Brooklyn Today: Anti-vaxxers sue city over mandatory measles vaccination

April 17, 2019 Brooklyn Eagle

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THE LEDE: Good morning! The Hudson River was named the second most endangered river in America for 2019 in a report released Tuesday, and the authors say that the government’s anti-flooding proposals threaten to accelerate ecological decay. Storm surge barriers, proposed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to protect property along the city’s coastline, and climate change were labeled the biggest threats to the Hudson River Estuary, which includes both the Hudson River and the East River.

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THE RUNDOWN

~ ANTI-VAXXERS SUE CITY OVER MANDATORY MEASLES VACCINATION: An anti-vaxxer organization representing the parents of five unvaccinated children in Williamsburg filed a lawsuit against the city on Monday, asking a judge to vacate a mandate put out last week requiring mandatory measles vaccinations for residents in certain Brooklyn ZIP codes.

~ NEW YORK CITY RIVERS NAMED AMERICA’S SECOND MOST ENDANGERED FOR 2019: The annual report identifies 10 rivers that will face a critical decision in the near future. The Hudson River, which was the only East Coast waterway selected, was also named an endangered river in the study in 1996, 1997 and 2001.

~ BROOKLYN BRIDGE PARK PRESENTS SQUIBB BRIDGE RECONSTRUCTION PLAN TO CB2: Knocking down the existing wood structure and replacing it with a prefabricated steel bridge will be an 18-month project with a $6.5 million price tag, according to Eric Landau, president of the Brooklyn Bridge Park Corporation.

~ CANTILEVER CONFLICT: EAST NEW YORK LANDMARK PLAN PANNED: A sharply divided city Landmarks Preservation Commission told Bushburg Properties to change its design for an affordable housing development that would cantilever over a landmarked East New York dairy with quirky cow murals on its facade.

~ HIS BROTHER COMMITTED SUICIDE. NOW, HE WANTS TEACHERS TO TAKE COURSES IN MENTAL HEALTH.: Anamul Haque, whose 18-year-old brother committed suicide in 2016, is trying to get a bill passed that would require teachers to take continuing education courses in mental health.

~ LAWMAKERS DEMAND VERRAZZANO TOLL DISCOUNT FOR BROOKLYN DRIVERS: State Sen. Andrew Gounardes announced he is introducing legislation to give Brooklyn motorists who frequently travel over the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge the same discount that Staten Islanders enjoy, calling the recently imposed $19 toll “highway robbery.”

~ BROOKLYN DA HOSTS ‘OFFICE HOURS’ FOR IMMIGRANTS TO REPORT CRIMES: The event, cohosted by Safe Horizon’s Immigration Law Project, will be held every other Monday. The next “office hours,” as DA Eric Gonzalez is labeling the event, will be April 29 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. One of the goals is to foster immigrants’ confidence in the DA’s Office.

~ TWO NYC DISTRICTS EMBARKED ON MIDDLE SCHOOL INTEGRATION PLANS. EARLY RESULTS SHOW THEY MAY BE MAKING A DIFFERENCE.: Some of New York City’s most sought-after middle schools could begin to dramatically reshape their student bodies as high-profile integration efforts in two districts appear to be making an impact, according to data releasedMonday by the education department. (Chalkbeat)

MORE BROOKLYN NEWS

~ Columbia University used to send its jewish applicants to a junior college in Brooklyn Heights. (Columbia Daily Spectator)

~ L train riders dodged a bullet when the shutdown was reversed, but there are still going to be a lot of delays due to work trains. (THE CITY)

~ A natural wine bar is replacing Georges-André Vintage Café in Bed-Stuy. (Brownstoner)

STAFF PICKS

~ READ: Here’s a look inside Guantánamo Bay darkest secret. (The New Yorker)

~ EAT: Here are the 14 restaurants with the best mac and cheese in New York City, including two in Brooklyn. (Eater)

~ LAUGH: President Trump has some advice for the firefighters at Notre Dame. (The Week)

~ CONSIDER: A group of New Jersey students toured Notre Dame Cathedral moments before it went up in flames. (CBS New York)

WHAT’S HAPPENING

7:00PM – 9:00PM — From Swastika to Jim Crow at the Center for Jewish History. Details.

7:30PM — The Pollan Family in Conversation with Michael J. Fox and Ali Wentworth at 92nd Street Y. Details.

8:00PM — The Once and Future Penn Station at The National Arts Club. Details.

THE WRAP

⌛ ON THIS DAY
In 1917, the Eagle reported, “A German submarine today fired on the destroyer Smith about 100 miles south of New York, somewhere off the Jersey coast. The presence of enemy submarines in American waters indicates that the threatened German submarine blockade of American Atlantic ports has begun.”

IMPRINT
Rihanna is coated in colors on the May cover of Harper’s Bazaar.

ROYAL WATCH
The royal family responds to the Notre Dame fire. (Hello!)

SPORTS
After a beatdown in Philadelphia, the Nets return to Barclays Center tied at 1-1.

BIRTHDAYS

Happy birthday to Sean Bean, Victoria Beckham, Boomer Esiason, Jennifer Garner, Nick Hornby, Olivia Hussey, Avi Kaplan, Rooney Mara, Cynthia Ozick, Liz Phair, Redman and Lela Rochon!

Brooklyn Today’s editor is Scott Enman. Contact him at scott@brooklyneagle.com.