Samantha Max

2 weeks ago | gothamist.com | Samantha Max

Gabrielle Vines lives in an apartment in Fort George that’s both cluttered and empty. There are giant storage bins filled with her grandmother’s possessions, an old washing machine that’s no longer in use and a closet stuffed with photo albums. But Vines has hesitated to make the space her own. “I’ve been scared to put in any major furniture, like a new couch or coffee table or anything, or a TV, because at any moment I could just kind of be evicted,” she said one evening in late March.

3 weeks ago | gothamist.com | Samantha Max

A former FDNY chief who pleaded guilty to a bribery scheme was sentenced to three years in prison on Wednesday. Anthony Saccavino used to lead the Bureau of Fire Prevention, which oversees fire safety systems in residential and commercial buildings across the city. A federal grand jury indicted him and another former chief, Brian Cordasco, on corruption charges in September.

3 weeks ago | gothamist.com | Samantha Max

New York City’s jails are getting an outside manager to protect the constitutional rights of people in custody, a federal judge announced Tuesday. Judge Laura Taylor Swain said in a new ruling that she will appoint an independent “remediation manager” to improve conditions on Rikers Island, which has long been plagued by violence and other abuses.

3 weeks ago | gothamist.com | Samantha Max

New Yorkers, usually bereft of information about the judges they see on election day ballots and in the courtroom, can now dig into the records of more than 1,200 judges across the state, using a new website. Scrutinize, a judicial transparency group, has launched a database that includes extensive information about every active state judge. It also shows which judges are up for reelection or reappointment.

3 weeks ago | gothamist.com | Samantha Max

Mister Softee played hardball against a competitor, and it could lead to a deal sweeter than a vanilla swirl. But not for the other ice cream man. Last summer, the companies that own Mister Softee and its Bronx spinoff filed a lawsuit in federal court, accusing a rival ice cream truck operator of trademark infringement. Mister Softee Inc. and SPABO Ice Cream Corp. said Jesus Ramos Valdes lured away customers in the Bronx by selling ice cream out of a truck painted with their trademarked blue trim.