The local paper for Downtown ntown PLAYING THE ‘FIRST TRANS ICON’
◄ 15 MINUTES, P.21
WEEKWEEK OF SEPT.OF- OCT.
SEPTEMBER
26-2 262019
A store at Eighth Avenue and 40th Street. Photos: David Noonan
STATE OUTLAWS SALE OF E-CIGARETTES POLICY
Gov. Cuomo takes executive action as vaping-related illnesses rise across the country BY EMILY HIGGINBOTHAM
New York became the second state in the nation to ban the sale of most flavored e-cigarettes as the number of vaping-related lung illnesses continues to rise across the country and have been linked to eight deaths. Gov. Andrew Cuomo took swift action last week using an emergency and a vote from the city’s Public Health and Health Planning
Council to outlaw the sale of flavored e-cigarettes, which are popular among teens. “In four years, the percentage of high school users who use e-cigarettes and vaping has increased 160 percent. Forty percent of 12th graders now vape. Twenty-seven percent of high school students are vaping,” Cuomo said at a press conference announcing his executive action. “Manufacturers of fruit and candy-flavored e-cigarettes are intentionally and recklessly targeting young people, and today we’re taking action to put an end to it.”
CONTINUED ON PAGE 7
‘WE WILL MAKE THEM HEAR US’
ENVIRONMENT
Students skipping school turned out in force to participate in the movement to combat climate change BY EMILY HIGGINBOTHAM
Thousands of young people flooded the streets of Lower Manhattan Friday afternoon, chanting and waving protest
the people who can make direct, political change to vote with us and to vote for a future for humanity.” It was that sentiment that was repeated over and over by the students who missed school last week to participate in the global climate strike that galvanized millions of young people in the
signs, all to be seen and heard by the people who they said could actually do something to combat the devastating effects of an impending climate catastrophe. At this point, it’s all they felt they could do. “We don’t have votes yet,” said 13-year-old Brooklyn resident April Carlioz. “We can be as eco-friendly as we want, but then we need to inspire
CONTINUED ON PAGE 18
INSIDE IT’S ALL OVER NOW, MAYOR BILL De Blasio quits quixotic quest for the White House. p. 9
ECHOES OF THE PAST The Frick Collection’s exhibition of a little known Renaissance master. p. 12
CITY OF WOMEN A spin on the subway map pinpoints females who helped make NYC great. p. 2
WINDOW STRIKES KILLING NYC’S BIRDS Tens of thousands packed Foley Square before a march to Battery Park Friday as park of the Climate Strike NYC, a movement led by 16-year-old Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg. Photos: Emily Higginbotham
A bill before City Council would require “birdfriendly” glass for new construction. p. 5
Downtowner
OurTownDowntown
O OTDOWNTOWN.COM @OTDowntown
Crime Watch Voices NYC Now City Arts
3 8 10 12
Restaurant Ratings 14 Business 16 Real Estate 17 15 Minutes 21
SPRING ARTS PREVIEW
WEEK OF APRIL
< CITYARTS, P.12
FOR HIM, SETTLING SMALL CLAIMS IS A BIG DEAL
presided over Arbitration Man has three decades. for informal hearings about it He’s now blogging BY RICHARD KHAVKINE
is the common Arbitration Man their jurist. least folks’ hero. Or at Man has For 30 years, Arbitration court office of the civil few sat in a satellite Centre St. every building at 111 New Yorkers’ weeks and absorbed dry cleaning, burned lost accountings of fender benders, lousy paint jobs, and the like. And security deposits then he’s decided. Arbitration Man, About a year ago, so to not afwho requested anonymity started docuhe fect future proceedings, two dozen of what menting about compelling cases considers his most blog. in an eponymous about it because “I decided to write the stories but in a I was interested about it not from wanted to write from view but rather lawyer’s point of said Arbitration a lay point of view,” lawyer since 1961. Man, a practicing what’s at issue He first writes about post, renders separate a in and then, how he arrived his decision, detailing Visitors to the blog at his conclusion. their opinions. often weigh in with get a rap going. I to “I really want unthey whether really want to know and why I did it,” I did derstood what don’t know how to he said. “Most people ... I’d like my cases the judge thinks. and also my trereflect my personalitythe law.” for mendous respect 80, went into indiArbitration Man, suc in 1985, settling vidual practice
9-16
MANHATTAN'S APARTMENT BOOM, > PROPERTY, P.20
2015
In Brief MORE HELP FOR SMALL BUSINESS
The effort to help small seems to businesses in the city be gathering steam. Two city councilmembers, Robert Margaret Chin and Cornegy, have introduced create legislation that wouldSmall a new “Office of the within Business Advocate” of Small the city’s Department Business Services. Chin The new post, which have up told us she’d like to would and running this year, for serve as an ombudsman city small businesses within them clear government, helping to get through the bureaucracy things done. Perhaps even more also importantly, the ombudsman and number will tally the type small business of complaints by taken in actions the owners, policy response, and somefor ways to recommendations If done well, begin to fix things. report would the ombudsman’s quantitative give us the first with taste of what’s wrong the city, an small businesses in towards important first step problem. the xing fi of deformality for To really make a difference, process is a mere complete their will have to to are the work course, the advocaterising rents, precinct, but chances-- thanks to a velopers looking find a way to tackle business’ is being done legally of after-hours projects quickly. their own hours,” which remain many While Chin “They pick out boom in the number throughout lives on who problem. Angelo, vexing most said Mildred construction permits gauge what Buildings one of the Ruppert said it’s too early tocould have the 19th floor in The Department of the city. number three years, the Houses on 92nd Street between role the advocate She on the Over the past is handing out a record work perThird avenues. permits, there, more information of Second and an ongoing all-hours number of after-hours bad thing. of after-hours work the city’s Dept. problem can’t be a said there’s with the mits granted by nearby where according to new data jumped 30 percent, This step, combinedBorough construction project noise Buildings has data provided in workers constantly make efforts by Manhattan to mediate BY DANIEL FITZSIMMONS according to DOB of Informacement from trucks. President Gale Brewer offer response to a Freedom classifies transferring they want. They knows the the rent renewal process, request. The city They 6 “They do whatever Every New Yorker clang, tion Act tangible signs go as they please. work between early, and some come metal-on-metal can construction any small sound: the or on the weekend, have no respect.” the piercing of progress. For many can’t come p.m. and 7 a.m., the hollow boom, issuance of these business owners, that moving in reverse. as after-hours. The increased beeps of a truck has generto a correspond and you soon enough. variances has led at the alarm clock The surge in permits
SLEEPS, THANKS TO THE CITY THAT NEVER UCTION A BOOM IN LATE-NIGHT CONSTR NEWS
A glance it: it’s the middle can hardly believe yet construction of the night, and carries on full-tilt. your local police or You can call 311
Newscheck
for dollars in fees ated millions of and left some resithe city agency, that the application dents convinced
2
City Arts
12 13
CONTINUED ON PAGE
25
We deliver! Get Our Town Downtowner sent directly to your mailbox for $49 per year. Go to OTDowntown.com or call 212-868-0190