Although it is officially not part of Northern Manhattan, many Inwoodites travel to our not-so-distant relative in the Bronx, Kingsbridge. As you may have heard, a water main broke overnight on West 231st Street and Broadway and is now being repaired. As of yet, the authorities do not know how long it will take to get things back to normal. For now, service on the 1 train has not been affected, but the MTA warns that bus service may be delayed. Photos of the clean up appear below.
Conversation at Garden Gourmet in Kingsbridge this afternoon:
Stock boy to woman: ¡Felicitaciones senora!
Woman: Felicitaciones to you.
Stock boy: No, a ti.
Woman: No. To you.
Stock boy: Es la día de las madres.
Me: It's Dominican Mother's Day.
Woman: Oh, but I'm Ecuadorian. Tu eres del Caribe?
Me: No, soy de Argentina, pero vivo en Inwood.
Woman: Aaah.
Stock boy: ¡Felicitaciones!
Image by Keri Smith
Thinking of throwing a big party in the area's park? Kate Gluzberg, outreach coordinator for Partnerships for Parks for park volunteers in Washington Heights, Inwood and East Harlem, would like to remind you of some of the rules of using the parks.
Parks regulations require that parties of 20 or more have a permit, but as anyone who has experienced Inwood Hill Park in August, you might want to take one out if you're anywhere over a party of ten.
Have questions not answered above? Call 212.408.0112 and ask for Kate. She used to be a park ranger at the Nature Center!
I haven't heard of any pro-toll rallies as of yet, but will post those if I hear of them as well.
From Martin Collins.
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Martin F.Collins <collinsm@assembly.state.ny.us>
Date: Thu, Mar 5, 2009 at 4:30 PM
Subject: Rally Against the Harlem/East River Tolls
To: undisclosed-recipients
ANTI - EAST/ HARLEM RIVER TOLLS RALLY!!!!!!!!!
WHEN: FRIDAY, MARCH 6th, 4:00pm
WHERE: 181ST & AMSTERDAM AVE
<>WHY: The tolls are a regressive tax that will adversely affect the local economy, the poor, and people who regularly commute to work, shop, and visit family in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, and Northern Manhattan. Please join elected officials, and community advocates in opposition to the Ravitch Report’s proposal to impose tolls over the Harlem and East River bridges.
· The recommendation is dreadful for Washington Heights-Inwood and Marble Hill the cost associated with tolling these bridges will severely hamper our community ability to make ends meet during this economic crisis.
· The placement of tolls on the Harlem and East River bridges will also impose a heavy burden on a relatively small portion of the population who already has fewer choices and use these bridges as a lifeline between Northern Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, and the Bronx.
· The tolling of the Broadway Bridge that spans the Harlem River and connects Inwood to Marble Hill is of particular concern since both communities are part of Manhattan.
· People in the same borough should not have to pay to cross a few feet of water.
If you have any questions, please contact Office of NYS Assemblymember Adriano Espaillat at 212-544-2278
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
PROTESTA !!!!!!!!!
CONTRA PEAJES EN LOS PUENTES
DEL RIO ESTE / HARLEM
CUANDO: VIERNES 6 DE MARZO A LAS 4PM
DONDE: 181st St Y AMSTERDAM
PORQUE: EL PEAJE ES UN IMPUESTO REGRESIVO QUE AFECTARA LA ECONOMÍA LOCAL, AL POBRE, A LAS PERSONAS QUE GUÍAN A SU TRABAJO, Y A PERSONAS QUE VISITAN A SUS FAMILIAS EN BRONX, QUEENS, BROOKLYN Y EL ALTO MANHATTAN.
Por favor únase a oficiales electos, y voceros de la comunidad en oposición al reporte Ravitch, que impone peaje en los 14 puentes que cruzan los rios del Este y Harlem (entre ellos Broadway 225th st, 207th & Fordham Road, 181st & Ámsterdam, 145th & Harlem River, 155th Madison and 3rd)
La recomendación es terrible para la comunidad del alto de Manhattan, Inwood and Marble Hill. El costo asociado con el impuesto de estos peajes afectara la capacidad de nuestra comunidad de hacer equilibrios para vivir durante esta crisis económica.
La Gente en el mismo distrito municipal no debería pagar por cruzar unos pies del agua.
Si tiene alguna pregunta, por favor llame a la oficina del
Asambleísta Adriano Espaillat al 212-544-2278
Plows lined up and ready to get busy on 9th Avenue, between 215th and 218th streets, Saturday night. (Photos by Ben)
Issued by The National Weather Service
New York City, NY
5:12 pm EST, Sat., Feb. 28, 2009
... WINTER STORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM SUNDAY EVENING THROUGH MONDAY AFTERNOON...
A WINTER STORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM SUNDAY EVENING THROUGH MONDAY AFTERNOON.
SNOW... POSSIBLY MIXED WITH SLEET... WILL DEVELOP SUNDAY EVENING. A COMPLETE CHANGEOVER TO SNOW IS EXPECTED BY MIDNIGHT WITH THE SNOW FALLING HEAVILY AT TIMES THROUGH MONDAY MORNING. THE SNOW WILL BECOME LIGHT BY AFTERNOON BEFORE ENDING LATE IN THE DAY. THERE IS THE POTENTIAL FOR AT LEAST 8 INCHES OF SNOW ACROSS THE TRI-STATE BY THE TIME THE SNOW COMES TO AN END. AT THIS TIME... THE HIGHEST AMOUNTS LOOK TO BE ACROSS CONNECTICUT AND LONG ISLAND.
THERE IS STILL SOME UNCERTAINTY AS TO THE EXACT TIMING... STRENGTH... AND TRACK OF THIS LOW... SO EXPECT THE FORECAST TO CHANGE SOMEWHAT AS DETAILS BECOME CLEARER AS THE STORM DRAWS CLOSE.
A WINTER STORM WATCH MEANS THERE IS A POTENTIAL FOR SIGNIFICANT SNOW... SLEET... OR ICE ACCUMULATIONS THAT MAY IMPACT TRAVEL. CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE LATEST FORECASTS.
... POTENTIAL MAJOR SNOWSTORM TO IMPACT TRI-STATE AREA SUNDAY NIGHT INTO MONDAY...
.AN AREA OF LOW PRESSURE WILL TRACK NORTHEAST FROM THE CAROLINA COAST SUNDAY EVENING... TO EAST OF CAPE COD BY MONDAY AFTERNOON. STRONG CANADIAN HIGH PRESSURE TO THE NORTH WILL PROVIDE THE COLD AIR FOR A MAINLY SNOW EVENT... WITH SOME SLEET MIXED IN AT THE ONSET SUNDAY NIGHT.
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Martin F.Collins <collinsm@assembly.state.ny.us>
Date: Fri, Feb 27, 2009 at 5:07 PM
Subject: Press Conference Opposing East & Harlem River Tolls
To: undisclosed-recipients
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
***MEDIA ADVISORY***
ESPAILLAT, THOMPSON, COMMUNITY ADVOCATES STAND IN
STRONG OPPOSITION TO EAST AND HARLEM RIVER TOLLS
New York State Assemblyman Adriano Espaillat and New York City Comptroller William C. Thompson, Jr. will join community organizations in opposing the East and Harlem River tolls on Sunday, March 1st at 11:30 AM.
DATE: Sunday, March 1, 2009 at 11:30am
PLACE: 181st Street and Amsterdam Avenue
CONTACT: Laura Rivera (Thompson), lrivera@comptroller.nyc.gov
(c) (646) 265-4249 or
Aneiry Batista (Espaillat), aneiry.batista@gmail.com
(c) (917) 547-1147
####
--
Carla Zanoni
917.846.4546
The
Board of Elections in the City of New York is set to host public demonstrations in the five boroughs and one public hearing of the two poll site voting systems
that are being evaluated for use in Fall 2009. If all goes well, the new system will be used in future elections as well.
The new system is a response to The Help Americans Vote America Act of 2002 (HAVA), an act charged with making voting more accessible to disabled people by upgrading machines from the creaky lever machines of yore, creating a voter database and instating systems to curb voter fraud. The act has been somewhat controversial. Although most admit that the system is in need of some fixing, the issue of overhauling the system is much more complex than just finding shiny new machines for voters to use.
See Martin Collins' email below and visit the Board of Election site for demo locations and information about the public hearing as well. This is the one chance most of us will have to weigh in on how we vote in this state for a long time.
From: Martin F.Collins <collinsm@assembly.state.ny.us>
Date: Mon, Feb 16, 2009 at 2:47 PM
Subject: New Voting Machines: Your Input Is Needed Now
To: undisclosed-recipients
The NYC Board of Elections will hold public demonstrations of the two poll site voting
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Martin F.Collins <collinsm@assembly.state.ny.us>
Date: Wed, Feb 4, 2009 at 8:08 PM
Subject: News from Assemblymember Adriano Espaillat: Now is the time to fix NYC’s rent-regulation laws once and for all
To: undisclosed-recipients
Dear Tenants:
New York City consistently numbers among the country’s most expensive cities, making it hard for working families and middle-income people to live here. Most city residents are renters, making them vulnerable to an unpredictable, out-of-control market. That’s why the Assembly Majority has been fighting for years to fix current rent laws. New York City loses over 10,000 units to deregulation every year – 300,000 since 1997! The unchecked deregulation depletes affordable housing stock and makes it next to impossible for the people who make our city work – like firefighters, police officers, nurses and teachers – to live here.
For over a decade the Assembly Majority has battled landlords who would like nothing less than the total dissolution of New York City’s rent protection laws. But with the effects of the recession ravaging our city and our job market, bureaucratic bickering is no longer enough. Now is the time for action.
The Assembly passed a package of bills to protect tenant rights and ensure that middle- and lower-income people who work here can afford to call New York City home. The bills are designed to promote fairness in renting procedures in rent-regulated communities.
The 10-bill rent regulation package passed by the Assembly includes measures to:
· Allow New York City to regulate its own rents (A.1688);
· Repeal vacancy decontrol of apartments renting at $2,000 per month or more, and recapture all formerly rent-regulated apartments that rented for less than $5,000 per
month in New York City and $3,500 outside of New York City (A.2005);
· Increase civil penalties on landlords who harass tenants or who violate the state Division of Housing and Community Renewal’s rent-regulation orders (A.2002);
· Reduce the allowable rent increase after a vacancy from 20 percent to 10 percent and limit the number of increases per year (A.1686);
· Limit a building owner’s ability to recover a rent-regulated apartment for personal use (A.1685);
· Increase the rent and income deregulation thresholds (A.860);
· Require landlords who charge a rent lower than the maximum amount to offer that same base rent as long as the same tenant resides in the apartment (A.465);
· Permit the declaration of an emergency pursuant to the Emergency Tenant Protection Act for rental housing accommodations located in buildings formerly covered by a
project-based assistance contract pursuant to Section 8 of the U.S. Housing Act of 1937 (A.1687);
· Extend the recovery time for major capital improvement (MCI) expenses and require that rent surcharges authorized for MCIs cease when the expenses have been
recovered (A.1928); and
· Protect tenants in Mitchell-Lama developments from rent increases when a project withdraws from the program (A.857).
Without rent regulation, only the rich would be able to afford city living. We need to keep New York City vibrant and diverse. These bills will take some of the pressure off struggling families and keep more affordable housing within reach for our hardworking men and women.
Sincerely,
Adriano Espaillat
Image from christiannealmcneil on Flcker
Wake up bright and early and head on over to Inwood Hill Park to witness the flight of New York City's eagle population. According to the Park's Department, "this is the best time of the year to watch for bald eagles." Like I wrote earlier this week, one of the best things about living uptown are the parks, so put on your warm coat (although it looks like it won't be that cold tomorrow) bring your binoculars and watch the eagles soar.
8:00 a.m.
January, 24, 2009
Inwood Hill Park
Meet at the entrance to Dyckman Fields (Dyckman Street entrance to the park--directions borrowed from Inwood Astronomy Project)
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