North Meadow sunrise. Photo by Randi Lauren Klein.
March 20, 2017 Weather: Sunny, with a high of 52 degrees.
Notices:
Readings, concerts and many more local events on our calendar.
Streetspac, which advocates for pedestrian and bike issues, has started a petition for New York to have a comprehensive pedestrian-friendly snow removal policy.
Beacon Paint & Hardware is in the running for a FedEx small business grant. You can vote for them here.
News:
Another day, another teenager ignoring thin-ice warnings in Central Park to take a selfie. Once again, they were at The Pond in the Southeast section of the park “Two teenage boys, ages 15 and 13, were attempting to take a selfie on top of the frozen body of water when they fell through the ice at around 7 p.m. Sunday. Luckily, they were able to swim ashore and then walked away from the scene, multiple witnesses told the NYPD.”
A local woman with cerebral palsy says she was left stranded by Access-a-Ride. “She says an operator told her they were sending a cab. But then, a non-wheelchair accessible cab showed up. ‘It was a slap in the face,” Vasquez said.”
The Children’s Museum of Manhattan on the UWS has a special exhibition. “Its exhibition ‘America to Zanzibar: Muslim Cultures Near and Far’ showcases the history, art and traditions of Muslims, with the belief that education will beat back ignorance and hate every time.”
The NYPD says Trump’s budget will “eradicate” virtually all federal funding. “Entire counterterrorism apparatus in nation’s top terror target hobbled.”
The state announced arrests in a theft ring that allegedly stole supplies from stores like Staples and sold them online. “Authorities say the operation was run by Richard Rimbaugh of Manhattan, known as ‘The General,’ who fenced millions of dollars worth of merchandise that his crews had stolen. Rimbaugh, 64, was arrested Monday night in his Upper West Side apartment, which Schneiderman said was “floor to ceiling full of merchandise.” Authorities seized $7.7 million from the homes and accounts of the dozen people arrested, in addition to 5,300 pieces of allegedly stolen merchandise.”
Just a note/correction: the “America to Zanzibar” exhibition has been open for over a year.
Twice since Christmas I’ve had disabled senior men stop me on the street and ask for assistance getting a rid home because they’ve been left stranded by Access A Ride. Who’s in charge of this service, is it private or city run?
City-run thru the MTA.
https://web.mta.info/nyct/paratran/guide.htm
Cindy–but the rides are farmed out to private brokers. Additionally, in the past few weeks I’ve been picked up by an Uber car and a green taxi.
Thanks so much for the info Cindy! If this happens again I’ll try to contact them directly.
They “sweet talk” you and then continue to provide the most horrible service that you cannot imagine. Thanks for trying to help.
Maybe if Gov. C. is serious for his presidential run in 2020 he’ll do something with the MTA to fix Access-A-Ride or we New Yorkers can tell the rest of the US how he runs things here!
It is a full week after the storm and there are are still frozen mounds of ice blocking pedestrian bus stop access and crosswalks on Columbus Avenue and East/West 86th Street.
The “America to Zanzibar: Muslim Cultures Near and Far” floor on at the Children’s Museum has been open for over a year now. It’s not new, just a surprise hit for the museum.
My organization, the Brooklyn Center for the Independence of the Disabled, is part of a project to improve and reform Access-A-Ride. We’re definitely interested in talking to anyone who has had a bad experience, which means all Access-A-Ride users! We don’t have an official name for our project, though to myself I call it AARRG! (for Access-A-Ride Reform Group!). I’m an Upper West Sider, which is why I saw this. Please contact me at 718-998-3000.
Does anyone know what happened to “dannyboy”? He had been one of the most frequent commenters for some time and then he seemed to suddenly disappear; it seems like it’s been easily at least two months now and maybe more since I’ve seen a comment from him here.
I certainly had my differences with dannyboy (to put it mildly) but I do hope he is okay.
Rikers?
I was wondering the same