The New Romford Free Press

Tag: East Town

  • Some Neighborhoods Abandoned

    Some Neighborhoods Abandoned

    By Buffy Bolivar

    It’s been several weeks since the Dino-Day Disaster, and most of New Romford has returned to functionality.  Power, water, and communications have returned, major thoroughfares have been cleared, and business has been normal for most residents.  There are still many side streets and buildings that need repair, but nothing that any New Romforder hasn’t experienced before.

    Even so, there are neighborhoods that are abandoned.  East Town, Jordan, and Virgin Heights were all hit hard by the DDD, and many buildings were completely demolished.  Johnson Lane in East Town is a ghost town.  “I used to live a block from that street,” said Dominique Jones, who is now living at a friend’s house in Norwoods.  “It was a happening place to go, you know.  All these great little shops and restaurants, all these places that only us locals knew, and now they’re just gone.”

    Then there’s the corner of Milton and Melville in Jordan, another popular commercial district that, prior to the DDD, was in the midst of an economic upturn.  McDowell Enterprises had built a new 30-story office building there five years ago, and now it sits empty with a giant hole down its middle.  That’s not even counting all the homes that were destroyed nearby.  The Bellevue Apartments a few blocks away were a newly renovated, upscale apartment complex, and now, with its north wall stripped off, it’s home to squatters.

    “It’s just a shame,” said local resident, Rashida Moen.  “A lot of these neighborhoods were some of the oldest in the city.  They’re architecture was just so unique.  You can’t replace them.  You just can’t.”

    Some 40,000 residents have been displaced in these neighborhoods, and 800 businesses are closed either temporarily or for good.  No other neighborhood in New Romford has been hit as hard, and it may take years to repair.  “The infrastructure was really bad in these parts,” said Richard Martindale, New Romford City Planner from 1996 to 2005.  “The roads, sewers, pipelines, and just the buildings themselves have been beat up so much over the past 50 years from aliens and supervillains, and now dinosaurs, that they really need to be stripped down and rebuilt.  That’s going to take a lot of money.”

    Mayor Lawrence has vowed to repair every street and building that sustained injuries in the wake of the DDD, but the price tag for such a feat may prove to be too high.  The estimated property damage for the entire city is $60.8 billion.  Downtown, which suffered the most damage, is getting top priority on the repairs, and since the Building Replacement Parts Act of 1978, every building is built with interchangeable parts.  Roughly 75% of the buildings in downtown have been fully restored within weeks, but neighborhoods like East Town are at a disadvantage because their buildings were grandfathered into the act and weren’t required to use interchangeable parts.

    “Older neighborhoods like that are going to lag behind,” said Martindale.  “It’s a shame because East Town and Jordan really had some charming architecture.  I just hope they don’t become a haven for supervillains.”

  • ‘X-Ray Man’ Releases X-Rays on Public after Attack by Teens

    ‘X-Ray Man’ Releases X-Rays on Public after Attack by Teens

    xraymanweb
    Photo of Stanger (right) with an unnamed woman

     

    by Buffy Bolivar

    An East Town man with uncontrollable X-Ray vision was attacked by teenagers outside of a convenience store, causing him to release large amounts of X-Rays on the unsuspecting public.

    Daniel Stanger, 54, was sprayed with toxic sludge when he was 22 in a truck accident while living in the Industrial District.  The truck hit a series of potholes and toppled over, spraying the toxic sludge onto the eyes of Stanger, who was walking down the sidewalk at the time.  After spending three weeks in the hospital, he discovered to have X-Ray vision, and not the kind of “X-Ray vision” that allowed him to see through walls.  His X-Ray vision did the same thing that X-Ray machines did at hospitals, and for several years, Stanger was able to control his new vision and work for the hospital to pay off his medical bills.

    At age 28, Stanger wasn’t able to turn off his X-Ray vision, and he was releasing dangerous amounts of X-Rays onto people.  Doctors weren’t able to turn off his new vision, and neither could scientists at ATOM Labs.  Instead, they fitted him with lead glasses that block his X-Rays but also make him blind.  Over the years, Stanger has grown accustomed to his blindness, and his glasses are strapped securely around the back of his head to keep them in place.

    Then, punk teenagers attacked him and ripped his glasses off.

    “Daniel came into my store everyday,” said Raahi Krishnamurthy, owner of East Town King Mart on 16th Ave and Tennyson St.  “He’s a polite, considerate man, always taking the great care in where he walks.  He’s quite adept at using his cane and hearing to move around.  He’s never caused anyone any trouble.”

    After Stanger bought an iced tea and a few toiletries, he left the store and encountered three punk teenagers.  They accosted him, mocking his lead glasses.  According to Krishnamurthy, Stanger tried to be in on the joke to alleviate the situation, but that didn’t work, and one of the punk teenagers (who were dressed in “punk clothes” and had “punk haircuts” according to witnesses) ripped off his glasses.

    Stanger screamed in protest, and with his eyes briefly opened, he released massive amounts of X-Rays across 16th Ave.  Krishnamurthy, who doesn’t believe he was exposed to the X-Rays, came to his aid, hitting the punk teens with a mop.  The teens turned their attention to him while Stanger closed his eyes and frantically searched for his glasses on the ground.  A couple locals rushed to his aid, knowing both Stanger and Krishnamurthy.  They retrieved the glasses, trying to explain the situation to the punk teens, but they ran away.  Stanger put his glasses back on and called 911.

    “So many people were hit by Daniel’s X-Rays,” said Krishnamurthy.  Stanger was shaken up and did not want to talk.  “It was just for a brief instance, but it’s very dangerous.  He went up to as many people as possible to tell them what happened.  I know Daniel is more upset about it than anyone.  I feel sorry for him.”

    The NRPD is still on the lookout for the punk teens not just for punishment but for their own safety.  Stanger’s X-Rays likely hit them as well.  Ambulances were on the scene within minutes to check out victims for cell damage, but health officials are encouraging everyone from 16th Ave to 26th Ave between Milton and Crowley Streets to come to a hospital to get checked out, just to be safe.