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Closing Bell
Brooklyn Heights
04/16/14 4:00pm

Closing Bell: Brooklyn Zine Fest Next Weekend

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Events
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Next weekend, the third annual Brooklyn Zine Fest returns to the Brooklyn Historical Society with panels and a wide variety of publishers, artists and writers selling their wares. Panels will discuss topics like queer and trans zine writers, zine collecting and publishing zines anonymously.

And over 150 zine enthusiasts will be selling self-published magazines on everything under the sun: art, comedy, graffiti, comics, environmentalism, food, film, local history and much more. Check out the full lineup and the panel schedule for the festival, which will take place April 26 and 27 from 11 am to 6 pm at 128 Pierrepont Street.

Photo by Seth McFarland for Brooklyn Zine Fest

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Closing Bell
Flatbush
04/15/14 4:00pm

Closing Bell: Suit Alleges Landlord Forcing out Black Tenants in Favor of Whites

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Lawsuits
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Tenants at Homewood Gardens Estates in East Flatbush claim their landlord is trying to push them out in favor of white tenants willing to pay higher rents, according to a lawsuit filed in federal court. The suit alleges that landlords Yeshaya Wasserman, Shay Wasserman and Yitzchok Rambod ignored repair requests, forced evictions and offered cash buyouts, the New York Post reported. The East Flatbush residents also say the landlords consistently refuse to make repairs for black tenants, fail to cash rent checks and delay the delivery of front door keys.

“In contrast, white tenants move into renovated apartments, their rent checks are cashed, they receive monthly rent statements and they are not subject to harassment,” the suit states, according to the Post.

The lawsuit also claims black residents have seen their rents double, while white tenants have seen minimal rent increases at lease renewal time. Wasserman and his partners bought the buildings on Brooklyn Avenue and Hawthorne Street in 2009. The state’s Tenant Protect Unit has been investigating Wasserman since last fall, when it subpoenaed documents from all eight of his properties in Brooklyn.

Brooklyn Landlords Pushing Black Tenants out for Whites: Suit [NY Post]
Closing Bell: State Investigates Crown Heights, Flatbush Landlord for Tenant Abuse [Brownstoner]

Image via Google Maps

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Closing Bell
Downtown Brooklyn
04/14/14 4:00pm

Closing Bell: Borough Hall to Go Green

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Landmark
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This morning at Borough Hall, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams announced he plans to make the 166-year-old building LEED certified by retrofitting the windows, installing solar panels, and implementing geothermal heating. “Borough Hall is going to lead by example, that’s L-E-E-D,” said Adams. “If a government building built in 1848 can be transformed into an energy efficient structure, then every building that’s built in this borough and this city can follow.”

He promised to set aside capital funding to update the Greek Revival structure, one of the borough’s oldest public buildings. On top of that, he has already pledged $1,000,000 in capital funds to repair the bluestone and courtyard behind building.

Adams also announced the first meeting of his Renewable and Sustainable Energy Task Force (ReSET), which aims to encourage green building practices in Brooklyn and the rest of the city. “I’m helping the mayor infuse the green technology concept into the [planned] 200,000 units of affordable housing,” he explained.

No word on whether he has already checked with the Landmarks Preservation Commission on his plans for Borough Hall.

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Closing Bell
Gowanus
04/11/14 4:00pm

Closing Bell: City Participatory Budgeting Funds Are Going to These Projects

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Greenpoint, Park Slope
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Council Member Stephen Levin has announced the five community improvement projects in District 33 that will receive $1,560,000 of city discretionary funds. Residents voted last week on how their tax dollars should be spent in the district through a process known as participatory budgeting. Here are the projects that received the most votes, in order:

  1. Repairs at four NYCHA playgrounds – Gowanus Houses, 572 Warren Street Houses, Wyckoff Gardens, and Jonathan Williams Plaza – will receive $400,000.
  2. The Gowanus Community Center, pictured, will get $325,000 for renovations.
  3. The McGolrick Park Playground will be completely reconstructed, to the tune of $450,000.
  4. BOOKlyn Shuttle: $198,000 will be set aside to buy and retrofit bus a bus designed by Pratt Institute to “inspire, stimulate and improve the literacy of North Brooklyn’s youth.”
  5. The bathrooms at P.S. 261 will be renovated and repaired with $175,000 in funds.

Image of Gowanus Community Center via Better Late Than Never

 

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Brooklyn Heights
Boerum Hill
04/10/14 4:00pm

Closing Bell: A Walking Tour of Atlantic Avenue

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Closing Bell, Events
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The Municipal Art Society is hosting a walking tour of Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn Heights and Boerum Hill that will explore its history and the ethnic enclaves that settled there a hundred years ago. Local historian and genealogist Mary Ann DiNapoli will delve into the lives of various members of the Arab American community that moved to the neighborhood in the late 19th and early 20th century.

She’ll also discuss the foods and traditions that are unique to this time of year, and tour attendees will get to sample some wares from some of Atlantic’s wonderful Middle Eastern shops. The tour will take place this Saturday at 10 am. Tickets are $20, and you can purchase them through the MAS website.

Photo by Katia Kelly for Pardon Me for Asking

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Brooklyn
04/03/14 4:00pm

Closing Bell: Tourism Site Debuts in May

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A new Brooklyn tourism site called ExploreBK.com will begin creating useful content next month for visitors who want to get to know the borough, according to the Daily News. The Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce is partnering with BlankSlate, a Dumbo-based media company, to launch the site next month. BlankSlate also runs Brownstoner’s advertising and marketplace. The website will cover events, restaurants, retail and hotels, and include a searchable directory of local businesses.

Tourism has been on the rise in Brooklyn, with 15,000,000 tourists visiting in 2010, according to the Borough President’s office. And 22 hotels are under construction to feed the demand for rooms that are cheaper than Manhattan but still close to major destinations, particularly in Williamsburg, Downtown Brooklyn and Sunset Park. Currently there are 3,500 hotel rooms, up from 778 in 2005.

Photo by Eric Konon

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Closing Bell
Park Slope
04/02/14 4:00pm

Closing Bell: Sample Park Slope’s Best Restaurants at Taste of Fifth

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Events
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Park Slope’s annual Taste of Fifth festival will bring 40 of 5th Avenue’s bars and eateries to one place next week and raise money for local charities. Restaurants like Al Di La, Grand Central Oyster Bar, Bogata Latin Bistro and Luke’s Lobster will be serving up their cuisine at Grand Prospect Hall next Wednesday.

Attendees also get to enjoy live music and complimentary wine and beer at the festival. Tickets cost $45 online or $50 at the door, and $20 of each ticket goes towards one of 14 Park Slope charities of your choice. The 5th Avenue BID has a full list of charities and vendors that will be at the event, which will take place April 9 from 6:30 to 9:30 pm at Grand Prospect Hall at 263 Prospect Avenue.

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Closing Bell
Greenpoint
03/31/14 4:00pm

Closing Bell: Pols Call Meeting on Summer G Train Shutdown in Greenpoint

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Transportation
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The MTA is suspending G train service between Nassau Avenue and Court Square for over a month this summer, and Greenpoint’s elected officials are holding a town hall Thursday to discuss the shutdown. The G train won’t run in Greenpoint from July 26 to September 1 because of Sandy-related repairs, according to Senator Daniel Squadron’s office. There will be a shuttle service between the affected stops.

State Senator Daniel Squadron is hosting the meeting, which takes place April 3 at 6 pm in the Polish and Slavic Center at 176 Java Street. Borough President Eric Adams, State Senator Dilan, Assembly Member Lentol and Council Member Stephen Levin are expected to attend.

Photo by jim.henderson for Wikipedia

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Closing Bell
Park Slope
03/27/14 4:00pm

Closing Bell: Proposed Law Would Block Closure of Park Slope Senior Home

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Following the news that Park Slope assisted living facility Prospect Park Residence plans to close, local pol State Assemblywoman Joan Millman has introduced a bill that would effectively halt the shutdown for two years. The law would create a nine-person commission to study and report on the effects of long-term care facilities closing their doors.

For two years, all long-term care facilities throughout the state would be prevented from closing, converting to another use, or reducing their staffs. The Department of Health has already OK’d the closure.

In the meantime, community groups are planning more protests against the closure tomorrow and Saturday in front of the senior home at 1 Prospect Park West. Details can be found on Facebook. An online petition against the closure has garnered more than 3,000 signatures.

Conversion or Tear Down for Troubled Park Slope Senior Home? [Brownstoner]
Photo by Nicholas Strini for PropertyShark

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Closing Bell
DUMBO
03/26/14 4:00pm

Closing Bell: Dumbo Walking Tour

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Events
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Dumbo was once a major port and an important stop for goods and people. It was also an important place for Brooklyn’s free blacks and the location of many abolitionist activities. Suzanne Spellen, aka Brownstoner columnist Montrose Morris, will lead a walking tour next weekend on the neighborhood’s history, with a focus on its role in slavery and the anti-slavery movement.

The tour is offered by the Brooklyn Historical Society as part of its exhibit “Brooklyn Abolitionists/In Pursuit of Freedom.” It will take place next Saturday, April 5 at 11 am. Tickets are $15 for BHS members or $25 for non-members. Tickets can be purchased through Eventbrite.

Photo by maggiemoo1

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Closing Bell
Crown Heights
03/24/14 4:00pm

Closing Bell: DOT to Hold Meeting on Franklin Avenue Traffic Safety

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Streets
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Have you ever felt unsafe while walking, biking or driving along Franklin Avenue in Crown Heights? The Department of Transportation is hosting a public meeting next week to discuss traffic safety improvements on Franklin between Atlantic Avenue and Empire Boulevard. Community members can attend and suggest ways to improve traveling on the major thoroughfare in community districts eight and nine.

The meeting will take place Wednesday, April 2 from 7 to 9 pm in the President’s Conference Room at Medgar Evers College, located at 1650 Bedford Avenue. Additional info and a DOT contact can be found here on the flyer for the meeting.

Image by DOT

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Closing Bell
Gowanus
03/21/14 4:00pm

Closing Bell: School of Rock Opens Tomorrow in Gowanus

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Events
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Head down to Gowanus tomorrow afternoon for the grand opening of School of Rock, where kids and parents can take part in sample music classes, live performances, workshops and jam sessions. There will also be food and giveaways during the event, which will run from 1 to 4 pm tomorrow at 327 Douglass Street between 3rd and 4th avenues.

To reserve a spot in a class during tomorrow’s opening, email brooklyn@schoolofrock.com. The international franchise has 100 locations around the world, including another New York location on the Upper East Side.

Image via School of Rock

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