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 Monkshood Nursery farmers David and Melinda Rowley, with their daughter Sorrel Lower East Side residents learned more about the farm that will be supplying the LES CSA (if enough people commit to buying shares) from the farmers themselves last Tuesday evening at the Educational Alliance. David and Melinda Rowley came down from Stuyvesant, NY to answer questions and shared pictures of their farm, Monkshood Nursery and Gardens.
Continue reading L.E.S. CSA Seeks Members, as April 1 Deadline Approaches
 
 Mendez, Chin, Council Speaker Christine Quinn at recent press conference. It’s no secret the city and state are in a big financial pickle. Mayor Bloomberg has ordered city agencies to cut $1.3 billion from next year’s budget. Earlier this week, in appearances before CB3, City Councilmembers Rosie Mendez and Margaret Chin were blunt about the potential consequences.
Continue reading Mendez, Chin Address City’s Budget Woes
Here are musician Ken Beasley‘s picks for the weekend:
 Pete Drungle FRIDAY, MARCH 26 – PETE DRUNGLE: A DYNAMIC EVENING OF SOLO PIANO
Even if it’s still barely creeping onto some of the slower people’s radar screens, the Abrons Arts Center continues to offer cool and provocative shows each and every week, and they’re not all in their historic landmark Playhouse. One of the Arts Center’s three performance spaces is a 100 seat subterranean theater, where you can catch one of their popular “Underground” concerts, highlighting some of New York’s hottest emerging talent.
Continue reading This Week’s Music Picks
MTA approves drastic budget cuts but the worst is yet to come (NYT).
Sheldon Silver unveils Assembly’s budget proposal, calling for $4.3 billion in cuts (Times-Union).
“It pays to live in the home district of the New York Legislature’s big shots. According to a new analysis by several citizens’ groups, Senate and Assembly leaders grabbed much bigger chunks of political pork than lesser members did. This is yet another in a long list of reasons to oppose member items, as pork is known in Albany.” (NYT)
Continue reading More Bad News Ahead for Commuters, Low Census Participation, Patterson vs. NYPD
 South Street, looking west towards the Manhattan Bridge. Those ever-present buses lined up along the East River will be moving on out very soon. The city is about to begin refurbishing the sidewalks along the waterfront, which means the buses, will be relocated. We’ll have details about the project later today. Tuesday night, Councilmembers Rosie Mendez Margaret Chin looked ahead to the big fights looming over the city’s budget. We’ll post a story about that this aftrnoon. And we’ll have our weekly music picks. Expect increasing clouds today, with some showers this evening and a high of 60. The temp is going to drop over the weekend (into the 40′s-50′s).
 Both sides say they want to protect the Russian Orthodox Cathedral on East 2nd Street. But it became clear yesterday, in testimony before the Landmarks Preservation Commission, that the agreement ends there. On one side, preservationists, who believe the building should be landmarked. On the other, members of the congregation, who contend the hisoriical designation could destroy their struggling parish.
Continue reading Landmarks Commission Hears Passionate Debate Concerning Russian Orthodox Cathedral
A tipster has just alerted us to a Karl Lagerfeld sighting on Orchard Street. He went in to the boarded up location soon to be Casa Mezcal. Our tipster writes, “They were bringing in a truck full of old furniture — looked like velvet couches. He was carrying a camera in his hand, looked like a silver digital Leica. Not sure if it’s a photo shoot…There were about 18 people with him — all equally sunglassed, and dressed in black…” What are you up to, Karl?
A new jazz club on Stanton Street won the support of CB3 last night, in its quest for a liquor license. Representatives of the “Moldy Fig” appeared before the SLA Committee earlier this month. The community board tentatively agreed to support the application (for a wine license), pending clarification as to whether the building was zoned for commercial use. Having determined there were no zoning problems, the full board gave its approval.
The club will be open from noon to 2am (Monday-Wednesday) and noon-4am (Thursday-Sunday). Given the fact that there will be live music, the club agreed to sign “stipulations” that it would hire “security personnel as needed,” install soundproofing and serve food “during all hours of operation.” Bowery Boogie checked out the location over the weekend.
A dozen City Council members, including District 1 and District 2 reps Margaret Chin and Rosie Mendez, form a progressive group (NYT).
Community boards face budget cuts (City Pragmatist).
Fighting for pork equity (Gotham Gazette).
Continue reading City Council Progressives Unite, Police Investigate Essex Street Death, Trouble for Billy’s Antiques
 East River Park; Photo by Joel Raskin. Later today the MTA will vote on revised service cuts. They’re still bad, but downtown political leaders are pleased transit officials have now backed off their plan to alter the M22 bus route. At City Hall this morning, a key budget hearing. Members of the Council’s Education Committee will grill DOE adminstrators about many issues, including school overcrowding. Last night, LES residents participating in a new CSA got to meet the farmers who will be providing their food this spring and summer. We’ll have an update on their plans later today. Weather wise, it’ll be mostly sunny today and windy with a high of 63.
 Art Handling Olympics - photo by Matthew Monteith For a few hours this past weekend, a group of people seldom celebrated in the art world got their moment in the sun. It was the Art Handling Olympics, one of the strangest competitive events you’re likely to see anywhere. These under appreciated, underpaid (and as the Times noted very often heavily tattooed and bearded) workers keep New York’s galleries and museums running.
Continue reading Art Handlers Go For the Gold!
 59 East 2nd Street We just returned from the Landmarks Preservation Commission hearing, where the fate of several Lower East Side buildings were considered. The most controversial matter before the commissioners: whether to give landmark status to the Russian Orthodox Cathedral (59 East 2nd Street). Members of the congregation strongly opposed the idea, saying the move could ruin them financially. The Commission will not rule for at least several weeks. We’ll have details from the passionate testimony this afternoon.
Continue reading Commission Considers Landmarking Several LES Buildings
Blaise Allysen Kearsley’s enthralling monthly series, How I Learned, is back at Happy Ending tomorrow night at 8pm. The event is FREE and always features interesting authors, comedians, and story-tellers focusing on a certain topic. This month’s theme: “How I Learned What Life is Like.” The lineup includes: Stefan Merrill Block (The Story of Forgetting), Julie Klausner (I Don’t Care About Your Band ), Daniel Nester (How to Be Inappropriate), and Justin Taylor (Everything Here is the Best Thing Ever).
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