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Tag: central park

  • Thousands of runners race Abbott Dash to the Finish Line 5K ahead of TCS Marathon

    NEW YORK CITY (WABC) — Thousands of runners geared up to kick off the TCS New York City Marathon in the Abbott Dash to the Finish Line 5K.

    On Saturday morning, nearly 10,000 runners of all ages participated in the race to Central Park.

    Participants started on Manhattan’s east side near the United Nations and raced through Midtown Manhattan to the TCS NYC Marathon finish line in Central Park.

    The Abbott Dash is one of 60 adult and youth races produced bylocalnonprofit New York Road Runners.

    The race was headlined by the USATF 5K Championships, with 2023 runner-up Ahmed Muhumed and 2023 champion Annie Rodenfels capturing this year’s titles.

    Runners can find their Abbott Dash finish time on the New York Road Runners race results page.

    ABC 7 New York is your home for the TCS NYC Marathon, and our Countdown to the Starting Line Special with Liz Cho and David Novarro airs on Saturday after Eyewitness News at 11:00 p.m.

    Joining Liz and David will be Eyewitness News Meteorologist Brittany Bell with a look at the iconic 5-borough course. Eyewitness News Sports Anchor Ryan Field has reports on which top runners to look for, and Sports Anchor Sam Ryan will have an update on the exciting Wheelchair Division this year.

    ABC7/WABC-TV and ESPN2 have been home to the award-winning TCS New York City Marathon broadcast since 2013.

    ALSO READ: How to watch the 2025 TCS New York City Marathon

    Copyright © 2025 WABC-TV. All Rights Reserved.

    WABC

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  • Ghosts hunting, from The Dakota to Central Park to ‘Spook Central’

    UPPER WEST SIDE — Meet the famous phantoms of Manhattan’s Upper West Side.

    Authors Leanna Renee Hieber and Andrea Janes joined Localish to shed light on storied hauntings in their book “America’s Most Gothic: Haunted History Stranger than Fiction.” Hieber also guides tours for Janes’ company, Boroughs of the Dead. The walking tours revolve around the sites behind New York City’s ghost stories.

    Hieber describes the Upper West Side as very vibrant – and that includes its paranormal scene.

    The Upper West Side’s “got a lot of life, and so its stories of the afterlife are similarly vibrant and relational.”

    The Dakota Apartments at West 72nd Street and Central Park West is a perfect example. It’s been the focus of ghost stories from the get-go.

    One of the building’s notable ghosts belongs to the man who developed the Dakota in the 1880s.

    “Edward Clark had made all his money by being the lawyer who helped Isaac Singer get the patents for the Singer Sewing Machine,” explains Hieber. “The Singer Sewing Machine money went into what at the time was known as ‘Clark’s Folly,’ a nickname given to the building by skeptics of its location on an all-but-barren Upper West Side.”

    Clark died in 1882, before the building was completed. He’s said to have stuck around to make sure the building stayed up to snuff.

    “Workmen have noticed a figure and when they see a picture of Edward Clark they’re like, ‘That’s the guy who was watching over some of the renovations through the years.”

    A couple of the Dakota’s most famous tenants included John Lennon and Yoko Ono. Hieber said Ono has spoken of witnessing her late husband appear in their apartment and reassure her. The beloved former Beatle was shot to death outside the building’s entrance in 1980.

    Appropriately, Boris Karloff, who played the original Frankenstein, once lived on the building’s basement level. Rumor has it, children were too afraid to visit for trick or treating.

    Movie buffs might recognize the building’s exteriors from 1968’s “Rosemary’s Baby,” and just a few blocks away you’ll find “Spook Central” and Tavern on the Green in Central Park, a couple of sites featured in 1984’s “Ghostbusters.

    Central Park’s Boat Pond is home to a pair of Victorian sisters, clinging to one of the period’s favorite pastimes.

    “The Van Der Voort sisters are a ghost story that perpetuated after the 19th century,” explains Hieber. The duo is said to be spending the afterlife ice skating away… in the shadow of the Dakota apartment building, no less.

    “America’s Most Gothic: Haunted History Stranger than Fiction” is available now at Amazon and other book sellers.

    You can book at tour with Boroughs of the Dead at its website.

    CCG

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  • Color Theory: 10 Perfect Plant Combinations for Autumn – Gardenista

    “I don’t do frilly,” say Diane Schaub, director of gardens at Central Park Conservancy. We are standing under the shade of an old magnolia in the English garden, one of three smaller gardens within Central Park’s six-acre Conservatory Garden near the northeast corner of the park. Schaub, who earned a diploma from the New York Botanical Garden’s School of Professional Horticulture, has been curating the Conservatory Garden for more than 30 years. And while she does not do frilly, she does do color and texture, breathtakingly well. She has a painter’s eye for composition and an architect’s instinct for structural detail.

    Below, we share her best color combinations for fall garden beds:

    Photography by Marie Viljoen for Gardenista.

    Burgundy + Green

    Above: “This is as frilly as I go,” she clarifies, indicating a velvet-leafed plant with burgundy leaves, beside the bluestone path. The plant in question is a Solenostemon (formerly classified as Coleus) and the cultivar is ‘Lancelot.’
     Solenostemon
    Above: Solenostemon ‘Lancelot’ (paired with Salvia ‘Paul’) belongs to a crew of leafy annuals whose impact is felt dramatically in this garden, where the seasonal spectacle owes a great deal to plants whose interest lies in their foliage.

    Purple + Yellow + Blue

    If you thought leaves were boring, think again. Solenostemon
    Above: If you thought leaves were boring, think again. Solenostemon ‘Purple Prince’, black-leafed Dahlia ‘Mystic Illusion’, and Salvia farinacea ‘Victoria Blue.’

    Purple + Red

    Elephant-eared Colocasia esculenta
    Above: Elephant-eared Colocasia esculenta ‘Black Magic’, Solenostemon ‘Redhead’, and Agastache cana ‘Heather Queen.’

    Purple + Lilac

    A bed of Pennisetum setaceum 
    Above: A bed of Pennisetum setaceum ‘Rubrum’, Salvia x ‘Indigo Spires’, the leafy and lilac-striped Strobilanthes dyeranus, and elephant-eared Colocasia esculenta ‘Blue Hawaii’. The latter “makes the whole composition work,” says Schaub. Dark purple Pennisetum ‘Vertigo’ is in the background.
    The English Garden is arranged in beds radiating from a central pond overhung by the largest crabapple tree in Central Park, leaves now turning yellow. Designed by Betty Sprout and opened in 1937, this part of the park was by the 1970s considered one of the most dangerous places in New York City. In 1980, the Central Park Conservancy was formed in response to the neglect the park had suffered in the previous two decades. Its founding director, Elizabeth Rogers, earmarked the Conservatory Gardens for renovation.
    Above: The English Garden is arranged in beds radiating from a central pond overhung by the largest crabapple tree in Central Park, leaves now turning yellow. Designed by Betty Sprout and opened in 1937, this part of the park was by the 1970s considered one of the most dangerous places in New York City. In 1980, the Central Park Conservancy was formed in response to the neglect the park had suffered in the previous two decades. Its founding director, Elizabeth Rogers, earmarked the Conservatory Gardens for renovation.

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  • Finneas and Ashe Reveal That They Started the Favors in Secret—Now They’re Storming the Stage

    Before the show, Willson was feeling hopeful. “It’s nice that we don’t have to carry the load by ourselves in this one,” she said. “Finneas is going to go on and make more solo records, as will I. But we have this special little moment where we can lean on each other—and I want more of that.”

    Later on, O’Connell described the genesis of the album in a slightly more poetic way. “Ashe and I have all these ghost stories about New York,” he told the audience. “We kept on telling them to each other, and that’s how this album came together.”

    The Favors, which includes bandmates David Marinelli and Ricky Gourmet, are touring, but it’s a strictly limited engagement. On September 18, they played a show on the stage attached to Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles, and they’ll be playing one final show as a part of the Austin City Limits festival this weekend. The rarity of the moment was reflected in the night’s crowd: O’Connell shouted out his longtime girlfriend Claudia Sulewski—his fiancée as of last week—and his parents, Maggie Baird and Patrick O’Connell, who were all in the audience. The VIP platform was full of the band’s friends, including actors Skyler Gisondo and Juliana Joel.

    O’Connell and Willson were comfortable onstage, switching positions from center stage to behind the piano and sipping from their personal cocktails. “Can I take my shoes off?” Willson asked with a laugh, before slipping them off. The night ended with a tandem dance, choreographed in advance.

    Erin Vanderhoof

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  • Mayor Adams calls for end to NYC horse-drawn carriage industry; City Council says for political gain | amNewYork

    Hizzoner says ‘neigh’ to horse-drawn carriages in the city.

    Mayor Eric Adams on Wednesday endorsed legislation to ban horse-drawn carriages in New York City. This policy shift follows years of advocacy, public safety concerns, and high-profile animal deaths.

    Adams, who also signed an executive order directing agencies to prepare for the industry’s end, called on the City Council to swiftly pass Ryder’s Law, a bill that has languished for more than a year.

    The measure would phase out the horse-drawn carriage industry by halting the issuance of new licenses and banning carriage operations entirely starting June 1, 2026.

    It also requires that retired horses be placed in humane settings, barring their sale for slaughter or to other carriage businesses. In addition, the bill directs the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection to create a workforce development program to help drivers and other employees transition into new jobs.

    Executive Order 56 directs city agencies to prepare for the industry’s end, increase oversight and enforcement, create a process for drivers to voluntarily return their licenses, and identify new employment opportunities for workers.

    “While horse-drawn carriages have long been an iconic fixture of Central Park, they are increasingly incompatible with the conditions of a modern, heavily-used urban green space,” Adams said in a statement.

    “It’s not about eliminating this tradition,” Adams said. “It’s about honoring our traditions in a way that aligns with who we are today.”

    Adams emphasized that his administration will work with drivers as the city transitions away from horse carriages. “We will not abandon the drivers themselves, who are honest, hard-working New Yorkers,” he said, noting that the city is considering new programs for electric carriages.

    ‘Opportunistic and not helpful’

    Calls to end the industry have intensified in recent years after a string of high-profile incidents involving carriage horses. In Aug. 2022, a horse named Ryder collapsed in Hell’s Kitchen during a heatwave, sparking outrage from animal advocates. Ryder later died of cancer that October.

    Animal rights activists and politicians, including City Council Member Robert Holden, have led the charge to pass the horse’s namesake law since Ryder’s death.

    Last month, another horse, Lady, collapsed and died from an aortic rupture near Times Square.

    Other incidents this year have raised additional safety concerns, including runaway horses bolting through Central Park.

    Since Ryder’s now famous collapse, Councilmembers Holden and Erik Botcher have been peddling legislation that would outlaw horse carriages and replace them with electric carriages. Holden argues that the shift would benefit both the animals and the drivers since the promised machines would be able to run year-round and in any temperature.Photo by Dean Moses

    Last month, the Central Park Conservancy, for the first time, took sides in the off-again, on-again, years-long controversy between carriage drivers and animal rights supporters by calling on city officials to end horse-drawn carriages in the park.

    An ‘absolute disgrace,’ union says

    Transport Workers Union Local 100, which represents about 200 carriage riders in the city, has long called the proposed ban  “outrageous” and a move that would be a “devastating blow” to its members.

    TWU Local 100 President John V. Chiarello said Mayor Adams’ backing of the ban was an “absolute disgrace” and a betrayal of working-class New Yorkers. 

    “It’s disappointing to see Adams, who is polling dead last in the mayor’s race, now abandon hardworking people who make their living taking part in an age-old New York tradition,” Chiarello said. 

    A spokesperson for the NYC Council said Ryder’s Law is continuing through the legislative process, criticizing Mayor Adams for using the issue for political gain. 

    “The Council appreciates that this is a difficult and emotional issue for many New Yorkers, which has persisted for decades. Mayor Adams politically using it for his reelection campaign is opportunistic and not helpful,” the spokesperson said. 

    “Mayor Adams and Randy Mastro have no credibility in the legislative process after the Council was forced to override their vetoes of grocery delivery worker and street vendor bills that their administration had supported,” they added.

    Mastro: City Hall ‘meeting the moment’ on industry

    Responding to criticism that the mayor’s timing is politically motivated, First Deputy Mayor Randy Mastro described such claims as “emotional” and said Mayor Adams is merely “meeting the moment”  following the series of horrific incidents involving horse-drawn carriages. 

    “A consensus is developing that there’s a need to act now and to phase out this industry,” Mastro told amNewYork. “So this legislation has been pending for a year or more in the city council. It has 21 co-signers, which means it’s very close to passage, and the mayor hopes that the council will also meet the moment.”

    The First Deputy Mayor said that TWU 100’s comments in response to Adams’ announcement used “rhetoric that’s totally uncalled for,” especially since his executive order directs city agencies to “find new jobs for these workers” and to “recognize and compensate those who voluntarily return their licenses.”

    Mastro urged council leadership to expedite hearings and a vote, saying the legislation is necessary to legally end the carriage business and ensure a structured transition, saying they have a “moral imperative” to do so. 

    On the possibility of new roles for current carriage drivers, the First Deputy Mayor suggested that potential opportunities could include roles in a prospective electric carriage industry, city government driving positions, and other jobs involving horses. 

    “We’re going to respect the workers in this industry. We’re going to respect the licensees in this industry, and we’re going to respect these animals and do right by all of them,” he said. 

    Amid the criticism, Adams found an unexpected ally in fellow mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa, the Guardian Angels founder and longtime animal rights advocate.

    The Republican nominee praised the mayor’s support for Ryder’s Law, calling the horse-drawn carriage industry “cruel and barbaric.”

    “Today, for once, I agree with the mayor,” Sliwa said. 

    Adam Daly

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  • Man arrested after choking, biting victims in random Central Park attacks: NYPD | amNewYork

    David Luciano, 27, was arrested after police said he attacked two men in Central Park in the early hours of Monday morning.

    Photo by GettyImages/JayLazarin

    Police arrested a 27-year-old man for allegedly assaulting two men in random attacks in the early hours of Monday morning inside Central Park, authorities said.

    David Luciano was taken into custody after police said he attacked an 18-year-old and a 37-year-old in separate incidents minutes apart on the morning of Aug. 25.

    The first assault happened around 1:20 a.m. near 8201 East Drive, where Luciano allegedly punched, kicked, and choked the 18-year-old victim, police said.

    A short time later, Luciano allegedly attacked the 37-year-old near West 93rd Street, throwing him to the ground and biting his ear, according to police.

    Both victims were taken to Lincoln Hospital for treatment.

    A witness who tried to intervene during one of the attacks had his bicycle stolen, though officers later recovered it, police said.

    Luciano faces two counts each of assault and criminal obstruction of breathing, along with a petit larceny charge, authorities said. He was taken to an area hospital for a psych evaluation following the arrest.

    Police said it was not immediately clear where Luciano lives. Reports that he may be homeless have not been confirmed.

    As of Aug. 17, assaults in the Central Park Precinct have risen to 13 from 11 during the same period last year, while reports of petit larceny have dropped to 19 from 34.

    Citywide, assaults are slightly down, with 18,603 reported so far this year compared with 18,814 in 2024, per the latest NYPD statistics.

    Adam Daly

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  • Wily coyotes thrive in Central Park as animals adapt to urban life across US

    In the spring this year in New York, Chris St Lawrence would finish work as a naturalist on a whale watching boat and then quickly make the 90-minute trek to Central Park to arrive in time for sunset, when a pair of coyotes often start to creep out.

    St Lawrence, who is also a photographer, said it’s taxing to stand for four hours on a boat, keeping his eyes peeled for marine mammals, and then to remain just as alert at the park in the middle of Manhattan, looking for Romeo and Juliet, as the coyotes have become known.

    “You gotta keep your eyes open in terms of safety but also, you don’t want to miss the shot,” said St Lawrence, who is a conservation education master’s student at New York University.

    Despite the challenges, he and other local photographers spend nights roaming the green oasis inside the concrete jungle because they want the public to learn about the coyotes, including the fact that they don’t need to be afraid of them.

    That then helps protect the species as a whole, which in recent decades have started to show up in greater numbers in urban areas across America.

    “We think it’s important that people are aware that there are Central Park coyotes and to understand how sensitive they are and know that there is no reason to fear them,” said David Lei, a Manhattan resident who spends most nights at the park along with his significant other and fellow photographer, Jacqueline Emery.

    A century ago, the only coyotes in North America were located on the western half of the continent but then they gradually expanded eastward.

    They have been able to do so because of the decline of their predators, like wolves, and the transformation of farmland into suburbs, according to Chris Nagy, a wildlife biologist and the co-founder of Gotham Coyote, which aims to learn more about the expansion of the animals into New York City.

    “Coyotes are pumping out babies every year, and those young start trickling in all directions,” said Nagy, “The empty space is the city, and for a variety of reasons, coyotes are adaptable enough to figure out the urban habitat and what they need to do to live.”

    In the Chicago area alone there are at least 4,000 coyotes, according to a study published in the journal Urban Ecosystems.

    In New York City, researchers think there are about 20.

    Romeo and Juliet probably migrated from Westchester to the Bronx and then walked along railroad tracks to Manhattan, according to those who studied them. Juliet arrived in 2019, Romeo in 2023.

    Lei and Emery spotted them while following Flaco, an owl who escaped the Central Park Zoo.

    They gave the coyotes their names because they would often hang out at Delacorte Theater, home of Shakespeare in the Park.

    It was under renovation for several years.

    “While a construction site might seem like an inhospitable location for a sensitive animal like a coyote, they know that there are certain routines, certain schedules, and that at night it will be completely empty,” Lei said.

    To find them in the dark, the photographers use thermal monoculars.

    “We’ll just basically go from spot to spot until we find them. We don’t always do,” Lei said.

    They have seen them trotting down a path until they see humans with dogs and quickly figure out a detour, which is fascinating, Emery said.

    “They are really adept at navigating the park and not being seen,” Emery said.

    St Lawrence, the naturalist, said some of his favorite moments have been seeing the coyotes playing on ice near a castle and hearing them howl.

    He said he is fascinated with coyotes in the same way as with whales.

    “There are these big animals living right on the outskirts of the city that nobody knows about,” he said.

    But some people see the coyotes as dangerous even though they rarely attack humans, according to scientists. To avoid that, people should give the animals plenty of space and not feed them.

    “They are not going to approach people, and they are not interested in dogs. You would have a lot more reason to be fearful of your dog being bitten by another dog,” Lei said.

    Not all interactions between coyotes and humans at Central Park have gone well – though they didn’t seem to be the animals’ fault. In 1999, after someone spotted a coyote at the park, at least 25 police officers showed up with animal tranquilizer darts, according to the Wall Street Journal. They were able to catch him and transport him to Bronx Zoo’s Wildlife Health Center.

    In 2006, dozens of police officers on foot and in a helicopter chased Hal, so named because he was discovered at the Hallett Nature Sanctuary. An officer shot him with a dart, and he was transferred to a wildlife rehabilitation center, with the intention of releasing him in a forest upstate.

    Before that could happen, he died.

    Since then, officials have adjusted their approach to coyotes. In 2016, the city launched WildlifeNYC “to promote conservation and coexistence between humans and wildlife through public policy, responsible management plans and educational initiatives,” Katrina Toal, NYC Parks wildlife unit deputy director, stated in an email to the Guardian.

    “Our goal is to make sure that both people and coyotes can safely use our parks,” Toal stated. “That means encouraging people to observe coyotes from a distance and to keep their pets leashed.”

    As to Romeo and Juliet, the photographers hope for a happier ending than what William penned. St Lawrence spent a lot of time at the park during the coyote pupping season this spring, hoping to see cubs emerge, but unfortunately, that didn’t happen.

    He would like Central Park to become a better place for wildlife, but he worries about people not leashing their dogs, littering and trying to feed the coyotes.

    “I think a lot of other people would think it’s amazing if we had a full coyote family in the park,” St Lawrence said. “But we want to make sure that that is a positive for everybody, including the coyotes.”

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  • Post Malone and Doja Cat headline this year’s Global Citizen Festival

    Post Malone and Doja Cat headline this year’s Global Citizen Festival

    Post Malone and Doja Cat, two of pop music’s biggest stars, headline this year’s Global Citizen Festival in New York’s Central Park on Saturday.

    Blackpink rapper Lisa is on the lineup for her first solo performance, as are Jelly Roll and Raouw Alejandro, adding to organizers’ plans to attract younger fans and a more international audience.

    Global Citizen has long partnered with major artists – from Beyonce and Jay-Z to Queen – to encourage its audience to lobby political, corporate and philanthropic leaders to support the nonprofit’s initiatives. CEO Hugh Evans said this year’s festival — which will focus on addressing poverty and other pressing international issues – needs support from all generations now more than ever. He estimates that about 10% of the world’s population now lives in extreme poverty and the United Nations expects 575 million people will be at that level in 2030.

    Tickets to the festival are free, but they require attendees to take actions to “defeat poverty, defend the planet and demand equity” on the nonprofit’s website.

    “It’s a low-data entry point for those who want to take action,” Evans said. “It’s an initiative we’ve done across Ghana. We did it in South Africa as part of a big cleanup. It also educates Global Citizens about food insecurity and other needs in New York.”

    Evans said this year’s headliners have an important connection to young people, who are essential to changing how leaders react to current needs.

    “There’s a reason why brand managers spend so much time speaking to that 16-to-30-year-old demographic — the major trendsetters of the next 40 years,” Evans said. “Young people have the power to create enormous change when they band together.”

    Malone embodies that sentiment in his current music. His current single “Pour Me a Drink” is a duet with Blake Shelton. And so far this year, he has also teamed up with Taylor Swift, Beyonce and Morgan Wallen.

    Doja Cat, currently on a European tour promoting her hit “Scarlet” album, is also known for her collaborations.

    “We all have a part we can play to help end extreme poverty and stand up for equity,” Doja Cat said in a prepared statement. “I’m looking forward to being part of this major evening of positive change.”

    While she remains part of K-pop powerhouse Blackpink, Lisa released her latest solo single “Rockstar” last month as part of her new deal with RCA Records. She is also set to make her acting debut in the HBO series “The White Lotus.”

    The Global Citizen Festival will stream the show live on its official YouTube and Facebook channels.

    The Associated Press

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  • Weeds, trash and bees: What’s happened to the median at Quebec Street?

    Weeds, trash and bees: What’s happened to the median at Quebec Street?

    The complaints from Central Park started flooding into Denver Parks and Recreation over the past year.

    The subject of ire? The Quebec Street median between Northeast Park Hill and Central Park. 

    “Do you happen to know what is going on with the grassy median on Quebec between MLK and Smith Road?” one resident wrote. “It is all weeds, trash and dead grass.”

    “The median between northbound and southbound Quebec needs to be mowed,” wrote another. “And maybe sprinklers need to be turned on.”

    All that tall, dry-looking vegetation that has residents calling 311 is actually part of Denver Parks and Recreation’s eco-friendly plan. 

    The agency wants to get rid of non-functional turfgrass in places that are largely not used for picnicking, sports and other recreational uses. 

    The 10-acre Quebec Street median is a prime example of underused, rarely walked-on patches of land. The city doesn’t see much of a point in keeping turf grass there. 

    The Kentucky bluegrass that once grew on the median is not native to Denver, Andersen said. And it’s a water suck — a problem in a state that regularly faces drought.  

    A median along Quebec Street in Central Park. Aug. 28, 2024.
    Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite

    The former landscaping required roughly 10 million gallons of water for irrigation. Keeping the Kentucky bluegrass trim also meant weekly mowing.  

    “It’s not something we’re going to remove from the park system entirely,” said Denver Parks and Recreation urban ecology supervisor Jessica Andersen. “We’re just looking for those nonfunctional spaces.”

    So instead of re-planting Kentucky Bluegrass, the city made a change.

    Nearly a year ago, Parks and Rec decided to save water, toss down native seeds and let local plants grow on the Quebec median.

    They call this “Coloradoscaping.”

    It’s the process of getting rid of bluegrass and creating meadows and other spaces that look like Colorado native landscapes. That includes planting western wheatgrass and wildflowers like blanket flowers, prairie cone flowers or Rocky Mountain pea plants. 

    A close-up of a pink flower, in front of a blurry green background. A yellow bee flies off the thin, spindly petals.
    Bees flit among the flowers in a median along Quebec Street, in Central Park. Aug. 28, 2024.
    Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite

    “It’s really the spectrum of changing from that bluegrass to a mixture of wildflowers and grasses to support our urban wildlife and especially our pollinators,” Andersen said. 

    As climate change upends ecosystems, pollinators like bees and butterflies have been suffering. The city’s using efforts like the one on Quebec Street to help out. And it’s clear when you walk into the median (something the city doesn’t want you to do) — bees are going wild for the flowers.

    The Quebec Street median is the largest plot Parks and Rec has Coloradoscaped yet. 

    On that site alone, the city will be saving the equivalent of an Olympic-sized swimming pool full of water each year. 

    Transforming the landscaping will allow the city to cut back on mowing the median every week and will reduce the parks department’s energy use. 

    An eye-level view of pink flowers on green stems under a blue sky. Bees fly around them.
    Bees flit among the flowers in a median along Quebec Street, in Central Park. Aug. 28, 2024.
    Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite

    The wild landscaping has another function: public safety. 

    “Hopefully the native grass will encourage people to cross at the signals instead of trying to cut diagonally across in between traffic,” Andersen said. “That’s very, very unsafe. Hopefully, with the landscaping in this condition, it will funnel them to those sidewalks.” 

    Denver Parks and Recreation secured a $50,000 grant to fund the project, and both the parks department and Denver Water each put roughly $125,000 into the new landscaping.

    So how are Denverites taking to the new landscaping look? 

    From the feedback Parks and Recreation receives, half the public thinks the new plants look beautiful and the other half thinks it looks messy. 

    Andersen blames that on “an education gap.” 

    It’s hard for folks who haven’t heard about the city’s Coloradoscaping efforts to wrap their heads around why the vegetation has grown so tall. They wonder if the city abandoned the land and let weeds take over.

    Though the plants bring pollinators to the median, some worry drivers will splatter bees on their windshields. 

    Grass fills a meadow, as a lone man walks across it; in the background, we can see a strip mall.
    A median along Quebec Street in Central Park. Aug. 28, 2024.
    Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite

    On narrower medians, this is a real risk, Andersen explained. But Quebec Street is wide. 

    “Those pollinators and some of those insects can live their entire life cycle in these landscapes,” she said. “So once they get there, they just move up and down the corridor.”

    What about the trash in the Quebec Street median?

    Trash lodges in the Coloradoscape more easily than they would in neatly cropped turf. 

    Beneath the buzzing bees above the Quebec median, there’s plenty of evidence of that: styrofoam cups, fast-food wrappers and cigarette butts.

    And Anderson acknowledges that because the city doesn’t mow these landscapes weekly, there is more short-term maintenance required. 

    The city has an ongoing contract with the company that installed the native seeding. For at least the first three years, it’s responsible for maintaining the rising seeds, making sure plants are established, and ensuring weeds and trash are under control. After that, the parks department will reassess.

    When the project first began, many residents worried that the new vegetation would catch fire. 

    But that’s not likely.

    “We know in Colorado, wildfires are a serious thing,” Andersen said. “And a lot of it is based on the health and condition of that landscaping. So a healthy stand of native grass is pretty resilient to wildfires.” 

    Those native plants’ roots are typically deep in the soil, and if the plants are healthy, they are resistant to wildfire. 

    “If there’s more weedy species, and they’re more dried out, that’s when wildfire becomes a risk,” she said. “So in some cases where we have a healthy stand, that wildfire risk is going to be lower versus in a weedy landscape that dries out. “

    “So on Quebec Street, because it used to be Kentucky Bluegrass, the entire area is still irrigated,” Andersen added. “So we are making sure that stand of grass will be healthy and well.”

    A close up of a green bush covered with bright yellow flowers.
    Flowers grow in a median along Quebec Street in Central Park. Aug. 28, 2024.
    Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite

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  • Funk Flex to Host Birthday Celebration R&B Picnic at SummerStage in Central Park on Sunday August 18

    Funk Flex to Host Birthday Celebration R&B Picnic at SummerStage in Central Park on Sunday August 18


    NEW YORK, August 14, 2024 (Newswire.com)
    –
    Curator, iconic DJ and radio personality Funk Flex is set to celebrate his birthday in style with a free special event at Capital One City Parks Foundation SummerStage in Central Park on Sunday, August 18, 2024. This exclusive birthday celebration picnic curated by Funk Flex promises to be an unforgettable experience, filled with electrifying performances by R&B and hip hop stars, emerging artists and special guest appearances by some of Funk Flex’s closest collaborators, all bringing non-stop music that represents the best of hip-hop culture. Some of the featured guests include Fridayy, Capella Grey, WanMor, Honey Bxby, Doug E. Fresh, Slick Rick, Dana Dane and more.

    Funk Flex, a legendary figure in the world of hip-hop and R&B, has been a driving force in the music industry for decades, known for his groundbreaking radio show, electrifying DJ sets, and influential presence in the New York City music scene. This birthday celebration at SummerStage is not just NYC’s biggest R&B picnic — it’s a tribute to his legacy and a gathering of fans, artists, and friends to honor one of the most influential voices in hip-hop and R&B and pay tribute to the culture and community that has brought them all together.  

    In addition to the music, the picnic will offer a variety of food vendors, interactive activities, and exclusive merchandise, making it a full-day celebration for all ages. For more info on the event:

    https://cityparksfoundation.org/events/funk-flex-birthday-24/?date=20240818

    About Funk Flex:

    Funk Flex, born Aston George Taylor Jr., is a renowned DJ, radio host, and music producer, best known for his work on New York City’s Hot 97 radio station. With a career spanning over three decades, Funk Flex has played a pivotal role in shaping the sound of hip-hop and continues to be a powerful force in the music industry. Follow Funk Flex on social media for the latest updates at: @funkflexthedj

    WHAT: Curator, iconic DJ and radio personality Funk Flex to host a special birthday celebration picnic at SummerStage 

    WHEN:

    August 18th, 2024

    Doors: 6:00pm

    Showtime: 7:00pm-10:00pm

    WHERE:

    SummerStage at Rumsey Playfield in Central Park

    https://cityparksfoundation.org/events/funk-flex-birthday-24/?date=20240818

    PRESS INQUIRIES: SummerStagePress@dkcnews.com

    QUESTIONS: sabrinab@funkmasterflex.com or LynnHobson@gmail.com

    Source: Funk Flex

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  • NYPD searching for suspect in latest Central Park theft as police report surging robbery numbers

    NYPD searching for suspect in latest Central Park theft as police report surging robbery numbers

    Police are looking for a suspect involved in a daring late night robbery in Central Park as the NYPD warns robberies in the beloved landmark locale are up 200%.

    The latest robbery occurred at the plaza on the southeastern edge of the park at 59th Street and 5th Avenue around 1 a.m. on Tuesday, according to the NYPD.

    Police said three people were walking together when they were approached by a group of four, and one person within that approaching group simulated having a firearm. One of the suspects took a pair of AirPods and a chain, and as the group took off three were arrested, but one got away, according to police.

    Police said no one was injured in the robbery, which is part of a troubling trend this year.

    Within the more than 800 acres of Central Park, robberies are up 200% so far in 2024 with 30 occurring this year, compared to 10 at the same time last year, according to NYPD data.

    “Multiple people surrounding people, robbing them knifepoint, gunpoint, sometimes just forcibly robbing people, so it’s a problem that we’ve got to get on top of,” Deputy Commissioner of Public Information Tarik Sheppard tells NBC New York.

    “It’s scary,” said Harry Lawton of Williamsburg. “It’s awful and scary.”

    The NYPD said it is increasing patrols, adding cameras throughout the park, and launching drones to cover more ground.

    “You can’t have a camera everywhere and see the whole place, however we’ve done it before ,and we expect to push these numbers back down and make sure people understand Central Park is safe,” Sheppard said.

    Jessica Cunnington

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  • RFK Jr. admits putting dead bear cub in New York City’s Central Park nearly 10 years ago

    RFK Jr. admits putting dead bear cub in New York City’s Central Park nearly 10 years ago

    The decade-old question about how a dead 6-month-old female black bear cub ended up in New York City’s iconic Central Park beneath an old bicycle has been answered. Independent presidential candidate Robert Kennedy Jr. on Sunday confessed that he was behind the incident after a fact-checker from The New Yorker called him to verify the story.

    In a video he posted on X, Kennedy said he had come across the bear in the morning when he was going falconing; a woman in a van in front of him hit and killed the bear. 

    Presidential Candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Speaks At The Libertarian National Convention
    Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

    Kevin Dietsch / Getty Images


    “So, I pulled over and I picked up the bear and put him in the back of my van because I was going to skin the bear, and it was in very good condition, and I was going to put the meat in my refrigerator,” Kennedy said. “And you can do that in New York state. You can get a bear tag for roadkill bear.”

    But the falconing day went longer than expected, and he had to go straight to a dinner in the city at Peter Luger Steakhouse, he recounted. That, too, ran late, and Kennedy said he realized he had to go to the airport and would not be able to go home to Westchester first. 

    “And the bear was in my car, and I didn’t want to leave the bear in the car because that would have been bad,” he said. “So, then I thought you know at that time this was the little bit of the redneck me. There’d been a series of bicycle accidents in New York they had just put in the bike lanes and so a couple of people were getting killed and it was every day and people badly injured every day it was in the press.”

    He said, “I wasn’t drinking, of course, but people were drinking with me who thought this was a good idea.” 

    Kennedy mentioned that in addition to the dead bear cub, he had “an old bike in my car that somebody asked me to get rid of.” 

    “I said let’s go put the bear in Central Park and we’ll make it look like it got hit by a bike,” Kennedy recalled. What he did not expect was the media attention the stunt would attract.

    deadbearcub2.jpg
    A dead bear cub was found in New York City’s Central Park in October 2014.

    CBS NY


    “The next day, it was like it was on every television station. It was the front page of every paper and I turned on the TV and there was like a mile of yellow tape and there were 20 cop cars, there were helicopters flying over it. And I was like, ‘Oh my God, what did I do?’ And then they were, there was some people on TV and Tyvek suits with gloves on lifting up the bike and they’re saying they’re gonna take this up to Albany to get it fingerprinted,” he said. “And I was worried because my prints were all over that bike.” 

    In another odd twist, one of the reporters who wrote about the mystery at the time was Kennedy’s niece and John F. Kennedy’s granddaughter, Tatiana Schlossberg, who was working for The New York Times, a social media user noted. 

    “So many questions remain unanswered,” she wrote. “How did the bear end up in Central Park? Was there foul play involved? Did she die in the park, or was she dumped there?”

    Kennedy said that luckily, the story had died off until The New Yorker reported on it and asked him to verify it for an article about him and his campaign in the magazine.

    “It’s going to be a bad story,” Kennedy predicted. 

    The New Yorker article, published Monday, included a photo of Kennedy with his hand in the bear cub’s mouth, pretending he was being bitten.

    “When I asked Kennedy about the incident, he said, ‘Maybe that’s where I got my brain worm,’” the story’s author, Clare Malone, wrote.

    A spokesperson for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation told WCBS’ John Doyle that RFK Jr. will not face charges in the 2014 incident, saying the investigation did not uncover sufficient evidence to determine if violations occurred. “The statute of limitation was one year, which has long expired,” the spokesperson said.

    Watch WCBS-TV’s 2014 report on the discovery of the bear cub in the video below:


    Bear Cub Discovered Dead In Central Park by
    CBS New York on
    YouTube

    Aaron Navarro

    contributed to this report.

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  • RFK Jr. Admits Planting Dead Bear in Central Park

    RFK Jr. Admits Planting Dead Bear in Central Park

    Photo: Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images

    Robert F. Kennedy Jr. probably won’t win the 2024 presidential race, but when it comes to making weird admissions about past run-ins with animals, the independent candidate continues to set a historic pace. First, there was his brain worm. Then there was the dead dog he posed for a photo with but denied eating. Now there’s the caper of Central Park’s dead black-bear cub.

    In case you don’t remember, back in October 2014, New Yorkers were shocked to learn that a woman walking her dog in Central Park had come upon the body of a fatally traumatized six-month-old bear. Per the New York Times at the time:

    The furry black mass lay hidden under a bush near Central Park’s main loop, unnoticed, unmoving and partially concealed by an abandoned bicycle. A dog rustling in the brush drew the first eyes to the bush and a sight rarely, if ever, found in modern Manhattan: a baby black bear, dead. A call to 911 followed and soon yellow police tape cordoned off the area near West 69th Street as detectives found themselves facing a mysterious crime scene on a sunny Monday morning. How the animal, a three-foot-long female, got to that spot remained a mystery at day’s end: a cub, probably born this year, somehow separated from her mother and from anything resembling a natural habitat. …

    The police described the bear as having had trauma to her body, but it was not immediately clear how she had died. … Nearby, New Yorkers increasingly familiar with wildlife sightings — a coyote in the park, a dolphin off Throgs Neck in the Bronx — offered theories of their own. Some suspected foul play. Others guessed an accident with a car. One man confidently pronounced the bear old enough to have wandered over from Morris County, N.J.

    A necropsy later determined that the bear had died from “blunt force injuries consistent with a motor vehicle collision,” but no one could have possibly guessed the bizarre sequence of events that had led to the bear lying there.

    RFK Jr. has now admitted he staged the whole thing via a video shared on Sunday in which he tells the story to Roseanne Barr. The admission was meant to preempt the reporting of the story in a New Yorker profile which was published one day later.

    Here’s what he told Barr he did: While driving off to do some upstate falconing in Goshen, New York, Kennedy saw a woman run over the bear cub. Kennedy stopped his van and collected the fresh roadkill with the intention of skinning and eating it, because “it was in very good condition” and he wanted to put the meat in his fridge. But alas, he didn’t get back home right away, as he went falconing and later had some dinner plans at Peter Luger Steak House down in Brooklyn. Then he had a flight to catch, but still had a dead bear in his van.

    So what’s a 60-year-old Kennedy scion to do? He hatched up a “redneck” scheme with his apparently drunk friends to drive to Manhattan and plant the dead bear in Central Park, along with an old bicycle Kennedy also happened to have in his van, in what was supposed to look like the aftermath of a fatal bike-on-bear accident. He thought this would be “amusing.”

    He also got worried, he told Barr, when the dead bear was big local news and, amid the subsequent animal-cruelty investigation, it appeared as though the bike would be taken to a lab so it could be fingerprinted. “My prints were all over that bike,” he said.

    But Kennedy’s secret remained safe, at least for a time. He would have gotten away with it, too, if it weren’t for the meddling New Yorker.

    “Luckily, the story died after a while, and it stayed dead for a decade, and The New Yorker somehow found out about it,” Kennedy told Barr, explaining that the magazine’s fact-checkers had contacted him to confirm the details of his roadkill high jinks. “It’s going to be a bad story,” he said.

    On Monday, the New Yorker published its profile of RFK Jr. by Clare Malone, which did indeed include the bear cub incident:

    One day, in the fall of 2014, Kennedy was driving to a falconry outing in upstate New York when he passed a furry brown mound on the side of the road. He pulled over and discovered that it was the carcass of a black-bear cub. Kennedy was tickled by the find. He loaded the dead bear into the rear hatch of his car and later showed it off to his friends. In a picture from that day, Kennedy is putting his fingers inside the bear’s bloody mouth, a comical grimace across his face. (When I asked Kennedy about the incident, he said, “Maybe that’s where I got my brain worm.”)

    After the outing, Kennedy, who was then sixty and recently married to Hines, got an idea. He drove to Manhattan and, as darkness fell, entered Central Park with the bear and a bicycle. A person with knowledge of the event said that Kennedy thought it would be funny to make it look as if the animal had been killed by an errant cyclist.

    They also published a photo of Kennedy posing with the carcass:

    Another fun fact: One of the followup stories on the dead bear mystery at the time was written by John F. Kennedy’s granddaughter, then Times climate reporter Tatiana Schlossberg. One bear expert Schlossberg spoke with for that report correctly guessed what had happened, at least in part:

    Dr. Lana Ciarniello, a bear expert in Canada, said that most bear experts in the United States were attending a conference in Greece and would be hard to reach for comment. She could not make the trip, so she was able to offer her thoughts on the mystery. She guessed that someone killed the bear and took it to Central Park. It was highly unlikely that a bear cub would travel across the concrete jungle.

    In a comment to the Times after RFK Jr. acknowledged his responsibility, Schlossberg said, “Like law enforcement, I had no idea who was responsible for this when I wrote the story.”

    On Monday morning, the DSNY put out a timely reminder on how to properly get rid of dead animals:

    Chas Danner

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  • Person of interest in custody in sex assault of sunbathing woman at NYC’s Central Park: sources

    Person of interest in custody in sex assault of sunbathing woman at NYC’s Central Park: sources

    NEW YORK — A man in New York Police Department custody in a forcible touching case is the person police believe attacked a woman sunbathing in Central Park last month, police sources told ABC News.

    Jermaine Longmire, 42, has not been charged in the June 24 sexual assault of the woman in the park, but the sources said DNA links him to the incident.

    The Central Park sexual assault prompted a manhunt for the suspect, who police say attacked the sunbather in the Great Hill section of the park near 104th Street in the middle of the afternoon.

    Longmire has been in custody at Rikers Island after he was charged with groping a 27-year-old woman on a southbound A train platform on the Upper West Side on June 15.

    In that case, Longmire is accused of coming up behind the victim and putting his hand under her dress.

    Police say he has five previous arrests in New York City, as well as prior arrests in Florida, including for sex crimes.

    No charges have been filed against him in the Central Park case, which is expected to go before a grand jury.

    Copyright © 2024 WABC-TV. All Rights Reserved.

    WABC

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  • Recent Central Park muggings have police, parkgoers on alert

    Recent Central Park muggings have police, parkgoers on alert

    Police are stepping up patrols in Central Park after a number of recent robberies and attacks have residents on alert.

    On April 25, a woman was punched in the face while on a walk near West 97th Street and West Drive, police said. According to the NYPD, the attacker demanded her wallet and cell phone before sexually assaulting her.

    Two more robberies happened on April 26 — one near 59th Street and 5th Avenue, and one near 109th Street on the east side of the park, police said. A fourth robbery took place the next dat near 74th Street and 5th Avenue where a man’s camera equipment was stolen.

    Police confirmed a fifth robbery to NBC New York occurred Monday morning, where a man took the cell phone of a 35-year-old woman while she was walking near The Pond, police said. Police were able to take a person of interest into custody and get the woman her phone back, the NYPD said.

    “There are additional patrols being conducted in the park following the incidents,” an NYPD spokesperson told NBC New York, but did not elaborate on the specifics. Police have not said where they’ll be in the park, to what extent, and how long the additional patrols will continue.

    An NBC New York crew saw an NYPD cruiser in the park on Monday morning.

    “I think it’s disgusting what’s going on in the park these days,” said John O’Keefe, who was in the park on Monday. “You can’t go out. Can’t be safe. I’m looking over shoulder. Lots of problems in the city. Its getting worse, drastically worse.

    At this point last year, there were three robberies in the park. This year, so far, there are at least 15 robberies.

    “Should be more security, more guards outside,” said parkgoer Leanna Baines.

    Erica Byfield

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  • Double homicide at Denver homeless shelter under investigation

    Double homicide at Denver homeless shelter under investigation

    No arrests have been made in a double homicide at a Denver homeless shelter and Denver police are asking for the public to help in the investigation.

    Bruce Finley

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  • One person killed in crash involving motorcycle in northeast Denver

    One person killed in crash involving motorcycle in northeast Denver

    One person was killed Sunday morning in a crash involving a motorcycle in northeast Denver.

    The crash involved a vehicle and a motorcycle and happened in the 5100 block of North Quebec Street, the Denver Police Department reported on X just before 12:30 p.m.

    Police are investigating the crash.

    Sign up to get crime news sent straight to your inbox each day.

    Jacob Factor

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  • ‘Bring them back home’: Thousands march around Central Park demanding safe return of all Israeli hostages | amNewYork

    ‘Bring them back home’: Thousands march around Central Park demanding safe return of all Israeli hostages | amNewYork

    Gathering at the Naumburg Bandshell, a sea of humanity clasping Israeli flags looked upon speakers who once again railed for the remaining hostages held by Hamas to be “brought home.”

    Photo by Dean Moses