SUNY Downstate Says It Is Too Listening to the LICH Community

At Monday’s town hall to create a plan to rescue SUNY Downstate Medical Center, many supporters of Long Island College Hospital (LICH) said that the process was "too rushed and did not truly include the community," according to the Brooklyn Eagle.

“The first thing I want to say is that this town hall meeting is not a substitute for meaningful, serious consultation with stakeholders. Our three-minute comments today are not the consultation with stakeholders required by law,” said LICH nurse Carmen Pimentel.

But SUNY Downstate told the Eagle they're really, really listening to the community. No, really. More here.

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5th Ave. Becomes Giant WiFi Hotspot, and More Brooklyn Briefs

- Video: Did NYPD censor heated Brooklyn community meeting? [Gothamist]

- A two-mile stretch of Fifth Avenue in Sunset Park will become a giant WiFi hotspot, enabling Internet access on the street, in stores and in apartments. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- Memorial Day ceremony in Carroll Park this Monday. [PMFA]

- Government on "fishing expedition" locks up Brooklyn anarchist. [NY Magazine] 

- $90 million hotel worker health center coming to Downtown Brooklyn. [Observer]

- Brooklyn Public Library will hold "Lunchapalooza" on the Central Branch plaza every Wednesday. [FIPS]

- Nominate a local library so it can win $10,000.[Kensington BK]

- Creepy: A cop was charged with paying hackers to break into at least 43 personal e-mail accounts, including more than 20 fellow cops. [FBI]

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Carole King, 71, Just Received the Gershwin Prize, Will Party with Obama Today

Photo: Michael Borkson

Wondering what Brooklyn songstress Carole King ( "You Make Me Feel Like A Natural Woman;" "You've Got A Friend") is up to lately?

WKRN reports that Ms. King, 71, was awarded the nation's highest prize for popular music in a concert Tuesday. She received the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song at the Library of Congress and will be honored today (Wednesday) by President Barack Obama at the White House

King's 1971 album "Tapestry" remains one of the best-selling records of all time. A concert in her honor at the White House will include performances by Gloria Estefan, Billy Joel, Jesse McCartney, Emeli Sande, James Taylor and Trisha Yearwood. It will be broadcast May 28 on PBS. 

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US Sues Brooklyn Fish Processor for Disgustingly Filthy Plant

Photo: Google Maps

The Feds are suing a fish processor based at 738 Chester Street (near Ditmas) in Brooklyn for manufacturing ready-to-eat fish products under amazingly insanitary conditions, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

"Life-threatening bacteria" and widespread sanitation problems were found during repeated inspections of N.Y. Fish, Inc.  (AKA New York City Fish, Inc.) from 2006 - 2013. The salmon production equipment is so contaminated with deadly Listeria that it would be almost impossible to get rid of it, even if the companies tried hard -- which it didn't, the FDA said.

Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Division Stuart F. Delery said, “Inspectors who visited the defendants’ facility found more than Nemo; they found life-threatening bacteria.  Despite repeated warnings and direction to sanitize the facility, the defendants have failed to do so. They cannot be allowed to continue to distribute potentially unsafe food to our families."

The Department of Justice has filed a lawsuit against N.Y. Fish Inc.; New York City Fish Inc.; Maxim Kutsyk, Pavel Roytkov, Leonid Staroseletesky, and Steven Koyfman (the president is also listed as Steve Koifman and  "Slavic Koifman").

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Scenes from Saturday's 2013 Willowtown Spring Fair, Brooklyn Heights

Neighborhood and family fun was the theme at the 2013 Willowtown Spring Fair in Brooklyn Heights on Saturday. Kids hopped and jumped in the potato sack and three-legged races, and grownups showed their muscle in the tug-o-war competition. There were jumpy castles and face painting, and a self-guided architectural tour, too.

Mona’s Hot Four had the street hopping with old-fashioned jazz. (Musicians: Dennis Lichtman, clarinet;Jared Engel, bass; Nick Russo, banjo; and Gordon Webster.)

Iris Cafe and Waterfront Wine and Spirits provided food and drinks, and the Willowtown Community Garden sold plants and filled a snack table with vegetables. One of the raffle prizes was an East River boating adventure by the Village Community Boathouse, illustrated by the above boat docked in the middle of Willow Street.

The annual fair raises money for the Willowtown Association. Tree planting is one of the projects supported by the fair.

Above photos by MK Metz. You can see more photos at the Brooklyn Heights Blog.

- 2012 Willowtown Spring Fair

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More Bicycles Than You Could Shake a Stick at in DUMBO on Friday

Bicyclists flooded into DUMBO after work on Friday for the Bike Home from Work Party, sponsored by Transportation Alternatives and Giro.

Food and bicycle accessory pop-up shops lined Pearl Street, and hundreds of people sat at the picnic tables under the Manhattan Bridge Archway to eat Brooklyn Flea food and be entertained by a fashion show of reflective nighttime biker-wear.

Vita Coco and Brooklyn Roasting Company gave out free drinks, Cabot Cheese gave away probably cheese (we missed this one) and Kind was handing out free nut bars -- yum, thank you.

Above is part of the bicycle valet parking lot.

Photos by MK Metz

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Turkey Comes to Brooklyn

A military drumbeat rang out over Downtown Brooklyn on Thursday and we rushed to Brooklyn Borough Hall in time to catch an impressive performance of an Ottoman military band and teams of Turkish dancers.

The event was Brooklyn’s annual Turkish Cultural Celebration, and was attended by both Turkish natives and Turkish wanna-be's like Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, who officiated along with the Consul General of Turkey.


BP Markowitz said Brooklyn is “the Turkish capital of America.”

More about the celebration here.

Photos by MK Metz

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Amazing Tent in Tobacco Warehouse for Brooklyn Half Marathon Party

Photo: MK Metz

The most amazing transparent tent has been installed inside the Tobacco Warehouse in DUMBO, the venue for the “Brooklyn Half Pre-Party” and registration for this Saturday's Brooklyn Half Marathon.

The structure fills the main section of the warehouse and lets in the sunshine, unlike the white tent more often used in the iconic roofless warehouse.

There's all kinds of racing-related merchandise, a Polaroid station, exercise equipment etc. inside the tent.

MK Metz

Food, beer and music are located in the next section of the warehouse. The party lasts till 9 p.m. tonight -- and the race starts Saturday at 7.

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Great GoogaMooga Promises More Googa, Less Mooga

The organizers of the great mash of hungry hipster humanity known the Great GoogaMooga say they have learned from last year's snafus in Prospect Park and promise more food, water, cashiers, crowd-control and cell towers, and less endless lines, according to their website.

While some who attended last year's music and food fest swear they will never go back, the $79 VIP tickets (and the freebies) for this weekend's festival are sold out.

Restaurants told the NY Daily News they are coming prepared: Do or Dine, in Bedford-Stuyvesant, is getting ready to sell 4,000 foie gras doughnuts for $10 each. (Wonder how many geese it takes to make one doughnut?)

The kickoff concert tonight features the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, the Flaming Lips and the Darkness.

Photo: Great GoogaMooga

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Lunch Break On the Manhattan Bridge

Photo: MK Metz

Hard-hat workers on the Manhattan Bridge climb a long way down for lunch break on a temporary, enclosed stairway.

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Yet Another Fireworks Display: NYC, Brooklyn, Queens, May 16 -- UPDATED

Photo: MK Metz

The third fireworks display in a week eight days exploded over New York City Thursday night (May 16), surprising folks in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens.

According to the city, the fireworks display was sponsored by "XA Experimental Agency," and were set off from Pier 36, East River, on the Lower East Side.

From Henry Street in Brooklyn Heights, where we were standing when we took the photo above, it appeared the fireworks were coming from Williamsburg.

The company name is actually "XA the experiential agency" (not "experimental"). They do branding, live events, gorilla marketing, stunts and PR. No word what particular client (if any) they were celebrating tonight.

UPDATE: Flyingflashlight shot a video of the display from a bridge. We think we see several letters at the beginning of the show -- maybe USA? or XAU?

Photo: MK Metz

 Yesterday (Wednesday, May 15) another fireworks display was set off from Liberty Island. We caught this one from Brooklyn Bridge Park (photo left). (That's the Statue of Liberty in the lower right corner.)

The sponsor was Allied P.R.A. – Pet Smart.

And on May 8 we had the Norwegian Cruise Lines/ Rockettes /Peter Max cruise ship fireworks.

If that's not enough for you, on both Friday and Saturday (May 17 and 18) more fireworks will be shot off (at 10:50 p.m.) from Citi Field in Queens, as part of the Electric Daisy Carnival.


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White Powder Alerts at Brooklyn Federal Courthouse Getting to Be a Habit

Photo: MK Metz

For the second time in eight days, an envelope filled with white powder mailed to the Brooklyn Federal Courthouse in Downtown Brooklyn triggered an anthrax scare, the NY Daily News reported.

NYC sent out alerts warning shortly after 6 p.m. that traffic at Tillary Street and Cadman Plaza East was snarled due to police activity and emergency personnel.

On May 7, the Clerk's Office at the same courthouse was placed under quarantine after an employee opened a letter filled with white powder.

According to the News, both letters were sent by inmates serving time in separate prisons and appear to be unrelated.

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