GARODNICK TO CHAIR CONSUMER AFFAIRS COMMITTEE
Council Member Dan Garodnick was recently elected by his colleagues to chair the Council’s Committee on Consumer Affairs.
As his first order of business, he set up an email tip line—FightFraudNYC@gmail.com—for consumers to report complaints, scams, questionable business practices or areas for the committee to delve into in its oversight hearings. Read more
York Ave. Taxi Stand Rules Enforced
By Laura Shin
Taxi drivers who pick up riders at the 79th Street and York Avenue stand are being reminded that they must take riders where they want to go, and they can face a fine or lose their license if they refuse.
“The taxi drivers make more money with people going to Wall Street, so they were refusing anyone who was not going to Wall Street,” said Betty Cooper Wallerstein, president of the East 79th Street Neighborhood Association. Read more
String of Robberies at UES Gas Station
By Matt Draper
Police are on the lookout for a suspect wanted in connection with a recent spate of robberies at an Upper East Side gas station.
The suspect struck once a month for the last three months, targeting victims using a men’s restroom attached to a Shell gas station at the corner of 96th Street and First Avenue, near FDR Drive. The suspect is wanted in connection with two robberies and one attempted robbery. The robberies took place Aug. 4, Sep. 30 and Oct. 12, all between 3 a.m. and 6:15 a.m. Read more
School Rallies Around Former Student
On the day before her 10th birthday, Lauren Arena’s ordinary childhood changed dramatically. It was when she had her first seizure, which has since developed into an unknown illness leaving her wheelchair-bound and forced to spend much of her time at her home.
To show its support, the Catholic high school Lauren attended, Saint Vincent Ferrer on the Upper East Side, is hosting its first-ever Christmas fair Dec. 4, to help the Arena family raise money for a wheelchair-accessible vehicle for their daughter. Read more
The Blackboard Awards 2010: It’s Elementary
We take a look at some of the best elementary schools in the city this week in our second of four Blackboard Awards special sections, and profile one of the top principals, Lily Woo, who was raised in a Chinatown tenement and grew up to lead P.S. 130, close to her childhood home. Read more
Immigrant Principal Sees Herself in Students
Raised in a Chinatown tenement, she’s now a neighborhood principal
Twenty-one years ago, when Lily Woo first arrived at P.S. 130 Hernando de Soto, she was seen as an outsider and greeted with suspicion.
The previous principal had retired, and the district superintendent had just finished the search for a replacement who could bring the underperforming school up to speed. Assistant Principal Howard Epstein, a 30-year veteran of the school, was a prime candidate for the job. But the superintendent chose Woo. Read more
Learning Two Languages Equally
English speakers welcome in this bilingual program
Most schools help recently immigrated students transition into an English-based education system. P.S. 75 promotes a bilingual learning environment instead. The dual language program integrates both native English-speakers and native Spanish-speakers into one classroom so both groups of students can learn from each other. Read more
Harlem Says ‘Oui’ to French Charter
Many students are West African immigrants
By Max Sarinsky
On one side of a 2nd-grade classroom hangs a collection of students’ writing assignments in English; on the other side, a world map in French. Some bathrooms are marked “Bathroom” while others are marked “Toilettes.” A copy of the minutes in the main lobby from the latest board meeting is in both French and English. Read more
A School Where Homework Is Optional
School of Inquiry emphasizes the arts to gifted students
The Brooklyn School of Inquiry held an open house in 2009 at the Brooklyn Historical Society because its own building was not ready yet.
“We moved into our building two days before school started,” said Principal Donna Taylor. “I brought a picture of the school building to show parents what it would look like.” Read more
Winning Converts After a Year
New school kept almost all students who were given a chance to transfer
P.S. 452 opened last fall in order to alleviate overcrowding at P.S. 87 and P.S. 199. Both Upper West Side schools had waiting lists. Located in the M.S. 44 building on West 77th Street, the school currently has three kindergarten classes. Eventually, the school will go from kindergarten through 5th grade. Read more
