The plan to use a City-owned lot to create 123 permanently affordable housing for low-income seniors on the site of a public garden in Little Italy took a major step forward on Tuesday, when Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer endorsed the plan, with some conditions. The proposal has been controversial since its announcement in 2014, […]
Archives for February 2019
The Cost of Living (Here)
Governor Andrew Cuomo is attempting to revive and revise his congestion pricing plan that died in the face of political opposition a year ago, this time with support from Mayor Bill de Blasio. Both politicians tout the plan as a way to raise revenue for the beleaguered subway and bus systems, as well as commuter […]
Today in History February 27
202 BC – Liu Bang is enthroned as the Emperor of China, beginning four centuries of rule by the Han dynasty. 1784 – John Wesley charters the Methodist Church. 1827 – The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad is incorporated, becoming the first railroad in America offering commercial transportation of both people and freight. 1849 – Regular […]
Letters
To the editor: How long you can hold your breath was the insidious issue hovering in the air of a packed Town Hall Meeting of lower Manhattan residents and leaders in the community room of the Southbridge Towers Monday evening. The Howard Hughes Corp. wants to build a high rise at 250 […]
Dishonesty at the Dispensary
A Lower Manhattan pharmacist has been convicted of a multi-million dollar Medicaid fraud scheme involving drugs prescribed to treat HIV and AIDS. On Friday, State Attorney General Leticia James announced that Hin Wong, who operated the New York Pharmacy (located at 131 Walker Street, in Tribeca) had entered a guilty plea to a single count […]
Sophisticated Launch
On February 13th, Valentines Day eve, more than 800 guests joined Lower Manhattanites Samantha and Steve Sendor for the 2019 release party of their annual Sophisticated Weddings magazine. This year’s cover features “S.W.A.T.” star David Lim, and his (model)fiance Marketa Kazdova Sophisticated Weddings, born in 2012, has become the premier resource for those planning to […]
Today in History February 26
1616 – Spanish Inquisition delivers injunction to Galileo 1815 – Napoleon leaves Elba to start 100-day re-conquest of France 1848 – Marx and Engels publish “Communist Manifesto“ 1893 – 2 Clydesdale horses set record by pulling 48 tons on a sledge in Michigan 1907 – Royal Oil & Shell merge to form British Petroleum (BP) […]
After Grieving, Giving
Tomorrow (Tuesday, February 26) would have been the 16th birthday of Imogen Roche, the Lower Manhattan teen who died in an accidental fall from a Tribeca fire escape last September. Her father, Theseus Roche, and her family, will mark the occasion with an event tomorrow evening at Pier A (22 Battery Park, near the southern […]
TOWN HALL MEETING TONIGHT
The Seaport Planning & Preservation Committee of Save Our Seaportwill host a Town Hall meeting about the proposed toxic waste cleanup at 250 Water Street tonight Monday, February 25 (starting at 7:00 pm) the Southbridge Towers community room, at 66 Frankfort Street. All interested members of the public are encouraged to attend.
The Event of the Season
Church Street School for Music and Art will host The Event, its annual fundraising gala, on Tuesday, March 5 (from 6:30 to 10:30 pm), at the glamorous Tribeca Rooftop located at Two Desbrosses Street. The evening will include music, dancing, cocktails, fine dining, awards, a silent auction. and a celebration of the 15,000 budding artists who […]
Today in History February 25
1570 – Pius V excommunicates Elizabeth I, absolving her subjects from allegiance 1751 – First performing monkey exhibited in America in New York City, admission was 1 cent 1804 – Jefferson nominated for president at Democratic-Republican caucus 1836 – Samuel Colt patents first revolving barrel multishot firearm 1859 – First use of “insanity plea” to […]
Child Custody Battle
The sculptor who created the “Fearless Girl” statue is being sued by the investment firm that commissioned the piece, in a legal battle that hinges on the question of what it means to own a work of art. “Fearless Girl” was unveiled in Lower Manhattan in March, 2017, as a form of corporate agitprop, by […]
Today in History February 22
705 – Empress Wu Zetian abdicates the throne, restoring the Tang dynasty. 1371 – Robert II becomes King of Scotland, beginning the Stuart dynasty. 1632 – Galileo’s Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems is published. 1651 – St. Peter’s Flood: A storm surge floods the Frisian coast, drowning 15,000 people. 1856 – The Republican […]
Cyber Stipend
The Downtown Alliance is offering two “Downtown Digital Innovation Grants” that will award a pair of local storefront business in Lower Manhattan up to $10,000 in services to improve their online presence and digital tool kit. This grant is intended to give businesses the capacity to invest in everything from digital advertising and social media […]
Statuary in Motion
Double Check, the bronze statue of a busy executive that has resided since 1982 in Zuccotti Park, has moved across the street, and is now perched at the northwest corner of Broadway and Liberty Street. This is just one among many mobile pieces in Lower Manhattan’s inventory of public art. Fearless Girl, the bronze by […]
Today in History February 21
1245 – Thomas, the first known Bishop of Finland, is granted resignation after having confessed to torture and forgery. 1431 – England begins trial against Joan of Arc 1804 – First locomotive, Richard Trevithick’s, runs for first time, in Wales 1862 – Confederate Constitution and presidency are declared permanent 1878 – First telephone book issued, […]
Today in History February 20
1673 – First recorded wine auction held in London 1725 – 10 sleeping Indians scalped by whites in New Hampshire for £100 a scalp bounty 1811 – Austria declares bankruptcy 1839 – Congress prohibits dueling in District of Columbia 1872 – Hydraulic electric elevator patented by Cyrus Baldwin 1872 – Metropolitan Museum of Art opens […]
Never Again
A major new exhibit about the historic crime and tragedy that was the Auschwitz concentration camp is coming to the Museum of Jewish Heritage this spring. Titled, “Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away,” the presentation will include artifacts such a freight rail car that was used to transport victims to the industrialized killing center […]
Pont Punt
The much-delayed West Thames pedestrian bridge project appears to be keeping to its most recent schedule, first announced last September, and is likely on track to open during the late summer or early autumn of this year. This was the takeaway from a presentation at the February 6 meeting of the Battery Park City Committee […]
Eyes To The Sky February 18 – March 4, 2019
It was nearly 7 a.m. and 14 degrees under a pale blue sky dappled with speeding, silvery-outlined golden clouds just overhead. I was north of town, in the countryside, walking swiftly to an opening in the forest for a view to the southeast where planet Venus might still be visible. Once there, I scanned above […]