Check, Please: PS 33 Girls Win at Chess | A recently formed girls chess team from the Big Apple proved they were no mere pawns, when they traveled to the Windy City to compete at the All-Girls National Championships chess tournament (April 22–24). The PS 33 Chelsea Prep students came back from Chicago with the Under 8 Division Second Place trophy (almost as tall as the girls). Flanked by Chess NYC coaches Angel Lopez (left) and Russell Makofsky are Aliya Saldanha-Suri, Charlotte Peterson, Abigail Yang, Simone Morden, and Rose Morden. The girls will be sharpening their skills over the summer, by attending chess camps and participating in tournaments throughout the city. Photo courtesy PS 33 Chess Club.
Tenant Advocacy Group Honored for Activism, Vigilance | The Chelsea-based Community & Residents Protection Working Group (CRP) has repeatedly exposed the falsification of construction permit applications submitted to the NYC Department of Buildings (DOB) by architects, contractors, landlords, and developers. Their work to defend tenants from predatory landlord tactics during building renovations, as well as their demand for a more community-minded DOB, was recognized when they received a Community Service Award from the Chelsea Reform Democratic Club, at a May 7 CRDC meeting held at the El Cid restaurant (174 Eighth Ave., btw. W. 18th & W. 19th Sts.). L to R: NYS Assemblymember Richard Gottfried, the CRP’s Bill Borock, and Steven Skyles-Mulligan (Democratic District Leader, 75th AD Part A, on behalf of the CRDC). Photo by Donathan Salkaln.
Those Who Don’t Just Talk the Talk Get a Walkie | It’s a good thing he knows enough to look both ways. In such a hurry to cross the street that he can’t keep both feet on the pedestal, the silver man in mid-stride is a creation of sculptor Jordan Baker-Caldwell. Commissioned by the Clinton Hell’s Kitchen Coalition for Pedestrian Safety (CHEKPEDS) for their recent 10th Anniversary Celebration, the Walkie Award recognizes “Outstanding Commitment to Pedestrian Safety.” The recipients were Margaret Forgione, Gregory Haas, Michael Pilecki, Mark Schaff, and Martin Treat. Photo by Frank Vanoni.
—BY SCOTT STIFFLER
