BROOKLYN WEATHER: What’s it gonna do today? Check here for Brooklyn weather.
CITY NEWS: A 20-year-old Brooklyn woman was killed on Ocean Parkway in a multi-vehicle accident on Ocean Avenue and Avenue N. Five others were injured and hospitalized but they are in stable condition.
_New York City gets $43 million for transit security from Homeland Security.
_New York Assembly democrats close off Death Penalty for 2005.
_Cyclists gathered near the Manhattan Bridge to honor Noah Budnick of Transportations Alternatives who was seriously
injured on March 28th when he was investigating safety issues on the
bridge and he had to swerve out of the way of a gigantic pot hole.
Although he was wearing a helmet, he sustained serious head injuries.
Bikers gathered to demand safer biking conditions.
_April 15 is not only tax day. It’s also the 90th anniversary of
Billie Holiday’s birthday and WKCR 89.9 FM is playing her music for 15
days straight or 360 hours from April 1 until April 15. Check out the web broadcast.
_NYC to recognize same sex unions performed in other states. This
means that same sex couples could get married in Toronto and be
recognized as married in New York City, even though same sex marriage
is not allowed here.
BROOKLYN BEAT: The 1955 World Series banner captured by the Brooklyn Dodgers was unveiled after a $16,000 restoration at the St. John the Divine Textile Lab. It will be the centerpiece at an exhibit at the Brooklyn Historical Society about Brooklyn baseball.
_A 12-year old girl was injured in a triple shooting on Ralph Avenue in Crown Heights.
_Intensified security measures were taken at a Brooklyn Federal courthouse in response to letters that said there were plans to harm all the judges in the building.
_Service is suspended indefinitely on the L-train, the train goes across 14th Street to Williambsurg, Greenpoint and East New York.
_Hoyt Street Garden at Atantic Avenue and Hoyt has been the labor of love of Margaret Cusack and other local gardeners for thirty years. The owners of the lot, a small Hispanic church that is part of the Presbytery of New York, would like to build a high rise condo on their property and the gardeners are fighting it. Cusack, the master gardener, distributed flyers informing the neighborhood of what the church wanted to do and found that she had the heartfelt support of those who have enjoyed the garden for years. For more of this interesting story: go to the New York Times.
_One-time Park Slope
resident, Andrea Dworkin, the feminist writer and anti-pornography advocate, died on Saturday at her home in Washington. She was 58. Her husband, John Stoltenberg, said that Ms.
Dworkin had suffered from several chronic illnesses in recent years. A
familiar sight on Seventh Avenue in denim overalls, Ms. Dworkin was for
decades active on the lecture circuit, at antipornography rallies and
"take back the night" marches.
_April 11-20th is Brooklyn Restaurant Week, designed to showcase the
diverse eating options in this fair borough. Participating restaurants
are offering a 19.99 prix fix for a 3-course meal. A good chance to
try places you’ve been meaning to try.
_State legislators propose bill to provide affordable housing on Williamsburg, Greenpoint waterfront.
_The non-profit Fifth Avenue Committee, which has campaigned against
landlords trying to evict low income renters, can’t afford space on
Fifth Avenue anymore. They are moving to the other side of Fourth
Avenue and Degraw Street. Victims of the street’s gentrification, they
will still be advocates for affordable housing in Park Slope.
_Brooklyn community groups are protesting a proposed high-rise condo
that would block the view of the Statue of Liberty and the NYC skyline
from historic Battle Hill in Green-Wood Cemetery.
_Judith Zuk, 53, the president of the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens is
retiring at the end of June. There’s a profile of her in today’s New York Daily News.
During her 15 tenure she oversaw the renovation of the Japanese Tea
House, Lily Pond Terrace, the Rock Garden, the Fragrance Garden, the
Francis Milner Children’s Garden and the Rose Arc Pool, and opened the
Discovery Garden.
_Brooklyn Assemblyman William Colton introduced a bill called
"Terri’s Law," that would make it illegal in New York to remove a
feeding tube. Read all about in at New York 1.
Thursday morning, a man climbed up a fire escape to the window of a 9-year old girl’s bedroom, with the intent of kidnapping her
robbing the apartment. The girl said, "Who are you?" and the man said
"Nobody," and ran away. He has not been found. Helicopters flew over
Third Street and news and police vehicles were in the vicinity of the
apartment building just up from 6th Avenue on Third Street all day.
According to the New York Daily News,which has an article about the attempted robbery in today’s edition, burglaries
have become increasingly rare in Park Slope, where the number of
break-ins has dropped by 17% this year compared with the same period in
2004. Burglaries are also down 17% citywide, police statistics show.
_There have been a number of muggings between President and Ninth
Street in Park Slope. The victims are women who are talking on their
cell phones. The suspect surprises them from behind, puts his hand over
their mouth and asks for money. According to the police, he hasn’t hurt
anyone; he just takes the cash and runs. The most recent incident was
on Tuesday at 4 p.m. on President Street on or near 8th Avenue. If you
have any information, please call the 78th Precint Pct., re: Pattern
29. 718-636-6484.
IT’S THURSDAY: "Step up to the plate"
and experience the diverse menus of Brooklyn’s world-class restaurants
April 11-20, 2005. $19.55 prix fixe, in the spirit of the world
champion Brooklyn Dodgers. "Three courses, no attitude on the side." Click here to see the list of participating restaurants
_Brooklyn author, Alfred Gingold reads "Dog World and the People Who Live There" at the Old Stone House in JJ Byrne Park. Fifth Avenue between 3rd and 4th Streets. April 14. 7:30 p.m.
_Eat, Drink, and Be Literary. Jhumpa Lahri reads and discusses her work at BAM. Prix fixe dinner and a celebrated Brooklyn author. At BAM. 6:30. 30 Lafayette Avenue. $38. for everything.
_For more stuff to do scroll down to Grab-Bag_Brooklyn and Beyond. Or go to g0-brooklyn.com
THIS SOUNDS COOL: UniverSoul Circus is in town. You can smell the elephants from the park’s roadway. Performance schedules,
_Too Cool for Shul: Festival of Contemporary Jewish Music. Various artists at The BAMCafe.3 Weekends in April.
_April 20-24 the Brooklyn Underground Film Festival is coming
to the Brooklyn Lyceum. A rare screening of Indianna Jones: The
Adaptation is on April 23rd. You’ve probably heard about the kids who
made the shot-for-shot copy of Raiders back in the ’80s. Well, this is
it. And it’s a rare screening. at 9:15 p.m. 227 Fourth Avenue at Union
Street.
_Brooklyn Reading Works. Curated by Louise G. Crawford. APRIL 28 at 8 p.m. Pamela Katz reads: And Speaking of Love (Aufbau-Verlag) "a compelling and beautifully rendered novel about the astonishing life of Lotte Lenya," and poet Michelle Madigan Somerville reads from Wisegal
(Ten Pell Books) and newer work: "A multilingual hardrock
reverie…going upside your head to whisper whipsmart secrets about
cracked-out big-city survival.