Brooklyn Eagle Posts Massive LICH (Long Island College Hospital) Archive Online

The former emergency department at LICH in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn. Photo by MK Metz

Do you wish you knew more about the three-year saga during which the state of New York squeezed a Brooklyn hospital -- Long Island College Hospital (LICH) in Cobble Hill -- to death and sold it to a developer?

Do you wonder what Mayor Bill de Blasio had to do with the debacle? (He's being investigated now for his role in the closure.)

Did you know there were numerous lawsuits, marches (one involved more than a thousand people with coffins and a New Orleans-style funeral band over the Brooklyn Bridge), and protests in the rain, heat and snow?

And an elected official-led storming of the hospital?

Did you know SUNY hired security guards who went rogue and waved guns around the neo-natal ward?

And if you live anywhere between Red Hook and Williamsburg, did you know your life is at risk in a situation requiring an emergency room?

If you hunger to learn more, the Brooklyn Eagle has just published a massive archive of hundreds of detailed articles they published on the topic of LICH since the battle pitting residents against the state began. (Great source material if you're investigating any of the parties involved, too!)

Read more at:

LICH: Everything you want to know (almost) about the deal to close Long Island College Hospital 


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Brooklyn Heights Library Developer's Ties to de Blasio; Link Wi-Fi Coming to Brooklyn; and More Briefs

-  Hudson Companies, a developer with ties to de Blasio, won the Brooklyn Heights Library job despite being outbid. So what else is new? [NY Post]

- LinkNYC Wi-Fi network, replacing pay phones, coming to Brooklyn soon. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- Friendly fire may have injured one of the two NYPD officers in Brooklyn shootout. [NY1]

- Mourners say goodbye to Brooklyn teen accidentally shot while playing video game. [Daily News]

- 4 people slashed, stabbed in Brooklyn and the Bronx. [CBS]

- Downtown Brooklyn has fallen short on office and commercial development since it was rezoned more than a decade ago. [Daily News]

- After seniors evicted, fuming Prospect Park Residence families head to Albany. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- Close Rikers, rebuild La Guardia, create a street car connecting Brooklyn and Queens. Question for pols: Who's going to pay for all this? [Crain's NY]

- National nightmare: Cuomo ready to run if Hillary or Bernie don't take the White House. [NY Post]


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Cuomo's State of the State Was Party Central

By Diana Robinson, Wikimedia

Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s State of the State Address on Jan. 13 was "like Albany’s version of the Super Bowl," reports the Brooklyn Eagle -- with parties and receptions surrounding the big event.

Parties thrown by City & State, the Brooklyn Eagle, the Queens Tribune, Carl Heastie and Thomas DiNapoli,among others, attracted large crowds.

Because the people's business is hard work.

More here.


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Politico: Cuomo's Budget Screws NYC

Cuomo at a 2014 SUNY meeting.

Gov. Cuomo is paying back city residents for voting him into office.

The budget Gov. Andrew Cuomo unveiled on Wednesday will likely deal serious damage to New York City's bottom line for years to come, budget analysts told Politico.

Cuomo's changes will likely cut close to $1 billion from the city’s budget starting in fiscal year 2017.

“For New York City, I think this is one of the worst budgets that it’s seen in a long time,” said Maria Doulis, a budget analyst at the Citizens’ Budget Commission.

More at: Cuomo budget could mean real pain for New York City [Politico]

Also: Highlights of budget at Syracuse.com.

The whole budget here. 

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Hurricane Joaquin Update: Gov. Cuomo Says Pack Your Go Bag

Gov. Andrew Cuomo urged residents to prep for the possibility of Hurricane Joaquin heading to New York, in a statement issued on Wednesday.

The National Hurricane Center’s computer models show an increased possibility of Hurricane Joaquin hitting the East Coast of the U.S. on Sunday, then edging up to New York on Monday.

Still, other models predict different trajectories. A European model has the hurricane headed harmlessly out to sea, the Brooklyn Eagle reports.

John Melville, Commissioner of the state Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services said residents should take preparation seriously.

“Having emergency supplies on hand such as flashlights and batteries, and water and canned goods is essential. Residents should begin monitoring weather conditions through local media reports and broadcasts, and be sure to follow any protective orders issued by emergency officials,” he said in a statement.

Even more telling, Ms. Levi's seventh-grade science class informs us that Joaquim is now a Category 2 hurricane . . .

How many of my 7th graders are following the storm?! We are now at a cat. 2, folks!! Joaquin is strengthening! ☔️☔️☔️ #7thGradeScience

— Mrs. Levi (@MrsCoach_Levi) October 1, 2015

Gov. Cuomo: Get ready for possible hit from Hurricane Joaquin [Brooklyn Eagle]

Hurricane Joaquin poised to hit Bahamas, could target U.S. next [CNN]

Hurricane JOAQUIN Forecast Discussion [National Hurricane Center]

NASA Does Hurricanes [NASA]

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Gov. Cuomo Visits Brooklyn Churches and Synagogues to Push Tax Credit Plan

 Governor Andrew Cuomo on Sunday visited churches and synagogues in Brooklyn to stir up support for the "Parental Choice in Education Act.

The Act will provide $150 million in education tax credits annually to parents whose kids attend non-public schools.

While religious schools are in favor of the bill, some public school parents see it as another attempt of the governor to dilute public education, reports the Wall Street Journal.

Photo: The Governor shakes hands with student Eddie Harari at Yeshiva Shaare Torah. Photo by Kevin P. Coughlin, office of the Governor

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Anti-Cuomo Demonstrations at Schools Across NYC Thursday

Big doings at roughly 100 NYC public schools tomorrow, many in Brooklyn:

Parents, student and teachers from throughout the city will "hold hands, form a human chain and surround their schools to show how they are determined to protect their schools from Governor Cuomo’s attempt to defund, dismantle and privatize our public schools," according to NYC Public School Parents.

The protests are taking place before and after school  hours.

According to Chalkbeat:  "Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced he would link a potential boost in state education funding to a series of controversial policy changes, including tying teacher evaluations more closely to student test results, raising the charter-school cap, and placing consistently low-performing schools in the hands of outside groups."

Participating Brooklyn schools include:

PS 3
PS 9
PS 20
Arts & Letters (with PS .20)
PS 307
Brooklyn Arbor
PS 84
PS 110
PS 257
PS 297
Brooklyn New School (with BSC below )
Brooklyn School for Collaborative Studies (w/ BNS)
PS 32
MS 442
MS 447
MS 51
PS 230
PS 154
PS 295
MS 443 and MS 88 (w/ PS 295) 
PS 10
PS 124
PS 130
PS 169
PS 172
PS 230
PS 24
PS 58
PS 118
PS 261
PS 321
PS 372
PS 29
PS 39
PS 280
PS 107
Park Slope Collegiate
PS 15
Internat'l HS Pros. Hts
PS 214
PS 145
PS/IS 384

Some schools are also holding marches and speak outs. For example:

* At 3:10 PM, parents, teachers and students at PS 58 in Brooklyn will march up Smith St. and meet up with the school community at PS 261.

* At 7:45 PM, Brooklyn New School and Brooklyn School for Collaborative Studies will gather, hold signs, have noisemakers and write letters to their electeds.


Full times and locations here.



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Hunger in Brooklyn, Replacing Grimm, Fest at Barclays, and More Brooklyn Briefs

- Business owners near Barclays hope to benefit from All-Star Game festivities. [NY1]

- Study reveals alarming hunger statistics in Brooklyn. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- A lawsuit filed seeking to compel Gov. Andrew Cuomo to call a special election to replace Rep. Michael Grimm. [NY State of Politics]

- The family of Akai Gurley tore into NYPD Officer Peter Liang and called for comprehensive changes to the police department. [Observer]

- Lentol seeks immediate halt to evictions in wake of bribery scandal. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- Powerball says three winners bought tickets in Texas, North Carolina & Puerto Rico. [Lottery Post]

 - Memes of historic moments Brian Williams may have 'misremembered.' [Daily Mail]

- Oopsy, everybody can start eating eggs again. [Washington Post]



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NYPD Officer Liu's Funeral Set, Mob Wives Stabbing, and Brooklyn Briefs

Consider a year-end donation to Brooklyn's Grace Choral Society

- NYPD chief says cops turning their backs on de Blasio during funeral was "inappropriate." [NY Magazine] 

- The funeral for police Officer Wenjian Liu, one of two 84th Precinct officers fatally shot in Brooklyn, has been set for Sunday. [WSJ]

- Brooklyn man arrested after stabbing his sister and fighting cops in NJ. [NBC]

- The boyfriend of "Mob Wives" star Natalie Guercio was stabbed in a Brooklyn nightclub over the weekend. [amny]

- Michael Bloomberg keeps vow to stay silent on Bill de Blasio's first year as mayor. [Daily News]

- Gov. Cuomo wants the state Gaming Commission to reopen bidding for a casino in the Southern Tier, breaking his promise to leave the siting decisions solely up to the board. [PressConnects]

- The head of the agency searching for AirAsia Flight 8501 said he believed the plane was “at the bottom of the sea." [NY Times]

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Political Tidbits: NY's 'Dumbest Pol,' CB Term Limits, Cuomo and More

- State Senator Simcha Felder is called "New York's dumbest pol" by the Albany Project after suggesting that the recent hike in high profile crimes in Brooklyn is due to local police officers being sent to handle Eric Garner protests in Manhattan. Felder wants Cuomo to send in the National Guard to handle the protestors . . .

- The New York City Council will  see a bill on term limits introduced -- this time for community boards, says Gotham Gazette. Members would be limited to two 6-year terms. Council Member Dromm told GG: "I applaud those people who spend 30 or 40 years on a community board, and I thank them for service. But I do think we need to move things around."

- New York City public schools can no longer call 911 and send disruptive students to emergency rooms, reports WNYC. It turns out roughly 3,000 NYC kids a year -- with no medical emergencies -- are sent to the ER by teachers who can't deal with them.

- What's New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo doing for the holidays this year? He's busting a union that endorsed his primary challenger, Zephyr Teachout. Daily Kos says this union-busting move is pretty bold, even for Cuomo.

- New York taxpayers are on track to spend over $1 million to help state lawmakers keep details of their outside jobs secret, reports Capital NY.

- Russia is so screwed, says Slate. And maybe Obama's sanctions have something to do with it, says Politico.

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Brooklyn Artists Plan Funeral for Williamsburg; 11-Year-Old Jeopardy Star; and More Brooklyn Briefs

- Brooklyn artists are planning a funeral for the death of the neighborhood of Williamsburg. The wake is set for Saturday. [Cheryl & Daily News]

- An 11-year-old Park Slope boy, Cerulean Ozarow, was the star of "Jeopardy!" on Monday, winning $25,158 on the first night of the game show's "Kids Week." [WNYC]

- Public libraries in New York City will be making about 10,000 portable Wi-Fi units available for their patrons. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- A Brooklyn man stabbed his father to death and attacked his sister before committing suicide by jumping out of a second-floor window early Tuesday. [WSJ]

- Brooklyn man shaves his beard, preserves it in Lucite. [Gothamist]

- Andrew Cuomo's totally fake, entirely cynical and completely disposable Women's Equality Party is broke and in debt. [The Albany Project]

- Just when you thought it couldn't get worse: Bill Cosby was sued Tuesday by a California woman who claims the comedian molested her in a bedroom of the Playboy Mansion when she was 15 years old. [AP]


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'Wanted Posters' for Rookie Cop; NBC Staffer Fingers Cosby; and More Brooklyn Briefs

- 'Wanted'  posters for NYPD cops who shot unarmed man are hanging in Brooklyn hosuing project. [Daily News]

- The parents of a 9-month-old girl who was accidentally shot in her Brooklyn home while her dad was cleaning his gun are being criminally charged. [NBC]

- The final Bridging Gowanus planning meeting takes place Monday, November 24 at 6:30, at PS 32 317 Hoyt St, Brooklyn. [PMFA]

- "He had everybody fooled. Nobody suspected.” Frank Scotti, long-time facilities manager at Brooklyn's NBC studio, speaking about Bill Cosby. [Daily News]

- Gov. Cuomo "accusing the National Weather Service of missing the storm ... is just one more bullet point on a list of stupid comments from a sub-par politician venturing into a topic he knows little about." [Gawker]

- The history of a cool little neighborhood called Brooklyn -- in Jacksonville, Florida. [news4jax]

- The U.S. is literally falling apart. [CBS]

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Friday Ebola Wrapup: 8 NYS Hospitals | 'It's Really Hard to Catch' | Lockdown Mode? | A 'Giant Hoax'

* On Thursday Gov. Cuomo said eight hospitals across New York state were chosen as special Ebola centers. Four of the hospitals are located in New York City and two in Long Island, leaving just two for the rest of the state -- in Rochester and Syracuse. [More at Brooklyn Eagle.]
Pictured above from left: Dr. Howard Zucker (DOH), Gov. Cuomo, Pat Foye (Port Authority), Tom Prendergast (MTA). 

* There are only four hospitals with biocontainment facilities in the United States, and they have 11 beds that can be used at any one time for Ebola patients. Four of those beds are currently being occupied by Ebola patients. [More at ABC News]

* Obama on Thursday urged Americans to keep the matter in perspective.  "Ebola is really hard to catch." Just a handful of cases, people. [White House YouTube]

* 75% of those who die from the Ebola virus are women. That's because most of the primary caregivers, nurses, and cross-border traders in those counties are female. [More at Bust]

* The situation in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone is deteriorating. [More at W.H.O.]

* Preppers are prepping to go into Ebola Lockdown Mode. [More at The Daily Sheeple]

* And finally: Ebola is a giant hoax: "It's not the Ebola that's going to get you, it's the vaccination" . . . "The thing they put to your temple that you think is reading your temperature? It's a mind-control device." [More at Free Radio Revolution]


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Cuomo's Declares Yogurt To Be NYS's 'Official Snack'

Governor Andrew Cuomo signed legislation on Wednesday making yogurt the official snack of New York.

According to the Governor's office, New York is the top producer of yogurt in the nation. The "tremendous boon in Greek-style yogurt" is one of the reasons for this.

According to The Hill, the United States Department of Agriculture has announced that it will test out Greek-style yogurt in school lunches in four different states. This test was backed by New York Sen. Chuck Schumer.

According to Reason.com, New York based Chobani, which sells the most Greek-style yogurt in the U.S., is a prime beneficiary of the school lunch test.

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This Is Why We Needed Occupy Sandy: NY State's Emergency Services Too Devastated and Demoralized to Function

Sandy volunteers in Red Hook. Photo: MK Metz

A post-Sandy report obtained by the Albany Times-Union offers a scathing peak peek inside the operations of New York State's Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services during and after Superstorm Sandy.

What it reveals is a demoralized agency operating out of a cold-war bunker in Albany using a computer system incapable of communicating with other systems, trying to cope after its most experienced and knowledgeable staff -- fully 50 percent of its personnel -- took early retirement after being labeled "non-essential" the year before the storm.

The report (posted below, click on the bottom right rectangle to expand) exists in two versions. The one below contains additional text in blue, bolded type meant only for the eyes of DHSES Commissioner Jerome Hauer.

While the report is couched in terms non-critical of Gov. Cuomo, it paints a clear picture how his demand to set up a "regional" OEM center for himself in Manhattan caused chaos, sucking the "A team" out of HQ in Albany, and leaving a resentful and understaffed "B team" trying to function without its most experienced leaders.

This may also explain why a study of Brooklyn's critical surge-capacity hospital and health needs has never been carried out.

Sandy "Notes" After-Action Report

Also mentioned in the Huffington Post.

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