Brooklyn Election Highlights

- All Brooklyn State Assembly districts were won by Democrats except: Republican Nicole Malliotakis, who won in District 60 (also Staten Island), beating Democrat Janele Hyer-Spencer 54 percent to 45 percent.

- All Brooklyn State Senate districts were won by Democrats except in District 22 (Bay Ridge/ Dyker Heights), won by Republican Martin Golden, beating Michael DiSanto with 65 percent of the vote.

- Brooklyn Democratic boss Vito Lopez garnered more than 88 percent of the vote and was reelected to his Bushwick Assembly seat Tuesday -- even though he's under federal investigation. Daily News

- Republican Mike Grimm, former Marine and FBI agent, defeated Democratic Rep. Michael McMahon for the U.S. House seat that represents all of Staten Island and part of Brooklyn. According to MyFoxNY, Grimm took the seat once held by fellow Republican Vito Fossella, who didn't seek reelection two years ago after a DUI arrest  lead to revelations that his fathered a child in an extra-marital affair.

- There weren't nearly as many problems this time around with the new voting machines.  Brooklyn Eagle 

- More returns at NY1.


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Live Feed Election Results 2010

 
 PBS Newshour has allowed us to run their excellent USSTREAM Live so we can follow the results as they come in. (Should run at least through midnight.) They're also live blogging key results -- you can link to the blog here.

As of 11 p.m., Republicans gained 4 seats in the Senate and 26 in the House. They also have won 7 gubernatorial seats that had previously been held by Democrats.

Also as of 11 p.m., Andrew Cuomo has a strong lead over Carl Paladino (59percent vs 37 percent). Eric Schneiderman is leading the race for Attorney General (by 7 percent); Harry Wilson is ahead by 5 percent in the Comptroller race.

Brooklyn results:

With only 9 percent of precincts counted, Joan Millman is blowing away John Jasilli in District 52 (90 vs 10 percent). In District 53, Vito Lopez is trouncing Byron Orozco by the same margin. In District 57, Hakeem Jeffries has so far garnered 98 percent of the vote. Check NY1's election returns page for updates.

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Jay-Z Clue in 'Decoded' Game Hidden In Plain Sight in Brooklyn

  First -- get out and vote! A full voter's guide for last minute voters is here.

After you vote, it's time to play Jay-Z's interactive treasure hunt game based around his forthcoming book "Decoded," set for release November 16.

In the game, fans hunt down pages from the book hidden every day around New York City, "where it all went down." Players solve clues on the site to find the location of the pages.

McBrooklyn did the work on this one for you: If you stand at the corner of Tillary and Jay Streets in Downtown Brooklyn and look northeast, you'll find pages 150-151, pictured above.

You're welcome.

Decode Jay-Z with Bing

Photo by MK Metz

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Guess Who's Running in the Marathon? Plus, Brooklyn Greenway Party, and More Brooklyn Briefs

- Edison Pena, one of the rescued miners from Chile, will be running in the New York Marathon.  Bay Ridge Blog

- Brooklyn Greenway party Thursday -- great food from many Brooklyn restaurants.  BSCG

- Just don't tell anyone about the goat in DUMBO.  DumboNYC

-  Longtime Coney Island vendors -- like Shoot the Freak -- are getting the boot from the management of Luna Park. Brooklyn Eagle 

- Comments about the terrible tragedy:  Driver hitting 13-year-old in front of school.  Streetsblog

- Embracing a man who once called him a “degenerate idiot,” former Gov. George E. Pataki endorsed Carl P. Paladino for New York’s governor. Cityroom NY Times

- How to make apple upside-down cake in a frying pan.  NEOINY

- Facebook is on a mission to make sure you vote.  Fast Company 

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Gala in a Bowling Alley; Double Amputation Tragedy; and More Brooklyn Briefs

- Brooklyn Public Library Gala: an elegant affair in a bowling alley.  Brooklyn Eagle 

- More than you probably want to know about the Brooklyn Chili Takedown.  WSJ  

- News Corp. is buying the Brooklyn ed-tech company Wireless Generation for about $360 million in cash. abc 

- Website spoofs last mayor of Brooklyn.  LastMayorofBrooklyn  via  AnimalNewYork

- A Brooklyn mother who suffered a double leg amputation after a routine gynecological operation is suing.  Brooklyn Eagle

- Illegal backyard restaurant shut down by Health Department after all that publicity.  Brooklyn Paper

- For Jets fans who left early, regrets and recriminations.  NY Times

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Final Brooklyn Halloween 2010 Image

 Little ghost, Brooklyn.

 Photo by MK Metz

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Brooklyn Zombies, Missing Unicorn, and More Brooklyn Briefs

- Last minute guide for voters. Gotham Gazette 

- Zombies marched over the Brooklyn Bridge for libraries. BHB

- Somewhere in Brooklyn (probably) there's an abandoned subway station, "unfinished, unused and undiscovered." More than 100 artists have secretly been creating works of art there for years. LondonTimes (paywall)  via Gothamist, Second Ave Sagas, RWKstreetspot  and NYTimes

- How to get on set as a movie extra.  Brokelyn 

- USB flash drives have been embedded into brick walls for passersby to download what they want from their computers. Gothamist

- Missing in Williamsburg: Unicorn. Reward. NYShitty 

- Michael Sandy was killed four years ago in Plumb Beach by three young men. On Friday, a park bench at the rest stop was dedicated to Sandy’s memory. GerritsenBeach

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Halloween in Brooklyn, 2010 -- Kids Hit the Streets Early

Wow, what a bunch of costumed munchkins! The streets of Brooklyn were filled with kids wandering spirits going trick-or-treating way early this year, probably because there was school the next day. It was still light when kids ghouls and ninjas hit the sidewalks to gather loot in Boerum Hill.

This child's costume says, "This is a book." We didn't see any Kindles this year.

We're not sure what this one was dressed as. But we are sure the costume was homemade.

Court Street in Carroll Gardens was very crowded this year. One shop keeper told us he had almost double the usual number of trick-or-treaters. The mom in this ninja family was very cool. She looked like she could mow you down with her shuriken without even blinking.

"Whatdaya want, Luke, the pork sausage or the boiled ham? Oh, and tell Obi Wan Kenobi I need some help."

Two princesses on Court Street.

In Boerum Hill: This boy told us he was the Tea Party. He had tea bags strung across his chest and a pointy tea bag hat.

Wonder Woman, Skelator Dog, and a man wearing a Bermuda hat.

Posing in front of a toy store on Court Street.

The crowds, the parades, the candy: It all got to be a bit too much for this little giraffe.

More photos on the PMFA blog.

Photos by MK Metz

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'Moving Forward on Fourth' Walk in Park Slope

The Park Slope Civic Council sent us this notice about the "Moving Forward on Fourth Walk":

Fourth Avenue is undergoing major changes that will impact the residents of Park Slope and surroundings communities, including the local environment, the commute to and from work, and even the ability to park. The Park Slope Civic Council wants to inform our neighbors about these prospective changes, and get more ideas about what should happen along this avenue on the rise.

Join the Civic Council for "Moving Forward on Fourth": A walkabout to discuss the evolution of Fourth Avenue, on Saturday, November 6, 9:30 a.m.
Fourth Avenue and Ninth Street, under the east underpass of the subway station
(Rain date: Sunday, November 7, 2:30 p.m.)

* Learn about prospective plans for the Fourth Avenue / Ninth Street subway station
* Learn about improvements to safety along Fourth Avenue already underway
* Learn about plans to plant, beautify, and green along the corridor
* Learn about renovations to Washington Park (formerly JJ Byrne Park)
* Learn about proposals for the empty lot at Fourth Avenue and Sackett Street
* Give your ideas / feedback / suggestions for further, better improvements

Improvements to the Fourth Avenue corridor between the Prospect Expressway and Flatbush Avenue -- while slow to arrive -- are definitely coming! This is a chance for everyone to have a voice in what happens on Fourth Avenue.

To register for this event, send your name to fofa@parkslopeciviccouncil.org.

Moving Forward on Fourth is an outgrowth from the Park Slope Civic Council’s forum on “The Future of Fourth Avenue,” a wide-ranging, community-building discussion held earlier this year to help shape progress along this important part of the neighborhood. More information about the forum and the Civic Council’s efforts along Fourth can be found at www.parkslopeciviccouncil.org/futureof4thavenue.

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Halloween Fun with Brooklyn Celebs!

To celebrate Halloween, we used the free online editor Picnik -- which has a Halloween promotion going on -- to make these Brooklyn celebs SPOOKY! If you enjoy these, you can make your own Halloween special effects at Picnik, too:

Borough President Marty Markowitz, vampire, trapped in a crystal ball.

Bruce Ratner, zombie, with cool eyeballs.

Carl Paladino, running (for governor) and hiding (from the Brooklyn Orthodox Jewish community).

Oh, that Walt! He always cracks us up.

Origin of photos before retouching:
Photo of BP Markowitz by shooting brooklyn, Creative Commons

Photo of Bruce Ratner from Gothamist from the NY Post.

Photo of Carl Paladino from the NY Post.

Photo of Walt Whitman from Wikipedia.


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