Tiny Floating Gardens in the Gowanus, and More Brooklyn Briefs

Sign in MetroTech says in Arabic, "The truth is I love you." MK Metz

 - Brooklyn postal worker follows a Muslim woman, spits at her. [NBC]

- Company builds tiny floating gardens to clean up the polluted Gowanus Canal. [Accuweather]

- A young punk was convicted Tuesday for the shooting death of a beloved homeless man who kept an eye on a street in Clinton Hill. [Daily News]

- The best Friendsgiving feast and late-night turkey sandwiches are in Bushwick. [Brooklyn Magazine]

- In some neighborhoods, the Dept. of Sanitation is picking up old clothes packed in special pink bags and donating them to Goodwill. [Bensonhurst Bean]

- Did you catch these photos of Brooklyn Heights over the past century? [Curbed]

- Councilman Antonio Reynoso is calling on state lawmakers to implement the so-called "Idaho Stop" for cyclists. [NY1]

-  Donate winter wear and get free treats in Brooklyn Heights this weekend. [Brownstoner]

- Brooklyn ranks no. 9 on a Yelp/Harris Poll survey that ranks the top 20 U.S. cities to shop local. [Biz Journal]

- Negligible discounts on inferior items: Kindly old man retailer patiently explains the scam that is Black Friday. [Brokelyn]

- Men's brains seem to age faster than women's. [NY Magazine]


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Freeze Warning for Brooklyn Monday Night

 The National Weather Service has issued a freeze warning for Brooklyn and other boroughs of New York City (except Staten Island) starting 10 p.m. Monday night through 7 a.m. Tuesday morning.

If you have plants outside or on your balcony, bring them in.

Tuesday's high will be 47.


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Brooklyn Rat Takes Selfie; and More Brooklyn Briefs

 - Stop the presses: Rat takes selfie in Brooklyn subway station. [Rapid News]

- Brooklyn Arabs outraged by rhetoric on Syrian refugees. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- The massive Brooklyn projects that beat the 421a clock. [TRD]

-  A gym with an IMAX screen is opening in DUMBO. [Patch]

- GQ interviews the 20-year-old Brooklyn rockers the fashion world "is a little obsessed about." [GQ]

- Man, 27, stabbed after fleeing to Bushwick L train station. [Daily News]

- Library controversy continues: Levin pushes for bigger Brooklyn Heights Library at City Council hearing. [Brooklyn Eagle]

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De Blasio Pays Off Bet (Ouch), Protests at the Brooklyn Museum, and More Brooklyn Briefs

We have to give it up to @BilldeBlasio for keeping his end of the bet with @MayorSlyJames! https://t.co/3D80nQs0iz pic.twitter.com/qqxMpm9OT5

— Royals (@Royals) November 17, 2015

Somehow we thought he could sing better than that...

- Anti-gentrification activists protest real estate summit at the Brooklyn Museum. [Hyperallergic] and [Gothamist]

- Brooklyn the brand vs. Brooklyn the mega-city: Are we killing the goose? [Brownstoner]

- Just in time: Elite NYPD anti-terror squad deploys following Paris attacks. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- Two people were taken to a hospital after a shooting at a Bedford-Stuyvesant subway station Tuesday that caused disruptions in train service. [NBC]

- Brooklyn man sentenced to 4 years in divorce scheme. [Times of Israel]

- Some people just have it: R&B icon R. Kelly showed up to sing the national anthem at Tuesday's Brooklyn Nets game . . . sinking a 3-pointer while wearing sunglasses, with a cigar in his mouth. [Billboard]

- Meet CAM, the DUMBO artist who is responsible for all your favorite Brooklyn murals. [Brooklyn Magazine]

- Levi’s has opened a new store in Williamsburg that will contain a tailoring shop where you’ll be able to customize your denim. [StyleFashionNews]

- Beware of ads that use inaudible sound to link your phone, TV, tablet, and PC. [Ars Technica]


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Brooklyn Heights Library Proposal Goes Before City Council Subcommittee Today

Courtesy MarvelArchitects

Expect some noise and possible light (nah, just noise) this afternoon as the City Council's subcommittee on Planning, Dispositions and Concessions takes up two related applications:

- To dispose of the Brooklyn Heights Library at 280 Cadman Plaza West (now called 1 Clinton Street even before it actually exists), build a hi-rise there, and build "affordable" housing in another neighborhood

- To acquire a condo unit inside the proposed hi-rise for a smaller but more modern replacement library.

The rest of the City Council will presumably vote how Heights' Councilmember Stephen Levin votes. While the Brooklyn Heights Association rolled over on this one, a number of very vocal residents will skin Levin alive if he votes for the project as is.

It will be interesting to see what concessions he can squeeze from the developer, if any, to justify making the project (which has been compared to "giving the finger to Brooklyn Heights") palatable.

Interestingly, Borough President Eric Adams disapproved the project, with conditions, which raised his profile with a number of voters who weren't sure if he stood with them on this issue.

The project was approved by the City Planning Commission.

Citizens Defending Libraries and union groups are expected to make a strong showing in Council chambers.


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Tonight: Cobble Hill Association Fall General Meeting to Discuss LICH 'Misinformation'

LICH back in the day. Photo: MK Metz

The Cobble Hill Association will hold its Fall General Meeting Wed., November 18th at 7:00 pm, at P.S. 29 at 425 Henry Street between Baltic and Kane Streets. The topic will be LICH "misinformation" being put out by developers.

CHA says:

This will be a very important meeting of the Cobble Hill Association as the community provides feedback on the development proposals for the Long Island College Hospital site.

Incomplete and misleading information is being disseminated in our neighborhood by paid canvassers.

Some points of clarification:

- The rezoning plan is substantially larger than the As of Right plan.

- The NYU-Langone medical facility will be built by NYU regardless of which development path Fortis chooses. Continuous medical care on the site was a condition of the sale and is not a voluntary benefit offered by the developer.

- The park space proposed in the rezoning is a park “mash-up” of the existing sitting park and an existing playground, plus only 4,286 additional square feet.

- The proposed K-5 school has no schoolyard.



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ISIS Can't Come to Brooklyn, and More Brooklyn Briefs

RT @DevCNY: ISIS Can’t Come To Brooklyn pic.twitter.com/UY1zcO6nDy

— Darleny López (@darlopez) November 16, 2015

- It's official: ISIS can't come to Brooklyn. (Memorable video above; language alert.)

- Help redesign city streets at the Atlantic Avenue Safety Improvement Workshop. [Brownstoner]

- A 70-year-old woman was killed after being struck by a vehicle on Atlantic Avenue Monday afternoon. [DNAinfo]

- Photos: Brooklynites march in candlelight vigil past French cafes and bistros to honor Paris. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- Two taken to hospital after shooting at a bus stop in Canarsie. [ABC7]

- Brooklyn's Ample Hills just landed $4 million to launch an ice cream empire. [Eater]

- One person was stabbed and another was punched in the face Monday afternoon on a subway platform in East NY. [NBC]

- Wonderful video plays tribute to South Brooklyn's enduring mom and pop stores.  [PMFA]

- A bicycle delivery man was critically injured when a tree fell on him in Red Hook Monday afternoon. [ABC7]

- Still waiting for FIOS? Brooklyn BP Eric Adams will be hosting a public forum on Verizon's Brooklyn rollout Tuesday night. [Brownstoner]

- An ad that surfaced last week on Craigslist offering a tricked-out dumpster as a rentable apartment was phony. [Brooklyn Eagle] 

- Just once month before 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens,' Gowanus’ Halyards Bar is showing every ‘Star Wars’ movie in the nerdiest way possible. [Brokelyn]


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Music Lovers Rejoice: Make Music Winter Returns Dec. 21

Illustration by Adam McCauley, courtesy of Make Music NY

 Make Music Winter returns on Monday December 21. Musicians, singers, and winter revelers are invited to join the party and make music on the longest night of the year. Most events require no musical training, but some open rehearsals start now.

A dozen musical parades are planned, including Bach, Bells, Flatfooters, Kalimbas, Parranderos (in Melrose and Williamsburg), Percussion, Singers, and Smartphones. For example, in Brooklyn:

- Bell by Bell: Starting at the DUMBO Arch, artist Tom Peyton will distribute seventy color-coded bells to the crowd, one color per note. At the front of the parade, a team of conductors waves corresponding colored flags to lead the group in slowly moving music, written by a variety of composers. When the conductors raise their red and green flags, everyone with red and green bells start ringing, and so on for each color.

- RPM / BLINK / Wheels: The ever-popular bicycle bell parade through Prospect Park, which started with BLINK in 2013 and continued with Wheels in 2014, turns into a trilogy with RPM by P. Spadine of Ashcan Orchestra.

- Flat Foot Flatbush: Dancers, fiddlers, and pickers will parade down Flatbush Ave playing old-time tunes while flat footing, a form of percussive dancing from Appalachia. Led by dancer Megan Downes and the City Stompers, the parade steps off at 5:00 pm in front of the Barclays Center, with stops along the way to play, dance, and sing. Workshop to make your own tap shoes if you don't have any.

- La Trullita Navideña, a cultural experience of the Caribbean tradition of parranda. Join in the singing, drumming and celebration throughout Los Sures, the Southside of Williamsburg. Leading up to Make Music Winter, join BombaYo for open rehearsals in November and December, held at El Puente and Williamsburg Library Spaceworks.

More on Make Music Winter here.

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Brooklyn She-roes: Shirley Chisholm, Barbara Streisand Named as 2015 Presidential Medal of Freedom Recipients

On Monday, President Barack Obama named seventeen recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, our nation’s highest award to civilians.

Two of the recipients this year hail from Brooklyn: Shirley Chisholm (now deceased), who made history in 1968 by becoming the first African-American woman elected to Congress; and Barbra Streisand, famed singer, actor, director, producer and songwriter.

In a statement on Monday, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams said, “The Presidential Medal of Freedom is our nation’s highest civilian honor, and I share the honor that all Brooklynites feel in the news that President Obama has named former Representative Shirley Chisholm and entertainment legend Barbara Streisand, both native daughters of Brooklyn, as two of the latest recipients."

Adams added, "The award has a storied history in our borough, with previous awardees including Dr. Anthony Fauci, General Peter Pace, baseball legend Jackie Robinson, and Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson. Chisholm and Streisand are true she-roes that embody the never-say-die Brooklyn spirit, and the trails they blazed generations ago still burn brightly today.”

The awards will be presented at the White House on November 24th. More on this year's winners here.

______________

Photo credits: 
"Shirley Chisholm NYWTS" by Roger Higgins, World Telegram staff photographer - Library of Congress. New York World-Telegram & Sun Collection. Licensed under Public Domain via Commons

"Streisand - Dolly signed" by Movie studio - RR Auction. Licensed under Public Domain via Commons  

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Brownsville the Next Startup Hub? And More Brooklyn Briefs

- This man’s face was not always his own. Three months ago, it belonged to a young Brooklyn bike mechanic. [NY Magazine]

- Hate crime? Police are looking for suspects in connection to an egging crime in Brooklyn. [CBS local]

- A guide to independent bookstores in Brooklyn. [Brooklyn Magazine]

- Brooklyn, Manhattan residents testify about 'incessant' noise, pollution as NYC Council considers bills banning tourist helicopters. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- Have you seen this guy? Police say he robbed a TD Bank in Brooklyn. (The photo is amazingly clear.) [Fox5]

- Could Brownsville be the next startup hub? [Technical.ly]

- Interesting article on the history of many libraries in Brooklyn. [Brownstoner]

- The Brooklyn Eagle: from Walt Whitman to online today. [Brownstoner]


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Brooklyn Prays for France

 Brooklyn residents, religious leaders and elected officials gathered in Carroll Park Sunday night for a candlelight vigil to honor the victims of terrorism in Paris.

 The event was organized by Borough President Eric Adams. Religious leaders prayed in Hebrew, English, Arabic and French. Elected officials spoke of unity in the face of terror, and sent a message to France: "We are with you."

 A few hundred people walked with candles to St. Agnes Church, where a service was held.

Terror victims in Kenya and Lebanon were also remembered, and officials carried their flags along the route, next to the flags of the U.S. and France.


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One World Trade Center Lit Blue, White and Red in Solidarity with People of Paris

Photo by MK Metz

Governor Andrew Cuomo ordered that the lights of One World Trade Center’s 408-foot spire to be lit in blue, white and red Friday night and in the days ahead in solidarity with the people of Paris.

“Today’s horrific attacks in Paris have moved us all, and the more we learn, the more our hearts ache,” said Governor Cuomo. “These were cowardly acts of evil by people who have inexplicably chosen to believe in radical hatred above all else. We reject that kind of extremism – choosing instead the bonds of liberty, equality and fraternity that bring us together.

"Today, and in the days ahead, New York will light One World Trade Center in blue, white and red as we stand in solemn solidarity with the people of France, just as they have done for us in our own times of tragedy. We join them in mourning those who were killed, and in praying for those who were injured or lost loved ones. And we continue to stand side by side with them in our commitment to a free and peaceful world.”

The New York State Police, the New York State Intelligence Center and the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services are actively monitoring the situation for any implications in New York State and remain in constant communication with their local and federal partners.

New Yorkers are reminded to report any suspicious activity. Reports can be made to:

Counter Terrorism Center at the New York State Intelligence Center
Terrorism Tip Line: 1-866-SAFENYS (1-866-723-3697)
ctcenter@nysic.ny.gov
"If You See Something, Say Something"

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Lufthansa Mobster Walks Free; Idiots Who Pointed Lasers at Helicopters Arrested; and More Brooklyn Briefs

- Vincent Asaro, 80, the mobster accused of plotting the 1978 Lufthansa airline heist, walked out of the federal courthouse in Brooklyn a free man. [Bloomberg]

- Police took two people into custody Wednesday night for allegedly shining a laser pointer at aircraft flying over Brooklyn. [NY Magazine]

- Is it a rave? Eight days before the techno festival Time Warp is set to begin in Crown Heights, officials push the city to nix it. [DNAinfo]

- An anti-gentrification protest is planned for the Brooklyn Real Estate Summit being held at the Brooklyn Museum. [BanGentrification]

- The pickleback was invented in Brooklyn. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- Brooklyn rich people are way more liberal than Manhattan rich people.  [Patch]

- The NYPD will increase enforcement against reckless driving after 12 pedestrians were killed over the last week and a half. [DNAinfo]

- Almost a million people in NYC still lack health insurance. Two Brooklyn neighborhoods stand out. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- The 61st Precinct’s commanding officer says a recent uptick in burglaries was caused by drug addiction. [Sheepshead Bites]

- Everything you need to know about Saturday's Democratic debate. [Politico]


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Sen. Squadron Invites You To An MTA Bus Town Hall Next Tuesday

Have an idea to improve bus service in your neighborhood or want to raise some issues?

State Sen. Daniel Squadron invites you to an MTA bus service town hall on Tuesday. Nov. 17 at 6:30 p.m.

Squadron represents the 26th Senate District, which includes the Brooklyn neighborhoods of Greenpoint, Williamsburg, Vinegar Hill, DUMBO, Fulton Ferry, Brooklyn Heights, Downtown Brooklyn, Boerum Hill, Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens, and Columbia Waterfront, and the Manhattan neighborhoods of Tribeca, Battery Park City, the Lower East Side, Chinatown, the Financial District, Little Italy, SoHo, and the East Village.


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More Than 850 Marine Park Customers Lose Power Thursday Night/ Friday Morning: Con Edison

More than 850 Marine Park customers lost power last night, Con Ed reports. The outage map shows that more than 70 buildings were hit.

The company expects to fix the problem for many by morning. Check with Con Ed for specifics.


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Michael Wright's Body Found in Midwood, and More Brooklyn Briefs

- Former Knicks draft pick Michael Wright found dead of head wound and covered in garbage bags in SUV in Midwood. Cops investigate theory it was a Grindr hookup gone bad.  [NY Daily News]

- Sad photo: Reward offered after abused dog found in East Flatbush parking lot. [ABC7]

- City students are skipping class once every 10 days. [NY Post]


- Carroll Gardens' Black Mountain Wine House on Forbes' top 10 cozy bar list. [Forbes]

- When the flashing red hand appears on crosswalk signs, pedestrians lose the right of way. Public Advocate Letitia James wants to change that. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- Brooklyn man runs in charity race for Sandy Hook victim so he can question her family about truther theory. [NY Magazine]

- Someone from Vice had dinner with the Cast of 'The Bedford Stop,' the "most hated girls in Brooklyn." [Vice]

- Defend Brooklyn in this new Revolutionary War iOS game. [Technical.ly]

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Guy Obsessed by Buses and Trains Is Arrested in Brooklyn with Stolen Greyhound Bus

"Greyhound Prevost X3-45" by Adam E. Moreira. Creative Commons

 Police arrested a man obsessed with trains and buses in Brooklyn for allegedly stealing a Greyhound bus out of the Port Authority Bus Terminal, NBC reports.

Greyhound was able to track the bus in Brooklyn using GPS. They pulled it over at 3rd Ave. and Union St.

Darius McCollum, 50, who has been a mega-fan of transport since he was a small child, has been arrested 29 times in the past. He has been diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome.

According to Wikipedia, McCollum had memorized the entire NYC subway system by the age of 7.

He has been rejected for employment by Transit Authority on numerous occasions, although he is reported to know more about the trains, schedules, procedures and rail operations than any current employee, according to Wikipedia.

He is known for wearing a mass transit employee uniform and courteously assisting customers and answering questions, or driving trains undetected for days, and has even become a bit of a cult figure.

According to PIX11, in 1981 he drove the E train to the World Trade Center at the age of 15.

Sadly, McCollum has spent more than a third of his life in prison for his habit of stealing mass transit vehicles.

UPDATE: NBC New York's Chopper 4 was hit by a laser while rushing to film McCollum's arrest. Reporters in the chopper tracked the folks with the laser and called police, who apprehended several suspects. 
 

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Honoring Veterans Today

Color guard shows flags at Borough Hall during Veterans Day event. Photo: MK Metz

Today we say thank you to all veterans who have served America.

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Bloomberg's Jab at De Blasio at the Al Smith Dinner; and More Brooklyn Briefs

Union-sponsored jab at fire-prone AvalonBay. In D'twn Brooklyn. Photo by MK Metz

- Some of the weirdest beards you've ever seen, at the National Beard Championship in Brooklyn. (Photos) [Brooklyn Eagle]

- Fatal crash in a Brooklyn creek, seen only on camera. [NY Times]

- Bloomberg at the Al Smith Dinner: "The only thing Mayor de Blasio ever showed up early to was the Brooklyn real-estate market.” [NY Post]

- Growing New York Comedy Festival takes over Brooklyn. [Variety]

- The spectacular hubris of the Brooklyn Nets. [Rolling Stone]

- Here’s why fast-food workers are striking in 500 U.S. cities, including Brooklyn. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- More on that 3-eyed catfish in the Gowanus Canal. [WFJA]

- Lucy Liu popped into Coney Island’s 60th Precinct Monday to film a scene for the CBS show 'Elementary.' [Bensonburst Bean]

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Decent Soup Dumplings Finally Hit Brooklyn, and More Brooklyn Briefs

A man was struck and killed Monday after a car jumped the curb and flipped over in Flatbush: https://t.co/vpvSCnapjr

— NY1 News (@NY1) November 10, 2015

- A man was killed on Monday when a car jumped a curb on Flatbush Ave., flipped over and struck him while he was walking on the sidewalk. [NY1] and [NY Times]

- Decent soup dumplings finally come to Downtown Brooklyn. [Brooklyn Based]

- More lawsuits for Brooklyn charter accused of mistreating disabled students? [Brooklyn Eagle]

- Concerned about the Brooklyn Heights Library project? Contact Councilman Levin. [BHB]

- The Brooklyn tech scene is expected to rake in $15.5 billion by 2025, according to a report released by Brooklyn Tech Triangle on Monday. [Metro]

- Time-lapse animated wall mural created in Brooklyn (video). [CityLab]

- Did you catch this rendering of the 1,000-foot tower coming to Downtown Brooklyn? It will be New York City’s tallest building outside of Manhattan, and give Brooklyn "its first legitimate supertall skyscraper." [New York YIMBY]

- The White House is prepping for a huge solar storm that could kick us back into the Dark Ages...[Science Alert]

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Ratner's 'Site 5' To Be Brooklyn's Time Warner Center?

Courtesy Pacific Park

According to Bisnow, Forest City Ratner's EVP Kathryn Welch says FCR is getting ready to break ground on its "Site 5" project in Downtown Brooklyn. Site 5 is currently the home of Modell's and P.C. Richard.

The plans call for 1.6M square feet of office and retail space.

Welch said the goal will be "to bring in high-end retail like Brooklyn's never seen—something like the Time Warner Center."

Atlantic Yards Report speculates:
"If that report is correct--and we don't know that it is--that would shift the entire square footage once planned for B1 to Site 5, making an enormous--and to my eyeball, unrealistic--building. (The City Point project in Downtown Brooklyn near Junior's is 1.9 million square feet.)"

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Roll Up Your Sleeves and Help Rebuild the Rockaways

Thanks to @YPGoldfeder and team for rolling up their sleeves and working at the Katz home this morning! #SBPVols pic.twitter.com/Uw0R99QSF1

— Friends of Rockaway (@rockawayfriends) October 30, 2015

Friends of Rockaway, a non-profit, is taking volunteers in groups to do actual re-building of homes damaged by Hurricane Sandy. Similar to Habitat, this will be a team-build day, Saturday, November 14th, out in the Rockaways.

The Park Slope Civic Council can bring as many people as are interested in signing up; the more people they have, the more houses they can repair.

If you have always wanted to volunteer with actual physical work to see something change for the better, this is an excellent and rewarding way to do something to help in NYC.

Get info and sign up here.

After signing up, please e-mail gilly.youner@parkslopeciviccouncil.org to confirm so they can tally transport as needed.

Their group name is: 'Park Slope Civic Council Team Build'



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NYC Parks to Build Ice Rink at McCarren Park

Photo by Malcolm Pinckney, NYC Parks Dept.

NYC Parks announced that a Request for Expressions of Interest (“RFEI”) has been issued for the operation of an ice skating rink and/or for winter activities at McCarren Park Pool.

The park's "recently renovated pool area has the potential to serve as a true year-round destination and NYC Parks is seeking ideas for programming, amenities and events that will enhance the site during the winter months, while improving the quality of life for the surrounding community,”said said NYC Parks Commissioner Mitchell J. Silver.

Parks: Ideas for an ice skating rink may include varied layouts and sizes, be open or enclosed, include provisions for general skating, figure skating, ice hockey, skate rentals, and/or a pro shop. Ideas for additional concepts for the site include holiday markets, craft fairs, food fairs, concert/film/theater/dance series, restaurants/cafés/snack bars, public art installations, and/or Christmas tree sales.


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Free Flu Shots at Brooklyn Borough Hall

Brooklyn BP Eric Adams and the Visiting Nurse Service are offering free flu shots to under-insured and uninsured individuals on Friday, Nov. 6 and Tuesday, Nov. 19, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Borough Hall.

Note: appointments are necessary. Call 718-802-4042.

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Brooklyn: Harris First African-American to Represent Majority White District; Persaud in Canarsie

Congrats 2 Assemblymember Pamela Harris. 1st #nonWhite 2 rep majority #White district ever in #NYS @MarkTreyger718 pic.twitter.com/0QRAIFSynm

— Jumaane (@JumaaneWilliams) November 4, 2015

Democrat Pam Harris enjoyed a "bigger than expected victory" in the race to succeed former Assemblymember Alec Brook-Krasny, the Brooklyn Eagle reports.

It had been expected to be a close race. But instead, Harris easily defeated Republican Lucretia Regina-Potter, 63 percent to 37 percent.

The 46th AD includes parts of Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights and Coney Island.

Harris is the only African-American to represent a majority white district in New York City, the Observer says.

In another Brooklyn race, Democratic Assemblymember Roxanne Persaud won a landslide victory in the special election in the 19th state Senate District (Canarsie-Crown Heights-East Flatbush).

Persaud will take the seat formerly held by Democrat John Sampson, convicted.



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Yes, There IS an Election in NYC on Tuesday, Nov. 3

MK Metz

It's one of the least talked-about NYC elections we can remember.

Depending on where you live, you may be voting on Tuesday for District Attorney, judicial positions, and/or in special elections for State Assembly or Senate.

Thank goodness, the NYC Campaign Finance Board will tell you who your candidates are if you type in your address.

In Bay Ridge, for example, Pamela Harris (Dem) is running against Lucretia Regina-Potter (Rep) for Assembly.

In Downtown Brooklyn and Brooklyn Heights, you'll be voting for judges. The Court System has put together a voters guide by county to help you decide.

UPDATE: Here's how it turned out.

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City Planning Approves Controversial Brooklyn Heights Library Hi-Rise; City Council Next

Rendering courtesy of Marvel Architects

 The plan to knock down the 2-story Brooklyn Heights Library and replace it with a 36-story residential tower took another step closer to reality on Monday when the City Planning Commission approved it unanimously, the Brooklyn Eagle reports.

The ULURP process moves next to the City Council, where a hearing must be held within 50 days.

While the plan was endorsed by the Brooklyn Heights Association, it has received vocal and passionate opposition from hundreds of residents who objected on a number of grounds.

One long-time resident told the Eagle that the hi-rise plan was "like giving the finger to Brooklyn Heights.”

Councilmember Stephan Levin told the paper, "We are looking at how this project affects the amount and type of library space available to the community and how it fits in with other pressing concerns in the neighborhood, like the overcrowding at P.S. 8.”


Controversial Brooklyn Heights Library hi-rise approved by City Planning [Brooklyn Eagle]



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Cute Cobble Hill Kids Do Halloween

Photos by MK Metz

Amazing crowds of parents and kids thronged the streets for the Cobble Hill Halloween Parade, which kicks off trick-or-treating in the neighborhood.

Neighbors sat on their decorated stoops gamely handing out pounds of goodies.

Swarmed!

Waiting for the next onslaught.

Parents took advantage of the moment to act out their inner fantasies.

These kids are probably in a sugar coma today.

Elvis.

This thing slid up and down the fence on an invisible string.

Joyfully filling up the pumpkin.

Photos by MK Metz

A good time was had by all.

More photos of the Cobble Hill fun can be found here.

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