Keith Kelly

4 days ago | otdowntown.com | Keith Kelly

The NYPD has quietly begun to write criminal violations, as oppossed to traffic tickets, for e-bikers and pedal bikers alike that it catches violating traffic regulations such as running red lights and driving the wrong way down one way streets and on sidewalks. The move is sure to be applauded by pedestrians who have been complaining to community boards, city council members and at NYPD's monthly community council meetings for years.

1 week ago | otdowntown.com | Keith Kelly

Mayor Eric Adams released his final budget proposal for next year, on May 1, calling for more money for police, education and housing while predicting that the city's tax coffers would slow to one percent in the coming fiscal year. "This budget is a testament to our commitment to making New York City safer, more affordable, and the best place to raise a family," Adams said.

1 week ago | otdowntown.com | Keith Kelly

A bicyclist was struck and killed in Soho on May 1 when he fell from his bike and was struck by the rear wheels of a tequila delivery truck on Broome St.An accident video viewed by Straus News showed the driver of a parked car opened his door into traffic and the biker, unable to stop, collided with the door and rolled a short distance away where he was subsequently struck by the rear wheels of a tequila delivery truck.

2 weeks ago | otdowntown.com | Keith Kelly

A beloved grandmother and community figure was gunned down on a Harlem street when she went to investigate the source of a commotion outside of her apartment on Lenox Ave. and was caught in the crossfire between two men. A memorial of candles and flowers was growing outside the home of the victim, Excenia Mette, 61, who was one of the first black woman to open a bodega in Harlem in the 1980s.

2 weeks ago | otdowntown.com | Keith Kelly

The Roosevelt Hotel has already announced plans to lay off nearly 100 employees in mid-June as the city no longer needs what was called "the new Ellis Island" during the height on the migrant crisis. The Pakistan government which has owned the 101-year-old hotel for over a decade, have begun to solicit bids for what is expected to be a tear down and rebuild a new supertall tower on the site.