–Former city official Ricardo Morales claims he was fired after complaining about political interference by the mayor’s office into his dealings with a Queens restaurant owner/de Blasio donor. Morales says he was also terminated after he “objected to City Hall’s lack of truthfulness regarding the lifting of deed restrictions” at Rivington House. [Daily News]

–A closer look at the mayor’s efforts on behalf of the restauranteur, Harendra Singh. “Mr. de Blasio’s efforts on behalf of Mr. Singh illustrated in stark terms the transactional form of governing that had largely been absent under Michael R. Bloomberg, a billionaire who eschewed campaign donations during his 12 years as mayor.” [New York Times]

–Sheldon Silver might take his federal corruption case to the U.S. Supreme Court. [Newsday]

–Video: Charlie Bendit and Paul Pariser of Taconic Investment Partners talk about their role in developing Essex Crossing. No bombshells here, but they did mention that their application for the big project cost around $1 million. Dozens of companies had applied for the RFP in the former urban renewal area. [The Real Deal]

–A 20-year-old girl from New Jersey plans to sue Essex Street bar Boss Tweed’s after she was locked inside the night spot last Thursday night. Therese Hipolito apparently passed out and found herself on the bathroom floor. [New York Post]

–Julius and Ethel Rosenberg’s sons tell Anderson Cooper on 60 Minutes what it was like becoming Lower East Side orphans after their parents were executed. [CBS News]

–From street art phenom to “real deal” gallery artist: Hanksy reinvents himself as Adam Lucas, “a rebirth that’s already been met with more praise than he ever imagined.”  [High Snobiety]

–Mapping more than 30 new development projects on the Lower East Side. “The area’s growing trend towards high-end residential units bucks decades of the neighborhood’s existence—as a landing place for immigrants around the turn of the 20th century, and as a place of respite for those who couldn’t afford surrounding neighborhoods…” [Curbed]

–Retail vacancies are up 10% in Manhattan. [The Real Deal]

–In an opinion piece, City Council member Margaret Chin calls on the city to lift up immigrant communities through homeownership programs. [City & State]

–Mom and pop stores on the ropes: Kirsten Theodos of TakeBackNYC asks why the City Council refuses to take up the Small Business Jobs Survival Act. [City Limits]

–Tamara Shopsin is out with a new book about the family’s quirky restaurant, now located in the Essex Street Market. “It’s the consummate insider’s account, a treasure trove of lore, legend, and anecdote, the closest thing to an official history that (Shopsin’s) is likely to get.” [The New Yorker]

–We have a couple of cat cafes. Now the neighborhood is apparently getting its first dog cafe. [This Dog’s Life]