🌱 New Metro Theater Tenant + Iconic Di Fara Pizza Founder Dies

Carlos Hernandez
Updated ·5 min read

Happy Saturday, people of New York City! My name is Carlos Hernandez and I'll be filling in today for your daily news digest. Let's get you all caught up on what's happening locally to start today off on an informed note.

First, today's weather:

Heavy thunderstorms. High: 62 Low: 51.

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Here are the top five stories today in New York City:

1. The legendary founder of Di Fara Pizza, Domenico "Dom" DeMarco, died this week, his daughter Margie De Marco Mieles said in a Thursday Facebook post. Since 1965, DeMarco handcrafted every pie in Di Fara Pizza. Tributes to DeMarco after his death flowed in as long as the lines for his famous pies and slices. (New York City Patch)

2. New York City's new health leader, Dr. Ashwin Vasan, told New Yorkers that his department would continue to aggressively monitor COVID developments, including around the latest variant, and that right now the city's risk remains low. There is currently no evidence that the BA.2 COVID-19 variant causes more severe illness or risk of hospitalization or that current COVID vaccines are less effective against it. (NBC New York)

3. New York City restaurants and chefs who made the second-to-final cut with the James Beard 2022 awards include Calvin Eng of Bonnie's for Emerging Chef, Dhamaka and Ursula for Best New Restaurant, Caroline Schiff of Gage & Tollner for Outstanding Pastry Chef, Sylvia's Restaurant for Outstanding Hospitality, and The Four Horsemen and Frenchette for Outstanding Wine Program. In the Best Chefs: New York State there is Amanda Cohen of Dirt Candy, JJ Johnson of FIELDTRIP, Ayesha Nurdjaja of Shuka, Chintan Pandya of Dhamaka, and Junghyun Park of Atomix. (New York City Patch)

4. The NYPD has released more surveillance photos of the long-haired suspect wanted for pushing a well-known Broadway vocal coach to the ground in Chelsea. The victim, Barbara Maier Gustern, 87, died on March 15 from head injuries related to the unprovoked attack. Police are asking anyone with information about the suspect to contact the NYPD Crime Stoppers. (Fox 5)

5. The long-vacant Upper West Side Metro Theater is getting a new tenant after more than a decade of being empty, according to building records. The historic movie theater opened in 1933 and operated until its closure in 2006. (New York City Patch)

Today in New York City:

  • The Sky-Dance Of The Woodcock at New York City Audubon. (5:00 PM)

  • The Dinner Detective Comedy Murder Mystery Dinner Show at The Dinner Detective NYC. (6:00 PM)

  • Waves Across Time: Traditional Dance And Music of Okinawa at Japan Society. (7:30 PM)

  • Forever Freestyle 14 at Lehman Center For The Performing Arts. (8:00 PM)

  • Bone Thugs-N-Harmony at Palladium Times Square NYC. (8:00 PM)

From my notebook:

  • Criminal justice advocates, who have argued that bail reforms have nothing to do with violent crime in the city, have strongly argued against the plan presented by Governor Kathy Hochul. (New York City Patch)

  • New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced on Friday that New York Embroidery Studio (NYES) will be the newest tenant at the Brooklyn Army Terminal (BAT), signing the largest new lease at the terminal in three years and filling one of the largest spaces at BAT. The city says the expansion will create more than 500 on-site jobs, yielding an estimated $73 million in economic output for New York City. (New York City Government)

  • The 9/11 Tribute Museum, better known as the National September 11 Memorial Museum, is set to close. The museum blames pandemic-related shutdowns and a slow restart in traffic for its closure. (CBS New York)

  • NYCFC has progressed to the SCCL Semifinals for the first time in Club history after defeating Guatemalan club Comunicaciones FC in the Quarterfinals. NYCFC and MLS have rescheduled the Club’s home regular season MLS match against D.C. United to allow better preparation for the prestigious SCCL Semifinals. (NYC FC)

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That's it for today. I'll catch up with you bright and early tomorrow with another update!

— Carlos Hernandez

About me: Hello my name is Carlos Hernandez and I am a food writer with over 10 years of experience in the industry. I write the food blog Carlos Eats (http://www.carloseats.com) and also contribute to several newspapers and magazines with food-related blogs and articles.

This article originally appeared on the New York City Patch