Downtown Express photo by J.B. Nicholas

Julie Sengle, who is planning an event at the Free Store on Nassau St., brought in stuff for visitors to take last Saturday.

When money really is no object
By Julie Shapiro
Nothing should have surprised me when I walked into the new Free Store on Nassau St.

5 people stabbed outside Leonard St. club
By Julie Shapiro
Five people landed in the hospital early Saturday morning after two separate fights broke out at a rowdy Tribeca club that has long attracted neighbors’ complaints.

Rector bridge to close this month
By Josh Rogers
The Rector St. bridge isn’t falling down but the stairs need repairs and the pedestrian overpass will close for about eight weeks starting March 18. (PDF VERSION)

Drunk driver who killed woman gets 15 days
Relatives of Florence Cioffi protested last week when the drunk driver who killed her received only 15 days in jail.

With few cracks, L.P.C. praises glass house
City Landmarks commissioners had mostly praise Tuesday for the proposed glass brick building designed in the same style as many of Tribeca’s historic lofts.

Don’t sink island’s season, demonstrators plead
Activists wearing life preservers flooded City Hall steps last Friday afternoon to keep Governors Island afloat.

Mayor-alujah! Reverend Billy is running as a Green
By Jefferson Siegel
For years Reverend Billy, the anti-consumerism activist, has fervently preached against Starbucks, big-box stores and gentrification.

Church lacks ‘angel,’ but has faith in lawsuit
 By Lincoln Anderson
When St. Brigid’s Church in the East Village was  saved from the wrecking ball last year, it was a ray of hope to congregants from another Downtown Catholic church, Our Lady of Vilna on Soho’s western edge, praying for a miracle of their own.

News

Claremont finds high school space
By Julie Shapiro
Claremont Prep’s search for a second home ended last week when the private school signed a lease for 200,000 square feet at 50 Park Pl.

Small shops’ group gets big
By Heather Murray
In the wake of one of the dreariest Christmas shopping seasons in recent memory, three Thompson St. shop owners have launched a campaign to bring greater awareness — and foot traffic — to local small stores.

Help for businesses won’t be enough, Chinatown says
By Julie Shapiro
City officials did not gloss over the grittier side of construction Tuesday night when they spoke to Chinatown residents about the impact of the three-year Chatham Square reconfiguration.

Silver says bridge tolls are a lesser evil
By Josh Rogers
Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver last week called bridge tolls tied to subway fares the lesser of “two evil” ways to close the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s $1.2 billion operating budget.

Bellevue says its hours are flexible for parents
The World Trade Center clinic at Bellevue Hospital will make every effort to see patients who need care, doctors and the center’s leader said last week.

Construction in motion at the Poets House
By Julie Shapiro
When Lee Briccetti looks at the Poets House under construction in Battery Park City, she sees more than the bare concrete and swinging light bulbs.

Village school might move to B.P.C.