By Paula Katinas
Bay Ridge — Everyone attending the opening night of the Bay Ridge Festival of the Arts had a favorite — a painting or photo they were drawn to and couldn’t stop gazing at.
For Lucy Ciancio, it was “Dancing the Tango,” a striking portrait painted by Michael Maggio of a couple locked in a dance-floor embrace, the women’s fishnet stocking-covered leg stretching boldly into the air.
“It’s very beautiful,” Ciancio said, as she looked at the painting and smiled. read more
Business leaders Jim Clark and John Abi-Habib participated in the roundtable discussion with U.S. Rep. Michael Grimm (left to right). Eagle photo by Paula Katinas
By Paula Katinas
“This is one of the few moments in your life when you are meeting with an elected official and he’s not doing all of the talking!” U.S. Rep. Michael Grimm told a group of business owners he had invited to a roundtable discussion he was hosting on April 11.
Grimm made it clear to the business owners that he wanted to meet with them to hear what their concerns were, how hard it is to run a business in New York City, and about how it could be made easier. read more
Members of the Guild for Exceptional Children, including CEO and Executive Director Paul Cassone (rear, fourth from right) thank state Sen. Marty Golden (rear, fifth from right) for the $250,000 in state funding he secured for the Guild. Eagle photo by Paula Katinas
By Paula Katinas
The recession has hit the Guild For Exceptional Children hard, according to Paul Cassone, CEO of the nonprofit agency for the developmentally disabled. The Guild’s New York State funding was cut by $1.5 million in 2011, he said.
The cutback comes at a bad time, too, according to Cassone.
While funding it going down, the Guild is looking to step up. The agency is seeking to expand the array of services it provides to hundreds of clients, including housing, vocational classes and job training, Cassone said. read more
Members of Theresa’s Heart Foundation, organized in memory of Theresa Brunetto, a Dyker Heights resident who passed away from an extremely rare form of cancer last year, will hold a Stand Up to Cancer Mother’s Day Shopping Event on Thursday, May 10, at Garfield’s Lounge, 274 Fourth Ave., from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m.
All proceeds will be donated to the St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital and Relay for Life to aid in cancer research, organizers said.
The event itself will feature 25 different vendors offering a variety of merchandise just in time for Mother’s Day. Food and entertainment, including a deejay, will also be provided. Tickets are $20 ahead of time or $25 at the door. read more
There is good news for those who enjoy kayaking and other water sports. The 69th Street Pier is being fitted with an eco-dock, thanks to $300,000 in city funds obtained by Councilman Vincent Gentile.
An eco-dock is a type of floating dock that has to be affixed to a pier.
Joanne Seminara, chair of Community Board 10, said she’s excited about the eco-dock.
“Man your kayaks!” Seminara told board members at their April 19 meeting. “We are preparing to welcome a brand new thing called an eco-dock to the 69th Street Pier this spring.”
June Johnson, chair of the board’s Parks Committee, and members of her committee will get a preview of what the eco-dock will look like and how it can be used at a special presentation by city representatives to take place at the Bay Ridge Library, 7205 Ridge Boulevard, on April 26.
“This is a program that is part of the citywide Waterfront Revitalization Program, which recommends and facilitates new regulations to broaden the use of our waterfront and make it more accessible for development and public use,” Seminara said.
Amanda Marucci
By Paula Katinas
Bay Ridge — Amanda Marucci’s determination is something to behold.
“I love singing. I love performing. I want to make that my career and I’m going to go for it!” the enthusiastic 16-year-old said.
She is already on her way.
Marucci, who has performed numerous times in Broadway-type shows presented by Ridge Chorale/Jeff Samaha Productions, was voted the “Audience Favorite” in the First Annual Teen Idol talent competition sponsored by the Bay Ridge Community Council last year. She brought the audience to its feet with her mature, self-assured version of the Les Misérables classic “On My Own.” read more
Hit or Miss Treasures is located at 7114 Fifth Ave. Photo by M.K. McGarrity
By M.K. McGarrity
Hit or Miss Treasures is a used furniture, antiques and jewelry emporium that brings out the hunter in all of its customers.
The store is packed with merchandise. From the front windows, filled with gorgeous beads and crystals, to the tables outside the door, stacked with socks and other personal items, there is something in this spot for just about everyone.
Upon entering the shop, jewelry, all of which is new, spreads from the front window to alongside an entire wall and the front counter area. You can find necklaces, bracelets and earrings for every imaginable style or trend. Colorful beads are strung and hung aloft. read more
By Paula Katinas
It’s a delicious dinner theater production!
A leading theater group is teaming up with a book store and restaurant owners to present a unique dinner theater experience for audiences looking for a night of “murderous” fun.
There’s a tribute to “I Love Lucy” thrown in for good measure.
Jeff Samaha Theater Productions/Ridge Chorale and The BookMark Shoppe, in a association with Request Entertainment, Cebu and Gold Coast restaurants, and Capri Nightclub, will present “Trouble at the Tropicabana,” an audience-participation murder mystery with lots of laughs, at Capri Nightclub, 437 88th St., on Friday, April 27, at 7 p.m. read more
Zoe Koutsoupakis
By Paula Katinas
Bay Ridge — In the 30 minutes that this reporter sat with Zoe Koutsoupakis in her office at Marathon Bank of New York, the phone on her desk rang no less than 10 times. Yes, she’s that busy!
Koutsoupakis is a senior vice president and regional manager for Marathon Bank of New York, a job that puts her in charge of the day-to-day operations of four of the bank’s branches in Brooklyn and Staten Island.
On this day, she was sitting in her office, located in the back of Marathon’s branch on Fifth Avenue. read more
Pictured (left to right) at Xaverian’s “All Hands on Deck Reunion” are Bay Ridge Eagle Editor-in-Chief Rick Buttacavoli (Class of 1998), Guild for Exceptional Children CEO/Executive Director Paul Cassone (Class of 1972), Internship Director Ana Loposky, Justice Matthew D’Emic (Class of 1970), Assistant to Special Events Marie Lane and Joe Patella (Class of 1989). Eagle photo by Georgine Benvenuto
By Rick Buttacavoli
“Do you know Rick, our editor-in-chief? He’s a Xaverian grad.”
That was how it all started. A simple exchange of pleasantries between Eagle Sales Manager Marc Hibsher and Marie Lane, Xaverian High School’s assistant to special events, at a community event last October would lead to my enrollment as a mentor in the school’s groundbreaking new Intern Program at Xaverian (IPAX).
Internship Director Ana Loposky, who I knew from my time as a student at Xaverian, emailed me just a few days later with all the details. The program, designed to give honor students a chance to explore potential careers while gaining “real world” experience, was to run once a week from November 2011 through the end of February 2012.
There were two students interested in journalism, so I was asked if I could mentor both of them. I immediately agreed and both Lane and Loposky voiced their gratitude. In truth, I should have been thanking them. This was exactly the type of opportunity I had been looking for — a chance to impart whatever wisdom I had gained in my nearly 10-year career unto young men who, despite an uncertain professional climate for newspapers, still had an interest in the field I fell in love with when I was their age. The fact that I was once in their shoes — literally — made it a perfect match. read more
New York/John F. Kennedy Intl Airport, NY
Last Updated on May 19 2013, 9:51 am EDT
Weather by NOAA
Current Conditions: Light Rain Fog/Mist
Temp: 56°F
Wind: SE at 12mph
Humidity: 93%
Windchill: 53°F
Advertise