tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74481927398254629142012-02-16T20:38:01.853-08:00Keep up with the various published works of Matthew Lysiak at this easy to use, all-in-one, resource guide.Lee-Shakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03892729573567001443noreply@blogger.comBlogger2591100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448192739825462914.post-27301807398722061612008-02-15T10:54:00.002-08:002008-02-15T10:58:55.771-08:00

The apartment sounded too good to be true.A fully furnished two-bedroom with a balcony in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, going for $950 instead of the $2,200 it would normally fetch because of the tenant's sudden job transfer. The catch: You have to take it sight unseen - and send a security deposit. The bogus rental was even more of a steal than unsuspecting would-be tenants thought, part of a growing

Lee-Shakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03892729573567001443noreply@blogger.com45tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448192739825462914.post-62808337113508400642008-02-15T10:53:00.000-08:002008-02-15T10:54:52.999-08:00

BY MATTHEW LYSIAK and BILL HUTCHINSON DAILY NEWS WRITERS Monday, February 11th 2008, 4:00 AM The only sign of mobsters Sunday at the Staten Island restaurant owned by Trisha Vollaro, the wife of mob rat Joseph Vollaro, were the photos on the walls.A mug of Robert De Niro, who played Al Capone and a young Vito Corleone, was prominently displayed next to one of Joe Gannascoli, who played the gay "

Lee-Shakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03892729573567001443noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448192739825462914.post-18620499913954630662008-02-15T10:50:00.000-08:002008-02-15T10:52:31.785-08:00

BY MATTHEW LYSIAK and ADAM LISBERG DAILY NEWS WRITERS Monday, February 11th 2008, 4:00 AM Avi Katz, with mom, Rena, says Q platform crumbled under his feet.A Borough Park teen said a subway platform crumbled under his feet and sent him sprawling in front of an oncoming train - but the MTA still hasn't fixed the problem.Avi Katz, 14, said he was heading home from his Brooklyn yeshiva and standing

Lee-Shakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03892729573567001443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448192739825462914.post-73320569531847976752008-02-15T10:48:00.000-08:002008-02-15T10:50:26.884-08:00

By MATTHEW LYSIAK DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER A sadistic Brooklyn pet groomer faces a year in prison on charges of beating a tiny Burmese cat - and handing her back to her owner in a blood-soaked plastic bag."We looked in the bag, and Nusha's entire face was covered in blood," said heartbroken pet owner Igor Kisil, 45. "Tears were coming from her eyes. I've never seen a cat do that." Bechir Bejaoui,

Lee-Shakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03892729573567001443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448192739825462914.post-43929139041999829212008-02-15T10:46:00.000-08:002008-02-15T10:48:08.236-08:00

by Matthew Lysiak daily news writer Thursday, February 7th 2008, 4:00 AM An elderly Brooklyn man slapped with a $115 parking ticket while picking up his blind wife from a dialysis clinic just got slapped again - this time by a judge, the Daily News has learned."These people are a nightmare," said Eugene Iannicelli, 84, who got the fine Dec. 19 after he couldn't find a parking spot near the Dyker

Lee-Shakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03892729573567001443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448192739825462914.post-27106146341600685062008-02-15T10:45:00.000-08:002008-02-15T10:46:29.746-08:00

BY MATTHEW LYSIAK DAILY NEWS WRITER Tuesday, February 5th 2008, 4:00 AM The city emptied its sock drawer and now the whole neighborhood stinks. Bay Ridge residents - coping with a stomach-churning smell wafting from the site of a former sewer pipe project - are telling the city to take out its dirty laundry. The stink has been hovering over a stretch of Fort Hamilton Parkway between Marine Ave.

Lee-Shakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03892729573567001443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448192739825462914.post-67427080943902424662008-02-15T10:44:00.000-08:002008-02-15T10:45:19.680-08:00

BY MATTHEW LYSIAK and PETE DONOHUE DAILY NEWS WRITERS Though it's not on NYC Transit's schedule for paint job, 14th St. stop on 1,2,3 line certainly could use one.A stalled program to give subway stations across the city fresh coats of paint will be launched this spring, the Daily News has learned.The $50 million stations painting program will begin in April with six stations getting brushwork,

Lee-Shakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03892729573567001443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448192739825462914.post-16034897013934332172008-02-15T10:42:00.000-08:002008-02-15T10:44:01.603-08:00

BY MATT LYSIAK and DAVE GOLDINER DAILY NEWS WRITERS Thursday, January 31st 2008, 4:00 AM Apowerful wind gustsent a Brooklyn scaffold worker plunging 13 stories to his death Wednesday, authorities said.Jose Palacios, 43, a big-hearted father who sent money to his wife and daughter in Mexico, was installing stucco at the top of a Clinton Ave. building when the wind knocked over his scaffold. He

Lee-Shakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03892729573567001443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448192739825462914.post-23511691508936260192008-02-15T10:41:00.000-08:002008-02-15T10:42:34.503-08:00

BY MATTHEW LYSIAKDAILY NEWS WRITER Wednesday, January 30th 2008, 4:00 AM They survived World War II and Korea, but now a group of veterans are making a stand against another formidable foe - the Health Department.Battle lines have been drawn between a Veterans of Foreign Wars post in Bay Ridge, and Health Department agents who the soldiers say are trigger happy when it comes to citations. "I

Lee-Shakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03892729573567001443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448192739825462914.post-68629640494278570942008-02-15T10:39:00.000-08:002008-02-15T10:41:17.668-08:00

BY MATTHEW LYSIAKDAILY NEWS WRITER Call it reading, writing and radiation.Parents at Public School 185 in Bay Ridge are outraged that six cell phone towers were erected directly across the street from the school over a recent weekend. "I'm scared of what we don't know," said Elizabeth Juliano, whose 5-year-old son attends the school. "Without evidence either way, we should err on the side of

Lee-Shakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03892729573567001443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448192739825462914.post-86091808159221932172008-02-15T10:35:00.000-08:002008-02-15T10:38:14.215-08:00

BY MATTHEW LYSIAK, KERRY BURKE and MICHAEL WHITEDAILY NEWS WRITERS Saturday, December 29th 2007, 4:00 AM Four witnesses to a deadly hit-and-run crash in Brooklyn chased the cowardly driver for a block - then hauled him back to the scene in a cab, police said Friday.Witnesses watched helplessly as the driver mowed down Francisco Guerrero, 73, while making an illegal U-turn at 52nd St. and Fourth

Lee-Shakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03892729573567001443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448192739825462914.post-84242796992076540682008-01-18T09:58:00.000-08:002008-01-18T09:59:32.592-08:00

BY MATTHEW LYSIAK and ADAM NICHOLSDAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERsNathan's may be famous, but an upstate firm says it's top dog when it comes to "Not Dogs."Rochester-based Northern Soy is suing the New York institution for selling rolls filled with clams, lobster, chicken or steak and calling them "Not Dogs."Northern Soy's tofu-frankfurters have been marketed as Not Dogs for years - and it owns the name.

Lee-Shakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03892729573567001443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448192739825462914.post-45054052261016982722008-01-18T09:56:00.004-08:002008-01-18T09:58:15.781-08:00

BY MATTHEW LYSIAKDAILY NEWS WRITER Wednesday, January 16th 2008, 4:00 AM Congregants of a 108-year-old Bay Ridge church are asking the public to help tear it down - literally.The clock is now ticking on the landmarked Bay Ridge United Methodist Church, which is slated to be razed and replaced with a smaller church and a big apartment building in the next four months, church officials said. "We

Lee-Shakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03892729573567001443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448192739825462914.post-50003755523220319372008-01-18T09:56:00.003-08:002008-01-18T09:56:53.032-08:00

BY MATTHEW LYSIAKDAILY NEWS WRITER Tuesday, January 15th 2008, 4:00 AM Assemblyman William Colton calls plans for a waste station in Gravesend 'unthinkable.'A proposed waste-transfer station in Gravesend is dredging up bad memories from the past - and maybe a whole lot more. "Putting a waste station at this site would dredge up 30 years of toxins to the surface," said Assemblyman William Colton

Lee-Shakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03892729573567001443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448192739825462914.post-70948207098940539912008-01-18T09:56:00.001-08:002008-01-18T09:56:50.600-08:00

BY MATTHEW LYSIAKDAILY NEWS WRITER Tuesday, January 15th 2008, 4:00 AM Assemblyman William Colton calls plans for a waste station in Gravesend 'unthinkable.'A proposed waste-transfer station in Gravesend is dredging up bad memories from the past - and maybe a whole lot more. "Putting a waste station at this site would dredge up 30 years of toxins to the surface," said Assemblyman William Colton

Lee-Shakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03892729573567001443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448192739825462914.post-78594974905464563382008-01-18T09:53:00.000-08:002008-01-18T09:55:12.722-08:00

BY MATTHEW LYSIAK AND TINA MOOREDAILY NEWS WRITERS Monday, January 14th 2008, 7:05 PM Dyanne Byas, mother of Floronza Byas, who was stabbed to death in a subway mugging, said her son was trying to come to conductor's aid as she's comforted by her other son, Jiovanni.The mother of a man stabbed to death in Harlem while apparently helping a mugging victim wants the world to know her son was a good

Lee-Shakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03892729573567001443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448192739825462914.post-43612164522673681812008-01-18T09:52:00.000-08:002008-01-18T09:53:38.645-08:00

By MATTHEW LYSIAK and TRACY CONNORDAILY NEWS WRITERS Thursday, January 10th 2008, 4:00 AM Eugene Iannicelli, 84, got a ticket when he helped his wife, Mary, from their car outside a dialysis center in Brooklyn.When 84-year-old Eugene Iannicelli double-parked in front of a dialysis clinic so he could escort his blind, frail wife to the car, he expected a little understanding.Instead, he got a

Lee-Shakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03892729573567001443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448192739825462914.post-2242361112416579472008-01-18T09:51:00.000-08:002008-01-18T09:52:23.214-08:00

BY MATTHEW LYSIAKDAILY NEWS WRITER Thursday, January 10th 2008, 4:00 AM Call it reading, writing and radiation.Parents at Public School 185 in Bay Ridge are outraged that six cell phone towers were erected directly across the street from the school over a recent weekend. "I'm scared of what we don't know," said Elizabeth Juliano, whose 5-year-old son attends the school. "Without evidence either

Lee-Shakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03892729573567001443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448192739825462914.post-87109858188278775962008-01-18T09:49:00.000-08:002008-01-18T09:51:02.146-08:00

BY MATTHEW LYSIAKDAILY NEWS WRITER Tuesday, January 8th 2008, 4:00 AM The final deal goes down in a Bay Ridge apartment. That's where the product can be scored, but the elaborate web weaves through the city. "I know it's illegal, but that doesn't mean it's wrong," said one Brooklyn mom, one of 20 from the borough who pick the stuff up at the Bay Ridge pad. The women aren't dealing narcotics, but

Lee-Shakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03892729573567001443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448192739825462914.post-42761227550293804852008-01-18T09:47:00.000-08:002008-01-18T09:49:00.013-08:00

BY MATTHEW LYSIAKDAILY NEWS WRITER Thursday, January 3rd 2008, 4:00 AM Little Rachel Rodin is hoping for a new year miracle.The 7-year-old Public School 185 student was recently diagnosed with a recurrence of leukemia after a two-year remission, and now her family is calling on kindhearted Brooklynites to help find a matching donor for an urgently needed bone-marrow transplant. "Our hope is that

Lee-Shakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03892729573567001443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448192739825462914.post-79584821758731389142008-01-18T09:44:00.000-08:002008-01-18T09:47:24.782-08:00

BY MATTHEW LYSIAK and MICHAEL WHITEDAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS Monday, December 31st 2007, 12:54 PM The older brother of an 11-year-old Queens boy shot point-blank in the door of the family's house admitted Monday he was the target - but denied knowing who was gunning for him."Someone wants me dead," 16-year-old Tony Falconer Jr. said."I don't know why. I think this is related to what happened three

Lee-Shakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03892729573567001443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448192739825462914.post-38938773955927390042007-12-30T05:29:00.000-08:002007-12-30T05:30:54.992-08:00

by Matthew Lysiak The assassination of Benazir Bhutto has become big business in cyberspace.Within moments of her death, dealers were cashing in on the tragedy by hawking memorabilia of the slain leader. "This is a rare and unique item from a true martyr for democracy and human rights," posted eBay seller Historybuffalo, who listed a $650 Bhutto autograph on the auction site within moments of her

Lee-Shakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03892729573567001443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448192739825462914.post-49047466973984541552007-12-27T16:24:00.000-08:002007-12-27T16:26:02.451-08:00

BY MATTHEW LYSIAKDAILY NEWS WRITER Thursday, December 27th 2007, 4:00 AM These Brooklyn commuters are used to being taken for a ride - and not a fun one.With fare and toll hikes looming, Bay Ridge residents are stuck taking express buses that are the wrong size on local routes. "These buses are a nightmare," said Community Board 10 District Manager Josephine Beckmann. "The aisles are too small.

Lee-Shakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03892729573567001443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448192739825462914.post-74908959245490229352007-12-18T04:35:00.000-08:002007-12-18T04:36:52.135-08:00

BY MATTHEW LYSIAKDAILY NEWS WRITER Tuesday, December 18th 2007, 4:00 AM Holiday lights? Humbug! say the merchants of Bensonhurst.Brooklyn's "Little Italy" is darker this holiday season because the lights that usually bedeck the neighborhood's business district have apparently become a ghost of Christmases past.In previous years, the local business group had little problem collecting cash for the

Lee-Shakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03892729573567001443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448192739825462914.post-48887221812577203462007-12-18T04:33:00.000-08:002007-12-18T04:35:32.364-08:00

BY MATTHEW LYSIAKDAILY NEWS WRITER Friday, December 14th 2007, 4:00 AM A Bay Ridge hospital on the critical list will live another day, under state orders.Victory Memorial Hospital is being forced to keep its emergency room open past a planned Feb. 1 closure date. "We are waiting for them to resubmit a plan that assures us that there will be a safe transition," said Jim Clyne, state Health

Lee-Shakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03892729573567001443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448192739825462914.post-61308087080876970012007-12-13T16:17:00.000-08:002007-12-13T16:21:05.022-08:00

Take steps to avoid exorbitant hidden feesWhen traveling, costly and unexpected charges can pile up quickly. (iStockphoto)By Matthew Lysiak | STAFF WRITER December 14, 2007 Web designer Dave Stolte got a very expensive shock when he came back from an overseas trip to discover he'd racked up an iPhone bill of $3,000."It was a minor heart attack when I saw it," said Stolte. "I was sure it was a

Lee-Shakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03892729573567001443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448192739825462914.post-52992203584957829332007-12-13T16:15:00.000-08:002007-12-13T16:17:17.213-08:00

By Matthew LysiakThe Brooklyn PaperLets face it: Bay Ridge has long had a reputation for being an uptight, prudish community, but all that is about to change.That’s because four women were kind enough to help local straphangers pass the time by doing erotic pole exercises complete with lap dances, and lots of flesh — and it was all caught on video.But it wasn’t just for fun. The clip, titled “

Lee-Shakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03892729573567001443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448192739825462914.post-44297363238481038842007-12-13T16:14:00.000-08:002007-12-13T16:15:50.779-08:00

BY MATTHEW LYSIAKDAILY NEWS WRITER Thursday, December 13th 2007, 4:00 AM Brooklyn residents have been dealing with an unexpected side effect of the recent climate change - raccoons.Sightings of raccoons are way up in Brooklyn at a time when they should be down, and some are blaming the strange behavior on warm winters. Whatever the cause, residents have had enough of the masked menaces. "I deal

Lee-Shakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03892729573567001443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448192739825462914.post-79631251448915342392007-12-11T14:16:00.000-08:002007-12-11T14:19:05.773-08:00

BY MATTHEW LYSIAKDAILY NEWS WRITER Tuesday, December 11th 2007, 4:00 AM Adams IV for News The eight-story upscale LeBleu Hotel is located on Fourth Ave.'s industrial - but up-and-coming - strip. Rooms renting for up to $369 a night feature plasma television, a Bose stereo system and complimentary flaxseed body lotion.This hotel has all the accommodations: 42-inch plasma televisions, Bose stereo

Lee-Shakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03892729573567001443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448192739825462914.post-41614636071156286432007-12-11T14:14:00.000-08:002007-12-11T14:16:43.616-08:00

By BRENDAN BROSH, MATTHEW LYSIAK and BILL HUTCHINSONDAILY NEWS WRITERS Monday, December 10th 2007, 4:00 AM Giancarli for News Talk about a steam train! 'Pole-ite girls' Marissa Lupp (l.), Laura Lee Anderson and Jessica Wu (kneeling) are burning up Web with subway strip show video. Video still from girls dancing on train on a dare. Video still from girls dancing on train on a dare.The N train may

Lee-Shakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03892729573567001443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448192739825462914.post-51287254846989278762007-12-06T17:55:00.000-08:002007-12-06T17:57:07.089-08:00

By Matthew LysiakThe Brooklyn PaperThey’re putting the biggest bum of ’em all in the Hall. On Monday, Major League Baseball’s Veterans Committee elected Walter O’Malley, whose name will live on in villainy forever thanks to his decision to move the Dodgers to Los Angeles, to the Hall of Fame.It’s safe to say that very few votes came from this borough.“The man was a traitor who only cared about

Lee-Shakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03892729573567001443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448192739825462914.post-28963129465955089732007-12-06T17:51:00.000-08:002007-12-06T17:55:41.657-08:00

By Matthew LysiakThe Brooklyn Paper The Brooklyn Paper / Jeff BachnerResidents demonstrate how they feel about the odor along Fort Hamilton Parkway. Move over Dior, Chanel, and Ellen Tracy, the Department of Environmental Protection has unleashed a new perfume just in time for the holiday season and residents are giving it a big “thumbs up” — up their noses to plug up the stench.Since last summer

Lee-Shakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03892729573567001443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448192739825462914.post-7942021713015881262007-12-06T17:47:00.000-08:002007-12-06T17:51:47.044-08:00

Esprit hopes to recapture the American retail scene after it sold its interests to foreign investors in 1989. (Handout / December 5, 2007)By Matthew Lysiak | Special to amNewYork December 5, 2007 If it can happen to Transformers, Cherry Coke and the Boston Celtics, then why not that floral crop jean jacket? Children of the '80s say hello to a familiar face -- Esprit. The iconic clothing line of

Lee-Shakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03892729573567001443noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448192739825462914.post-43789552119857056162007-12-03T19:49:00.000-08:002007-12-03T19:51:15.659-08:00

BY MATTHEW LYSIAKDAILY NEWS WRITER Monday, December 3rd 2007, 4:00 AM Egan-Chin for News DEP solution for sewer smells in Bay Ridge? Socks full of air freshener in drains, residents complain.It's the bureaucratic equivalent of trying to cover up bad body odor with Chanel No. 5.For more than a year, residents of one Brooklyn neighborhood have been complaining about a stomach-churning smell

Lee-Shakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03892729573567001443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448192739825462914.post-16522685647476607332007-12-03T19:45:00.000-08:002007-12-03T19:49:10.727-08:00

BY MATTHEW LYSIAK and JANE H. FURSEDAILY NEWS WRITERS Monday, December 3rd 2007, 4:00 AM Not everyone was as plucky as the Polar Bears of Coney Island.The weather outside was frightful but the Polar Bears found it delightful.On the first snowfall of the season - a little more than an inch fell in Central Park - 60 members of the Coney Island Polar Bear Club trudged down the icy Boardwalk to take

Lee-Shakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03892729573567001443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448192739825462914.post-63318570568836742612007-11-30T10:06:00.000-08:002007-11-30T10:08:21.147-08:00

BY MATTHEW LYSIAKSPECIAL TO THE NEWS Friday, November 30th 2007, 4:00 AM DeCrescenzo for News Rebecca Encalada Williams with her baby boy, Christian Jaden.Two quick-thinking cops delivered a baby boy who came unexpectedly above a popular pizza parlor in Bay Ridge.Police Officers Vito Viola and Lance Sigman came to the aid of Rebecca Encalada Williams, 27, after she went into labor on the floor

Lee-Shakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03892729573567001443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448192739825462914.post-20716474001533528122007-11-30T10:04:00.000-08:002007-11-30T10:05:49.107-08:00

By Matthew LysiakThe Brooklyn Paper The lines between politics and entertainment are always hard to distinguish, but things got a whole lot blurrier on Nov. 7, when radio host and Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa threw his beret into the political ring by announcing that he is considering a run for city public advocate.If he wins the 2009 race, Sliwa says he will abolish the position.“My

Lee-Shakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03892729573567001443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448192739825462914.post-4087375704781209042007-11-30T10:03:00.000-08:002007-11-30T10:04:14.257-08:00

By Matthew Lysiak | Special to amNewYork More Americans than ever are expected to congest the information superhighway this holiday in search of that elusive perfect gift, but those looking to play cyber-Santa better may soon discover that even the Web has a Grinch.That's because online consumers shouldn't expect good will from spammers and viruses whose plan is to decorate computer screens with

Lee-Shakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03892729573567001443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448192739825462914.post-20367240817577860172007-11-30T10:00:00.000-08:002007-11-30T10:02:21.921-08:00

Pathmark feels ripple effects of shift in NY grocery store sceneBy Andrew Lisa and Matthew Lysiak | STAFF WRITER and special to amNewYork November 29, 2007 Olivia Henderson doesn't know where she'll shop if there's any truth to the speculation that the Lower East Side's Pathmark will soon be demolished for a skyscraper."It's not like there's nowhere else to go," she said, motioning to her home at

Lee-Shakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03892729573567001443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448192739825462914.post-89203422923895636252007-11-28T06:03:00.000-08:002007-11-28T06:07:09.306-08:00

Mattel aims for status as must-have toyBy Matthew Lysiak | Special to amNewYork November 28, 2007 Hey, Ken! Get off the laptop already!That could be the new marketing cry if the virtual world of Mattel¹s new Barbie Girls -- the doll, MP3 player, and interactive computer game rolled into one -- is as big a retail hit this season as the company hopes.Barbie Girls is a slim, immobile doll that plays

Lee-Shakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03892729573567001443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448192739825462914.post-33265729575211107412007-11-28T06:00:00.001-08:002007-11-28T06:03:10.632-08:00

BY MATTHEW LYSIAKSPECIAL TO THE NEWS Tuesday, November 27th 2007, 4:00 AM A group of Internet-savvy Bay Ridge residents has punched through the gray world of HTML-code anonymity and is trying to clean up its neighborhood. Local business owner Jason Miller was joined by a group of fellow cyberactivists in an effort to push officials into action against a suspected crack house allegedly located on

Lee-Shakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03892729573567001443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448192739825462914.post-84531837335586581932007-11-21T11:42:00.000-08:002007-11-21T11:46:01.436-08:00

BY MATTHEW LYSIAKSPECIAL TO THE NEWS Tuesday, November 20th 2007, 4:00 AM 'Christmas' tree on Shore Parkway and 90th St. State Sen. Martin Golden refuses to rename 'holiday tree'.The Christmas is back in Christmas tree - at least in Bay Ridge.After demoting its evergreen to just a "holiday tree" a year ago, Bay Ridge will let a 17-foot Brooklyn evergreen regain the lofty title after snowballing

Lee-Shakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03892729573567001443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448192739825462914.post-61772065079703970812007-11-21T11:39:00.000-08:002007-11-21T11:42:02.618-08:00

BY MATTHEW LYSIAKSPECIAL TO NEWS Tuesday, November 20th 2007, 4:00 AM Now, that's an American Place. The community spoke, and American Place, a bargain clothing store that opened last month in Bay Ridge and is preparing to set up shop in Bensonhurst, listened. A week after residents outraged by cartons of cheap clothing on the sidewalk outside the store said "not in my neighborhood," the retailer

Lee-Shakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03892729573567001443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448192739825462914.post-13890878243751473172007-11-19T04:21:00.000-08:002007-11-19T04:28:53.814-08:00

BY MATTHEW LYSIAKSPECIAL TO THE NEWS Monday, November 19th 2007, 4:00 AM Some Bay Ridge educators just got schooled in the ABCs of unfair parking violations. A number of teachers from Public School 185 whose legally parked cars were towed by city workers into illegal spots, then later slapped with $60 fines, are vowing to fight the "outrageous" violations. "I am so upset at the unfairness of the

Lee-Shakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03892729573567001443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448192739825462914.post-26258428622501808142007-11-16T04:16:00.000-08:002007-11-16T04:17:53.481-08:00

Friday, November 16th 2007, 4:00 AM He's about to be booted off his morning radio gig in favor of Don Imus, but Curtis Sliwa is thinking about his next job - a run for city public advocate, the Daily News has learned.If he wins the 2009 race, Sliwa says he will do the booting. "My first day of office would be to tell everyone to pack up and go to the employment line because there is no

Lee-Shakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03892729573567001443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448192739825462914.post-3275135016450315532007-11-15T15:59:00.000-08:002007-11-15T16:02:05.084-08:00

By Matthew LysiakThe Brooklyn PaperBay Ridge’s pigeon man can be found most summer days on the corner of 79th and Third Avenue selling used books off a fold up table. When the guy spots a family walking by, he calmly extends his hand up in the air and moments later a pigeon swoops down and sits on it.Of course, the guy isn’t the reincarnation of St. Francis, he just hides some breadcrumbs in his

Lee-Shakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03892729573567001443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448192739825462914.post-88450515460037270412007-11-15T07:11:00.000-08:002007-11-15T07:14:48.292-08:00

By Matthew LysiakSpecial to amNewYorkNovember 15, 2007You better hope that eggnog is spiked ‹ the priciest Christmas trees in the world just got even pricier.That¹s because the soaring cost of Manhattan real estate is seeping through to the sidewalks, where tree dealers are already feeling the holiday pinch. This translates into bad tidings for city consumers already accustomed to paying

Lee-Shakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03892729573567001443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448192739825462914.post-1960875163802635562007-11-13T21:14:00.001-08:002007-11-13T21:14:51.629-08:00

Asians dominating larger part of Bensonhurst¹s Little ItalyBy Matthew Lysiak | Special to amNewYork November 14, 2007 It¹s official ‹ sushi now rules over ravioli 32-22 in Brooklyn¹s Little Italy of Bensonhurst.A recent walk down the famed Christopher Columbo Boulevard between 60th and 86th streets now tallies 16 Italian restaurants versus 17 Asian eateries.The count along 86th Street from 15th

Lee-Shakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03892729573567001443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448192739825462914.post-84000407589685712292007-11-13T17:18:00.000-08:002007-11-13T17:21:53.949-08:00

BY MATTHEW LYSIAKTuesday, November 13th 2007, 4:00 AM A Bay Ridge time capsule unearthed 47 years prematurely may finally find a new resting place - back in the same old hole. The unlikely scenario of the beleaguered time capsule, which had to be disinterred after its burial site was unexpectedly sold to a developer only three years into its time travel, has taken another bizarre twist as

Lee-Shakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03892729573567001443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448192739825462914.post-59722682298250702242007-11-13T17:10:00.000-08:002007-11-13T17:18:03.925-08:00

BY MATTHEW LYSIAKTuesday, November 13th 2007, 4:00 AM Mom-and-pop pizzerias may be giving way to pizza franchises in the Midwest, but in Tony Manero's old stomping grounds in South Brooklyn, customers still hunger for a slice of nostalgia. "I just don't understand how people can eat Domino's or those other pizza chains," said Filippo Giuffrie, who next month is opening up his own brick oven

Lee-Shakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03892729573567001443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448192739825462914.post-14282732039824307552007-11-08T18:35:00.000-08:002007-11-08T18:36:39.111-08:00

By Matthew LysiakThe Brooklyn Paper When a student at PS 101 was recently diagnosed with the feared “supervirus,” a notable event happened in our small corner of Brooklyn — communication.It was fast as it was efficient: the parents of the infected student learned of their kid’s diagnosis of MRSA, a “superbug” resistant to most drugs, on Oct. 26 and soon after informed the school’s administration,

Lee-Shakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03892729573567001443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448192739825462914.post-36390240572823132962007-11-08T18:32:00.001-08:002007-11-08T18:35:13.367-08:00

By Matthew LysiakThe Brooklyn PaperRoad-raging pols have dropped the legislative pens, called in the lawyers, and now must wait, wait, and wait some more.That’s was the news this Monday after Rep. Vito Fossella (R–Bay Ridge) and Councilman James Oddo (R–Dyker Heights) filed a lawsuit against the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to temporarily halt reconstruction work on the Verrazano

Lee-Shakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03892729573567001443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448192739825462914.post-82070197154406502972007-11-07T05:52:00.000-08:002007-11-07T05:53:55.852-08:00

Chic clothing store comes to BroadwayBy Matthew LysiakSpecial to amNewYorkNovember 7, 2007The British are coming! The British are coming!Topshop and its cheap, chic clothing are rumored to be invading stateside with an American flagship debuting in the heart of SoHo as early as this spring.The location at 478 Broadway, which could be up to 90,000 square feet of retail space, would replace

Lee-Shakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03892729573567001443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448192739825462914.post-22699597168292594742007-11-07T05:50:00.000-08:002007-11-07T05:52:55.382-08:00

BY MATTHEW LYSIAK Tuesday, November 6th 2007, 4:00 AM It's no Century 21! Bay Ridge residents are tossing their hangers at American Place, a bargain clothing store that opened last month that they say has become an eyesore - while local officials are questioning its legality. "Residents don't like messes, and this place is an absolute disaster," said Community Board 10 District Manager Josephine

Lee-Shakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03892729573567001443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448192739825462914.post-27927914934974399472007-11-02T10:35:00.000-07:002007-11-02T10:43:09.602-07:00

By Matthew LysiakSpecial to amNewYorkIn the idealistic vision dreamed up by officials in TriBeCa to put affordable housing in a location renowned as one of the priciest in the world, somethinghad to give.Now, local officials are learning a lesson renters and prospective first-time buyers learned long-ago: TriBeCa may be the last place to look for affordable housing, but not for a lack of

Lee-Shakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03892729573567001443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448192739825462914.post-22759748886878594252007-11-02T10:34:00.000-07:002007-11-02T10:35:26.196-07:00

By Matthew LysiakThe Brooklyn PaperNow that several weeks have passed since our community was tabbed the “steroid capital of the world,” at least one thing is clear, Bay Ridge deserves some answers.Lowen’s Pharmacy and Dolphin Fitness have been named by authorities in the ongoing steroid probe, yet only one charge has actually been filed, no one has been jailed, and even more inexplicably, all

Lee-Shakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03892729573567001443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448192739825462914.post-41116812232455556542007-11-02T10:32:00.000-07:002007-11-02T10:34:05.345-07:00

By Matthew LysiakThe Brooklyn PaperOnce you hit 330, that’s when everything really goes down hill.More than 100 residents showed up last Saturday at the New Utrecht Reformed Church to celebrate the old parish’s 330th birthday with an old-fashioned church dinner, followed by worship and stories chronicling three centuries of enduring the elements.“It’s the third-oldest continuous structure in

Lee-Shakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03892729573567001443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448192739825462914.post-34526805829790661182007-11-01T05:09:00.000-07:002007-11-01T05:11:13.084-07:00

BY MATTHEW LYSIAKSPECIAL TO THE NEWSWednesday, October 31st 2007, 4:00 AM It's almost like stealing candy from babies.Furious Bay Ridge parents say they are being slapped with $115 double-parking violations by NYPD traffic enforcement agents while picking their kids up from day care - even when they're only briefly out of their cars. "I turned around, and three minutes later they scanned

Lee-Shakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03892729573567001443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448192739825462914.post-79677131994032903512007-10-31T04:44:00.000-07:002007-10-31T04:48:30.916-07:00

A mall grows in BrooklynCity poised to approve Downtown centerAn artist's rendering of the proposed Downtown Brooklyn shopping center. (October 31, 2007) By Matthew Lysiak | Special to amNewYork October 31, 2007 Pick up your marriage license, pay parking tickets and shop for a new scarf -- all without leaving the building.That could be a reality in Downtown Brooklyn if the plan to convert the

Lee-Shakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03892729573567001443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448192739825462914.post-1469653385047282512007-10-31T04:42:00.000-07:002007-10-31T04:44:40.065-07:00

New tech lends self to murky moralityBy Matthew LysiakSpecial to amNew YorkIf you like pina coladas, and getting caught in the rain, then a new product may be for you.That's because for professionals looking for workplace discretion and cheaters searching for a forbidden rendezvous, new technology may make life a little easier.The new innovation, which lets senders cover up unwanted tracks, is

Lee-Shakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03892729573567001443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448192739825462914.post-90398626504682146052007-10-26T14:37:00.000-07:002007-10-26T18:41:47.300-07:00

BY MATTHEW LYSIAKSPECIAL TO THE NEWSThursday, October 25th 2007, 4:00 AM The mother of a seven-week-old infant is steamed after workers at Floyd Bennett Field swooped down when she began breast-feeding, the woman said.A female manager and a male security guard pressed Jessica Richards, 31, to stop breast-feeding her infant son, Liam, in public and move to a filthy bathroom - before she was

Lee-Shakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03892729573567001443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448192739825462914.post-43031325019846003422007-10-25T16:49:00.000-07:002007-10-25T16:52:36.590-07:00

By Matthew Lysiak | Special to amNewYork October 25, 2007 What good is neighborhood integrity if no one can afford to enjoy it?That is the question facing residents of Bay Ridge who are coping with the loss of several beloved structures that have recently fallen prey to developers. The issue is hardly unique to Bay Ridge, but the ongoing debate has been amplified in the close-knit community that

Lee-Shakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03892729573567001443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448192739825462914.post-56590019380582656222007-10-25T15:27:00.000-07:002007-10-25T15:29:36.841-07:00

By Matthew LysiakThe Brooklyn PaperSo the foul smell wafting from the Owls Head sewage treatment plant may stink, but it’s not going to kill us.That big news was dumped on residents by the environmental consulting firm R.J. Lee Group at last Monday’s meeting of Community Board 10. But while local pols were busy hiring expensive consulting firms to tell residents what they already knew — that the

Lee-Shakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03892729573567001443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448192739825462914.post-49709511280929227952007-10-25T15:26:00.000-07:002007-10-25T15:27:55.697-07:00

By Matthew LysiakThe Brooklyn PaperThe odors coming out of the Owls Head Water Pollution plant may never fully be contained — but the good news is that the smell won’t kill you!Those are the main findings of a $13,000 study unveiled at last Monday’s Community Board 10 meeting.“The odors are not a source of dangerous chemical or biological emissions,” said Farrell Melnick, a spokesman for R.J. Lee

Lee-Shakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03892729573567001443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448192739825462914.post-73407194236995359412007-10-25T15:25:00.000-07:002007-10-25T15:26:41.038-07:00

By Matthew LysiakThe Brooklyn PaperOctober surprise for state Sen. Marty Golden — but he sure raised a lot of money.Mayor Bloomberg was the guest of honor at an Oct. 17 fundraiser for Golden (R–Bay Ridge) at Gargiulo’s in Coney Island — and the $500-per-plate dinner raised a whopping $300,000 for Golden’s still-undeclared candidacy.But those looking for an indication of what office Golden will

Lee-Shakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03892729573567001443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448192739825462914.post-35027984907974744602007-10-25T15:22:00.000-07:002007-10-25T15:25:02.369-07:00

By Matthew LysiakThe Brooklyn Paper More than two-dozen activists joined officers from the 68th Precinct to fight the scourge of graffiti along Seventh Avenue near 80th Street on Saturday — and in doing so, drew a strong distinction between the real thing and the sidewalk chalk drawings made by that cute 6-year-old from Park Slope.Two weeks after graffiti “vandal” Natalie Shea received her

Lee-Shakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03892729573567001443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448192739825462914.post-84935404855627683612007-10-25T15:21:00.000-07:002007-10-25T15:22:03.867-07:00

By Matthew LysiakThe Brooklyn PaperOne resident’s against-the-tide crusade to return ferry service to the 69th Street pier may finally be hitting smoother waters.On Oct. 1, transportation activist Heather McCown sent Mayor Bloomberg a 1,400-signature petition that demanded a ferry from the 69th Street pier to Lower Manhattan — and last Wednesday, the mayor’s office responded with a message of its

Lee-Shakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03892729573567001443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448192739825462914.post-43156868697936742842007-10-24T12:52:00.000-07:002007-10-24T12:53:37.774-07:00

Historic hotel fails to draw major retailersBy Matthew LysiakSpecial to amNew YorkOctober 24, 2007 As the Plaza Hotel celebrated its 100-year anniversary with a surreal fireworks show and grandiose remembrances of the century that earned it its reputation as the brand name for Manhattan luxury living, the spirit of Eloise must have been dancing to the festivities.But now there are few corks left

Lee-Shakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03892729573567001443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448192739825462914.post-57763032225572761332007-10-24T12:50:00.000-07:002007-10-24T12:52:10.143-07:00

Mozilla to take popular Internet browser mobileBy Matthew LysiakSpecial to amNew YorkOctober 19, 2007It is official: Mozilla's popular Firefox browser will be coming to mobile phones in 2008.Mozilla's transition into the mobile market has been the subject of much speculation in recent years, but after citing an increase in consumer demand and the success of the iPhone, the tech titan has decided

Lee-Shakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03892729573567001443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448192739825462914.post-28876513547862105402007-10-19T06:46:00.000-07:002007-10-19T06:48:05.195-07:00

By Matthew LysiakThe Brooklyn PaperLocal activists are asking if the destruction of three beloved Bay Ridge Victorian homes is the beginning of a broader trend. Well, this columnist has an answer — let’s hope so!And while were at, let’s take down the whole Victorian mindset!For those of you who don’t spend your free time trolling through the blogosphere, the controversy centers around the

Lee-Shakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03892729573567001443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448192739825462914.post-64992634598136308222007-10-19T06:44:00.000-07:002007-10-19T06:46:32.890-07:00

By Matthew LysiakThe Brooklyn Paper Talk about an extreme makeover!Three elegant Victorian homes on 74th Street between Third and Fourth avenues, beloved by locals for their simple beauty, have been reduced to rubble — and will be replaced by five three-family townhouses, according to the Basile Builders Group, which owns the property.“The townhouses should be done by the summer of 2008,” said

Lee-Shakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03892729573567001443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448192739825462914.post-62009381910867110912007-10-19T06:43:00.000-07:002007-10-19T06:44:35.454-07:00

By Matthew LysiakThe Brooklyn PaperFive months after drug enforcement authorities raided Lowen’s, the popular pharmacy at the corner of Third Avenue and 69th Street, state investigators pounded down the doors again on Tuesday, this time seizing enough raw powder to make nearly a million doses of human growth hormone.And cops arrested one worker at the pharmacy, according to NYPD spokesman Paul

Lee-Shakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03892729573567001443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448192739825462914.post-82577806384359916052007-10-19T06:41:00.000-07:002007-10-19T06:43:23.756-07:00

By Matthew LysiakThe Brooklyn Paper Two local merchants are under scrutiny for the “disgusting” display in front of their stores — they’re using the sidewalk as part of the selling floor, officials say.Community Board 10 District Manager Josephine Beckmann said her office has been in touch with law enforcement and the Department of Sanitation in its struggle against After School Rules, on the

Lee-Shakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03892729573567001443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448192739825462914.post-50500772001510952432007-10-18T12:44:00.001-07:002007-10-18T12:45:46.936-07:00

New technology keeps tabs on habits — and locationBy Matthew Lysiak | Special to amNew York October 17, 2007 It is a scene straight from a science fiction novel.Imagine walking down Fifth Avenue and as you approach 66th Street getting a text message for 20 percent off a made-to-order dress shirt at the Brooks Brothers just around the corner.Well, the future could be now if Acuity Mobile, a mobile

Lee-Shakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03892729573567001443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448192739825462914.post-24709629936754322432007-10-11T17:26:00.001-07:002007-10-11T17:28:26.642-07:00

By Matthew LysiakThe Brooklyn PaperThe best thing about the 1960s, at least according to this columnist, was that they ended before he was born. Despite all the oft-repeated flowery nostalgia, I always envisioned it to be a particularly anti-intellectual decade: heavy on chanting and marching and light on reasoned discourse.Now the ’60s are back, at least in Bay Ridge, as a new anti-war group

Lee-Shakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03892729573567001443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448192739825462914.post-9465799988643083172007-10-11T17:25:00.000-07:002007-10-11T17:26:46.830-07:00

By Matthew LysiakThe Brooklyn PaperThis politically fractured community has finally found a common cause — everyone is united in opposition to a toll increase on the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge.The rare showing of political hand-holding comes as Republicans and Democrats both blasted the Metropolitan Transportation Authority for calling for a one-dollar toll hike in next year’s budget.Assemblywoman

Lee-Shakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03892729573567001443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448192739825462914.post-85892322980054085252007-10-11T17:23:00.000-07:002007-10-11T17:25:26.352-07:00

By Matthew LysiakThe Brooklyn Paper It’s a landslide: Bay Ridge commuters want a ferry to Manhattan!More than 1,400 people have now signed Heather McCown’s petition demanding the long-dreamed-about 12-minute ride to from the 69th Street pier to Lower Manhattan, and now she wants to hand the petitions directly to Mayor Bloomberg.She wouldn’t only be delivering the petitions, but a message:

Lee-Shakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03892729573567001443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448192739825462914.post-64338383184757260242007-10-11T17:21:00.000-07:002007-10-11T17:23:24.986-07:00

By Matthew LysiakThe Brooklyn PaperTwo local Republicans are going pumpkin to pumpkin to see who can host the most festive Halloween celebrations during this scary season.The festivities kick-off at noon on Oct. 20, at Leif Ericson Park, which is located at 66th Street and Fort Hamilton Parkway, where Rep. Vito Fossella will be hosting “Pumpkin Patch in the Park,” which will include live music,

Lee-Shakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03892729573567001443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448192739825462914.post-4011631159722454042007-10-11T10:42:00.000-07:002007-10-11T10:45:38.712-07:00

By Matthew Lysiak | Special to amNew York It's official: Tommy Hilfiger has arrived on Bleecker Street.The store, the first of its kind to cater exclusively to women, opened its doors at 375 Bleecker Street on Sept. 28. The hope is that the famous street's trendy image will now rub off on the upscale clothing line -- that is, unless Bleecker's 15 minutes have already expired.Hilfiger certainly

Lee-Shakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03892729573567001443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448192739825462914.post-11851739414820306652007-10-10T11:51:00.000-07:002007-10-10T12:02:09.770-07:00

By Matthew LysiakSpecial to amNewYork The Bronx is expanding, so you don’t have to. At least that’s the motto of New York Sports Club, whoannounced last week that they will soon be moving to the Bronx. But the hip Manhattan-centric club’s expansionmay do more than signal a shrinking of waistlines— it could also mean an acceleration of the merchantchain trend that has been sweeping through

Lee-Shakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03892729573567001443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448192739825462914.post-88620492765483787762007-10-04T12:05:00.000-07:002007-10-04T12:07:27.508-07:00

By Matthew Lysiak | Special to amNewYork October 3, 2007 It's groundbreaking, innovative, the wave of the future -- and a pain for merchants.The highly touted new Windows Vista software may turn out to be everyone's operating system heading into the next decade, but at present it has amounted to one big headache for computer dealers.That's because the software that promised to make life easier,

Lee-Shakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03892729573567001443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448192739825462914.post-80404585889762126592007-10-04T12:03:00.002-07:002007-10-04T12:05:25.383-07:00

By Matthew LysiakThe Brooklyn PaperFor one week every fall, residents of Bay Ridge set aside their differences to do what they do best — party.This year was no different. With three unique festivals in seven days, the party felt like it never ended. But taken together the celebrations remind us all of why life at the end of the R continues to be Brooklyn’s best-kept secret.The secret can be

Lee-Shakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03892729573567001443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448192739825462914.post-80170933127509597592007-10-04T12:03:00.001-07:002007-10-04T12:03:56.706-07:00

By Matthew LysiakThe Brooklyn PaperUncle Sam keeps knocking — but they aren’t answering.Eight weeks after a freak storm struck, Bay Ridge’s tornado-ravaged Asian-American community still won’t apply for Uncle Sam’s handouts.As of Monday, $400,000 in aid has flowed into Brooklyn — but that amount would be higher if some residents better understood the system, according to the Federal Emergency

Lee-Shakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03892729573567001443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448192739825462914.post-30416286360547395562007-09-27T17:47:00.000-07:002007-09-27T17:50:16.861-07:00

By Matthew LysiakThe Brooklyn PaperThe revolution began with a click. For those who believe all those stereotypes about Internet chat rooms making the world a less personal place, an abject lesson can be learned from one group of local cyber-geeks.That’s because Internet-savvy residents of Bay Ridge are now witnessing a new form of community activism, as a group of locals on the popular chat site

Lee-Shakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03892729573567001443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448192739825462914.post-40683562697884292232007-09-27T17:45:00.000-07:002007-09-27T17:47:44.273-07:00

By Matthew LysiakThe Brooklyn Paper Seven weeks after the once-in-a-lifetime tornado touched down in Bay Ridge, life for the handful of households in the tornado’s angry path has not returned to normal.Ida Thomas didn’t need to wait for President Bush to declare her Narrows Avenue block a disaster area — all she had to do was look at her property.“I’ve had to borrow money from friends and family

Lee-Shakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03892729573567001443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448192739825462914.post-17385351563564669712007-09-27T17:42:00.000-07:002007-09-27T17:45:20.252-07:00

By Matthew LysiakThe Brooklyn PaperTornado-ravaged residents of Brooklyn have been knocking on Uncle Sam’s door looking for some cash — and it looks like he has finally answered.This week, $300,000 will begin trickling into the area — an amount that will grow as more people apply, according to the Federal Emergency Management Administration spokeswoman Barbara Lynch.“The money is coming real soon

Lee-Shakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03892729573567001443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448192739825462914.post-80512603642752913132007-09-27T17:39:00.000-07:002007-09-27T17:42:20.376-07:00

By Matthew LysiakThe Brooklyn PaperParishioners of the tornado-ravaged Fourth Avenue Presbyterian Church didn’t let the shortage of light diminish their worship on Sunday.Members of the congregation were just glad to get back in their pews for the first regular service since the tornado twisted through the building on Aug. 8.“I have heard people say it was a miracle that no one was hurt,” said

Lee-Shakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03892729573567001443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448192739825462914.post-45075946516806691472007-09-27T17:37:00.000-07:002007-09-27T17:39:08.793-07:00

By Matthew LysiakThe Brooklyn Paper So this is the future? Well, not exactly.When a group of civic-minded history buffs buried a time capsule on Dec. 11, 2003 to be opened 50 years in the future, few realized they would all live to see the day it was unearthed.But it was. This week. Forty-six years early.That was the unlikely scene on Monday at the Fort Hamilton Harbor Defense Museum, where the

Lee-Shakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03892729573567001443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448192739825462914.post-31009974605694746122007-09-27T17:36:00.000-07:002007-09-27T17:37:08.800-07:00

By Matthew LysiakThe Brooklyn PaperCouncilman Domenic Recchia, who once talked about running for borough president, will instead go after five-term Rep. Vito Fossella (R–Bay Ridge).The Sheepshead Bay Democrat hasn’t made a formal announcement, but didn’t waste any time coming up with his campaign theme: linking Fossella to deeply unpopular President Bush and his ongoing troubles in Iraq.“The

Lee-Shakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03892729573567001443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448192739825462914.post-39023928888223660982007-09-26T16:25:00.000-07:002007-09-26T16:28:13.998-07:00

By Matthew Lysiak | Special to amNewYork Parents looking to do any back-to-school shopping for their kids at a popular Upper West Side mainstay this week were instead greeted by the face of death.After more than 60 years of outfitting children for summer camp and supplying their back-to-school clothes, the old Morris Brothers store at the corner of West 84th Street and Broadway reopened last

Lee-Shakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03892729573567001443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448192739825462914.post-10647819647144539032007-09-21T17:26:00.000-07:002007-09-21T17:28:56.330-07:00

By Matthew LysiakSpecial to AM New York The fresh aroma of coffee—I wanna be sedated. At least that’s the refrain coming out of the Bowery after word hit the blogs that a Starbucks may be taking over the former Adams Restaurant Supply store on the southwest corner of Bowery and Houston was leaked on the web. A representative for the coffee titan, who declined to be named, wouldn’t deny the move,

Lee-Shakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03892729573567001443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448192739825462914.post-6787266299719537792007-09-21T16:57:00.000-07:002007-09-21T17:01:16.638-07:00

By Matthew LysiakThe Brooklyn PaperCity Councilman Vince Gentile thinks he’s solved the mystery of Bay Ridge’s great hum-conundrum. But this columnist isn’t ready to award him a MacArthur grant.The lawmaker was obviously responding not only to local complaints of a hum coming from the water near the Owls Head sewage treatment plant, but also a series of columns I’ve done about the mysterious

Lee-Shakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03892729573567001443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448192739825462914.post-48781850562881427912007-09-21T16:53:00.000-07:002007-09-21T16:57:31.533-07:00

By Matthew LysiakThe Brooklyn PaperWe tolerate them going through our garbage and roaming the streets at night, but when they start screaming at the kids, someone has to draw a line.That someone is Michael MacIntyre, who fought back after raccoons started verbally abusing local children.“For some reason, this year the raccoons are particularly aggressive,” said MacIntyre, who lives on 84th Street

Lee-Shakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03892729573567001443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448192739825462914.post-22340150894738710312007-09-21T16:50:00.000-07:002007-09-21T16:53:00.741-07:00

By Matthew LysiakThe Brooklyn PaperLocal concern that the Alpine Cinema’s heralded four-star rescue would be a box office bomb appears to be much ado about nothing.Owner Nicolas Nicolaou is making good on his promise to restore the run-down Bay Ridge landmark to its 1920s-era glory. Like all good things, it just takes a little time, according to the owner.“You must understand that I am committed

Lee-Shakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03892729573567001443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448192739825462914.post-71664065245042804612007-09-21T16:46:00.000-07:002007-09-21T16:50:14.830-07:00

By Matthew LysiakThe Brooklyn Paper Move over, 1960s Boston Celtics, 1970s Pittsburgh Steelers, and 1400s Ming — there’s a new dynasty in town.A group of ordinary men representing Areo restaurant has become the stuff of legend by winning the Bay Ridge Restaurant and Bar Softball League Championship for the seventh consecutive year.Like most paths to greatness, this one was fraught with peril.In

Lee-Shakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03892729573567001443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448192739825462914.post-80894177486625434502007-09-13T05:44:00.000-07:002007-09-13T05:46:14.887-07:00

By Matthew LysiakThe Brooklyn PaperState Sen. Marty Golden (R–Bay Ridge) has his platform, an open field, and a fund-raising apparatus — and he may have even found a date to announce his run for mayor.As we reported last March, Golden has definitely dipped his toe in the Republican-light mayoral waters for 2009, but he hasn’t fully jumped in.But that may change in a few weeks, when Mayor

Lee-Shakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03892729573567001443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448192739825462914.post-30236876245637042622007-09-13T05:42:00.000-07:002007-09-13T05:44:55.346-07:00

By Matthew LysiakThe Brooklyn PaperA local hero wasn’t in his usual place behind the bar, but he was in everyone’s memories.Dyker Height’s firefighter Joseph Graffagnino, 33, who died in the Deutsche Bank blaze last month, was honored on Sept. 11 at the Salty Dog, the Bay Ridge tavern where he used to tend bar.Graffagnino died alongside Robert Beddia in the August fire at the crippled financial

Lee-Shakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03892729573567001443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448192739825462914.post-35499247544774735112007-09-07T20:30:00.000-07:002007-09-07T20:34:49.083-07:00

By Matthew LysiakThe Brooklyn Paper A mysterious gang of marauding plant thieves has been yanking flowers and snagging herbs right out of the gardens of some lush homes in Bay Ridge.At least 12 residents in a seven-block radius awoke two Fridays ago to discover that someone had used clippers to swipe their cherished shrubbery.Residents were aghast at the sheer barbarism of the act.“I was crying

Lee-Shakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03892729573567001443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448192739825462914.post-81791453928952634552007-09-07T20:28:00.000-07:002007-09-07T20:30:52.072-07:00

By Matthew LysiakThe Brooklyn PaperA new predator is prowling local playgrounds and swimming pools, patiently waiting for the instant a distracted mom turns her head, then, in the blink of an eye — gone!But don’t call Chris Hanson just yet, because these perps are leaving the kids and snagging the strollers.That’s right, a serial-stroller thief is on the loose in Bay Ridge and nervous moms are

Lee-Shakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03892729573567001443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448192739825462914.post-90539661472133758282007-09-07T20:26:00.000-07:002007-09-07T20:28:20.194-07:00

By Matthew LysiakThe Brooklyn PaperPresident Bush will send disaster relief funds to victims of the Aug. 8 storm that unleashed a tornado on Bay Ridge — but the White House is only sending money to Queens, not Brooklyn.As you might imagine, local officials in Bay Ridge are buzzing like a Category 1 twister.“People are having difficulty recovering from the tornado because the process for making a

Lee-Shakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03892729573567001443noreply@blogger.com0