Thursday 8/12
The Census numbers are out and Brooklyn is basically tied with Chicago for the 3rd largest city in America. Brooklyn's population grew by 231,374 residents to 2,736,074, just 10 thousand fewer than Chicago, and it remains the most most populous borough of the largest city in America. More tomorrow.
It's hot, there is no plan for remote school, Brooklyn Tech students rock, and gas prices are going up and up. That and more below.
And as every summer Thursday - we have the lineup of live music to check out this weekend and beyond - are you going to the Biggie Smalls Tribute Concert next week?
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State Commission Approves Rate Hike on Gas, Drawing Anger from Local Climate Activists
Billy Richling• 4 min read
A state commission tasked with overseeing New York’s utility services approved today a rate hike for gas customers, some of which will be used to fund a fracked gas pipeline in Brooklyn fiercely opposed by environmental activists and local elected officials.
The average residential customer of the National Grid-controlled Brooklyn Union Gas Company—which serves approximately 1.2 million residents in Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island—can expect total monthly bill increases of about $5.56 (3.8%) starting immediately, and another $4.89 (3.3%) beginning April 2022, according to the PSC.
Bklyner Bulletin
🌱 Brownsville community garden is suffering as a result of shadows from new affordable housing project at Ebenezer Plaza. (BKReader)
🎉 Sunset Park BID is now accepting applications for the September 26 festival. Stop by the office for an application from 11 am-4 pm Monday through Friday or go to sunsetparkbid.org to see prices and download the application.
🩰 Brooklyn Ballet and City Ballet of Boston are seeking 4-5 experienced dancers for The Brooklyn Nutcracker in Brooklyn, NY and City Ballet of Boston’s Urban Nutcracker in Boston, MA this winter.
Heat Wave
As the heat index approached 106F, with similar temperatures expected tomorrow and possibly Saturday, Emergency Management Commissioner John Scrivani advised residents to check in with neighbors, turn down the ACs and stay safe, reminding that the city has 369 cooling centers activated today, 121 of those with extended hours. The City pools also have extended hours. Go to nyc.gov/beattheheat and, or call 3-1-1 to find out more. You can bring your pets to Petco to cool off.
"It will continue to be dangerously hot. This is not just a regular August hot day. It's very hot out there. And we want to make sure that all New Yorkers stay safe. We've also activated the City's flash flood plan. As you've seen each evening, we've had some thunderstorms. So, we have our flash flood plan activated as well. And our agencies are prepared to deal with that."
Currently there are a few electric outages across the city, but no major blackouts.
Live Music Picks 8/13-8/19
Piotr Orlov • 4 min read
Great free music from Vijay Iyer (above) and guests at Celebrate Brooklyn, Smokey Hormel and band in Red Hook, the Flowmingos and some young MCs in Bushwick, Biggie Smalls tribute show and much more.
Question for the Mayor
With the infection rates rising, is there a remote learning plan at NYC Schools so that children that have to quarantine won't miss class?
Mayor Bill de Blasio: "We've got one plan, let's be really clear, one plan, all kids back to the classroom.
We're going to follow up and come back between now and the opening of school [edit note: September 13] on how we're going to handle the temporary situation like if a kid is out for a few days, and obviously we've talked about this previously, we know how to go remote for a school day – excuse me – a snow day, for example. You know, I'm sorry and I feel some nostalgia about snow days too, but now snow days are replaced by remote learning. We can turn that on quickly.
So, we know we could move quickly if we needed to. But in the end, you know, plan A is plan A, and the best way to get to plan A is to get as many people vaccinated as possible."
😷 COVID-19 Briefing
Infection rates in Brooklyn continue to go up, with the Delta variant and low vaccination rates largely responsible. How to make sense of it all? The Atlantic published an excellent story this morning explaining how the Pandemic has changed and what's likely to happen next.
If you haven't already, it's easier than ever to get vaccinated, and you can receive $100 for getting your first shot. Schedule your appointment here.
Mayor Bill de Blasio today announced that 50,000 New Yorkers have received the $100 vaccine incentive available at City-run vaccine sites. Of the 50,000 people who have received the $100 incentive, 43% self-identified as Hispanic, 21% as Black, 13% as Asian, 9% as White, 5% as other and 7% preferred not to say, the city informed. By age, 23% of those who selected to receive $100 were under 18, 36% between 18-34, 38% between 35-64, 3% between 65-74 and 1% between over 75.
Did you know:
"Color-coding of entrance globes began in the early 1980s to help customers determine which entrances were open and had a manned booth. Originally, green indicated a 24-hour token booth, yellow meant a part-time booth, and red meant entrance limited or exit only. Yellow lights were later discontinued for simplification and after the introduction of the MetroCard and installation of High Entrance and Exit Turnstiles (HEET), exit only indicators were no longer needed." Via @nytransitmuseum.
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