Every Top SUNY Official Will Be Hauled Before a Brooklyn Judge on Tuesday. Every. Top. SUNY. Official.

Long Island College Hospital. Photo: MK Metz, McBrooklyn

The long awaited SUNY contempt hearing is taking place Tuesday morning at 10 a.m. -- that's tomorrow.

---------------------
Update here.
---------------------

SUNY has acquitted itself in a shameful manner in it's treatment of western Brooklyn and the thousands being served by Long Island College Hospital (LICH).

The long, sad laundry list of contempt charges facing the State University of New York's board of directors and top officials, with the complicity of the state Dept. of Health, goes beyond shocking.

Enormous political pressure from Albany -- plus well-financed full publicity plays by Fortis Property Group and Related Companies -- is being brought to bear upon Brooklyn's politicians and no doubt on its judges.

Only a few pols (who overwhelmingly represent SUNY Downstate's "service" area) have taken the bait being offered by the developers and SUNY.

Officials actually representing LICH's patients -- Daniel Squadron, Joan Millman, Carlos Menchaca, Brad Lander, Nydia Velazquez, and Stephen Levin -- are calling for a complete do over of SUNY's obviously "rigged" Request for Proposals (RFP) process, and a health proposal that serves local residents, not developers.

SUNY and DOH officials must be held responsible by state Supreme Court Justice Johnny Lee Baynes for their numerous acts of contempt against the court and the people of Brooklyn. The evidence is overwhelming.

Go to McBrooklyn's HOME PAGE.

Some Adorable Snow Sculptures Were Made at Brooklyn Bridge Park on Saturday

Photos by MK Metz

More than 100 participants came out for the Snow Sculpture Contest this Saturday at Brooklyn Bridge Park, and the results were creative and adorable.

Contestants had just two hours to whip something up. Entries in the "family" category ran the gamut, from the ambitious igloo, shown above....

...to this sweet snow cat.

Brooklyn Bridge Park supplied a bag of coal for eyes and buttons.

Fornino's supplied hot chocolate, cupcakes and a warm fire for frozen fingers.

This snow dragon, by Katherine and Henry Winchester, was part of the winning family entry. There was a castle, too.

In the adult category, we liked snow guy, who had a little snow man perched on his shoulder.

This three-person team sculpted an awesome octopus, which took home the adult prize.

The contest was a great idea by Brooklyn Bridge Park's programming folks, and got a lot of people out into the park on a snowy winter's day. BBP says they may do this again next year.

Go to McBrooklyn's HOME PAGE.

800-Plus Con Ed Customers in Brooklyn Without Power Early Monday; 248 in Queens

Mr. Con Ed

 Early Monday morning, 838 Brooklyn Consolidated Edison customers were in the dark, a result of 149 power outages scattered across the borough.

Some big problem areas: On Third Street near Seventh Ave., 161 customers are experiencing a partial outage; on Eighth Ave. near President Street, 55 customers are out of power. A burning manhole took out 91 customers on W. 10th Street near Kings Highway. 28 customers have no power at 16th and Cropsey Avenues.

Manholes are blowing all over the place, causing small power outages all over -- in Vinegar Hill, Prospect Lefferts, Flatbush, Midwood, New Utrecht, Dyker Heights, etc.

In Queens, 248 Con Ed customers were without power.

On Saturday afternoon, more than 7,500 Dyker Heights customers were left in the dark for just an hour or so, after problems with overhead wires.

Go to McBrooklyn's HOME PAGE.

Historic Brooklyn Heights in the Permafrost

Photos by MK Metz

Kids today don't remember snow, but as the white stuff becomes a near-permanent feature of Brooklyn Heights this winter, it has become easier to imagine the Heights of long ago. (It's not so hard -- there are over 600 pre-Civil War buildings still standing in Brooklyn Heights.)

Above, Henry Street, near Love Lane. During Washington's time, a British fort stood across the street.

The Brooklyn Heights Promenade, with One Brooklyn Bridge Park in the distance. Though it seems like it's been here forever, the Promenade was only finished in 1950.

The new Kiehl's on Montage Street, next to Housing Works. In the 1800s, the Montague Street Penny Bridge extended over Montague Street where it went down to the Wall Street Ferry on the waterfront.

The Fortune House Chinese restaurant at 82 Henry Street, next to Fascati's pizza.

In the mid 1800s, the Fireman’s Hall was built on Henry Street across from the block shown above. According to Whitman's Brooklyn, the hall "was another outgrowth of the Great Fire of 1848 that burned much of Downtown Brooklyn from Washington [Cadman Plaza East] to Pineapple to Henry to Sands Street."

St. Ann's & the Holy Trinity Church on Montague Street.  According to St. Ann's:

The church "was built as the Church of the Holy Trinity by Brooklyn paper manufacturer Edgar Bartow who wanted a magnificent edifice for the City of Brooklyn, with pews that were rent-free. He built it between 1844 and 1847 on the highest point in Brooklyn Heights, which was sparsely settled with some large merchants’ homes, small homes and shops and a number of unfinished streets and vacant lots. Bartow purchased the site’s eight lots from the nearby estate of Hezekiah B. Pierrepont (his wife’s family)."

Go to McBrooklyn's HOME PAGE.

More Spouses Cheat in Park Slope than Anywhere Else in the State, Says Cheaters Website

AshleyMadison.com, the cheater's web service, has published data on Valentine's day that proports to show that residents of New York state have been engaging in extra-marital affairs in record numbers.

The "dating site designed for people who are already in relationships" reveals the Big Apple’s least faithful neighborhoods -- based on the "more than 840,300 cheaters" who live there.

According to membership per capita, the most affair seekers live in Park Slope (replacing previous #1 spot Great Neck), with Gramercy Park, and Tribeca rounding out the top three neighborhoods.

The full list of NY's Least Faithful Neighborhoods:

1) Park Slope 10%
2) Gramercy Park 9.7%
3) Tribeca 9.6%
4) Great Neck 8.8%
5) Hell's Kitchen 8.7%
6) Upper East Side 8.0%
7) Astoria 7.6
8) Old Westbury 7.1%
9) Brooklyn Heights 6.4%
10) Dix Hills 6.0%

According to AshleyMadison.com founder & CEO Noel Biderman, affluence is a common element found on most city’s top cheating neighborhoods. “The proclivity to cheat often goes hand in hand with opportunity. Those with discretionary income and freedom to travel are even more likely to stray.”

We note that AshleyMadison chose notorious stay-at-home dad Mayor Bill de Blasio to illustrate the map for the cheaten' neighborhood of Park Slope.

Go to McBrooklyn's HOME PAGE.

Snow Sculpture Contest at Brooklyn Bridge Park Is On for Saturday, with Hot Chocolate and Treats from Fornino

Photo: BBP

Get your snow creativity on: On Saturday, February 15 from noon - 2 p.m., Brooklyn Bridge Park is sponsoring a snow sculpture contest on the Picnic Peninsula at Pier 5.

BBP says:

Put on your warmest winter gear and get creative building your best snow man, snow creature… anything. Alongside a day of fun in the snow, sculptors can warm up with free hot chocolate and treats from Fornino. The best sculpture in the adult and family divisions will win prizes including ski passes to Stratton Mountain and gifts from Waterfront Wines, The Moxie Spot, and Fornino.

Your team must sign-up at the blue Conservancy tent on site in order to win prizes. Sculptors of all ages can compete in teams of up to four members.

The Picnic Peninsula is just north of Pier 5 near Joralemon Street. The winners will be announced at 2 p.m.

Check out this photo of a snow sculpture in a NYC park.

Go to McBrooklyn's HOME PAGE.

LGBTQ Anti-Violence Forum on Saturday, Brooklyn Heights

"Battered Pride in Brooklyn: An Anti-violence Forum for the LGBTQ Community and their Allies," will take place on Saturday, February 15, from 2 to 5 p.m. in the Chapel of First Unitarian Church at 121 Pierrepont St. at Monroe Place in Brooklyn Heights.

Full details here.


Go to McBrooklyn's HOME PAGE.

McBrooklyn Loves You!

Happy love and kisses day!

McBrooklyn

Photo by MK Metz

Go to McBrooklyn's HOME PAGE.

Thousands of NYC Kids Depend on School for Lunch

A small child waits for a bus next to a tall sign. MK Metz

 Mayor de Blasio and Chancellor Farina got a lot of flak on Thursday for not closing NYC schools on that very snowy day.

But many of the city’s 1.1 million public school kids depend on school for stability and a hot meal, the Mayor said.

Some facts:

- About 75 percent of all New York City public school students (roughly 800,000 kids) qualified for free or reduced price lunch last year because their family income was so low.

- School attendence on Thursday was 45 percent.

Maybe it was stupid to keep schools open, but it could also be true that for many of those who did attend, having a safe place and hot lunch was pretty important.

Go to McBrooklyn's HOME PAGE.

Feds Come Through with $8B Medicaid Waiver Funds, Will Help Some Hospitals in Brooklyn

MK Metz

Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Sen. Charles Schumer announced on Thursday that that New York’s ‘Medicaid waiver’ request has has been approved by the federal Department of Health and Human Services. The state will receive $8 billion. 

The state will use the money to transform the state's health care system and “preserve vital health services in Brooklyn and other parts of the state including struggling hospitals.”

Feds approve $8 billion Medicaid waiver, substantial funds headed to Brooklyn hospitals [Brooklyn Eagle]

The unanswered question: Which Brooklyn hospitals will benefit?

DOH's Dr. Shah has already tried to rule out Long Island College Hospital (LICH) in Cobble Hill.


Go to McBrooklyn's HOME PAGE.