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Sarah Grothjan

By Sarah Grothjan 7/11/12 12:04pm

Stoop violation

Screen Shot 2012-07-11 at 10.22.13 AM

It’s Gategate! Wrought Iron Fence Doesn’t Protect Brooklyn Stoop Drinkers from Fines

While some New Yorkers are advocating for the right to consume oversized sodas, others are vying with authorities to crack open a cold brew in peace.

Andrew Rausa and two friends must have underestimated New York officials’ interest in regulating peoples’ drinking habits when they were given summonses for public drinking. Getting in trouble for drinking on your stoop is nothing new, but Mr. Rausa, a legal eagle, believes a humble fence gives him the right to imbibe, and he’s fighting back. Read More

By Sarah Grothjan 7/06/12 5:40pm

Housing rights

The battle for equality marches on. (richiesoft, flickr)

Harlem Apartment Refuses to Add Woman’s Same-Sex Spouse to Lease

Gay marriage may be legal in New York, and have the support of both President Obama and Dick Cheney, but that doesn’t mean that the manager of a Harlem apartment building is about to recognize it—or the law—anytime soon.

When Harlem resident Regina Hawkins-Balducci asked to have her wife’s name added to her rent-stabilized lease she was rejected by the building manager of her apartment, the New York Daily News reports. Turns out that’s not only bigotry, it’s also illegal. Read More

By Sarah Grothjan 7/06/12 1:04pm

Greensward

When a tree falls in Central Park, everybody hears about it.

Parks Department Budget Spared From Pruning, Now The Trees Will Get It

Looks like the leafy canopy in Central Park will finally receive a much-needed trim, thanks to the City Council’s decision to more than double the budget for tree pruning.

The council added $2 million to the existing $1.45 million budget to be used for snipping the park’s overgrown limbs, The New York Times reports. The additional money was part of $30 million in last-minute funding restored to the Parks Department’s budget after citizens and council members cried out against the proposed cuts. Read More

By Sarah Grothjan 7/05/12 12:00pm

Califorclosure

BasicGov, flickr

Cities in California Consider Using Eminent Domain To Seize Mortgages

California has been the ‘cool kid’ of states, reinstating hippie-esque garb for daily wear and passing laws that appeal to a weed-loving population.

Now, the several cities in the state are toying with a novel—and highly debated—idea that would utilize its eminent domain power to restructure mortgages, without actually seizing the homes, The Wall Street Journal reports. Read More

By Sarah Grothjan 7/03/12 6:30pm

Congestion grows in Brooklyn

There will be a few more people in real life.

Brooklyn Residents Less Than Thrilled About Atlantic Yards Congestion

The residents in the neighborhoods bordering Barclays Arena will almost certainly be stuck with congestion and beer-swilling visitors, but at least they may be spared a multi-level nightclub.

The landlord is evicting Kemistry Lounge’s owners for non-payment of rent, putting a halt (if only a temporary one) to their clubbing brainchild, Brownstoner reports. That’s good news for those nearby the lounge’s would-be home at 260 Flatbush Avenue. Read More

By Sarah Grothjan 7/03/12 2:10pm

The Goldman Touch

Not quite a Google campus, but it's pretty good

Goldman Sachs Builds A Modest Empire In Battery Park City

It might be said that Goldman Sachs has a way of transforming everything that it touches, including, it would seem, Battery Park City, where the company has spawned a fledgling village adjacent to its headquarters.

After the heady financial services firm opened its 43-story headquarters (a $2.1 billion investment located by Vesey and Murray streets.) in October 2009, it quickly summoned a host of businesses and boutiques to cater to the needs and whims of its commerce-savvy employees, The New York Times reports. Read More

By Sarah Grothjan 7/02/12 4:26pm

New York State of Direction

He knows where he's going. Do you? (PeterJBellis, flickr)

Lost in New York? Don’t ask a New Yorker

Aside from their adherence to sidewalk etiquette and an affinity for one-handing pizza, when they put their feet to the street New Yorkers may not differ as much from their touristy brethren as they thought they did.

A New York Post survey of 100 New Yorkers showed that an overwhelming number don’t know where basic Big Apple landmarks are, making them little better than the confused Times Square tourists trying to navigate the city.

Apparently, only 32 percent of New York residents know where the Guggenheim is and only 21 percent can name the location of The Algonquin, the New York Post reports. Read More