Ending lease early

Yankees third baseman Josh Donaldson, while playing in the house that Ruth built, was living in a house of horrors, according to a lawsuit filed Friday. Donaldson, in a nine-page complaint filed in Connecticut Federal Court, alleges the $55,000-a-month Connecticut rental property where he relocated before Opening Day with his pregnant partner and their 17-month-old daughter was “unfit and uninhabitable for his family.” The residence suffered from a widespread mold problem, an unusable pool, an infestation of ants and squirrels, nonworking showers, water damage to the bathrooms and faulty electrical wiring, the lawsuit claimed. The squirrels also found a home in one of the house’s bedroom ceilings, according to Donaldson’s filing. The sprawling five-bedroom residence sits on 4.5 acres, its furnishings a mix of “high-end European elegance and modern Art Deco,” according to a listing for the property. The master suite comes with a balcony, while the 4,400-square foot residence … [Read more...] about Yankee Josh Donaldson sues Greenwich landlord over lease for ‘moldy’ mansion

WIMBLEDON, England — Already coaching one American tennis icon, Eric Hechtman added another: logging the extra miles and the extra hours to try to help both Venus and Serena Williams get the most out of however many matches or seasons they have left. “If they are both good with it, I’m absolutely good with it,” Hechtman said in an interview at Wimbledon last week. “They are family. They are super close with each other. It’s been great so far.” Hechtman, a 38-year-old club professional and father of three from Miami, jokes that he is “old” but he is younger than both his star pupils. Venus is 42. Serena is 40. But neither is ready to retire even if Venus has not played on tour in nearly a year and Serena has not played singles on tour since last year’s Wimbledon . Both sisters are back in London, however, with Serena set to face Harmony Tan, an unseeded Frenchwoman, on Centre Court on Tuesday in the first round. Venus, who practiced on the grass at the All England … [Read more...] about How a Tennis Nerd Gave Serena and Venus Williams a New Lease on the Game

For chef Douglas Keane, the road here has been not merely long and winding. It has been brutal. When his acclaimed Cyrus in downtown Healdsburg closed in 2012 following a landlord dispute, he vowed to reopen the two- Michelin-starred restaurant elsewhere in the Alexander Valley. Little did he know it would take 10 years of stops and starts , plus lengthy deliberations over five different properties — four of which would prove too problematic — to make it happen. On Sept. 9, Cyrus will finally be reborn, in a bucolic setting in Geyserville, a 10-minute drive from its original location. Keane will again be serving up his style of assertively flavored, seasonal California fare with Japanese and other global influences, this time with an added Willy Wonka-like surprise. Exclusive reservations for the first three dinners, Sept. 9-11, will go on sale online at noon on Sunday, June 26, by San Francisco’s Meals on Wheels . Just 12 seats will be available each of those evenings, … [Read more...] about Wine Country lost this Michelin-starred restaurant a decade ago. It’s finally reopening this summer

Boris Johnson is finally back in Britain after a mammoth eight-day foreign trip where international summits were overshadowed by mounting questions about his leadership and defence spending. The Prime Minister welcomed Kiwi counterpart Jacinda Ardern to No10 today, where he was also dealing with the fallout from Deputy Chief Whip Chris Pincher’s resignation amid groping allegations. Mr Johnson’s Tory woes dogged him to Rwanda, Germany and Spain as he was repeatedly quizzed about a growing Conservative revolt against him in the UK. He tried to escape with swims, a boozy barbecue with G7 chiefs and striking up a new “bromance” with long-time sparring partner Emmanuel Macron. But time and again he was forced to confront criticisms of his leadership style, election humiliations and how he felt about critics plotting against him in Westminster. He struck up a new “bromance” with long-time sparring partner Emmanuel Macron ( Image: PA) The PM began the week in … [Read more...] about Inside Boris Johnson’s luxury jet and boozy BBQ tour as scandal erupted back home