As we all know, Long Island City is a great place to live. Yet due to its nascency, there are several crucial resources that have yet to emerge. One of these is a locally-based youth sports program for kids over five years old. So I have decided to form one. It will have a very modest start this winter with a [Read more…] about LONG ISLAND CITY YOUTH SPORTS LEAGUE AND KIDS BASKETBALL COMING IN JANUARY
Kids
THE BEST SCHOOL DISTRICT IN THE NATION

Two weeks ago, a list of the best public school districts in the U.S. was published. Normally I don’t put much faith in these subjective top-10’s, but when I saw who was ranked #1, I knew they got it right. No, it wasn’t LIC/PS78, …yet, but we’ll get to that. Instead, it was Edgemont, a small school district in southern Westchester. As it turns out, the Editor of this rag grew up in Edgemont.
While a lot of people may focus on academics as the reason for its top ranking, I can tell you as an insider and as anyone who grew up in Edgemont will confirm, this is just one piece of the winning formula. Now I’d be the first to say that I had some outstanding teachers, whose influence is still imbedded in me today. But there were also a handful of clunkers, just like in any great school district.
Setting academics aside (for the time being let’s just call it the fixed variable. Though some may view it as immovable), there are two other equally important pieces of the puzzle: [Read more…] about THE BEST SCHOOL DISTRICT IN THE NATION
MASSIVE NEW REC CENTER COMING TO HUNTERS POINT

This is all a dream we dreamed one afternoon long ago.
A new recreation center is coming to Hunters Point, and will be lodged at the base of Hunters Point South (HPS) Phase 2. The 44,000-square-foot space will offer tons of amenities: two pools, including a lap pool and a rec pool with a large slide and water features, a large gymnasium for basketball, volleyball, and indoor sports clinics, a wellness center with cardiovascular and strength training equipment, large group [Read more…] about MASSIVE NEW REC CENTER COMING TO HUNTERS POINT
DID THE NY TIMES GRAB A LEDE FROM LICTALK?

Or is it lead? I don’t know, what do you think this is, a newspaper? Well whatever you want to call LICtalk, as everyone in the city knows there are two news sources of record in this city: us and The New York Times. While I must admit that they are a formidable competitor, sometimes it’s necessary to share the spotlight, especially on a controversial topic where the narrative is seemingly aligned. Anyway, yesterday The Times published an article entitled “Affordable Housing That’s Very Costly.” This came five days after my story about the fairness of Hunters Point South being set aside as affordable housing. While both of us questioned the use of ultra-luxury apartments for subsidized shelter, probably the biggest difference in the two tales was [Read more…] about DID THE NY TIMES GRAB A LEDE FROM LICTALK?
MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND 2014 HAS COMETH TO LIC

And I’m outta here, but here’s a couple of notes that might be of interest if you’re sticking around for the weekend, and I’ll even throw in a rumor. [Read more…] about MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND 2014 HAS COMETH TO LIC