samhexum

Back to life Big Lots to reopen more than 100 shuttered stores after bankruptcy filing “We’re excited to bring an additional 132 Big Lots! locations back to life in May,” said and CEO of Variety Wholesalers, which acquired more than 200 Big Lots stores.

not sure if this belongs here, or in 'Hanging out in Queens'... A tenant who hasn’t paid her $100-a-month rent in more than a decade is back in court, fighting to hold on to the two-bedroom Queens apartment she inherited through a controversial death-bed adoption, The Post has learned. Maria DeTommaso, 74, has lived in the rent-controlled railroad flat on the bottom floor of a Long Island City row house since at least 2002, where neighbors say she causes many problems. “I think she’s a demon in human skin because of what she puts people through,” said Anjanie Narine, who has lived next door to DeTommaso for more than 20 years. “Every interaction with her is negative. She terrorizes everyone, and acts as if she owns the building.” DeTommaso scored her sweet rent deal when she moved in with an elderly former dock worker, Nicholas “Nicky” DeTommaso, who had the original lease on the apartment. Days before he died in 2009, the then 58-year-old Maria convinced the 85-year-old retiree to adopt her. Nine years later, the state’s Division of Housing and Community Renewal granted DeTommaso “successor rights” to the apartment, keeping its rent at $100 and allowing her to stay in perpetuity. Similar units in the building now rent just below $2,000. During the time she has lived in the unit, neighbors say she has “terrorized” them by renting out part of the apartment on Airbnb, ushering in a steady stream of dozens of tourists from around the world who rented rooms from her for $55 a night, according to complaints made to the Department of Buildings and online ads. One longtime fellow tenant in the six-unit building said DeTommaso, who is also known as Pamela Becker and Prema Deodhar, has even changed the locks on the front doors and invited a steady stream of veterans from a nearby shelter who have caused havoc in the building. For years, The Post has documented attempts by the building’s octogenarian owners, Sugrim and Kowsila Outar, to evict DeTommaso from the apartment. They are scheduled to return to Queens Housing Court on May 6. “Her case has already gone through five of the judges here in Queens, and benefited from every change in the housing laws since COVID,” said Elan Layliev, the attorney for the Outars who is fighting to evict DeTommasso. “[It’s been] a wild ride. Ms. DeTommaso has utilized every loophole in the court system to prolong and delay this trial.” For her part, DeTommaso told The Post last week the claims against her are exaggerated and designed to kick her out of her home. “I won the succession,” she said. “This is sick. I’m the legal tenant. I have every right to be here and I don’t know how people can lie so much. They are trying to evict me, but my lawyer says I don’t have to worry.” DeTommaso’s lawyer, Zara Feingold, is a legal aid attorney who works with the New York Legal Assistance Group, according to court documents and her LinkedIn page, which means DeTommaso doesn’t have to pay her for representation. Under New York law, she also doesn’t have to pay rent while the legal case with her landlords is ongoing, which is currently a decade. Still, she has previously said she puts rent money into an escrow account so it can be paid after the legal matter is settled. DeTommaso, who lives with her two dogs — a miniature grey hound and a dachshund — told The Post she recently broke her hip in the apartment because the landlords have not done necessary repairs. She said her oven doesn’t work, and complained about roaches and mice in the living space. However, according to Layliev, DeTommasso will not allow workers contracted by the Outars into her apartment and has previously hired homeless veterans to do the work and told them to present the bills to the owners. DeTommasso was born Pamela Rose Becker on March 1, 1951. She grew up in Washington DC and attended a series of posh private schools. Her father served as US ambassador to Honduras during the Ford administration and her brother, Ralph Becker, is a former mayor of Salt Lake City. A yoga enthusiast, she showed up at the Long Island City building to cat sit for a friend in the late 1990s. When the friend returned, she claimed she had nowhere to live and asked Nicky if she could spend a few days, said Narine. She never left. Nicky, who was known in the neighborhood as “Uncle Nicky,” had moved to the apartment in 1924 as an infant. He lived there with his mother, three brothers and two sisters, and stayed until his death on July 15, 2009. A devoted “Star Trek” fan, he played stickball on the street when he was a child and chain-smoked cigarettes on the stoop, helping his neighbors secure parking spots when he was older, according to “Nicky D from LIC: A Narrative Portrait” by writer and artist Warren Lehrer. Five years after moving in, DeTommasso secured Nicky’s power of attorney in 2007. When his health was in decline, she drove him around the city to do errands and to see his doctor in a series of cars he bought for her, according to an interview with The Post in 2018. “He loved me, and his whole family still calls me,” said DeTommaso last week. But Narine, an office worker, said she recalled Nicky had allegedly tried to kick her out almost as soon as she moved in. “He woke up early, and every morning I would hear him curse at her to get the f–k out,” she said. “I’m next door and the walls are pretty thin.” The protracted battle with the Outars, immigrants from Guyana who also live in the building, has taken its toll on the elderly couple, claimed Narine, adding that Sugrim Outar, 85, has had several heart attacks over the years. “They are both physically weak,” said Narine. “I have no doubt in my mind this battle with this professional squatter has taken years off their lives.”

On the one-month anniversary of the club creating a firestorm around the league with their use of torpedo bats in a game in which they scored 20 runs against the Brewers, the Yankees celebrated by creating MLB history. The Yankees became the first team to hit three straight home runs to begin a game twice in the same season. On Tuesday, against Orioles starter Kyle Gibson, Trent Grisham began the home run bonanza with a leadoff shot that landed on Eutaw Street beyond the right field wall. On the next pitch, Aaron Judge hit his ninth home run of the season, raising his batting average to .407. Designated hitter Ben Rice then followed Judge with a 378-foot home run over the right field wall. Two batters later, Cody Bellinger, who was moved down to fifth in the batting order because of his early-season struggles, added a solo home run. The team also picked up two doubles... all that within the first seven batters of the inning. Rice later added another home run in the second inning, pushing his season total to eight.

I am only interested if I get to throw my plate after I'm done eating... High-end Mediterranean restaurant to replace shuttered TGI Friday’s on Austin Street in Forest Hills – QNS QNS.COM A new high-end Mediterranean restaurant is slated to open at 7000 Austin St. in Forest Hills, taking...

The neighborhood will never be the same again... High-end Mediterranean restaurant to replace shuttered TGI Friday’s on Austin Street in Forest Hills – QNS QNS.COM A new high-end Mediterranean restaurant is slated to open at 7000 Austin St. in Forest Hills, taking...

Donna Mills can't die yet... she's still in 'hair and make-up'.

It's too bad Stephanie wasn't awake the week before, or she could have seen that Trevor's daughter is her sister.

Bravo tonight: Love Hotel Series premiere: Shannon Storms Beador, Gizelle Bryant, Ashley Darby and Luann de Lesseps come together for the ultimate lavish getaway in the hopes of finding true love; Joel Kim Booster hosts.

Just watched a video from a couple of years ago... this was America's Test Kitchen's Best Buy for bread ovens.

Eugenio Suarez, one of the streakiest hitters around, hit the first pitch of the bottom of the 9th for his fourth straight homer, to tie the game tonight. The D'Backs lost in 10.

Which is why it's a bit shocking that you so love hot dogs.

Just opened a letter I got from United Health Care. He's no longer part of their network. So much for my 5/1 cleaning.

No offense, but I don't think many people are clamoring for you to start, no matter how good a singer you (think you) are.

GUESS WHO WAS WAS HANGING OUT IN QUEENS TODAY... Miley Cyrus spotted on Long Island City rooftop filming commercial for Maybelline New York - LIC Post LICPOST.COM April 25, 2025 By Laura Dorgan American singer-songwriter and actress Miley Cyrus was spotted on... Miley Cyrus spotted on LIC rooftop filming ad for Maybelline

You know, they married Ida Slaptim, and they named their first child Ida Slaptemboth.

Or someone. Btw, I'm not totally devastated about this ticket situation for her because I stopped listening to current music so long ago that I have never heard a complete song she has done, even going back to Destiny's Child. But I've seen or heard snippets, which is more than I can say about her hubby. I CAN say that I have heard more snippets of Beyonce in my life than I have of the future Mrs. Travis Kelce.

The actress who played his daughter is the sister of Stephanie (the attic ghost).

Breaking news: Two New York City news anchors are saying goodbye to their Brooklyn pad. Mike Marza and Rhiannon Ally have listed their Park Slope co-op for $1.5 million. The move comes as the broadcast couple continues to cement their careers in New York City’s fast-paced news market at ABC. Marza serves as a weeknight 11 p.m. co-anchor and field reporter for WABC’s Eyewitness News, while Ally anchors for ABC, including a notable role on GMA3, where she filled in for Amy Robach during a widely reported absence tied to Robach’s personal controversy with co-anchor T.J. Holmes. The couple purchased the 1,500-square-foot, four-bedroom, two-bath duplex in 2022 for $1.46 million, property records show. For them, the best feature of all is something much bigger. “Brooklyn is the best of both worlds,” Marza told The Post via email. “You’re in the city, but also have a little room to breathe too. Prospect Park is our backyard. We taught all three kids to ride bikes there. We love the location of this apartment. It’s really a special place, with the views from the incredible rooftop and the world famous restaurants just steps away.” Ally echoed the sentiment, adding they’re not going far at all because of it. “Our family loves Brooklyn because every street feels like home,” she said, also by email. “Each neighborhood has its own personality. Park Slope is the perfect intersection of energy and community —it’s where laughter echoes from every stoop and every building like [ours] has its own unique history. Neighbors look out for each other and start to feel like family. We are thrilled to raise our kids here and aren’t going far. We are moving just a few blocks away.” Situated in a converted industrial building, the co-op blends historic elements with modern design. The listing highlights its soaring double-height ceilings, a distinctive spiral staircase and a multi-level layout that offers flexibility for various living arrangements. The updated kitchen is equipped with stainless steel appliances, a large island with seating and ample storage, the listing notes. The upper level includes three spacious bedrooms, one configured as a home office. A removable wall between two bedrooms allows for the creation of a larger primary suite, while the third bedroom features a loft area adaptable for multiple purposes. Additional features include dimmable lighting, an in-unit washer-dryer, and a virtual doorman system for added convenience and security. Residents have access to a communal roof deck offering panoramic views of the Manhattan skyline. Abigail Palanca, Jennifer Chiu and Crystal Chancey with Serhant hold the listing. Said Palanca, “The architectural style of Park Slope is relatively uniform and this co-op is a contemporary outlier. Owners get access to the picturesque, tree-lined streets and community feel of the beloved neighborhood while having a modern duplex space that can be further customized as they wish.”

Cassette and VHS tapes once ruled the world of entertainment — but, just a half-century after they came on the scene, they’ve largely gone the way of the dodo. In 2025, digital media is king. Online streaming services have libraries larger than any Blockbuster store, and the latest albums are available instantly on Spotify or Apple Music for a flat monthly fee. But on April 27, physical media will rise once again at the first-ever NYC Tape Fair in Bushwick, where vendors’ tables will be stacked with old and new cassettes tapes, stacks of VHS tapes in their blocky plastic boxes, and more. Co-founder Anthony Morton said he’s always loved physical media, starting when he was a “broke kid” who could only afford a $5 cassette at a concert. “Similarly, with VHS, I wanted to own all my favorite movies, and realizing people were basically throwing VHS [tapes] away allowed me to do that and exposed me to so many new things because of the low financial barrier for entry,” he said. “I think keeping it that way, and maintaining tape as a medium, keeps that low barrier. It’s good for artists, good for consumers, and keeps art available for all.” He still collects tapes, but finding them isn’t easy. His often fruitless shopping trips helped inspire NYC Tape Fair. “I went to a lot of record fairs and there would be one vendor with a box of tapes, not really curated, just kind of stuff they found along the way when they were buying records,” he said. “And I was like, I’d really, selfishly, love for a tape fair to happen. And to get all of these people in one room.” It was a “labor of love” for Morton and co-founder Ricardo Marrero to find all the vendors, he said, but for six hours on Sunday, at least a dozen will gather at Selva, a record store-art gallery-cafe on Willoughby Avenue. “We’re honored to host the NYC Tape Fair for their first event, bringing together individuals with niche interests to celebrate music, art, and underground works that have yet to be discovered,” said Lucas Cabu and Marc Grillo, two of Selva’s owners. Sellers will include stores such as the Captured Record Shop in Greenpoint and the new Night Owl Video in Williamsburg plus independent collectors like Mike Videopunk and Billy Bombs. They’ll be offering rare vintage tapes alongside new ones and collector necessities like hard-to-find tape storage. Morton was particularly excited about the Found Footage Festival, which travels around the country showing off long-lost tapes found in thrift stores and estate sales, and will be showing off some archival footage at NYC Tape Festival on Sunday. “They have essentially the world’s largest collection of obscure and niche things put to VHS,” he said. “They were excited about [the festival] and took the time to take some things from the archive to sell.” While streaming dominates entertainment, Morton thinks more and more people are growing fatigued with logins and subscriptions and are returning to the simplicity of popping in a tape. He may be right. Earlier this month, Night Owl Video opened its doors in Williamsburg, stocked entirely with DVDs, VHS tapes, and movie memorabilia. Recent stats have shown small surges in sales of vinyl records, cassette tapes, and DVDs — likely driven by equal parts nostalgia and practicality. Streaming giants often pull movies and TV shows from their platforms with little warning, leaving fans with no way to watch; and artists have come and gone from Spotify. “I think people have kind of realized that they don’t have a tangible connection, they don’t have a tactile thing they can hold,” Morton said. “And that kind of scares [them], like, what if it all goes away? It definitely has people kind of clamoring to own their favorite things, and to be able to access them at their own speed.” NYC Tape Fair pops up in Brooklyn for one day only on Sunday, April 27, from noon to 6 p.m. at Selva at 1329 Willoughby Avenue in Bushwick.

Lar Park-Lincoln, who played Linda Fairgate in nearly 50 episodes of CBS’ 1979-1993 primetime sudser Knots Landing, died on April 22. She was 63. A cause of death was not immediately made available. Park-Lincoln had battled breast cancer since 2008, and as of 2012 had already gone through nine surgeries.

And that man now identifies as mortified.

It's over already

Despite my innate cynicism about people, I would think somebody who would do this would have some kind of arrangement with the mom.

For various reasons, it made sense for me to order groceries this morning from Walmart. They sent a driver who didn't speak English so after the 8th attempt to unlock the front door of the building with the app on my phone and him saying not open, I asked several times if he was at my address. Answer? First silence, then "No English", then he hung up. Two minutes later I got a text showing that my order had been delivered and left in front of a red door. I guess someone had let him into the building. Only one teensy-weensy little problem... our doors are beige. Tore out my hair out dealing with the AI to get to a person to refund the order. Placed another. EXACT same thing happened, except I eventually got a text saying we couldn't deliver AND found one from the shopper from 15 minutes earlier in Spanish telling me (I think) that his GPS took him to an an address # totally different than mine so I knew where he was... a building on a cross street across from the other end of my block. I had a driver last year who actually spoke English tell me that happened to him but he could understand me when he called, so at least I got that order (minus the stuff that was ruined when half of my gallon of milk leaked out). I guess brand new still-in-development-stage technology like GPS just doesn't work in remote, underdeveloped wildernesses like NYC. No wonder the fees are so high... I have to pay for the R&D that makes this form of grocery shopping so efficient and worth having my blood pressure skyrocket all day and being too annoyed and short-tempered to work on another problem I am trying to get resolved this week with another company (which is one of the reasons I thought it would be worth it to pay for that bargain delivery)... which makes winding up with no food at all at the end of a totally wasted day SOOOOOOOOOOOOO worthwhile. But who needs motorized carts when grocery delivery is such a bargain, right? Actually, when StopnShop had their own delivery fleet they were very good and cheap enough and their customer service was easy to reach and generous with refunds and credits. Alas, they gave it up and now use InstaRipOff.

For various reasons, it made sense for me to order groceries this morning from Walmart. They sent a driver who didn't speak English so after the 8th attempt to unlock the front door of the building with the app on my phone and him saying not open, I asked several times if he was at my address. Answer? First silence, then "No English", then he hung up. Two minutes later I got a text showing that my order had been delivered and left in front of a red door. I guess someone had let him into the building. Only one teensy-weensy little problem... our doors are tan. Tore out my hair out dealing with the AI to get to a person to refund the order. Placed another. EXACT same thing happened, except I eventually got a text saying we couldn't deliver AND found one from the shopper from 15 minutes earlier in Spanish telling me (I think) that his GPS took him to an an address # totally different than mine so I knew where he was... a building on a cross street across from the other end of my block. I had a driver last year who actually spoke English tell me that happened to him but he could understand me when he called, so at least I got that order (minus the stuff that was ruined when half of my gallon of milk leaked out). I guess brand new still-in-development-stage technology like GPS just doesn't work in remote, underdeveloped wildernesses like NYC. No wonder the fees are so high... I have to pay for the R&D that makes this form of grocery shopping so efficient and worth having my blood pressure skyrocket all day and being too annoyed and short-tempered to work on another problem I am trying to get resolved this week with another company (which is one of the reasons I thought it would be worth it to pay for that bargain delivery)... which makes winding up with no food at all at the end of a totally wasted day SOOOOOOOOOOOOO worthwhile. But grocery delivery is such a bargain, right? Actually, when StopnShop had their own delivery fleet they were very good and cheap enough and their customer service was easy to reach and generous with refunds and credits. Alas, they gave it up and now use InstaRipOff.