NEWS YOU CAN USE
Get a free Italian ice
To celebrate spring’s beginning Pesso’s Italian Ices will be giving away one free scoop of cherry ice.
All customers who visit the store from 7:21 p.m., the official start of spring, to 9:21 p.m. on March 20 will receive the free scoop at the 35th Avenue Italian ice shop.
7 train returns to service
The No.7 train was returned to service Sunday at midnight ahead of schedule.
Working through the weekend, MTA workers were able to repair the emergency signal that forced the line to be shut down over the weekend.
Service has been returned to normal.
Mets tickets go on-sale
Single game Mets tickets went on sale this morning at 10 a.m. exclusively online at Mets.com, LosMets.com, and by phone at (718) 507-TIXX.
On Tuesday, March 15 at 10 a.m. tickets will be available at Citi Field’s Advance Ticket Window on the third base side of the Jackie Robinson Rotunda, the Mets Clubhouse Shops in Manhattan (42nd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues, across from Bryant Park), at the Roosevelt Field Mall (Garden City, Long Island), at the Tangers Outlets at the Arches (Deer Park, Long Island), and MCU Park in Coney Island, Brooklyn.
Starting this season the Mets have also added specially priced seats in the left field landing. Sections 338 and 339 will be $10 for children under 12 and $20 for adults ($20 and $30 respectively for four Marquee dates). Mr. Met will visit both sections during every home Mets game.
Volunteers needed to help distribute 10,000 free books
New York’s Irish Arts Center is looking for volunteers to help distribute 10,000 free Irish books on St. Patrick’s Day, Thursday, March 17.
They are looking for volunteers to give between two and four hours of time to help hand out books, prep books for distribution at the Irish Arts Center on West 51st Street and do supply runs.
The sites of the distribution are:
– in Queens at Jackson Heights Post Office, 78-02 37th Avenue at 78th Street, down the street from Roosevelt Avenue station
– in Brooklyn at Northeast corner of 7th Ave and 9th Street F train station.
– in Manhattan at North east corner off of Dyckman/200th Street station
– in Manhattan Grand Central Station
– in The Bronx at Parkchester 6 Subway station, 177th Street
– in Staten Island at St. George Terminal Staten Island, 1 Bay Street
The books include renowned authors Colum McCann, Pete Hamill, Edna O’Brien, and many others.
Those interested should contact volunteer@irishartscenter.org
Change the batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors
Did you remember to change your clocks for Daylight Savings?
Well, Fire Commissioner Salvatore J. Cassano is also urging New Yorkers to change the batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.
“Over seventy percent of fire-related deaths occur in homes not equipped with working smoke detectors,” said Cassano. “Checking and changing your smoke detector batteries when you change your clocks is the simplest way to protect yourself and your family from a fire.”
102nd Precinct Community Council meeting
The 102nd Precinct Community Council will hold their next meeting on Tuesday March 15, 2011 at 8:00 P.M. at the Moose Hall located at 87-34 118th Street Richmond Hill, NY (south of Jamaica Avenue). All are welcome.
Deadline approaches for home assessment challenges
The last day for property owners to challenge the assessed value of their Tax Class 1 properties – residential land of one to three family homes – is set for March 15.
The assessments cannot be more than six percent of their market value and cannot increase by more than six percent a year and 20 percent over five years. Property owners also have until the March 15 to contact the Department of Finance about any incorrect property information.
Leela Fiorino, director of Business and Community Outreach for the Department of Finance, addressed Assemblymember William Scarborough’s A.D. Task Force Meeting on February 26. She spoke about the responsibility of the department’s Property Division to accurately value the city’s one million residential and commercial properties. Assessments are conducted annually and a tentative final property tax assessment roll is complied each year.
The 29th A.D. Task Force Meeting takes place the last Saturday of every month from 10:30 a.m. to noon at the Robert Johnson Family Life Center, located on Linden Boulevard. The next one is scheduled for Saturday, March 26 – the last meeting before the tax man’s annual visit in April.
Homeowners wishing to file a challenge to an assessed value of their home before the March 15 deadline can get an Exemption and Abatement Application for Owners at Scarborough’s district office, located at 129-31A Merrick Boulevard. Forms require the block and lot number of the property. Call 718-723-5412 for more information.
The Department of Finance is responsible for the collection of annual tax revenue, fines and fees, administering tax audits and enforcing actions to promote compliance. More than one million parking tickets are passed out each year and records are also maintained for more than one million properties.
Start of Maple Syrup Season
Get out the pancake mix – it’s maple syrup season.
From late winter until early spring is prime time for collecting sap for sugar maple trees that will be turned into delicious syrup.
To celebrate the season the 16th Annual Maple Weekend on March 19-20 and March 26-27. This celebration will take place at over 100 sugarhouses throughout New York, where visitors can see the syrup process first hand and take part in free tours.
New York maple syrup accounts for nearly 20 percent of the nation’s maple production, ranking New York third behind Vermont and Maine, respectively
The tours will take place between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Some sugarhouses are also offering pancake breakfasts, gift shops and horse-drawn sleigh rides.
For more information and for a list of participating sugar houses, visit www.mapleweekend.com.
Win Ray-Ban sunglasses
The Food & Shops at LaGuardia Airport are giving their Twitter followers a chance to win Ray-Ban sunglasses.
Two winners will be announced each Friday in March starting on the eleventh. To win participants must follow @shoplaguardia and tweet hash tag #springshades for a chance to take home the sunglasses. Two tweeting followers will be chosen at random.
The contest will run until March 25.
Get 10 free trees for spring
With spring about to bloom, the Arbor Day Foundation is offering ten free trees for you to plant.
The dogwoods will be sent to you between March 1 and 31, the optimal time for planting these trees, with instructions on how to plant the them enclosed. These white-flowering trees that will grow to between 6-12 inches are guaranteed to grow or they will be replaced for free.
It is just $10 to become a member of the foundation and receive trees that “have showy spring flowers, scarlet autumn foliage, and red berries which attract songbirds all winter,” according to John Rosenow, chief executive and founder of the Arbor Day Foundation
This is part of the non-profit foundation’s Trees for America campaign.
To become a member and receive your ten trees join online at www.arborday.org/March or send a $10 contribution to TEN FREE DOGWOOD TREES, Arbor Day Foundation, 100 Arbor Avenue, Nebraska City, NE 68410, by March 31, 2011
Nearly $1 million in rebates still available
Rebates up to $555 are available for New Yorkers who replace their old appliances with ENERGY STAR appliances.
These rebates will be given out on a first-come, first-serve basis, with rebates starting at $50.
Once a qualifying purchase has been made, you can reserve a rebate online or over the phone. You must then submit a signed copy of the application and the required receipts within 14 days in order to complete the application process.
For consumer guidelines on this program, call 877-NY-SMART or go to www.NYApplianceSwapOut.com.
