Brooklyn Today: 700 gallons of raw sewage spilled at Brooklyn park

June 4, 2019 Brooklyn Eagle

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THE LEDE: Good morning! A contractor working for the National Park Service punctured a sewer main at Floyd Bennett Field last month, causing roughly 700 gallons of raw sewage to leak into the soil. “The public certainly should have been warned and should have been kept away from it,” Riverkeeper senior attorney Mike Dulong said. “It’s dangerous for the public to be near raw sewage. Even the odors can cause nausea.”

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THE RUNDOWN

~ ANTONIO REYNOSO ANNOUNCES RUN FOR BROOKLYN BOROUGH PRESIDENT: “I have some exciting news, and I wanted you to hear it from me: I’m running for Brooklyn Borough President!” Councilmember Antonio Reynoso wrote on Monday in a fundraising email sent out to supporters.

~ PARENTS STEP UP FIGHT WITH MAYOR OVER ELITE HIGH SCHOOL TEST: Southwest Brooklyn’s Asian-American community, up in arms over Mayor Bill de Blasio’s proposal to eliminate the do-or-die entrance exam for the city’s elite high schools, is busy planning its next move in the escalating fight.

~ CONSTRUCTION BLUNDER SPILLS 700 GALLONS OF RAW SEWAGE IN BROOKLYN PARK: Floyd Bennett Field, a 1,300-acre natural area in Marine Park along the shore of Jamaica Bay, is the only wildlife refuge in the national park system.

~ THIS BROOKLYN FARMHOUSE IS THE OLDEST BUILDING IN NEW YORK: Part of Pieter Claesen Wyckoff House was constructed before 1641, according to its city Landmarks Designation report. The brown shingle-and-clapboard house is a museum that’s open a couple days a week.

~ CONFIDENCE ON WHEELS: BROOKLYN’S BIKE CLASSES FOR GROWN-UPS: John LaPolla teaches an adult cycling class for those New Yorkers for whom the hackneyed phrase “it’s like riding a bike” does not apply.

~ WHAT’S HAPPENED IN THE YEAR SINCE MAYOR BILL DE BLASIO CALLED FOR OVERHAULING NYC’S SPECIALIZED HIGH SCHOOL ADMISSIONS: For years, integration seemed off the policy table, and now de Blasio can point to a tangible proposal as he launches a presidential bid touting his progressive credentials. But actual progress is stalled, and in the meantime, the mayor’s opponents have dug in even deeper. (Chalkbeat)

MORE BROOKLYN NEWS

~ The Jewish Children’s Museum was defaced with an anti-Semitic message. (am New York)

~ Greenpoint residents can’t reach the ferry because of flooding. (NBC New York)

~ Here’s a look inside the Brooklyn Historical Society’s newest exhibition on sickness and health. (WaPo)

STAFF PICKS

~ READ: One billboard outside Los Angeles, California: When a woman was raped at the strip club where she worked, she told the police, but nothing happened. So she took matters into her own hands. (The California Sunday Magazine)

~ EAT: Here are the 14 best barbecue restaurants in New York City, including seven in Brooklyn. (Eater)

~ LAUGH: A naval commander misinterprets President Trump’s instructions. (The Week)

~ LIVE: “You accomplished something great. So now what?” (NYT)

WHAT’S HAPPENING

6:30PM – 8:30PM — An Inconvenient Talk Show at Caveat. Details.

7:00PM – 10:00PM — Concerts in the Catacombs at Green-Wood Cemetery. Details.

7:30PM — Gary Shteyngart with Maeve Higgins at Murmrr. Details.

THE WRAP

⌛ ON THIS DAY
In 1939, the Eagle reported, “Alice Gibson, platinum-haired daredevil from Bay Ridge, has decided it’s time for some mild excitement again — so next week she is going to start tests at Floyd Bennett Field to break the world’s parachute-jumping record.”

IMPRINT
American model Ashley Graham poses at the beach on the July cover of Harper’s Bazaar UK.

ROYAL WATCH
Queen Elizabeth welcomes President Trump and the first lady at a state banquet. (CNN)

SPORTS
“D’Angelo Russell coming to terms with Kyrie Irving, Nets’ hoopla” (New York Post)

BIRTHDAYS

Happy birthday to Cecilia Bartoli, Russell Brand, James Callis, Keith David, Eldra DeBarge, Bruce Dern, Andrea Jaeger, Angelina Jolie, Mollie King, Mike Lee, Evan Lysacek, Michelle Phillips, Bar Refaeli, Parker Stevenson, Robin Lord Taylor, Dr. Ruth Westheimer, Scott Wolf and Noah Wyle!

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