Back in March, the economy forced developer Bruce Ratner to scale back plans for a 76-story Frank Gehry-designed building called Beekman Tower to just a 38- (or 40-) story structure. Now, the NY Times reports that a deal between Ratner’s company and labor unions will help save “as much as 20 percent on labor costs” and allow construction to resume at Beekman Tower. Forest City Ratner executive MaryAnne Gilmartin said, “We’re thrilled to be going back to work. It’s a great project and a great building .” Beekman Tower, which will be

The nutritional counselor Jared Koch has a few ideas about what makes for a good, nutritious restaurant meal, but the last thing he wants to do is get preachy about it. He wants you to enjoy your food. Together with food writer Alex Van Buren , he’s written a guidebook called Clean Plates NYC , which eschews numerical grading systems, star systems, and riffs on restaurant design in order to just focus on supper. Rather than cast a myopic eye toward the antioxidizing properties of plums, or romancing the red cabbage, Clean Plates aims to identify some of the more nutritious, decent meals to be had in the city for the vegan, locavore, and meat-eater…

This post-Memorial Day weather stinks! Yesterday’s high of 61 degrees was 15 degrees below normal, and WCBS 2 reports , “Friday will be a changeable day. There could be some rain in the morning, then possibly some sun will poke through the clouds during the afternoon. The more sun we see, the better chance for strong thunderstorms later in the day as a cold front approaches the area. ” Yes, more sun=more thunderstorm possibility! WCBS 2 meteorologist Mike Latella explains, “Add sunshine to an unstable atmosphere and an approaching cold front. That is the recipe for thunderstorms.” Today’s weather will vary—low to mid 70s in the city but in the 60s along the coast. But keep the faith: Saturday will be sunny, with highs in the upper 70s (there is a small threat of a shower late in …

Back in 2005, Glenn Storman, a guidance counselor at P.S. 212 in Gravesend, entered a special education classroom in which a fifth-grader was kneeling on his chair cursing at the teacher. What happened next is a matter of debate: Storman says he happened to be holding a rolled up piece of paper when he told the boy to “zip it.” But according to the Times , the student says Storman ” brushed the paper against his lips and embarrassed him .” After an investigation, Storman got an unsatisfactory rating in his annual review, which is a big deal because it prohibits him from getting extra work as a summer school teacher and a tutor. But after a long legal battle, it looks like the alleged paper punisher will be …

Photograph by heathbrandon on Flickr New Yorkers aren’t exactly known for a “sharing is caring” attitude, but cab riders across town may soon be forced to make room in the back seat for total strangers, if several new proposals are approved by the Taxi and Limousine Commission. Today the TLC will meet to discuss and possibly vote on three pilot programs they say would help reduce congestion, make more cabs available, and pull in extra money for hacks. Under consideration: In a pilot program, 1,000 yellow cabs would be equipped with meters that could calculate two fares at once, allowing cabbies to stop en route and pick up additional …