The NY Times reports that Extell would sell the arena land to Ratner if the Extell bid wins, which is a nice PR move for Extell to combat the people who dislike their plan since it keeps a sports team from coming back to Brooklyn. According to reports, Ratner is saying that his plan offers more transit infrastructure support, jobs, and housing. In the meantime, it seems like Mayor Bloomberg's people on the MTA board will vote in favor of Ratner's plan. What's interesting is that even if the MTA votes to accept a bid at tomorrow's vote, the MTA can still further negotiate with the winning bid on a price. Gothamist loves that, but given that the MTA was willing to accept $100 million for the worth-at-least $300 million West Side railyards, it doesn't seem like the MTA is very good at negotiating.

Despite Monday night's blustery conditions, Gothamist stopped by the Beauty Bar Monday night for the The LVHRD Organization's Science & Beauty Pre-Party, where creatives dressed in lab coats stood sipping beers while waiting for manicures. In January, The LVHRD Foundation hosted the Master-Disaster Architect Duel and in two weeks, on March 14th, will stage the "Science vs. Beauty: Battle of the Minds" at an as-of-yet undisclosed location.

They have set up a site, burkeobrien.org, with information about the crime and press coverage of the crime. The Post spoke to the O'Brien family about their new outreach to get more information about Burke's murder. While watching the NYPD 24/7 episode will be tough, they hope the exposure will move the investigation. Gothamist is optimistic that the police are trying to keep the public safe, but it is upsetting to think of how many crimes go unsolved every year in the City.