Climbing Drills at Ladder Co. 118 in Brooklyn Heights

Photo by MK Metz

 Ladder Co. 118 practiced their ladder climbs at the Brooklyn Heights firehouse over the weekend.

The drill followed the very real July 4 fire in DUMBO when firefighters from Ladder Co. 118 scaled a six-story loft building at 57 Jay St. to extinguish a fire reported on a lower floor.

You can see photos showing just how dizzyingly far the ladders extended at that fire here.


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Coney Island Flicks On the Beach

Here's fun summer entertainment, and free: Coney Island Flicks on the Beach (presented by Alliance for Coney Island, and Amazon Studios).

On Mondays at 8:00 P.M. during July and August, a giant 40-foot inflatable screen turns the beach at West 10th Street into an outdoor movie theater.

Come on down and see a mix of modern, classic and indie movies.

For directions, maps, and full schedule head to coneyflicks.com














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What the July 4 Fireworks Looked Like from Brooklyn Heights

Photo by MK Metz

See the little red oval? If you look hard, you can see a little bit of New Jersey's fireworks, as seen from Brooklyn Heights.

The Jersey City Freedom and Fireworks Festival was supposed to take off from Liberty State Park, which would have made it visible from the Promenade and BBP. But those plans were changed when NJ's government shut down, along with its parks and beaches.

The NJ display was moved to Exchange Place, sadly out of sight from Brooklyn Heights.

Those lucky Heights folks with balconies facing north (on an upper floor) had views of the Macy's display, but since it was moved north to Midtown Manhattan, it couldn't be seen from the Promenade or Brooklyn Bridge Park, prime viewing in years past. It was visible from Greenpoint and Williamsburg, however.

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Fireworks Tonight at Ellis Island: Best Viewing from Brooklyn, NYC (6/27/2017)

Photo: MK Metz

There will be a fireworks display near south Ellis Island tonight, 6/27, at approximately 10:15 p.m.

The best viewing points in Brooklyn are the Brooklyn Heights Promenade, Brooklyn Bridge Park, the Brooklyn Bridge Walkway. In Manhattan, the best place to see them is Battery Park. (In New Jersey, go to Liberty State Park.)

The display's sponsor is Briggs Inc. Briggs oversees projects including product launches, sales meetings and other corporate functions.

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New Public Plaza in Downtown Brooklyn at 300 Ashland to Be Unveiled Wednesday

Courtesy Downtown Brooklyn Partnership

A new public plaza at Two Trees' 300 Ashland will be unveiled on Wednesday, June 28th.

The celebration includes music by JahPan and special guests, food by Habana Outpost, and more on this 15,000 square foot landscaped plaza at the corner of Fulton and Lafayette.

The terraced plaza was designed by Enrique Norten of Ten Arquitectos and Grain Collective, and will be programmed by the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership.

More on this event here.

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Free Outdoor Movies at MetroTech in Downtown Brooklyn

Courtesy of Downtown Brooklyn Partnership

Join the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership every Wednesday in July for free outdoor screenings of four furry Blockbuster films.

You bring the blanket, DBP will hand out the free popcorn. Movies start at sundown at MetroTech Commons in Downtown Brooklyn.

July 5: Madagascar
July 12: Finding Dory
July 19: A Bug's Life
July 26: Zootopia


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People's Champs Playing at C-mon Everybody

Indie Pop/Soul/Afrobeat collective People's Champs from Brooklyn are playing a Single & Music Video Release show at C’mon Everybody in Bed-Stuy with Kalbells (members of Rubblebucket) on Friday, 6/23, 8 p.m.

Feat. Starr Busby (Esperanza Spalding) & Melanie Charles (Gorillaz)

TICKETS AND CALENDAR HERE

From the release:
People’s Champs is an all-star collective featuring some of the most creative and original musicians in Brooklyn. They blend indie pop, afrobeat and retro-soul into a “dance party waiting to happen, always changing and always excitable.” (Consequence of Sound). Their horn section moonlights as The Superpower Horns, studio section for none other than Beyoncé and touring horn section for Boy George & Culture Club.

On June 23rd, the band releases brand-new single & video, ‘Hostages Remix’, a reimagined version of the lead single from their 2015 debut album ‘American Dreamers’. The new track is a duet featuring vocalists Melanie JB Charles and Starr Busby who both sing with the collective. Melanie & Starr are great friends and are a force in their own right — the duo recorded on Gorillaz’ 2017 full-length release and will perform with them this summer. Ms. Busby also tours with Esperanza Spalding.

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94 Degrees in NYC Today and Lousy Air Quality

Not only does the forecast call for 94 degree temperatures in the NYC metro area today (Tuesday), the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has issued an Air Quality Health Advisory from 10:00AM until 10:00PM.

Active children and adults, and people with respiratory problems, such as asthma, should reduce prolonged or heavy exertion outdoors, according to DEC.

The humidity will make temperatures feel hotter as well.

An approaching cold front will give the area a chance for showers and thunderstorms, mainly from the afternoon into Tuesday night.

For more information, visit the National Weather Service at http://www.1.usa.gov/16w10Sq or the Department of Environmental Conservation at http://www.dec.ny.gov/cfmx/extapps/aqi/aqi_forecast.cfm.


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More Than One Way to Stuff a Rat; the Beer ATM; Pols Express Alarm about Haiti and Puerto Rico; and More Brooklyn Briefs

.@myfabolouslife receives the key to Brooklyn https://t.co/Ahk9QI8iej pic.twitter.com/vq72zPtHqo

— XXL Magazine (@XXL) June 12, 2017

- Former Brooklyn prosecutor in NYPD gun permit scandal gets bail modified to allow travel for competitive dog shows. [Daily News]

- Brooklyn pols express alarm about Puerto Rican referendum, Haitian protected status. [Brooklyn Eagle]

-  A man shot by police in Brooklyn Sunday night has been arrested and charged with stabbing his roommate in front of officers. [NY1]

- Brooklyn Pride parade draws massive, boisterous turnout. Photos. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- Fabrication studio Smart Department is hosting a rat taxidermy class on Saturday where you can learn to make either one- or two-headed stuffed rats. [Patch]

- A bar in Williamsburg has created one of the greatest inventions known to mankind – a Beer ATM. [Konbini]

- Former NBA star Sebastian Telfair was arrested in Bed-Stuy Sunday morning in a pickup truck stocked with loaded guns, drugs and a bulletproof vest. [Patch]

- DUMBO’s Live at The Archway this Thursday: musician Rodes Rollins, artist Melanie Hope Greenberg. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- Dirty dancing: Floating company twirls on the Gowanus Canal. [Brooklyn Paper]


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Riders Alliance on Monday’s Disastrous Morning Commute

S/b F train stuck for over an hour w/o light and air just rolled up-passengers dripping with sweat begging to get off #mta @MTA #effedtrain pic.twitter.com/NXJ3pDJtji

— Chelsea Lawrence (@chelseahbelle) June 5, 2017

Yesterday morning, the MTA web site listed the following problems:

Delays on the 2, 3, 5, 7, B, D, E, F, J, and M trains.
Signal problems at Wall Street (2/3), Eastchester-Dyre Av (5), Mets-Willets Point (7), and West 4 St—Washington Square (A/B/C/D/E/F/M). And a broken train at Jamaica Yard.
Some F trains were running on the A track. Some F trains were running on the G track. Some 2 trains were running on the 5 track. Some M trains terminated at Chambers.

The video of the trapped F train riders, above, speaks for itself.
_____________

John Raskin, Executive Director of the Riders Alliance, released the following statement:
“This week we couldn’t even make it through Monday morning without the subways breaking down. Governor Cuomo has said he’s responsible for fixing the subway, but he hasn’t said how, or when, or with what funding. Subway riders leave for work in the morning not knowing if or when they will arrive. Meanwhile, the Governor has yet to release a plan to fix our dysfunctional commutes. What is Governor Cuomo’s plan to fix the subways, and when will he let riders in on it?”

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