Curtis is a reporter for Bklyner. Message me with tips, questions and lavish praise (or complaints) at curtis@bklyner.com or on Twitter @CurtisBrodner.
Bay Ridge
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
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
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
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
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 [https://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus/coronavirus-cuomo-di-blasio-1.43383421] in New
COVID-19
Park Slope. Liena Zagare/BklynerBrooklyn enjoyed the kind of weather [https://www.timeanddate.com/weather/usa/brooklyn/historic] Friday, March 20 that makes for a perfect picnic, or afternoon bike ride or pickup-basketball game, and many Brooklyners instantly forgot [https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/brooklyn/ny-mccarren-park-bustling-amidst-coronavirus-20200321-z2bb2estxraj5gwlytgcxnpaeu-story.html#icb-path] every panicked
fire
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 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
A Dollar Van near the Barclays Center. Curtis Brodner/BklynerMayor Bill de Blasio signed an executive order [https://www.nydailynews.com/coronavirus/ny-coronavirus-pooled-rides-uber-banned-20200317-rwyk5spsfnbrflqjcbv7lpw5ju-story.html] 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
brownsville
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 [/brooklyn-coronavirus-briefing-march-17-social-distancing-on-st-patricks-day/] in New York, according to predictions by Governor Andrew Cuomo earlier this week. Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland and Ohio
![[UPDATE] USNS Comfort Hospital Ship Coming to New York to Combat Coronavirus](/content/images/size/w600/bklyner/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/48677005558_1798d2a04c_k.jpg)
COVID-19
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
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
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 [https://www.uscourts.gov/services-forms/bankruptcy/bankruptcy-basics/chapter-11-bankruptcy-basics] on Sunday, March 15, raising questions about the fate of staff and plans to open a fourteenth
COVID-19
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
NYCHA Hallway. Ben Brachfeld/BklynerWith events canceled and schools closing [/brooklyn-coronavirus-briefing-march-13-closings/], 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
COVID-19
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 [https://medium.com/@mel_27706/governor-cuomo-we-need-to-put-public-health-first-9d2eb426785e] to Governor Andrew Cuomo to suspend or reduce petitioning requirements needed to get on the ballot in