Rachel Silberstein

2467 posts published

Ulmer Park Reopening: NYC’s Leakiest Library Gets Facelift

Ulmer Park Reopening: NYC’s Leakiest Library Gets Facelift

Ulmer Park Library re-opening. (Photo courtesy of Councilman Mark Treyger) Councilman Mark Treyger joined Brooklyn Public Library today to celebrate the reopening of Ulmer Park Library [http://www.bklynlibrary.org/locations/ulmer-park] (2602 Bath Avenue) today. The run down, heavily utilized branch closed last year for capital improvements made possible

Report: More NYC Residents Facing Eviction Have Access To Legal Help

Report: More NYC Residents Facing Eviction Have Access To Legal Help

Photo by Bensonhurst BeanIf you are a low-income tenant facing eviction, it may be easier than ever to get lawyer these days, according to a report released by the city Tuesday. Mayor Bill de Blasio touted the findings by the Office of Civil Justice (OCJ), which show that now 27

Report: More NYC Residents Facing Eviction Have Access To Legal Help

Central Brooklyn

Report: More NYC Residents Facing Eviction Have Access To Legal Help

Photo by Bensonhurst BeanIf you are a low-income tenant facing eviction, it may be easier than ever to get lawyer these days, according to a report released by the city yesterday. Mayor Bill de Blasio touted the findings by the Office of Civil Justice (OCJ), which show that now 27

Treyger Wins UFT Endorsement In District Leader Race

Treyger Wins UFT Endorsement In District Leader Race

Councilman Mark Treyger and Chris Mccreight (Photos: Facebook)In a rare move, United Federation of Teachers has endorsed Councilman Mark Treyger for open Democratic District Leader seat in Brooklyn’s Assembly District 46. Treyger, a former history teacher at New Utrecht High School, won the support of the teachers’ union

Quaint 83rd Street Home May Become Condos

Quaint 83rd Street Home May Become Condos

2159 83rd Street (Photo via Google Maps)A cute yellow home on 83rd Street may soon become condos, according to new Department of Buildings filings first reported by YIMBY [http://www.yimbynews.com/2016/08/three-story-six-unit-residential-building-planned-at-2159-83rd-street-bensonhurst.html] . The home’s owner Michael Calabrese — who lives in Staten Island — has filed

Report: More NYC Residents Facing Eviction Have Access To Legal Help

Report: More NYC Residents Facing Eviction Have Access To Legal Help

Photo by Bensonhurst BeanIf you are a low-income tenant facing eviction, it may be easier than ever to get lawyer these days, according to a report released by the city today. Mayor Bill de Blasio touted the findings by the Office of Civil Justice (OCJ), which show that now 27

Report: More NYC Residents Facing Eviction Have Access To Legal Help

Report: More NYC Residents Facing Eviction Have Access To Legal Help

Photo by Bensonhurst BeanIf you are a low-income tenant facing eviction, it may be easier than ever to get lawyer these days, according to a report released by the city today. Mayor Bill de Blasio touted the findings by the Office of Civil Justice (OCJ), which show that now 27

Filthy 18th Ave KFC Joins Fate Of Dreary 18th Ave McDonald’s

Filthy 18th Ave KFC Joins Fate Of Dreary 18th Ave McDonald’s

Photo by Rachel Silberstein/Bensonhurst BeanThe notoriously grimy Kentucky Fried Chicken [https://www.yelp.com/biz/kfc-brooklyn] on 18th Avenue appears to be joining the fate of its former neighbor, a particularly depressing McDonald’s location [/worst-mcdonalds-ever-is-now-closed/#.V8Sgg8CAOko] that closed last year. The fried chicken restaurant at 6510 18th Avenue

Aid Worker Gunned Down In Borough Park Drive-By

Central Brooklyn

Aid Worker Gunned Down In Borough Park Drive-By

(Photo by Bensonhurst Bean)A man was killed in broad daylight today in a drive-by shooting in Borough Park. Police have identified the victim as 36-year-old Henry Nashan of Crown Heights. Nashan was sitting in his van at around 12:20pm, at the intersection of 46th Street and New Utrecht

BREAKING: Man Gunned Down In Borough Park Drive-By [Updated]

BREAKING: Man Gunned Down In Borough Park Drive-By [Updated]

Photo by Bensonhurst BeanA man was killed in broad daylight today in a drive-by shooting in Borough Park. The 36-year-old victim was sitting in his van at around 12:20pm, at the intersection of 46th Street and New Utrecht Avenue, when a second car pulled up beside him and a

Photos From The 41st Annual Feast Of Santa Rosalia

Photos From The 41st Annual Feast Of Santa Rosalia

Photo by Rachel Silberstein/ Bensonhurst BeanIt was a feast to remember on 18th Avenue this year. Bensonhurst’s Festa di Santa Rosalia, which comes around every August, is a 10-day street festival that commemorates the patron saint of Palermo, Italy, where the feast has been celebrated continuously since 1624. At

Weekend Reading: Brooklyn Stories You May Have Missed

Photo by Warren TangAssembly candidate Ramona Johnson calls Facebook administrator a “slave master” [http://www.sheepsheadbites.com/2016/08/assembly-candidate-ramona-johnson-calls-facebook-administrator-slave-master/] . [Sheepshead Bites] Kensington mosques and residents unite against islamophobia [http://ditmasparkcorner.com/blog/events/kensington-mosques-residents-unite-islamophobia/] . [Ditmas Park Corner] Theater Review: ‘Murder at the Food Coop’ boasts neighborhood’s horniest organic

How To Help Italy’s Earthquake Victims

How To Help Italy’s Earthquake Victims

Photo via uninoticias [https://www.instagram.com/p/BJk2TMlAHRe/]The Federation of Italian American Organizations (FIAO) [http://www.fiaobrooklyn.org/] is raising money to aid victims of the devastating 6.2-magnitude earthquake that struck Italy on Wednesday. The tragedy, which left at least 267 dead and more than 2,100

Pix 11 Catches Up With L’Amour’s Former DJ Alex Kayne [Video]

Pix 11 Catches Up With L’Amour’s Former DJ Alex Kayne [Video]

So, Pix 11 has a relatively new series called I am Brooklyn [https://www.facebook.com/IAMBrooklyn/about/?entry_point=page_nav_about_item&tab=page_info] , which highlights the many colorful characters that make our lovely borough so great. This week’s guest was someone we’ve profiled before

ACUS’ Warren Chan Throws Support Behind Illegal Home Conversion Bill

ACUS’ Warren Chan Throws Support Behind Illegal Home Conversion Bill

ACUS’ Warren Chan (Photo by Rachel Silberstein/Bensonhurst Bean)The head of a social service agency serving Bensonhurst’s Asian American community says he’s been converted when it comes illegal home conversions. Warren Chan, executive director of Asian Community United Society [http://www.acus-ny.org/] (ACUS) and founder of

Man Wanted For Attacking Female Straphanger On R Line

Man Wanted For Attacking Female Straphanger On R Line

Cops are searching for a man they say attacked a female straphanger on the platform of the northbound R train. The incident happened on August 19, at approximately 10:55pm, at the Bay Ridge Avenue station, according to police. The suspect pushed and slapped his female victim — who did not

Was Coney Island’s ‘Incubator Doctor’ Martin Couney A Fraud?

Was Coney Island’s ‘Incubator Doctor’ Martin Couney A Fraud?

Photo via Coney Island History ProjectMuch ink has been spilled about Dr. Martin Couney, the famed — or infamous — incubator doctor, the medical pioneer who saved thousands of premature babies through his Coney Island side show exhibit, at a time when mainstream hospitals were slow to adopt the “newfangled “incubator technology.

Was Coney Island’s ‘Incubator Doctor’ Martin Couney A Fraud?

Photo via Coney Island History ProjectMuch ink has been spilled about Dr. Martin Couney, the famed — or infamous — incubator doctor, a medical pioneer who saved thousands of premature babies through his Coney Island side show exhibit at a time when mainstream hospitals were slow to adopt the newfangled incubator technology.

What To Order At Pio Pio: Ceviche, Pisco Sours, Anticuchos & More

What To Order At Pio Pio: Ceviche, Pisco Sours, Anticuchos & More

Photo via Pio Pio/Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/piopionyc/]When it comes to Peruvian cuisine in wider Bensonhurst — which includes Gravesend, Bath Beach, and Dyker Heights — our neighborhood is blessed with a plethora of options. Swollen Empanadas, well-fed rotisserie pollo and ceviches abound at these these South American eateries.

7 Questions For Pamela Harris: Assemblywoman Talks CIGG, Media Scrutiny & Serving The Whole District

7 Questions For Pamela Harris: Assemblywoman Talks CIGG, Media Scrutiny & Serving The Whole District

Photo courtesy of Pamela Harris/FacebookAssemblywoman Pamela Harris has deep Brooklyn roots. A lifelong resident of Coney Island — where she currently lives with her husband Leon — Harris made history last year, when she won a special election [http://www.bensonhurstbean.com/2015/11/pamela-harris-wins-46th-district-assembly-seat/#.V73GAsCAOko] to fill the 46th Assembly

7 Questions For Pamela Harris: Assemblywoman Talks CIGG, Media Scrutiny & Serving The Whole District

7 Questions For Pamela Harris: Assemblywoman Talks CIGG, Media Scrutiny & Serving The Whole District

Photo courtesy of Pamela Harris/FacebookAssemblywoman Pamela Harris has deep Brooklyn roots. A lifelong resident of Coney Island — where she currently lives with her husband Leon — Harris made history last year, when she won a special election [/pamela-harris-wins-46th-district-assembly-seat/#.V73GAsCAOko] to fill the 46th Assembly District seat left vacant [/brook-krasny-first-russian-american-assemblyman-plans-to-resign-on-june-7/#.V73NsMCAOkq]

Trio Behind $1 Million Eel Heist Caught Slinging Seafood At Dyker Heights Dim Sum Spot

Trio Behind $1 Million Eel Heist Caught Slinging Seafood At Dyker Heights Dim Sum Spot

> Our cops arrested 3 thieves w $360k in stolen eel in #BrooklynChinaTown [https://twitter.com/hashtag/BrooklynChinaTown?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw]. #SomethingsFishy [https://twitter.com/hashtag/SomethingsFishy?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw] pic.twitter.com/SL8e08SVg8 [https://t.co/SL8e08SVg8] — NYPD 66th Precinct (@NYPD66Pct) August 22, 2016

Community On Edge After Two Weekend Tragedies

Community On Edge After Two Weekend Tragedies

Photo courtesy of Councilman Mark TreygerResidents say they are shaken up by two tragic incidents that occurred near neighborhood parks over a span of 24 hours. Daquan Spencer, 31, was fatally shot at 1:30am Sunday morning while attending a party inside Scarangella Park [https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/scarangella-park]

Weekend Reading: Brooklyn Stories You May Have Missed

Photo by kayyypan [https://instagram.com/p/3pRh8_m84j/]/InstagramIn Case You Missed It (ICYMI): Here are some of the big stories you may have missed this week. You can keep up with what’s going on in the neighborhood all week long. Just follow us on Twitter [http://twitter.

NYPD Scuba Divers Rescue Lost Pup From Gravesend Bay [Photos]

NYPD Scuba Divers Rescue Lost Pup From Gravesend Bay [Photos]

Photo via NYPDA breathtaking rescue took place in Gravesend Bay early this morning, when NYPD scuba divers pulled a lost pup from the waters and returned him to his grateful owner. NYPD Harbor Unit responded to a 911 call from a passerby of a dog swimming in the waters of