New task force assembled to handle St. Vincent’s fate, JPMorgan Midtown office space hits market for first time … and more

1. LeFrak right for Stuy Town, according to billionaire private equity firm head, Wilbur Ross [WSJ]
2. City Islanders fighting to stop closure of their only ladder company [NYDN]
3. Deadline to appeal property value assessment fast approaching [SI Advance]
4. Astoria’s Sohmer Piano Factory condo conversion temporarily halts sales [Curbed]
5. Lower Manhattan museum features 9/11 artifacts [DNAinfo] 
6. Bronx River green initiative gets boost from Army Corps of Engineers [NYDN]
7. Former JPMorgan Chase Midtown space hits market for the first time [GlobeSt] 
8. New task force assembled to handle St. Vincent’s fate [Crain’s]
9. Rent Guidelines Board Web site tells affordable housing seekers to look outside of Manhattan [NYC the Blog]
10. Anderson Cooper firehouse to stay protected, architect pledges [DNAinfo]
11. Food delivery service FreshDirect mulls possible apartment vending machines [Brick Underground] 
12. In NYC office districts, tension between old and new buildings [NYO] 
13. Kingsbridge tall task for new Land Use Committee Chair Leroy Comrie [City Hall News] 
14. Small victory for Ray’s Candy supporters, with scraping together of January rent [Neither More nor Less]
15. 2010 awaits glut of highly-anticipated pizzeria openings [Village Voice] 
16. Community advocates rail against Forever 21 [39th and Broadway]
17. Williamsburg pastry shop Penny Licks appears shuttered [Eater]
18. 290 Mulberry Street now home to makeshift light show [Bowery Boogie]
19. East Village Visitors Center relocated to 614 East 4th Street [EV Grieve] 
20. River Café faces heavy opposition from Community Board 2 in cabaret license application [Post]
21. Brooklyn developer accused of swindling families in subprime mortgage fraud claims deceased rabbi gave him the go-ahead [NYDN]

22. Opera star Catherine Malfitano sells Tribeca loft for $2.6 million [NYO] 
23. Short-term condo ownership introduced to keep buyers from monopolizing prime property in California [NYT] 
24. Cobble Hill Montessori school fights to stay open [Cobble Hill Blog] 
25. In wake of Aqueduct decision, Paterson calls on influential New York City pastor Rev. Floyd Flake for guidance [NYT]