This from NY 1:
Former Knicks player John Starks helped
inaugurate a basketball court, the latest addition to the new Aviator
Sports and Recreation facility at Floyd Bennet Field. The
state-of-the-art sports complex inside an old airplane hangar will have
its grand opening later this month, but parts of it are already
operating. Reporters got a tour of the center Thursday, the same day
Madison Square Garden announced it is becoming a partner in the
operation.

"Aviator presents an enormous opportunity for the residents of
Brooklyn and parts of Queens to experience a world class facility that
rivals anything else operating today, with the additional benefit of
the unique association with Madison Square Garden and its sports
teams,” said President of MSG Sports Steve Mills.

Continue reading FLOYD BENNET FIELD: AVIATOR SPORTS AND RECREATION →

This from New York 1:

The logo of Glad Products Co. – famous for its trash bags – is being splashed across thousands of sanitation trucks in a first of its kind deal with the city.

The 22-by-28-inch signs – considered by city officials to be more of a public service announcement than a commercial advertisement – read: "Glad: New York City Tough. Keep NYC Clean."

Vito Turso, a spokesman for the city Sanitation Department, said Glad donated 125,000 white 30-gallon trash bags and $7,500 to Keep America Beautiful, the national nonprofit organization dedicated to litter prevention and beautification.

Both the bags and the money will be funneled to cleanup programs in the city, Turso said.

In return, the city will place the Glad sign on 2,200 sanitation trucks and 450 mechanical brooms. The signs hit the streets yesterday and will be up through Jan. 31.

"It’s good for New York City because it helps us with a corporate sponsor to get our message out there about keeping New York City clean, and, in fact, because it’s already clean, making it even more beautiful," Turso said.

Turso said the department considers the agreement a "pilot program."

"We’ll gauge whether it was successful and determine whether we can go forward with something like this on a larger scale," he said, adding that other corporations have expressed interest.

David Kellis, a spokesman for Oakland, Calif.-based Glad, described the signs as "great exposure" for the city. As part of the deal, Glad "ambassadors" will have the honor of traveling with the sanitation truck at the end of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

"We’re glad to help," said Kellis, who sheepishly admitted the pun is intended.

Kimberly Spell, a spokeswoman for the city’s Marketing Development Corp., said the city will be exploring similar deals in the future.

"There are lots of opportunities for corporate partnerships throughout N.Y.C.," she said. "And we evaluate each proposal to determine what is in the best interest of the city."

New Yorkers offered mixed reaction to the latest corporate branding campaign.

"If it keeps our taxes down, I’m fine with it," said Laura Campagnino, 34, who lives on the upper East Side.

Ena Shed, 33, an office manager for a psychiatrist, said "It is stupid."

"There’s advertising everywhere. What is the purpose?" she said. "We have enough on billboards, train stations, buses. Now, on garbage trucks?"

Emilie Trautmann, a free-lance writer, said she thinks Glad and sanitation trucks are a perfect New York match.

"I use Glad bags to pick up after my dog," she said. "It seems appropriate."

This from Slate.com

New York City will let its natives change the sex on their birth certificates without changing their bodies.
Old rule: You had to get sex-reassignment surgery. New rule: You need
recommendations from a doctor and a therapist, and you have to live
your "adopted gender for at least two years." Arguments for the new rule:
1) Gender is more complex than genitals. 2) Your official status
shouldn’t contradict your chosen identity. 3) You shouldn’t have to get
surgery to change your identity. 4) Some people can’t afford the
surgery. Arguments against it: 1) It’s wrong and dangerous to revise
historical facts. 2) This will become a ruse for gay marriage. 3) Some
guy already harassed women in a ladies’ bathroom, claiming to be a
lesbian. (According to the NYT, "The Metropolitan
Transportation Authority also agreed last month to let people define
their own gender when deciding whether to use the men’s or women’s
bathrooms.") Arguments for going beyond the new rule: 1) Therapy, like
surgery, is unnecessary and too expensive. 2) Why only two sexes? (For
Human Nature’s take on transsexuality and transhumanism, click here.)

This from New York 1:

A Pakistani man beaten on a Brooklyn street called for federal charges Monday against the five teens charged in the attack, speaking out for the first time since the attack two weeks ago. NY1’s Shazia Khan filed the following report.

"They were raising slogans, ‘Muslim terrorists,’” explained Shahid Amber, a victim of a hate crime. “[They] started cursing me, [saying] go back to your country, scum bags, you just messed this country up and all that."

Amber recalled how it all began. He was eating ice cream in front of a Dunkin Donuts in Midwood, Brooklyn on October 29, when a group of teenagers started yelling ethnic slurs at him. The 24-year-old immigrant from Pakistan said the verbal assault soon became physical.

“One of them, he spit on my face,” said Amber. “As I was cleaning my face, I see a punch coming on my face with a brass knuckle.”

Amber was treated for a number of injuries, including a broken nose, and soon after, the police arrested five teens, all of them Jewish, and charged them with assault as a hate crime. But on Monday, Amber and his lawyers joined several community organizations to say that is not enough. They want the teens to face federal prosecution.

“I would like to make sure that they would be used as an example, that if anyone else who wants to commit the same bias crimes, that there is very strict law that would be applied against them,” said Omar Mohammedi, Amber’s attorney.

Community leaders said Amber’s case is not an isolated incident. They said in recent years there has been an increase in the number of anti-Muslim complaints.

“There have also been many, many daily incidents of people who are facing discrimination in the work places, children who are being harassed at school, and women who are spit at or subjected to rude words on the street because of how they choose to dress,” said Katherine Metres of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee.

And, some community activists are holding the government responsible for these hate crimes.

“Young people are not born to hate, they learn it someplace,” said Donna Lieberman of the New York City Liberties Union. “And when our government engages in profiling based on ethnicity, religion, and race then our young people learn very, very quickly.”

The Jewish Anti-Defamation League has joined others in condemning the attack. The suspects are due back in court next month

THIS FROM NEW YORK 1:

Five Jewish teenagers are expected to appear in court Friday in connection with the beating of a Muslim man in Brooklyn.

The suspects were arrested Sunday after police say they shouted racial slurs before punching Shahid Amber with brass knuckles and breaking his nose outside an area Dunkin’ Donuts.

According to a court document obtained by NY1, the teens also shouted "…terrorist mother-[expletive,] you [expletive] our country. Why are you here? Go back to your country and never [expletive] with the Jews."

The District Attorney classified the assault as a hate crime, and three of the five suspects are being tried as adults.

"The man was attacked by these people who identified him as a Muslim and claimed that was the reason they attacked him and that’s of tremendous concern to us because he wasn’t attacked just as an individual, but as a member of the Muslim community," said Joel Levy of the Anti-Defamation League.

"We have to send out a message cohesively that this, we are not going to tolerate," said Mohammad Razvi of the Council of People Organization.

"We have been building a coalition in this community since after 9/11 and prior to as well – we are all Brooklyn – and we have been able to meet with and work with different leaders in the community and make sure that this sort of stuff just doesn’t hang," said Rabbi Bob Kaplan of Jewish Community Relations.

But, according to Ari Murkoff, who owns a nearby restaurant on Avenue A, this was not a hate crime and he said he did not hear any racial slurs.

“I saw a bunch of teenagers having an argument and one tried to have bravado and tried to call each other names and it escalated from names to hands,” said Murkoff. “This was definitely not racism; this was a bunch of wild teenagers.”

Razvi, on the other hand, said there are other witnesses who back up Amber’s account.

Amber was taken to Bellevue Hospital where he is awaiting reconstructive surgery. He is expected to make a full recovery.

This from bloombergnews.com

William Styron, whose novel “The
Confessions of Nat Turner” won the 1968 Pulitzer Prize for
fiction, died in Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, aged 81.         

Styron died yesterday of pneumonia following years of
illness, the New York Times said, citing his youngest daughter,
Alexandra, 40.         

Author Kurt Vonnegut, a longtime friend of Styron’s, told
the Associated Press, “He was dramatic, he was fun. He was
strong and proud and he was awfully good with the language. I
hated to see him end this way.”         

Styron’s last novel, “Sophie’s Choice,” was published in
1979. The story of a Holocaust survivor’s mental struggles was a
best-seller and became a movie for which lead actress Meryl
Streep won an Academy Award.         

Since then, Styron became known for his 1990 memoir of
depression, “Darkness Visible: A Memoir of Madness.” A review
in the American Journal of Psychiatry suggested making the book
required reading for new psychiatrists.         

This from New York 1:

Two firefighters were injured Friday morning battling a fire in a Brooklyn church.

The fire broke out around 6:30 a.m. at the Iglesia Presbyterian Memorial Church at 186 St. John’s Place in Park Slope.

The city Department of Building’s website lists the building, built more than 125 years ago, as a landmark.

It took firefighters two hours to bring the blaze under control.
Parishioners were shocked to learn of the fire and now are wondering
how long they will be without a place of worship.

“That’s my second home,” said a parishioner. “I’m so nervous right
now because I love my church. And it’s a big surprise this morning.”

“It’s a great loss,” added another church member. “I said, how hard
it is when you lose your house and this is our house, and we are all
sad, very sad.”

The two firefighters were taken to Methodist Hospital with minor injuries.

No word yet on the cause of the fire.

This from NY1:

Mayor Michael Bloomberg and other lawmakers were on hand for the ground
breaking ceremony for a new 400,000 square foot, seven building
expansion at the Brooklyn Navy Yard.

City officials say the project will create 800 new jobs, add a huge
supermarket to the neighborhoo, and create business opportunities for
local minority and women contractors.

Borough President Marty Markowitz says the Navy Yard project is not
only environmentally-friendly, but also an economic boom for Brooklyn.

"I’m proud to join my colleagues to celebrate this expansion, which
shows that New York City and Brooklyn can still make it big, make it
bold, and even make it green," said Markowitz. "Let’s face it: The more
things say ‘Made in Brooklyn,’ the more Brooklyn’s got it made."

Three of the new industrial buildings will replace a large,
deteriorating structure. First up, will be an 89,000 square foot
industrial building on Perry Avenue.

Most of the new businesses will focus on the fast-growing food manufacturing and processing sector.

This from New York 1:

Mayor Michael Bloomberg and other lawmakers were on hand for the ground
breaking ceremony for a new 400,000 square foot, seven building
expansion at the Brooklyn Navy Yard.

City officials say the project will create 800 new jobs, add a huge
supermarket to the neighborhoo, and create business opportunities for
local minority and women contractors.

Borough President Marty Markowitz says the Navy Yard project is not
only environmentally-friendly, but also an economic boom for Brooklyn.

"I’m proud to join my colleagues to celebrate this expansion, which
shows that New York City and Brooklyn can still make it big, make it
bold, and even make it green," said Markowitz. "Let’s face it: The more
things say ‘Made in Brooklyn,’ the more Brooklyn’s got it made."

Three of the new industrial buildings will replace a large,
deteriorating structure. First up, will be an 89,000 square foot
industrial building on Perry Avenue.

Most of the new businesses will focus on the fast-growing food manufacturing and processing sector.

October 19th was the 20th anniversary of the Howard Beach attacks. This from NY 1 about an memorial ceremony.

An emotional ceremony was held Wednesday night to mark the 20th
anniversary of one of the city’s most notorious racial attacks, the
1986 Howard Beach attacks.

Jean Griffith – mother of one of the victims, Michael – could
barely keep her composure as people prayed for peace at the service
held at a Brooklyn church.

A gang of white men chased Griffith, Cedric Sandiford and Timothy
Grimes with baseball bats, beating them. Griffith died trying to cross
the Belt Parkway.

Jason Ladone, Scott Kern and Jon Lester were convicted on manslaughter and assault charges

THIS FROM NY1:

Two men were charged Monday with second degree murder in an alleged
bias attack in Brooklyn last Sunday that claimed the life of a
28-year-old man.

Michael Sandy died Friday after doctors took him off life support.

The men are accused of luring the victim, Michael Sandy, over the
Internet to an isolated parking lot near Sheepshead Bay with a promise
of a sexual encounter, and then attacking him when he arrived.

The confrontation led him to run onto the Belt Parkway, where he was hit by a car.

Yesterday Pastor Daniel Meeter, of Old First Reformed Church, told me about this inter-faith anti-Iraq war event. He was there and he said it was incredible. Clergy from churches all over Brooklyn, including Meeter and Rabbi Bachman from Park Slope’s Congregation Beth Elohim joined in talk and prayer against this war.  Here’s the coverage from New York 1:

It was billed as the first interfaith anti-Iraq war prayer rally in
Brooklyn. At an altar decorated with an image of Jesus, Rabbi Alan
Andy Bachman spoke to activists who were Jews, Baptists, Catholics and
Muslims among other faiths. Imam Farrakhan did the same, as did Father
Anthony Ozele at Brown Memorial Baptist Church Wednesday night.

"So, our friends, our purpose tonight is not only to identify the
wrong that has been done in Iraq but also to identify the wrong that
has been done in America,” said Reverend Clinton Miller, of Brown
Memorial Baptist Church. “And more specifically, in the place that we
now call Brooklyn."

One by one, the names of the 14 Brooklynites killed in Iraq were read aloud. 

"This war must end so that we may be filled with righteousness,"
said the reverend of The Church of the Open Door, Mark Taylor.

The religious leaders criticized the policies of the Bush administration.

"One has to wonder if we will continue as a nation to engage in
this schoolyard bully type of diplomacy,” added Reverend Karim Camara,
of the First Baptist Church of Crown Heights. “Or, can we show the
world that strength can also be displayed in sitting down at the table
with those you disagree with."

Religious leaders here charge funding for the war has taken away
from domestic programs like housing and education. And they say this
event is just the first in a borough-wide campaign.

“It is the task of religious communities to keep calling America to
its ideals,” said Reverend Daniel Meeter from the Old First Reformed
Church. “It is political ideals, its idealistic vision of human rights,
its civil rights, its vision of welcoming immigrants, and the poor and
the lowly of the earth, its vision of justice and equality.”

A collection of money was taken at the service with proceeds going to  www.anysoldier.com,
which provides care packages for those in the military, and to Black
Veterans for Social Justice, a local group which helps provide benefits
and other services for those who have fought for America.

Police arrest one man in connection with the disgusting bias crime attack in Brooklyn. Here’s the story from New York 1.

Three more people are being questioned and one person is under
arrest in connection with an attack in Brooklyn Sunday night that ended
with the victim hospitalized in critical condition after he was beaten
then hit by a car on the Belt Parkway.

Police said 19-year-old John Fox of Brooklyn has been charged with
one count of assault and two counts of robbery as a hate crime in
direct connection to the Sunday night attack.

Sources say that Fox, a sophomore at SUNY Maritime, met 28-year-old
Michael Sandy online and led him into the trap that left the Long
Island man brain dead in Brookdale Hospital.

Fox’s father said his son never did anything like this before.

"He has a black roomate," said Fox. "They are friends. Ugh, he’s not a racist. He’s a good kid."

Investigators say the victim went to Plum Beach Sunday night and
was beaten by as many as four white men. Sandy met Fox and drove to a
parking lot where the other men were waiting. As the victim broke free
of his attackers, he was hit by a car on the Belt Parkway, suffering
serious injuries to his body and to his head.

This sounds awful. From New York 1:

A minivan jumped a sidewalk in Boerum Hill, Brooklyn Wednesday afternoon, killing one person and injuring another.

The minivan was traveling on Atlantic Avenue when it tried to make
a right turn and was rear-ended by an ambulette, causing it to jump the
sidewalk.

Witnesses say they were shocked at the crash.

"It’s terrible,” said one witness. “It was a big bang. I thought it was a bomb the way that car hit the building. Wow."

“The man who was killed — that’s a good friend. I know him for a
long, long time. He was a very nice, sweet man,” said an area resident.

The drivers of the two vehicles and the injured pedestrian were taken to Brooklyn hospital with minor injures.

No arrests have been made.

New York 1 ran this piece about landmark status for Crown Heights:

The city’s Landmark Preservation Commission is considering a new historic district – the largest of its kind in a decade. But as NY1’s Molly Kroon reports in the following, the area isn’t in Manhattan or Park Slope, but a gem just off Eastern Parkway.

Stanford Greavy bought his five-bedroom home more than 20 years ago.

"I spent a lot of time and a lot of money to restore it," says Greavy.

The area is a pastoral scene in the heart of Crown Heights.

So special, in fact, that the city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission is considering including Greavy’s home, and about 470 others, in a proposed Crown Heights North Historic District, which encompasses the area around Dean Street between Bedford and Kingston Avenues.

Landmarking the area means homeowners won’t be able to make any changes to the exterior of their properties without approval. Many at a hearing Tuesday welcomed the idea.

"This designation preserves the unique ambiance in this neighborhood for this and future generations," said Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz.

"I am a homeowner in the community who believes in the quality and integrity of the housing treasures that have survived the test of time deserve to be preserved," said homeowner Deborah Young.

At the turn of the century, this area attracted wealthy New Yorkers with them came Victorian mansions like the Dean Sage residence. Beautiful row houses sprouted up after the Brooklyn Bridge opened. And after the subway arrived in the area in 1920, so did middle class immigrants and Tudor-style apartment buildings to house them.

Now, it’s home to a diverse community of homeowners, many of them African-Americans and many of whom have been lobbying the Commission for landmark status for the past five years. Critics say for too long the Commission has focused mainly on tony neighborhoods in Manhattan.

"We’re now moving in a major way back into Brooklyn," said a representative on the commission.

But while many homeowners are saying the plan is long overdue, others say they don’t want the city telling them what they can and can’t do with their own homes.

"On Sunday night there was a gentleman who was shot on Dean Street – several shots. Does that mean I need a metal door to protect myself, but I must wait to get a permit from the city?" said an area homeowner.

"It belongs to me – not to this board or any of my neighbors – it belongs to me," added area homeowner Kevin Anthony Williams.

But supporters say architectural gems like the ones in Crown Heights belong to future generations.

Ultimately, the commission will have the final say.

THIS FROM NY1:

A city board voted unanimously
Wednesday to stop construction on a seven story condo that would have
blocked the view of New York harbor from the Statue of Minerva.

The nine-foot Statue is located in Greenwood Cemetery. It appears to be waving at the Statue of Liberty.

Many residents were upset that the 70-foot high building would have blocked the view between the two statues.

The written decision will be issued today. The contractor must then decide whether to file an appeal.

If he doesn’t, he will be forced to limit the building’s height to 50 feet which would not block the view.

This from New York 1:

City transportation officials have given the all-clear to a support
pier and pedestrian walkway on the Gowanus Expressway after a fiery
truck crash in the Bay Ridge section of Brooklyn during the morning
rush Wednesday.

Traffic was backed up for miles in both directions after a tractor
trailer struck a guard rail and part of a pedestrian overpass on the
Gowanus near 86th Street during the morning rush hour, forcing the
closure of westbound lanes on the expressway from 86th to 72nd Street.

City transportation officials rushed to the scene to make sure the
roadway was not badly damaged. Now the Department of Transportation
says damage to the overpass and pier was mostly cosmetic, and there was
no structural damage.

Eastbound lanes reopened at 11:30 p.m. All but one westbound lane leading to Staten Island reopened at 1:15 p.m.

Transportation officials say the driver of the tractor trailer is
in serious condition Lutheran Medical Center. No one else was hurt.

The accident happened shortly after 9 a.m., causing major delays for rush hour drivers coming off the Staten Island Expressway.

The fire was put out, but a fuel spill caused additional delays. 

A witness who called into NY1 says he heard three loud explosions
about a minute apart. Officials say the truck was empty when the
accident occurred, but its fuel tank erupted in flames.

Workers continue to work to repairing a guard rail that was badly twisted in the accident.

If you’re wondering why shopkeepers and others are scrutinizing your twenty dollar bills, here’s why.  This from New York 1.

The New York State Federation of Taxi Drivers says that livery cab
drivers in the Sunset Park and Bay Ridge sections have lost thousands
after getting fake twenty dollar bills from fares.

They say the counterfeiters take short, small-fare rides in their
cabs and then pay with the fake twenties, walking away with real money
in change.

Cabbies say the money looks and feels real, except the bills all share the same serial number.

Food stores and other businesses in the area also say they’ve been hit in the past week with numerous fake twenties.

This from NY1 about the annual West Indian American Carnival on Monday. You can bet there are going to be a lot of pictures or links to pictures at Brooklinks at Gowanus Lounge

Millions lined up along Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn Monday for the annual West Indian Labor Day parade.

Crowds waved flags from nations across the Caribbean, enjoying the sounds of reggae and calypso.

The festivities mark the 39th year of the West Indian American
Carnival, which honors the more than two million Caribbean-Americans in
New York.

"It means so much to us, and I’m American, but it’s like freedom
for a day," said one parade-goer. "Everybody’s happy, everybody’s one
accord."

"Oh, it’s great being on the Parkway; it’s real nice," added
another. "It’s fun to see a lot of people and the music is great. You
get to dance, you know have a good time."

This year’s parade paid homage to victims of Hurricane Katrina.

This from NY 1, my source for some Brooklyn news.

Crews are working to restore power to thousands in the city left in the dark because of high winds.

Con Edison says about 1,800 customers are without power throughout the five boroughs, although since one customer could be an entire apartment building, the number of people affected is higher.

In the Bronx, about 900 customers are affected and another 650 are affected on Staten Island. Another 300 in Brooklyn and Queens are also without power.

Con Ed called in crews from upstate and Rhode Island to help get power back up.

The utility asks anyone experiencing problems to call 1-800-75-CON ED.

Ernesto blew into the city with a whimper Saturday, but it was enough to close city beaches in Brooklyn and Queens due to high wind and surf conditions.

The Parks Department says waves could be up to 15 feet high and there will be very dangerous rip currents. Police and lifeguards will be out to make sure no one goes in the water.

Beaches in the Bronx and on Staten Island are open.

The tropical depression made itself felt along other parts of the East Coast as well.

Ernesto is really beating up the New Jersey shore, where 17,000 customers lost power and there were strong winds and flooding in some beach communities.

The storm is blamed for five deaths in the mid-Atlantic states.

Hundreds of homes have been evacuated up and down the coast and more than 400,000 homes and business have lost power at one time or another.

Some spots got up to a foot of rain.

Victory for the residents of South Park Slope, Brooklyn, who have been trying to stop what they say is an illegally built
development. This from NY1.

The city’s Board of Standards and Appeals has voted unanimously to
stop the company Global Development from building an 11-story tower on
15th Street.

Residents opposed to the development had successfully lobbied for
an emergency zoning decision to limit large scale construction in the
area. However, developers had been trying to build the condos through
an extension on a permit based on old zoning laws.

Protesters have been claiming the developers were using illegal and poor construction practices.

An attorney for Global Development says he will review the written decision to see if there are grounds for an appeal.

As usual, NY 1’s Brooklyn reporter, Jeanine Ramirez, has the scoop on the opening of the Union Street Holiday Inn. It’s set to open at the end of July.

There is still lots of work to do at Brooklyn’s newest hotel, set to open in two weeks. It’s a Holiday Inn with 115 rooms.

The building is located on Union Street between Third and Fourth avenues. On one side is a fuel company parking lot, the other side are apartment buildings, and across the street are multiple car repair shops. Hotel officials are promoting the neighborhood as Park Slope.

“On one map they have Carroll Gardens, Park Slope, and this had no name. So you kind of don’t know, really,” says Cathy Pascale of Holiday Inn Express. “So we use Park Slope because it really is – it’s on the border."

But this neighborhood, just steps away from the Gowanus Canal, is known as Gowanus. The hotel offers views of downtown Brooklyn, but not the infamous canal, historically known for its murky waters and stench that’s slowly being cleaned up.

"It doesn’t smell as bad I think as it did a year ago, or maybe I’m just used to it," says Paula Zaslavsky.

Zaslavsky is just one of many who have recently discovered the Gowanus area. She runs a community arts center called the Empty Vessel Project out of a salvaged World War II rescue boat docked in the canal.

"We’re interested in the ecology of the surrounding area and the Gowanus in particular," says Dylan Gauthier of the Empty Vessel Project.

Then there’s an old storage silo on the Gowanus banks that’s been turned into an experimental arts venue called Issue Project Room.

"Artists are always in areas that are undeveloped, and it’s usually artists who create and develop in the area and pioneer a neighborhood, so to speak," says Suzanne Fiol of Issue Project Room.

And where the artists go, developers are not far behind.

“I think the neighborhood is really blowing up,” says Park Slope resident Kathleen Bennett. “I notice a lot of little new spaces, restaurants, bars coming up. I can’t wait to see it in five years.”

Construction for a Whole Foods supermarket is already underway, and a second hotel is planned. Still there’s mixed reaction to this first one.

“I think a hotel is great because if I have family come I don’t have any place for them to go,” says one man.

“I think these kinds of things should be stuck in more commercial areas of Brooklyn because it’s just an eyesore,” says another.

Hotel officials say they promise to be good neighbors, and have already hired more than two dozen Brooklyn residents.

The Holiday Inn Express is scheduled to open on July 24th, and the staff says because their doors are not open yet, it’s better to call the hotel directly for reservations than to go online. Rates here start at about $130 a night.

I used to live on the Northside of Williamsburg (North 6th between Driggs and Roebling) and got very familiar with the L Train for a few years.  So I know all about the trials and tribulations of that line.

New York 1 reports that efforts to computerize it are now $30 million over budget and a year behind schedule.

The Transit Authority doesn’t have enough new trains to handle the
surge in ridership on the line, forcing the agency to bring back some
of the older trains. That means re-installing the old signal system so
they can run on the same tracks as the new trains. Another batch of new
trains won’t be available for at least a year and a half.

The high-tech trains were first introduced four years ago which meant the elimination of  conductors, Conductors were removed but then brought back in September.

It’s really gross but I heard from a friend that it’s incredibly fun to watch. Here’s the word from good old New York 1.

For the sixth year in a row, Japan’s Takero Kobayashi is the top dog at Coney Island – but this time it wasn’t easy.

Kobayashi broke his own world record by eating 53 and three
quarters hot dogs Tuesday, beating his record of 53 and a half hot dogs
that he set two years ago.

Californian Joey Chestnut gave him a run for the money, finishing
with 52, and it looked for a while like he might pull off the upset. He
opened up a two-dog lead over the defending champ four minutes into the
12-minute contest, but couldn’t hold on for the win.

A Brooklyn woman was crowned Miss New York. She could become the next MISS AMERICA. And it’s going to b e a reality TV show.

WATERTOWN, N.Y. Bethlene Pancoast of Brooklyn was crowned Miss New York State 2006 last night in Watertown.

The New York University student will compete in the Miss America Pageant in Las Vegas in January.

After being crowned, Pancoast reminded the crowd that the Miss America pageant will be made into a reality television show this year, and the public will have a chance to vote.

Pancoast won from a field of 22 young women. First runner-up was Stephanie Quimby of Lowville.

A Brooklyn street now bears the name of a Reggae legend.

Hundreds turned out in East Flatbush Saturday for the renaming of Church Avenue between Remsen Avenue and East 98th Street as Bob Marley Boulevard.

Local lawmakers, Marley fans and even the musician’s children all agreed it was a fitting tribute.

"We give thanks to the people of Brooklyn, the people of New York, the people of America in general, you know; looking forward for this day, long time," said Marley’s son Rohan Marley.

"He paved the way for black people. He helped us to expose our culture and our roots; that we can enter jobs without having to have our hair other than the culture that we are and the roots that we are," said Marley fan Jahmeeka Simeon. "It’s great. It’s an honor. It should have been done."

Born In Jamaica, Bob Marley popularized Reggae music in the 1970’s.

He died in 1981 from cancer at the age of 36.

This from NY1:

The city buildings department has slapped a stop work order on the
construction site where two workers were hurt in a wall collapse
Tuesday in Brooklyn.

Owner and contractor Andrew Feinman also faces violations for
failing to secure the site, demolishing without a permit, and
performing work that wasn’t approved.

The wall collapsed during construction of a new warehouse at 11th Street and Third Avenue in Park Slope.

The two workers are identified as 33-year-old Manuel Vergara and
his 27-year-old brother Herberto. They were trapped under debris in a
seven-foot deep trench.

It took nearly an hour and a half for emergency workers to rescue them

Neither one was seriously injured, but both were taken to the hospital.

This from NY 1.

A Brooklyn man accused of fondling the feet of four female subway riders has been sentenced to 60 days behind bars.

Joseph Weir pleaded guilty to forcible touching Friday.

While he’s expected to be released for time already served, he’ll
spend the next six years on probation and will have to undergo
psychological counseling

Prosecutors say Weir would lay down in front of subway train doors,
blocking the women and then kiss their feet when they attempted to step
out of his way.

This from NY 1.

IT’s been an institution in Brooklyn for more than half a century,
now one of the city’s most famous restaurants is in Times Square, too.
NY1’s Kristen Shaughnessy filed the following report.

You see the name Junior’s and chances are you immediately think
cheesecake and Brooklyn. But now 56 years after opening in the county
of kings, the famous eatery is making its mark as the newest lullaby on
Broadway, right in the heart of the theater district

"It’s an emotional day for me. I’m the third generation to run this
business. My grandfather and father when they opened Junior’s in
Brooklyn had theaters all around them; the Paramount was across the
street. Now we’re back in the theater district, so its almost like
history repeats itself," says owner Allan Rosen.

This Junior’s on 45th Street is a little smaller than the one in
Brooklyn with 280 seats instead of 450. There are 125 employees at the
new restaurant, and inside there’s a touch of Brooklyn.

"You got the Brooklyn Dodger room right here as you can see. We’ve
got the Cyclone over there, the Brooklyn Bridge," says waiter John
Gravakis.

Lynn Bisogno has been a waitress for 37 years. So why did she make the switch to Junior’s?

"To better myself. This is where the money is," she says.

And even the customers from out of state quickly realized this is no ordinary restaurant.

"The desert was delicious," said one diner.

"I’m going to have a piece of cheesecake now," added another.

It’s also not everyday the mayor shows up to officially open a restaurant.

This from NY1.

Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz is said to be in excellent
spirits after undergoing heart surgery over the weekend.

Markowitz was released from Maimonides Medical Center at 10 a.m. Tuesday. He is now recovering at home.

Markowitz checked himself in on Saturday after feeling some
discomfort. Doctors inserted stents into two of his coronary arteries
to keep them open.

He issued a statement saying he can’t wait to get back to work for Brooklyn.