If you’re in need of something to do this weekend, look no further. BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival kicks off this Saturday with a live performance from neo-soul artist Ari Lennox, KAMAUU and special guests Adeline and Nesta. The event is the first in a packed lineup of free performances that run through September 30, along […]
Posted inHealth & Wellness
BK Residents and Employers Split Over Vaccine Mandates for City and State Employees
On July 26, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the city’s enactment of the COVID Safety Requirement. Effective Sept. 13, city government employees must provide proof of vaccination or submit a weekly COVID-19 test. This includes anyone who works in schools, NYPD, FDNY, city agencies, and more. Overall, the mandate applies to roughly 340,000 city workers. […]
Posted inIn Other Brooklyn News
Cuomo Issues Vaccination Mandate for State Workers, Hospital Staffers
Following in the city’s footsteps, New York is making vaccinations or regular COVID testing mandatory for all state employees. Additionally, all patient-facing frontline health care workers in state-run hospitals must be immunized, Gov. Cuomo announced Wednesday. “I think we need dramatic action to get control of this situation,” the governor said during a virtual address […]
Posted inIn Other Brooklyn News
New York’s $2.7 Billion Rent Relief Program Cuts First Checks, Amid Scrutiny
New York’s stalled rent relief program has started sending checks to a handful of landlords whose tenants have missed rent payments as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, with Gov. Andrew Cuomo pledging to pay every approved applicant by the end of August. The Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) has issued just $1.2 million to […]
Posted inIn Other Brooklyn News
East New York Community Leaders Discuss Growing Local Jobs
The Coalition for Community Advancement, along with several other local organizations, came together last Thursday to discuss East New York’s industrial business zone (IBZ) and how to grow local jobs that the city and the NYC Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) promised the community years ago. The coalition said that the “promised 3,900 jobs and 16.7 […]
Posted inIn Other Brooklyn News
Ending de Blasio’s Cold War: Corporate NYC Sees Hope in an Eric Adams Mayoralty
Shortly after Eric Adams won the Democratic mayoral primary with support from some of the city’s poorest communities, he received a call from an unlikely source. Jamie Dimon, one of the most recognizable titans of Wall Street, phoned the nominee to congratulate him and express interest in working together, someone familiar with the conversation told […]
Posted inReal Estate
Shady Towers: 34-Story Crown Heights Build Bad for the Neighborhood, Deadly for the Garden, Locals Say
“We gotta fight for the sunlight.” That was the uniting call for more than 100 people of all ages who turned out Wednesday morning to rally against a new development that threatens the number of sunlight hours at Brooklyn Botanic Garden (BBG). The rally — held a day before a “crucial” City Planning hearing — […]
Posted inHealth & Wellness
Here’s Why the CDC Recommends Wearing Masks Indoors Even if You’ve Been Fully Vaccinated Against COVID-19
By: Peter Chin-Hong, University of California, San Francisco Vaccinated people need to mask up again, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. On July 27, 2021, the CDC recommended that everyone in areas with high COVID-19 infection rates wear masks in public indoor spaces, regardless of vaccination status. It’s a reversal from […]
Posted inHousing
New $75M Supportive, Affordable Housing Complex Opens in Brownsville
A new $75 million housing complex, where 88 of apartments are reserved for formerly homeless people and families, has opened in Brownsville. Edwin’s Place was officially opened on Tuesday, July 27, bringing 125 new apartments to Brooklyn residents in need. The supportive housing complex will predominantly cater to formerly homeless people and families, including veterans, […]
Posted inEducation
Students Faced Unequal Distribution of Remote Devices Due to DOE Mismanagement: Audit
When schools transitioned to remote learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department of Education was tasked with procuring, preparing and distributing internet-enabled iPads to hundreds of thousands of students. However, according to a new audit released by NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer, the agency’s “inadequate controls” over the distribution of the devices resulted in inequitable […]
Posted inIn Other Brooklyn News
Masala Mama Serving Up Fantastic Vegetarian & Vegan Indian Dishes At A Popup In Gowanus
You may have come across Nidhi Jalan’s culinary creations before. About five years ago she started selling spice blends under the name Masala Mama (a handle Jalan “earned” in the womb), then she launched a line of jarred simmer sauces like Coconut Curry and Vindaloo, and then she did a stint one summer slinging Masala […]
Posted inIn Other Brooklyn News
Wrongfully Convicted Man Sues NYC For $125M After Decades In Jail
A man imprisoned for nearly three decades is suing the city for $125 million, arguing Brooklyn detectives framed him for a subway murder he didn’t commit, court records show. Emmanuel Cooper, 54, filed his malicious prosecution suit in Brooklyn’s federal court Monday after 27 years in prison for a crime that was vacated in 2020, […]
Posted inIn Other Brooklyn News
72 Schools to Get Extra Cash to Cut Class Sizes
The city has selected 72 schools around the city to receive a total $18 million in extra cash to help lower class sizes as part of a pilot program in this year’s budget. To be selected, a school needed to be deemed “higher-need,” with students coming from lower-income households and with state math and reading […]
Posted inIn Other Brooklyn News
‘It’s Not Over’: New Yorkers React to New CDC Guidance on Masking Up Indoors
Although she’s fully vaccinated, Leah Thode says her mask is not coming off. The Crown Heights resident agrees with the new Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidance recommending people wear masks indoors in areas with high cases of the coronavirus, regardless of vaccination status. Click here to view original web page at www.ny1.com NEW YORK […]
Posted inCrime
Brooklyn DA Dismisses More than 3,500 Marijuana Cases
More than 3,500 marijuana cases in Brooklyn have been tossed out, some dating as far back as the 1970s, Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez announced on Tuesday. The move comes after New York State legalized marijuana in March. Since then, almost all marijuana cases in Brooklyn have been dismissed, Gonzalez said. “For too long, criminalization […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
New Photography Installation Centers Bed-Stuy’s Longstanding Black Residents
This weekend, a new installation telling the stories of longstanding Black Bed-Stuy residents is opening in the neighborhood. ‘We Are Here (Brooklyn)’ is a celebration of the neighborhood’s rich cultural legacy, something that has withstood gentrification, racist housing policies and systemic oppression, forces that have pushed longtime Bed-Stuy residents and business owners out of the […]
Posted inLifestyle & Culture
Bed-Stuy Designer Kicks Off Black Business Month With Fashion Show
In celebration of the start of Black Business Month, Bed-Stuy designer Moshood Afariogun is bringing his New Roots to Culture Fashion Showcase to the streets of the neighborhood. The cultural festival, which will include emerging Black designers and a live performance from the Kunle Mighty Sunrise Band on top of Afariogun’s signature Afro-inspired garments, will […]
Posted inIn Other Brooklyn News
NYC Will Require Vaccination Or Weekly Testing For All City Workers
Beginning in mid-September, New York City will require all of its roughly 300,000 municipal workers, including police, firefighters and teachers, to either be vaccinated against COVID-19 or tested weekly. The mayor’s office says the policy will be announced Monday. Under the latest plan, all city workers must comply with the vaccination-or-test rule beginning on September […]
Posted inIn Other Brooklyn News
Emotional East Flatbush COVID Memorial Serves as Call for Change
East Flatbush residents and elected officials gathered Saturday for a memorial to those lost to COVID-19, which also served as a call for community members to get vaccinated and for the city to implement changes to prevent Black and brown neighborhoods from suffering disproportionate deaths again in the next pandemic. Close to 200 people came […]
Posted inIn Other Brooklyn News
Cuomo Overhauls COVID Rent Relief Program in Wake of Criticism and Fears of Flood of Evictions
Gov. Cuomo is overhauling the state’s problem-plagued COVID rental assistance program, a day after the Daily News highlighted issues facing financially-strapped renters and landlords alike. Officials are relaxing documentation standards for both tenants and landlords and making it easier for building owners with several tenants behind on payments to make claims as the end of […]