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Brooklyn Today November 15: Lead Levels in Brooklyn Exceed Flint, Michigan

November 15, 2017 Brooklyn Daily Eagle
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THE LEDE: Happy Hump Day, Brooklyn! A footbridge could soon connect theBrooklyn Heights Promenade to Brooklyn Bridge Park, we speak with “Manchester by the Sea” star actor Lucas Hedges, and some kids in the borough have higher blood lead levels than those of children in Flint, Michigan. Plus, Donald Trump Jr. is in hot water, see the world through the eyes of animals, and WeWork will hire 1,500 refugees over the next five years. Finally, Italy will miss the next World Cup, six beached sperm whales are saved in Indonesia, and a man beats his 4-month-old daughter to death for being “fussy.”            
 
IMPRINT: Rapper Cardi B graces the latest cover of New York Magazine.

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The Rundown
 

~’MANCHESTER BY THE SEA’ STAR TALKS TO THE EAGLE: Any film buff knows the name Lucas Hedges. Starting with “Dan in Real Life,” the 20-year-old Hedges followed that debut with roles in two Wes Anderson movies — “Moonrise Kingdom” and “The Grand Budapest Hotel” — then moved on to his Best Supporting Actor Oscar-nominated, break-out performance in Kenneth Lonergan’s “Manchester by the Sea.” With 10 feature films behind him and two in post-production, Hedges is slowly but surely earning his spot in the line-up of famous Brooklyn-born movie stars. Hedges has very solid Brooklyn roots: He grew up in Brooklyn Heights, excelling at squash on the courts at the Heights Casino and playing baseball at Van Voorhees Park on the Cobble Hillborder, where every time he hit a home run, the ball would land on the BQE. Graduating from Saint Ann’s School, he has taken a break from studying theater at the North Carolina School of the Arts to focus on his film career. We recently spoke with the star actor. Read our Q&A here. (via Brooklyn Daily Eagle)
 
~LEAD LEVELS IN BROOKLYN EXCEED FLINT, MICHIGAN: An extensive report by Reuters found that 5,400 New York children tested above the threshold for elevated blood lead readings, with the worst cases in Brooklyn. Some of the levels were as high or higher than those of kids in Flint, Michigan, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s data. The highest rate was found in the ultra-orthodox Jewish Satmar community of SouthWilliamsburg, with old housing, high poverty rates and a language barrier contributing to the levels. “Small children ages one to three typically are at greatest risk,” Reuters reporter Joshua Schneyer told WNYC. “Many children in this age group still have hand-to-mouth behaviors, they’re crawling around, they’re gnawing at things. And this can be risky if they live or spend time in older housing.” A detailed map of the affected areas is displayed with the Reuters report. (via WNYC)
 
~YE’LL TAKE THE HIGH ROAD, AND I’LL TAKE THE LOW ROAD: The Montague Street BID, which represents more than 100 small businesses inBrooklyn Heights, has requested that the city build a permanent footbridgefrom the bottom of Montague Street to Brooklyn Bridge Park. Construction to repair the BQE, which is slated for the near future, will affect access to Brooklyn Bridge Park, one of the city’s premier parks and waterfront destinations. DOT is considering building a footbridge from the Promenade to the park in order to maintain park access during construction. The campaign, spearheaded by the BID and endorsed by residents of Brooklyn Heights, civic, church and community organizations, wants to build a modern-day version of the original neat iron bridge that spanned Montague Street from 1859 to 1946. The original bridge, referred to as the “Penny Bridge,” was built to accommodate a street incline to the waterfront and was demolished in 1946 to make way for the BQE. (via Brooklyn Daily Eagle)
 
~DUMBO RESTAURANT FIRES RACIST EMPLOYEES: After a racist confrontation between a DUMBO Kitchen employee and a customer, that employee and her manager are both out of a job. When the worker told a customer the restaurant was closing “in the most hateful, disrespectful and rude manner,” the fight began, according to an Instagram post by Jypsy Jeyfree. “Your manager doesn’t like black people, honey,” the woman filming tells the employee of the restaurant. “Everybody in here knows that already!” the employee replies. After a surge on social media, the restaurant announced it fired the employee and manager. “Hate and Racism will not prevail. We do not stand by the sick comments by our ex-employee for a second. We pride ourselves on fairness and equality. We are taking legal action against these individuals immediately,” the restaurant tweeted. Owner Adam Ragib said he was considering filing civil claims against the former employees. (via NYDN)
 
~BETTER SAFE THAN SORRY IN DYKER HEIGHTS: Dyker Heights is considered one of southwest Brooklyn’s safer neighborhoods, but residents there aren’t taking any chances. The Dyker Heights Civic Association has announced plans to form a new community crime watch program that leaders said will empower residents to keep an eye on suspicions comings and goings in the neighborhood. The new initiative, which will be called the Dyker Heights Crime Watch, was announced by Civic Association President Fran Vella-Marrone on Nov. 11. “It is a neighborhood watch program, but not the type where people are on patrol,” Vella-Marrone wrote. Instead, members will be asked to become the eyes and ears of Dyker Heights and share their observations with other members. “This program will allow us to share things that are happening in the neighborhood, with deterrence being our ultimate goal. It will be a great way to share information with each other and ultimately with the police precinct if necessary,” Vella-Marrone said. (via Brooklyn Daily Eagle)

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Staff Picks:    
 

LONG READ: “The Secret Correspondence Between Donald Trump Jr. and WikiLeaks” (via The Atlantic)
 
ANOTHER LONG READ: GQ says Colin Kaepernick stands side by side withMuhammad Ali and Jackie Robinson as athletes who risked it all for change. (via GQ)
 
SCIENCE: See the world through the eyes of animals. (via National Geographic)  
 
ESSAY: Read writer George Orwell’s description of shooting an elephant.(via orwell.ru)

 
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NATIONAL BULLETIN: Amtrak renovates the interior of its trains before the holidays…WeWork will hire 1,500 refugees over the next five years…And a Pennsylvania man beats his 4-month-old daughter to death for being “fussy.”(via USA Today, WaPo and Time)      
 
FOREIGN FLASH: Italy grieves over its national soccer team missing the 2018 World Cup…The UCLA basketball players who shoplifted in China return to America…And six beached sperm whales are saved in Indonesia. (via USA Today, Reuters and CNN)

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 ROYAL WATCH: A former butler of the Royal Family talks about his experience. (via Daily Mail)

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BROOKLYN TONIGHT  
 

8:00AM – 3:00PM — Bartel-Pritchard Square Wednesday Greenmarket at Prospect Park. Details.
 
10:30AM — Little Scientists: Science Baby at Washington Irving Library.Details.
 
1:00PM – 3:00PM — Historic Trolley Tours at Green-Wood Cemetery. Details.
 
2:00PM – 7:00PM — Kimberly Mayhorn: Transcend at Open Source Gallery.Details.
 
4:00PM — Author Reading: ‘The Rise and Fall of the Sugar King’ by Geoffrey Cobb at Brooklyn Public Library, Williamsburgh Branch. Details.
 
6:00PM – 9:00PM — Tribeca Art + Culture Night at apexart. Details.
 
6:30PM — Metal Yoga at The Cobra Club. Details.
 
7:00PM – 10:00PM — 3rd Annual Badass Bash at Littlefield. Details.
 
7:30PM – 10:30PM — Twin Book Launch: Kevin Hardcastle & Nelson George at Community Bookstore. Details.
 
8:00PM — Quattro Mani Piano Duo at Carnegie Hall. Details.

 

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 EAGLE SPORTS: The St. Francis Terriers found a perfect way to stamp themselves as a dynasty for the ages in the Northeast Conference on Sundayafternoon at Brooklyn Bridge Park. NEC Tournament Most Valuable Player Ali Tounkara scored a pair of goals, the Terriers’ stingy defense stifled LIU Brooklyn throughout the contest and a throaty crowd relished every moment of the 5-0 victory as St. Francis College Brooklyn captured its fourth league title in five seasons. “This was a complete performance today against a very good team,” Terriers head coach Tom Giovatto said after his club completed a second straight unbeaten run against conference opponents with perhaps its most dominant performance of this ongoing reign of NEC supremacy. (via the Brooklyn Daily Eagle)

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MILESTONES
 
Happy birthday to Ed Asner, Daniel Barenboim, Joanna Barnes, Petula Clark, Beverly D’Angelo, Kevin Eubanks, Yaphet Kotto, Jonny Lee Miller, Sam Waterston and Shailene Woodley!


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