Here's what we're thinking about. Have an opinion you'd like to post here? Contact the editor: davestone13@gmail.com. We'll consider it.
11/19/2017 - 23:27
Updated 43 weeks ago
If news of the pricey Winter Wonderland planned for Roosevelt Island this holiday season left you feeling anything from underwhelmed to dubious, you probably aren't going to feel any better now that the build out is underway. It promises to be everything we were afraid it would be.
Read more
11/17/2017 - 16:42
Updated 47 weeks ago
“Please be further advised” reads Marc Jonas Block’s Cease and Desist letter, “that in the event you fail to comply with the demands stated herein, the WIRE has instructed the undersigned to commence litigation against you, as well as to obtain injunctive relief, consequential and punitive damages, and such other remedies as may be permitted by law.”
How could we comply without agreeing with the WIRE’s accusations?
Answer: We couldn’t.
Read more
11/14/2017 - 10:30
Updated 48 weeks ago
Nearing the finish line for grants from Public Purpose Funds should be a time for excited anticipation, but again this year, RIOC can't seem to get out of its own way and creates unnecessary conflict.
Read more
11/13/2017 - 18:35
When an adversary triggers a legal attack against you, your first response is likely to be surprise or shock, but once that wave passes, changing your own approach may start to make sense. You want to fight back, stand tall — fairly and honestly, no matter what the other side does. That’s what we intend to do.
Read more
11/12/2017 - 18:44
Updated 44 weeks ago
When I read this statement from our State Assembly Member Rebecca Seawright, "I am pleased to report that I just received notification from the MTA that additional Q trains are coming to the Second Avenue Subway as a result of continued advocacy by our local groups... and local elected officials," I jumped off my chair. On further review, the news wasn't so great, but still, maybe you and Ben can put your heads together to enact a rescue.
Read more
11/09/2017 - 10:12
On an otherwise quiet Friday afternoon, I read a forwarded email in which RIOC Assistant General Counsel Lada Stasko rejected a Freedom of Information request. Her explanation: “Please note that the Budget Bulletin H-1032-Revised, dated July 16, 2014, applies to State agencies, and RIOC is not a State agency.” (emphasis added)
Read more
11/02/2017 - 16:21
Updated 49 weeks ago
At RIOC's last Board Meeting, a kerfuffle over the big red RI Icon, the first of two, erupted when President/CEO Susan Rosenthal lobbed, "It's a done deal," back at historian Judy Berdy in answer to her protest. Who was right?
Read more
10/29/2017 - 08:48
Updated 50 weeks ago
Just when you thought you'd seen the worst of Roosevelt Island's community disintegration, with large volumes of rentals converted to foreign student warehousing and quick turnaround (and completely illegal) Airbnb-style mini-hotels, more bad news arrives about heartless, downstream effects.
Read more
10/27/2017 - 08:46
Updated 50 weeks ago
After listening to readers who value the chance to participate in stories by commenting on them in the Disqus format, we've decided to open up the system again. But there are no guarantees.
Read more
10/23/2017 - 18:40
Updated 51 weeks ago
You may not have heard the term, but pivoting is an art politicians work to perfect. Watch any news show or, for a great example, a Sarah Huckabee Sanders press conference. A question is put forward, and a strategic answer pops out that responds authoritatively on something not asked.
Pivoting is a dodge. With politicians, it's typical dishonesty. With a State agency trusted to serve residents' interests, it's also immoral.
Read more
