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Brooklyn Today February 20: Judge Rules Against Brooklyn Heights Association in Pier 6 Case

February 20, 2018 Brooklyn Daily Eagle
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THE LEDE: Happy Tuesday, Brooklyn! A councilmember gets involved in the NYCHA crisis, an al-Qaida member refuses to show up to court, and a Brooklyn programmer creates a map of tears. Plus, ferry service for the L-train shutdown is revealed, we share how much money the NRA donated to Florida politicians, and the FBI received two tips on the Parkland shooter prior to the attack. Finally, Cape Town’s water supply could run dry by June, Turkey puts six journalists in jail for life, and we reveal what European countries did to curb school shootings. Have a great week.              
 
IMPRINT: Tom Hank and Mary J. Blige embrace on a recent cover of W magazine.

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The Rundown
 

~JUDGE RULES AGAINST BROOKLYN HEIGHTS ASSOCIATION IN PIER 6 CASE: On Friday, Judge Carmen Victoria St. George of the Supreme Court of the State of New York denied the Brooklyn Heights Association’s petition against the Pier 6 development, dismissing the case in its entirety. The ruling allows the construction of the controversial Pier 6 development to continue. “The BHA is disappointed that the Court’s decision dismisses all the claims in the BHA’s petition challenging the development of the two large residential towers at Pier 6,” the organization said. BHA said that the decision “reveals that the court applied the wrong legal standard when it rejected the petition’s central claim that the residential development violates the requirements of the General Project Plan, and made other errors as well.” Brooklyn Bridge Park, however, was pleased with the outcome. “We are pleased with the judge’s decision, which ensures that a public investment enjoyed by millions and envied in cities across the globe will thrive long into the future,” said Eric Landau, president of Brooklyn Bridge Park. (via Brooklyn Eagle)
 
~BROOKLYN COUNCILMEMBER CORNEGY STEPS INTO NYCHA FRAY: Councilmember Robert Cornegy requested last week that Gov. Andrew Cuomo declare a state of emergency so that urgently needed repairs to heat and hot water could be rushed at NYCHA buildings. By doing so, Cornegy stepped into the middle of yet another political tug of war between Mayor Bill de Blasio and the governor, while igniting a split between his City Council colleagues. Alphonso David, counsel to the governor, said the state “does have the power to declare an emergency,” adding, “That is the discussion we must now have.” Cornegy, who heads the Council’s Housing Committee, was backed by Councilmembers Carlos Menchaca, Mark Gjonaj and Bill Perkins. Councilmember Ritchie Torres, however, threw shade at Cornegy, saying that other councilmembers were already in talks with Cuomo. “This attempt to pre-empt the speaker and his colleagues who have done real work on NYCHA is a cheap PR stunt,” Torres said, according to the New York Post. On Jan. 31, de Blasio announced a $200 million investment to replace boilers and upgrade heating systems at 20 NYCHA developments experiencing chronic outages. Renovations will be finished by 2022. (via Brooklyn Eagle)
 
~PROUD AL-QAIDA MEMBER REFUSES TO ATTEND HIS BROOKLYN FEDERAL SENTENCING: A Brooklyn judge sentenced a senior al-Qaida member responsible for a 2003 attack in Afghanistan that killed two U.S. service members to life in prison on Friday while the terrorist refused to come to court. “This is not my court, that is not my judge,” Ibrahim SuleimanAdnan Adam Harun told U.S. marshals Friday morning, according to JudgeBrian Cogan. Still, the self-proclaimed “warrior” of jihad’s Metropolitan Correctional Center cell was presented over video to the courtroom. Harun, commonly referred to as Spin Ghul, frequently requested he be tried in military court as a soldier during his prosecution, boycotting the federal court since day one. The judge was quick to call him a narcissist living in his own world. “He is a person of murderous zeal. He is totally self-absorbed,” Cogan said. “He has one gear and that is to kill Americans.” Harun, 47, was convicted in March 2017 for his involvement in the murders of Private First Class Jerod Dennis, 19, and Airman First Class Raymond Losano, 24, during an ambush in Afghanistan. (via Brooklyn Eagle)
 
~BROOKLYN PROGRAMMER MAKES A MAP OF TEARS: A Brooklyn programmer traced out where her emotional paths have taken her in a map of New York locations where she’s publically cried, fallen in love, made out, broken up, been stopped by police and had political realizations, amongst other events. Kate Ray created “Crying in Public” and opened it up to the masses to add their experiences as an opportunity to think about the non-business parts of life. “I must be part-canine because the parts of New York that are most mine are the sidewalk corners that I’ve cried all over,” Ray wrote in a Medium post. “I know all cities are emotional maps to the people who’ve lived there, but in NYC especially we let everything hang out in public.” Ray hopes users will create their own maps and add to hers on GitHub. (via Technical.ly Brooklyn)
 
~FINALLY A PLAN FOR FERRY SERVICE DURING L TRAIN SHUTDOWN:With the April 2019 L train shutdown approaching and constant talk of alternatives lingering in the air, MTA and DOT recently released a comprehensive plan for direct ferry service at a Community Board 1 meeting. A presentation at the gathering showed that during the 15-month closure, direct service from the North Williamsburg ferry landing to Stuyvesant Cove would run from 6 a.m. to midnight, Sunday through Thursdaywith the potential for extended hours until 2 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. In order to account for the roughly 225,000 commuters who use the L line daily, the rush hour plan will run eight boats per hour in each direction with a capacity of 149 passengers per boat. Transfer to those ferries will be integrated with the M14 and M23 SBS routes, which will provide crosstown service. In addition to the new plans, East River ferry service will run normally. (via Bklyner)

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Staff Picks:   
 

LONG READ: “If These Walls Could Talk: The Strange History of Our FutileBorder Fortifications” (via Harper’s Magazine) 
 
ANOTHER LONG READ: About a year ago, American diplomats experienced sudden concussion-like symptoms in Cuba. Some say adversaries used sonic weapons. Others have different ideas. Here’s what we know. (via ProPublica)
 
CARTOON: For a limited time only, buy a congressman action figure from the makers of the AR-15. (via the New Yorker)
 
TRAVEL: “36 Hours in Bangkok” (via NYT)

 
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NATIONAL BULLETIN: Here’s how much money the NRA donated to Florida politicians…This is what the New Jersey Meadowlands would look like if it were a park…And the FBI was warned about the Parkland, Florida, shooter twice, but never acted on the tips. (via Time, Curbed and NYT)
 
FOREIGN FLASH: Cape Town’s water supply could run dry by June…Here’s what European countries did to curb school shootings…And Turkey puts six journalists in jail for life. (via USA Today, WaPo and CNN)       
 
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 ROYAL WATCH: Ever wonder what the Royal Family does every day? Here’s each member’s daily routine.

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BROOKLYN TONIGHT   
 

9:00AM — Brain Train Technology Class at Bay Ridge Center for Older Adults.Details.
 
12:00PM — One Long Night: A Global History of Concentration Camps at 92nd Street Y. Details.
 
6:30PM — Hamilton’s Best Friend at the Constitutional Convention at New-York Historical Society. Details.
 
7:00PM — TimesTalks: Angela Davis and Patrisse Cullors at Merkin Concert Hall. Details.
 
7:00PM — Lauren Slater in Conversation with Adam Haslett: The Science and Story of the Drugs that Changed Our Minds at 92nd Street Y. Details.
 
7:00PM — History Matters: Professor Jan Gross on Europe, the Holocaust and the Rise of the Right at Center for Jewish History. Details.  
 
7:00PM – 9:00PM — “Six Seasons” by Joshua McFadden at Archestratus Books + Foods. Details.
 
7:00PM – 9:00PM — Litfilm A BPL Film Festival About Writers at Brooklyn Public Library, Central Library. Details.
 
7:00PM – 9:00PM — 2018 PEN America Literary Awards Ceremony at NYU Skirball Center. Details.
 
8:00PM — The Brobot Johnson Experience at The Bushwick Starr. Details.
 
 
 
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 EAGLE SPORTS: “Nets need to fix this huge flaw, or it could get uglier”(via New York Post)

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MILESTONES
 
Happy birthday to Charles Barkley, Brenda Blethyn, Gordon Brown, Cindy Crawford, Sandy Duncan, Ron Eldard, Philip Anthony Esposito, Stephon Marbury, Mitch McConnell, Jennifer O’Neill, Sidney Poitier, Rihanna, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Patty Hearst Shaw, French Stewart, Peter Strauss, Lili Taylor, Robert William Unser, Gloria Vanderbilt, Justin Verlander and Nancy Wilson!
 
Brooklyn Today’s editor is Scott Enman. Contact him at[email protected].


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