🌱 Teens Escape Apartment Fire + Mask Mandates Return To Venues

Rise and shine, Lower East Side-Chinatown! I am your host, Patrick Murray, bringing you today's top 4 headlines from the neighborhood.

First, today's weather:

Cooler with a chance rain, high of 44, low of 38.

Here are the top stories today in Lower East Side-Chinatown:

1. Two teens are in stable conditions after escaping an apartment fire by climbing out of a fifth-floor window. The fire broke out in the Lower East Side apartment building, before the 18-year-old girl and 13-year-old boy made their way to safety by shimmying down a pole outside of their apartment window. After firefighters put out the blaze, they found one deceased male, and a 46-year-old woman who was taken to the hospital in critical condition. (Kenosha News)
2. Justice Rowan D. Wilson rejected an appeal of the lawsuit East River Park ACTION et al v. the City of New York and denied a motion to block the work being done on the East River Park. Co-counsels Arthur Schwartz and Kathryn Freed had charged that Mayor de Blasio was in contempt of court, arguing that the demolition of the park had continued despite the Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) that was still active. (The Village Sun)
3. The Bowery Ballroom and Mercury Lounge announced that they would be enforcing mask mandates for all concert goers. Patrons are expected to remain masked for the "entirety of the visit while not actively eating or drinking.” The decision comes in the wake of the recent spike in nationwide COVID-19 cases. (Bowery Boogie)
4. Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr. announced the indictment of Kenrick Cowan, for the July hit-and-run death of 24-year-old Borkot Ullah. Cowan is charged with manslaughter in the second degree, assault in the second degree, and leaving the scene of an incident resulting in death without reporting for fatally hitting Ullah who was riding his bicycle. Cowan struck Ullah, a delivery worker, while he was involved in a high-speed-chase with NYPD officers. (Press Release Desk)

Today in Lower East Side-Chinatown:

• Teen Book Club at the YMCA Two Bridges. (10:30 a.m.)
• "Covid Crime," a play to raise awareness for anti-Asian hate crimes. Free admission. (3 p.m.)
• Radical History Walking Tour of the Lower East Side. (3 p.m.)
• A Night in Brooklyn with Tommy Watson, The Delancey. (6 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• Content Animal Haven and learn more about potential companions like Juno! (Facebook)
• Here are some tips and tricks on how to take care of yourself, courtesy of the Lower East Side Harm Reduction Center. (Facebook)
• The first ever concert streamed to YouTube Live from the Tenement Museum. (Facebook)
• Help be a part of the Grand St. Settlement's next special mural on the Lower East Side (Facebook)

More from our sponsors — thanks for supporting local news!

Events:

• Amahl & the Night Visitors — Family Opera at Sands Point Preserve (December 18)
• 'Christmas in Italy' Concert — Italian/English music, singers, dance, holiday songs (December 18)
• Brighten The First Day Of Winter With 15 Percent Off FTD’s Sunniest Blooms (December 21)
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• Building Lot For Sale Pocono's (Details)
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You're officially in the loop for today! I'll be in your inbox tomorrow with another update.

— Patrick Murray