Domestic Assault at Dentist Office
A Roosevelt Island woman was assaulted March 18 at an Upper East Side dentist’s office, on East 75th Street between Third and Lexington avenues. The 44-year-old woman told police that at around 3 p.m. that day, a man grabbed her waist and arm, causing pain. She claimed the man punched her in the back. Police said the dispute was over her lateness for their child’s dentist appointment, and the fact that she rebuffed his sexual advances. No arrests were made.
Apartment Burglarized
Three roommates from an apartment building on East 88th Street, between Park and Lexington avenues, reported to police March 18 that their home was burglarized. One of the roommates returned to the apartment that day and saw that the front door’s frame was broken, and the door was wide open. Four laptops were stolen from the apartment, cops said.
Robbery in the Lobby
A 30-year-old man was robbed in the lobby of his East 95th Street building, between First and Second avenues, after returning from a 2:15 a.m. trip to the mailbox. He told police that March 20, he dropped his mail off on the corner of East 96th Street and Third Avenue. As he walked into the lobby of his apartment, a mugger grabbed him from behind, placed a gun to his torso and said, “Don’t turn around. I’m going to shoot you.” The mugger forced the man to the ground. He tried to rifle through his pockets, but couldn’t take anything. The man’s roommate came into the lobby and witnessed the robbery, cops said. The mugger gave up and fled east on East 95th Street.
It’s Official: New Primary School Approved
By Charlotte Eichna
P.S. 267, a new primary school that will be initially housed in the P.S. 158 building, was officially approved by the Panel for Education Policy March 23.
The plan calls for a kindergarten of 60 to 75 students in the new school, which will eventually move to the Manhattan Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital (MEETH) building, on East 63rd Street. Read more
Blasting After 8 p.m.
By Charlotte Eichna
As Our Town reported March 18, residents of the East 90s have recently complained that blasts associated with subway construction have gotten louder and occurred during the evening.
The MTA acknowledged that there was a new kind of blasting, which is needed for the excavation of the starter tunnels, but spokesperson Kevin Ortiz insisted that, “nothing has gone on past 8 p.m.”
Well, the Launch Box blog captured this footage of a March 19 blast at about 8:45 p.m., on the southwest corner of East 92nd and Second Avenue. Read more
Former Crane Inspector Pleads Guilty
By Shannon Geis
A former inspector at the Department of Buildings pled guilty to taking $10,000 in exchange for falsifying paperwork relating to crane inspections and certifying crane operator exams.
James Delayo, a crane and derrick inspector, was arrested after the 2008 crane collapse at 333 E. 91st St. that killed two men. The guilty plea was not related to the incidents on East 91st or East 51st street, however, it was prompted by the additional scrutiny these collapses sparked. Read more
Languishing Properties Sprawl in Public Space
By Megan Finnegan
At what used to be the historic Kean Residence, on the corner of East 65th Street and Lexington Avenue, a construction project languishes. Old buildings have been demolished, but nothing new has risen, and the project is stalled because the site’s owner is reportedly facing bankruptcy.
The site is blocked from street view by a tall plywood fence, now plastered with illegally placed movie posters and ads, and barriers spill onto swaths of sidewalk along both 65th and Lexington. Pedestrians are forced to walk on a narrow path between orange-and-white dividers and construction barriers. Read more
The Art of Language
Neighborhood’s newest gallery owner showcases wordplay paintings
By Samuel Chamberlain
Stephen Green loves words and wordplay. And in a somewhat counterintuitive approach, he shows that love in pictures.
Green is the founder of Studio 82, the newest art gallery on the Upper East Side. Born and raised in the neighborhood, Green currently has 13 works of art on display, all of them depicting plays on words. There’s “Running Red Lights 2,” where two rosy light bulbs scamper across Fifth Avenue. A visually impaired couple enjoy each other’s company in “Blind Date.” Read more
A Plan for P.S. 267
Admissions process for new primary school
By Sarah Seltzer
Despite the launch of a new school and other efforts to alleviate crowding in Upper East Side kindergartens, the Department of Education conceded that there may still be some families who don’t have a seat in their neighborhood school this fall.
Elizabeth Rose, a representative from the department’s office of portfolio development, said that another class would open in P.S. 158’s building, on York Avenue between East 77th and 78th streets, should a small number of students not be placed in a neighborhood school this September. Read more
The Man Behind The Transit Blog
By Charlotte Eichna
During the past four years, Benjamin Kabak has become an expert on all things transit, writing in-depth posts about capital budgets, debt service and shuttered stations on his blog, SecondAvenueSagas.com—all while attending law school at NYU.
The Brooklyn resident, who grew up on the Upper West Side, said he became interested in covering Second Avenue subway construction after the 2006 elections, when Sen. Charles Schumer promised federal support for the project. Read more
