Curtis Brodner - Bklyner

Community-Funded Coffee Deliveries Bring “Sheer Happiness” To Hospital Workers

Cora O’Regan with the first Blend delivery. Photo by Samantha Hernandez.Brooklyn hospital workers are spending every day fighting the coronavirus pandemic. “It’s a warzone… It’s brutal. It’s mentally and physically exhausting,” said Cora O’Regan, an emergency room (ER) nurse at NYU Langone Hospital’s

Central Brooklyn

Players Don’t Listen, De Blasio Removes Basketball Hoops From 80 Locations

Removed basketball hoop at St. Andrew’s Playground on the corner of Atlantic Ave. and Kingston Ave. Curtis Brodner/BklynerMayor De Blasio announced the removal of hoops from 80 basketball courts that have consistently failed to follow directive not to engage in team sports during Coronavirus. “Overwhelmingly, we are seeing

COVID-19

Public Transit Updates: MetroCards at Vending Machines Only, Free Buses, No Shared Access – A – Ride,more

The kiosk and vending machines at Kingston-Throop Station on the C Line. Curtis Brodner/BklynerThe Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) announced that it is no longer selling regular MetroCards at kiosks, as of Tuesday, March 24, in order to protect station agents from Coronavirus. The regular cards will be sold at

Bensonhurst

No Mask, No Gloves, No Service: Southern Brooklyn Businesses Start to Turn Away Customers Without Masks

Surgical masks. (Unsplash.com)Fong and Zhou Supermarket in Bensonhurst and AAA Pharmacy in Midwood are turning away customers who aren’t wearing face masks — a policy that a spokesperson from the New York City Department of Small Business Services (SBS) says should not exist. “Business owners are not permitted

COVID-19

Playgrounds Remain Open, But Are They Safe?

The playground at Irving Square Park. (Paul Stremple/Bklyner)As the weather gets nicer, Mayor Bill de Blasio says he wants to keep playgrounds open, even as he puts forward plans to reduce the crowd density of outdoor space in New York City. Some parents aren’t convinced that playgrounds

COVID-19

City Looks At Opening Streets to Pedestrians

Park Slope. Liena Zagare/BklynerBrooklyn enjoyed the kind of weather Friday, March 20 that makes for a perfect picnic, or afternoon bike ride or pickup-basketball game, and many Brooklyners instantly forgot every panicked plea from public officials to self-isolate. YOU ARE WRONG… (not just “young people”) Prospect Park, Brooklyn was

fire

Death in Bedford-Stuyvesant Fire Investigated as Homicide – UPDATE

Video of police and firefighters outside of 494 Jefferson Ave. Photo by Citizen AppUPDATED 3/23: The deceased has been identified as Jonathan Blake, 55, of Mount Vernon, NY. Derek Whitaker, 54, of 494 Jefferson Ave in Brooklyn has been arrested and charged on Wednesday, March 18, 2020, with tampering

Business

Food Trucks and Carts Struggle While Farmers Markets Soldier On Under Coronavirus Conditions

Food trucks and carts all over Brooklyn are struggling to stay open as Coronavirus grinds business to a halt. Farmers’ markets, on the other hand, will stay open for now. Trucks and Carts: Frenchy’s food truck at 333 Eastern Parkway has taken Thursday, March 19 and Friday, March 20

Central Brooklyn

Dollar Vans Are Still Operating, Serving The Underserved

A Dollar Van near the Barclays Center. Curtis Brodner/BklynerMayor Bill de Blasio signed an executive order on Tuesday, March 17 banning “pooling” for ridesharing services like Uber and Lyft — meaning no cheap group trips with strangers, but it stopped short of saying the order explicitly applies to Dollar Vans

brownsville

As New York Shuts Down For Coronavirus, Should The April Primary Be Delayed?

Photo: Zainab Iqbal/BklynerThe New York State presidential primary election is scheduled for April 28. That would be less than a week before the projected peak of the Coronavirus crisis in New York, according to predictions by Governor Andrew Cuomo earlier this week. Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland and Ohio have

COVID-19

[UPDATE] USNS Comfort Hospital Ship Coming to New York to Combat Coronavirus

USNS Comfort. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Morgan K. Nall.UPDATED: Wednesday, March 18, 2020 at 11:44 a.m. Since this story was published, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that Trump is dispatching the USNS Comfort to New York immediately. The ship will be docked

northern brooklyn

Three Men Break Into 19 Cars in Williamsburg

SOUTH WILLIAMSBURG – Police are looking for three men who smashed the windows of 19 cars on Penn St. between Marcy Ave. and Harrison Ave. at around 5 a.m last Thursday, March, 12. The suspects stole from three of the cars before they fled in an unknown direction, cops say.

Business

Beloved Brooklyn Ice Cream Chain Ample Hills Files for Bankruptcy

The first Ample Hills Creamery store located at 623 Vanderbilt Avenue, Prospect Heights (Photo: BKLYNER)Brooklyn-based ice-cream chain Ample Hills filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy on Sunday, March 15, raising questions about the fate of staff and plans to open a fourteenth location near Pavillion Theatre in Park Slope. “We

COVID-19

There Are Not Enough Ventilators, Not Enough Beds – Officials Worry as Pandemic Grows

Governor Cuomo Calls on President Trump to Take Comprehensive Federal Action to Combat Coronavirus. Photo by Darren McGee/ Office of Governor Andrew Cuomo.New York Governor Andrew Cuomo called on President Trump to send the United States Army Corps to New York in order to prepare the state for expected

Central Brooklyn

What Tenants Need to Know in the Age of Coronavirus

NYCHA Hallway. Ben Brachfeld/BklynerWith events canceled and schools closing, Brooklyners will be spending a lot of time in their homes for the foreseeable future. So what can you expect from your landlord if you’re stuck at home with social distancing blues? A slew of New York City government

COVID-19

State, Congressional Candidates Sign Petition to Stop Petitioning During Coronavirus

Peter Harrison worries that collecting signatures may put the elderly at risk. Campaign Photo by Adrian Mikulak.Thirty-four candidates from across New York State submitted a petition to Governor Andrew Cuomo to suspend or reduce petitioning requirements needed to get on the ballot in response to Coronavirus fears on Tuesday.

Development

Borough President Approves Industry City’s Up-zoning Request, With Conditions

Photo courtesy of Industry CitySUNSET PARK – Borough President Eric Adams approved Industry City’s rezoning request with a few caveats on Monday, March 9. Andrew Kimball, the CEO of Industry City, says he wants to use the additional space to create an “Innovation Economy District.” Borough President Adams endorsed this

affordable housing

CB 2 Votes Against Truckers-Turned-Developers Seeking Rezoning For Luxury Housing in Vinegar Hill

Building concept courtesy of Urban Cartographics.VINEGAR HILL – Community Board 2 voted on Wednesday to recommend against approving a request for rezoning of 265 Front Street that would see a truck lot in the heart of historic Vinegar Hill transformed into a 6-story residential building with first floor commercial space.

affordable housing

What Does Windsor Terrace Need More: A Hotel Or Housing at Park Circle?

312 Coney Island Avenue that is to be redeveloped.Liena Zagare/BklynerWINDSOR TERRACE – Focus Property Group (FPG) presented its plans to build a 13-story mixed-use residential complex by Park Circle at 312 Coney Island Avenue last Thursday to the local Community Board 7. The developers are seeking a rezoning that

Big Story

Activists Shut Down Brooklyn Borough President’s Hearing on Industry City Rezoning

Protesters outside Borough Hall after the Borough President Eric Adams ended the hearing. Curt Brodner/Bklyner.SUNSET PARK — Eric Adams, the Brooklyn Borough President, prematurely ended a hearing about Industry City’s rezoning request on Tuesday night at Borough Hall after multiple interruptions by activists. Industry City is a massive

Announcements

South Central Brooklyn United for Progress Looks Toward a Bigger and Brighter 2020

Members of South Central Brooklyn United for Progress. Courtesy of SCBUP.New York Senate District 17 for Progress, a group of progressive activists and organizers in Borough Park and Midwood, are rebranding their organization as South Central Brooklyn United for Progress (SCBUP). With the new name comes hope for political

affordable housing

Housing vs Jobs: Sunset Park Community Continues to Fight Over Industry City Rezoning

Protester with sign. Curt Brodner/Bklyner.Hundreds of Sunset Park residents, activists, and other interested parties gathered at the opulent Grand Prospect Hall in Park Slope this Monday to make their voices heard about Industry City’s controversial rezoning request. Supporters touted the promise of new jobs and economic development,

Central Brooklyn

Jewish Neighbors Protest EMJC Rabbi’s Installation Over Charter School Controversy

Protesters at EMJC. Curtis Brodner/BklynerMIDWOOD — The installation of Rabbi Sam Levine at the East Midwood Jewish Center (EMJC) was protested by over 100 opponents of the Urban Dove School’s move to one of EMJC’s properties. Urban Dove is a charter school that serves students who failed the

Bensonhurst

Kids in These Neighborhoods Are Way More Likely to Be Exposed to Lead

From Comptroller’s reportBORO PARK, FLATBUSH, GREENPOINT – High rates of childhood lead exposure remains a persistent issue in a handful of neighborhoods, despite an overall drop city-wide, NYC Department of Health (DOH) reports. Borough Park and Greenpoint, which for this study included much of Williamsburg, have the highest concentration of

Central Brooklyn

You Don’t Belong Here: Charter School’s Move to Midwood Splits Jewish Community

MIDWOOD – An informational meeting about East Midwood Jewish Center’s (EMJC) plan to rent a former Jewish day school building to a charter-school devoted to educating at-risk kids devolved into a chaotic shouting match last night, pitting the Orthodox and Conservative Jewish communities in Flatbush against each other. The room