Village Voice Media Inc.

Somehow amid the ongoing horror show of layoff season, we missed the news that The LA Weekly, which is owned by Village Voice Media, let go several staffers yesterday.

LAObserved's Kevin Roderick offered some details:

Sources at and around the LA Weekly confirmed that last night's staff cuts include long-time editor and columnist Marc Cooper, managing editor Sharan Street and copy chief David Caplan — three senior newsroom positions — as well as staff writer Matthew Fleischer, senior designer Laura Steele and assistant to the editor Pandora Young.

Mr. Roderick goes on to write, "The sources I've heard from who know how the Weekly gets produced can't imagine the place functioning without a managing editor or copy chief, especially since the fact-checking staff was eliminated a while back."

 

Village Voice Media executive editor Mike Lacey and C.E.O. Jim Larkin were arrested in Phoenix last night on charges the newspaper revealed information that was sealed by the court as a part of a grand jury proceeding, The New York Times' David Carr reports.

Michael Lacey, the executive editor, and Jim Larkin, chief executive, where arrested at their homes after they wrote a story that revealed that the Village Voice Media company, its executives, its reporters and even the names of the readers of its website had been subpoenaed by a special prosecutor. The special prosecutor had been appointed to look into allegations that the newspaper had violated the law in publishing the home address of Maricopa Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s home address on its website more than three years ago.

The weekly and its leadership has been in a long running battle with Mr. Arpaio, after the weekly published a series of stories about his real estate dealings.

The company owns a sprawling network of altweeklies including The Village Voice here in New York.

Here's a question: Given Village Voice Media's less-than-stellar reputation in journalistic circles--a result of its focus on cost-cutting, and the firings of a host of iconic veteran alt-weekly writers, particularly at the flagship Voice--could this news, in which VVM executives are seen to be taking a stand on behalf of press freedom, be exactly what the compay needs? Just asking.  read more »

Village Voice editor Tony Ortega has fired his number two, managing editor Deborah Kolben. Ms. Kolben, who started at the Voice last February mere days before then-editor David Blum was fired, is the eleventh woman to leave the newspaper since Mr. Ortega took over in March.

A full breakdown of those eleven after the jump.

   read more »

Although he says it ain’t so, Tony Ortega appears to be playing tricks again with a recent cover promoting a story about the health risks of WTC rescue workers.  read more »

Maggie Shnayerson is leaving her post as publicity director of the Village Voice for a reporting job at Gawker.com, crossing back over onto this side of the game for the first time since just after college.

Replacing Doree Shafrir (who starts at the Observer Monday!), Ms. Shnayerson will start at Gawker at the end of the month as an associate editor covering media.

Gawker editor Choire Sicha posted an item announcing the new hire early this afternoon. "We were most impressed with Maggie when dealing with her on stories about the Voice: She was a complete hardass. Kind of a bitch, in fact! But a superfun bitch," Mr. Sicha wrote. "This is a prime requirement for working here. I also liked that she has experience with how the business side of media things are run—and also a great ear for how PR spin is propagated."

"I know I'm going to miss her terribly," said Voice editor Tony Ortega this morning. "But I think she's got something really good going."

Adult ads have come under fire lately. So The Village Voice's Tony Ortega decided “the best response from the newsroom was to poke some fun at ourselves.”  read more »

“This was a mild stunt, not a heavy editorial,” he said.  read more »

The Village Voice has added another staff writer to its roster: Graham Rayman, formerly of Newsday, starts May 14.

An email from TonyO (that's how he tags himself in the subject line!) announced the decision to staff today.

Rayman's done a lot of investigative work "covering New York City's courts, politicians, crimes, and disasters."

Besides naming him a "staff writer" and saying he'll be "a tremendous asset to the Voice's long-standing investigative news tradition," it's not clear from the email what he'll be covering.

And we wonder how tremendous an asset Wayne Barrett will find him to be.

The full text of the press release follows:  read more »

• Michael Pescatore ran the East Coast's biggest "chop shop" (stolen cars galore!), and then he meticulously built a kingly "14,431-square-foot mansion on Long Island's Gold Coast." If only he hadn't messed with the interior designer, he wouldn't be in prison now. [Village Voice]
• How expensive is New York real estate? Expensive. The Real Deal breaks down the boroughs' priciest blocks: from Columbia Heights to East 78th to Douglaston (to Staten Island's Todt Hill). [Real Deal]
• "Findologist" Professor Solomon has written a 152-page illustrated book on the rainbow-colored history of Coney Island. And the masterwork is free. [Boing Boing]
• "Several of the top kitchens" in Manhattan are listing some charming snapshots (at top) of Times food critic Frank Bruni. The headline says "Wanted Dead or Alive," and below it are listed his 24 common eating companions. New York kitchens are pretty creepy. [Eater] - Max Abelson
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On two occasions when executives of Village Voice Media came to visit The Village Voice’s then  read more »

"I'm trying not to worry about all that crap on Gawker," said Tony Ortega, the newly named editor in chief of the Village Voice. "I don't feel it reflects the people and the work there."

On Mar. 4, two days after the previous editor in chief, David Blum, was fired, Village Voice Media boss Michael Lacey called Ortega up and offered him the job. Despite four editors' worth of turnover since January 2006, when New Times purchased the paper and took the Village Voice Media name, Ortega decided to accept.

"Why would I hesitate?" Ortega asked. "It's the Village Voice. It's a terrific newspaper with a storied past, and what journalist wouldn't want to do it?"

"I'm sure this will be criticized since I'm not a New Yorker," said Ortega. Ortega said he's looking forward to learning from the Voice's staff.

What about his relationship with Lacey, who's often accused of micromanaging the newspaper from Phoenix?

"I never really had that problem with him," said Ortega. "I've always had complete freedom to do what I wanted." Ortega has worked for Lacey at multiple New Times papers, most recently as the top editor at the Broward-Palm Beach New Times.

He will greet his new staff on Friday, Mar. 9.

"I'm a half-Mexican kid from L.A. without New York experience," Ortega said. "We'll just see."

-Michael Calderone

Tony Ortega, 43, has been named editor of the Village Voice. The hiring comes the first business day after Friday's firing of Village Voice editor David Blum.

Ortega is an 11-year veteran of Village Voice Media, the paper's parent company--specifically, of the New Times chain, which merged with the Voice chain in January 2006, taking the Voice name.

He was previously editor of New Times Broward-Palm Beach.

-Michael Calderone

The Village Voice has just named Deborah Kolben, formerly the city editor of the New York Sun, as the paper's managing editor.

Since David Blum, ex-Sun television critic, took over as the Voice's editor-in-chief, there have been several defections from the conservative daily to the lefty weekly. Ms. Kolben now joins Sun alumni Nathan Lee (film critic) and Maggie Shnayerson (PR Director) over at Cooper Square.  read more »

Full release after the jump.

H. Carl McCall was going to be the finance chair for the Senate Democrats, but things went awry.

A Brooklyn rivalry seems to be on the mend.

Jose Serrano blogs about the fight in his chamber over rules changes.

Former Assemblyman Ryan Karben is doing some pro bono work.

The Supreme Court won't revisit the landmark Kelo case that outlined the use of eminent domain.

TNR weighs in on Rahm Emanuel's Hillary-Obama dilemma.

John Edwards and Rudy Giuliani look good in Iowa.

The Village Voice has fun with the notion of a British bank getting naming rights for a basketball stadium in Brooklyn.

And pictured above is Councilman Domenic Recchia, who jokingly tried to kiss the proverbial ring of colleague Simcha Felder after the mayor's State of the City speech.

-- Azi Paybarah

A reader notes that days after the bombshell Village Voice article connecting Carl Andrews to the alleged selling of judgeships in Brooklyn, the Spitzer administration has still not announced that they've hired him.

Andrews is listed in this directory of gubernatorial employees, under the "Office of Intergovernmental Affairs" section.

But woman who answered the phone in the governor's Manhattan office said the hiring of Andrews hasn't been announced yet. A person who answered Andrews' direct line referred a question about his official title to the press office.

-- Azi Paybarah

Is author, sartorial superman, and sometime journalist Tom Wolfe milking the Landmarks Preservation Commission for publicity? Some think so, according to the Village Voice. Mr. Wolfe, an Upper East Sider through and through, has made a hobby of late lampooning and lambasting the commission, dubbing it ineffectual and a pawn of powerful mayors. But his opinions might be planted on shaky statistical ground. - Tom Acitelli

Whether you're a bitter media blogger, or a celebrity private intellectual, or a noted 43rd Street plagiarist, or an ex of Parker Posey, or an employee of Salon who is questioning the meaning of feminism, or even Village Voice nightlife sex dwarf Tricia Romano, the time of the Yule can only mean one thing. It is a time when we celebrate the crucified death and rebirth of our favorite vending places of alcohol. And so now please enjoy this Christmas message of cheer from the owner of Siberia, Mr. Tracy Westmoreland.

The soul of Siberia raised its swollen, beautiful head in alarmed satisfaction this weekend, happy to see all the Siberians who came by to drink. The bar will stay open another week thanks to your thirsts. Where are you drinking tonight? Good.

I am not even going to start about the landlord because I shouldn't. At least not here. Or yet. But there's a battle for Siberia to win.

Once again the proprietor of the building wants us out, just like one did six years ago in the subway. During that fight, I took the toilet from that bar as carry-on luggage to chain it to the doors of the landlord's headquarters in Tokyo. We don't lose, Comrades, not in these battles.

Now we fight to keep Siberia from becoming a chain steakhouse. There will not be a down and dirty rock venue in the basement of the steakhouse--that will be a kitchen. Now that can't be good.

The people who have come out to pledge their support are kinder and sweeter than I ever imagined. One neighborhood woman walking by extended a ten dollar bill, which she likely needed, in a gesture that, I have to tell you, made me cry a little. Midtown business people, neighborhood folks, chefs, bartenders, and the writers--we'll never forget the writers--have been by, wishing to see the bar stay. Thanks to the twelve rugged dock-workers who came by over the weekend and offered me a job down on the docks. It's a sweet gesture, guys, thanks.

The way it's working out is that we're fighting a war every week to stay alive. This Wednesday Thursday, Friday and Saturday we will definitely be open. Each week is a new battle. The best thing people can do to save Siberia is simply come here and drink. that's the best way they can show their support.

Even if the phone doesn't work, we'll be there. If you'd like to help, but can't come to the bar, have a drink and dial in our website at Siberia3. The 3 signifies the third life of Siberia.

We all thought Siberia was going to close last weekend. Last weekend was the best weekend in the history of Siberia. To keep it open, bring your friends and drink at the bar. And have a good time. That's why we're here, after all.

Rock on, Comrades!  read more »

Tracy Westmoreland Minister of Propaganda

• For $250 per hour (or $450 per room) decorators named microdesigners (aka accessorizers) will rearrange your Fifth Avenue apartment's "household knickknacks." It's all the rage, so now there are enlightening community college classes teaching tablescaping. (WSJ)
• The Voice's Best of NYC issue lists Astor Place Tower as "the best example of a building that never should have gone up." Plus, Clinton Hill's Broken Angel Building is "the best home turned hot movie set." Hot? Does VV know the ancient place suffered a horrendous fire this month? (Village Voice)
• Japan's Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa are working on their dizzy new New Museum. If you spend too much time staring at the stacked-box framing on Bowery below Houston, it might just freak you out. (Curbed)
• America is finally stealing New York's celebrity real estate secrets. But is every urban (or suburban) development with a Hollywood (or sub-Hollywood) name attached to it a roaring success? There's been failure for Ivana, George and Brad--but victories for Martha, Shaq, Nikki, Andre and Steffi. (Forbes, via The Real Deal)
• In this uncertain and turmoil-filled world, it's nice to know that hip Americans still enjoy buying a Parisian pied-a-terre or two. Paris' statistics are convincing: prime real estate sells for $645 per square foot, compared to $1,900 in Manhattan (and $2,300 in London). But be warned that the French co-op boards aren't fun, and chic neighborhoods still have chic prices. (International Herald Tribune)
- Max Abelson  read more »
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"When eight people are laid off from an institution, it's not a happy day," said David Blum, incoming editor-in-chief of the Village Voice.

Blum was on the phone after a meeting with staff at the newspaper's Cooper Square office. Last week, his superiors-to-be at Village Voice Media dismissed eight staffers from the weekly paper. Today, six days before his official Sept. 12 start date, Blum told the remaining staff that no more layoffs were in the works, and that any future dismissals would go through him, according to a staffer present at the meeting.

"I felt it was important for them to hear from me," Blum said.

About 40 Voice employees and freelance contributors crammed into the newspaper's third-floor conference room at 3 p.m.

During the half-hour meeting, several long-time staffers, including Tom Robbins, Nat Hentoff and Wayne Barrett posed questions to Blum. Topics included whether more writers will be hired and how the paper will approach international and national news coverage, according to a staffer.

As expected, Village Voice Media, the company that purchased the alternative weekly this past November--then under the name New Times--came up often.

The Voice is a unionized paper, and New Times was accustomed to working with nonunion shops. Blum, a member of the Writers Guild in his previous job as a television writer, told the staff that he was a "union guy," though now in a managerial role.

"He had strong words about how he is in charge," said a Voice staffer. "If he doesn't think that something's right, he's not going to do it."

"Beginning Sept. 12, what happens at the paper is my responsibility," Blum said. "I wanted them to put a face to future developments so they know who to blame--or shower with praise.

On Sept. 7, Blum is scheduled to fly out to Denver to meet with Michael Lacey, executive editor of Village Voice media, and other company executives. Although Lacey hired Blum, the pair only met once, during a job interview at the Hotel on Rivington.

And what issues might come up in Denver?

"I think the main concern seems to be that the staff wants [to] see its content provided by its own writers, and not by writers outside of New York," Blum said. "By and large, I agree with that."

-Michael Calderone

Andrew Cuomo may not have read that Village Voice article about his relationship with Andrew Farkas, but he did have a suggestion for the article's author:

"The author of The Voice's article, Wayne Barrett, said in an interview yesterday that Mr. Cuomo had suggested delaying its publication until after the primary. Mr. Cuomo said in an interview that he had suggested delaying publication so there was more time for Mr. Barrett and Mr. Farkas to exchange information."

And a letter from Farkas's lawyer to the Village Voice warning of possible libel was also sent.

The New York Post endorsed Cuomo, noting "Cuomo's greatest asset may be his chief opponent in the primary race, perennial candidate for high office Mark Green." A preview of the Rev. Al Sharpton's endorsement today of Cuomo is discussed here.

George Pataki hailed the opening of the Tribute Center, which honors people lost on 9/11. The Times noted "This will be a long interim" since the permanent memorial is not scheduled to open until 2009.

The Post and Daily News give their front pages to the newly released health study of 9/11 rescue workers.

Democrats and some Republicans, like CT Rep. Christopher Shays, want Donald Rumsfeld to resign.

And the city's Campaign Finance Board wants to slash contribution limits for people doing business with the city.

-- Azi Paybarah

The Village Voice announced that David Blum is the latest choice for its hard-to-fill editor-in-chief post. The memo making the announcement is after the jump.  read more »

Once again, in the latest issue of the Village Voice, Wayne Barrett pursues his case against Carl Andrews.

Here's one of the meaty grafs:

Andrews delivered $55,000 in precious senate grants in 2004 and 2005 to the Local Development Corporation of Crown Heights, which has retained Clarence Norman as a consultant. Started by Norman's father in the 1980s, the LDC had also collected $371,500 since 2003 in assembly funding from Norman, who, as a leading member of the Democratic assembly majority at the time, had much more pork power than Andrews. The GOP senate majority greatly limits the so-called "member items" that Democrats control, so Andrews tried, in a Voice interview, to lowball what he'd given, insisting "it was just $5,000 or $10,000."

You can read the rest here.

—Nicole Brydson

Women's Wear Daily has filled one of its openings on the media beat with Irin Carmon, a 2005 Harvard graduate and freelance journalist.

Most recently, Carmon has been writing a travel column for the Boston Globe, and has freelanced for the New York Times, Village Voice, and The Buenos Aires Herald. At Harvard, Carmon was an editor of Fifteen Minutes, the weekend magazine of the Crimson.

--Gabriel Sherman

Alexander Cockburn, in the latest Nation, tells the story of the first time he wrote about Israeli violence against the Palestinians—yes, in retaliation for (lesser) Palestinian violence—and it was removed from the Village Voice, in 1973, in an "unwonted act of censorship" by the Voice's founder and then-editor Dan Wolf. Cockburn's moving piece underscores two points: 1, Even Jews on the left (like myself) have deep internal struggles over how much to criticize Israel. Tony Kushner explained this point to me in the Nation earlier this year, when he described the agony that he experienced over his film Munich, the feeling that he might be aiding antisemites. 2, When Mearsheimer and Walt talk about a pro-Israel lobby as a very wide and loose group of people sharing certain interests, they made the smart point of including censorship of pro-Palestinian views by influential editors. This is further data.

Erik Wemple, the editor of Washington City Paper, has been named the editor-in-chief of the Village Voice. He will begin on July 24. The memo, from Ward Harkavy, follows.

—Gabriel Sherman  read more »

Is former Village Voice fabulist Nick Sylvester in talks to write for The New Yorker, as Gawker has it? The line between fact and fiction is hard to pin down where Sylvester is concerned, but Sylvester seems to have gotten a foot in the door already. In this week's issue, John Cassidy writes about online social networking--quoting a Yalie named Matt Morello about the "agonizing" process of choosing bands to list in his Facebook profile:

So what's there now? Albums by Babyshambles, Lady Sovereign, Marxy, and My Bloody Valentine, respectively an indie rock thing, a grime thing, a twenty-minute album released on my friend's record label that's brilliant and heard by practically no-one, and a canonic album from the late 80s.

The "friend's record label" is Beekeeper Records, which was founded two years ago by Sylvester, along with fellow Pitchfork Media writer Matt Lemay.

--Leon Neyfakh

• Even if the city is installing 500 new cameras, the NYPD doesn't have the ability to constantly monitor the surveillance footage. So, how useful is it? It's all about deterrence--i.e., instilling a fear of Big Brother. (The New York Times)
• In the same vein, The New York Times gets paranoid and lists the New York spots one wouldn't want to get stuck in.
• In honor of the Empire State Building's 75th anniversary, The New York Times has a collection of aricles dedicated to its culture, history and people, like the Salem Radio Network, the electrician who changes the color of building's lights, and of course the movies it appears in.
• Wu Tang Clan aren't Staten Island's only famous artists. Alice Austen was a notable photographer, and her home was refurbished as a museum. (As the Clan would say, "Cash, Rules, Everything, Around, Me / C.R.E.A.M. / Get the money / Dollar, dollar bill y'all.") (Forgotten NY)
• People aren't choosing "green" buildings because they're environmentally friendly, but because oil costs lots of money. (CNN)
• Pataki's senior advisor says the design of the new WTC is vulnerable to an attack. But, what isn't vulnerable? (The New York Times)
• Midas Inc. makes urbanites feel lucky. They sponsored a contest to find who commutes to work the longest in America. The winner drives 370 miles. And you were annoyed about taking the cross-town bus. (Reuters)
• Richard Meier spread his seed to Rome. He designed the city's first modern building since Mussolini. What a distinction! (Reuters)
• Is your zip code on the list of the most expensive? (Forbes)
• You hate these people, we know: the washer-dryer owners of Manhattan. (The New York Times)
• The New Yorker cartoonist wasn't "comfortable" calling his apartment an investment, and has now moved into a four-bedroom in Harlem decorated with his drawings. He is very comfortable with himself. (The New York Times)
• An urban strip-mall, not a luxury condo, took over a Chinatown parking lot and now sells custard-filled cakes. Yum. (The Village Voice)
• You may think it's a pothole that you tripped on and broke your heel, but it's not. (New York Daily News)

- Riva Froymovich

On April 18, The Village Voice’s music editor Chuck Eddy was fired by Village Voice Media. Mr.  read more »

• Why are police targetting the red seven-seater tricylcles? (The New York Sun)
• The "purves" in Long Island City can find a cheaper luxury condo from Corcoran. (Curbed)
• The city's may be losing its black population, but Battery Park City is suffering from black-car blight. (The Village Voice)
• The corner of Lexington Avenue and East 86th Street will house a residential/retail building, fitted with an H&M and a Barnes & Noble. (New York Post)
• Liberal authors beg for money at a Barnes & Noble near you. (Free Williamsburg)
• The new Javits Center expansion will be of little use to larger conventions. It will rise up, not out, and the city will end up losing money. (The New York Times)
• Duck pâté, charcuterie plates and brick turns a Lower East Side joint into a bourgeois den. (The Village Voice)
• The average sales price for an Upper East Side townhouse increased by 64 percent in one year. But they're the outliers. (MSNBC)
• A 95-year-old landmark building, also known as the john. (The New York Times)
• A townhouse owners in Durham, England is so desperate to move he's throwing in his Ferrari to sweeten the deal. (House & Ferrari)
• Save Our Parks is not a Yankees fan.
• Deep insights: "The shift we’re seeing is an emphasis on large developers, not small nonprofits who reach those most in need." Duh... (City Limits)

- Riva Froymovich

• Brown Harris Stevens pushes a new neighborhood in the New York Post: Greenwood Heights. Uh, isn't that Sunset Park?
• The cops are allowed to openly tape public events, like protests. "Political events are the ideal venue for terrorists, whether it's to kill people, monitor civilians, or even study police tactics." What's the difference from the thousands of hidden cameras they have all over the city? (The Village Voice)
• Now, people get arrested for chalking public space. You hear that? No more hop scotch! (Gothamist)
• The New York Times coins another neighborhood name and Upper West Siders revolt. Oh wait, Yorktowners... (via Curbed)
• Sheepshead Bay was named after a fish! (Forgotten NY)
• The East Side of Midtown is the last frontier of development ... in Midtown. (New York Daily News)
• New Yorkers are now buying their Florida condos in the Northeast suburbs. (The New York Times)
• Nina Lalli reports: "Staten Island—from the Godfather mansions to the Wu Tang Clan shout outs—is New York's randomest borough by a long shot." She learns about horny, riotous students on the NYC public bus system and the subsequent need for a car. Sounds about right. (The Village Voice)
• The National Association of Realtors has ruled that secrets are no fun. Now, realtors can gossip your bidding price to everyone. (Los Angeles Times)
• Can a Park Slope hotel be successful? Maybe if there's a stadium nearby. (New York Daily News)
• Will there be lines for $3 wine too? The wrath of Trader Joe's continues. (Gothamist)

- Riva Froymovich  read more »

• Again, the city's high dirt levels were recently documented by the EPA. Now, to compound our current state, New York may face a garbage strike. (The Village Voice)
• "The number of American households with a net worth of $1 million or more, excluding their principal residence, grew to a record 8.9 million last year," The New York Times reports. Furthermore, most are concentrated in just 13 counties--New York just makes it in.
• Super star chefs pressure hungry patrons to order the cook's favorites, rather than the customers'. (The New York Times)
• Wealthy neighborhoods with new luxury housing equals overcrowded public schools. (The New York Sun)
• A 48-acre estate and its 22,000-square-foot main house with elevator may sell at a record price for Long Island--$60 million. (New York Daily News)
• The president of the National Association of Realtors wants to kick Barbara Corcoran's ass after she bad-mouthed real estate brokers on Good Morning America. (Curbed)
• Apparently, if you're pro-choice, you can't be a fan of "...Baby One More Time." C'est La Vie. (The New York Sun)
• The MTA has hired Thacher Associates as an "integrity monitor" to prevent corruption in major construction sites. (New York Post)
• The target for the federal funds rate affects how much consumers pay on loans. After yesterday, Ben Bernanke's first meeting, it is the highest it has been in five years. (CNN)
• Neighborhood Homes helps nonprofit developers renovate neglected properties and sell them to low-income families, who receive assistance for the deal. (The Village Voice)
• More bars and more free food. What else is left to say? (The Village Voice)

- Riva Froymovich

• "In a society where store clerks chat about their social lives in front of customers and college students survive co-ed bathrooms, privacy just isn't the concern it used to be." Which means that kinky, cutting-edge architects are designing see-through bathrooms that make their children uncomfortable, not to mention guests. (The New York Times)
• Celebrities are just like the regular people. We all want more when it comes to our houses. They can just afford it. (Forbes)
• "I was never one of those bitches who actually came back from spring break with a tan." But, Nina Lalli does know the cheapest place to get drunk--Times Square! (The Village Voice)
• Speaking of, Dave & Buster’s completed a survey of the neighborhood and found that people, not tourists, are stationed there too. So, they're opening a restaurant in early April. (Crain's)
• Not only does Larry Silverstein look like a P.I.M.P., but his business style is slow and calculated. (The New York Times)
• Now, you can hedge or speculate on housing prices in ten major U.S. cities--whatever that means... (Business Week)
• About 56 percent of single women own their own home, compared to 11 percent of single men. Do the men hold out more hope for their prospects than the women? (Inman News)
• Now that New York is officially the dirtiest city, the Department of Sanitation is taking sweeping initiative--an anti-litter campaign. (Gothamist)
• The Skate Key roller rink in the Bronx is closing and the Gotham Girls Roller Derby has lost its home. (Newsday)
• New luxury condos in Kew Gardens, Queens are selling fast. (The Real Deal)

- Riva Froymovich

• New Yorkers are officially dirty. Whether that's how you like it or not, the EPA found that 68 out of every million of us are at risk for getting cancer just from breathing the air. (Gothamist)
• Queens is the new Jersey City, with three "hot patches" of development. This heat wave can be traced back to 1984. (Architect's Newspaper)
• Giuliani talks nation-building, leadership and mobsters at a real-estate conference in Las Vegas: "We were letting him [Yasser Arafat] out-negotiate us. We kept making concessions and he never kept his word. It was like buying a house from someone who didn't own the house - over and over and over again." (Inman News)
• As the line still stretches across 14th street outside the doors of Trader Joe's, The New York Times asks about the dearth of supermarkets.
• Okay, Harlem ain't that cheap anymore, but it's better than the rest of the borough. (The Real Deal)
• Now that the the Williamsburg population has risen an income bracket, the MTA is investing in the L line. (Gothamist)
• When the property is large and has a view, homeowners ignore the important stuff--broken pipes, termites and foundation cracks--that they end up paying for later. (The New York Times)
• Food critic Steve Cuozzo bites the hand that feeds him. (New York Post)
• Zum Schneider may be evicted, and is asking for your help. (Petition)
• Project Runway loser opens a shop in the Lower East Side. "...simple, elegant halter dresses in silk and linen are cut in a kind, universally flattering fit, emphasizing what's up top while gliding mercifully over our adorable guts. This is what you should expect from a $340 gown, yet don't always receive." (The Village Voice)

- Riva Froymovich

• The top consideration when building new housing? A space for human waste. (Matrix)
• CBS may lose long time staffers, but clearly is expanding. (via The Real Deal)
• There's this totally new trend. People are buying old warehouses and converting them into lofts. (CNN)
• The "hautel." Isn't that how New Yorkers pronounce the world, anyway? (The New York Sun)
• John Sexton knows how to keep NYU competing with Columbia. After yesterday's announcement, New York University has also received a donation worth about $200 million. Guess who it's from? Shelby White. (The New York Times)
• After all that we've done, we have to go after an Indian nation's cigarette business too? (Newsday)
• Why does The Falls have such a bad rep? (The Village Voice)
• It was difficult to get Chinatown residents to share and document their history: "Who wants to say, 'I hustle and I work 18 hours a day?'" (The New York Sun)
• All five boroughs are now too expensive. The next frontier? Yonkers. (Curbed)
• Artsy pornographer and Brooklynite had to fly south to take photos. (NBC)
• When Isaac Mizrahi signs on to design clothes for Target, does he expect his name to retain any cachet? (The Wall Street Journal)

- Riva Froymovich

• Columbia University has received a $200 million gift to finance a new science center from the Jerome L. Green Foundation. It is the largest private donation to a United States institution for the creation of a single facility, and beats last year's donation for New York University's School of Medicine. So, Columbia wins some and loses some. (The New York Times)
• This weekend: Go gay at the 13th Original GLBT Expo at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. (The Village Voice)
• In one Lower East Side haunt, Guinness and Powers whiskey are still the drinks specialties. (The Village Voice)
• The last West Village frontier (yes, there's one left) is in a preservationist battle, but the developer is near closing on the deal. (New York)
• We are reminded of Nina Lalli's brilliance: "Shopping for a stylish man in his twenties is nearly impossible unless he's gay or needs a new wallet." Enter: clothing store aNYthing (ahem, A New York Thing). (The Village Voice)
• Do Lower East Siders feel safer when vigilantes warn residents to watch out for the neighborhood pedophile? (Gothamist)
• The Barbizon Hotel for Women is being converted to condos, and the marketing campaign paints the building as a symbol of elegance for the likes of a modern Grace Kelly, despite its traffic-infested location. (The New York Times)
• NY hates poor people: "Housing advocates estimate there are 11,000 subsidized apartments in Brooklyn that could be lost in the next five years if city officials don't move aggressively to persuade landlords to stay in the federal program." (New York Daily News)
• Forbes covers the finest example of The High Life in Brooklyn.

- Riva Froymovich

• More news on transforming the Battery Maritime Building, gateway to Governors Island, into an upscale green market. (The New York Times)
• On the dark NYC streets, counting the homeless by neighborhood. (The Village Voice)
• Would the Los Angeles Times' solutions for homelessness work in New York?
• The Village Voice gets to the crux of the issue: "The city needs new housing, just as it needs water. But it doesn't need a flood of dangerous construction or rising rents to displace its own residents. The protections against these hazards are as suspect as the Gulf of Mexico levees."
• None of Sir Benjamin's relatives want to take care of his $13 million estate; so, he's looking for an heir. Stipulations: heterosexual and sober. (The New York Times)
• Soon, white people will be the minority in the city and the suburbs. (Gotham Gazette)
• Six developments throughout the city that are nonprofit corporations with Section 8 contracts established by local churches, but the reigning parishes aren't paying attention. The churches in charge of the buildings seem to have relinquished all accountability for their upkeep. (City Limits)
• Advocates are pushing for the McCain/Kennedy bill, which allows for the permanent residency of undocumented workers. But, are some local politicians playing favorites among the immigrant groups? (City Limits)
• Forgotten NY reports that this city has the least number of official bike routes than any other. And Fresh Meadows in Queens, the westernmost suburb, is prepared for your car.
• It's true. You can meet your future spouse in a bar, even McSorley's. (The Villager)
• Silvercup Studios is setting the pace for transforming the parking garage into a mixed-use complex. (Metropolis)
• On Monday, the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Fifth Avenue fascade was laid bare after a four-year restoration that cost $12.2 million. (New Yorkology)

- Riva Froymovich

• Corcoran, hipsters, artists and the well-planned hyper-gentrification of Bushwick. (NYT mag)
• Agents, developers and their ilk admired for their own original details and square footage. (The New York Times)
• The new real estate year offers more inventory, more time, and more broker attention. (The New York Times)
• The new mortgages have created "home-hopers" out of "home owners." Apparently we're "living in a bond with bathrooms, a stock certificate with a front porch." (The New York Times)
• Out-priced city residents have become out-priced suburbians who choose the exurbs. (The New York Times)
• Real estate agents work an insignificant amount of hours for their sales commission, but fail to hit bank because there are just too many hustlers working the beat. (The New York Times)
• For Patrick Quinn, there's no shame in trying to be the Donald Trump of New Orleans after, you know, the whole hurricane thing . (The New York Times)
• The no-plastic, ecologically friendly house. Will it push "better products" on the market? Unlikely. (The New York Times)
• When Edward Glaeser sees conservation land, he craves apartments on it. He says: The housing crisis is man-made—and rental control is "bad ,bad, bad." (The New York Times)
And in non-Times news:
• Get your foodie half-kicks for cheap from Cookshop's snack menu. (The Village Voice)
• Shecky's, known for nightlife guides and happy hour parties, has opened its own clothing store. (The Village Voice)
• Residents resign, sort of, to the "ugly monstrosity" going up in the Lower East Side--The Pencil. (The Villager)
• C.B.G.B. to head to Vegas. (The Villager)
• New York's greatest dumpling men. (New York Daily News)
• Eminent domain, which has allowed Atlantic Yards and Columbia University development, will result in revolt. (New York Daily News)
• Even if it is ephemeral, we're searching for that fantasy island, where "poetry and bicycle riding are exalted pastimes." (Metropolis)
• A new building on Park Avenue. (New York)

—Riva Froymovich

• State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer is trying to make company-sponsored open bars illegal. (Page Six)
• And one more point for the demolishers of fun: The State Liquor Authority rejected an application for a liquor license to EU in the Lower East Side. (New York Sun)
• April 15 is quickly approaching, but your real-estate tax deductions just multiplied by eight. (Inman News)
• Should you win the lottery, here are the most expensive private islands to throw your new money around on. (Forbes)
• Developers eye Atlantic City—again. "Atlantic City has the highest potential for appreciation…" Is there anywhere else to go but up? (The New York Times)
• Crain's says it's going to happen: Madison Square Garden is moving one block west. (Crain's)
• But some people aren't so sure.
• Adolfo Carrion wants to see more homeownership in the Bronx, but residents lack the "time and stamina." (Metro)
• Sietsema feels part of the 'hood at Carroll Gardens' 457 Spuntino restaurant. (The Village Voice)
• Renovated club Element has a new gay party. More interesting, Tatum O'Neal is still making the rounds. (The Village Voice)
• Mixed-use residential and commercial developments are blooming in the Flower District. (New York Sun)
• Write "I Love You" in a card; a public display just deflates real estate. (Curbed)
• The Domino's Pizza founder and anti-choice crusader, Thomas S. Monaghan, wants to build a little Catholic theocracy just outside Naples, Florida, where he controls the commercial real estate. Lots of pizza; no condoms, porn or abortions.(CNN)

- Riva Froymovich