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Black Seed Takes Over De Robertis Space; Fake UPS Man Commits Gunpoint Robbery

(Photo: Scott Lynch)

(Photo: Scott Lynch)

At 3:30 a.m. on January 27, three individuals followed a man home to his S. 6th Street apartment, where they assaulted him into unconsciousness and stole his wallet and electronics. [Brooklyn Paper]

A man impersonating a UPS delivery person and his two accomplices robbed a Williamsburg couple at gunpoint in their apartment on Saturday, according to police. The thieves made off with $300. [DNA Info]

De Robertis Caffé‘s home for the past eleven decades will soon be occupied by a new tenant: Black Seed, the Nolita-based bagel shop. [Grub Street]
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Activists and Assemblyman Demand Air Testing in Wake of Williamsburg Fire

(Photo: Daniel Leinweber of Razberry Photography)

(Photo: Daniel Leinweber of Razberry Photography)

State Assemblyman Joseph R. Lentol is the latest to express concern about the possible health impact of the massive blaze that erupted on the Williamsburg waterfront early Saturday morning.
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As Church Offers Rest For the Weary, Greenpointers Are Wary

"Glowing Homeless," a neon sculpture made in response to the death of a man in McGolrick Park. (Photo: Fannie Allie)

“Glowing Homeless,” a neon sculpture made in response to the death of a man in McGolrick Park. (Photo: Fannie Allie)

At the start of last week, as the streets of Greenpoint became eerily empty, ten homeless men crawled into roll-out cots found in the basement of the Lutheran Church of the Messiah. While the rest of the city braced for the onset of a blizzard, these men were able to close their eyes with pillows under their heads rather than the usual wooden park benches.
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At New Museum, Pole Dancing Without the Tassels and Police Hassles

(Photo courtesy of New Museum)

(Photo courtesy of New Museum)

If you thought pole dancing was just a thing for strippers and dance instructors (or strippers turned dance instructors), you thought wrong. It’s a thing for art galleries too. This Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. artists Brennan Gerard and Ryan Kelly will be showcasing their exhibition P.O.L.E.—People, Objects, Language, Exchange—at the New Museum Lobby Gallery. The exhibit will be on daily at 1 p.m., 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. from February 4 to 15. The main attraction is Two Brothers, where a colorful array of entertainers—from exotic dancers to contemporary artists to those ever embattled subway performers —will perform around two 16-foot brass poles.
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Beloved Deliveryman Dies; Tenants Return to Building After Alleged Slumlord Banned

(Photo: Scott Lynch)

(Photo: Scott Lynch)

Beloved delivery man Bill Meier of Williamsburg’s Best Pizza died yesterday. He was in his 50s. [Eater NY]

During day one of his manslaughter trial yesterday, it was revealed that the fingerprints of ​Julio Acevedo—the driver involved in a March 2013 hit-and-run that killed an expectant couple—were found on a bag of frozen rats retrieved from the trunk of the BMW he allegedly left behind. Prosecutors said the rats were intended to feed Acevedo’s pet boa constrictor. [NY Post]

Rent-stabilized tenants of 300 Nassau Avenue in Greenpoint will be able to return home following an exodus more than a year ago when owner Joel Israel allegedly axed the electrical system. A judge has banned Israel from entering the building. [Brownstoner]

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There Are Still Working Artists in the LES, and This Show Aims to Prove It

Samoa, Bob Ross, 2014. Oil on canvas, 30 x 24 inches.

Samoa, Bob Ross, 2014. Oil on canvas, 30 x 24 inches.

Although Bill Rice, Robert Mapplethorpe, and many other Lower East Side legends are just ghosts, art in that storied neighborhood is alive and well.

That’s what the show “All | Together | Different” aims to prove. Opening on Thursday, Feb. 12 at the Manny Cantor Center, it’s a survey of current Lower East Side artists. The exhibit, which includes nearly 100 artists ranging in age from 29 to 92, celebrates those who “steadfastly engaged with the forever-changing and forever-the-same neighborhood,” according to a press release. Those who fled to Williamsburg, not welcome.
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Tuscan Restaurant-Retail Hybrid ‘Coming Soon’ to Union Square

(Photo: Daniel Maurer)

(Photo: Daniel Maurer)

Over the weekend we noticed signage for Mi Garba up at 129 Fourth Ave., the former home of Dryden Gallery Space near Union Square. According to the Post, the company, which stocks European supermarkets with freshly prepared Tuscan foods, is planning a 10-table restaurant where clothing items and food and wine will also be for sale.
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