March 5th, 2010
Residents of 22 James Street with Speaker Sheldon Silver, AAFE's Chris Kui and Councilmember Margaret Chin
From the ashes of a terrible tragedy, a bit of good news has emerged. It was last February 24th that an electrical fire swept through an old tenement building on James Street, near St. James Place in Chinatown. Three residents were killed and 13 apartments destroyed. Today, just over a year later, the people who lived in 11 of those apartments finally returned. State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, who was there to welcome them back, says it’s proof “you can go home again.”
Continue reading Residents Return to Building Destroyed by Fire
March 5th, 2010
Mainstream media came out in force for a midday news conference in Chinatown to celebrate the return of residents to 22 James Street, a tenement building that was the scene of a devastating fire last year. We’ll have more on that in a little while. But first, the subject that brought most of those reporters and TV crews downtown: David Paterson.
Continue reading Silver’s Remarks on Paterson Scandal
March 5th, 2010
Straphangers gave their testimony at the MTA’s public hearing held at the Fashion Institute of Technology last night. District 1 City Councilmember Margaret Chin was there to vocalize concerns specific to the Lower East Side and Chinatown.
Since subway lines are sparse throughout the neighborhood, she argued, residents rely on buses as their main form of transportation. Chin demanded that the MTA reverse its proposal to end weekend and overnight service for the M22 bus line, which runs from the Lower East Side to Battery Park City via Chambers Street. Community Board 3 stands behind her, having passed a resolution at its most recent full board meeting to preserve the line’s full service.
Continue reading Outrage at Manhattan’s Public Hearing on MTA Cuts
March 5th, 2010
A short time ago Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver wrapped up a news conference in Chinatown. The purpose of the event was to celebrate the return of residents forced out of their apartments a year ago after a devastating fire. The Speaker was, of course, also peppered with questions about Governor Paterson. He urged the governor to face the serious allegations swirling around his administration. But Silver reaffirmed his commitment to work with the governor on the budget. We’ll have more from the news conference later.
March 5th, 2010
The demolition of 185 Bowery. Photo by LES resident Michele Campo.
The other day I chatted with David Mulkins of the Bowery Alliance of Neighbors about his organization’s ongoing campaign to rezone the east side of the Bowery. In December, he and a few other community activists met with Amanda Burden, who’s in charge of New York’s City’s Department of Planning. Their proposal: implement height restrictions on the east side of the Bowery, similar to the 85 foot height limit already in existence on the west side of the block.
Continue reading Followup: Whatever Happened to Rezoning the Bowery?
March 5th, 2010
Here are a few events in the neighborhood that might be fun for the whole family. If you know about about other kid-friendly activities, please share them with us here. You can also post events on our new community calendar, here.
Abrons Arts Center is now offering Early Bird Camp Registration for their summer youth programs. Get the details about their Arts Camp, Architecture Camp and Broadway Lab on their website here.
The New Museum’s First Saturdays For Families will feature the first of four family programs dedicated to the exhibition “Skin Fruit: Selections from the Dakis Joannou Collection,” curated by Jeff Koons. This Saturday at 10am the museum will present “Impossible Possibilities: Playful Sculptures.” The website notes: New Museum First Saturdays for Families are free of charge.
Continue reading Lo-Down Family Fun
March 5th, 2010
There’s plenty to do this weekend before your Oscar party/hopefully-historical-night-for-women-directors-celebration on Sunday:
Musician and vocalist Sydney Wayser will play at Abrons Underground on Saturday photo by Emily Berl
Abrons Arts Center will host the premiere of Wallie Wolfgruber‘s Sacred Things, tonight and tomorrow, at 8pm. An evening of dance augmented by an Earth Installation by the choreographer and a photography exhibit by Lisa Gillette and Wolfgruber.
Downstairs at Abrons Underground, French-American musician and vocalist Sydney Wayser will perform on Saturday at 8pm, along with the Brooklyn band In One Wind.
Continue reading Weekend Arts & Entertainment
March 5th, 2010
From Community Board 3:
FREE Tax Preparation Day
Federal & NY State Tax Returns Prepared
by IRS Certified Volunteers
March 6, 2010 – 10 am to 4 pm
Henry Street Settlement
Workforce Development Center
99 Essex Street (Between Rivington & Delancey Streets)
Continue reading Free Tax Prep Day Saturday
March 5th, 2010
It’s not on the Lower East Side, but it is sponsored by Rep. Carolyn Maloney, who represents the neighborhood in Washington:
Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney
Invites You to Join Her for a Town Hall Meeting
On Jobs and the Economy
Sunday, March 7
2pm – 4pm
Hunter College, West Building, Room 714
SW corner of E. 68th Street and Lexington Avenue
Continue reading Maloney Holds Town Hall Meeting on Jobs & Economy
March 5th, 2010
Obama leaning toward military trial for 9/11 suspects (Daily News).
The LES Business Improvement District has begun the search for a new executive director (Simply Hired).
Angry residents vent about MTA service cuts (NYT).
Continue reading Terror Trial Decision Near?, LES BID Searches for New Leader, Deli Wars
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