WEEKLY NEWS BULLETIN: THE MYSTERIOUS TREE-DUDE, A ‘GIFTED’ GLUT, AN OLD MURDER STORY, OBITS

Maria Loi roasts a lamb outside her restaurant on 70th Street on Sunday for Greek Easter. Photo by Mel Wymore.

We reviewed strange tales of tree men, updates on education, political and real estate stories, and strange tales of murder in other publications last week. Check it all out below:

A person dressed like a tree was standing against trees and talking about them last week. It’s not entirely clear why. The person was spotted at 106th and Broadway, and then seen again a few blocks South: “Saw again today outside Whole Foods at 97th and Columbus. Saying something about trees.” The Village Voice dubbed him/her “tree dude.” (Village Voice)

“A New York socialite who pleaded guilty last year to duping corporations out of millions was sentenced Tuesday to 19 months in prison and ordered to pay her victims $7 million, plus $1 million in fines. Dina Wein Reis lived the high life on Manhattan’s Upper West Side while scamming Fortune 500 corporations of at least $20 million.” (Daily News)

The private Speyer Legacy School is planning to move into a former operating theater at Roosevelt Hospital after a major renovation. (NY Times)

A new two-bedroom just hit the market on Pomander Walk. All together now, everyone saw “awww, it’s so cute.” It’s listed for $875,000. (Curbed)

“On June 25, 2013, the Landmarks Preservation Commission will vote on the West End-Collegiate HD Extension (W. 70th – 79th Sts.)! This is the second of three votes concerning the proposed historic district extensions anchored by West End Avenue.” (Landmark West)

More than 50% of local kids are apparently “gifted and talented,” according to test results for admission into local G&T schools. “In District 3, which covers the west side of Manhattan between 59th and 122nd Streets, nearly 52 percent of children tested qualified, compared to 47 percent in 2012…With so many high-scoring students, Michael McCurdy of Testingmom.com predicts that even those with high scores will be hard-pressed to land a spot in one of their district’s gifted programs, which are less competitive than the five elite citywide G&T programs.” (DNAinfo)

Tenant advocates are criticizing local City Council candidate Marc Landis for his legal work for an affordable housing developer that they say has a very troubled history, including allegations of “predatory” practices in Harlem. “In response to the criticism over his ties to the company, Landis cited his efforts in a separate 2007 case in which the Salvation Army attempted to empty and sell 600 units of low-income housing in Manhattan.” (Politicker and Columbia Spectator)

Nearly 70 years ago, a murder in Riverside Park near Columbia transfixed the city, and involved some famous young writers, including Jack Kerouac and William Burroughs. “It was just after midnight when Kerouac got up from his table at the West End, where he’d been drinking with Carr, and went out into the sweltering, sleepless night…” (Columbia magazine and Untapped Cities)

The Hudson Yards development, just South of the Upper West Side, looks like it’s going to be a behemoth. “Designs to transform the Hudson Yards site on Manhattan’s West Side into a huge residential, retail and office complex are now part of a new exhibit open to the public in Greenwich Village.” (NY1)

Mary Thom, an Upper West Sider who was a leader in the feminist movement and had edited Ms. magazine, died last Friday in a motorcycle accident. She was 68. (NY Times)

Henry Hope Reed, who convinced Mayor Lindsay to ban cars from Central Park on weekends, died on Wednesday. He was famous for his tours of the park. (Boston.com)

An elementary school in Queens just adopted an all-vegetarian menu, the first in the city to do so. Faux-Sloppy-Joes anyone? (Wall Street Journal)