The Main Street WIRE
Encyclopedia
The Main Street WIRE is the community newspaper of Roosevelt Island
, part of Manhattan
in New York City
. The name is an acronym based on the names of the island’s first four residential buildings: Westview, Island House, Rivercross, and Eastwood. It is published every two weeks (monthly in July and August) and is distributed to every residence on the island. It is published by Managing Editor Dick Lutz.
The newspaper is developed and produced each week by community volunteers. Editors since its founding have included Dr. Resnick, the late Jim Bowser, and current Editor-Publisher Dick Lutz.
Resident letters are an important component of The WIRE's editorial page, providing a forum for residents to comment on the performance of RIOC, which is a New York State agency. (Roosevelt Island, New York City property, was leased to New York State for 99 years starting in 1969 for development of housing.)
Roosevelt Island
Roosevelt Island, known as Welfare Island from 1921 to 1973, and before that Blackwell's Island, is a narrow island in the East River of New York City. It lies between the island of Manhattan to its west and the borough of Queens to its east...
, part of Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. The name is an acronym based on the names of the island’s first four residential buildings: Westview, Island House, Rivercross, and Eastwood. It is published every two weeks (monthly in July and August) and is distributed to every residence on the island. It is published by Managing Editor Dick Lutz.
History
The WIRE was first published in 1981, by Dr. Jack Resnick. He established the newspaper following an accident that took the Roosevelt Island Tramway out of service for several months, making travel to and from the island difficult. The incident was scarcely reported by major New York City news sources at the time, so Resnick and several other residents founded The WIRE to report local news.The newspaper is developed and produced each week by community volunteers. Editors since its founding have included Dr. Resnick, the late Jim Bowser, and current Editor-Publisher Dick Lutz.
Community focus
Since its founding, The WIRE's focus has always been principally on the Roosevelt Island community. It does not report on national or international news unless there is a direct and special effect on island residents. It is independent of both the Roosevelt Island Operating Cooperation (RIOC) and the Roosevelt Island Residents Association (RIRA), though the president of each organization contributes a column.Resident letters are an important component of The WIRE's editorial page, providing a forum for residents to comment on the performance of RIOC, which is a New York State agency. (Roosevelt Island, New York City property, was leased to New York State for 99 years starting in 1969 for development of housing.)