BY TRAV S.D. | For almost 40 years Epstein and Hassan (Steve Krantz and Naima Hassan) formed a romantic and artistic partnership which saw them through a series of two-person shows, bookings in variety settings like burlesque bills and launch parties, as well as their own podcasts and radio programs. Billing themselves as “The Black […]
BY NYC MAYOR ERIC ADAMS | Legalizing cannabis was a major step forward for equity and justice in our city. But legalization is about following the new laws, not a free pass to sell unregulated cannabis products. Over the last few months, illegal cannabis retailers have taken advantage of decriminalization efforts, with unlicensed smoke shops […]
BY SCOTT STIFFLER | Conceived and achieved as a way in which non-violent offenders can avoid incarceration by accessing social services and performing community service, Midtown Community Court (MCC; 314 W. 54th St.) operated continuously from 1993 until in-person proceedings were suspended during the peak COVID period. It reopened in March of last year, but […]
BY SCOTT STIFFLER | One cannot live by bread alone—but Amy Scherber, founder of Amy’s Bread, knew there was widespread appeal to this staple form of sustenance, enough to serve as the foundation for the small business she opened in 1992, staffed by five employees and located in Hell’s Kitchen. For 31 years, the store […]
BY MICHAEL MUSTO | Can a photo elicit multiple narratives, if taken out of context? That’s just one of the themes infusing Pictures From Home, an intermissionless, one hour 45-minute family play by Sharr White based on the photo memoir by late photographer Larry Sultan. Other themes that turn up involve damaging interfamilial dynamics, the […]
BY JOANNE ADLER SINOVOI | I heard a new hardware store, long-rumored to be taking over the space of a similar small business, finally opened on Eighth Avenue near my home. I went over to take a look, and the first thing I noticed was that the scaffolding covering the entrance. My first thought was […]
Over the weekend came word from Chelsea’s 10th Precinct—an appeal to the community, to keep your eyes peeled for the individuals in two “WANTED” flyers created by the NYPD and published by Chelsea Community News below. The men are wanted in connection with the victimization of nightlife patrons in the Chelsea area and beyond. “The […]
To attend a full board meeting of Manhattan Community Board 4 (CB4) is to burrow into the marrow of community concerns such as affordable housing, public parks projects, landmarking efforts, and liquor license renewals. But before the full board sinks their choppers into such meaty matters, CB4’s eight individual committees are the first stop in […]
UPDATE, Fri., Feb. 3: Store owner Mamadou Diaman is looking at several promising spaces on West 23 St. and hopes his business will land in one of those storefronts very soon. It all depends, he said, on “lease negotiations and what sort of deposit they want, up front.” As for what went down when the […]
BY SCOTT STIFFLER with ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY EILEEN STUKANE | Last year, when the West Side Community Fund emerged from a pandemic-era period of relative inactivity, it did so with an expanded roster of financers, an expansive area of coverage, and a reconsideration of what they could, and would, fund. The result: Fifteen grant recipients […]