New Survey Shows De Blasio On Fire in Mayoral Race

Photo: MK Metz

Complementing the recent Quinnipiac University poll that showed Bill de Blasio way ahead in the New York City mayoral race, with 36 percent of likely voters, a new poll conducted by The New York Times and Siena College also has de Blasio on fire..

With 11 days remaining until the primary, the newest survey shows 32 percent of likely Democratic voters supporting Mr. de Blasio, compared with 18 percent for William Thompson Jr. and 17 percent for Christine Quinn.

Get ready for the nasty attacks as the last campaign week unfolds...

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Hands Off, SUNY: Brooklyn Judge Puts LICH Property in a 'Constructive Trust'

Photo: MK Metz

Supreme Court Justice Carolyn Demarest has imposed “a constructive trust for the benefit of the Othmer Endowment Fund” on all of Long Island College Hospital's (LICH’s) real estate currently in control of SUNY Downstate.

According to the Brooklyn Eagle, this type of trust is meant to transfer property to "the rightful owner."

This could be the first step towards righting a terrible wrong -- the looting of a trust set up by a local wealthy couple to benefit LICH.

In her ruling, Justice Demarest reminded SUNY that funds previously “borrowed” in 2000, 2006 and 2011 from the Othmer Endowment Fund at LICH must be restored by SUNY/ LICH.

SUNY has previously indicated, figuratively, that it will pay back this money when the SUNY trustees grow wings.

Justice Demarest also asked for a full accounting of the money that passed between LICH and SUNY.

Kudos to Justice Demarest and also Supreme Court Justice Baynes, for not allowing SUNY to make a mockery of the law in Brooklyn.

More on this story here.

In another development, Justice Demarest extended the deadline for SUNY to return and fully staff LICH’s emergency department and intensive care unit. More about that here.

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New Pier 6 Parkland Revealed for Brooklyn Bridge Park

Rendering by Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates

Brooklyn Bridge Park unveiled new Pier 6 parkland design drawings at Monday's Community Board 2 meeting which revealed a vast lawn, a slanted viewing platform, plenty of shade trees and a field of meadow flowers.

The plan still requires the approval of the city Public Design Commission.

To see more gorgeous renderings, visit the Brooklyn Eagle.

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Help Get Out the Vote in Brooklyn, Earn $100

Photo: MK Metz

You can help get out the vote and earn $100.

This flyer says a "South Brooklyn NYC Council campaign seeks energetic workers" to help get out the vote on election day on September 10.

Don't know which City Council candidate is behind this effort (though there seems to be a tenuous link to John Lisyanskiy), but if you want to help "defeat the candidate chosen by the powerful real estate developers" contact Camille at crs2173@gmail.com

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Man Litter, in Downtown Brooklyn

Photo: MK Metz

Bet you never knew you needed this:
This sign on a bus stop in Downtown Brooklyn is advertising Johnny Man's "Man Litter: For the Man On the Go."

The sign shows the bottom half of a barely-dressed man standing in a bin of kitty man litter. A box of the litter reads, "Cover up those unsightly odors" and "Clumping man box filler."

The brand is Heartshe (www.heartshe.com).


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The Difference Between Quinn and de Blasio, and Why the New York Times Is Out of Touch

Mayoral candidate Christine Quinn appeared at another campaign event in Brooklyn yesterday, where she endorsed the idea of more math and science schools for middle-school girls.

Quinn for NY

Quinn sounds sincere about her plan for math and science studies for girls -- but candidate Bill de Blasio sends his kids to public schools and has a plan to send all NYC kids who want it to full-day pre-K, which education experts say is the most important thing you can do to lift a child out of poverty.

Photo: MK Metz

De Blasio also has an ambitious plan for saving NYC hospitals. Quinn tried to jump on this bandwagon when she saw how much Brooklyn voters admired de Blasio's vision, but her plan was pretty much a copy of his, and then we never heard about it again. Anyway, Quinn has already demonstrated with St. Vincents how she feels about hospitals: not her concern (until an intern passes out and she can't get an ambulance).

De Blasio not only walks the walk, he marches, negotiates, files lawsuits, gets arrested and serves as a beacon for people to follow. And amazingly, he seems to be helping to slow down the hospital closing juggernaut in Brooklyn.

In their endorsement for Quinn (tellingly accompanied by their simultaneous endorsement of Republican, Joe Lhota) the NY Times said there's no room for big ideas or visionary thinking anymore, so might as well settle. Here's what they said about de Blasio:

"Mr. de Blasio’s most ambitious plans — like a powerful new state-city partnership to make forever-failing city hospitals financially viable, or to pay for universal prekindergarten and after-school programs through a new tax on the richest New Yorkers — need support in the State Capitol, and look like legislative long shots. Once a Mayor de Blasio saw his boldest ideas smashed on the rocks of Albany, then what?"

Yeah, why bother? Quinn may not have much of a vision for the city or plans to improve the lot of the ever-expanding poor or the real middle class (not that $400,000-a-year-middle-class the Times aims at), "but neither has she made a long list of unrealistic promises," the Times says. She may be in the pocket of real estate interests, and may support Ray Kelly's scorched-earth policing policies, but what do we expect in a diminished city?

According to the NY Times, the era of getting things done that benefit all New Yorkers is over. Because it's just too hard.

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Nutcase Stalker, Crime, Politics and More Brooklyn Briefs

- An employee of a Brooklyn electronics store, a father of a six-month-old, was shot and killed Monday afternoon in East New York, Brooklyn. [CBS]

- City Councilman Brad Lander proposes cigarette-style warnings on PAC mailings. [Politicker]

- Nutcase stalker banned from federal courthouse in Downtown Brooklyn. [NY Daily News]

- Catsimatidis calls for a halt to city’s trash plant plan -- on environmental concerns. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- A 21-year-old woman died after losing control of her motorcycle on a Brooklyn parkway on Monday. [NY Daily News]

-  Man rescued from a hole at a Brooklyn construction site. [Fox]

- Israelis flock to buy gas masks amid Syria turmoil. [NY Post]

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Cop Jumped Near MetroTech, Downtown Brooklyn, Robbed of Gun and Radio

From the scanner:

A report came through at 7:25 p.m. that a cop was jumped near MetroTech in Downtown Brooklyn at Willoughby and Jay Streets by up to three black males. The suspects stole the cop's walkie-talkie and gun, according to first unconfirmed reports.

Description: One suspect is wearing a white hat and white sweater, wearing Air Jordans, carrying iPod. Another suspect is wearing a blue sweater.

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Brooklyn Hospitals: SUNY Wants More Time to Restore LICH Ambulances; Interfaith Closure Postponed

Photo: MK etz

More news on the Brooklyn hospital front:

SUNY Downstate is asking Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Carolyn Demarest for another week to reopen the Intensive Care Unit, restore full operation of the Emergency Department and restore ambulance service to Long Island College Hospital (LICH) in Cobble Hill. Seems like they have to make sure there are enough doctors on hand. More here.

And Interfaith Medical Center in Bed-Stuy, slated to begin shutting down on Monday, has received a reprieve until at least September 11, following a legal action by Public Advocate Bill de Blasio last week in Federal Bankruptcy Court. More here.

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SUNY Downstate Eats Its Words: Signs on LICH Entrances

Hanging on entrance at LICH. Photo: MK Metz

As part of an order issued August 16, Supreme Court Justice Johnny L. Baynes required that SUNY Downstate issue a formal “retraction letter” telling patients that Long Island College Hospital (LICH) LICH clinics are not slated for closure after all.

For the first time, Downstate appears to be complying with a court order. We found this sign posted on an ER room entrance on Sunday.

Completing the wonderfulness, Supreme Court Justice Carolyn Demarest is ordering SUNY to give back the hospital and all the stuff they stole! Since SUNY did not keep their end of the bargain (which was merely to keep the hospital open) the contract giving it to them is void.

Justice Demarest held off the turnover until early September while SUNY and Concerned Physicians of LICH reopen the ICU, Emergency Department and return ambulance services to LICH, according to the Brooklyn Eagle.

Thank you doctors, nurses and patients (including those cute stroller protesters), Bill de Blasio and others who put themselves on the line for LICH!

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MTV VMA's a Paean to Brooklyn

Katy Perry: MTV

Brooklyn you feel good?

Sunday night's Video Music Awards at Barclay's Center was a gritty love poem to the city's hottest borough. Publicity shots and advertising images ranged from Downtown to the Manhattan Bridge bikeway, to DUMBO and the waterfront, to Katy Perry under the Brooklyn Bridge, to  Brooklyn icons, skateboarders, subways and sewers.

Whatever they were selling (forget Miley Cyrus grinding out the sleaze), Brooklyn was the message. 

Will Brooklyn's hype overdrive draw hoards of starry-eyed aspirants to Brooklyn the way 60s-era peace lovers and stoners once flocked to Haight-Ashbery?

Are you going to Brooklyn?
Be sure to wear some flowers in your hair....

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McBrooklyn's Taking a Short Vacation

McBrooklyn's going out of town for a couple of days, and may not be near any Internet. Have a relaxing week everybody -- we'll see you soon.

--MK

Dunk Island photo by Melalouise, Creative Commons license


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NSFW Art Opening; Sunny's Reopening; Suicide in Prospect Park; and More Brooklyn Briefs

- A Bushwick art gallery will unveil a show featuring the penises of 300 unknowing men. Is that fair? [NY Magazine]

- Man hangs himself from tree in Prospect Park. [Brooklyn Paper]

- A Brooklyn real estate lawyer will be disbarred for forging letters to sell illegal condos. [Soynadie]

- Red Hook bar Sunny's, knocked out by Hurricane Sandy, finally reopens next week. [Gothamist]

- Pretty soon you'll probably pay 10 cents a bag at the grocery store. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- 5 abandoned New York structures you're still actually allowed to visit. [Brooklyn Magazine]

- BAM will unveil a new BAM Bike Park and BAMart Outdoor installation on Sept. 4. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- Verizon Wireless agreed to bring voice and data service to the New York City subway system. [Crain's]

- To get a bicyclist to stop for a ticket, a cop allegedly grabbed her handlebar, sending her flying into traffic. [Gothamist]

- Consultants softened Christine Quinn so much for the last debate, one stunned operative described her as “a Stepford wife version of Chris Quinn.” [Politicker]




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Man Shot in Crown Heights Wednesday Morning

Google Maps

From the scanner: A man was shot at the corner of Sterling Place and Buffalo Avenue in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. The call came in at roughly 4:15 a.m. Wednesday morning.

More details if they become available.


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Brooklyn Judge Takes LICH Away from SUNY Downstate, Puts Albany to Shame

Photo: MK Metz

In an amazing display of sensible justice, Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Carolyn Demarest rescinded the two-year-old agreement giving SUNY Downstate ownership of Long Island College Hospital (LICH).

The beleaguered LICH, robbed blind first by Continuum Health Partners and then by SUNY Downstate, could possibly now go to a new trustee. Continuum has already said it doesn't want LICH back.

Justice Demarest said that several suitors have expressed an interest in taking over LICH, and has invited them (and other potential owners) to a meeting on August 22.

In her decision, Justice Demarest put to shame the thuggery of SUNY's board of trustees and SUNY Downstate's administrators with their gangs of lawyers and armed guards, all backed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

According to the Brooklyn Eagle, which has been following this story on an almost daily basis, after reading about "the demise of Long Island College Hospital (LICH) at the hands of the State University of New York (SUNY Downstate)" Justice Demarest became "increasing concerned as to the propriety of my own order granting approval of the transfer of LICH's assets to SUNY Downstate in light of Downstate's apparent lack of stewardship over those assets in advancement of LICH's charitable purpose."

In her decision, Justice Demarest wrote that the original rationale behind the transfer of LICH to SUNY Downstate two years ago "was the representation that LICH would be preserved as a hospital serving the people of Brooklyn."

When it became apparent that SUNY had no intention of keeping its end of the bargain -- and was in fact planning to sell off LICH to prop up its own failing hospital -- Justice Demarest determined that she had "a legal and moral responsibility to correct my earlier error."

In June, Justice Demarest ordered SUNY Downstate to present a full accounting by August 5 of all LICH property, assets and funds transferred to Downstate.

What she saw in that paperwork convinced her to vacate her order of May 13, 2011.


Brooklyn judge orders SUNY to give Long Island College Hospital back to Continuum. Brooklyn Eagle

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Man Shot on Bergen Street, Brooklyn

From the scanner: A report of a male shot came in 1:15 a.m. Tuesday morning.

Mobilization point is 1430 Bergen Street, between Albany and Troy Ave. in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. (At the Albany Houses Housing Complex.)

More details when available.

Another young man was shot and killed at the Albany Houses on June 2.

Another young man was shot there on Oct 24, 2012.

In 2009, a boy plunged to his death from the roof with a makeshift parachute.

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Richest-Looking Nabe in NYC to Non-NYers Is In Brooklyn... And More Brooklyn Briefs

- Non-New Yorkers think Prospect Heights is the richest-looking neighborhood in all of NYC. [TRD]

- Fabien Cousteau, the grandson of the famed oceanographer Jacques-Yves Cousteau, is living in Brooklyn Heights while training to live in an ocean-floor habitat. [WSJ]

- Brooklyn Navy Yard appoints new president. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- Tyrannosaurus Rex seen in Prospect Park. [CG Patch]

- Where to put speed cameras? Levin wants public to decide. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- Yiddish-language flyers in Borough Park call for the murder of Rabbi Avram Slonim, over a real-estate project in Israel. [Failed Messiah]

- Former Grimm fundraiser admits to visa fraud. [TRD]

- Prince tweets Dave Chappelle-themed artwork for new single.[Gothamist]

- Susan Sarandon on the mayor’s race: ‘You can’t just vote your vagina.’ [Politicker]


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Luke's, 'Round Back, at Brooklyn Bridge Park

Photo by MK Metz

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Kayak Emergency at Brooklyn Bridge Park, Scuba Divers Rushing to Pier 1

A person fell out of a kayak in the East River near Pier 1 at Brooklyn Bridge Park, according to a report on the police scanner at 3:27 p.m. on Sunday.

Land and marine emergency services, including the Harbor Unit and scuba divers, are rushing to the scene.

UPDATE: The Coast Guard has rescued the victim and is bringing him/her to the Manhattan side for treatment.

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Big LICH Victory, at Least for Now: Judge Orders SUNY to Restore Services at Long Island College Hospital

Supreme Court Justice Johnny Lee Baynes ordered the immediate restoration of hospital services and staffing at Long Island College Hospital (LICH) late Friday. Services must be restored to the levels that were in place on July 19 -- not complete staffing levels, but more than they are now, according to the Brooklyn Eagle.

In a 5-page decision, Justice Baynes also appointed an ombudsman as a contact point for staff or patients to notify if SUNY tries to cut services again; told SUNY to return the equipment it took after July 19; and ordered SUNY to get rid of the army of guards it has ringed the hospital with.

SUNY Downstate has been trying to shut down LICH, in Cobble Hill, in order to sell off its valuable real estate to prop up its own bankrupt hospital in Prospect Heights.

LICH supporters celebrated in Cobble Hill last night and another presser will be held at the Nurses Association in Manhattan tomorrow.

Brooklyn judge orders restoration of key services at LICH Brooklyn Eagle


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Slave Theater in Bed-Stuy Sold; LICH Patients Await Decision; and More Brooklyn Briefs

- Historic Slave Theater in Bedford-Stuyvesant has been sold -- for condos? [NY Daily News]

- LICH patients pay silent tribute as they await hospital decision. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- More Weiner relationship troubles. [Politicker]

- The Museum of Food and Drink throws a star-studded party in Carroll Gardens. [Village Voice]

- Driver dies after SUV smashes into house on Surf Avenue. [NY Daily News]

- Residents want next mayor to deal with pockets of Brooklyn with crime concerns. [NY1]

- Ratner selected to rebuild Nassau Coliseum. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- Brooklyn Real Estate Summit on Sept. 17. [News Funnel]

- Another "Spider Man" performer down. [NY Times]


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De Blasio's Son Dante a Natural TV Talent

He's only 15 but he's got a future in broadcast TV.

Here is Dante talking up his dad, mayoral hopeful Bill de Blasio.

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NY Daily News Changes Motorcycle Crash Story, Deletes Comments, Without Explanation

Photo: ALD999

The original NY Daily News headline said: "Fleeing biker dies during Brooklyn chase after police car hits back of ..."

The story read, "A motorcyclist died in a wipeout Wednesday after a cop's car hit the back of his bike during a high-speed chase in Brooklyn, sources said."

But sometime before midnight on Thursday the News changed the headline to "Motorcyclist, 33, dies after losing control and slamming into parked car in Brooklyn"

The revised story reads, "Cops said a police car was driving behind two motorcyclists on the same street moments before the accident, but that was not related to the fatal crash."

Commenters aren't buying the News' revisions.

Commenter Miguel Ortiz wrote:
"This is false!!!!!!!! the cop hit the bike from behind and then moved it behind a parked car. they are covering up the real story. there are many witnesses that can testify to that. the people who called 911 was there when the whole thing happen. and yes the other chase was together with this one. they all just separated from each other just to lose the cops. Ya really need to get your facts right before posting false news."

Commenter BrooklynEXMarine wrote:
"They deleted our comments from the first article also. 20andout and a few other posters messages were removed too."

Here's a blog post based on the News' original story.
Here's the NY Post's version of the same story.

Our take: It's considered a good journalistic practice to date-stamp revisions and explain why they were made. The News provides no explanation of this major change in the story -- and apparently thinks nothing of dumping readers comments wholesale. Which makes their whole story sound manufactured.

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City Point Hearing; Poly Prep Lawsuit; BBP Water Main Hit; and More Brooklyn Briefs

- Opponents of Downtown Brooklyn’s City Point project will have their day in court on Sept. 24. [TRD]

- Brooklyn Poly Prep sexual abuse victims accuse law firm O'Melveny & Meyers of lying to judges. [NY Daily News]

- Water main hit during lux hotel construction at Brooklyn Bridge Park. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- A five-year-old boy suffered "multiple trauma" after falling out of an amusement ride at Coney Island. [Gothamist]

- Shake Shack's coming to Fulton Ferry Landing, at the corner of Old Fulton and Water Street. [Brokelyn]

- The cool old firehouse at 365 Jay Street will soon start its restoration. [Brownstoner]

- Fires, riots and looting: Brooklyn during the 1977 Blackout. [Brooklyn Magazine] Free beer during the Great 2003 Blackout. [NY Magazine]

- More than half of the voting faculty came out against NYU President Sexton. [NY Magazine]

-  For some reason Spitzer is ahead of Stringer in the race for NYC Comptroller, even though voters say he's embarrassing. [CG Patch]


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Catsmidatidis Plans to Build a Bridge to Connecticut

Photo: Stanin Photography

One of the first things that lovable hunk of Republican mayoral hopeful John Catsimatidis is going to do when elected to the city's highest office is borrow up to $25 billion and start building things, like a bridge to Connecticut, according to the NY Daily News.

Just think about it. From Manhattan to Connecticut, without all that other stuff in the way.

Now there's a man who knows the magical power of money.

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As De Blasio Surges Past Quinn in Mayoral Poll, NY Times Starts to Take Belated Notice

For months we had to put up with the Manhattan New York Times providing Christine Quinn with endless inches of news print: what she wears, who influenced her life, how she overcame her drinking problem.

The Times' coverage of Public Advocate Bill de Blasio? Not so much. (And William Thompson, Jr. gets even less.)

While the job of City Council Speaker may be considered more newsworthy than Public Advocate, the amount of coverage should have evened out over the past year, when all were running for Mayor.

The numbers, however, tell a different story:

Counting the number of articles on Quinn in the Times vs the number of articles on de Blasio and Thompson (since the Times started keeping track online), we found that in the past year, as all were campaigning for office, Christine Quinn had 204 stories published in the Times -- while de Blasio got only 116. Thompson got only 70 stories. (Rough figures.)

Quinn: 204  vs.  de Blasio: 116 vs. Thompson: 70

Altogether over time, the NY Times has published 620 articles about or substantially mentioning Quinn. Bill de Blasio has been mentioned only 229 times. Thompson got 482 mentions, but much of those covered the previous Mayoral election, not this one. (Rough figures.)

Quinn: 620  vs.  de Blasio: 229
vs Thompson: 482

Over the past few weeks, as it became apparent that many influential people feel that de Blasio's honesty, vision and mastery of the issues far outstrips Quinn's, the Times has belatedly  provided more de Blasio coverage. (Not so much for Thompson.)

On Tuesday, de Blasio leapt ahead in the polls in the Quinnipiac University survey. Expect the Times to start falling over itself to provide come-from-behind coverage.

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Oh Oh: West Nile Mosquitoes Are Spreading Across Brooklyn As We Speak

Wikipedia

Those carefree summer evenings are about to get a little more complicated in Brooklyn:

Health officials are suggesting that people cover up and spray themselves with bug repellent, and maybe stay inside between dusk to dawn if possible.

Mosquitoes infected with the West Nile virus are making their way across Brooklyn. First detected in Dyker Heights on August 2, it only took one week for them to spread to Broadway Junction, Gravesend, Georgetown, Farragut, Flatbush, Greenwood Heights and Canarsie.

More here.


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People in Brooklyn Are Turning Themselves Into Walking Billboards Over LICH Closure

Photo: MK Metz

It's gotten to the point where random people attending random events -- like the Night Out Against Crime picnic in Brooklyn Borough Hall, above -- are turning themselves into walking billboards to save endangered Long Island College Hospital (LICH).

More LICH stories.

saveLICH

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Greenpoint Landing Hearing; Gravesend Bay Garbage Transfer Station; and More Brooklyn Briefs

- Public hearing on Greenpoint Landing, a 22-acre, 10-tower development that will "radically change" Greenpoint, on August 13. [Greenpointers.com]

- Random people help two girls transport large, comfy couch onto subway to get it to Bed-Stuy. [Gothamist]

- Cops bust up hipster dance party on Manhattan Bridge footpath. [NY Daily News]

- The long-neglected pedestrian bridge over Surf Avenue was torn down Wednesday; CB13 member Pat Singer says, “We’ve been hung out to dry.” [Brooklyn Daily]

- Calls for the Department of Sanitation to trash its plans for a new garbage transfer station in Gravesend Bay. [Pix 11]

- Man arrested for killing 4-year-old in hit & run once saved 8 kids from a burning bus. [Gothamist]

- Opinion: Edward Snowden is a patriot. [Politico]


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Is Brooklyn College's New Logo Worth $107,000?

Old Logo

New Logo

The NY Post says that Brooklyn College spent $107,000 on an outside an design firm to redesign its old, "supposedly phallic" logo.

Here they both are, the old pictorial logo on the left, the new text logo on the right.

College spokeswoman Keisha-Gaye Anderson would not tell the Post where the $107,000 came from, but claimed not from taxpayers or tuition.

Was it worth it?

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SUNY vs LICH Hospital Closure Case: A Three-Day Summary of Supreme Court Hearing in Brooklyn

Rally for LICH. By MK Metz

For those who misses the past three days of the epic hearing about the closure of Long Island College Hospital at the Supreme Court in Downtown Brooklyn, here are links describing each day's happenings:

What happened Wednesday: Debates before Justice Johnny L. Baynes about the role of the state Dept. of Health in LICH's closure; who the 90-day notice of hospital closure applys to; questions about an "orderly transition"; and who has standing to sue. Judge Baynes appeals to the parties to settle. Full story about Wednesday's happenings here.

What happened Thursday: Appellate Division dismisses SUNY Downstate’s appeal of temporary restraining orders (TROs) prohibiting the closure of LICH; DOH witness "with personal knowledge" of LICH is a no-show; a DA rep is watching; Justice Baynes again pushes for the parties to reach a settlement. Full story about Thursday's happenings here.

What happened Friday: Two witnesses testify about what is going on inside LICH: One is from DOH, who says she knows absolutely nothing about LICH. The other is a LICH doctor who describes armed guards, locked doors, fired doctors, intimidation, police calls. SUNY says no one has right to sue to keep LICH open; LICH supporters hope to enforce a "standstill" while Justice Baynes mulls over the case. Justice Baynes strongly pushes for the parties to reach a settlement. Full story about Friday's happenings here.

Previously:
- Department of Health Testifies It Knows Nothing About LICH in Brooklyn
- Are SUNY's Lawyers Digging Themselves Into a Hole at LICH Hearing in Brooklyn?

More LICH articles 

saveLICH


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Faux Brooklyn Nets Website Now Links to Boston Celtics

On Saturday an unofficial website of the Brooklyn Nets ( http://nets.com/ ) was hacked to bring Nets fans to the website of the Boston Celtics instead.
According to BleecherReport, one motivation may be the fact that the Brooklyn Nets now feature long-time Boston Celtics icons Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett.

The real Nets website ( http://www.nba.com/nets/ ) will still bring you to the site of the boys in black.


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Department of Health Testifies It Knows Nothing About LICH in Brooklyn

LICH, Brooklyn

The state Department of Health -- which has been reassuring Brooklyn residents that it is watching over the sad goings on at Long Island College Hospital (LICH) in Brooklyn on a "daily basis" since SUNY Downstate began banning ambulances, firing doctors and nurses and bringing armed guards in to intimidate patients and staff -- has just made an amazing about face.

On Friday at a trial before Supreme Court Justice Johnny Lee Baynes, the DOH employee testifying as the person having "personal knowledge" of the situation inside LICH, swore under oath that she knew absolutely nothing about conditions inside the hospital.

From the Brooklyn Eagle: "In response to Justice Baynes’ questions regarding claims of reduced staffing levels, the dismissal of the ear, nose and throat specialist from the emergency room, calls being made to the police, armed guards on site, the front door being bolted shut or potentially illegal paperwork being presented to patients, Figueroa said she was not aware of these issues."

God help us all.

LICH hearing continues with dueling witnesses, and a push for a ‘standstill’ Brooklyn Eagle

Previous:
Are SUNY's Lawyers Digging Themselves Into a Hole at LICH Hearing in Brooklyn?

More LICH articles 

saveLICH

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Are SUNY's Lawyers Digging Themselves Into a Hole at LICH Hearing in Brooklyn?

Some amazing things are happening at an epic multi-day hearing unfolding at Brooklyn Supreme Court under Justice Johnny Lee Baynes.

Yesterday Justice Baynes announced that the Appellate Division had dismissed SUNY Downstate’s appeals of temporary restraining orders (TROs) prohibiting the immediate closure of Long Island College Hospital (LICH).

This means that someone at SUNY can now be charged with contempt for violating Justice Bayne's orders to keep LICH operating as a hospital, with full emergency services (including ambulances), adequate staff, etc.

Despite the TROs, SUNY has blatantly shut down almost the entire hospital and created a health crisis throughout Brooklyn.

Justice Baynes has shown amazing patience with SUNY's repeated violations of his orders but it appears his patience, rightly, is wearing thin. SUNY's shutdown of LICH is costing LICH -- by SUNY's own somewhat dubious reckoning -- more than $11 million a month.

While repeatedly violating Justice Bayne's TROs was SUNY's first mistake, lawyers for SUNY may now be making a second: they don't appear to be taking seriously his repeated urgings to negotiate a reasonable settlement. (That settlement would be something like keeping LICH open, within a certain framework, while the new owner transitions in.)

Justice Baynes gave the parties another chance Thursday afternoon to reach such a settlement, out of the eyes of the public. But it doesn't seem likely SUNY will deal.

Their hubris may catch up with them however, as eye-witnesses testify on Friday about SUNY's violations. If Justice Baynes is convinced that the violations took place (and evidence is in abundance), he would have no choice but to penalize SUNY.

In the meantime, someone from the Brooklyn DA's rackets office is sitting in on the hearing, saying nothing but watching everything.


Appeals rebuffed, court orders SUNY to keep LICH open. Brooklyn Eagle

More LICH articles

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Brooklyn BP Race: And Then There Was One; Weiner Bombs with Seniors; and More

National Night Out Against Crime book give-away, in Coffee Park, Red Hook on Tuesday. Photo: MK Metz

- The battle for Brooklyn borough president is now a one-man race. [NY Daily News]

- Dozens of Brooklyn residents protested the Lightstone Group's planned development along the Gowanus Canal yesterday. [NY1]

- World War II-era shooting gallery restored in Coney Island. [News12]

- U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand supports putting the Brooklyn Navy Yard on the National Register of Historic Places. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- Mayoral candidates' ideas about education, if any. [NY Times]

- Hipsterless Brooklyn: vintage photos from a vanished world. [Time]

- Senior citizen calls Weiner a "very disrespectful, wrinkled-up man, and I don’t see what the women see in him." [NY Daily News]

- They Might Be Giants perform at the Prospect Park Bandshell Saturday night as part of Celebrate Brooklyn! [Businessweek]

- Five reasons not to trust the results of the new state tests. [NYC Public School Parents]

- The most beautiful Craigslist Missed Connection ever. [Craigslist] (And speculation about who wrote it at the Village Voice.)



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'The Preciousness of The Hunt' in DUMBO

Faith47’s mural, “The Preciousness of The Hunt", on an underpass on Pearl Street in DUMBO, Brooklyn.

On the other side of the same overpass is this striking mural. Anyone know the artist?

Photos by MK Metz

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Three Kids Hit By Taxi Next to Cadman Plaza Park, Brooklyn

According to the Brooklyn Eagle, all those ambulances and police cars next to Cadman Plaza Park in Downtown Brooklyn / Brooklyn Heights on Tuesday at about 11:30 a.m. were responding to an accident involving three kids, one adult, and a taxi.

FDNY said three young boys were hit, along with the adult.

SUNY Downstate is not allowing ambulances to bring patients to nearby Long Island College Hospital (LICH). Because of this other nearby hospitals have wait times of hours in their ERs.

So it's no surprise all four victims ended up at New York Presbyterian-Cornell Hospital in Manhattan.That's all the way up at 68th Street.

Thank G*d the kids survived.

Manhattan hospitals had better brace themselves for a flood of trauma victims as LICH (Cobble Hill) and Interfaith (Bed-Stuy) are on the verge of closing.  

While we didn't know it at the time we shot this photo, we believe the taxi shown here is the one in question, because police and various people went in and out of it several times.

Three kids, one adult struck by taxi in Downtown Brooklyn Brooklyn Eagle

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De Blasio's Surge; Shooting in East Flatbush; and More Brooklyn Briefs

- De Blasio's surge is eating away at Bloomberg's cold, dead heart. [Crain's NY]

- 64-year-old man shot dead on the street in East Flatbush for no discernible reason. [NY Daily News]

- In what has become a rite of passage in Brooklyn, more pols were arrested while protesting the closure of Long Island College Hospital (LICH). [Brooklyn Eagle]

- John Liu has been denied matching funds. [Politicker]

- Barclays announces Beyonce is coming back to Brooklyn Dec. 22nd. Tix on sale 8/12. [Twitter]

- About 100 Brooklyn R train riders tried out the new ferry. [NY Post]

- Grove Place, once forgotten alley, comes to life with vibrant murals. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- Malware that targeted Tor sent identifying information about site visitors to an IP address belonging to the National Security Agency (NSA). [Arstechnica] and [Wired]

- Consuming the heaviest meal of the day at breakfast can lead to significant weight loss. [WSJ]


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LICH Rally in Brooklyn Monday at 11 a.m.

Actor Michael Shannon. NYSNA

Join Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez in a protest to save Long Island College Hospital (LICH) Monday at 11 a.m., at 339 Hicks St.

SUNY Downstate has been trying to illegally close the hospital down, despite restraining orders and massive community opposition.

And on Tuesday, yet another event to help keep LICH open for care:

Tuesday at 4 p.m: Join Brooklyn hospital supporters for the Race for Brooklyn Hospitals. Meet at Coffey Park in Red Hook and go by bus and by car to different Brooklyn ERs. Let's see how long it really takes! Green flag at 5 p.m.

More posts mentioning LICH here.

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Dangerous Dog in Prospect Park, and the Owner May Be Even Worse

A poster on the Brooklynian blog writes about the owner of a pitbull mix in Prospect Park who encourages his dog to attack other dogs.

The scariest part of the story? He then joins his dog in the fight, kicking the other other dog and stabbing it with an ice pick. He sometimes hits the other dog's owner with a cane or umbrella as well, Whynot_31 reports.

Here's the poster a fellow dog owner put up:

More information here.

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Beyonce's 'Mrs. Carter Show'; Vito Lopez; Bomb Prop Fail; and More Brooklyn Briefs

- Woman drives from Queens to Brooklyn with man clinging to roof of her SUV. It doesn't end well. [ABC News]

- 15 thoughts on Beyonce’s 'Mrs. Carter Show' in Brooklyn. [Vibe]

-  NYC's health insurance company, EmblemHealth, has raised the city's rates every year for the last 15 years. Now they finally have to bid. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- Vito Lopez campaign mailer doctors photo featuring Hillary Clinton. [NY Daily News]

- Time Warner Cable may blackout CBS for weeks -- even online. [Gothamist]

- Instead of caring for maybe six patients, some nurses at Methodist Hospital in Park Slope have to care for more than 20 since LICH went on ambulance diversion. [ABC News]

- Playwright's suicide bomb prop put cops on alert, cleared Bedford Street. [Gothamist]

- Pregnant woman sits on bench in Queens park on Sunday. Tree falls on her and she dies. [NY Daily News]


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Cops Called In to Control Crowd on Duffield Street in Downtown Brooklyn Early Monday

From the scanner:
At about 2:48 a.m. Monday morning, cops were called to 228 Duffield Street between Willoughby and Fulton, following a request for crowd control.

That's the address of the Sheraton Hotel in Downtown Brooklyn.

More details if we get them.

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James Supports City Point, Gottfried Likes de Blasio's Health Plan, and More Brooklyn Briefs

- Councilwoman Letitia James now supports City Point, even though nothing much has changed. [Crain's NY]

- Richard Gottfried, Chair of the Assembly Health Committee, applauds de Blasio's plan to form a Brooklyn Health Authority, but wishes he had this idea back in June.  [Brooklyn Eagle] 

- City gives $50 million -- more than three times what it gave to New York Aquarium to help it recover from Hurricane Sandy.-- to a new arts organization with close tie to Bloomberg. [Gothamist]

 - Woman who texted her mother that she was "scared" is still missing in Greenpoint. [Gothamist]

- Snowden will build a new life in Russia; already receiving job offers. [Reuters]

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Brooklyn Children's Museum Annex Headed to Brooklyn Bridge Park's Planned John Street Development

This rather gloomy rendering illustrates the new planned residential building at John Street in DUMBO's Brooklyn Bridge Park.

It was announced yesterday that BBP has chosen Alloy Development and Monadnock Development to design and develop the building, according to the Brooklyn Eagle.

The residential building will include 47 apartments and cultural and retail space on the ground floor, which will be occupied by the Brooklyn Children’s Museum.

BP Marty Markowitz said, "DUMBO’s Johns Street will be on par with Sesame Street for the borough’s toddler and preteen set once the renowned Brooklyn Children's Museum opens its doors on the waterfront." The Museum annex will occupy 1,750 square feet.

According to NY1, the vote to move forward with the plan was not unanimous, with elected officials who sit on the board coming out against it. They sided with the construction trades, who showed up at the meeting demanding union labor be used.

Note to potential buyers and park-goers: Residents of DUMBO and other neighborhoods in Western Brooklyn no longer have access to a hospital or emergency medical care.

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New York State's Warrent Check System Is Down

Photo: MK Metz

Over the scanner, Wednesday night into Thursday morning:

NYPD cannot carry out warrant checks on people they are stopping on the streets.

As dispatchers have explained over and over to police officers trying to call in names that they read from the IDs of people they have stopped, "The entire New York State warrant check system is down!"

No word on what officers are doing with those people who can't be checked for priors.

This same problem with the statewide system occurred several weeks ago as well.

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Ten Things We Learned About Anthony Weiner Today

Anthony Weiner, Brooklyn Eagle

With all the stink about Anthony Weiner's private indiscretions, the little details -- like where he stands on the issues -- have been kind of lost.

As of yesterday, Weiner was still intent on running for Mayor of New York City. That being the case, the Brooklyn Eagle interviewed him, and oddly enough, the interview focused on political issues.

Here are ten things we learned about Weiner:

1. He wants to experiment with a city-administered single-payer health insurance plan.

2. He thinks the city never should have closed all those hospitals.

3. You know Bill de Blasio’s plan to save healthcare by forming a Brooklyn Hospital Authority? Weiner says he thought of that first.

4.. He's OK with selling air rights over libraries and senior centers to developers.

5. He's OK with Atlantic Yards, but thinks the affordable housing and public benefits should have come first, before the arena.

6. Brooklyn's Tech Triangle is all well and good, but we really need middle class jobs.

7. He looks forward to "an open and confrontational relationship" with the City Council.

8. Giving Mayor Bloomberg a third term was “a low point in the city’s history.”

9. His administration will be more fun than Mayor Bloomberg's.

10. People are following him.

Read the full interview at the Eagle.


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