The New-York Historical Society is planning to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Harry Potter’s literary arrival in the United States with an exhibit stocked with writings, books and objects taken from a wide range of Potter-powered collections. The exhibition, “Harry Potter: A History of Magic,” doesn’t launch until Oct. 5, but advance tickets will be made available to the general public starting in April (New-York Historical Society members can RSVP as early as Feb. 14). The show will include drawings by author J.K. Rowling as well as artwork by Jim Kay and Mary GrandPré, two of the illustrators best known for their work in the series. It was 1998 when Rowling’s “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” was first published on this side of the pond, a year after it was issued in the United Kingdom. The story of the boy wizard has grown from book to series to film series to a cultural genre, and such institutions as the British … [Read more...] about ‘Harry Potter: A History of Magic’ to open at the New-York Historical Society
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2 women dead after East New York fire: Police
Two women died after an unattended space heater caused a fire in a Brooklyn apartment building early Wednesday morning, police and fire officials said. The three-alarm fire started on the first floor of the four-story building on Belmont Avenue in East New York at about 1:30 a.m., an FDNY spokesman said. The women, who were unidentified, were found on the second floor and taken to The Brookdale University Hospital and Medical Center in critical condition. They were later pronounced dead, according to police. There were no working smoke alarms in the apartment where the women were found, the FDNY said. “They had a smoke alarm, but the smoke alarm was not working,” FDNY Commissioner Daniel Nigro said. Two other civilians and one firefighter had nonlife-threatening injuries, the FDNY said. Nearly 140 fire personnel were at the scene and the blaze was under control at about 3:40 a.m., the FDNY said. The Red Cross was at the scene assisting displaced residents. Nicole Brown is … [Read more...] about 2 women dead after East New York fire: Police
1,837 bridges in New York are ‘structurally deficient’: Report
New York State is home to 1,837 bridges and elevated roadways that the federal government considers to be “structurally deficient,” new data show. Those bridges, which represent about 10.7 percent of all elevated spans in the state, include the recently rehabilitated Brooklyn Bridge and several elevated spans of the Belt Parkway and Gowanus Expressway in Brooklyn, according to the federal data that was crunched by the American Road & Transportation Builders Association. In total the association outlined repairs for 17,437 bridges in the state at a total cost of $67.7 billion. The Whitestone Expressway, as it winds over Flushing Creek, also made the list. Ultimately, nine out of the state’s top 10 most-traveled, structurally-deficient bridges are in New York City. Those nine bridges serve 1.3 million vehicle crossings each day, according to the report, which is released annually. The old Kosciuszko Bridge made the top 10 list, however data was collected before … [Read more...] about 1,837 bridges in New York are ‘structurally deficient’: Report
Andrew Luck in New York: On Peyton, Letterman, Fleener, and beating Cal
Andrew Luck is in NYC, and so is the Merc’s Dan Brown, who is covering the draft for the BANG Empire. Luck conducted a Q & A session with reporters not long ago, Brown was there, and sent me this transcript. I’ve added my quick topper (which means the next few graphs are me, not Dan)… -General point: Reading these Luck answers reminded me again of those silly reports a few months ago speculating that Luck might try to leverage his way to a hand-picked NFL team. That was just never going to happen. If you knew Luck one iota, you knew that holding the NFL Draft hostage was just impossible for him to consider. Biggest reason: It’s just not who he is. Luck is grinning and gritting through the pre-draft hubbub right now, but he hates the hubbub. You think he’d want his NFL career kicked-off with a Luck Circus Hold-Out? No chance. He’s going to a tough situation in Indianapolis–follow Peyton Manning on a team that properly went 1-15 last year and … [Read more...] about Andrew Luck in New York: On Peyton, Letterman, Fleener, and beating Cal
Sharks reportedly have interest in New York Rangers goalie Cam Talbot
The Sharks are one of a handful of teams that reportedly have interest in acquiring New York Rangers goalie Cam Talbot, as they look to fill one of their greatest needs with Antti Niemi all but certain to test the market as an unrestricted free agent. TSN’s Darren Dreger tweeted earlier Thursday that the Rangers have received multiple trade offers, as the Oilers, Flames, Sharks, Sabres, Stars and Panthers have expressed interest. Dreger also noted that Edmonton, Buffalo and San Jose are “pretty eager.” The New York Post’s Larry Brooks noted in his column on Saturday that the “safest bet going into the June 26-27 draft weekend is the Blueshirts will indeed trade Cam Talbot. Several well-placed sources report there is a ‘significant’ amount of interest in the soon-to-be 28-year-old goaltender.” Steve Zipay of Newsday tweeted that Talbot would command a second round pick, plus another piece. The Rangers are one of the more cap-strapped teams … [Read more...] about Sharks reportedly have interest in New York Rangers goalie Cam Talbot