Perspective: A state assemblyman wants to ban “fake” neighborhood names cooked up by real-estate brokers. But doesn’t this fly against the central fact of New York life that the only constant is change? Click below for the lawmaker’s opinion piece, plus one from an opponent of his bill:
Weekend Watch: Here are the transit changes that could affect your travel plans this weekend (Saturday, May 14 at 12:01 am to Monday, May 16 at 5 am, unless otherwise noted). Comment.
A state judge ruled that the construction of a controversial mosque in Sheepshead Bay can move forward shortly after a lawyer for the developer hinted that opponents of the plan are terrorists — citing inflammatory graffiti cheering the death of Osama bin Laden at the mosque site. Comments (9).
Music: Here it is, folks, the full schedule for “Celebrate Brooklyn,” the summer concert and arts series, produced by BRIC Arts, Media, Bklyn, a badly punctuated name for a great organization. All concerts (except for benefits below) are at the bandshell in Prospect Park (entrance at Prospect Park West and Ninth Street) and are free ($3 suggested contribution). Comment.
Fort Greene: Organizers of the Brooklyn Flea want the city to reserve a busy block of Lafayette Avenue as a loading dock for vendors at their bustling Saturday souk — but Fort Greene residents are complaining about the high cost: 10 parking spaces in an already crowded neighborhood. Comments (10).
Fort Greene: Here’s one advantage to being a hoarder. Plus all the other crime reports from Fort Greene and Clinton Hill’s 88th Precinct. Comments (1).
Four goslings that were never supposed to develop past the embryo stage are now waddling and squawking around Prospect Park, baffling city biologists who thought they’d successfully prevented the eggs from hatching. Comments (9).
Cobble Hill: A weekend arsonist scorched newly installed playground equipment at Public School 29 in Cobble Hill, alarming area residents and ruining the fun for hundreds of children. Comments (4).
A Brooklyn Yiddish-language newspaper airbrushed Secretary of State Clinton from the White House’s official Osama “war room” photograph because editors decided that their Hasidic readership would be offended by a photograph of a woman. Comments (32).
Downtown plan: The organization in charge of charting Downtown’s future is having serious difficulty steering its own ship, according to a city audit released on Monday. Comments (1).
Mean Streets: A key member of a community board panel is demanding that the city strap on a helmet and revive its own abandoned proposal for a bike lane on Bay Ridge Parkway — but he’s facing an uphill battle. Comments (45).
Dining: Food addicts will think they died and went to gourmet heaven when the inaugural NYC Food Truck Rally hits Park Slope next Sunday. Comments (5).
Nightlife: An out-of-place dance club — shuttered after noise and capacity violations — will reopen this week in Gowanus with a new name and concept. Comments (1).
It’s a disast-R! Line has disgusting station, cars
By The Brooklyn Paper
Transit: It’s official: Everyone is appalled by the R train! This week, the line’s coaches were rated the dirtiest in town. And we sent our intern to Court Street, where we found the most disgusting station in the borough! Click below for our full (and full-color) story package about this tawdry train.
Boerum Hill: Boerum Hill’s Strong Place Day Care Center will soon be renamed in honor of Hope Reichbach, the City Council staffer who worked to save the facility from city budget cuts. Comments (16).
Williamsburg: A Williamsburg community board has abandoned — at least for now — a bid to halt new bars from coming to the booze-saturated neighborhood. Comments (9).
Bridge ‘Park’: Brooklyn Heights will get an innovative $4.9-million footbridge that zigzags over streets and through buildings to connect the northern part of the neighborhood to one of the world’s most breathtaking parks. Comments (7).