The Roosevelt Island LightHouse

Susan Rosenthal, a Sacrificial Lamb?*

The woman Albany condemned, the room she failed to read and the friends who survived by leaving her behind.

Oct 2 • Eleanor Rivers

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September 2026

The Budget Knew Before the “Emergency”

RIOC anticipated a $7 million Steam Plant demolition for 2015. Nine years later, New York City used emergency authority to carry it out.

Sep 25 • Theo Gobblevelt

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“Yes. I’m Present.”

On October 20, 2022, RIOC approved a tower, guarded its confusion and learned to mistake presence for consent.

Sep 18 • Eleanor Rivers

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Free at the Door, Paid Somewhere Else

RIOC projected Tram growth and OMNY would strengthen transportation revenue. Its latest accounts show the Red Bus and Tram both losing money, while the…

Sep 11 • Theo Gobblevelt

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Three Newspapers and a Broken Water Fountain

One paper stopped arriving. Another outgrew the list that started it, then learned how to say goodbye.

Sep 4 • Eleanor Rivers

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August 2026

Can the Lawsuit Reach the Stacks in Time?

Residents have spent months asking City and State agencies to show why the Roosevelt Island Steam Plant must be demolished. Meetings produced promises…

Aug 28 • Theo Gobblevelt

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The WIRE: Two Futures, One Empty Chair

David Stone is preparing to take over. Dick Lutz is preparing him. Somewhere between January and July, the same plan begins moving in two directions.

Aug 21 • Eleanor Rivers

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Still Searching: Transparency Delayed at RIOC

New York’s Freedom of Information Law rests on a basic principle: government records belong to the public unless an agency can identify a lawful reason…

Aug 14 • Theo Gobblevelt

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Ten Years, or Another Temporary Fix?

The ten-year lease extension gives RIOC a rare chance to replace short-term deals with a financial system designed to outlast the people approving them.

Aug 7 • Theo Gobblevelt

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July 2026

Introduce Yourself Again

Felina, the failing Westside Pier and the public space nobody could quite define

Jul 31 • Eleanor Rivers

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Who Does This?

The board-approved terms gave Hudson/Related thirty years, no vacancy deadline and a larger share of profits if the land became more valuable

Jul 24 • Theo Gobblevelt

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Unequal Bargains

The Screen We Could Not See

Jul 17 • Eleanor Rivers

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