Belzer was waiting in line at the store when an employee approached him and asked if he needed help. What happened next is in dispute.

The employee, a petite dancer, says Belzer shook her and choked her and said “I need help!” The Daily News reported. (The News had three reporters on this story!)

Belzer told celebrity gossip site TMZ that “Perhaps I shouldn’t have invaded her space, but it was clearly non-threatening.”

Although cops determined no crime was committed, the woman filed a harassment report against Belzer, which she could take up in civil court. Witnesses told the News that Belzer paced up and down the block and walked into and out of the store three times after the incident. (flickr photo of Belzer by Jay Tamboli)

Curbed has the first pictures up, and they’re quite sumptuous. Among the amenities at “The Corner”: a rooftop deck with an open-air fireplace and a “misting wall.” The building also has a gym and “Corner Club” where you can watch the big game with other rich people. And the foyer has a chandelier with 1,750 LED crystals. The building is attempting to get LEED-Silver certification. No word yet on what the apartments will rent for.

As for the retail spaces, it looks like Trader Joe’s (a 20,000 square foot store)  will mostly be underground. And Bank of America is going in next to Trader Joe’s on the corner of the block. But there is still space available on the ground level and the second and third floors. Check out all our 200 West coverage here. (photo by Avi)

Starting in April, fruit carts will park on 110th Street between Central Park West and Lenox Avenue, and on Fifth Avenue on 86th and 81st Streets. The fruit will be provided by the Hunts Point Market (That’s right, da Bronx. You got a problem with that?). The prices aren’t too bad either — 3 bananas for $1, a mango for $1.50. There will also be boxed fruit salads, for $3 a pound, the Post reported. (photo by peterkreder via flickr)

PS 9 had a huge auction on Saturday to raise money called Saturday Night Auction Fever, where everything from U2 tickets to a week at a house in the Hamptons  were auctioned off.

But the money that PTAs raise isn’t going as far as it used to. Last year, the city instituted a new policy that makes PTAs give any money they raise to the Department of Education to hire the teachers assistants, because the union had complained. The assistants were making about $12 to $15 an hour as compared to unionized salaries that could go as high as $23 an hour, The New York Times reported. The new policy angered many parents, who said the money they were raising would end up hiring much fewer assistants. While the state gives money to reduce overcrowding, most of that money goes to schools in low-income districts. (photo by woodleywonderworks via flickr)

The suspect, described as a black woman between 23 and 28 years old, walked into the bank on Feb. 1 at around 8:40 a.m. and passed the teller a note demanding cash. The job was apparently so rewarding, she came back 11 days later at 8:50 a.m., handed the teller a note, and you guessed it, walked out with the cash. Your friendly neighborhood bank robber. I do hope they have this sketch up at Sovereign Bank.

The suspect is 5′1″-5′5″, with a slim build and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a brown hooded sweatshirt, white scarf, and dark pants and boots. If you have information, call 1-800-577-TIPS (8477). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime stoppers website at www.nypdcrimestoppers.com or by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then enter TIP577.

Community Board 7 denied Magnolia’s request to keep its sidewalk cafe at a board meeting last month, raising the possibility that the cafe would have to be demolished. Essentially, they said the cafe is too wide and it’s really hard to get by. They also said that it was supposed to be used for seating, but now it’s mostly used for the long lines that fill the store.

But in the interest of not hurting small businesses, Brewer is supporting the cafe’s application, one of her staff members told us. Basically she’s not going to raise an objection to the permit at the City Council meeting when it’s brought up. (Although Brewer often takes the advice of the Community Board, she doesn’t have to.) The Department of Consumer Affairs, which also gets to weigh in, approved the application, a spokeswoman there said.

How does the community board feel about this? “It’s a disappointment that it will go through without debate. It a wonderful addition to the neighborhood, but the sidewalk is extremely narrow and crowded,” wrote Community Board 7 Chair Mel Wymore in an email to us.

Sigh. Cupcakes win again.

Hersh has been accused of all sorts of nastiness against his tenants in the past, including wielding a bat against them. While the shelter at 237 West 107th Street is run by a group called HELP USA that has a good reputation, Hersh is profiting off of it, making thousands more from the tenants than he would if it continued to be used for low-income SRO housing. At a Community Board 7 meeting Tuesday night, local residents also expressed concerns about security. One neighbor who lives across the street from the shelter said she would be okay with a well-run permanent homeless shelter, but doesn’t like the idea of a transitional shelter.

“They kind of brought the women in the middle of the night,” said Elizabeth Bergreen. She said five police cars were parked outside the shelter on a recent night.

Mark-Viverito said at the meeting that she didn’t want to see a landlord with a troubling history make money off of a homeless shelter, but that the DHS needs the building in the short term and there is little the community can do about that.

The DHS will set up a local advisory committee to discuss issues about the shelter, and the community board is asking the City Council to hold a hearing to discuss low-income housing and homeless shelters.

OPEN:

Kikuchi Sushi
A new sushi spot has opened on the corner of 92nd Street and Amsterdam Avenue where Yuki Sushi used to be. The menu looks pretty standard, with teriyakis, tempuras and lots of sushi rolls. But will it be better than its predecessor?

Tangled Vine
This new wine bar/Mediterranean restaurant opens at 434 Amsterdam Avenue off of 81st Street today, serving delicacies like scallops a la plancha and offering a 160-bottle wine list that’s heavy on the Rieslings. Check out the menu here and the wine list here. (both pdfs) (Grubstreet)

Burberry
The luxury British clothing retailer is moving into the 3,000-square-foot space on Columbus Avenue between 67th and 68th Street next to Ugg.

Valley Drugs
A new drugstore has opened at 850 Amsterdam Avenue around 101st Street, previously the site of another drug store.

Vareli
A new restaurant from the people who own Westside Market is opening at 2869 Broadway, between 111th and 112th Streets. It’s expected to have two floors with Mediterranean food and bars on both floors. (Harlem Bespoke)

Elite Unisex Hair Salon
The new salon opened on Amsterdam Avenue between 92nd and 93rd Streets.

SHUT:

AT&T
The store on the South Side of 72nd Street between Amsterdam and Columbus Avenues has closed, and there’s a marshal’s notice taped to the door.

1 Hour Custom Framing
The framing shop on Amsterdam between 79th and 80th Street is moving to Broadway between 78th and 79th.

Have you noticed a new business on the Upper West Side, or one that’s closed? Let us know!

Heavy wet snow and high winds pulled down branches and entire trees on Thursday; conditions were so bad that parks officials advised people not to venture into the parks at all and to be careful even when walking near trees planted on the sidewalk.

Police officers drove through Central Park, for instance, blasting messages to leave the park over loudspeakers, according to the Daily News.

Riverside Park officials similarly advised people to stay away from the park Thursday night.

Qyra’s death comes after Google engineer Sasha Blair-Goldensohn was severly injured by a falling branch in the park this summer. (twitpics by broadway_fan)

The cabs will drop people off anywhere south of 72nd Street on Park Avenue as far South as Grand Central. While that ride would normally cost more than $7 from 72nd street (according to the taxi commission), it will now cost $4 if you’re willing to share. Buddy up, Upper West Siders! (thumbnail by Tomas Fano via flickr)