Southern Brooklyn

Southern Brooklyn’s Ongoing COVID Suffering Shows Toll of Disinformation and Disconnection

In a city celebrating a vaccine-powered decline in COVID cases, the southern shore of Brooklyn stands out as a landscape of extended suffering and loss.

canarsie

District 46 Council Candidates All Commit to Launching Participatory Budgeting Program

A crowded field of southern Brooklyn candidates agree on at least one thing. All eight candidates running to replace term-limited Council Member Alan Maisel in Brooklyn’s 46th Council District committed at a recent forum [https://www.facebook.com/lucina.clarke.3/videos/10223242705150511] to launching a participatory budgeting program

Animals

Two Peregrine Falcon Chicks Hatched Atop Marine Parkway-Gil Hodges Memorial Bridge

Photos: Metropolitan Transportation Authority / Kevin CallTwo healthy peregrine falcon chicks have been hatched in a specially built nesting box atop the Marine Parkway-Gil Hodges Memorial Bridge, MTA announced yesterday. The fluffy hatchlings have a 360-degree view of the city skyline from their perch on top of the 215-foot Rockaway tower.

Food & Drink

City Proposes Expanding Supermarket Zoning Incentive to More Neighborhoods, And It’s About More Than Just Fresh Food

The Lincoln Market supermarket in Prospect-Lefferts Gardens, which was developed under the city’s FRESH zoning incentive program. (Image: Google Maps)Public review has begun on a proposal to expand the number of neighborhoods where developers can build bigger in exchange for providing ground-floor space for a supermarket. The Food

hate crimes

Homecrest Mosque Tagged with Anti-Palestine Graffiti on Eid

Vandalism at the Tayba Islamic Center on Coney Island Avenue. (Image: Imran Khan)A Brooklyn mosque was vandalized with the words “Death 2 Palestine” early Thursday morning, during the Eid-al-Fitr holiday that marks the end of Ramadan. At about 6:45am, officers responded to a 911 call at the Tayba

Election 2021

Southern Brooklyn Council Candidates Talk Traffic, Ferries and Coney Island Recovery

Five candidates seeking to represent Coney Island in the City Council gathered virtually on Thursday night to talk about the neighborhood’s challenges and opportunities. Last month, Coney Island celebrated the long-awaited reopening [/amusement-parks-reopen-in-a-much-needed-boost-for-coney-island/] of its amusement parks after a long, pandemic-induced closure. But the tourism-reliant neighborhood still faces major

Central Brooklyn

Opinion: What We Can Do This Spring to have a Maskless Summer

Photo by Julie Ricard [https://unsplash.com/@jricard?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText] on Unsplash [https://unsplash.com/s/photos/brooklyn-nyc?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText] By Dr. Sanjiv S. Shah, Chief Medical Officer of MetroPlusHealth Before COVID, many of us would

Business

Remembering The Prince Of Mermaid Avenue

Jimmy Prince on the boardwalk. Photo by Orlando Mendez, with permission.Jimmy Prince, the beloved butcher of Mermaid Avenue, died on Monday, May 3, 2021, aged 89. He was, for sixty years, the butcher at Major Markets Prime Meats located at 1516 Mermaid Ave. James Prince was born on April

Election 2021

Chaim Deutsch’s Staff to be Removed in July, Raising Concerns About Constituent Services

The district office of recently-expelled Council Member Chaim Deutsch. (Image: Google Maps)The staff of expelled Council Member Chaim Deutsch will be removed from their posts in July, raising concerns that southern Brooklyn constituents may lose needed access to city services. Deutsch, who represented Sheepshead Bay, Brighton Beach and portions

Education

Student Fatally Shot at Midwood’s Urban Dove Charter School

The building that houses Urban Dove Charter School in 2019. (Image: Liena Zagare/Bklyner)A 17-year-old student was fatally shot at Midwood’s Urban Dove Charter School [https://urbandove.org/schools/brooklyn] on Thursday afternoon. Police say Devonte Lewis from Canarsie was leaving the school, which is housed at the

Coney Island

Coney Island Political Feud Divides City Council Race

A bitter political rivalry between two Coney Island elected officials is making waves in the neighborhood’s City Council contest. On Friday, Council Member Mark Treyger accused Assembly Member Mathylde Frontus’ political club of having repeatedly “smeared” him and a staffer running to replace him. Frontus’ club, meanwhile, says Treyger’

News

City Council Boots Chaim Deutsch After His Tax Fraud Guilty Plea

Chaim Deutsch. (Photo: Zainab Iqbal/Bklyner)Southern Brooklyn Council Member Chaim Deutsch has been expelled from the City Council, days after he pleaded guilty to federal tax fraud charges [/brooklyn-council-member-chaim-deutsch-pleads-guilty-to-tax-fraud/]. In a statement [https://twitter.com/NYCSpeakerCoJo/status/1387188575620448261] released Tuesday evening, City Council Speaker Corey Johnson cited the state’

Bensonhurst

Opinion: We Need Experienced, Ethical, Hard-Working Public Servants

Council Member Alan Maisel In His District – John McCarten/NYC CouncilSouthern Brooklyn is facing a historic moment. Our residents and small businesses have been hit hard by the pandemic. Now, President Biden’s stimulus will bring billions of dollars to the City. Facing such crisis and opportunity, we need experienced,

News

Brooklyn Council Member Chaim Deutsch Pleads Guilty to Tax Fraud

Council Member Chaim Deutsch. (Photo: Zainab Iqbal/Bklyner)Southern Brooklyn Council Member Chaim Deutsch pled guilty today for filing a false tax return related to outside income he received from his real estate company. According to the office [https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/new-york-city-council-member-pleads-guilty-tax-fraud] of Jonathan Larsen, U.S.

Announcements

City Announces New, Free Summer Education Program for All Students

At the reconstructed Betsy Head Park in Brownsville, Brooklyn on Wednesday, March 31, 2021. Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography OfficeSchool and camp are getting rolled into one “holistic” youth experience this summer, in an attempt to improve the student experience after a challenging academic year. The city’s departments of Education

Coney Island

Amusement Parks Reopen in a Much-Needed Boost for Coney Island

Mayor Bill de Blasio delivered remarks and cut the ribbon at the reopening of the Coney Island amusement area on Friday, April 9, 2021. (Image: Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office)New York’s families, elected officials and candidates descended on Coney Island on Friday morning to celebrate the reopening of

Central Brooklyn

Crime Blotter: Hate Crimes, Shootings, Robberies and more

The New York City Police Department has arrested Joseph Russo, 27, of 76th Street in Brooklyn and charged him with Assault as a Hate Crime and Aggravated Harassment as a Hate Crime in the following incident. https://bklyner.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/bklyner/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/FINAL-RMA-830-21-Assault-61-Pct-4-5-21.mp4 It

brighton beach

97 Year Old Neighbor Killed on Brighton Beach Avenue

Photo by David von Diemar [https://unsplash.com/@davidvondiemar?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText] on Unsplash [https://unsplash.com/s/photos/police-tape?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText] Volf Ferman of Brighton 12 Street was resting on a walking device, close to the

Central Brooklyn

Opinion: Brooklyn Needs Public Power

Blackout in Mill Basin, 2019. Todd Maisel/BklynerBy Nicholas Boni It’s time for Brooklyn to take its power back. Our borough’s power grid is in shambles. Blackouts are as common as summer heat waves. Utility rates are astronomical, erratic, and ever-increasing. The East River, the Gowanus Canal, and

Central Brooklyn

What will it take for fully remote students to return to school buildings? 6 NYC families weigh in

Monday, March 22, 2021. Credit: Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office.By Alex Zimmerman and Reema Amin, Chalkbeat New York [https://ny.chalkbeat.org/2021/4/5/22368832/opt-in-person-learning-nyc] The nation’s largest school system was among the first to throw open its doors. But it has struggled to entice most

Coney Island

Coney Island Rides Open On Friday, New Roller Coaster and Baseball Starting Soon

Coney Island during NYC’s phase 2 reopening last July. (Image: Erica Price)The famed amusement district is poised to re-open this week. This Friday, April 9, Deno’s Wonder Wheel Amusement Park [https://www.denoswonderwheel.com/] and Luna Park [https://lunaparknyc.com/] will open to the public, albeit at

Business

Side Hustle To Big Business: Low-Income Entrepreneurs Could Help Brooklyn’s Economy Recover—How Can the City Support Them?

A two-part panel on low-income entrepreneurship in Brooklyn organized by the Center for an Urban Future included LaToya Meaders from Collective Fare, Camille Newman from the Brooklyn Women’s Business Center, Chymeka Olfonse from BUILD NYC, La-Shawn Allen-Muhammad from the Central Brooklyn EDC and Ras Omeil Morgan from iaRas iTal.

hate crimes

Brooklynites Demand Protections In The Wake Of The DC UberEats Driver’s Death

Pakistani American Youth Society co-founder Kashif Hussain (Image: Billy Richling/Bklyner)MIDWOOD – Community leaders, elected officials and candidates for local office gathered at the heart of Brooklyn’s Pakistani community Thursday afternoon to mourn the killing of a DC Uber driver and demand an end to hate. 66-year-old Pakistani immigrant

Central Brooklyn

Brooklyn’s Democratic Socialists: Who Are They And What Do They Want?

Three years after Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s shock victory over Joe Crowley, a year after gaining seats and influence in Congress and in the New York State Legislature, the Democratic Socialists of America [https://www.dsausa.org/] are now aiming to gain a foothold in the New York City Council. In

Central Brooklyn

Breaking News: Anyone Over 30 Can Get Vaccinated Starting Tomorrow, Over 16 April 6

Governor Cuomo. Darren McGee- Office of Governor Andrew CuomoGovernor Cuomo announced today that New Yorkers over the age of 30 will be eligible to receive the Covid-19 vaccine starting tomorrow. In addition, on April 6, residents over the age of 16 will be eligible for the vaccine, making eligibility universally