Showing posts with label unnatural disasters. Show all posts
Showing posts with label unnatural disasters. Show all posts

Friday, July 15, 2016

Coworking Spaces in Brooklyn; Security After Nice Attack; Anthony Bourdain and More Brooklyn Briefs


- Brooklyn driver indicted on manslaughter charges after failure to get his car repaired led to a fatal car crash on Fulton Street in December. [Daily News]

- Young Orthodox Jewish man committed suicide on Wednesday -- the 26th such suicide the New York-area's Orthodox community over past ten months. [Forward]

- Squibb Park Bridge to reopen next spring, 50 percent less bouncy. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- K2 protest held outside Bed-Stuy deli. [CBS]

- A complete list of Brooklyn coworking spaces — locales where you can rent a desk or office by the day, week, or month. [Brownstoner]

- Gov. Cuomo: After Nice attack, NY law enforcement stepping up security at airports, bridges, tunnels and mass transit. [Twitter]

- Globe-trotting foodophile Anthony Bourdain will perform "brutally honest" monologue
 The Hunger at BAM in late November. [Gothamist]

- The historic Lundy’s building on Emmons Avenue continues to deteriorate, despite promises from the owner to patch up the property. [Sheepshead Bites]

- The  Jalopy Theater is putting on Dump Trump Night, a musical revue of satirical songs. [Brokelyn]

- Woman, 60, beaten and raped in Brooklyn building's boiler room by man in maintenance uniform. [Daily News]


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Wednesday, November 11, 2015

Bloomberg's Jab at De Blasio at the Al Smith Dinner; and More Brooklyn Briefs

Union-sponsored jab at fire-prone AvalonBay. In D'twn Brooklyn. Photo by MK Metz

- Some of the weirdest beards you've ever seen, at the National Beard Championship in Brooklyn. (Photos) [Brooklyn Eagle]

- Fatal crash in a Brooklyn creek, seen only on camera. [NY Times]

- Bloomberg at the Al Smith Dinner: "The only thing Mayor de Blasio ever showed up early to was the Brooklyn real-estate market.” [NY Post]

- Growing New York Comedy Festival takes over Brooklyn. [Variety]

- The spectacular hubris of the Brooklyn Nets. [Rolling Stone]

- Here’s why fast-food workers are striking in 500 U.S. cities, including Brooklyn. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- More on that 3-eyed catfish in the Gowanus Canal. [WFJA]

- Lucy Liu popped into Coney Island’s 60th Precinct Monday to film a scene for the CBS show 'Elementary.' [Bensonburst Bean]

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Tuesday, November 10, 2015

Decent Soup Dumplings Finally Hit Brooklyn, and More Brooklyn Briefs


- A man was killed on Monday when a car jumped a curb on Flatbush Ave., flipped over and struck him while he was walking on the sidewalk. [NY1] and [NY Times]

- Decent soup dumplings finally come to Downtown Brooklyn. [Brooklyn Based]

- More lawsuits for Brooklyn charter accused of mistreating disabled students? [Brooklyn Eagle]

- Concerned about the Brooklyn Heights Library project? Contact Councilman Levin. [BHB]

- The Brooklyn tech scene is expected to rake in $15.5 billion by 2025, according to a report released by Brooklyn Tech Triangle on Monday. [Metro]

- Time-lapse animated wall mural created in Brooklyn (video). [CityLab]

- Did you catch this rendering of the 1,000-foot tower coming to Downtown Brooklyn? It will be New York City’s tallest building outside of Manhattan, and give Brooklyn "its first legitimate supertall skyscraper." [New York YIMBY]

- The White House is prepping for a huge solar storm that could kick us back into the Dark Ages...[Science Alert]

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Monday, October 19, 2015

Diane Ravitch Speaks in Brooklyn Heights Tonight, and More Brooklyn Briefs

Grace Chorale will be performing J.S. Bach's Christmas Oratorio Dec. 18 & 20 in Brooklyn Heights.
- Despite EPA warning him not to, Christopher Swain swam the entire 1.8 mile length of the Gowanus Canal on Saturday. [PMFA]

- Education expert and author Diane Ravitch, 'Reign of Error' author, to speak at Brooklyn Heights Library benefit tonight. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- Photos: Smorgasburg and Brooklyn Flea invade Industry City. [Brownstoner]

- Father of young boy was fatally shot in broad daylight in East New York. [PIX11]

- A man fell between the slats of a subway track up to his chest — and was then struck by an D train on Saturday. [NY Daily News]

- New Boerum Hill townhouse asks $7.5M. [Curbed]

- Spooktacular! Halloween listings for Brooklyn. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- Marketing 550 Vanderbilt condos "with deception." [Atlantic Yards Report]

- Mobile food pantry comes to Farragut, Ingersoll and Whitman Houses. [BKReader]

- The history of the "Society to Prevent Disparaging Remarks about Brooklyn." [WNYC]

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Friday, October 2, 2015

Hurricane Joaquin May Miss NYC, But Deluge Likely


It's looking more likely that Hurricane Joaquin will not hit New York City directly, as various models show its trajectory moving more to the east, according to the National Weather Service and Dr. Jeff Masters of Weather Underground.

But the weather on Friday and afterwards will be plenty wet. In Brooklyn, showers will be on and off, with rain and wind picking up Friday night. A coastal flood watch is in effect through Saturday afternoon. The low in Brooklyn on Friday is predicted to be 50 degrees.

Masters says, "Dangerous Hurricane Joaquin has intensified to a Category 4 storm with 130 mph winds and a 936 mb pressure, making it the strongest Atlantic hurricane in five years." However . . .  "Confidence is growing that Joaquin will move out to sea this weekend, although a U.S. landfall still cannot be ruled out."

The city's emergency preparedness plans have improved, Mayor de Blasio said Thursday night. Evacuation shelters are ready, as are extra ambulances, firefighters, water rescue teams, additional ladder companies and emergency boats in case of flooding.


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Friday, September 11, 2015

9/11 Memorial Services in Brooklyn

The Sept. 11 Tribute in Light, from Brooklyn. Photo: MK Metz
If you would like to attend a special service or memorial event in Brooklyn today in honor of the almost 3,000 people who lost their lives in the World Trade Center on 9/11/2001, several sources have compiled events.

* The Brooklyn Eagle has put together a roundup of interfaith 9/11 remembrance services in Brooklyn Heights. These include Grace Church's annual Sept. 11 Requiem Eucharist on Friday at 7:30 a.m., and Assumption Roman Catholic Church's annual 9-11 Mass of Remembrance for the firemen at the Engine Co. 205/Hook and Ladder 118 firehouse on Middagh Street.

The 10:45 a.m. Mass will honor Fr. Judge and the eight firefighters from Engine 205/Hook & Ladder 118: Captain Martin J. Egan, Lt. Robert Wallace, Lt. Robert Regan, Firefighter Vernon Cherry, FF Leon Smith, FF Joseph Agnello, FF Peter Vega and FF Scott Davidson.

* Bensonhurst Bean details Senator Marty Golden's two 9/11 memorial events in South Brooklyn, the first one in Marine Park, at 6 p.m. and a second vigil at the American Veterans Memorial Pier at 7:30 p.m.  The ceremonies will feature a patriotic program, including a 21-gun salute and a candle lighting vigil.

In addition, neighbors have organized an annual candle lighting vigil at 6:30 p.m. at Bill Brown Playground — also known as Bedford Park.

* On Friday evening, Bargemusic will present a free Memorial Concert. More on this at BHB. 

Across the city, a moment of silence will be observed at 8:46 a.m., the moment when flight 11 hit the north tower of the World Trade Center.


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Monday, August 31, 2015

Pier 6 Comment Deadline is Today; Homeless Couple Clean Up Park; and More Brooklyn Briefs

Signing up supporters to save the Brooklyn Heights Library. Photo:MK Metz
- Homeless couple cleans up a Bay Ridge park, criticizes de Blasio for letting it go to hell. [NY Post]

- Brooklyn Bridge Park's Pier 6 public comment deadline is today. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- The Gelsey Kirkland Academy of Classical Ballet is moving from Tribeca to St. Ann's ex-digs in DUMBO. [WSJ]

- Woman drowns at Brighton Beach. [Daily News]

- Woman dies after plunging in front of a subway train on Fulton Street Saturday evening. [Daily News]

- Just what were those loud noises Saturday night in Fort Greene? [Patch]

- Brooklyn woman discovers her boyfriend was a cheat and a killer.[News.com.au]


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Thursday, August 27, 2015

A Coup is Afoot at the Cobble Hill Asociation

Photo: MK Metz
The Brooklyn Eagle reports that 24 Cobble Hill Association members have called a special meeting to boot long-time leader Roy Sloane from the position of acting president, and to elect new officers to fill other board vacancies.

This comes in the middle of CHA-organized community talks with Fortis Property Group, the developer that won the rigged bid to buy Long Island College Hospital (LICH) in Brooklyn and turn it into out-of-scale condos.

Is the coup part of the death throes of what was once a dynamic community organization -- or a positive infusion of fresh blood in the fight to fight the mega-development of Cobble Hill?

Cobble Hill Association torn over leader as LICH development looms [Brooklyn Eagle]


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Tuesday, August 18, 2015

Jon Stewart to Host WWE's 'Summerslam' at Barclays Center; and More Brooklyn Briefs

Pop-Up Pool, beach, at Brooklyn Bridge Park. Photo: MK Metz
 - Jon Stewart, the former host of ‘The Daily Show’ has been announced by the WWE as the guest host for this year’s Summerslam, live from a sold-out Barclays Center. [Sportskeeda]

- A Tennessee tourist who took a selfie of himself on a beam of the Brooklyn Bridge was arrested for the stunt Monday in his home state. [NY Post]

- Man knocks out 52-year-old woman's teeth, threatens to shoot before raping her in Bed-Stuy. [Daily News]

- The captain of the Brooklyn Bombshells roller derby team tells all to the Wall Street Journal.

- Brooklyn’s widely loved Mulvaney family — a family of artists, musicians and performers — lost a mother and daughter in a horrific four-car crash on Saturday afternoon. [Patch]

- Brooklyn cats reveal their deepest secrets in ‘Felines of New York.’ [Observer]

- There's an ancient whistling language called Whistling Turkish, currently still used by about 10,000 people, which can be heard as far as five kilometers away. [9News]


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Monday, August 17, 2015

Body Found Floating Off Brooklyn Bridge Park; New LoftOpera; and More Brooklyn Briefs

Atlantic Tinsmith, Sunset Park, 3rd Ave. by MK Metz
 - The body of a 22-year-old man was found floating in the water next to Brooklyn Bridge Park on Sunday. [CBS]

- Brokers and developers eying empty and underused space on the floors above shops in Downtown Brooklyn. [WSJ]

- Looking at Brooklyn’s new loud, crowded and awesome LoftOpera in Bushwick. [Brooklyn Magazine]

- A young boy died in a riptide at Jacob Riis Park on Saturday;  two people were saved from drowning in waters off of Brooklyn and Staten Island on Sunday. [Daily News]

- Brooklyn author Anastasia Higginbotham gets plaudits for her children's book “Divorce Is The Worst,” which shows divorce from a child's point of view. [Observer-Reporter]

- A Brooklyn nursing aide was charged with endangering a dementia patient after she was caught on camera physically abusing the man during a bath. [Daily News]

- Authorities seized a "Minion fart blaster" from a toddler trying to board a plane in Dublin. Officials say the toy that makes noises and emits a banana-like scent was deemed a security threat. [ABC7]

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Tuesday, August 11, 2015

Target's New Gender-Neutral Layout; De Blasio's Uber Trouble; and More Brooklyn Briefs

- Lawyers for a bank that transferred cash to the families of Hamas militants are trying to slam the brakes on a display of a VW and crash test dummies that could find its way into a Brooklyn courtroom. [NY Daily News]
- A Brokelyn 80s splashback party is coming to Prospect Park.[Brokelyn]

- 22-year-old Brooklyn man dies while tubing on the Delaware. [Gothamist]

- A Brooklyn-based seafood company has paid a $10,000 fine for trafficking in shark fins. [SF Chronicle]

- Think pink is for girls? Target will no longer sort items for sale by gender in their Toys, Home and Entertainment sections. [Target]

- Bill de Blasio's anti-Uber stance lead to drop in voter approval, according to a poll. [NY Daily News]

- Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio appeared to present conflicting information about the scope of the Legionnaires' outbreak during simultaneous news briefings on Monday. [NYT]


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Sunday, August 9, 2015

Man Killed by Car On Atlantic Ave. at Clinton Street, Brooklyn


A 66-year-old man was struck and killed on Atlantic Ave. and Clinton Street in Cobble Hill Sunday night.

According to tweeter Laurie A. Duncan, the man pronounced DOA at Brooklyn Hospital. Atlantic Ave. was closed from Henry to Court.

UPDATE: Brownstoner has more details on the man who was killed.

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Thursday, July 16, 2015

Fundraiser for Brooklyn Heights Baby Who Died in Day Care Raises $50K in One Day

The GoFundMe campaign for the Brooklyn Heights parents of a 3-month-old baby boy who died in a SoHo day care raised $50,000 its first day.

More than 650 kind hearts have donated amounts ranging from $5 to $2,000 to Lee Towndrow and Amber Scorah, the parents of little Karl, who died during his first morning at the day care center.

Wrenchingly, one message, along with $5, was left by the parents of another family whose child also died in a day care: Donor Denise McCoy wrote, "I'm sorry I can't give any more than this.....although I would love too. We just lost our 4 month old at an unlicensed daycare as well just 2 weeks ago :( "

More on Karl's tragic death here.

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Wednesday, July 15, 2015

82-Yr-Old Raped; Bed-Stuy Building Collapse; Squibb Bridge Disappointment; and More Brooklyn Briefs

- The top three floors of a four-story building in Bedford-Stuyvesant collapsed Tuesday afternoon, injuring three people, including a passerby riding a bicycle. [NBC]

- Outrage: An 18-year-old sexual predator raped and sodomized an 82-year-old woman in Brighton Beach. [NY Daily News]

- Patience fades as Squibb Park Bridge in Brooklyn Heights remains shut. [NY Times]

- NY State Senator Martin Golden told a funny joke, and some people are upset about it. [NY Minute]

- Complaint was filed against unlicensed SoHo day care center months before Brooklyn Heights baby died there, but it wasn’t followed-up. [Daily News]

- Did a Brooklyn costume shop create Spider-Man 8 years before Marvel? [NY Post]

- Donald Trump frets about a tweet from someone calling himself El Chapo, which says, "I'm gonna make you swallow your [expletive] words..." [7online] 

- But maybe Trump should worry more about Israel, after his recent tweet featuring Nazis. [The Hill]

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Tuesday, June 2, 2015

NYC Homicides Up; New Atlantic Yards School; TSA Fails Big Time and More Briefs

 - Oh oh: “We’re struggling with homicides and shootings,” said NYPD's Chief of Department on Monday. “As we expect when warm weather comes, we see an increase in certain crimes.” [Daily News]

- Video: An out-of-control vehicle barreled onto a sidewalk in Brooklyn Monday afternoon, knocking down a small boy and hurting an adult. [NBC]

- Wednesday: Hearing about the new school planned for the Atlantic Yards area. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- Nightmare landlord: A Brooklyn landlord was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison on Monday for killing one of his tenants and attacking another. [Daily News]

- Tonight: Save the View town hall in Brooklyn Heights to discuss the Brooklyn Bridge Park Pierhouse lawsuit. [McBrooklyn]

- A tunnel boring machine has completed the excavation of a new, $250 million water tunnel connecting Brooklyn to Staten Island. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- The long-simmering animosity between Gov. Cuomo and Mayor de Blasio flared after the mayor hired a former Cuomo aide as his press secretary, a move the governor viewed as a betrayal. [Daily News]

- Major fail: TSA lets fake bombs, weapons through at America's busiest airports 95% of the time.  [ABCnews]


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Sunday, May 17, 2015

Amtrak Service to Be Restored Between Philly and NY Monday Morning

Amtrak, by MK Metz
Amtrak says that service will be fully restored between Philadelphia and New York beginning tomorrow morning, Monday, 5/18.

The service restoration is scheduled to be effective in both directions with the departures of Train 110 from Philadelphia at 5:53 AM and Train 111 from New York City at 5:30 AM.

Following the tragic passenger train derailment in Philadelphia, Amtrak says it has completed the installation of an Automatic Train Control (ATC) "code change point" on the west side of the curve where the accident took place, which will ensure trains enter the curve at 45mph.

ATC provides a notification to the engineer when the train approaches a slow-down signal. If the engineer does not respond, the system will automatically apply the train’s brakes.

Investigators are still trying to figure out what caused a circular pattern of damage found on the locomotive's windshield.

Reuters reported late Sunday that the Amtrak engineer driving the ill-fated train made no report of an object hitting windshield before the crash.



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Tuesday, May 12, 2015

Fire at Beth Chana Girls School in Williamsburg, Brooklyn


The Failed Messiah blog posted this video of the roof of the Beth Chana girls school in Williamsburg on fire this afternoon.

(The video misnamed the site as the Klausenberg Yeshiva.)

According to NY Scanner, the kids are all safe.



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Friday, February 13, 2015

Turn Williamsburg Fire Site into Park? Harder Than It Sounds...

CitiStorage Bld 380
Community groups are organizing to turn the site of the great Williamsburg CitiStorage warehouse fire into a waterfront park, according to Brownstoner.

The city promised to build a park there a decade ago.  (The Open Space Alliance hosted a meeting last night on the subject; word not in yet on what transpired.)

But locals and community groups worry that CitiStorage's owners will sell the site to a private developer to put up condos.

According to the Greenpoint Waterfront Association for Parks and Planning (GWAPP):

"Our City Councilperson Steve Levin has confirmed that, in the aftermath of the fire at CitiStorage, one thing has become very clear: if our neighborhood does not raise its voice – loud and unified – there is almost zero chance that the City will move to fulfill the promises for this park space made in the 2005 Waterfront Rezoning Agreement.

"And the situation couldn’t be more dire. The 11 acre CitiStorage property – the center and essential core of the promised 28 acre Bushwick Inlet Park – could be sold for private development as-of-right (M31 commercial zoning) tomorrow."

More on Free Williamsburg.

More interesting pieces of the puzzle at the NY World

Photo courtesy CitiStorage

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Thursday, February 5, 2015

NYC DOH: Williamsburg Fire Poses No Immediate Health Risk

Demetrius Freeman/Mayoral Photography Office
Some Williamsburg residents are expressing concern about the lingering health effects of Saturday's massive, 7-alarm fire.

But NYC's Dept of Health said on Thursday that the fire posed no immediate health risk.

“We understand that people in and around Williamsburg are concerned about the air quality following the fire, but there is no immediate health risk to the residents,” a DOH spokesperson told the Brooklyn Eagle. “As with any fire, air quality is expected to be affected, and people, especially seniors, children and those with respiratory conditions, should avoid smoke exposure.”

More at: De Blasio visits site of massive Williamsburg blaze, as residents worry about health effects

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Thursday, January 22, 2015

37-Year-Old Woman Dies After Jumping Off Verrazano Bridge

The Staten Island Advance reports that a 37-year-old woman was pronounced dead at Lutheran Medical Center in Brooklyn, after she jumped off the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge Thursday morning

 Sadly, this is the 11th fatal plunge from the bridge since 2011.

The woman drove her car to the lower level and jumped at 6:14 a.m., according to officials.

Harbor units pulled her from the waters by 7 a.m.

UPDATE: The woman has been identified as Laura Fasano of Staten Island, SI Live reports. She was an employee of about 13 years at Regional Radiology in Staten Island.

"She will be very much missed, the patients and the staff loved her," a business managersaid.


37-year-old woman's fatal leap from Verrazano-Narrows Bridge marks 11th suicide from span since 2011 [SI Live] Updated here.

Photo: U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Jonathan Snyder - via Wikipedia http://www.navy.mil; exact source

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