The local paper for Downtown wn SLEEP AND THE CITY ◄ P. 2
WEEK OF MAY
25-31 2017
FLOODWALLS FOR MANHATTAN? ENVIRONMENT City outlines infrastructure options to combat downtown storm surge BY MICHAEL GAROFALO
The driver of a Honda Accord plowed through a crowded Times Square sidewalk last week, killing one person and injuring 22. Preventing similar attacks in New York City will remain a challenge, security experts say. Photo: Francisco Díaz De Azevedo
AFTER TIMES SQUARE: CAR ATTACKS REMAIN A THREAT CRIME Thwarting vehicular strikes remains difficult, experts say BY MICHAEL GAROFALO
Law enforcement officials say they will evaluate protections in place to defend against vehicle attacks after a driver plowed through pedestrians on a crowded Times Square sidewalk last week, killing one person and injuring 22 others. Richard Rojas, a 26-year-old Bronx resident with a history of drunken driving arrests, was heading south on Seventh Avenue in his Honda Accord shortly before noon on May 18, when he abruptly made a U-turn near 42nd Street and drove onto
the sidewalk. He drove northbound on the sidewalk at high speed for about three blocks, striking and dragging pedestrians along the way. Alyssa Elsman, an 18-year-old tourist from Michigan, was hit between 42nd and 43rd Streets and died at the scene. The vehicle came to a stop when it hit a metal bollard on the northwest corner of West 45th Street. Rojas was quickly taken into custody and charged with one count of second-degree murder, 20 counts of second-degree attempted murder and five counts of aggravated vehicular homicide. City officials said that though the attack appeared to have been intentional, they had quickly determined that it was not
CONTINUED ON PAGE 6
Nearly five years after Hurricane Sandy inundated much of Lower Manhattan with floodwater, causing billions of dollars in damage, city officials are seeking community input on how to best keep downtown streets dry during New York’s next superstorm. Representatives of the Mayor’s Office of Recovery and Resiliency outlined potential steps the city could take to combat storm surge at three of Lower Manhattan’s most vulnerable locations at a May 18 community meeting at St. Paul’s Chapel. The session focused on various options for new flood mitigation infrastructure that could be installed in the South Street Seaport area, near Pier A and the Battery, and in the northern area of Battery Park City near Stuyvesant High School. The public workshop was part of the community engagement phase of the Lower Manhattan Coastal Resiliency project, part of the city’s $20 billion OneNYC resiliency program aimed at mitigating the impact of rising sea levels and severe storms, which are expected to increase in frequency in the next century. More than $100 million in city capital funding has been dedicated to improving infrastructure in Lower Manhattan, which is particularly vulnerable to flooding due to a number of low-lying waterfront areas. The problem of flooding is expected to worsen in the decades to come — by the 2050s, city officials say, sea levels are likely to rise one to two feet; by 2100, levels could rise by as many as three to six feet. Low elevations made the northern
Flooding in the South Street Seaport area caused by Hurricane Sandy in 2012. Photo: NYC Department of Small Business Services and southern ends of Battery Park City significant breach points for storm surge waters during Hurricane Sandy; much of West Street was flooded in the area by waters flowing from near Stuyvesant High School and Pier A. Planners outlined several measures that could be installed to protect crucial infrastructure in the area, such as subway lines, the Battery tunnel and various utilities. Near the Battery, planners said, a raised berm, potentially rising as high as ten feet above the surrounding terrain, could be installed between the sidewalk and the park area to hold back water during a flood. A bike path could be installed along the top of such a berm. Other infrastructure options were presented as better suited for the waterfront in the northern part of Battery Park City, Downtowner
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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 view,” of a lay point lawyer since 1961. Man, a practicing what’s at issue He first writes about post, renders and then, in a separatehow he arrived his decision, detailing blog the to Visitors at his conclusion. their opinions. often weigh in with get a rap going. I to “I really want whether they unreally 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 indiMan, Arbitration 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 owners, the actions policy response, and somefor ways to recommendations If done well, begin to fix things. report would the ombudsman’s give us the first quantitative with taste of what’s wrong the city, an small businesses in towards important first step fixing the problem. of for deTo really make a difference, is a mere formality will have to the work process looking to complete their advocate are the chances course, velopers precinct, but rising rents, -- thanks to a 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 who lives on most vexing problem. said Mildred Angelo,of the Ruppert construction permits gauge what Buildings one 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 Over the past on the 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 signs Every New Yorker clang, tion Act go as they please. work between some early, tangible small any construction on the weekend, can come and sound: the metal-on-metal or the piercing of progress. For many have no respect.” p.m. and 7 a.m., can’t come of these that the hollow boom, issuance reverse. owners, in business moving The increased beeps of a truck has generto a correspond and you as after-hours. 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
n OurTownDowntow
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for dollars in fees ated millions of and left some resithe city agency, that the application dents convinced
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such as raising the entire esplanade or installing a permanent wall along the street, set back from the waterfront greenway. The South Street Seaport area poses its own challenges, such as the FDR Drive, where new flood intervention measures would have to be built around existing columns supporting the elevated highway. Planners outlined various types of barriers that could be installed under the highway overpass, including “deployable” walls, which could be stored elsewhere and installed prior to a storm. The planners urged community members to discuss tradeoffs between the various design concepts. For example, permanent walls would
CONTINUED ON PAGE 6
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MAY 25-31,2017
Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com
SLEEP AND THE CITY HEALTH How to wind down and get the rest you need to maintain a healthy lifestyle BY NEOMI SHAH, MD, MPH, MSC.
Sirens, cable news, noisy neighbors, neon signs, kids, snoring partners, iPhones, iPads: this is life in a city that never sleeps. Is it any wonder that New Yorkers aren’t getting enough of it? According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), adults should get at least 7 hours of sleep a night, but more than a third of American adults aren’t getting this minimum. The National Sleep Foundation polling data shows that 35 percent of Americans report their sleep quality as poor or only fair. Think this is no big deal? This is serious: a lack of good quality sleep or inadequate sleep duration may increase the risk of health problems such as obesity, stroke, diabetes, heart disease, and even depression. Getting enough sleep is not the “new status symbol,” as a recent article in The New York Times was titled. It’s imperative that Americans sleep as part of maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
So if you want to hit the hay early, but occasionally have trouble drifting off, here are some helpful tips: ■ Try and be consistent whenever you can. This means going to bed at the same time every night (even on the weekend) and waking up the same time as well (even on the weekend). Have a wind-down routine that may include a bath. ■ Disconnect, disconnect, disconnect. Turn all electronic devices off. Blue light emitted from most handheld electronic devices can interfere with the onset of sleep. ■ Be comfortable, not too hungry, and not too full. Time your dinner so you have at least 90 minutes after eating before lying down. ■ Have comfortable bedding and blankets that will accommodate your own body temperature — not too hot, and not too cold. ■ It goes without saying, but nicotine and caffeine are stimulants and they should be avoided in general, but especially before bedtime. ■ Exercising too close to bedtime may also be stimulating, though exercising regularly may help with sleep. ■ Alcohol should be avoided as it disrupts sleep. If you have had trouble falling or
Catching a few winks on the subway. Photo: Michael Kowalczyk, via flickr staying asleep, or have excessive daytime sleepiness, you may have an underlying sleep disorder such as insomnia or obstructive sleep apnea. With technological advances, there are now new and more convenient ways to diagnose sleep disorders right in your own bed at home without having to head to a sleep center for an overnight sleep study. New devices monitor breathing during sleep, and this data is reviewed and interpreted by a sleep provider to diagnose obstructive sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is commonly treated with a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) device. With
technological advances, the newer CPAP machines are smaller, quieter and work with mobile devices, allowing the patient to have access to their own CPAP usage data. For insomnia, there are many wearable sleep-monitoring devices on the market that provide patients with information about sleep quality and quantity. In addition, there are online tools to implement cognitive behavioral therapy for patients with insomnia. And with the recent launch of the telemedicine platform from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, the future for sleep medicine
care delivery looks very promising, allowing patients to have prompt and easy access to sleep experts. Check out https://sleeptm.com. New Yorkers are always short on time, but advances in sleep medicine care access makes it much easier now for patients to get high quality care — and maybe some extra rest. Dr. Neomi Shah is an Associate Professor, Department of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine at Mount Sinai Health System
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CRIME WATCH BY JERRY DANZIG GONE IN A BLINK
STATS FOR THE WEEK
Police remind the public again that bringing valuables to a gym can prove an expensive exercise indeed. At 2 p.m. on Friday, May 12, a man locked his possessions in a gym locker in the Blink Fitness facility at 111 Nassau St. using a combination lock. It did not do the trick. When he returned 45 minutes later his lock was missing along with a $4,000 Tag Heuer Carrera watch valued and $100 in cash.
Reported crimes from the 1st precinct Week to Date
Year to Date
2017 2016
% Change
2017
2016
% Change
Murder
0
0
n/a
1
0
n/a
Rape
0
0
n/a
6
5
20.0
Robbery
1
0
n/a
20
20
0.0
Felony Assault
1
2
-50.0
25
27
-7.4
RODE-OFF BIKE
Burglary
1
4
-75.0
21
52
-59.6
Even a good bike lock can’t stand up to a determined bike thief. At 1 a.m. on Monday, May 8, a 39-year-old man locked his blue Bianchi Volpe road bike valued at to scaffolding in front of 75 Varick St. while he went into a store. That lock also proved fruitless: His $1300 bike was missing when he returned a short while later.
Grand Larceny
20
16
25.0
334 386 -13.5
Grand Larceny Auto
0
0
n/a
6
COS S.O.S.
photo by Tony Webster via flikr
Police arrested a shoplifter who was a repeat offender. At 5:36 p.m. on Sunday, May 14, a 45-year-old man entered the COS clothing boutique at 50 Church St. When he attempted to leave the store soon after, he set off a security alarm
and was refused to return to the store when asked. He was then detained and searched and found to be in possession of store merchandise worth $1,193, with sales tags attached, and no receipts.
Arriving police determined the man, identified as Brian Colter, had an active warrant for a grand larceny in the 84th precinct. He was arrested on a grand larceny charge.
8
-25.0
MISSING BEATS
PATEBOARD
A teenager’s status headphones took on a new status: stolen. At 10 p.m. on Tuesday, May 9, a 16-year-old male youth was walking to his home at 75 Wall St. from Broadway. When he reached the southeast corner of Broad and Wall Streets, two unknown men approached him and snatched his gold wired Beats, valued at $200, off his head before fleeing westward toward Broadway. A search of the neighborhood failed to turn up the headphone thieves.
One young man used a skateboard as a vehicle for his aggression. At 6:40 p.m. on Tuesday, May 9, a man in his 20s and a 43-year-old man were having a verbal dispute at the northwest corner of Mercer and Prince Streets when the younger man swung his skateboard at the man’s head, striking him in head. The assailant fled and couldn’t be found later in the neighborhood.
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Met Council’s Legislative Breakfast &HOHå DWLQJ \HDUV RI VHUYLQJ 1HZ <è NHUV • Holocaust Survivors Program • Benefits & Entitlements • Crisis Services • Safe & Affordable Housing • Assisting Domestic Violence Survivors • Handyman Services • Kosher Food Distribution
+RQè æ V THE HONORABLE NYDIA VELAZQUEZ United States House of Representatives Distinguished Congressional Award THE HONORABLE CARL HEASTIE Speaker, New York State Assembly State Leadership Award THE HONORABLE JOSEPH BORELLI New York City Council Met Council Partner Award
Met Council Partner Award THE HONORABLE DAVID GREENFIELD New York City Council Met Council Partner Award THE HONORABLE KAREN KOSLOWITZ New York City Council Met Council Partner Award COMMISSIONER DONNA CORRADO New York City Department for the Aging Met Council Partner Award
THE HONORABLE MARGARET CHIN New York City Council Met Council Partner Award
SEPHARDIC BIKUR CHOLIM Met Council Food Partner Award
THE HONORABLE VANESSA GIBSON New York City Council
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Recognizing our network of 121 kosher food distribution partners.
Several hundred people rallied last week at the New York Society for Ethical Culture to advocate for divestment from “dirty energy,” protection against climate change and more environmentally friendly jobs. Photo: Madeleine Thompson
NEW YORKERS RALLY FOR ‘CLIMATE, JOBS, JUSTICE’ ACTIVISM Hundreds pack Upper West Side auditorium BY MADELEINE THOMPSON
It’s a scene the country is more familiar with each day: crowds of people with homemade signs, chanting loudly for or against one cause or another. Several hundred climate activists and New Yorkers gathered at the New York Society for Ethical Culture last week to do just that. Co-organized by groups such as the Peoples Climate March, Transform Don’t Trash NYC and the Working Families Party, the event featured Public Advocate Letitia James and Comptroller Scott Stringer, who gave brief speeches and answered questions from a panel of activists. “This is one important step in moving our city to do what must be done to solve the climate crisis and to link that struggle to the struggles for jobs and justice,” Leslie Cagan, who is on the board of the Peoples Climate Movement New York, told the crowd at the May 16 event. Brian Ellis-Gibbs,
a pastor at the Queens Baptist Church, described the focus of the evening as centering on “divesting and reinvesting, climate works for all and transform don’t trash.” James took the stage soon after Ellis-Gibbs’ introduction to criticize President Donald Trump’s approach to environmental policy and to reinforce her commitment to reducing citywide emissions by 80 percent by 2050. “We have an obligation, despite the fact that the federal government is turning its back,” she said. “I am committed to all of you in this room to making sure that we address and improve our climate. For me the most important thing is that our children be able to breathe.” Later, Stringer directed criticism at the recovery efforts after Hurricane Sandy in 2012. “We saw devastation, no resiliency, no plan to help people,” he said. “Basically a bunch of consultants being paid by other consultants dictated that effort to recover and rebound. We can’t be in that position anymore. We have to invest in our resiliency in our communities and we have to stop doing piecemeal work.” He was heckled mildly for a comment about coal miners losing their
jobs, but garnered applause for his support of the “Climate Works for All” plan to reduce emissions, create sustainable jobs and invest in protection against climate change. Mayor Bill de Blasio was also invited to the rally but didn’t show. His schedule showed a conflicting town hall in Brooklyn at the same time, but his absence was noticed with some attendees voicing their disappointment on Twitter. “It’s an election year Mayor,” wrote a user with the name Paul Rothman. “You have to earn the votes.” Another wondered, in jest, if de Blasio had lost his invitation. Dotting the audience were signs advocating for the use of wind power and asking the city to divest from “dirty energy.” No action was taken, but similar events and marches that have taken place over the past few months have shown the efficacy of demonstration. The rally certainly demonstrated that interest in a greener, cleaner New York City runs high. Madeleine Thompson can be reached at newsreporter@ strausnews.com
Sunday, June 4, 2017 8:45 AM - 11:00 AM The Roosevelt Hotel, The Grand Ballroom Madison Avenue at 45th Street, New York City For more information, contact Jodee Silver at: jsilver@metcouncil.org
ACTIVITIES FOR THE FERTILE MIND
thoughtgallery.org NEW YORK CITY
Modern Architecture and Design in Venezuela
TUESDAY, MAY 30TH, 6PM Center for Architecture | 536 LaGuardia Pl. | 212-683-0023 | cfa.aiany.org Complementing the exhibition El Helicoide: From Mall to Prison, catch an evening program that looks at mid-twentieth century Venezuelan projects to provide a larger context for Caracas’s “Tropical Tower of Babel.” ($10)
Feminists Take on the Romance Genre
TUESDAY, MAY 30TH, 7PM The Strand | 828 Broadway | 212-473-1452 | strandbooks.com Bustle’s Cristina Arreola leads four authors who take on the conventional wisdom that romance novels are fluff and don’t feature strong women who take control of their own fates. ($15 gift card or $25.99 book purchase)
Just Announced | TimesTalks: Ken Burns
THURSDAY, JUNE 15TH, 7PM Merkin Concert Hall | 129 W. 67th St. | 212-501-3330 | timestalks.com September will see the arrival of the next Ken Burns exploration, a 10-part documentary on the Vietnam War. He’ll speak about the project and the war’s lingering impact with his frequent collaborator Lynn Novick, editorial page editor James Bennet, and two authors. ($40)
For more information about lectures, readings and other intellectually stimulating events throughout NYC,
sign up for the weekly Thought Gallery newsletter at thoughtgallery.org.
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FLOODWALLS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 impact access to the waterfront and be negative from an aesthetic perspective, but wouldn’t require the deployment and storage costs that a removable wall would entail. Conspicuously absent from the meeting, as some community members noted during a question-and-answer session, was any substantive discussion of the costs associated with installing and maintaining the various options presented at the meet-
TIMES SQUARE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 related to terrorism. “Thank God, based on what we know now, there is no indication that this was an act of terror,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said shortly after the attack. Before police ruled out terror as a motive, many on the scene assumed the incident was similar to in nature to recent jihadist attacks involving vehicles in Berlin, London, Nice and elsewhere. NYPD Commissioner James O’Neill indicated that terrorism was his first thought upon hearing of the incident. “Of course, the worst went through my mind, and that’s why the mayor and I came here as quickly as we could,” he said. Though police do not believe Rojas was motivated by jihadist ideology, the attack bore many of the hallmarks of vehicular terrorism, despite officials’ reluctance to classify it as such. “It actually was, in essence, of an act of terrorism in the sense that someone purposefully aimed a vehicle at people intending to cause maximum carnage,” Eugene O’Donnell, a lecturer at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and former NYPD officer said in an email, adding that exhaustively exploring Rojas’ motivation would remain a priority for law enforcement officials. Rick Mathews, a counterterrorism expert and professor at the College of Emergency
ing. Officials from the mayor’s office said that the session was intended to gauge community preferences regarding various design choices and that cost analysis would occur later in the process. The Financial District was not slated for inclusion in the discussion — another repeated point of contention, with several community members expressing disappointment that the city representatives were reluctant to discuss measures to protect one of the city’s most important job centers nearly a year after the Lower Manhattan Coastal Resiliency project
launched. Jordan Salinger of the Mayor’s Office of Recovery and Resiliency said that Financial District was omitted from the agenda because the area “needs more work.” “We didn’t want to put something in front of you today that would be a problem longterm,” he said, adding that the neighborhood presents the “biggest challenge” to planners because it presents “limited possibilities” with respect to intervention measures. “The financial district is more challenging, but we will bring that to you as soon as it’s ready,” Salinger said.
Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity at the University at Albany’s Rockefeller College, said that quickly ruling out terrorism allowed police to avoid clearing the entire area and sending officers to defend other potential targets from possible coordinated attacks. “In this case, the person driving the vehicle was alive. They talked to him. They knew exactly who he was, what he wanted to do, and why he did it,” he said. “That’s not the case in a lot of these other ones around the world where the attacker has often also been killed.” O’Donnell said the police are better than they were at responding after the fact to these events. “However, it remains to be seen whether our capacity to thwart actual attacks is substantially improved,” he said. “The lesson we have learned from Nice, Germany and London is that a single actor, almost impulsively, can cause catastrophic harm in a short period with easily obtainable weaponry, in this case a vehicle.” William Aubry, NYPD chief of detectives for Manhattan South, said at a press conference the day after the attack that safety measures in place in Times Square, such as the metal bollard that eventually brought Rojas’ vehicle to a halt, had likely prevented more people from being injured or killed. Aubry added that the NYPD would review the incident “to look for ways that we can defend something like this from happening in the future.”
Mathews praised the NYPD’s response to the incident and said that so-called target hardening measures such as concrete and metal barriers are “do stop most vehicles from moving into the crowds and hurting people,” but said that preventing vehicular attacks altogether is likely to remain a challenge for police. “The issue they run into is that it’s something that is almost impossible to prevent unless we want to prevent the comingling of motor vehicles and pedestrians in the same general vicinity,” he said. “We are a society where we like our freedom and flexibility, and it’s no different with vehicles and people,” Mathews said. “The only way to totally prevent that kind of incident occurring is to prevent traffic and people from being in the same area, and that’s just generally not going to happen.” Four days after the Times Square vehicle attack, an apparent terrorist bombing at a May 22 concert in Manchester, England, killed 22 people. NYPD officials said they were closely monitoring the events in England and had stepped up security in the city in response. Governor Andrew Cuomo said in a statement, “Out of an abundance of caution, I have directed state law enforcement officials to step up security and patrols at high-profile locations across New York, including our airports, bridges, tunnels and mass transit systems.”
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New York State Supreme Court Justice Rosalyn Richter talks law with students at MLK High School. Photo: Michael Garofalo
A JUDGE WALKS INTO A SCHOOL EDUCATION Students at MLK High School explore law with a state Supreme Court justice BY MICHAEL GAROFALO
The topic at hand in one Upper West Side classroom on a recent Thursday morning was among the timeliest and most salient in the field of law: legal issues relating to transgender rights. Ryan Rasdall, a legal assistant with Lambda Legal Defense Fund’s Transgender Rights Project, led a detailed discussion of recent lawsuits brought in response to state laws restricting transgender access to public bathrooms. He outlined various challenges facing transgender people, ranging from insurance coverage to violence in schools, and how legal advocates are working to address these matters in the courts. Associate Justice Rosalyn Richter of the New York State Supreme Court’s Appellate Division sat next to Rasdall and weighed in on the relevant case law. “Sometimes the law is ahead of society and sometimes cases develop very slowly,” Richter explained to the class. It was a weighty conversation, one that wouldn’t have been out of place on a college or law school campus. But on this morning, the students diligently taking notes and asking difficult questions were juniors at Martin Luther King Jr. High School for Law, Advo-
cacy and Community Justice, on Amsterdam Avenue near 66th Street. “You guys are super impressive,” Rasdall said at one point. “I wasn’t doing any of this when I was 16.” Richter is a regular at MLK High School — she meets with students about once a month to lead legal discussions on what she calls “hot button topics in New York City,” often bringing along guest speakers like Rasdall to share expertise and professional advice. Past speakers have included clerks from Richter’s own office, representatives from the New York County District Attorney’s office, and immigration law and criminal defense groups. In March, the class visited the Appellate Division Courthouse on Madison Avenue to present oral arguments in a real-life criminal case chosen by Richter involving issues of due process and probable cause. For Diarra Geuye, 16, being assigned to the prosecution team was a challenge. “It was hard for me, because I always imagined myself, if I were to be a lawyer, as a defense attorney,” she said. “But it was great, because I got to get out of my comfort zone and see the other side, and it makes my argument stronger if I’m able to see it from both sides.” For Richter, the program is a way of kick-starting the careers of students interested in law — several students from her classes have gone on to work for her as interns. “They all just need a little bit of a helping hand,” she said. “They don’t have the family networks. Most
young people their age get summer jobs through somebody the family knows, but for many of these young people they’re the first generation to go to college.” This is the fourth year of Richter’s relationship with MLK High School, which was formed under the auspices of Pencil, a Manhattan-based nonprofit that builds partnerships between schools and leaders from the business and civic realms. The transgender rights discussion took place on May 18 during Pencil’s annual Principal for a Day program, which showcases the nonprofit’s work with a week of activities. Greg Betheil, Pencil’s president, sat in on the class for the occasion before heading to events at other high schools with leaders from Bloomberg and JPMorgan Chase. “This one’s a little crazy for me because this is where I started teaching 24 years ago,” he said. Principal for a Day started in 1995, when Betheil was running a classroom of his own at MLK. “Back then, not a lot of folks in the business and civic community were paying attention to the schools,” he said. “The idea was to really get people to step inside and see what was going on in hopes that we could raise awareness.” “In a lot of ways, this is the continuum from school to college to career,” Betheil said. “I think companies are starting to understand that if they want to attract a diverse talent pool, they’ve got to begin investing a lot earlier.”
MAY 25-31,2017
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HIP Health Plan of New York (HIP) is an HMO plan with a Medicare contract. Enrollment in HIP depends on contract renewal. HIP is an EmblemHealth company. Plans vary by county. Limitations, copayments and restrictions may apply. Benefits, premiums and/or copayments/coinsurance may change on January 1 of each year. The pharmacy network may change at any time. You will receive notice when necessary. You must continue to pay your Medicare Part B premium. This plan is a Medicare Special Needs Plan for people with both Medicare and Medicaid. Your eligibility to enroll in this plan may depend on your Medicaid status. Premium, copays, coinsurance and deductibles may vary based on the level of Extra Help you receive. This information is not a complete description of benefits. Contact the plan for more information. EmblemHealth complies with applicable Federal civil rights laws and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability or sex. ATTENTION: If you speak other languages, language assistance services, free of charge, are available to you. Call 1-888-536-6537 (TTY/TDD: 711). ATENCIÓN: Si usted habla español, tiene a su disposición, gratis, servicios de ayuda para idiomas. Llame al 1-888-536-6537 (TTY/TDD: 711). 注意：如果您講中文，我們免費提 供相關的語言協助服務。請致電 1-888-536-6537 (TTY/TDD: 711). H3330_126350 Accepted 5/13/17
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WEATHER WEIRDNESS GRAYING NEW YORK BY MARCIA EPSTEIN
Where is that darned sweater? The one with the collar I like. And for that matter, where are my other long-sleeved clothes, the ones I put away one warm day in April, sure spring was here to stay. How can I possibly know, as I’ve taken out and put away spring and winter clothes for weeks on end? Ah, here it is, spring at last, I’ll think, as a fleeting warm spell drifts through New York. The next morning it’s gone and I am left shivering
in the spring clothing that I have carefully put in my bureau. What is one to do when temperatures go up and down like a seesaw, after a winter of up and down temperatures that left us all in limbo and feeling slightly unmoored. Not like my childhood, when winter was winter and spring was spring. Recently, there was a day in April when I stood shivering at a bus stop, waiting for ages (another story!), icicles hanging from the faux fur of my hood and my body shaking with cold and damp. Then came May, and winter stood its ground, along with unending rain and those darn winter boots. Until a sudden few
days of 90 degree weather had us sweating until the next temperature drop, and the sweater search began again. Is this climate change or just weather weirdness? It seems to go along with the crazy political situation and the sense of unbalance that comes with not knowing what’s going to happen next. Between the weather and the election, most of us have been feeling disoriented and discombobulated since November didn’t turn into winter and Donald Trump somehow became president. The world seems wrong, turned upside down. Maybe June will bring some normalcy, if spring comes and stays. At least the weather will finally make some sense. My family and I celebrated Mother’s Day at a delicious Mexican restaurant on Long Island. As the senior mother, I basked in the com-
Voices
pany of my two delightful daughters and four gorgeous (of course) grandchildren, ranging in age from 6 to 13. And I marveled at the fact that all these people, this whole shebang, resulted from one bad marriage. It made me wonder what we count as mistakes in life. The marriage to my children’s father was a mistake in that it was pretty disastrous. But how can I call it a mistake when from that marriage came my daughters, my granddaughter and my three delightful grandsons? The mistake was eventually rectified, we went on to new lives, and the result sat before me, eating and making merry. How can I regret that marriage? Not with those beaming faces surrounding me. Somehow, over the years, I became “Grandma,” and it was all worth it. On June 9, July 14, August 11 and
September 8, Naomi Goldberg Haas is running outdoor classes for the summer. Haas is the choreographer of Dances for a Variable Population, which promotes strong and creative movement for seniors of all ages and abilities. She leads this summer group with members of her company. Find them at the lawn at 133rd Street and Marginal Street at the West Harlem Pier Park. There is no cost to attend. Although CityParks Senior Fitness summer sessions began in April, you can still register for programs taking place at parks in the five boroughs through June 16. The only requirement is being 60 years or older. The program offers free tennis lessons, yoga instruction and fitness walking. Most sessions take place in the morning. The phone number is 718-760-6999.
WHERE HAVE ALL THE FLOWERS GONE? BY BETTE DEWING
Ironically, the horrific Times Square traffic tragedy happened just as I began this follow-up column about how a taxi driver’s reported turn on to the crosswalk at York Avenue and 78th Street took the life of store manager Manikkam Srimenan — “Mano.” It must be said again and again, the exceptionally good words and deeds he extended which made him such a beloved community figure — a lifeline, really — and why his so wrongful death got more than the usual media coverage and inspired a standingroom-only memorial service at St. Monica’s Church. The paper of record’s May 19 front page quite naturally featured a photo story of the Times Square deadly driver action which killed 18-yearold Alyssa Elsman of Michigan and wounded almost two dozen others. Of course, that is tragically newsworthy, unlike the all too commonplace traffic tragedies. Relatively little has been done to stop the number one cause of pedestrian death and injury: a driver’s failure to yield when turning into a crosswalk. You can’t say it enough. Yes, some intersections are more
After the tragedy in Times Square. Photo: Michael Garofalo high-risk than others, but in truth it is every crosswalk where drivers can turn into you — and in broad daylight. (Please be like me, avoiding corners where they can turn into you.) There is data as well as personal experience to support these claims, though Charles Komanoff’s “Killed by Automobile” data and case histories need updating. But unlike drunk driving, failure to yield still gets a relative pass.
I thought of that Pete Seeger song, “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?” and the line, “When will they ever learn?” when I saw the flowers and tributes to Mano were gone from the SuperDel store he managed. It’s not even a month. My son Jeff thought at least a photo of Mano’s should remain in the window. I’m sure the store owner believed it was time. And maybe this time “a little child will lead
them.” For example, we learned from Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church deacon Anne Connor’s grandson how a P.S. 158 seventh-grader initiated the storefront’s tribute of flowers and messages and told how the students needed grief counseling. Now Connor thankfully reports the students and their parents will be working with Assemblywoman Rebecca Seawright and Council member Ben Kal-
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los to make failure to yield a priority enforcement and with penalties to fit the crime. (Again, Our Town’s Useful Contacts column lists Kallos and Seawright and other UES contacts.) Mano’s wrongful death must remind Vision Zero that adult males are the most frequent victims of traffic tragedies. Vision Zero only exists because the rash of child victims caused some devastated parents to channel their grief into a life-saving action. Last week the mayor said at a celebration of “no traffic deaths” at a once deadly corner, “And If you don’t realize the need for these traffic changes, you’ve never lost a daughter or son.” Yes, or a father, mother, spouse, sibling. friend or other beloved person. We must remember Mano’s goodness of character, his caring for community people of all ages. And if ever there was “service with a smile,” it had to be Mano’s. An example so needed, and especially for kids growing up in a cyberspace culture with too few smiles or real time to help others. Lessons there for faith groups surely — for all of us — everywhere. And oh how we do need a song to remember Mano! dewingbetter@aol.com
Editor-In-Chief, Alexis Gelber editor.ot@strausnews.com Deputy Editor Staff Reporters Richard Khavkine Madeleine Thompson editor.otdt@strausnews.com newsreporter@strausnews.com Michael Garofalo Senior Reporter reporter@strausnews.com Doug Feiden invreporter@strausnews.com
MAY 25-31,2017
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BOOKS ON THE B TRAIN (AND OTHER LINES) NY READER “Take it, read it and return it”: two women bring a mobile library project to the New York subway system BY MADELEINE THOMPSON
Hollie Fraser was living in London in 2012 when she decided to start leaving some of her books on the Tube in effort to “[break] people out of picking up the newspaper or the phone and [get] them reading again.” The advertising agency Fraser worked for sent out a supportive tweet about her project and it caught the attention of Rosy Saliba Kehdi, who worked at a different ad agency in New York City. Kehdi and Fraser partnered to bring the mobile library project to the subway system, where word has spread far enough to garner guest distributors like Emma Watson. Straphangers can identify “Books on the Subway” books by their distinctive sticker, which encourages finders to borrow them for as long as they like, provided the reader return it to the subway when they’re done. Fraser and Kehdi talked to Our Town about the collaboration that is improving commutes throughout the city. You told The New York Times you’ll be distributing 20 books every day between now and September. How do you make that happen? RSK: Both of us have books every single day, but then whenever we have more books than we can handle, we try to split it up among some volunteers that we have around the city. That way we are able to drop even a larger quantity of books across different corners of the New York subway. So we have people in Coney Island, we have people in Queens. We have people that commute from New Jersey, so they can drop things on the Path. HF: We always make sure they’re never in the way and they’re always like in a kind of plain location and easily portable. One of my favorite spots is in Union Square where the signage is to the subways, to like the 6 train and stuff. There’s a
Your commute just got more interesting. The “Books on the Subway” project has left thousands of volumes on most subway lines throughout the city, and riders are encouraged to borrow them as long as they’re returned to the subway. Photo: Johannes Martin, via flickr ledge, and so people are always looking at signs to read where they’re going, and then obviously when you put a book in front of it, it kind of is really obvious and clear this one was left there on purpose. We do one title per day, for normally the five days of the week, and not so much on weekends. Of the books you’ve distributed, which were you most excited about? RSK: We’re always super excited about all of them equally, but ones that have a specific partnership, we always are even more interested in. So like the one that we did for “Girl Rising,” which is this nonprofit organization that helps girls in underprivileged countries get more education and access to books, et cetera. So that was one partnership that we were very, very excited about. HF: Yesterday we left a book called “Searching for Normal,” and it was about a lady who lost her daughter to depression. She committed suicide and it was all about her search for kind of normality and getting help with kind of the problems they went through and it’s mental health awareness month at the moment, so we kind of tied into that. So that was really great. And the project has expanded around the world, right? HF: I created Books on the Move Global which is a website that hosts all of the branches, starting to do it in their city and they’ve all grown independently. I just kind of give them a breakdown of how to do it,
and what the aim of the project is and what we’re about. There are some amazing people all over the world getting involved and talking to publishers in their country. They’ve got the same sticker that says, “Take it, read it, and return it,” and they’ve started doing it on their transport system in their country, as well. So that’s really cool. If you can narrow it down to one thing, what is this project about? What do you hope people get out of it? HF: I mean when I started it, it was just to get people reading. It was just like to kind of tap into that community of people who were reading on the subway every day and kind of creating community of people who enjoy reading. RSK: That is and will always be our primary aim, but there’s also more things we can do with these books. If it’s a book about mental health awareness or if it’s a book about cystic fibrosis, which is something we did earlier this month, or if it’s a book about autism, you can use books to spread awareness about all these causes. We also do a lot of books that are related to women’s empowerment and feminism, etcetera. So it’s a platform to not only help people get easier access to books, but also give them books that will help these causes. This interview has been edited and condensed. Madeleine Thompson can be reached at newsreporter@strausnews.com
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Thu 25 Fri 26
Sat 27
IN THIS HOUSE OF SKY
TOQUILLA STRAW | WEAVING DEMO
Westbeth Artists Housing & Center for the Arts, 55 Bethune St. Group Exhibition â&#x20AC;&#x153;In This House of Skyâ&#x20AC;? curated by Karen Fitzgerald, features 12 contemporary artists and runs through June 18. westbeth.org
â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;WELCOMEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; AT LA MAMA MOVES! | DANCE FESTIVAL The Ellen Stewart Theatre @ La Mama, 66 East 4th St. 7 p.m. $21-26 A collaboration between 2016 Jerome Robbins awardee Stefanie Batten Bland, visual artist Benjamin Heller and composer Paul Damian Hogan examines â&#x20AC;&#x153;our willingness to embrace and share space with others.â&#x20AC;? 212-475-7710. lamama.org
LOWER EAST SIDE FESTIVAL OF THE ARTS Theater for the New City, 155 First Ave. Noon-Midnight. Free Performers converge in one of the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s biggest annual art fests. This yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 3-day event, themed â&#x20AC;&#x153;Art V Tyranny,â&#x20AC;? includes well-known and emerging artists from theater to dance, music to movies, a street fair and art exhibit. 212-254-1109. theaterforthenewcity.net
THE ROOF | PUBLIC ART BrookďŹ eld Place, 230 Vesey St, 8 a.m. Free. Floating above the Winter Garden, is a site-speciďŹ c suspended sculpture by Thai artist Pinaree Sanpitak â&#x20AC;&#x153;that celebrates collaboration and coexistence,â&#x20AC;? composed of translucent canopies hanging among the Winter Garden palm trees. artsbrookďŹ eld.com
Pratt Institute, 144 West 14th St. 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Free UNESCO declared the weaving technique with Toquilla Straw an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Learn why it is so unique, directly through an Ecuadorian weaver artisan. 718-636-3600. pratt.edu
â&#x2013;˛PROCESS SPACE OPEN STUDIOS Governors Island National Monument Noon-5 p.m. Free Meet Process Space artistsin-residence in their studios at the Arts Center at Governors Island. Audiences can roam this historic converted warehouse and experience a wide range of artwork, from live performance and theater to painting and sculpture. lmcc.net
MAY 25-31,2017
Sun 28 TRIBUTE TO GIPSY KINGS Cafe Wha?, 115 MacDougal St. 7 p.m. $15 Los Cintron brothers play a mix of world, Latin and flamenco music and are known as the best Gipsy Kings tribute band, with dance, music and passion. cafewha.com
LOWER EAST SIDE FESTIVAL OF THE ARTS Theater for the New City, 155 First Ave. Noon-Midnight. Free Performers converge in one of the city’s biggest annual art fests. Last day of fest themed “Art V Tyranny,” includes wellknown and emerging artists from theater to dance, music to movies, a street fair and art exhibit. 212-254-1109. theaterforthenewcity.net
Mon 29 WORLD TRADE CENTER COMMUNITY FAIR▼ Fulton Street from Broadway to Gold Street 10 a.m.-6 p.m. 20+ authentic food booths, 100+ merchandise booths
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selling a huge variety of goods from handmade metal statues to African baskets to the year’s hottest fashion accessory trends. 212-809-4900. nycstreetfairs.com
ARE WE ALONE? Lovecraft Bar, 50 Ave. B 6:30-9:30 p.m. $10 DM Paranormal tackles one of mankind’s oldest questions, “Are we alone?” — he discusses everything from UFOs, Men In Black, the differences between the different kinds of close encounters, and more. 212-432-2802. dmparanormal.com
Tue 30 FEMINISTS TAKE ON ROMANCE GENRE The Strand, 828 Broadway 7-8 p.m. $25.99 Admission & Signed Copy The romance genre is usually dismissed as fantastical fluff, an escape for overworked housewives, needing a strong man to come to their rescue. Romance, however, can star powerful women, ones who take control of their fate. 212-473-1452. strandbooks. com
MODERN ARCHITECTURE IN VENEZUELA Center for Architecture, 536 LaGuardia Pl. 6-8 p.m. $10
A look at modern architecture and design in Venezuela, complementing the exhibition “El Helicoide: From Mall to Prison.” The program also explores other trends and projects in Venezuelan design in the mid-20th century. 212-683-0023. main.aiany. org
Wed 31
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W.O.W. PROJECT Wing on Wo & Co., 26 Mott St. 7-9 p.m. Donation. RSVP Fundraising event for the W.O.W. Project’s one-year anniversary. Lineup includes researcher Diane Wong reading an excerpt from her dissertation about the gentrification of Chinatowns across the U.S. 212-962-3577. wingonwoand.co
BELLEVUE LITERARY REVIEW | READING Bellevue Hospital, 462 First Ave. 6-7:30 p.m. Free To celebrate the publication of the Bellevue Literary Review’s latest issue, editor-in-chief Danielle Ofri hosts an evening of readings by contributing authors, including Caitlin Kuehn. 212-263-3973. blr.med.nyu. edu
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MAY 25-31,2017
IN THE BAG An exhibit focuses on the elegance and creativity of Judith Leiber’s handbag designs
BY KATHERINE ROTH
Judith Leiber is best known for her tiny, glitzy and irresistibly playful crystal-encrusted clutches shaped like fish, dogs, lemons, watermelon slices and even sparkling eggplants. Her bags have been flaunted by celebrities and many First Ladies since Mamie Eisenhower. But there’s way more to Leiber’s story — and to her elegant handbags — than meets the eye, a new exhibit shows. “Judith Leiber: Crafting a Story,” on view at the Museum of Arts and Design through Aug. 4, explores Leiber’s life and wide-ranging craftsmanship. Through almost a hundred bags, as well as wax models, letters, photographs and other items, it reveals a little-known side of the designer and businesswoman who, at heart, remained an Old World craftswoman with vast creativity and range. The show encompasses works made soon after the founding of Leiber’s company in 1963, when Leiber was 42, to 2004, when she designed her last handbag. She’s now 96 and living in
IF YOU GO WHAT: “Judith Leiber: Crafting a New York Story” WHERE: Museum of Arts and Design, 2 Columbus Circle WHEN: Through August 6 www.madmuseum.org/ East Hampton, New York. The show includes many pieces from her personal collection. Leiber’s meticulous craftsmanship and exuberant taste for innovation — often accompanied by touches of humor or a wink to her husband’s passion for gardening — set her work apart from other European and American handbag designers of the 20th century, said exhibition curator Samantha De Tillio. “But beyond her handbags, her personal story is what speaks to so many,” she said. The backbone of the exhibit is a detailed timeline of Leiber’s life. Born in Budapest in 1921, Leiber (originally Peto) studied chemistry at King’s College in London with hopes of working
Gerson Leiber-inspired rhinestone-encrusted minaudiere. Photo: Jenna Bascom. Courtesy of the Museum of Arts and Design in the cosmetics industry. But with the outbreak of World War II, she stuck close to home, joining the prestigious Hungarian handbag company Pessl as an apprentice pattern maker. Despite the threat she and her family faced as Jews in Nazi-allied Hungary, she worked her way up to journeyman
Faith Ringgold-inspired bag. Photo: Jenna Bascom. Courtesy of the Museum of Arts and Design
and then craftswoman, learning every step of the handbag-making process from design to the finishing touches. Pessl, which was Jewish-owned, was finally forced to close, and Leiber’s family managed to survive the Holocaust by sequestering themselves in their home and wangling a Swiss “pass” giving them protection from the Nazis. With the liberation of Budapest, she resumed making handbags, selling her creations directly to employees of the American Legation and the U.S. Army. She met and married Gerson Leiber, a sergeant in the U.S. Army, and moved to New York in 1946. Her deep knowledge of the entire process of handbag-making was unusual in the U.S., where handbags were made using assembly lines, and she quickly found a job as a pattern maker for the Nettie Rosenstein fashion house, where she worked her way up to designer and then foreman. Her big break came in 1953, when Mamie Eisenhower wore a Leiberdesigned handbag to her husband’s inauguration. Leiber came up with her Swarovskicrystal-encrusted minaudieres in a stroke of inspiration after an order of gold-plated brass frames — she ordered the bodies of the bags from
Italy — arrived discolored. Instead of sending the order all the way back to Italy, she covered the discoloration with rhinestones. Leiber maintained friendships with some of her famous fans, including First Ladies Nancy Reagan and Barbara Bush (a minaudière in the shape of Bush’s dog Millie is featured in the show), opera singer Beverly Sills, and actresses Greta Garbo and Mary Tyler Moore. Leiber’s handbags now sell for hundreds, often thousands of dollars. Many of the designs reveal her love for the opera and fine art, and reveal the influences of Sonia Delaunay, Piet Mondrian, George Braque, Louis Tiffany and Charles Rennie Mackintosh, among others. In the 1980s, Leiber collaborated with artist Faith Ringgold, famous for her story quilts (one of which is featured in this show). To help the Guggenheim Museum acquire one of Ringgold’s quilts, Leiber produced small editions of two Ringgold-inspired bags, including “Purple Quilt” (1986) and “Street Story Quilt” (1985). The Leiber exhibit will not travel beyond New York, but a gallery at The Leiber Collection in East Hampton is open to the public from Memorial Day through Labor Day.
MAY 25-31,2017
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RESTAURANT INSPECTION RATINGS
Paquitos
143 1 Avenue
Grade Pending (23) Hot food item not held at or above 140º F. Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas.
Thai Villa
5 E 19Th St
Grade Pending (21) Cold food item held above 41º F (smoked fish and reduced oxygen packaged foods above 38 ºF) except during necessary preparation. Food contact surface not properly washed, rinsed and sanitized after each use and following any activity when contamination may have occurred. Wiping cloths soiled or not stored in sanitizing solution.
MAR 12-19, 2017 The following listings were collected from the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s website and include the most recent inspection and grade reports listed. We have included every restaurant listed during this time within the zip codes of our neighborhoods. Some reports list numbers with their explanations; these are the number of violation points a restaurant has received. To see more information on restaurant grades, visit www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/services/restaurant-inspection.shtml. Hawa
247 8Th Ave
A
Pecorino
197 7Th Ave
Not Yet Graded
Birch Coffee
56 7 Avenue
A
Five Guys Famous Burgers And Fries
56 W 14Th St
A
Shu Han Ju Authentic Chinese Cuisine
465 6Th Ave
Apna Masala Indian Cuisine 344 E 6Th St
A
Raku
342 E 6Th St
A
Nix
72 University Pl
A
Fat Cat Kitchen
223 E 14Th St
Not Yet Graded (4)
Grade Pending (20) Raw, cooked or prepared food is adulterated, contaminated, crosscontaminated, or not discarded in accordance with HACCP plan. Sanitized equipment or utensil, including in-use food dispensing utensil, improperly used or stored. Wiping cloths soiled or not stored in sanitizing solution.
Chickpea
210 East 14 Street
A
Bagel Boss
263 1 Avenue
A
Baohaus
238 East 14 Street
A
The Winslow
243 E 14Th St
A
The Bao
13 Saint Marks Pl
Grade Pending (23) Hot food item not held at or above 140º F. Food Protection Certificate not held by supervisor of food operations. Food contact surface not properly washed, rinsed and sanitized after each use and following any activity when contamination may have occurred.
Red House
203 E 14Th St
Grade Pending (37) Cold food item held above 41º F (smoked fish and reduced oxygen packaged foods above 38 ºF) except during necessary preparation. Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas. Food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service. Food contact surface not properly washed, rinsed and sanitized after each use and following any activity when contamination may have occurred. Sanitized equipment or utensil, including in-use food dispensing utensil, improperly used or stored.
Shorty Tang Noodle Shop
98 8Th Ave
Grade Pending (5) Food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service.
Cafe Grumpy
224 West 20 Street
A
Anago Sushi/Royal Siam Thai
240 8 Avenue
A
Middle Eats
171 W 23Rd St
A
Go Go Curry
114 W 19Th St
Not Yet Graded (26) Hot food item not held at or above 140º F. Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas. Food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service.
Murray’s Bagels
242 8 Avenue
A
Cafe Beyond
620 6 Avenue
A
Double Zero
65 2Nd Ave
A
Gotham Pizza
144 9 Avenue
A
Frank
88 2 Avenue
Yakiniku Futago
37 W 17Th St
A
Bar Suzette Creperie
425 West 15 Street
A
Roth Bar
548 W 22Nd St
A
Grade Pending (27) Cold food item held above 41º F (smoked fish and reduced oxygen packaged foods above 38 ºF) except during necessary preparation. Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas.Food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service.
Kung Fu Tea
28 Saint Marks Pl
A
Chelsea Bagel & Cafe
139 West 14 Street
A Ramen Zundo-Ya
84 E 10Th St
A
Intelligentsia Coffee
180 10 Avenue
A Chop T
51 Astor Pl
A
Flannery’s Bar
205 West 14 Street
A The Scratcher Cafe
209 East 5 Street
A
Star On 18Th Diner Cafe
128 10 Avenue
Grade Pending (20) Evidence of rats or live rats present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas. Filth flies or food/refuse/sewage-associated (FRSA) flies present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas. Filth flies include house flies, little house flies, blow flies, bottle flies and flesh flies. Food/refuse/ sewage-associated flies include fruit flies, drain flies and Phorid flies. Sanitized equipment or utensil, including in-use food dispensing utensil, improperly used or stored.
Ponty Bistro
218 3 Avenue
Grade Pending (22) Food Protection Certificate not held by supervisor of food operations. Hand washing facility not provided in or near food preparation area and toilet room. Hot and cold running water at adequate pressure to enable cleanliness of employees not provided at facility. Soap and an acceptable hand-drying device not provided.
Cinema Village
22 East 12 Street
A
U Way
74 5 Avenue
A
A
88 7 Avenue
Grade Pending (2)
Beecher’s Handmade Cheese
900 Broadway
Legend Bar & Restaurant Bodega Negra
355 West 16 Street
A
Hummus And Pita Co
815 Broadway
A
Dallas Bbq
132 Second Avenue
A
Mandolino
137 E 13Th St
Devon & Blakely
250 Park Avenue
A
Wcou Radio / Tile Bar
115 1 Avenue
A
Not Yet Graded (22) Cold food item held above 41º F (smoked fish and reduced oxygen packaged foods above 38 ºF) except during necessary preparation. Food not cooled by an approved method whereby the internal product temperature is reduced from 140º F to 70º F or less within 2 hours, and from 70º F to 41º F or less within 4 additional hours. Food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service.
MAY 25-31,2017
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Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com
Where Your Food is Coming From: Sprout Creek Farm
Their fresh ingredients are found in the dishes of some of New Yorkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best farm-totable eateries: Gramercy Tavern, Print, Lucyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Whey, and more. You pick up a hunk of their cheese while strolling through Whole Foods. Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve had their food on your table. Now itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s time to visit the farm: Sprout Creek. Located just 75 miles outside New York City lies Sprout Creek Farm. When you arrive, you may find yourself face-to-face with a goat, cow, or a few chickensâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;or you might not. Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re all free range, so take a walk around the grounds to meet the animals and explore the budding gardens.
Find your way to their market, where you can sample and purchase their internationally-recognized, award-winning cheeses. The market is filled with fresh and organic vegetables, meats, cheeses, and vegetables for you to tote back home at the end of the day. If your kids love it (they will) think about signing them up for one of Sprout Creekâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s summer camp programs, where campers rise in the morning with the farmers, milk the cows and goats, and make sure the animals are fed. They get to take farm-to-table cooking classes with the farmâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s CIA-trained executive chef, following the food from the barn
and garden, into the kitchen, and onto their plates. When theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not learning about sustainability, campers are engaging in fun projects, exploring the grounds, swimming in the creek, and making memories that will last a lifetime. Sprout Creek is more than a farm with its own market. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s more than a summer camp destination. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a peaceful sanctuary dedicated to education. So when you visit, ask questions. Learn about where your food comes from. Find some peace in the greenery and the many animals who will wander up to meet you there.
Educate. Cultivate. Inspire. To learn more about Sprout Creek Farm and other New York State Farm experiences visit Sponsored Content
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Sprout Creek Farm t 10 am â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 5 pm daily t 34 Lauer Rd. Poughkeepsie, NY 12603 t t IUUQT TQSPVUDSFFLGBSN PSH
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Business
PASTRAMI, RYE, PICKLES TO GO — FAR Katz’s Deli’s young owner wants to ship old-school fare around the world BY KAREN MATTHEWS
Katz’s Delicatessen has been urging customers to “send a salami to your boy in the Army” for generations. Now, the New York City restaurant, where everyone’s favorite scene from “When Harry Met Sally” was shot, is expanding its shipping capacity so it can send perishable delicacies like pastrami and corned beef around the globe. The plan to offer a taste of authentic, old New York by mail is part of an ongoing effort by Katz’s young owner to modernize a business that hasn’t changed much since it was founded on Manhattan’s Lower East Side in 1888. “I can’t necessarily replicate the en-
tire experience for you, wherever you are at home,” said Jake Dell, 29. “But I can give you the food. I can bring it a little bit closer to you.” A granddaddy of the city’s vanishing Jewish delis, Katz’s has become a draw in recent years for tourists looking for bits of the old, immigrant experience in a gentrifying neighborhood where gleaming condo towers are replacing old tenements. And unlike some New York City eateries packed with tourists, it is as popular with foodies as it is with the masses of out-of-towners. Visitors and locals filled the 300seat restaurant Thursday, polishing off 6-inch high sandwiches under the gaze of the celebrities whose photos line the walls. Waiters threaded their way through the packed dining room amid the clatter of tables be-
Katz’s Delicatessen’s Reuben sandwich and other delicacies could soon be finding their way to tables all over the world. Photo: brando.n, via flickr
Katz’s Delicatessen has been serving kosher-style fare on the Lower East Side since 1888. Photo: Scott Edmunds, via flickr ing cleared. A sign hanging from the ceiling indicated the spot where Meg Ryan was sitting when she acted out a fake orgasm in the 1989 film about Harry and Sally. Dell represents the third generation of his family to run Katz’s. He celebrated his bar mitzvah there. And as owner, he’s balancing tradition with some gentle changes. A new 30,000 square-foot shipping facility in Hackensack, New Jersey, will open sometime in the next year. Katz’s is also opening a takeout-only outpost in Brooklyn’s new DeKalb Market Hall next month. Katz’s, lucky to own its building in a city where rent increases have a habit of putting even iconic spots out of business, also recently gave itself a financial cushion by selling off adjoining properties
and air rights to a condominium developer. “We’re looking at ways of connecting to people that want this food,” Dell said. “There’s really no limit to the amount of pastramis I can send to people.” Katz’s began encouraging customers to “Send a Salami to Your Boy in the Army” during World War II and the business still ships salami overseas. But cured meats that require refrigeration are shipped only within the United States. A triple classic sandwich combo includes a pound each of sliced brisket, pastrami and corned beef, a loaf of rye bread, 1 pound of mustard and 2 quarts of pickles. Dell isn’t sure exactly when the expanded delivery service will start or which countries he’ll market to first.
ON THE SIDE STREETS OF NEW YORK CONSIDEROSITY — 191 WEST 4TH STREET “The art of thoughtful gifting.” That’s the tagline for this tiny, fragrant, and carefully curated boutique. Carrying a selection of candles, cards, soaps, jewelry, purses, scarves and more, the collection is comprised of a number of artisanal designers, primarily from the New York area. To read more, visit Manhattan Sideways (sideways.nyc), created by Betsy Bober Polivy.
MAY 25-31,2017
Photo: Alex Nuñez Caba, Manhattan Sideways
“Canada seems to be the easiest first step,” he said. “South America has a strong passion for cured meats. The UK and Australia have been clawing out to us and just craving this food. But it’s difficult and navigating those customs waters has been an eye-opening experience. I hope to get there soon.” Customers leaving the restaurant said they’d be in favor of global expansion. “The food is delicious. Why not let everybody enjoy it?” said Christine McGee, of Indianapolis. “Each time I’m in New York I have to visit at least once,” said Yaakov Sabbagh, of Jerusalem. Would he order the food from home? “If it comes to Israel, yes, definitely,” he said.
MAY 25-31,2017
Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com
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Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com
THEORY AND PRACTICE EVENTS Whitney Museum’s program engages young artists BY MICHAEL STAHL
Clad only in a white bikini and spiky, sparkling heels, a hot-pink-haired Emma Sulkowicz pleaded with a suitand tie-donned “Mr. Whitney” to “Help me become an artist.” Mr. Whitney obliged, tightly tying Sulkowicz to a seven-foot slab of wood while insulting her talent, body and dye job. Positioned like a ship’s figurehead, Sulkowicz was raised from the ground, enduring belt whips and nipple pinches. Shortly after “giving up” and being freed from the knotted ropes, she again asked Mr. Whitney for assistance, and suffered through the ordeal once more. Sulkowicz’s disturbing performance, “The Ship is Sinking,” however sexy, formed part of the opening reception Saturday, May 20, at The Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts Project Space on West 39th Street for the end-
Emma Sulkowicz and “Mr. Whitney” in Sulkowicz’s performance, “The Ship is Sinking,” Saturday, May 20, at The Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts Project Space. The piece was part of the opening reception for the end-of-year exhibition of work by the Studio section students enrolled in The Whitney Museum of American Art’s Independent Study Program. Photo: Dante Pronio of-year exhibition of work by the Studio section students enrolled in The Whitney Museum of American Art’s Independent Study Program (ISP). Sulkowicz, best known for her performance art piece, “Carry That Weight,” in which she protested an alleged rape by lugging a 50-pound mattress throughout the Columbia University
campus during her senior year at the school, characterized “The Ship is Sinking” as a critique of political artwork — namely its limitations, particularly these days in the United States. She cites the Bertolt Brecht essay from 1935, “Writing the Truth; Five Difficulties” — in which Brecht compared the nation to a sinking ship – as
inspiration. Sulkowicz poses the question: “What good is political art hung on the wall of a sinking ship?” She came up with the concept while engaged in the ISP, a program that, according to its co-founder and director Ron Clark, accepted 24 students out of about 400 applicants from around the world this year. The program boasts three sections: Studio, welcoming those interested in various interdisciplinary practices; Curatorial, where students collaborate over the course of the term to produce an exhibition; and Critical Studies, with participants engaging in scholarly research and critical writing projects. Students are privy to seminars covering art theory throughout the course, which begins in the fall, and independently generate new works of art under the watchful gaze of mentors. ISP kicked off its two-week exhibition of artwork crafted and performed by this year’s enrollees on Saturday and the collection shows off the hyper diversity and emerging talent within the ISP, which is set to celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2018. Gallery goers can look forward to a number of installations, photo collections, sculptures, even a black silk parade banner with Romanesque gold-threaded detailing, and more, all dreamt up and created by Studio Program students. The exhibition’s menu items show off the program’s tradition of “establishing a setting where artists, art historians, curators and
MAY 25-31,2017 cultural theorists can come together in a discursive setting to engage in ongoing debates about contemporary art practice and theory,” as Clark says. Noted past participants in the ISP include the artists Jenny Holzer and Latoya Ruby Frazier, as well as the directors of the New Museum and the Guggenheim Museum, Lisa Phillips and Richard Armstrong, respectively. Clark calls this year’s crop of students “terrific” and “very bright.” In a photo collection at the exhibit, Studio Program student Elizabeth Webb explores her family’s interracial past, including a black ancestor who “passed” as white. Webb says the lessons she gleaned from the ISP seminars were “invaluable,” and her favorite part of the program were the exchanges between her and her peers. Peer Joe Riley’s installation – two surfboards with colorful, historical cutouts of magazine photos and articles – is called “the enigma of:” wherein a surfer rides the wave of money through capitalist society, with laminated clips mapping potential courses through the flow. Though Sulkowicz’s “The Ship is Sinking” was a one-night-only performance, a video of the piece will be available soon on Vice.com. The ISP Studio Program’s exhibition is on view at The Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts Project Space Tuesdays through Saturdays between noon and 6 p.m., through June 3. Admission is free.
NEXT STEP FOR THE GILDER CENTER MUSEUMS Release of the Environmental Impact Statement moves the process forward; will be open to public comment until June 26 BY MADELEINE THOMPSON
Nearly two and a half years ago, the American Museum of Natural History announced plans to build a new Gilder Center for Science, Education and Innovation that would create another main museum entrance at Columbus Avenue and West 79th Street. After numerous public sessions and protests from the community, the project was approved by the Landmarks Preservation Commission last October, and the draft of the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) that was released last week marks another step forward. The City Environmental Quality Review process, to which most land use actions are subject, requires an EIS to understand and alert the public to the anticipated environmental consequences of a project. A draft EIS is issued first so that the public can make comments on its findings.
The Gilder Center EIS released last Thursday will be open to comment until June 26. The museum will hold a public hearing on the document on June 15 at 6 p.m. Community opposition to the Gilder Center began with outrage over its half-acre intrusion into Theodore Roosevelt Park, which has since been reduced to a quarter-acre after developing a working group to collaborate with neighbors. But according to the EIS, publicly accessible park space is expected to increase after the Gilder Center opens, because the museum plans to open currently fenced-off areas like Margaret Mead Green. “Access would be available through one or more public gates, and plantings and other improvements would be made within the lawn area,” the report reads. “The museum, in consultation with NYC Parks, would develop a proposed operating and maintenance plan for providing and managing public access to the lawn while also protecting the grass and surrounding plantings.” According to the EIS, the surrounding half-mile in which the study was conducted would have a ratio of park acreage per resident of 3.68 acres per 1,000 people, well above the city’s goal and the district average.
But the community isn’t only concerned about green space. Activists have also raised the issues of traffic congestion, pedestrian flow, construction noise and sustainability. The group Community United to Protect Theodore Roosevelt hired prominent preservation attorney Michael Hiller in December to take up its case. The EIS did agree with the community on a few points. The study identified significant adverse traffic impacts at West 77th Street and Columbus Avenue, West 81st Street and Central Park West, and West 77th and Central Park West, as well as a significant pedestrian flow impact at West 81st Street and Columbus Avenue. “Because existing traffic and pedestrian conditions in the study area are already severe and susceptible to worsening in service levels, even small increases in traffic could result in significant adverse impacts,” the EIS states. Noise from construction was also identified as a potentially significant adverse impact for two nearby residential buildings: 101 West 79th Street and 118 West 79th Street. The report suggests measures such as investing in quieter construction equipment and providing noise reduction tools to residents.
A recent study found few environmental faults with plans for the American Museum of Natural History’s Gilder Center, shown in a rendering of the entrance to the anticipated expansion. Photo courtesy of AMNH Cary Goodman, who is running for City Council largely on a platform of opposition to the Gilder Center, sent out an email to his supporters alerting them that the EIS found beryllium, chromium, lead, mercury, and nickel in the groundwater at the site. The report states that its findings are “typical of groundwater at many urban sites, including throughout Manhattan” and suggests that measures such as proper disposal of excavated debris be taken to ensure control over potentially harmful substances. Ed Applebome, an environmental planning consultant for the museum, said issues could still come to light as the project progresses. “[The EIS] does not mean we don’t have effects in other areas,” he said. “The purpose
of the EIS is to identify significant adverse impacts, so there may be other community issues that arise in the review of the project ... but [not] to the level of significance under the environmental review process.” Dan Slippen, the museum’s vice president of governmental affairs, said the institution would work to construct a complete and coherent final version of the EIS. “We plan on working with city agencies and the community over the next number of months to try to find ways to mitigate what we can,” he said. Madeleine Thompson can be reached at newsreporter@strausnews.com
MAY 25-31,2017
Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com
Nothing beats newspapers as the most reliable source of local news in print and online Recent studies show:
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Newspapers led online consumption for local news” Coda Ventures Survey August 18, 2016
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Local media users named newspapers as their “most relied on” source for deals across a range of goods and services.” Coda Ventures Survey August 18, 2016
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What accounts for print’s superiority? Print - particularly the newspaper - is an amazingly sophisticated technology for showing you a lot of it.”
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Local newspapers are still the top source of news about readers’ communities, including their branded Web sites and social media channels.” Publisher’s Daily - August 30, 2016
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Residents are eager for news about their own communities, which, increasingly, only local news organizations can provide” Editor & Publisher - June 1, 2016
Politico - September 10, 2016
STRAUSMEDIA your neighborhood news source 212-868-0190 | nypress.com
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LINCOLN SQUARE BID CELEBRATES TWO DECADES BUSINESS President Monica Blum’s biggest challenge remains “the bowtie” traffic tangle near Lincoln Center BY MADELEINE THOMPSON
Monica Blum became involved with the Lincoln Square Business Improvement District (BID) before the organization had even come to life. Blum was brought on as president of the BID in 1996, six months prior to its official launch, so when the group of now 250 businesses celebrated its 20th anniversary last week they were also celebrating her. “I thought, ‘I can’t do this,’” Blum said of her mindset at the time. “‘I’ve never run a non-profit. What am I going to do?’ But I learned over time.”
Since it was named the city’s 39th BID, Lincoln Square has represented residents, business owners and visitors to a section of the neighborhood between West 58th and West 70th Streets, bordered by Amsterdam Avenue and Central Park West. Blum and her staff of six have overseen efforts to clean up and revitalize the area’s green spaces. Among the projects Blum listed as crowning achievements were the beautification of Dante Park, at Columbus Avenue and West 63rd Street, which transformed the small green space from a trashladen area to an inviting spot with tables and chairs, and the BID’s annual Winter’s Eve festival, which launched in 2000 and has become the largest holiday festival in the city. Goddard Riverside Community Center has partnered with the BID throughout its existence, pro-
viding several formerly homeless people to the organization’s Clean Team, which empties garbage cans and shovels snow, among other things. The biggest challenge, Blum said, has been devising a plan for the traffic tangle known as “the bowtie,” where Broadway, Columbus Avenue and West 65th Street intersect at the northeast corner of the Lincoln Center complex. “[It] has taken 20 years, and it’s still not great,” she said. “It’s better ... I think it’s always been a challenge with Lincoln Center. Lincoln Center is the elephant in the room.” That intersection was one of the main reasons for the BID’s original formation, along with concerns about park maintenance and public safety. According to Blum, the key to the BID’s success has been in building relationships with the community. “When the
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BID was being discussed, there was some concern on the Upper West Side ... that it was going to change the neighborhood
too dramatically,” she said. “I think we [now] have the best relationship with our community boards, other non-profits. The
Monica Blum displayed posters touting some of the BID’s achievements over its two decades of service to the Upper West Side. Photo: Madeleine Thompson
The local paper for Downtown
other secret, or key is having relationships with government.” At the 20th annual meeting and celebration last Thursday, elected officials including Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, State Senator Brad Hoylman and Assemblymembers Linda Rosenthal and Richard Gottfried showed up to attest to that fact. “You’ve accomplished a great deal,” Brewer said, citing the BID’s efforts to combat homelessness. Hoylman and Rosenthal each presented Blum with proclamations honoring the organization’s contributions to the neighborhood. Gottfried, who was in the legislature when BIDs were first introduced, praised the Lincoln Square outfit for setting the bar so high. “There was a lot of question about whether BIDs would essentially result in focusing resources like sanitation,” he said. “I think, happily ... that BIDs have been a terrific way to enhance parts of the city.” Madeleine Thompson can be reached at newsreporter@ strausnews.com
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YOUR 15 MINUTES
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THE BUSINESS OF BUILDING THE CITY The new president of the historic construction firm McKissack & McKissack tells us about its past and current projects and its plans for the future
we face right now is manpower. I think you hear that throughout the industry all over the country. Finding good people is tough. And we use a variety of methods to try and attract the best talent and so far we’ve been fairly successful. Through my 10 years in the atrisk world both in New York and coming out of Denver, I know a lot of people and senior level construction guys around the country, so have been able to draw from that pool fairly successfully. And there is a very good pool of talent here in New York City. If you’re looking for somebody good, you’re taking them away from somebody else. Right now, in the New York City construction environment, anybody who’s good is working.
BY ANGELA BARBUTI
For over 110 years, McKissack has been a family-run company, with roots in slavery, as its current owners’ ancestor learned the construction industry from his master. When it was incorporated in 1905, it became the country’s first African-Americanowned architectural firm. Headquartered in Manhattan, with offices in Bryant Park and Harlem, it continues to transform the city, still steeped in the tradition of its heritage. As a fifth-generation familial employee, Cheryl McKissack Daniel, serves as CEO of the company, which now generates $50 million annually and is the oldest minority-and woman-owned design and construction management firm in the United States. This month, Rance MacFarland joined its team of 100 engineers, architects and construction managers, as the company president. With 30 years of experience in the industry, MacFarland oversees its day-to-day operations, with five direct reports from finance, marketing, estimating, construction and operations. The firm is working on the rebuilding of Hunts Point in the Bronx, home to the meat market and the Fulton Fish Market, and turning Harlem’s Mart 125, which has been vacant since 2001, into an entrepreneurial tech space.
Tell us about your projects in Harlem, the Studio Museum and Mart 125. The Studio Museum is a joint venture with Sciame Construction and it is in pre-construction right now. We’re just beginning the early stages of procurement on that project. The Mart 125 project, we are the prime contractor for the EDC. And we just secured the design team, so we’re in preliminary design. We actually present the preliminary designs to the EDC here in the next couple of weeks to set a design direction. They’re basically going to turn Mart 125 [a former indoor market for street vendors] into an entrepreneurial tech space, similar to a WeWork, where they lease out individual spaces and make it very tech driven.
What are your future plans?
You were formerly the CEO of Pizzarotti-IBC, an Italian construction firm you helped to enter into the New York market. We were their first entry into New York. I actually sold 60 percent of my company to them to get them a start here in New York.
How did your role at McKissack come about? The company that I had founded in New York and sold to Pizzarotti was not moving in the direction that I wanted it to. And it was a mutual decision between Pizzarotti and myself that it was time for me to move on. And right in the middle of all that, I met Cheryl McKissack Daniel and we began talking about a position I knew she was looking to fill. And when it was clear I was going to part ways with Pizzarotti, I let Cheryl know and we put something together.
Tell us about its history. McKissack was first incorporated in
Rance MacFarland. Photo courtesy of McKissack
1905 by Cheryl’s grandfather and his brother, Moses and Calvin Lunsford McKissack, both of whom were the first two African-American registered architects in the state of Tennessee and in the United States, for that matter. They held registered licenses number 117 and 118. The history actually goes back a little further than that. In the 1870s, the men’s grandfather worked for a Scottish immigrant, William McKissack, as a slave. And then her grandfather and his brother took over. And then her father took over.
And then her mother took over when her father became ill. And the rest is history.
What are some projects the firm has underway? Well probably one of the most exciting projects we have is up in Hunts Point for the EDC, the New York Economic Development Corp. We are the prime construction manager for the rebuild on a number of the buildings at Hunts Point, which houses the Hunts Point meat market, the Fulton Fish
Market, and numerous other buildings. So we’re doing about $80 million worth of work up in Hunts Point. We’re also doing the renovation down at Pier 42 on the East River. We’re involved in the Manhattan Cruise Terminal expansion at Pier 90. We’re actually the prime contractor for Ports of America on Pier 90. They’re expanding Pier 90 to accept superliners.
What are the challenges to working in the construction industry in New York? Well probably the biggest challenge
Right now, my company goals are basically very simple. They’re to expand our New York footprint, which we’re well on our way to doing. McKissack used to have a very formidable presence in Philadelphia and the focus was off of Philly for a number of years. And we’re now putting the focus back down there. I spend a lot of time there working to get that group back to where it used to be and even beyond. My primary short-term goals are to grow in both the New York and Philly market, but also to expand into other markets. We have an opportunity to do quite a bit of federal work down in Virginia, North Carolina, all the way down into Georgia and Florida, and we’re going to leverage those opportunities for future expansion. www.mckissack.com
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WORD SEARCH by Myles Mellor
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Each Sudoku puzzle consists of a 9X9 grid that has been subdivided into nine smaller grids of 3X3 squares. To solve the puzzle each row, column and box must contain each of the numbers 1 to 9. Puzzles come in three grades: easy, medium and difficult.
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SUDOKU by Myles Mellor and Susan Flanagan
by Myles Mellor
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MAY 25-31,2017
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CLASSIFIEDS PUBLIC NOTICES
PUBLIC NOTICES
PUBLIC AUCTION NOTICE OF SALE OF COOPERATIVE APARTMENT SECURITY PLEASE TAKE NOTICE: By Virtue of a Default under Loan Security Agreement, and other Security Documents, Karen Loiacano, Auctioneer, License #DCA1435601 or Jessica L Prince-Clateman, Auctioneer, License #1097640 or Vincent DeAngelis Auctioneer, License #1127571 will sell at public auction, with reserve, on June 7, 2017, in the Rotunda at the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street, New York, NY 10007, commencing at 1:00pm for the following account: Amanda R. Edmonds, as borrower, 808 shares of capital stock of 502 West 141 Residence Corp. and all right, title and interest in the Proprietary Lease to 502 W. 141st Street, Unit 4B, New York, NY 10031 Sale held to enforce rights of Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. s/b/m Wells Fargo Home Mortgage Inc., who reserves the right to bid. Ten percent (10%) Bank/ CertiďŹ ed check required at sale, balance due at closing within thirty (30) days. The Cooperative Apartment will be sold â&#x20AC;&#x153;AS ISâ&#x20AC;? and possession is to be obtained by the purchaser. Pursuant to Section 201 of the Lien Law you must answer within 10 days from receipt of this notice in which redemption of the above captioned premises can occur. There is presently an outstanding debt owed to Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. s/b/m Wells Fargo Home Mortgage Inc. (lender) as of the date of this notice in the amount of $72,985.57. This ďŹ gure is for the outstanding balance due under UCC1, which was secured by Financing Statement in favor of Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. s/b/m Wells Fargo Home Mortgage Inc. recorded on August 6, 2002 under UCC No. 02PN20053. Please note this is not a payoff amount as
additional interest/fees/penalties may be incurred. You must contact the undersigned to obtain a ďŹ nal payoff quote or if you dispute any information presented herein. The estimated value of the above captioned premises is $270,000.00 Pursuant to the Uniform Commercial Code Article 9-623, the above captioned premises may be redeemed at any time prior to the foreclosure sale. You may contact the undersigned and either pay the principal balance due along with all accrued interest, late charges, attorney fees and out of pocket expenses incurred by Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. s/b/m Wells Fargo Home Mortgage Inc. and the undersigned, or pay the outstanding loan arrears along with all accrued interest, late charges, attorney fees and out of pocket expenses incurred by Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. s/b/m Wells Fargo Home Mortgage Inc., and the undersigned, with respect to the foreclosure proceedings. Failure to cure the default prior to the sale will result in the termination of the proprietary lease. If you have received a discharge from the Bankruptcy Court, you are not personally liable for the payment of the loan and this notice is for compliance and information purposes only. However, Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. s/b/m Wells Fargo Home Mortgage Inc., still has the right under the loan security agreement and other collateral documents to foreclosure on the shares of stock and rights under the proprietary lease allocated to the cooperative apartment. Dated: May 3, 2017 Frenkel, Lambert, Weiss, Weisman & Gordon, LLP Attorneys for Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. s/b/m Wells Fargo Home Mortgage Inc. 53 Gibson Street Bay Shore, NY 11706 631-969-3100 File #01-083394-F00 #91707
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