This week we welcome M. Florine Démosthène. Démosthène was born in the United States and raised in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and New York. Her work investigates the Black female body as a […]
Posted inSmall Biz Spotlight
Appalled by the fashion industry, they opened a pet store instead
Gone to the Dogs may seem like an ordinary pet store, but each product sold has a story. Months into the pandemic, the pet shop launched online in June 2020. In October, a brick and mortar store opened in Park Slope. Owners Santos Agustin and Jennifer Wong pride themselves in knowing how all of their products were made, who made them and with what materials.
Posted inCriminal Justice
The glitches in New York’s massive parole-reform experiment
One of the most significant parole reforms in the country took effect on March 1. Known as the “Less is More” Act, it curbs the practice of sending people back to jail for minor offenses or parole violations. Supporters of the law believe that less mass incarceration equals more safety and justice.
Posted inFeatured Artist
Joshua Rosenblatt
This week we welcome Joshua Rosenblatt, a visual artist based in Queens, New York. Joshua was born into a family of artists. His mother did performance art and poetry, and […]
Posted inSmall Biz Spotlight
Their grandparents had heart attacks. These Colombian brothers opened a vegan joint in a comedy club
Indoor dining, and pretty much everything else in New York, it seems, is back. Looking for someplace new?
VSpot, with locations in Park Slope and VSpot Express in the East Village, is a flavorful spot featuring Latin vegan food. It was founded by Alex Carabaño, restaurateur by day and comedian by night, along with his brother, Dan Carabaño. Together, they opened the Park Slope location in 2006, after seeing the lack of vegan food, particularly Latin. In 2015 they opened their East Village location, which comes with a surprise in the back: the infamous St. Marks Comedy Club. VSpot is the only comedy venue in America with a full vegan menu focusing on Latin comfort food.
Posted inPolitics
Breaking down Mayor Eric Adams’ proposed budget
The main thing to note about Adams’ proposed $98.5 billion city budget for fiscal year 2023, released in the middle of last month, is that it self-consciously avoids significant new spending in keeping with the new mayor’s carefully cultivated image as a technocratic pragmatist. The number itself is eye-popping, but we have to remember that it always is for the largest and most complex city in the United States, whose municipal workforce of over 300,000 and robust government programs — universal pre-K, a large public hospital system, a police force with armament and technology that are both military grade — rival a small country’s.
Posted inCriminal Justice
Chinatown rallies against proposed “mega jail”
In spring 2017, then-Mayor Bill de Blasio committed to closing Rikers Island by building four new jail facilities in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx. This $8.3 billion construction would house no more than 3,300 people across the four boroughs. One of the proposed jails is set to be built in Manhattan’s Chinatown, with construction lasting until at least 2027. The 40-story jail would be the tallest in the world.
Posted inPolitics
Anita Hill: Ketanji Brown Jackson’s Nomination to the Supreme Court Signals Historic Change
I watched anxiously as President Joe Biden approached the podium flanked by two Black women. President Biden was about to make history — yet again. With Vice President Kamala Harris by his side, the first woman of color to serve in the role, the announcement that was weeks in the making was finally spoken into existence. Within minutes of their entrance into the grand hall, a commitment that was over 200 years in the making was official. Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson became the first Black woman nominee for a seat on the United States Supreme Court.
Posted inSchools
Experts on everything you need to know about the school lotto
Because you love the word “hexadecimal,” we’re back with more school-related news. We would usually leave the heavy lifting to our sister newsletter, The Unmuted, but it’s off for mid-winter recess. The New York City Department of Education, on the other hand, is not and has been busy on the admissions front.
Posted inSchools
You know your child’s lottery number. Now what?
If your child is applying for New York City middle school or high school this year, please be sure to note a critical update on their profile in MySchools, the portal used to rank your choices: Their lottery number.
