As part of a deal with the city to enlarge its athletic facilities on W. 218thStreet, Columbia University has said it will increase public access to the waterfront. The orange box in the photo roughly represents what was originally proposed; the blue box sketches out about 11,000 square feet of additional access that the university proposed on Sep. 1. 

As part of the expansion of its athletic facilities around Baker Field along W. 218^th Street, Columbia University is exploring a new deal with the city to provide greater access to the dock it uses for its crew team. The public would also be able to use the dock for launching non-motorized watercraft when it is not in use by the university.

Update at bottom

As of Tue., Aug. 1, three of the four Democratic candidates running to represent Northern Manhattan in the state Senate have agreed to attend a debate on transportation issues on Tue., Sep. 7 from 7 to 9pm at the Armory Foundation, 216 Ft. Washington Ave. at W. 168^th Street.

The debate, hosted by Transportation Alternatives and moderated by Dan Rivoli of the West Side Spirit and David King of Columbia University, will include candidates Adriano Espaillat, Mark Levine and Miosotis Munoz: Anna Lewis has not been confirmed. WE ACT for Environmental Justice and the Upper West Side
Renaissance are co-hosting the event.

On Wed., Sep. 1, Transportation Alternatives and the Tri-State Transportation Campaign launched a new Web site called New York Transportation Survey that includes responses from candidates running for all state offices on transportation issues, such as MTA financing, pedestrian and cyclist safety, freight movement and the deterioration of New York's road and bridge network.

"In the past year, Albany has eliminated two subway lines, a dozen bus lines and swiped $143 million of dedicated transit revenue," said Paul Steely White, executive director of Transportation Alternatives. "With the New York Transportation Survey, transit riders won't have to wait for their bus stop to vanish to know where their elected official stands."

Update: Anna Lewis said she is 90% certain she'll attend the debate.

According to Jason Minter, owner of Indian Road Café, he encountered a “distraught” female jogger on the morning of Tue., Aug. 31 who said she had been attacked in a remote section of Inwood Hill Park.

The woman, who appeared to be in her 20s according to Minter, said a man with a ponytail and cargo pants chased and grabbed her on a trail near the underpass of the Henry Hudson Bridge around 7:40 a.m. but she managed to fight him off.

Minter added that 911 was called and police arrived within a few minutes and searched the park.

When current state Senator Eric Schneiderman decided to run for attorney general, it provided the first vacancy in the 31st Senate District, which stretches from the Upper West Side through Washington Heights and Inwood to Riverdale in the Bronx, since 1998. The four Democratic candidates running to succeed Schneiderman are Adriano Espaillat, Mark Levine, Anna Lewis and Miosotis Muñoz.

In the waning days before the Sep. 14 Democratic primary, the Manhattan Times caught up with the front runners Espaillat and Levine while they campaigned.

In the Sep. 8 issue the Manhattan Times will publish bios of all the candidates in the local races.

Espaillat picks up nods from teachers union and Citizen Action

Last week Assembly Member Adriano Espaillat picked up two more endorsements in his campaign to succeed state Senator Eric Schneiderman.