(Photo: Scott Lynch)
A probe into the cause of the East Village explosion has become a “full-fledged criminal investigation,” according to a Con Ed spokesperson. Investigators are looking closely at an Aug. 6 incident in which a meter reader found a “strange-looking attachment with hoses” coming out of the gas main of 121 Second Ave., apparently feeding upstairs apartments without authorization. [] Investigators say tenants of 121 Second Ave may have been told not to alert Con Ed to their gas service and were told before Thursday’s inspection that their gas would be turned off, a sign that the service was being hidden from Con Ed. [AMNY] Singer-songwriter Laura Gibson described her narrow escape from the fire that destroyed her apartment. [The family of 23-year-old Nicholas Figueroa, whose body was recovered from the site, held a vigil in his honor last night. [DNA Info] East Village restaurant Tuome is closed following a kitchen fire on Sunday morning. [EV Grieve] Friday afternoon on the BQE near Williamsburg, City Councilmember Stephen Levin rescued a stray pregnant cat who’d been shot in the leg. Money is being raised for the cat’s medical care. [Gothamist] Just in time for spring, construction is underway on the Pulaski Bridge bike lanes. [Brooklyn Paper] Today the Spotted Owl Tavern debuts on 211 Avenue A. [EV Grieve] A boutique brand of writing instruments, CW Pencil Enterprise, opened a store at 100A Forsyth Street in early March. [Bowery Boogie] Brooklyn Zoo in Bushwick will host a three-day acrobatics festival late next month. [Bushwick BOMB] Baskin Robbins locations, including the one on E. 14th Street, are offering $1.31 scoops of ice cream today. [The Skint] 