When Cornell announced that it had received a remarkable, anonymous $350 million donation specifically to help it build a new engineering and technology-focused school on Roosevelt Island (effectively forcing the city to select its bid) there was a lot of speculation as to who would donate that kind of money (*cough* hizzoner *cough*). But there is no reason to speculate anymore, the donor has come forward and, honestly? He sounds like the kind of 1 percenter we could use more of. more ›

And the winner of New York City's high-tech campus sweepstakes appears to be... Cornell, by $350 million dollars. Mayor Bloomberg is expected to announce the news later today at the New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center and the Ithaca-based Ivy is apparently so eager to get started they want to have their first classes going by next September—a year earlier than the Bloomberg administration initially asked for! more ›

Well, that's a shame! For weeks Stanford and Cornell were the presumed neck-and-neck frontrunners to build a high-tech applied science campus in the city. But today the left coast institution sent out a press release announcing that it was withdrawing from the process immediately. Why? Because the school suddenly feels that "it would not be in the best interests of the university to continue to pursue the opportunity." more ›

Do the girls of Roosevelt Island just wanna have fun? Some new flyers have gone up over there and would indicate that the ladies of the lonely island defintely, and possibly exclusively, just wanna have fun. Grab your Master Sword and save them from the doldrum life of Main Street. more ›

It's been a rough month for residents of Roosevelt Island: the Queens-bound F train wasn't running this weekend, last week they lost the lone NYPD officer assigned to the island, and now they canceled their annual Easter egg hunt! We suppose it's just too dangerous to let rowdy kids search for eggs without police presence, but the Roosevelt Island Operating Corp insists the cancellation is simply due to a lack of resources, and unrelated to the loss of the island's lone cop. At a community meeting last week, irate locals yelled at each other over the cop's transfer, which the officer, Evilio Fernandez, blamed on local residents who accused him of racial profiling. more ›

Yesterday afternoon, a man fell from a 15th floor balcony at an apartment building on Roosevelt Island's River Road. A neighbor told the Daily News, "It's horrid. He's facedown on the ground. You could see his socks. I guess his shoes fell off from the impact." And, now, it appears that the man had been smoking Salvia before jumping off the building. more ›

Attempts are allegedly being made to reverse the Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) policy of removing children from strollers during rush hour on the Red Bus (passengers are told to fold the strollers up before boarding). According to Roosevelt Islander, the open stroller ban has "pitted one set of riders against the other." (The MTA recommends the same on all city buses, by the way.) Well, the war on strollers isn't just a New York City thing... turns out the pleasant folk in Madison, Wisconsin have also battled it out over this issue. So much so that they even made a video (with a jingle!) on how to deal with stroller use on public transportation. Do you think they also have a problem with babies in bars over there? It's nice to know we're not alone. more ›

Yesterday morning, a group of 15 adults and two children squeezed into the elevator in the F train station on Roosevelt Island. And there they remained for a full hour until the FDNY came to their rescue. One commuter, an administrative assistant at a financial firm named Alexis, passed the time by tweeting about the situation (sample: "This day keeps getting worse. I'd jump in front of a train but the MTA would find some way to cock that up too!") Today she sent us a thorough account of her experience, with video of that triumphant moment when the FDNY popped open the ceiling hatch. Here is her story: more ›

As promised, the Roosevelt Island tram returned in all its glory this morning and the Roosevelt Islander was there to capture the fun for posterity. Can't wait till the end of the day for that long-delayed rush of a three-minute ride over the East River? Don't! You can enjoy the entire ride, including great commentary from excited Islanders, in the below video (part two is here). more ›

A few weeks ago the Roosevelt Island Operating Cooperation began testing the new trams that were supposed to be up and running September. That date got pushed to "early November," and now RIOC VP of Operations Fernando Martinez says "our best estimate is the 3rd or 4th week of November." However, the community doesn't seem to be getting their hopes up; one Roosevelt Islander said, "I expect the tram to be back in Jan or Feb next year. Anything sooner would really surprise me." For now, we can just watch that scene in Spiderman and remember better times. [Via Roosevelt Islander] more ›

Roosevelt Islander has been eagerly awaiting the return of the Roosevelt Island tram since, well, it seems like forever (but it's only been out of service since March for a tram modernization project), and now, with tram cars being tested for journeys over the East River, is sharing photographs of trams from nearly every conceivable angle. (Tram p0rn?) Originally, the tram was supposed to be up and running by September, but various delays—like a lack of crane permits—have pushed the reopening past that. more ›

Seriously: On Roosevelt Island's Main Street earlier this morning, an Access-A-Ride van—which "provides transportation for people with disabilities who are unable to use public bus or subway service for some or all of their trips"—hit and drove over a 61-year-old man in a wheelchair. Roosevelt Islander got this tip: more ›

Sometime this past Sunday a man reportedly took to the waters and swam from Manhattan to Roosevelt Island and back... successfully! Well, sort of. He was handed two summons for his East River swim. The Roosevelt Island blog refers to RI's public safety report from that day (which was quite rainy and windy), it states, "Investigation/ Reckless Endangerment—A male swam from the FDR straight across to Roosevelt Island. NYPD/ESU, and PSD responded. Male was fine. EMS refused. NYPD issued subject two summonses." more ›

Wired.com has a fascinating photo feature on the sanitation system that serves Roosevelt Island's 16 residential towers, which all rely on pneumatic tubes for their trash disposal. The system was installed 35 years ago and has a 40-year life expectancy, so Swedish contractors are constantly on the island unclogging jams and making repairs. "Trash zips through the pipes at an average of 30 mph, but it can reach speeds of 60 mph," writes Betsy Mason. But when the system grinds to a halt, it's time to send the Swedes crawling in. "The first time is scary," said a young Swedish pipe technician as he waited... for another Swede to come back from 50 feet down the pipe. "You get used to it." more ›

The best things in life are free, like reruns of All in the Family, and Andrea Peyser's rants on the NY Post website. This time she's fauxtraged about a special needs school on Roosevelt Island that put on a production of La Cage aux Folles, "a cross-dressing, limp-wristed, gay comic romp whose main characters are a pair of 'married' men." It's a big hit on Broadway now, but Peyser thinks it's weird to expose learning disabled and autistic kids—some as young as ten—to it. But maybe she's not so crazy to object to this? Like a handicapped child in drag, we're a little confused. more ›

In a curt message to the isolated island natives, Roosevelt Island Operating Corporaton President (RIOC) Steve Shane made the following announcement about a major impending pain in the ass: "Tram: All on schedule for March 1 shutdown. Please familiarize yourself with alternate transportation options. See RIOC's website and posted materials. Less than 3 weeks to go. None should be surprised." According to New Yorkology, the oft-delayed project, expected to last until August 31st, is part of "a major modernization project." Does that mean the tram's being turned into a monorail?! more ›

This looks dangerous! Restless reports seeing a Manhattan-bound Roosevelt Island Tram yesterday dangling above the East River... and then moving with "two men dangling off it, a few hundred feet above ground. And they were climbing around." Well, this seems like a terrible idea. Video here. more ›

Back in April there were some updates on the preservation efforts of the 151-year-old smallpox hospital on Roosevelt Island, and word is that, as of yesterday, it's been saved from total destruction. However, NY1 reports that Trust for Public Land's Andy Stone "said the restoration process is painstaking and delicate, since every piece that fell down had to catalogued, and there are hundreds of pieces still waiting to be reattached." amNewYork also reports on the city’s only landmarked ruin, noting that aside from those finishing touches, it has "finished a $4.5 million stabilization after a portion collapsed in December 2007." Now that the structure is sturdy once again, ground was broken yesterday for the construction of Southpoint Park, which will encompass both the ruins and the Strecker Lab and will include "two large lawns, a scenic overlook and gardens along the southernmost part of the island." Look forward to frolicking there around Fall 2010. more ›

This past Saturday Improv Everywhere held their sixth MP3 Experiment on Roosevelt Island (just a few days after Charlie Todd's book on the troupe hit stores). There's not much info yet on what exactly went down, but it appears there were inflatable weapons, primary colors, confused residents, synchronized fun and much more (get the mp3 that soundtracked the day here). Katie Sokoler was there to document the whole thing, and IE promises some video in the future. more ›

Back in 2007, at a youthful 151-years-old, the eerie smallpox hospital on Roosevelt Island suffered a major collapse on the north facade. The NY Times checks in now, as a team of engineers, architects, masons and more have swooped in to save the landmark, which was designed by James Renwick Jr., the architect of St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Take a look at the progress on the guided video tour, where they mention the future fixed-up structure could house performances and a cafe. Too bad it won't be in time for the Roosevelt Live concert series. more ›

After outraged and worried Roosevelt Island residents found out their apartment building would use submeters to charge for electricity—resulting in projected bills of up to $1,000—the NY State Public Service Commission ordered to suspend the submetering plan (read the letter here). Many tenants complained that the Roosevelt Landings building had poor heating and insulation—one tenant who got an $800 sample bill used her oven to heat her apartment—but the building claimed few residents responded to their offers to winterize the units. The NY Times reports that the PSC's order "states that the commission was not informed about the complaints regarding poor energy efficiency before granting approval to the plan" and "raised concerns" unpaid electricity bills would be used to evict tenants. Roosevelt Island 360 pointed out, "It is simply insane to expect many of the seniors in Eastwood to simply turn down their heat during the daytime when many cannot leave their apartments." more ›

Residents of the 1,003-unit Roosevelt Landings complex on Roosevelt Island are used to paying for their electricity as part of their rents, but come April they'll start receiving separate bills for the first time. Last week the managers of the complex handed out sample electricity bills based on the readings of submeters installed in apartments, and now residents are shocked to learn that electricity is freaking expensive. One tenant who lives in a three-bedroom unit got a bill for $1,050.43, which was about half of what she pays in rent. Another tenant, Missy Feliciano, tells the Times, "I almost died when I opened the package." Assemblyman Micah Kellner wants officials to re-examine the submetering plan; he contends that "this is a de facto rent increase on this building," which used to be part of the state’s moderate-income Mitchell-Lama housing program. But the COO of the complex, Douglas F. Eisenberg, says, "They haven’t been responsible for their electric bills. Now they are. I think at the end of the day, I feel pretty good that we’re doing the right thing here." more ›

The Observer looks at "Roosevelt Island 2.0"--as in the new developments on the island. The big development Riverwalk "could bring 2,500 to 3,000 new residents to the Island" which translates to over a 25% increase in population since 2000. Roosevelt Island 360 blogger Eric Schwartzman has been documenting the addition of Riverwalk said of the chain stores finally arriving, "It very funny, where a lot of areas are like 'We already have too many Starbucks,' on the island, when that first came, people began to feel like, 'Hey, we're part of civilization!'" (Schwartzman took this photo of Riverwalk signage that touts the Starbucks and Duane Reade among others.) more ›

A well-known ruin is crumbling. According to Roosevelt Island Historical Society president and historian Judith Berdy, part of the north wing of the Smallpox Hospital collapsed about a week ago. She writes, "The rest of the north wing especially the front is in danger of coming down any time... [The Roosevelt Island Operation Corporation] is working with TPL, the Southpoint park developers to find a way to do emergency stabilization of the rest of the building... Please encourage RIOC to do all possible to save the rest of the building." more ›

Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a shooting on 155th Ave. and 79th St. in Queens, a bank robbery at the Chase branch on De Kalb and Bedford Ave. in Brooklyn, and a pedestrian struck at Hunts Point and Lafayette Aves. in the Bronx. The Guggenheim sent out a postcard inviting people to a seminar about Andy Warhol. The message on the reverse side is expletive-laced and describes Warhol and his fans in derogatory terms... more ›

• Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: A boat in distress at the Roosevelt Island Bridge, a homicide on Howard in Brooklyn, and a stabbing on Jamaica Avenue and 161st Street in Queens
• Hillary Clinton out-fund-raises Rudy Giuliani and Barack Obama in New York, which makes sense since she's been building her donor list as a Senator from New York.
• The big mystery of NYC: Where the middle class live.
• A man was fatally hit by a car on 54th Street between the West Side Highway and 11th Avenue; he apparently darted into traffic "to relieve himself on the side of the street."
• Is a honey bear in shoe-bomber Richard Reid's cell a deadly weapon? Maybe.
• Sonya "The Black Widow" Thomas ate 173 Buffalo wings in 12 minutes, winning Buffalo's National Buffalo Wing Festival. Still, Nathan's Hot Dog eating champ Joey Chesnutt holds the record, eating 7.5 pounds of wings in 12 minutes (Thomas's 173 wings is about 5.17 pounds).
• In the wake of three people arraigned for their $5 million pot operation in Long Island, Newsday reports feds made 40% more indoor pot-farm busts between 2001 and 2006.
• If you find yourself near Chester, NJ, the Stony Hill Farm Market has a corn maze in the shape of the Manhattan skyline where you can also learn about Manhattan history!
• In addition to derision, there's much confusion about Julian Schnabel's pink palace, dubbed Palazzo Chupi.
• Nanny Diaries directors Robert Pulcini and Shari Springer-Berman explain the difficulties of filming an "apartment porn" movie to NYU: "[Robert] was like, 'I don’t know where you are, where are you guys,' we were like, 'We’re by the kitchen,' he was like, 'Which kitchen? There’s three kitchens.' It was crazy."