Politics: Some polls show that Barack Obama’s campaign may by losing momentum — but Mr. Gallup and Mr. Zogby might want to drop by a Fourth Avenue bar, where the nation’s first Barack Obama ale is selling as fast as bartenders can pour it. Comment.

Downtown: Tremors from the implosion of Bear Stearns are being felt all over the world — and as close as Jay Street in Downtown Brooklyn. Comment.

Cartoon: Our artist’s take on the issues of the day! Comment.

Park Slope: The rush to un-rename one of Brooklyn’s most historically significant blocks moved forward last week when Community Board 6 voted to change the name of Park Slope’s J.J. Byrne Park back to Washington Park, its original name. Comments (2).

Coney Island: The weather was still gloomy, but Coney Island’s Astroland and Wonder Wheel parks opened on Sunday. Here are our exclusive pictures. Comments (1).

Bridge ‘Park’: Demolition began — for real, this time — at the proposed “Brooklyn Bridge Park” last week, even as opponents went to court to battle the housing and open space development. Comments (2).

Gowanus: The very thing that turned the Gowanus Canal from a fresh, oyster-filled creek into an oily “Lavender Lake” may be the thing that prevents it from going back to the good old days. Comments (2).

Gowanus: Disgraced former Gov. Eliot Spitzer at least did one good thing before sending himself into the dustbin of history — he approved a grant to identify toxic brownfields around the Gowanus Canal just days before revelations about his sexcapades caused his downfall. Comments (1).

Williamsburg Waterfront: Sudden construction activity in a long-dormant Con Ed power plant on Kent Avenue set off immediate alarms in a neighborhood antsy about the arrival of more luxury condo towers. Comment.

Atlantic Yards: Atlantic Yards opponents — some of them Brooklyn Museum members — will picket the Museum’s April 3 gala in protest of the institution’s decision to honor controversial developer Bruce Ratner. Comment.

Politics: Mayor Bloomberg’s ambitious and controversial plan to charge drivers $8 to enter Manhattan’s central business district will come to a vote early next month in the City Council, where it faces a very bumpy road, according to our survey of all 17 Brooklyn councilmembers. If the vote was today, Brooklyn would vote 8–1 against the plan (with six undecideds and two councilmembers too busy to return our calls). Comments (4).

Smartmom: Smartmom has a full house, thanks to all of Teen Spirit’s rocker pals sleeping over all the time. Comments (1).

Parenting: All the action for you and your kids! Comment.

After piloting The Brooklyn Paper to the “Newspaper of the Year” honors from the Suburban Newspapers of America last year and winning the group’s “Editor of the Year” award this year, our own grizzled leader, Gersh Kuntzman, has won the same association’s “Best Column Writing” award. Comments (1).

Brooklyn Angle: Our columnist gets the first interview with the keeper of the “Park Slope weather” Web site — the Internet’s biggest hit since the Obama girl. Comments (1).

Editorial: The Parks Department has moved to evict a few dozen judges from parking in Columbus Park — and The Paper cheers. Comments (1).

Letters: The mailbag is filled — as always. Comment.

PS … I Love You: Tip O’Neill used to say that all politics is local. Who knew it extended to food? Comment.

Atlantic Yards: Bruce Ratner’s controversial Atlantic Yards project — which envisioned 16 skyscrapers, eight acres of open space, more than 2,250 units of below-market-rate housing, new top-of-the-line office space and a publicly financed basketball arena at the center — now consists of little more than the arena and two scaled-back residential buildings, the developer told the New York Times today. Comments (5).

Williamsburg: Williamsburg and Greenpoint residents are the biggest complainers in the borough, new statistics show — and the data has locals wondering who is doing all the whining. Comments (3).

DUMBO: As the war in Iraq reaches the five-year mark, journalists and presidential candidates have been talking about it endlessly, but according to Lou Reed, Moby and Laurie Anderson, not nearly enough is being said. Comments (1).

Politics: Brooklynites marked the fifth anniversary of the war in Iraq with a damp protest rally on Wednesday. Comment.

Clinton Hill: Artist Arthur Wood said the city is holding his hand-built home Broken Angel “hostage” for $70,000 in fines that the Buildings Department says he owes. Comments (1).

Park Slope: Brooklyn Heights wants to keep its trash trucks on the edge of Park Slope. Comment.

Fort Greene: Fort Greene needs a bookstore, a baker and the modern equivalent of a candlestick-maker: a hardware store. That’s a central finding of the Fort Greene Retail Survey. Comment.

All the important meetings you should be going to. Comment.

In the spirit of encouraging a free exchange of ideas, The Brooklyn Paper makes this space available to our readers. Comment.