Hector Canonge will offer English classes for local residents at the Magic Touch Laundromat in Inwood on Tuesdays and Thursdays as part of a public art project.

Hector Canonge, a local multimedia artist, launched The Inwood Laundromat Language Institute to offer English classes to newcomers from Central and Latin America. 

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New York State Assemblyman Guillermo Linares has outlined his plan to help protect outer borough livery cabs.

Manhattan assemblyman Guillermo Linares lays out his recommendations for the protection of livery cab drivers in the outer boroughs, addressing permits, the livery insurance fund, and the continued allowance of street hails and prearranged calls for livery cabs. more>

Beginning Fri., June 17 the empty storefront at 4157 Broadway near West 175 Street, a former pharmacy, will be turned into a temporary bookstore called "Word Up." more>

Lehman College junior and Washington Heights resident Genill Reynoso, 19, shares the story of immigrant struggle in her award-winning essay "Sin Nombre" ("Without a Name").

Genill Reynoso, a native of the Dominican Republic, won a prize for her essay titled "Sin Nomber," which translates to "without a name" or undocumented in the nonfiction category at the "Making Labor's History Visible" contest held at Lehman College. Reynoso's essay tells a story of an undocumented Dominican immigrant and the struggles she faces living in the U.S. more>

Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. responds to Mayor Bloomberg's plan to create an "outer-borough taxi," whose drivers would have to purchase one of 1,500 new yellow medallions. In an effort to protect livery drivers, Diaz opposes the linking of yellow medallions to the new taxis and wants to limit the new fleet to street hails only. more>

Thousands of livery cab drivers and their supporters attended an organized rally in front of City Hall to protest again a plan proposed by the Bloomberg administration and the Taxi and Limousine Commission this past Mon., June 6th. more>

"We are all excluded here," said Cira Angeles, owner of LA Riverside Car Service, who spoke on behalf of a broad coalition of livery cab bases and drivers. "This plan has been designed around the yellow cab industry, not us. We have not been taken into account."  more>

For years, bodegas have been the target of fast-cash-seeking criminals who prey on their vulnerability. As the economy continues to drag and people are pushed to tighten their belts, bodegas remain on the line as prime targets. more>

Last month's release of the first detailed set of data from the decennial U.S. Census count shocked many Northern Manhattanites when it was revealed that Washington Heights, Inwood, and Marble Hill in the Bronx had lost a total of 17,751 residents. more>

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance, Jr. said his office has seen an increase in violent crimes in the last year with over 325 cases involving knives and guns. In about a fourth of those cases, the suspects were 18 years old or younger. more>

After the city shut 29 senior centers earlier this year and cut a number of other services, including an elder-abuse program and a healthy aging initiative, many advocates for seniors are alarmed that these measures create isolating and potentially dangerous circumstances for the elderly. more>

In July parents across Manhattan learned whether their children got into a universal pre-K class this fall. Borough-wide, two-thirds of kids didn't get a seat. more>

The proposed co-location of two schools: Hamilton Heights and P.S. 153 could mean cutting their popular arts programs as well as limiting enrollment. more>

For Antonio Frias, who came to New York two years ago from Colombia on a work visa and is quick to point out his legal status, giving out all of his information to the government still feels too risky, he said. more>

In Northern Manhattan and the Bronx – which combined are home to the largest community of Dominicans outside of the small Caribbean island – the idea that Dominican Americans would have another layer of elections raises numerous questions and could disrupt the already fractious political world. more>

The bill, which would require landlords to negotiate the renewal of a lease with their commercial tenants or face binding arbitration, has garnered 30 sponsors in the City Council, more than enough to pass. But it has run into significant resistance from Council Speaker Christine Quinn and Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

VIDEO :: Steve Barrison, Esq. spoke at NY City Hall Rally on Small Business Survival Act on June 29, 2009. more>

With immigrant communities with a large number of residents living invisibly off the books, Washington Heights and Inwood are always at risk of producing distorted numbers. more>

AUDIO :: NPR's economic analyst Marilyn Geewax discusses the pros and cons of the national wage hike. more>

WNYC reports a public hearing on mayoral control of New York City's public schools. more>

“If it’s rent versus the chain, there goes the chain,” De La Rosa said. more>

Over the past few issues of the Manhattan Times, we reported on the effects of the city’s budget gap of billions of dollars. The one thing we haven’t reported on, however, is outraged protest by our readers. more>

The first, an apartment building—550 Fort Washington Avenue, one of the first tenant-owned buildings in the city and a beacon of non-profit housing and tenant’s rights; the second, one of the building’s most notable inhabitants—Ann Zalesky, a lifelong resident of Washington Heights and a community and political activist who for years fought to save 550 Fort Washington Avenue. more>