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Friday Facts: Narnia, Math, Linguistics, Lascivious Radios
:: Median age of mathematics texts used in city public schools: 18 years
:: Median tenure of mathematics teachers in city schools: 4.5 years
:: Median SAT mathematics score, city schools (2008): 485
:: Percentage of 12th graders in city schools who know how ‘median’ differs from ‘average’: 38%
:: A city ordinance passed in 1931 prohibited the hiring… »
City’s First Subway Car Found
The second week of June 1901 saw the formal opening of the City’s first subway- what was to become today’s Brown Line- a modest straight line connecting the old Central Depot (across from Old City Hall, now Ludlow Plaza Station) and the Ostahanoc River, taking in the Downtown/Central Corridor areas, as well as the bustling… »
The Board of Trusts and the City’s Generous Dead
The current economic situation has given our already cash-strapped City a rough go of it, especially with regard to any funds tied into the stock market. Its pension fund alone has lost millions over the last two years and now officials are scrambling to work on ways to patch the gaping hole. There is one… »
Friday Facts: The Honorable Harold Ramis, No Batmobiles
:: On this day in 1889, boxer John Lawrence Sullivan punched Mayor John Overholt’s wife directly in the face, knocking her out instantly. No reason was ever given for the assault, and neither the mayor nor Sullivan ever chose to speak of it again.
:: A 1971 city ordinance prohibits the display of the Batmobile (from… »
The History of Barkay Bros. Funeral Home: Part II
Joel and Isaac Barkay, proprietors of Barkay Bros. Funeral Home on East Folkim St., announced recently that they had accepted an undisclosed sell their business. The local funeral home had been run by the Barkay family for 72 years. Joel and Isaac, lifelong bachelors aged 69 and 67 respectively, agreed to sit for an interview… »
The History of Barkay Bros. Funeral Home: Part I
Joel and Isaac Barkay, proprietors of Barkay Bros. Funeral Home on East Folkim St., announced last week that they had accepted an undisclosed offer from the giant mortuary services conglomerate ServLimited International to purchase their business. The local funeral home had been run by the Barkay family for 72 years. Joel and Isaac, lifelong bachelors… »
A Bridge Too Far: Stimulus funds to destroy city landmark
The current economic downturn and an infusion of $14 million from the Economic Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (stimulus bill) passed by congress earlier this spring have brought back to life a controversial city project many believe should never be revived.
Since 1988, access to the 19th Street Bridge over the Ostahanoc River has… »
The Blotter: Shots, Sheep, Sno-Cones
As a public service, The City Desk periodically offers up selected items culled from recent City police reports. (Note: More violent, standard items do not frequently show up here, as they are covered in the local papers with regularity.)
9:45 pm
Corner of Simcoe and Newbury Streets: Officers from the 27th Precinct respond to reports of shots… »
Food Truck Congestion Pricing
Hundreds of food trucks slowed traffic during afternoon rush hour last Thursday in a mass protest of the city’s new congestion-pricing scheme.
The act of civil disobedience, coordinated by the Mobile Food Providers Alliance, delayed commuters on their way home from work by up to 90 minutes. At 5:30 p.m., at least 215 food trucks pulled… »
Opinion: Gritty Glamour is Bunk
Occasionally, The City Desk will present to you a real opinion piece concerning the cities in which we live.
Maybe it’s because I was a failure as a bohemian (one has to be a true bourgeois to become a true bohemian), but all this hipster wank about how “authentic” New York was in the 70’s really… »
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