Brooklyn Today: Judge dismisses anti-vaxxer lawsuit against city

April 22, 2019 Brooklyn Eagle

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THE LEDE: Happy Monday! A day before Passover began, a Brooklyn judge dismissed a lawsuit filed by a group of anti-vaxxers against the city as the number of confirmed measles cases rose to 359. Since Mayor Bill de Blasiodeclared a public health emergency on April 9, 74 additional people have contracted the disease. “A fireman need not obtain the informed consent of the owner before extinguishing a house fire,” Hon. Lawrence Knipel wrote in his ruling. “Vaccination is known to extinguish the fire of contagion. It is worthwhile to note that in enacting.”

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THE RUNDOWN

~ HEALTH CARE OVER JAIL TIME, SAYS COUNCILMAN: Councilmember Stephen Levin introduced a bill that would provide health screenings for criminal suspects awaiting arraignment. The screenings could identify behavioral and physical health issues, opening up alternatives to incarceration that can be more effective and more taxpayer-friendly.

~ NYC UNVEILS PLANS TO SPEED UP BUSES — THE SLOWEST IN THE U.S.: With ridership dropping 13 percent over the last four years, the city has come out with a Better Buses Action Plan that will increase bus speeds by 25 percent by 2020. New York City’s buses average just 8 miles per hour.

~ MEASLES OUTBREAK: BROOKLYN JUDGE DISMISSES ANTI-VAXXER LAWSUIT AGAINST THE CITY: “Skepticism is important for any scientist or anyone dealing with scientists, but irrational skepticism can be harmful. And what’s going on here is irrational skepticism,” Dr. Alan Kadish said of the anti-vaxxer movement.

~ AIRBNB REMOVES LISTINGS FROM THREE PLG BUILDINGS AFTER TENANTS SUE LANDLORDS: Ten tenants filed the suit against their landlords in Kings County Supreme Court on Tuesday, claiming the landlords had gone so far as to deliver live rats, mice and roaches inside “refurbished” appliances just to scare them off.

~ ‘IT’S BASICALLY JAIL’: INSIDE NYC’S SUSPENSION CENTERS: Mayor Bill de Blasio has made reducing suspensions a pillar of his education agenda, and overall suspension rates have plummeted since he took office. Yet lengthier out-of-school suspensions, disproportionately issued to students of color, have fallen much less sharply. (Chalkbeat)

MORE BROOKLYN NEWS

~ A swimming pool could be coming to the top of the landmarked Dime Savings Bank in Downtown Brooklyn. (Brownstoner)

~ Brooklyn‘s retail rents are beginning to “flatten,” according to a new report. (The Real Deal)

~ A Bay Ridge church receives homophobic threats for displaying a LGBTQ flag. (Daily News)

STAFF PICKS

~ READ: When most residents in Northern California were fleeing the deadliest wildfire in American history, four friends decided to stay. Here’s how they fought the blaze and lived to tell the tale. (GQ)

~ EAT: Here are the 16 best omakase menus in New York City, including one spot in Park Slope. (Thrillist)

~ LAUGH: Cavemen hunt the Easter Bunny. (The New Yorker)

~ TRAVEL: Here are some tips on how to make friends while jetsetting alone. (NYT)

WHAT’S HAPPENING

6:30PM — Chroniclers of the Climate Apocalypse at Brooklyn Historical Society. Details.

6:30PM — Choked: Life and Breath in the Age of Air Pollution at 92nd Street Y. Details.

7:00PM — America 2024: Playwrights on Our Country’s Future at BrooklynAcademy of Music. Details.

THE WRAP

ASK A HISTORIAN
William from Boerum Hill asks: “Why was William Van Alen buried in Cold Spring-on-Hudson next to Emily Warren Roebling and her divorced husband, Washington?”

⌛ ON THIS DAY
In 1910, the Eagle reported, “A simple funeral service over the body of Samuel L. Clemens (Mark Twain) will be held in Manhattan tomorrow afternoon. The body will then be taken to Elmira, N.Y., where it will be buried beside those of his wife and children.”

IMPRINT
American actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus smiles from ear to ear on the April cover of Porter Edit.

ROYAL WATCH
Prince Philip is officially the third oldest member of the royal family. (Daily Express)

SPORTS
“The Nets’ long, arduous road back from a job someone ‘wouldn’t touch with a 10-foot pole’ to the NBA playoffs” (The Athletic)

BIRTHDAYS

Happy birthday to Byron Allen, Francis Capra, Peter Frampton, Amber Heard, Kaká, Marshawn Lynch, Eric Mabius, Chris Makepeace, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Jack Nicholson, Sherri Shepherd, Ryan Stiles and John Waters!

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