It's been a tough four weeks to ride a bike around the Lower East Side: Stanton, Rivington, Suffolk and Norfolk streets were all stripped of their paving, making it rough on riders' bikes and derrieres. One of our commenters even noted, "I have to find a new commute from Greenpoint or else I'll start getting chronic yeast infections from that turbulence." Luckily for ladyparts, the DOT tells us that the resurfacing of Stanton and Rivington will begin tomorrow night, weather permitting. Norfolk & Suffolk will begin on the 21st. more ›

If you've had to bike down Allen Street south of Delancey recently you might have noticed that the bike lanes stretching down to East Broadway are blocked off by construction at various points, forcing you to jockey with traffic into the pothole-marked street. Though initially projected to finish in March, a Parks Department rep tells us that the Pike-Allen Street Pedestrian Mall project won't be done until July. more ›

In a neighborhood of metastasizing douchiness, chain restaurants, cookie-cutter venues and rising prices, Cake Shop is a haven for fresh music, cheap booze, and good people. But Brooklyn Vegan reports that owner Andy Bodor is in trouble, and due to "bogus fines," needs $10,000 in the next 72 hours to stay open. Since Bodor sent the email yesterday, he now only has 48 hours. more ›

Sometimes a story so important comes along that you must drop everything else you're doing to work on it: Vanity Fair contributing editor and media enemy-maker Michael Wolff was just told by the NYPD to leave a LES movie theater or be arrested, because he brought in his own "fancy juice." We asked a Sunshine Cinema employee if it was normal to call the police if someone brings in their own juice. "We're not saying anything about this, OK?" she replied. Yet somehow Rupert Murdoch's biographer and the founder of Newser didn't know that one has to sufficiently obscure outside food and drink in movie theaters to avoid the obscene price gouging at the snack stand. more ›

In a perfect example of why those bumper guards are ultimately useless, a sanitation truck plowed into a row of cars on Delancey Street early this morning, badly damaging them. The NYPD confirmed that there were no injuries related to the incident, and The Lo-Down reports that authorities at the scene indicated that the driver of the truck fell asleep, and remained at the scene. We contacted the owner of the truck, Imperial Sanitation, and were promptly disconnected. more ›

Long before his lucrative turns as a bearded man-child and his time spent between two houseplants, Zach Galifianakis was an aspiring actor in New York City. These two silent films purport to feature Galifianakis as a boxer and an aspiring "hipster" in Williamsburg of the early 90s. His superb co-stars include old school Pepsi cans, a vintage Combos wrapper and a smoke-blowing jerk beamed in from 2012. more ›

Last week a judge declared a mistrial after a jury became deadlocked in the trial of Joel Herrera, a Latin Kings gang member accused of murdering 20-year-old Glenn Wright in the Baruch Houses on the Lower East Side three years ago. The murder devastated many in Wright's East Harlem community and beyond—Herrera allegedly stabbed Wright to death because he believed he was another man who robbed a relative of a fellow gangster. Herrera was charged with second degree murder, manslaughter, and gang assault. more ›

A man lept twelve stories to his death from his apartment window in the Lower East Side yesterday morning. 78-year-old Miguel Melendez was pronounced dead at the scene around 10:20 a.m. yesterday. "His wife just died four days ago," neighbor Juanita Gonzales said. "It's very sad." more ›

The trial of Joel Herrera for the tragic mistaken-identity murder of Glenn Wright, 20, is now in the hands of a jury. On Friday, both the defense and the prosecution presented their closing arguments, after which the judge charged the jury with their duties and sequestered them in the jury room, where they had the opportunity to examine witness testimony and other evidence presented over the past week. more ›

The prosecution and the defense have rested their cases in the murder trial of Joel Herrera, the Lower East Side man accused of fatally stabbing Glenn Wright, 20, because he allegedly mistook Wright for someone else. Most of Wednesday was spent on a criminalist with the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office, who testified that no blood had been found on a sample from the blade of a knife recovered near the scene of the crime. But both Herrera and Wright's DNA were found on blue jeans, a sneaker and a black t-shirt belonging to Herrera, who claims that he was running home because of a nosebleed when police stopped him that fateful evening back in September 2009. more ›

The young man on trial for fatally stabbing a stranger whom he mistook for someone else was splattered in blood when police apprehended him shortly after the murder, an officer testified yesterday. Joel Herrera, who is accused of fatally stabbing Glenn Wright because he thought Wright had stolen from his cousin, is currently on trial for murder in the second degree. Yesterday the officers who arrested him testified that Herrara claimed he just had a bloody nose when they caught him. more ›

Two and a half years after the murder of Glenn Wright by an alleged gang member, the trial finally got underway yesterday. As you may recall, Wright was 21-years-old when he was fatally stabbed in the neck at the Lower East Side Baruch Houses. He had stepped outside to get some fresh air and take a break from washing his grandmother's windows when a group of men approached him. Prosecutors say the gang was looking for revenge for an earlier attack, and his alleged killer, Joel Herrera, 20, told detectives he confused Wright with someone who assaulted one of his friends. more ›

For every reason that Brooklyn is cool, there are 300 rats on the Lower East Side that are cooler still. Say what you will about it during peak B&T hours; for the money, there is no other neighborhood in Manhattan that epitomizes the city's filth, culture, and history so beautifully. Here's how we get tipsy and glutted on the Lower East Side for $30. more ›

An NYPD officer who got into a shootout during a foot pursuit on the Lower East Side was saved by his ammo belt early this morning. The gun battle outside the Baruch Houses erupted at 1:44 a.m. after Officers Thomas Richards and Thomas Dunne approached a man who was acting suspiciously on Columbia Street. Police sources tell the Daily News the alleged perpetrator, Luis Martinez, 25, "muttered something, turned toward Richards and opened fire." One of the rounds struck the spare ammunition magazine on Richards's gun belt. more ›

A fire ripped through 101 Orchard Street in the Lower East Side at around 9 a.m. this morning in a building that houses the restaurant Congee Village and abuts the Tenement Museum. The FDNY's press office wasn't available for comment, but DNAinfo reports that the fire started in the ground floor kitchen of Congee Village "and spread to the duct work in the building." Bowery Boogie notes that the fire appeared to be put out by around 10 a.m. and that the northbound M15 bus is on a temporary detour. No other buildings appear to be damaged, and there were no apparent injuries. Phone calls made to the Tenement Museum weren't answered. more ›

The career criminal who was arrested for allegedly raping and beating a woman at the Bowery J train station was drunk, according to his ex-girlfriend, who told the Post, “He wasn’t himself. He didn’t realize what he was doing." more ›

An MTA track worker scared off a man who was raping a 36-year-old woman on the tracks at the Bowery J subway station at Delancey Street on Wednesday. Police say the suspect targeted the woman who got off a train around 1 a.m.: The [victim] was on an escalator when 29-year-old Michael Torres grabbed her around the neck, covered her mouth and told her not to scream. He then dragged her to the end of the platform, threw her on the tracks and sexually assaulted her." more ›

As anticipated, last night the DOT revealed forthcoming changes planned for Delancey Street, one of the most dangerous thoroughfares in the city. In five years, 129 people have been hurt in traffic crashes at the intersections of Delancey and Essex and Delancey and Clinton, and three pedestrians have been killed on Delancey in the past year. In response to calls for safety improvements, the DOT presented the plan [pdf] to the local Community Board last night. more ›

The Department of Transportation will announce initiatives to improve safety along Delancey Street at a special meeting of Community Board 3 tonight. Four people familiar with the project told DNAinfo that the changes will include wider sidewalks, different signal timing, and improved traffic patterns. "We're going to see significant safety improvements on Delancey Street in months, not years," State Senator Daniel Squadron said. "This is a quick and dramatic proposal." more ›

A pregnant 16-year-old was shot outside her apartment on Stanton Street yesterday afternoon in an altercation with her boyfriend. Kimberly Valasquez, who is two months pregnant, was shot shortly after 2:00 p.m. in the second-floor hallway at 210 Stanton Street and was rushed to Bellevue soon after. "Her boyfriend shot her," a girl who identified herself as Valasquez's best friend told the Daily News. "She's out of surgery now—she and the baby are going to be okay." more ›

Another $16 million will be pumped into redeveloping Pier 42 and completing the East River Waterfront Park as the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation officially approved the work on Thursday. "This funding will be a step toward the world-class waterfront and open space we’ve long fought for, while continuing the revitalization of Lower Manhattan," State Senator Daniel Squadron said in a statement. The green space and "beach" will jut out between the Williamsburg and Manhattan bridges. While the rendering looks swell, it's missing the requisite old men fishing and chain smoking. more ›