Out of sight, out of mind — if there was a slogan for Rikers Island, that would be a clear winner. more

When he moved to Riverdale in the early 1950s, Frank Montero didn’t exactly blend in with his neighbors. His parents — a baseball player and school teacher — had been one of the first black families to move into Brooklyn’s Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood, where he was “regularly beaten by his white classmates,” New York Times reporter Robert Mcg. Thomas Jr., would later write. more

Just over the past few years alone, there have been some great victories at the local level, and there have been some disappointments. more

Alessandra Biaggi has a novel approach when it comes to elections: Just because she supports one candidate, doesn’t mean she opposes another. Except the state senator’s approach shouldn’t be so novel. more

Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr., was 90 years old when he finally retired from the U.S. Supreme Court in 1932 — the only Supreme Court justice to reach that age on the bench until John Paul Stevens in 2010. more

In 1968, workers in the United States worked for no less than $1.60 an hour. That’s the same buying power today of just over $12. more

There is a lot of debate over the effectiveness of so-called “big stick” diplomacy. As you may have guessed, this ideology’s roots date back to President Theodore Roosevelt and his often-quoted line, “speak softly and carry a big stick — you will go far.” It’s an idea that actions (or the knowledge that such actions are available) are more powerful than words, which can be perceived sometimes as empty. more

It has been a long-standing tradition at this paper that when the year ends, we thank every single letter writer by name. And it’s a tradition we’re most certainly continuing at the end of these very words. more

Eric Dinowitz really gets around the community. And it’s no surprise — he’s running for city council. Yet, at many of these different stops, Dinowitz is not wearing the cap of a candidate for office, but instead as chair of Community Board 8’s aging committee. And it’s great to have that kind of community interaction, to the point that Dinowitz is likely the most traveled CB8 committee chair since, well, Andrew Cohen held the same position on his way to earning the city council job Dinowitz himself hopes to get someday. more

Presidents of the United States tend to be rather quotable men. But of the 44 men who have served in the highest office, few are as quotable as Ronald Reagan. more