{"id":203243,"date":"2026-04-20T12:35:06","date_gmt":"2026-04-20T12:35:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/203243\/"},"modified":"2026-04-20T12:35:06","modified_gmt":"2026-04-20T12:35:06","slug":"strike-by-building-workers-averted-uws-residents-of-care-home-travel-internationally-via-virtual-reality-canadian-tennis-star-buys-uws-dakota-apartment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/203243\/","title":{"rendered":"Strike by Building Workers Averted; UWS Residents of Care Home Travel Internationally Via Virtual Reality; Canadian Tennis Star Buys UWS Dakota Apartment"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>A teen celebrating her quincea\u00f1era, or 15th birthday, poses for pictures in Central Park last weekend. Photo by Ann Cooper<\/p>\n

Today is Monday, April 20th, 2026<\/p>\n

Last week we noted in this space that the calendar said spring, but the temperatures were going to say summer. This week, in a whiplash-inducing reversal, they\u2019re going to rudely remind us that it\u2019s not time to break out our bathing suits just yet.<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s forecast calls for cloudy skies and the possibility of showers; temperatures are expected to climb from an overnight low of 36 degrees to a high of 52. Tomorrow will be much the same, minus the showers. As the week wears on, temperatures will gradually climb, but won\u2019t get anywhere near last Wednesday\u2019s April-15th-record-high 90 degrees.<\/p>\n

On this day in 1777, New York State adopted its first constitution. Not quite 200 years later, in 1971, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that busing for the purposes of desegregating schools was not illegal.<\/p>\n

Notices<\/p>\n

Our\u00a0calendar<\/a> has lots of local events.\u00a0Click on the link or the lady in the upper righthand corner to check.<\/p>\n

The Marlene Meyerson JCC at Amsterdam Avenue and West 76th Street is holding an Electronics and Textile Recycling Day on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in partnership with the Lower East Side Ecology Center. Among the items that will be accepted: Working and nonworking computers, keyboards, laptops, printers, phones, TVs, DVD players, clothing, shoes, towels, bedding, curtains, hats, bags, and gloves. More information \u2014 HERE<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Goddard Riverside will hold a screening of \u201cThe Plastic Detox\u201d on Wednesday at 5:45 p.m. at 593 Columbus Avenue. The documentary explores the health hazards of plastic waste and how to limit it. A discussion will follow. The event is co-sponsored by City Councilmember Gale Brewer, Assemblymember Micah Lasher, BeyondPlastic, and It\u2019s Easy Being Green. To RSVP, email itseasybeinggreen.uws@gmail.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

News Roundup<\/p>\n

Compiled by Laura Muha<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>UWS doorman. Photo courtesy WSR archives<\/p>\n

A citywide strike by building workers, scheduled for Wednesday, appears to have been averted.<\/p>\n

The Realty Advisory Board and 32BJ SEIU, the union that represents approximately 34,000 doorpersons, superintendents, porters, and others, announced a tentative four-year deal on Friday.<\/p>\n

The biggest sticking points had been wages, pensions and, especially, healthcare. Under the current contract, union members had full family coverage, but did not contribute anything toward it \u2014 something that the Realty Advisory Board said was not sustainable. The board said the average doorperson made about $62,000 a year, but the cost to employers was more than double that, largely because of healthcare.<\/p>\n

Union president Manny Pastreich told Fox News that the main goals of the negotiations were met by the new agreement, which includes a $4.50-per-hour raise over the course of the contract, no premium sharing for family healthcare ,and a 15% increase in employee pensions.<\/p>\n

Realty Advisory Board President Howard Rothschild called the deal a \u201cwin-win-win-win\u201d for employers, the union, and employees, and the 1.5 million renters and co-op and condo owners who would have been affected by a strike.<\/p>\n

The union\u2019s current contract expires today, and members must still vote to approve the new one. Ballots will go out this week, but it will likely take until late May for the result to be determined, Pastreich said.<\/p>\n

The last strike by members of the building-workers union was in 1991 and lasted 12 days.<\/p>\n

Read\/watch the full story \u2014 HERE<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>A virtual reality headset. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons<\/p>\n

Business Insider recently paid a visit to the New Jewish Home on West 106th Street, where residents were trying out virtual reality headsets provided by Mynd Immersive.<\/p>\n

The glasses company specializes in, well, immersive experiences, virtually transporting wearers to a variety of destinations, and in the process helping to \u201ctake older adults out of worlds that, for many, have gotten small,\u201d the publication reported.<\/p>\n

Dr. Jeffrey Farber, the facility\u2019s president and CEO, said the home has been working with Mynd since 2024 and that he\u2019s seen the headsets do more than provide entertainment; the virtual reality \u201ctrips\u201d have helped residents bond with one another.\u00a0 \u201cThey go back to places that they recall from their younger years, favorite places, places where they were born, parks that they used to know every corner of when they grew up,\u201d Farber told Business Insider. \u201cYou could feel like you\u2019re there and then share that experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

Resident Cecilia Ferreiro, 70, who moved to the New Jewish Home more than a year ago after a fall left her unable to walk, used the glasses to tour the Louvre. \u201cShe moved her neck around to see more, at times touching her chin to her chest,\u201d Business Insider reported. \u201cHer nurse pushed her wheelchair in a circle for a 360-degree view.\u201d\u00a0 It looked, Ferreiro marveled afterward, exactly as it had many years ago when she and her husband had visited; he died in 2000.<\/p>\n

\nIt wasn\u2019t the first time Ferreiro had used the glasses. During a previous session, she told Business Insider, she \u201ctraveled\u201d to Barcelona \u2013 another place she and her husband had visited. \u201cI felt I was there with him,\u201d she said, adding that the experience made her feel younger.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like I don\u2019t have much time left, so I want to make sure that I am living my life to the fullest,\u201d she added. \u201cI want to expand the little mind that I have left. I forget everything, but I\u2019m trying to catch up to everybody else.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read the full story \u2014 HERE<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Milos Raonic. Photo via Wikimedia Commons<\/p>\n

Canadian tennis star Milos Raonic is one of the newest residents of the Dakota, recently closing on a three-bedroom, two-bath home, reports Crain\u2019s New York Business.<\/p>\n

Raonic paid $5.3 million in cash for the apartment, which features fireplaces in the living room, dining room, and primary suite.<\/p>\n

All the rooms have ceilings which are at least 12 feel high \u2014 something that, Douglas Elliman listing agent Kaniela Kunen joked to Crain\u2019s, may have been part of the appeal to Raonic, who is 6 foot 5 inches tall. \u201cHe\u2019s very, very tall,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

At the peak of his career, Raonic was ranked No. 3 in the world, defeating Roger Federer in the Brisbane Open in 2016, and reaching the finals at Wimbledon the same year.<\/p>\n

He announced his retirement in January, writing in an emotional post on his Instagram page<\/a>: \u201cThe time has come, I am retiring from tennis. This is a moment you know will come one day, but somehow you never feel ready for it. This is as ready as I ever will be. Tennis has been my love and obsession for most of my life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Crain\u2019s reported that the sellers were\u00a0Ralph and Louise D\u2019Annucci, who \u2014 based on the city register \u2014 owned the apartment for decades.\u00a0 \u201cThe couple had little trouble selling their longtime home,\u201d Crain\u2019s said. \u201cThey listed the unit in early October for $5.5 million and had a contract by the end of December, public records show.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read the full story \u2014 HERE.<\/a><\/p>\n

In Other UWS News<\/p>\n

The\u00a0 BBC recently reported on what Mayor Zohran Mamdani has \u2014 and has not \u2014 accomplished during his first 100 days in office. Read the full story \u2014 HERE<\/a>.
\nNY1 talked with singer (and longtime UWS resident) Lucy Shelton, who is making her debut at the Metropolitan Opera at age 82. Watch the interview \u2014 HERE<\/a>.
\nA brush fire broke out in Central Park near West 65th Street and Central Park West last week; watch footage captured by CBS News New York \u2014 HERE<\/a>.
\nCBS News New York also was on hand last weekend for the (very colorful) second annual Cat Parade, which started at Bethesda Fountain and wended its way through the park; see the report \u2014 HERE<\/a>.
\nSince we\u2019re on the subject of Central Park: Photographer Jeenah Moon spent the day there last Wednesday, documenting for Reuters the ways that New Yorkers were dealing with the 90-degree heat (which shattered an 85-year-old record for April 15). See her photos \u2014 HERE<\/a>, HERE<\/a>, HERE<\/a>, and HERE<\/a>.<\/p>\n

ICYMI<\/p>\n

Here are a few stories we think are worth a look if you missed them last week \u2014 or a second look if you saw them. (Note that our comments stay open for six days after publication, so you may not be able to comment on all of them.)<\/p>\n

Woman Suspected of Snatching Purse on UWS is Chased Down By Cop on Horseback: NYPD, Video Shows<\/a><\/p>\n

West Side Canvas: In The Company Of Artists<\/a><\/p>\n

UWS Middle School With Focus on Students With Disabilities Fights Against Its Possible Eradication<\/a><\/p>\n

Subscribe to West Side Rag\u2019s FREE email newsletter\u00a0here<\/a>. And you can Support the Rag\u00a0here.<\/a><\/p>\n