The local paper for Downtown BEAUTY, STRENGTH AND PROMISE ◄ P.12
MOMS WITH A MISSION
EDUCATION
They’ve got an ambitious plan to help Manhattan students who struggle with a learning disability BY JASON COHEN
Emily Hellstrom, Akeela Azcuy, Ph.D., and Jeannine Kiely (l to r). Photo: Courtesy of Akeela Azcuy
A group of moms hope to start a school for dyslexic children in Manhattan. They applied to the Depart-
ment of Education (DOE) to open a school for kids with the learning disability in November. They made it through the early steps and last week were among several groups who participated in a DOE workshop to help them develop their plans. “It was really an exciting day all around for all of the teams,” said Emily Hellstrom, who serves on the board of Community Education Coun-
cil District 2 and is chair of the Students with Disabilities Committee. “It was really about supporting all the groups equally.” More DOE workshops are planned for February and March. Working with Hellstrom on the dyslexia proposal are Akeela Azcuy, a psychologist, Ruth Genn, an education leader and nonprofit execu-
Hundreds pack Harlem neighborhood forum to discuss public safety, youth engagement following the death of Tessa Majors. BY EMILY HIGGINBOTHAM
Residents of Upper Manhattan came together last week to discuss how the community can move forward following the December stabbing death of first year Barnard College student Tessa Majors. The max capacity crowd packed the Police Athletic
INSIDE
FIGURING OUT HOW TO FIGHT THE CORONAVIRUS Wuhan flu from China is declared an international emergency. p. 5
WHO RUNS THE TRANSIT SYSTEM? That's still the questions after Andy “Train Daddy” Byford’s departure. p. 7
club in Harlem for the forum — which was organized by Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer’s office and Friends of Morningside Park — and listened to updates from city and neighborhood leaders before breaking out into smaller groups to talk about what they would like to see implemented in the community. The evening’s conversation produced a variety of answers to two primary questions: How can Morningside Park be a safe place for residents? And, what can be done to engage young people in the
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6-12 2020
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COMING TOGETHER AFTER TRAGEDY COMMUNITY
WEEK OF FEBRUARY
COUNTRY IN THE CITY
A bald eagle and coyotes are among the wildlife spotted in Manhattan parks. p. 2
CAN BEN SMITH FILL DAVID CARR’S SHOES?
The editor of BuzzFeed is picked to take over as the media critic for The New York Times. p. 8 Students talked about programs they would like to see the community put into place. Photo: Emily Higginbotham Downtowner
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WEEK OF APRIL
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FOR HIM, SETTLING SMALL CLAIMS IS A BIG DEAL
presided over Arbitration Man has three decades. for informal hearings about it He’s now blogging BY RICHARD KHAVKINE
is the common Arbitration Man their jurist. least folks’ hero. Or at Man has For 30 years, Arbitration court office of the civil few sat in a satellite Centre St. every building at 111 New Yorkers’ weeks and absorbed dry cleaning, burned lost accountings of fender benders, lousy paint jobs, and the like. And security deposits then he’s decided. Arbitration Man, About a year ago, so to not afwho requested anonymity started docuhe fect future proceedings, two dozen of what menting about compelling cases considers his most blog. in an eponymous about it because “I decided to write the stories but in a I was interested about it not from wanted to write from view but rather lawyer’s point of said Arbitration a lay point of view,” lawyer since 1961. Man, a practicing what’s at issue He first writes about post, renders separate a in and then, how he arrived his decision, detailing Visitors to the blog at his conclusion. their opinions. often weigh in with get a rap going. I to “I really want unthey whether really want to know and why I did it,” I did derstood what don’t know how to he said. “Most people ... I’d like my cases the judge thinks. and also my trereflect my personalitythe law.” for mendous respect 80, went into indiArbitration Man, suc in 1985, settling vidual practice
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MANHATTAN'S APARTMENT BOOM, > PROPERTY, P.20
2015
In Brief MORE HELP FOR SMALL BUSINESS
The effort to help small seems to businesses in the city be gathering steam. Two city councilmembers, Robert Margaret Chin and Cornegy, have introduced create legislation that wouldSmall a new “Office of the within Business Advocate” of Small the city’s Department Business Services. Chin The new post, which have up told us she’d like to would and running this year, for serve as an ombudsman city small businesses within them clear government, helping to get through the bureaucracy things done. Perhaps even more also importantly, the ombudsman and number will tally the type small business of complaints by taken in actions the owners, policy response, and somefor ways to recommendations If done well, begin to fix things. report would the ombudsman’s quantitative give us the first with taste of what’s wrong the city, an small businesses in towards important first step problem. the xing fi of deformality for To really make a difference, process is a mere complete their will have to to are the work course, the advocaterising rents, precinct, but chances-- thanks to a velopers looking find a way to tackle business’ is being done legally of after-hours projects quickly. their own hours,” which remain many While Chin “They pick out boom in the number throughout lives on who problem. Angelo, vexing most said Mildred construction permits gauge what Buildings one of the Ruppert said it’s too early tocould have the 19th floor in The Department of the city. number three years, the Houses on 92nd Street between role the advocate She on the Over the past is handing out a record work perThird avenues. permits, there, more information of Second and an ongoing all-hours number of after-hours bad thing. of after-hours work the city’s Dept. problem can’t be a said there’s with the mits granted by nearby where according to new data jumped 30 percent, This step, combinedBorough construction project noise Buildings has data provided in workers constantly make efforts by Manhattan to mediate BY DANIEL FITZSIMMONS according to DOB of Informacement from trucks. President Gale Brewer offer response to a Freedom classifies transferring they want. They knows the the rent renewal process, request. The city They 6 “They do whatever Every New Yorker clang, tion Act tangible signs go as they please. work between early, and some come metal-on-metal can construction any small sound: the or on the weekend, have no respect.” the piercing of progress. For many can’t come p.m. and 7 a.m., the hollow boom, issuance of these business owners, that moving in reverse. as after-hours. The increased beeps of a truck has generto a correspond and you soon enough. variances has led at the alarm clock The surge in permits
SLEEPS, THANKS TO THE CITY THAT NEVER UCTION A BOOM IN LATE-NIGHT CONSTR NEWS
A glance it: it’s the middle can hardly believe yet construction of the night, and carries on full-tilt. your local police or You can call 311
Newscheck
for dollars in fees ated millions of and left some resithe city agency, that the application dents convinced
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