Thank You To 1,675 BKLYNER Subscribers — And Please Consider Joining That Number

Dear Reader,

Tomorrow is New Year, and at 1,675 subscribers, we are more than halfway to our goal of 3,000 by the New Year to keep publishing.

I’m overwhelmed and moved by the incredible outpouring of support, and by the number of neighbors and local business who have decided to put their money where their mouth is, to support us and invest in a more sustainable future for local news for all of us in Brooklyn.

And if you haven’t joined us yet, please consider it today.

If you want some good reasons why — well, here are some of the stories we were proudest of in 2017:

• We called attention to how a school opened on a truck route, without a single crosswalk and no plan for how the kids would get there.
• We exposed a company trying to hide a major oil spill in Gravesend — and our reporting got legislation introduced so that it won’t happen again).
• We revealed how much development — and potential displacement — is in the works for Flatbush.
• We reported on slumlords will continue to harass tenants, and what tenants can do about it.

I also wanted to tell you about what we’re working on now, stories that our new subscribers — and you can become one — would allow us to deliver.

• The faces of the opioid epidemic in Brooklyn, and how institutions from Coney Island Hospital to a new, upscale DUMBO clinic, are responding.
• The story behind the abrupt closure of an assisted living facility on Coney Island Avenue. We know the basics — but the state has been delaying its response to our FOIL requests.
• Pam reported on a number of vicious dog attacks this year. Why does our city not have rules for reporting dangerous animals (mostly dogs) attacking other animals, and should that be changed?
• How can we create & keep resilient and diverse retail streets in Brooklyn – on key thoroughfares like Flatbush, 18th Avenue, 5th Avenue and Church Avenue?
• The story behind all those out-of-state plates lining many Brooklyn streets.

So if you have been waiting to subscribe to see if we make it — please don’t put it off. I’ve been running the numbers over the weekend, but we are so close to the level of subscribers, and momentum, we need to keep going.

I’ll update you tomorrow on how close we’ve gotten — and on what’s next.

Happy New Year!

Liena