Photo by Avi.
August 23, 2012 Weather: Partly Cloudy, High of 84 Degrees.
Notices:
Events today include a free showing of The Big Lebowski in Central Park, and a free folk-gospel-Southern-style Lincoln Center concert.
The parks department will cut the ribbon today on $900,000 in improvements to Neufeld Playground in Riverside Park around 76th Street. Among the improvements: “The amenities feature two restored play areas including one for toddlers and one for older children.  New play units, swings and a play house were included. We installed state-of-the-art safety surfacing, a wall for sitting around the sandbox, and an accessible sand table for children with mobility challenges. The asphalt pavement and safety surface was replaced along with a new drinking fountain and benches. The existing plantings were augmented. The blue stone risers and asphalt pavement at the step ramps were also removed and replaced with new bluestone risers with hexagonal asphalt pavers to improve access to Riverside Park.”
News:
Wilfred Matthews, a 43-year-old former maintenance worker at the Williams Memorial senior residence on West 95th Street, was arrested and charged with murdering 95-year-old Williams resident Peter Lisi on Dec. 23, 2011. Lisi had been strangled and beaten. Matthews had been found using Lisi’s Metrocard shortly after the murder but told police he had found it on the ground. He was dismissed from his job, but never charged. As months passed without an arrest, residents of the home grew concerned. Matthews lawyer says he’s innocent and the case is “very circumstantial.” (Daily News and DNAinfo)
80’s pop star Jennifer Rush (we don’t remember her either) sold her San Remo apartment for $5.2 million, 16% above the asking price of $4.5 million. (Curbed)
About $1.4 billion in MTA funds could go away after a conservative Long Island judge declared a payroll tax unconstitutional. Subway riders, this could be bad. (Second Avenue Sagas)
More about the philanthropy project behind the free Neil Young concert next month in Central Park. (NY Times)
