A woman left a dog tied up outside Mars Bar on Wednesday night. She claimed that some kids gave her the dog over by the Allen Street Domino's Pizza. A Mars Bar patron currently has the dog, but can't keep it much longer. After this she will be dropped off and left at Animal Care and Control, who will destroy the dog if no one claims her within 72 hours. She's medium size, perhaps 45 pounds, black/dark brown with white. Looks to have had litters, sweet to people but not so great with other dogs. She was wearing a collar and a leash but doesn't have tags or a microchip.
So far this calendar year, the number of New York City murders has jumped a scary 22 percent over the same period last year -- from 86 slayings up to 103 this year.
In addition to murders, the number of shootings has soared to 246 -- a 21.2 percent jump over the same period last year.
There are also more rapes, which are up 11.3 percent, and felony assaults, which have spiked nearly 6 percent. Burglaries have increased 3.6 percent.
Bloomberg noted that the total number of such crimes is "still very low" compared to the sky-high rates seen in years such as 1990, when murders hit an annual record of 2,245.
But he and others admit that the NYPD's shrinking manpower level -- from 41,000 cops in 2001 down to about 35,000 today -- could be playing a factor in the increased crime rates. The city expects to shed around 1,300 officers in the upcoming fiscal year through attrition, and also is threatening to lay off a whopping 3,150 cops if the state slashes related funding.
One top police official said, "There are just a lot less people out there . . .."
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The Local: East Village (LEV) is looking for a consulting editor to assist in the planning and development phase leading up to the launch of the site in summer 2010, and carrying over to the first few months of operation.
The consulting editor will work directly with the editor of LEV. Responsibilities include:
* planning future coverage of local issues;
* recruiting potential contributors from the East Village community;
* producing high quality journalism from and about the East Village to run on the site in late summer and fall
This is not a full time position but a part-time paid consulting gig that would begin May 1 and end October 31. Requirements for the position and the criteria for evaluating candidates are:
— Journalism background: You have at least three years professional experience as a reporter, news blogger or editor for a news organization or site.
— Local knowledge: You live in the East Village and have lived there for a minimum of three years (East River to Broadway, 14th to Houston Streets.) You know the neighborhood intimately.
— Web literacy: You have a good command of web journalism and are comfortable with its forms and requirements.
— Independence from NYU: You are not an employee of NYU, or in a consulting role for any other division of the University.
If you are interested in the position and would like to know more about the duties, expectations and rate of pay, send a resume and cover letter to Rich Jones, Editor of The Local: East Village via email and cc Jay Rosen.
Nisha Kewalramani, a yoga teacher with the Universal Force Healing Center in New York City. She earned her bachelor's in psychology from NYU and her yoga certification form The Ayurvedic Institute in Albuquerque, N.M.
