Brooklyn Boro

Brooklyn Today: BQX streetcar faces its first test

May 24, 2019 Brooklyn Eagle
Share this:

THE LEDE: Happy Friday! The proposed Brooklyn-Queens Connector streetcar will face its first major test next week when the City Council’s BQX Task Force meets to discuss the viability of the project. The panel was formed to scrutinize the plan and make recommendations to the full City Council, whose approval is required before construction can begin on the 11-mile trolley that would run from Red Hook to Astoria.

Think there’s something we should cover? Let us know. Also, if you like what we’re doing, tell a friend, and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.       

THE RUNDOWN

~ RED HOOK ACTIVISTS FIGHT TO SAVE HISTORIC FACTORY FROM UPS DEMOLITION: Delivery giant UPS bought the red-painted factory at 202 Coffey St. last year, and local residents say that the company’s plan to knock it down would be a terrible blow to the neighborhood.

~ LIBRARIES FACE ‘UNDEMOCRATIC’ CUT, JEOPARDIZING 2020 CENSUS: The city’s three public library systems — Brooklyn, Queens and New York — say that they need an additional $35 million in the upcoming budget. Instead, they are facing $11 million in cuts.

~ BROOKLYN BEACH SEASON STARTS SATURDAY. HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW.: Summer doesn’t technically begin until June 21, but Saturday marks the unofficial start of the season: the opening of NYC public beaches. Temperatures are shaping up to be beautiful and balmy with not a drop of rain on the forecast.

~ RAPE CONVICTION OVERTURNED DUE TO DEMENTIA DIAGNOSIS: The Brooklyn DA threw out the conviction of a man who pleaded guilty in 2012 to raping an acquaintance who had a mental disability — after an investigation found that the man also had a mental disability, and that he likely did not receive effective legal assistance.

~ PROPOSED BQX STREETCAR FACES ITS FIRST TEST: Councilmember Carlos Menchaca, chairperson of the task force, pledged to ask “hard questions” so that the panel could do a “real assessment” of the value of the trolley.

~ EAGLE GOES ABOARD THE USS NEW YORK: Aboard the USS New York, an amphibious transport vessel which has returned to its namesake city for the first time since 2011, Capt. Brent DeVore said that NYC is such a “rich, culturally diverse, amazing city and we’re just thrilled to be here.”

~ BROOKLYN COMMUNITY BOARD ROILS OVER $26,000 SUV SPLURGE: The discovery came as some members of CB 1 fumed over the purchase of the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid, paid for with a City Council grant meant to help cash-strapped volunteer-fueled boards around the city. (THE CITY)

~ NEW YORK CITY BOROUGH PRESIDENTS ECHO DEMANDS FOR A DO-OVER OF PRE-K, EARLY CHILDHOOD PLANS: Adding to a groundswell of concern over the New York City education department’s pending takeover of publicly funded preschool and daycare programs, all five borough presidents are calling on the city to scrap its plans and start over. (Chalkbeat)

MORE BROOKLYN NEWS

~ The MTA says the L train’s Canarsie Tunnel construction is on track. (am New York)

~ Soil samples from Prospect Park and McCarren Park reveal high lead levels. (WNYC)

~ This Prospect Heights bar almost shuttered because of gentrification. (Grub Street)

STAFF PICKS

~ READ: “How Sackler became the most toxic name in philanthropy” (Town & Country)

~ EAT: Here are the 40 best cheap eats in New York City, including eight spots in Brooklyn. (Eater)

~ LAUGH: Democrats are at an impasse. (The Week)

~ VIEW: Take a look at these vintage black-and-white images from Coney Island’s amusement parks. (NYT)

WHAT’S HAPPENING

7:00PM — Sex, Pleasure & Intimacy in the Time of Capitalism at The Strand. Details.

7:00PM — Silence and Memory: An Exploration of Music, Mind and Brain at National Sawdust. Details.

7:30PM — DanceAfrica 2019 Performances at BAM Peter Jay Sharp Building. Details.

THE WRAP

ON THIS DAY
In 1951, the Eagle reported, “The New York Giants today brought up a 20-year-old Negro outfielder with less than a year of experience in organized baseball and asked him to win the National League pennant for them — beginning tonight.”

📔 IMPRINT
Australian actor Chris Hemsworth shows off his scruff on the June cover of GQ Spain.

👑 ROYAL WATCH
Who do you think has the best handwriting in the royal family? Take a look. (POPSUGAR)

🏀 SPORTS
Spencer Dinwiddie says Nets will still be best team in New York even if Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving sign with Knicks” (ClutchPoints)

BIRTHDAYS

Happy birthday to Jim Broadbent, Gary Burghoff, Tommy Chong, Eric Close, Bob Dylan, G-Eazy, Alyson Hannigan, Patti Labelle, Tracy McGrady, Alfred Molina, Frank Oz, Priscilla Beaulieu Presley, Kristin Scott Thomas and William Trevor!

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

Subscribe to our newsletters


Leave a Comment


Leave a Comment