Brooklyn Today July 3: At Least 12,000 NYCHA Apartments in Brooklyn May Contain Lead Paint

July 3, 2018 Brooklyn Daily Eagle

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***The Brooklyn Daily Eagle office will be closed on Wednesday for Independence Day. The next Brooklyn Today newsletter will be sent onThursday, July 5.***

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THE LEDE: Happy Tuesday, Brooklyn! NYCHA undergoes a lead crisis, Coney Island offers relief from the heat, and some freak accidents occurred in the borough over the weekend. Plus, we recommend the best places to watch the Fourth of July fireworks, we share some fun facts about the Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest, and pirate radio is thriving in Brooklyn. Finally, a school principal reveals some disturbing news, Lyft buys the company behind Citi Bike, and John Tavares leaves the Islanders for Toronto.

IMPRINT: American model Ashley Graham leans over a balcony on the August cover of Harper’s Bazaar UK.

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The Rundown

~AT LEAST 12,000 NYCHA APARTMENTS IN BROOKLYN MAY CONTAIN LEAD PAINT: Slurred speech, learning disabilities, slowed development: This is what hundreds of Brooklyn parents fear their children may be facing due to exposure to high levels of lead paint in their NYCHA housing projects. Shockingly, the city tried to cover up the problem for years, failing to inspect apartments and falsifying paperwork. A federal lawsuit settled earlier this month revealed that no one yet knows how many NYCHA children have lead poisoning, but the extent of the problem became more explicit over the weekend. NYCHA has determined that at least 12,000 of its Brooklyn apartments may contain lead paint. (via Brooklyn Eagle)

~SWEET HEAT RELIEF IN CONEY ISLAND: As Nat King Cole once said, “Roll out those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer, You’ll wish that summer could always be here.” We’ve got news for you, Brooklynites. Even in this heat wave, the ocean is chilly at Coney Island. Hellish temps are expected to continue in New York City through Friday, AccuWeather predicts. If you can hang in there until Wednesday you can find sweet relief on your midweek July 4 holiday by splashing around on the beach at the fabled People’s Playground. Over the weekend, crowds seeking heat relief packed Coney Island’s beach and boardwalk. (via Brooklyn Eagle)

~WHERE TO ENJOY FOURTH OF JULY CELEBRATIONS IN BROOKLYN:With Independence Day tomorrow, here are some of the best spots in Brooklyn to sit back, relax and enjoy the spectacular firework bonanza surrounded by family and friends. Anywhere in the borough with an unobstructed view of the sky will have a chance to view Macy’s firework show, but it will be more breathtaking north of the Williamsburg Bridge. More than 75,000 shells will launch from seven barges, located between East 23rd and East 40th streets on the East River. This is the largest Macy’s production since their millennial celebration in 2000 and starts at 9:25 p.m. (via Brooklyn Eagle)

~FACTS ABOUT NATHAN’S FAMOUS’ HOT DOG EATING CONTEST: July Fourth is tomorrow, which means an annual Coney Island tradition is nearly here. Every year, the best competitive eaters in the world come to Brooklyn for the Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest. Want to know more about this American gorge-fest? Here are some fun facts: The event is run by Major League Eating. They have sanctioned this event since 1997. Only contestants under contract by the MLE are allowed to participate. Condiments are allowed, but are rarely used. Contestants allow the hot dogs to cool after grilling to prevent mouth burns. Find out more facts here. (via Brooklyn Eagle)

~BROOKLYN WAS HOME TO SOME FREAK ACCIDENTS OVER THE WEEKEND: Some disturbing accidents happened in Brooklyn this past weekend. On Saturday, a 50 year-old-man lost part of his arm and broke his leg after an incoming L train at the Broadway Junction stop crushed him. On Sunday, another man, 38, was impaled in the abdomen by a falling tree branch in a gruesome accident as he was driving his minivan along the Bay Ridgewaterfront. On Monday morning, a disaster was avoided when a grenade was found on the 10th floor of West Eighth Street in Coney Island. (via Brooklyn Eagle)

~PIRATE RADIO THRIVES BENEATH THE RADAR IN BROOKLYN: When many people think of pirate radio, they think of the ship-based radio giants just outside territorial waters that beamed rock and roll music into England in the 1950s and ’60s. But there is a thriving pirate radio scene in Brooklyn, consisting of illegal home-based radio stations without permits. Most of them are aimed at communities that are bypassed by major radio stations, such as Caribbean-Americans, Latinos and Orthodox Jews. David Goren, a producer of “regular,” licensed radio shows, is fascinated by pirate radio and has launched an online “Brooklyn Pirate Radio Sound Map.” (The New Yorker via Brooklyn Eagle)

~BROOKLYN PRINCIPAL ADMITS SHE PROMOTED UNQUALIFIED STUDENTS: A Brooklyn middle school principal has admitted that, at least in her school, students have been moved up a grade without the necessary marks or preparation. Principal Indira Mota at I.S. 171 told parents that the school had promoted sixth-graders who hadn’t attained the necessary 75 percent in each subject without sending them to summer school. The Department of Education explained that Mota was referring to students who could have benefited from summer school but were nonetheless qualified to move up. (New York Post via Brooklyn Eagle)

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Staff Picks:

LONG READ: Donald Trump desired to be the modern-day version of Robert Moses, leaving his indelible mark on New York City. He wanted to build “Trump City,” but he failed. (via Politico)

ANOTHER LONG READ: “Inside the White House’s Quiet Campaign to Create a Supreme Court Opening” (via NYT)

INTERVIEW: American filmmaker David Lynch talks about sifting through tidbits of inspiration and a bag of vegetable chips on JetBlue that were “unbelievably good!” (via Vulture)

CARTOON: President Trump nominates himself for the Supreme Court. (via The New Yorker)

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NATIONAL BULLETIN: Lyft buys the company behind Citi Bike…A neighbor in Ohio calls the police on a 12-year-old black boy mowing the lawn…AndHarvey Weinstein faces additional sex-crime charges. (via Bloomberg, NYT and Yahoo)

FOREIGN FLASH: Uganda creates a 5-cent daily tax to access social media…All members of the Thai soccer team that was trapped in a cave arefound alive…And Denmark passes strict laws for immigrant “ghettos.” (Sky, CNN and NYT)

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ROYAL WATCH: The royal family’s spending is up 40 percent sinceMeghan Markle entered the picture. (via The Telegraph)

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BROOKLYN TONIGHT

10:00AM – 9:00PM — 47th International African Arts Festival at Commodore Barry Park. Details.

12:00PM – 6:00PM — Mira Dayal at Art in General. Details.

5:30PM — Tuesday Night Zumba at MetroTech Commons. Details.

7:00PM — Screening: “The Hit” + Q&A with Terence Stamp at Metrograph.Details.

7:00PM — Piyo at Empire Fulton Ferry. Details.

7:30PM – 10:00PM — Tuesday Trivia at Fulton Ale House. Details.

6:45PM — NYRR Open Run at Brooklyn Bridge Park. Details.

8:00PM — Story Collider: Transformation at Caveat. Details.

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EAGLE SPORTS: John Tavares needed to post only one picture on his Twitter account to explain the grip the Maple Leafs have had on him since he was a youngster growing up in suburban Toronto. The photo featured a not-yet-10-year-old Tavares in bed, asleep on a pillowcase and under a blanket adorned with Maple Leafs logos, and accompanied by a note that read: “Not everyday you can live a childhood dream.” In bidding farewell to the New York Islanders, where he was the captain and face of the franchise since being drafted with the No. 1 pick in 2009, Tavares chose Toronto and agreed to a seven-year, $77 million contract about an hour after the NHL’s free-agency signing period opened Sunday. (AP via Brooklyn Eagle)

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MILESTONES

Happy birthday to Andre Dawson, David Dinkins, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Ron Glass, Adrian Grenier, Arlo Guthrie, Jerry Herman, Sue Lyon, Alice Munro, Lawrence Pressman, Karen Russell, Jessica Simpson, Sofia Vergara and Virginia Wade!