On first glance, the house at 719 South Decator Street, in the Elwyn Heights section of the city, doesn’t seem to be all that remarkable. It’s just another in a string of large brick twin houses that populate the neighborhood. However, the mere mention of the address is apt to flip a switch in...
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:: 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...
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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...
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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...
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:: 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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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