Law & Order on Argyle Rd.
Monday, March 19th, 2012
The law has come to Argyle Road…well, television law. Crews were spotted shooting a scene Monday for the NBC show Law & Order: SVU on the block between Albemarle and Beverley roads.
‘News’
Ditmas Park CSA Accepting Applications
Sunday, March 18th, 2012
The Ditmas Park CSA is now accepting application for its 2012 season. And this year has a new incentive to be a member: the CSA will be partnering with Lewis Waite Farms, so participants will be able to get yogurt, cheese, granola, meats and more.
CSA applications are due by April 8th.
A note about the CSA from Kerry, a core group member:
For those of you who don’t know about the CSA, a brief note: A CSA is Community Supported Agriculture. We partner with a farm (in this case Amantai Farm, whose farmer Jorge also sells at the market on Sundays), and you purchase a share of produce in advance of the season. For about 20 weeks, you get a box of freshly picked organic produce–whatever is in season and Jorge has picked that day. There are also optional add-ons of eggs, jarred goods, and fruit. This year we are partnering with a new farm to offer meats, cheese, yogurt, etc. Finally, you can even drop off your compost there!
Here’s the flyer for the 2012 Ditmas Park CSA
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Stretch Out at Honeydew on Saturday
Friday, March 16th, 2012
Looking for something other than St. Patrick’s Day revelry this Saturday? The Honeydew Drop Play House is hosting another round of its weekend Me & My Grown-Up sessions on March 17.
The program integrates arts, physical activity, positive group interactions and creative learning. The yoga class costs $20 for one adult and child to drop-in and there will be a parenting forum. The topic is “How To Say No”.
Honeydew Drop is located at 1113 Church Ave, between Westminster and Stratford roads.
For more information, contact honeydewplaydates@gmail.com or call 718-941-2177
Some New Faces for Community Board 14
Tuesday, March 13th, 2012
Elections for the executive committee of Community Board 14 were held Monday night at the monthly meeting at Edward R. Murrow High School.
Re-elected were Alvin M. Berk as chairman, Edward Powell as First Vice-Chair,Carmen Cerio Belle as Second Vice-Chair, Gail L. Smith as Third Vice-Chair and Joseph Dweck as Secretary.
Florence Valentino and Mohammed Razvi were elected as members-at-large, beating out member-at-large incumbent Ephraim Nierenberg and also replacing incumbent member-at-large Li Ng Chao, who did not run for re-election.
*Picture: (From left, Florence Valentino, member at large; Alvin M. Berk, chairman; Mohammed Razvi; member at large and Shawn Campbell, district manager)
Don’t Forget: Daylight Savings Time Begins Sunday
Saturday, March 10th, 2012
Daylight saving time will begin at 2 a.m. on Sunday, so don’t forget to move your clocks ahead one hour before you go to bed tonight. This year’s Daylight Savings Time begins on March 11 and ends on Nov. 4, when your clocks should be set back one hour. Just remember, “spring forward, fall back.”
Cortelyou Library to Reopen Monday
Friday, March 9th, 2012
The Cortelyou Library will be opening its doors up on Monday after being closed for months as they made renovations.
There will be equipped with two new self-check machines as well as a book return slot giving people an easier option for borrowing and returning items, according to their website. They have also installed a new ventilation system and boiler to make the branch more comfortable for all.
Happy reading!
Boardwalk Empire Filming Friday
Thursday, March 8th, 2012
Residents of 18 St. between Ditmas Ave. and Dorchester Rd. will be living on the Boardwalk on Friday, but will have to park their cars somewhere else for the day
Film crews will be setting up camp on March 9 to shoot a scene for the popular HBO show, staring Brooklyn’s own Steve Buscemi.
Checkmate!
Wednesday, March 7th, 2012
The P.S. 139 C
hess Ninjas took Saratoga Springs by storm last weekend and brought home a lot of hardware.
The team took the top spot in the Elementary Reserve Section and an impressive fifth place in the Open Section at the State Scholastic Championships that ran March 3 and 4th.
On top of the team triumphs, six students from P.S 139′s talented team took home individual trophies.
Nice moves, team.
Authorities on Rubin Case Decline Help from Feds
Tuesday, March 6th, 2012
Investigators searching for Josh Rubin’s suspected killers have turned down an offer from the FBI to assist in the hunt.
And FBI spokeswoman confirmed for the Brooklyn Paper that they had been willing to lend a hand in helping track down the men suspected of killing Rubin, but authorities in Lehigh County declined the additional resources.
One official from Lehigh County told the paper the NYPD is assisting in finding the men suspected of murdering the cafe owner, who went missing on October 31 and whose body was found murdered on a South Whitehall road in November. The NYPD would not confirm their involvement in the case.
Verizon May Replace Pole on East 18th
Thursday, February 23rd, 2012
Though the city and neighbors have plenty of doubts, Verizon says it’s going to take down this plexiglass pole on East 18th near Glenwood. Installed last summer without the permission of the Landmarks Preservation Commission, this is the pole that started a firestorm of complaints, and ultimately got Verizon to commit to not install any in front of houses in landmarked neighborhoods.
Now a Verizon spokesman tells the Brooklyn Daily: “If landmarks has an issue with the fiberglass poles, we’ll put in the pedestal,” referring to the low, metal box that’s an alternative to the poles. The city hasn’t received the paperwork about that yet, however, so we’ll see what happens.
New Clock on Newkirk Plaza
Wednesday, February 8th, 2012
Have you seen the new clock on Newkirk Plaza? It’s part of the amenities package that includes the benches, bike racks, planters, and trash cans that are also already placed around the Plaza, and it’s all shaping up really nicely. Can’t wait to see some trees and flowers this spring.
Section of Fencing Goes Up on Library Roof
Tuesday, February 7th, 2012
I spotted these guys putting up that section of fencing on the Cortelyou Library roof yesterday. They couldn’t hear me when I asked why they were putting it up, but I can guess the reason. It’s easy to scale up the fence that surrounds the PS 139 playground (that’s how the man standing on the fence got to the top of it) and then climb up onto the roof. One morning I saw a couple of kids do just that, and then throw rocks down at people shopping at the Greenmarket. So thanks for the solution, guys!
What’s Filming in Ditmas Park This Week?
Tuesday, February 7th, 2012
In addition to the Justin Long movie filming on Argyle yesterday (if you got pics, send them our way!), there are two other projects filming in the neighborhood this week.
On Wednesday, February 8 drivers looking for parking should avoid Westminster and Argyle Roads between Church and Albemarle. Moxie Pictures, a production company that most recently made the Ferris Bueller car commercial and is known for hiring directors such as documentary filmmaker Errol Morris, will be filming an unnamed project from 6am to 8pm.
Then on Friday, February 10, the new NBC series Smash will be filming along Ditmas Ave and on East 17th Street. They’ve been filming around over the city the past few weeks, and people have spotted guests such as Uma Thurman and Jerry O’Connell in addition to star Katharine McPhee, so keep an eye out for high-profile cameos while you search for distant parking spaces.
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Notes from the January 70th Precinct Community Council Meeting
Friday, January 27th, 2012
The 70th Precinct Community Council held its monthly meeting on Wednesday, and here are some highlights from Deputy Inspector Eric Rodriguez’s presentation:
• There have been two shootings so far in 2012, both in the area of Newkirk and Flatbush. The most recent was on Tuesday on Flatbush and Ditmas, which a reader asked about–two people were injured, one the intended target and another a bystander, neither critically, and though the shooter has been identified, he hasn’t been picked up yet.
• Because of that uptick in crime in that area, and because the old Impact Zone (roughly Albemarle-Parkside, E 18th-Bedford) hasn’t been broken up yet, some of the 47 new rookies for the Impact Zone have been moved to the area around Newkirk/Flatbush, so you will see more of a physical presence out there.
• Unfortunately, while the meeting was in progress last night, there was another report of shots fired, this time on Tennis Ct. Thankfully no one was injured, and the shooter was arrested.
• In more positive news, the 70th got three guns off the street on New Year’s Eve.
• Following several reports of home break-ins, three men were arrested while trying to break into an apartment in a building (which a few readers had mentioned). Turned out they were responsible for a string of such break-ins, and following the arrest, reports have decreased dramatically.
• As for car break-ins, DI Rodriguez repeated what he’s been saying on the subject for months now: He advises we not leave anything valuable in our cars.
• Watch out for mean dogs on the loose near the LIRR tracks. They’re reportedly attacking people’s pets, and though the 70th is working with the 60th Precinct and the MTA, and trying to get a liaison from Animal Care & Control to help, the dogs are cagey–police almost caught one on Wednesday, but it jumped a fence and got away–so call 911 if you see one.
• If you have a problem that the 70th can help with, you’re encouraged to reach out to them. Call Community Affairs at 718-851-5557. The Precinct goes over the issues every week, and they look at every one, no matter how small. And don’t be surprised if you get follow-up call from the Community Affairs officers, who often check back on issues to make sure things are going well.
• We welcome Matthew Harrington to the 70th–he was recently appointed the new Executive Officer, coming from the nearby 66th Precinct.
• Finally, congratulations to Auxiliary Officer Peter Fradman, pictured above with DI Rodriguez, Officer Harrington, and Community Council President Edward Powell. He was honored this month for his 670 hours of volunteer work in a 6-month period–which is awesome, considering that Auxiliary Officers are required a minimum of 144 hours per year. Thank you for your hard work!
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Joshua Rubin Memorial Service
Saturday, January 21st, 2012
Josh Rubin Memorial Service from MJM Creative Services on Vimeo.
Dozens of friends and neighbors attended a memorial service for Joshua Rubin, the murdered owner of Whisk Bakery Cafe on Newkirk Ave, at Temple Beth Emeth on Sunday, January 8 to share memories and celebrate his life.
Rabbi Heidi Hoover put together a lovely service that included a number of sweet, and some quite funny, recollections from his family and friends, which painted a picture that anyone who met him would recognize: an energetic, friendly young man with a passion for his budding business. Keith Murray, friend of his from college, also spoke, sharing the rather ribald tale of how the two first met.
Neighbor Mark Hiney was kind enough to film the service, so those who were not able to attend would be able to see it. Many thanks to him for filming, to Jan Rosenberg for suggesting the service, and to Rabbi Hoover for hosting.
The sale of Whisk’s assets took place this morning, and when I stopped by just as the sale began, there were already several people stopping in, and several items had already been sold. Though it was supposed to run to 3pm, they seemed to have closed up early.
As for what will become of the space that held Whisk, Max from Qathra has been considering it, as Brokelyn mentioned yesterday, but he tells us nothing is final yet.
Finally, a reminder that donations can be made in Josh’s memory to one of two places:
Camp Ramah New England
2 Commerce Way
Norwood, MA 02062
Or make a donation online.
The Bureau of Jewish Education of RI
Israel Desk Scholarship Fund
130 Sessions Street
Providence, RI 02906
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Thoughts on Cable/Internet Providers
Saturday, January 21st, 2012
Though neighbors have taken issue with Verizon for installing ugly poles and for never fixing its landlines, at least a few of you are looking forward to switching to the company’s FiOS service once it becomes available. That includes neighbor Samuel, who asked for opinions from anyone who might already have it in the area–if you have FiOS already, about where are you located, and how do you like the service?
If you have some other cable and/or internet provider, please share your thoughts on those. Personally, I have Optimum/Cablevision, and I pay for the upgraded internet speed, and it still stinks, stopping frequently during Netflix streaming, etc.
Who provides your cable/internet service?
- Dish Network (1%, 1 Votes)
- DirecTV (2%, 4 Votes)
- Optimum/Cablevision (81%, 143 Votes)
- Time Warner (2%, 3 Votes)
- Verizon DSL (7%, 12 Votes)
- Verizon FiOS (6%, 11 Votes)
- Other (1%, 3 Votes)
Total Voters: 177
Loading ...How do you like your cable/internet service?
- It's great--speedy and fairly priced (17%, 29 Votes)
- It's okay, but I might switch if I could. (44%, 76 Votes)
- It stinks--slow and/or overpriced--and I plan to switch. (18%, 31 Votes)
- I have no other option, so I have to put up with it either way! (21%, 36 Votes)
Total Voters: 172
Loading ...No More Annoying Parking Stickers?
Thursday, January 19th, 2012
The City Council approved a parking legislation package yesterday that aims to make parking enforcement fairer and to eliminate excessive ticketing. The three parts are:
* Being able to cancel a ticket on the spot if you have a muni-meter receipt that’s time-stamped five minutes within the ticket’s time.
* Freezing late fees on tickets until 30 days after they’ve been issued, to give you a chance to contest them.
* Banning the city from placing parking stickers on cars that are said to be violating alternate side parking rules.
It’s those stickers that got under the nails of nearby Councilman David G. Greenfield, who wrote that legislation. The Sanitation Department has used neon stickers in cases of alternate-side parking violations since 1988, issuing about 400 each day alternative-side parking rules are in effect for street cleaning. The City Council argues that the stickers are attached even before motorists are given the chance to prove their innocence.
“Punishing drivers with these impossible-to-remove stickers is unfair and unnecessary,” said Greenfield in a statement. “New York City doesn’t employ methods of public humiliation and shame for those who violate serious crimes, yet has no problem defacing private property with neon stickers because you forgot to move your car on an alternate-side parking day.”
The bill, which keeps in place existing $45 to $60 fines for alternate-side parking violations but ends the practice of placing these stickers on the car’s rear window, received support from Council members, drivers, and the Automobile Association of America when introduced earlier this year.
The Bloomberg administration has voiced its opposition to the entire legislation package, but because it received such overwhelming support in City Council, it seems unlikely the Mayor will be able to veto it if that’s his plan.
If you’ve ever dealt with one of these stickers, you know how hard they can be to remove. The Daily News experimented with various removal liquids recently, with Windex leading the pack. What have you found works best?
Whisk Assets on Sale this Saturday
Tuesday, January 17th, 2012
The contents of Whisk Bakery Cafe will be sold in a one-day-only sale this Saturday, January 21. The family of owner Joshua Rubin asked that we spread the word about the sale, which will take place at the cafe at 1119 Newkirk Avenue between 10am and 3pm.
The entire contents of the cafe are for sale (you can see a list of available items at this Craigslist post), from restaurant equipment to furniture, to the wooden art piece shown above, which was just one of many things about the cafe that Josh was so enthusiastic about back when I first met him. Besides losing a positive member of our community, we’ve lost a lovely, burgeoning business. Josh, and Whisk, will be deeply missed.
For those who were unable to attend the memorial service held last week at Temple Beth Emeth, a neighbor was kind enough to film it. When Rabbi Heidi Hoover sends it over, we’ll be sure to post it for those who couldn’t make it.
In Memoriam of Adolph Fuerst
Monday, January 16th, 2012
We’ve been told that neighbor Adolph Fuerst of Marlborough Road died peacefully on Saturday, January 14. Our condolences to Shirley, David, and Ellen Fuerst, and to all his family and friends.
Funeral services will be held on Tuesday, January 17 at 11am at the Weinstein-Garlick-Kirschenbaum Chapel at 1153 Coney Island Avenue, Brooklyn, New York (southeast corner at Avenue H), phone 718-377-4848.
The family will be sitting shivah on Tuesday, January 17 from 1:30-4:30pm at their home at 266 Marlborough Road. In addition, they will be sitting shivah on Wednesday, January 18 and Thursday, January 19 from 4-7pm at their home.
Memorial contributions can be made to The Brooklyn Parkinson Group:
Brooklyn Parkinson Group
Olie Westheimer, Executive Director
P.O. Box 24583
Brooklyn, NY 11202-4583
First Snow of the Year
Friday, January 13th, 2012
Guys, it was just snowing.
On top of that, you may have noticed the wind is insane. We’re under a strong wind advisory until 7pm. Winds may gust up to 50 miles per hour, so use caution when you’re out walking around under our big trees.
Gun Buyback Program on January 28
Thursday, January 12th, 2012
The 70th Precinct is encouraging people from all over Brooklyn to take advantage of a gun buyback program that’s coming up in Brooklyn North.
On Saturday, January 28, the 77th Precinct is hosting the program at the Bedford Central Presbyterian Church, located at 1200 Dean Street at Nostrand. The cash-for-guns program will exchange $200 bank card for operable handguns and $20 bank card for operable rifles and shotguns.
For more information, call the 70th Precinct Community Affairs Office at 718-851-5557.
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Last Day for Public Comments on Fracking
Wednesday, January 11th, 2012
Whether you think it’s a good thing or a bad thing or are not even sure what it is, the process of drilling for natural gas called hydraulic fracturing (or “fracking”) could be coming to New York State. The Department of Environmental Conservation has issued a revised Draft Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement on the Oil, Gas and Solution Mining Regulatory Program after public comments received in 2009, and today is the last day they will be accepting public comments on it.
According to the New York Times blog:
On Tuesday, gas industry representatives and supporters of the extraction process known as horizontal hydraulic fracturing hand-delivered thousands of letters to state officials in Albany arguing for the economic benefits of horizontal hydraulic fracturing. The drilling method involves injecting chemically treated water into shale formations underground under high pressure to release natural gas.
Not to be outdone, environmental and grass-roots groups hand-delivered more than 12,000 comments, nearly 500 letters and a petition with more than 20,000 signatures to the state Department of Environmental Conservation and Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office. The gist of the feedback was that the state proposal is still deficient after revisions and needs significant further work.
If you’d like to comment, visit here by midnight.
They ask–among other things–that you “base your comments on your own reading of the documents…[s]ummaries which you read on the Internet or in newspapers may not be complete or accurate, and some on-line articles may be out-of-date.” Of course, we’re not all geologists, so you’ll probably want to do at least a little research if possible.
Notes from CB14 Monthly Meeting
Tuesday, January 10th, 2012
A few of the newsworthy bits from last night’s Community Board 14 monthly meeting:
* Deputy Inspector Rodriguez from the 70th Precinct reported that crime for 2011, when finally compiled, will be down about 2-3%. He also continues to stress that people be careful with electronics, especially on the subway. He reported that the Impact Zone (a designated high-crime area that receives extra officers to deter and fight crime) received 47 additional officers, bringing the total to around 100. Finally, he thanked the community for their concern about the officer injured on CIA on Friday night–he said at first they thought he might lose his leg, but now it thankfully doesn’t look that way, but he’s still got a long recovery ahead.
* The Flatbush Junction BID has a new interim Executive Director, Patti Hoff, who grew up in the area, and who is replacing Lisa Solomon who recently left the position.
* A reminder that if you need to throw out a mattress, you must put it in a clear plastic bag before you leave it on the curb for sanitation. CB14 has received a number of complaints from people who have been ticketed for not bagging a mattress–it’s a $100 fine, following a law that was put in place in December, 2010. So, now you know: bag it.
* Remember when NYC started requiring landlords to install carbon monoxide detectors? That was back in 2004, and the FDNY notes that most carbon monoxide detectors have a lifespan of about six years. Some devices will alert you when it’s time to replace them, others might have a date of expiration. Either way, this might be a great time to buy a replacement, or request a new one from your landlord.
There are a few CB14 committee meetings taking place this month that the public is welcome to attend–see this post for more info.
Francis Hennessy 6th Year Memorial Prayer
Monday, January 9th, 2012
Tomorrow, Tuesday, January 10 at 3pm at the 70th Precinct (154 Lawrence Ave), the 70th Precinct will hold its Annual Memorial Prayer in honor of Police Officer Francis Hennessy, who died tragically of a brain aneurysm at age 35 while on duty. From Deputy Inspector Eric Rodriquez:
On Monday January 9, 2006 Police Officer Francis Hennessy engaged in a foot pursuit with other officers to the scene of a suspected domestic shots fired incident on Flatbush Avenue. Upon arrival at the scene of the incident, Officer Hennessy collapsed and was removed to Kings County Hospital, where the doctors worked expeditiously to render aide to revive him. After hours of continuous efforts, Officer Hennessy was stabilized.
After numerous tests, doctors discovered Officer Hennessy had a brain aneurysm. Later that day, on January 10, 2006 Officer Hennessy succumbed to a brain aneurysm as a result of conducting police action. He left behind his wife Regina, his daughters Deirdre & Shannon.
To Regina, the children and family, we would like to thank you for making Francis the man of honor and courage that he was, and for sharing him with us. May God Bless Francis and keep him. And may God Bless and protect his fellow officers who continue to work so nobly.
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Update on Injured Officer
Monday, January 9th, 2012
Though his name has still not been released, we’ve got a brief update on the police officer who was stuck by a van during a routine traffic stop on Coney Island Avenue on Friday night. The NYPD tells us he is in stable condition at Bellevue, but suffered serious leg injuries.
The car he pulled over had been reportedly heading southbound at a high rate of speed on CIA. When the officer was questioning the occupants, police say a white Econoline van struck the officer and the stopped car, pinning the officer between the two vehicles. The driver of the van was issued a summons for speeding.
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