Bklyner

Friday, Aug. 27: BQE Lane Closures Start, Battle of Brooklyn, School Plans, Evictions, Books, and more

Today is a perfect day to skip work and head to a beach or pool or park or you know, the air-conditioned room in your place. Cooling centers are open, pools have extended hours and Coney Island is ready for you - and if you go after the sun goes

City Begins BQE Preservation Work, Warning of Traffic Jams

Crews will begin work Friday evening, but the real impact on traffic will be felt Monday, when DOT will reduce the number of lanes between Atlantic Avenue and the Brooklyn Bridge from three to two in both directions.

Green-Wood Cemetery Seeks to Move Forward on New Education and Welcome Center

A rendering of the proposed education and welcome center at Green-Wood Cemetery. (Image: Architecture Research Office) Green-Wood Cemetery could soon host a large new building on its campus. The Green-Wood Historic Fund, which oversees the 478-acre cemetery in western Brooklyn, is looking to build a new Education and Welcome Center

💉😷 Data Check: Vaccination Rates Should Reflect 2020 Census Data

NYC Vaccination rate reports should account for the changes in population numbers following the 2020 Census, including the changing demographics of our boroughs.

Green-Wood Cemetery Marks 245 Years Since the Battle of Brooklyn with a Revolutionary Re-enactment

Brooklynites looking to dive into the borough’s revolutionary history can chat with Continental soldiers and sing along with brigands at Green-Wood Cemetery’s annual Battle of Brooklyn commemoration this Sunday, August 29th. The Battle of Brooklyn, fought in 1776, was the first fight of the American Revolution to occur

Education

What type of instruction will NYC students receive in quarantine? Schools are in the dark.

With fewer than three weeks until students return to classrooms, educators are frustrated about how they should approach teaching students quarantined at home, report Alex Zimmerman and Reema Amin for Chalkbeat.

Eviction Protection in New York is Much Weaker as Moratorium End Nears. Here’s Why

You’re no longer protected by the state eviction moratorium or the federal eviction moratorium. That means your eviction case can move forward in court, and your landlord may be able to file and move forward with a new eviction case against you, Allison Dikanovic writes for THE CITY.

Bklyner's Last Day: Sept. 10

It is with great sadness that I let you know that Bklyner will stop publishing on September 10, with no immediate date or plans for resuming.

Midwood Sells Contested Site of Crown Heights Associated Supermarket to Hudson Companies

The developer behind a controversial plan to redevelop the site of a longstanding supermarket in Crown Heights has sold the property.

bklyn sounds

IS ‘BACK TO LIVE’ STILL SAFE? + MUSIC CHOICES 8/27- 9/2

Recent events surrounding the Delta variant has thrown a spanner into our musical summer.

Brooklyn Public Library

Longlist for the 2021 Brooklyn Public Library Literary Prize Announced.

Brooklyn Public Library's (BPL) Literary Prize has for the past seven years recognized and celebrated writing that captures Brooklyn’s spirit in poetry, fiction, and non-fiction. "This year's nominees are a love letter to New York in all its plurality and vibrance. The stories represented in our longlist books take

opinion

OPINION: City Should Pay For Simple Fix To Prevent Basement Floods

The city should pay for you to get a backwater valve, and Councilmember Justin Brannan is here to tell you why.

newsletter

Wednesday, Aug 25: Heat Wave, Beach, Crash, Garbage, Banks, and more.

We have another heat advisory in effect today and tomorrow, with the heat index going up to 96 F or 97 F today and even higher at 97 F or 98 F tomorrow. Last night six-year-old Hiromi Tamy was killed by a reckless driver in Dyker Heights. Our hearts are

Sunset Park Bank Seeks Approval for Millions in Subsidized Deposits for Increased Financial Services

Popular Bank is seeking to create a Banking Development District (BDD) that would give them millions in public deposits in exchange for offering services for vulnerable populations.

Donald Cranston Says He Will Run for 46th Council District on Republican and Conservative Party Lines

The former staffer for various government agencies placed fourth in the June Democratic primary.

Six-Year-Old Girl Killed by Reckless Driver in Dyker Heights

A 30-year-old driver has been arrested and charged with manslaughter after killing a 6-year-old girl in Dyker Heights on Tuesday, according to police. Qiuhua Zhu was driving south on 12th Avenue in a Lexus SUV, police said, when at about 8:00pm, he crossed over the double yellow line into

BAM seeks local “beachgoers” (and at least one dog) for upcoming performances of Sun & Sea

Ever wanted to be on stage? BAM is putting on the Venice Biennale-winning opera, Sun & Sea, at BAM Fisher, which for the performance will be transformed into a beach, with real sand - twenty-five tons of sand in fact. They are looking to hire some locals to perform as

Cameras Capture Illegal Dumping as Sanitation Tries to Clean Up Increasingly Dirty City

The cameras are one part of a new effort to stem illegal dumping and other trash issues, which have seen an uptick around the city since the COVID-19 pandemic, reports Katie Honan for THE CITY.

Tuesday, Aug. 24: Trees, Bikes, Governor

A short newsletter today as we work on some longer pieces. Kathy Hochul was sworn in as the Governor of New York. Mayor refuses to mandate NYPD to get vaccinated, for now. CitiBike is expanding east of Prospect Park and now is soliciting locations for bike stations, and street trees

Caring for Brooklyn’s “Urban Forest,” One Tree at a Time

Nonprofits are seeking to both care for and raise awareness of the importance of New York City’s “urban forest,” which buffers the city against the threats from heat and flooding, absorbs carbon, and makes streets and parks more attractive.

Transportation

DOT Solicits Feedback for Citi Bike Expansion in Bed-Stuy, Ocean Hill, Crown Heights, and Prospect-Lefferts Gardens

The Department of Transportation (DOT) is now soliciting feedback for an expansion of the bikeshare program in the neighborhoods of Bed-Stuy, Ocean Hill, Crown Heights, and Prospect-Lefferts Gardens. The agency plans to role out docks in the new locations sometime in 2022.

Monday, Aug 23: Rain, Mosquitoes, Vaccine Mandate For DOE and more

Tropical Storm Henri dumped almost 10" of rain on Brooklyn, showing quite clearly what's to come and just how little has been done to help Brooklyn's coastal communities, from Newtown Creek to Canarsie. Tenants of 1111 Ocean Ave held a rally to complain about water damage within apartments, and rotting

Real Estate

Brooklyn Tenants Rally Outside Ocean Avenue Building Demanding Repairs

Tenants rallied outside their Flatbush apartment building this morning to demand the landlord address what they say are long-standing problems that put their safety at risk.

environment

“We are not prepared for the next storm” - Flooding Prompts Calls for Action As Henri Dumps 10" Of Rain on Brooklyn

“When people ask me if we’re better prepared for the next big storm,” Treyger said, “The answer is we’re more informed, we know more about our vulnerabilities, but we are not prepared for the next storm. We need more of a comprehensive plan than just giving us sand whenever there's beach erosion.”

Health

FDA Approves Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine, NYC Mandates School Staff To Be Vaccinated

Beginning September 27th, City will require proof of vaccination for all New York City Department of Education workers. The rest of the city employees are likely to be next.