Monday, September 15th, 2025
Intervals of sun and clouds; high of 80 degrees.
The forecast for the rest of the week calls for more sun than clouds, with temperatures in the upper 70s and a smattering of late-day showers on Friday.
This was an action-packed day in history: In 1835, Charles Darwin arrived in the Galápagos Islands, where his observations of the changing wildlife led to his theory of evolution; in 1928, Scottish scientist Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin, revolutionizing modern medicine; and in 1981, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted unanimously to approve Sandra Day O’Connor to the Supreme Court, making her the first woman to serve on that bench. Also, in 1969, the Mets almost had a very, very bad day against the St. Louis Cardinals, whose pitcher, Steve Carlton, set a record by striking out 19 of them in a single game — but in an all’s-well-that-ends-well twist, the Mets won anyway, 4-3.
Notices
Our calendar has lots of local events. Click on the link or the lady in the upper righthand corner to check.
Community Board 7 is seeking feedback about the redevelopment of the block that formerly comprised the ABC campus, from West 66th to West 67th streets, between Columbus and Amsterdam avenues. Submit your thoughts via the questionnaire — HERE.
News Roundup
Compiled by Laura Muha
The command of the UWS’s 24th Police Precinct quietly changed hands last week, with Captain Veniece Gayle arriving from northeast Harlem to take over, and Deputy Inspector Noreen Lazarus, who has overseen the 24th for two years, heading across town to take over the Upper East Side’s 19th Precinct.
The 24th Precinct runs from West 86th Street to West 110th Street and between Central Park West and the Hudson River. In the past year, the overall crime rate in the district has edged up by a little over 4%, though in some categories it has dropped dramatically. Specifically: Burglaries were up more than 50%, from 82 at this time last year to 122 this year, and reported rapes increased from 3 at this time last year to 14 this year. On the other hand, robberies dropped from 103 to 67 this year, and grand larceny auto dropped from 44 to 25.
Gayle holds a bachelor’s and two master’s degrees in criminal justice from John Jay College of Criminal Justice. She joined the NYPD in 2008 and most recently was assigned to the 32nd Precinct in northeast Harlem.
A standing-room-only crowd last week bombarded police and Central Park Conservancy officials with complaints about the redesign of the park’s six-mile loop, accusing them of turning a blind eye to the dangers it has created for pedestrians.
“It’s the Wild West now, a free-for-all,” complained one community member, who was quoted in Our Town.
The meeting, held at the NYPD’s Central Park Precinct, drew community residents, victims of bike accidents, and drivers of horse carriages and pedicabs, all eager to weigh in on the redesign, which was billed as a “trial” when it began in 2024.
Under the redesign, lanes for pedestrians and cyclists were widened and more clearly delineated, and traffic lights at crosswalks were replaced with blinking yellow lights meant to alert cyclists to the presence of pedestrians — but which, residents complained, in fact do little to slow them down. As a result, police and park officials were told, pedestrians must wait for long periods of time for enough of a break in traffic to dart safely across the roadway.
Attendees also questioned whether the changes really had been implemented on a trial basis, since they have cost nearly $3.5 million so far.
“Is this meeting going to have any effect on this plan?” asked one community member, who was quoted in Our Town. “Or is it just for show?”
Read the full story — HERE.
In other Central Park news, the Trump Organization appears to have lost its bid to reclaim management of city-owned Wollman Rink, which it renovated in the 1980s and ran until 2021, when it was forced out by then-Mayor Bill de Blasio shortly after the January 6th Capitol riots.
Since then, it has been run by Wollman Rink Partners, a non-profit partnership affiliated with the real estate group Related Companies, whose 5-year contract expires at the end of next season. According to Politico, Related Companies and its new partner, City Pickle, LLC, submitted a “considerably higher” bid than the Trump group, and the Department of Parks and Recreation recommended that it be awarded the contract, which will run for 20 years. The recommendation — which has not been confirmed by administration officials — will now be reviewed by the city’s Department of Investigation and by the city’s franchise and concession review committee.
“The Adams administration follows a well-established, New York City charter-mandated process for negotiating and awarding concessions,” a City Hall spokesperson told the New York Post. “While we are continuing to work through this process for Wollman Rink, as we do with all of our concession contracts, the Adams administration has been clear that we will always prioritize the needs of New Yorkers and make the best use of taxpayers dollars. That is the case with the Wollman Rink award. We will share our selection officially once it has been finalized.”
Read the full story — HERE, HERE and HERE.
The man who killed John Lennon outside Lennon’s UWS apartment building 45 years ago has been denied parole for the 14th time.
Mark David Chapman appeared before the parole board in late August, and the board’s decision was released last week.
Chapman, who is serving a 20-years-to-life sentence at Green Haven Correctional Facility in Dutchess County, was arrested on December 8th, 1980, minutes after firing five shots at Lennon as the former Beatle entered the archway of the Dakota at 1 West 72nd Street. Chapman, who made no attempt to flee, was charged with second-degree murder and pled guilty.
A transcript of his latest parole hearing was not available, but in a parole hearing three years ago, he expressed remorse for the crime, according to the Associated Press.
“I knew what I was doing, and I knew it was evil, I knew it was wrong, but I wanted the fame so much that I was willing to give everything and take a human life,” he said.
Chapman’s next parole hearing is in February 2027.
Read the full story — HERE.
ICYMI
Here are a few stories from last week’s Rag that we think are worth a look if you missed them — or a second look if you saw them. (Note that our comments stay open for six days after publication, so you may not be able to comment on all of them.)
‘Talent is Timeless’ Senior Talent Contest Regionals Held at Lincoln Center on UWS
The Likely Last Days of One of the Upper West Side’s Last Seesaw Sets
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24 precinct does not go anywhere near 125th street. Northern boundary of 24 precinct is 110th Street.
THANK YOU.
Does the CP loop need.to be ADA compliant? Because without the stop lights and walk signals I don’t see how those reliant on walkers, crutches, canes or wheelchairs can ever step out into the lane designated for the e-bikes going 30 mph. And the sight impaired no longer have the audible walk signals.
I know posters will say the bikes never stopped at the lights anyway but wasn’t the redesign supposed to make things better? I recall talk or speed bumps or sumnle strips or other traffic calming measures. It seems by disregarding the laws the e-bikes have won.
Please stop with the e-bike blaming. They aren’t the only bikes making it hard for the people you describe. Any bike can go fast downhill. And they likely make up a small percentage of those doing that speed.
E-Bikes and rickshaws that don’t have to be pedaled have no place in the park.
And people who pedal through stop and yield signs when pedestrians are at the crosswalk should be fined.
(For what it’s worth I biked Central Park this morning and Riverside/Hudson River parks this afternoon)
I agree. I was at the park the other day and an old lady in a walker was trying to cross the loop near 96th street, an route toward the tennis courts (to the benches where her friends were sitting). She’s been standing there for a while because I could see her the whole time I was nearing the road. I asked if she needed help, and she accepted, saying that the bikes were going too fast and “now with the e-bikes, they are going even faster and no one stops.” I helped her across, stepping into the road, reassuring her to take her time, and holding both my hands up to stop the traffic (and even then not everyone stopped, especially not some of the e-bikes, which swerved around us crazily instead!). Apparently, she usually keeps to the CPW side of the park, because there’ no longer a way to safely cross the loop. I helped her to her friends, who said they’d help her cross back. Bring back crosswalks, traffic lights, and add audible walk signals and, if need be, speed bumps!
Install a hundred feet of cobble stones across the width of the roadways where lights are/were.
While parole decisions are nuanced, given some of the folks who have been paroled lately it’s hard to escape the idea that Mark David Chapman is not being paroled because of who he killed versus who he’s become.
I’m not sure if any of the recent high-profile paroles should have happened. I’m not sure if Mark David Chapman should be paroled at all. He may not be worthy of parole for any number of reasons.
But it seems odd that various people who murdered in the 1970s and 80s (including those who have killed police officers) have been paroled over the last ~8-10 years. The guy clearly was (and maybe is) mentally ill. These decisions feel very subjective. And maybe they have to be. But when everyone knows that Mark David Chapman will likely not get parole while Yoko Ono is alive, it feels like the subjectivity is a bit too far.
Again, I need to clarify that I don’t support paroling Mark David Chapman. But the repeated stories like this bug me.
I agree, in large part.
We have all forgotten that “prison” was never intended to be SOLELY “punishment” or that those convicted and sent to prison were supposed to stay there indefinitely – even having committed crimes like murder. Prison was originally a place to provide a COMBINATION of punishment (incarceration, loss of freedom) and rehabilitation (being fit to return to “polite society”). If the prisoner was rehabilitated and genuinely remorseful – which is what parole boards ORIGINALLY determined – then the prisoner could be paroled no matter what the crime.
Chapman shot and killed Lennon. Yes. But if he has been rehabilitated and expressed genuine remorse or contrition, then he should have the same chance of release on parole as anyone else. After all, he “had it in” for Lennon. Period. He was not a mass murderer or serial killer, nor did he WANT to kill anyone else. Thus, it is dubious in the extreme that, if granted parole, he would be a danger to anyone else. He’s 70 years old, for God’s sake, so he’s not exactly likely to do, or be ABLE to do, very much other than live out the last 10-20 years of his life in a tiny apartment or public housing.
So, IS he only being denied parole because of WHO he killed, rather than whether he is “ready” (rehabilitated, remorseful, etc.) to re-enter polite society? It is a legitimate question.
What other time have you examined the decision of a bunch of prison-system bureaucrats? Why suddenly now? Why is it even on your (and now my) radar? What specifics do you know about him, or why exactly he was denied parole?
You see where this is going..? You’re only making this a “legitimate question” because of who he killed, not the other way around.
Mental illness by itself is generally not a defense.
For an insanity defense to work the defendant must prove that they did not understand what they were doing, not merely that they were simply mentally ill.
Chapman – by his own admission – states he knew at the time his actions were “evil”.
Chapman might be mentally ill but this should not be a factor in determining whether he ever gets paroled.
The redesign of the loop has been great for pedestrians, there’s a much shorter crossing distance and the signage is much clearer.
As someone who routinely jogs around the reservoir, the crossings have gotten worse at 91st st and 87th st. The decision to just cover the stoplights is absolutely baffling. My sense is that pedestrian crossers and bikers both don’t quite know what to do now. There are no flashing lights. My friends and I have also found that the tan paint used for the “curb” area becomes slippery in the rain.
Ah I just read the ‘Our Town’ story, I should have known the ESVA is behind the all the ‘wild west’ hysterics. I expect they’ll be barraging the comments here any minute.
Well you’re running cover for the bike lobby so of course there’s going to be pushback in the comments. If Mark Gorton and his millions wasn’t funding TransAlt and wasn’t behind Open Plans, there would be no redesign that favors bikes at the expense of everyone else.
Where is there a much shorter crossing distance? I usually want to cross somewhere between Columbus Circle and 79th St and the drive is the same width it has always been.
Yes at least where I cross the physical distance is unchanged, just referring to the painted area for pedestrians which funnels other traffic into a narrower crossing
Not sure where you walk across, but at 81st St area, it’s as wide as ever and truly treacherous to dodge the various wheeled vehicles speeding on through – like trying to cross the street at the Grand Prix…
Usually over by Sheep’s Meadow, yes you still have to look when you are crossing the street but the bikers and joggers go around crossing pedestrians
How can you state that with such authority? Go and sit outside Tavern on the Green on those benches for an hour and report back. I think you’ll change your tune. The Wild West is an apt description.
The bikers act like they own Central Park as their personal racetrack. But they miss the trees in the forest and miss out on all the people watching. That’s why they want the open streets! To usurp more space for themselves!
Are you claiming that crossing by Sheep’s Meadow is now shorter then it used.to be? That is simply not true. The roadway hasn’t changed at all. The paint on the road has.
Yes, except for psychopaths most people will try not to hit someone. The issue is how to start crossing when there is a near constant flow of cyclists. I don’t claim this near constant flow is 24/7 but on a nice weekend day it is difficult for pedestrians to step into the road.
Not referring to the roadway, just the clearer paint shortens the crossing. I agree some physical barrier would be better, but at least the paint went down quickly.
I don’t know what to tell you other than that I’m crossing the loop multiple times a day, often with kids in tow and its very manageable.
How does the paint shorten the crossing? I need to get from the Tavern of the Green to Sheep’s Meadow. This is where you say you cross. The road is exactly the same width it was before the redesign. The paint mearly indicates south bound runners, north bound runners, slow bikes, fast bikes. I have to cross all those lanes.
Not to nit pick but “The 24th Precinct runs from West 86th Street to West 110th Street and between Central Park West and the Hudson River” should read “The 24th Precinct runs from THE NORTH SIDE OF West 86th Street to West 110th Street and between Central Park West and the Hudson River. The SOUTH SIDE of 86th Street is in the 23rd Precinct.
Not quite. The south side of 86th St was in the 20th Precinct last time I looked. Headquarters are on West 82nd St.
Thanks. ..and the northern boundary of 24th Pct. is the SOUTH (downtown) side of W.110th. The north side of W.110th is the 28th Pct.
Crime on the Upper UWS is one of the few areas in New York where crime has actually increased, possibly due to all the homeless shelters, drug shelters, mental health shelters, immigrant shelters, cannabis shops way higher than other neighborhoods.
You need the data to back this up otherwise it’s a biased and unfounded opinion
The article says rape dramatically increased. Are we ok with that?
Can crime in the neighborhood actually be traced back to shelters in the neighborhood? I mean, is there actual proof?
Can you explain the relationship between legal cannabis shops and crime?
Until fairly recently most of the shops were illegal and definitely contributed to crime.
Imagine that.
The signs in the Park Loop still say “Stop for Pedestrians” with the image of a red octagonal stop sign. This contradicts the yellow blinking Yield signal.
Mixed signals does not help cyclists who are already quite challenged when it comes to etiquette and lawfulness.
Mixed signals does not help pedestrians either, to know the degree to which they need to gird themselves when strolling in the park– something that used to be relaxing and enjoyable.
Mixed signals does not help law enforcement or citizens who wish to report violators.
Nor does it help with tracking such crimes within the park, or without. (Which law was broken actually, Failure to Stop, or Failure to Yield?
Just want to welcome Captain Gayle to the UWS and hoping her tenure at the 24th goes well.