Brooklyn Today: Is it time to pull the plug on ConEd?

July 23, 2019 Brooklyn Today

Greenpoint. Eagle photo by Paul Frangipane

Greenpoint. Photo: Paul Frangipane/Brooklyn Eagle

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THE LEDE: Good morning! The weekend’s heat wave raised hell in Brooklyn. With residents still reeling from Con Edison’s outage, local politicians are slamming the energy company as affected residents are left with more questions than answers. Plus, Brooklynites who had their electricity turned off may be eligible for some money back. Finally, here’s what experts have to say about the power failure.

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THE RUNDOWN

~ IN THE HEAT WAVE, ONE BROOKLYN JAIL CAUGHT FIRE. THE OTHER WAS ‘BOILING-HOT.’: Brooklyn’s jails struggled to deal with soaring temperatures this weekend, with 11 people injured in a fire at a federal lockup in Sunset Park and inadequate measures to deal with “boiling-hot” temperatures in the borough’s Boerum Hill facility.

~ EVENING FLASH FLOODS IN BROOKLYN RENDER CITY STREETS IMPASSABLE: After a weekend of scorching, muggy heat, the sky finally opened up on Brooklyn, unleashing torrents of rain on the borough. The sudden deluge Monday evening turned the street outside the Eagle’s DUMBO office into a Venice-like canal.

~ LAWMAKERS OFFER SUPPORT TO IMMIGRANT COMMUNITIES TARGETED BY ICE RAIDS: U.S. Rep. Nydia Velázquez and Councilmember Carlos Menchaca went into the heart of Sunset Park to check in on families and reassure non-U.S. citizen residents of their rights.

~ PULLING THE PLUG ON CON ED? OFFICIALS SEEK ACCOUNTABILITY AFTER BROOKLYN BLACKOUT: As Brooklyn households continued to grapple with widespread power outages, elected officials are demanding more oversight of electricity provider Con Edison — including state and local investigations, hearings, legislation and even a proposal for government-run power delivery.

~ POWER EXPERTS ON THE BROOKLYN BLACKOUT: WHAT HAPPENED AND HOW CAN IT BE FIXED?: Electrical power grid expert Yury Dvorkin is not at all surprised by Sunday night’s power failure. “Disconnecting people from the grid should be a last resort,” he said.

~ SO CON ED SHUT YOUR POWER OFF? HERE’S HOW TO GET SOME MONEY BACK.: If you were among the tens of thousands of Con Edison customers who had their power severed on Sunday night, you can file a claim for any food or medicine that went bad as a result.

~ BROOKLYNITES WHO LOST POWER ASK CON EDISON: ‘WHY US?’: “I have one question for ConEd: Why’d they choose us?” said Flatlands resident Stanley Henriquez on Monday morning. “Why are we the ones that have to suffer for the bigger power grid? We pay like everybody else.”

~ LIGHT DISPLAY FLOODS BUSHWICK JUNCTION AS PROTESTERS DENOUNCE REZONING: A Bushwick anti-gentrification group projected billboard-sized messages onto the Myrtle-Wyckoff Avenues subway station on Friday night to denounce what they call a dangerous potential rezoning in the neighborhood.

~ PROPERTY OWNERS CALL FOR CITY HOUSING PROGRAM TO BE SHUT DOWN IN ONGOING CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT: Lawyers representing plaintiffs in a class action lawsuit against an embattled city affordable housing program responded on Thursday to the city’s earlier request that the lawsuit be dismissed, asserting the program is outright illegal.

MORE BROOKLYN NEWS

~ NYCHA Federal Monitor Bart Schwartz revealed in a new report that 18 kids from public housing have lead in their blood. (NBC NewYork)

~ Crown Heights commuters were stuck underground for roughly two hours on Monday afternoon due to a signal malfunction. (Patch)

~ “Sanders’ early life in Brooklyn taught lessons, some tough” (AP)

STAFF PICKS

~ READ: “Is it okay to laugh at Florida man?” (WaPo Magazine)

~ DRINK: Here are the top five frozen cocktails to beat the heat in New York City, including four in Brooklyn. (Thrillist)

~ LAUGH: President Trump and Melania get in a fight. (The Week)

~ LIVE: A reporter goes undercover as a food app delivery man. (NYT)

WHAT’S HAPPENING

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

7:00PM – 9:00PM — Book Launch: “The Completionist” by Siobhan Adcock at POWERHOUSE. Details.

9:00PM – 10:50PM — A Tribute to Jennifer Lopez at Caveat. Details.

THE WRAP

⌛ ON THIS DAY
In 1897, the Eagle reported, “Negotiations between the representatives of the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company and the Brooklyn Elevated Railroad, in regard to the consolidation of the two systems, have reached an advanced point.”

📔 IMPRINT
A cartoon figure depicting Boris Johnson appears on the latest cover of Der Spiegel.

👑 ROYAL WATCH
“How Prince Andrew revealed whether he will remarry Sarah Ferguson” (Daily Express)

🏀 SPORTS
Nets summer league player Duop Reath had to live through the Second Sudanese Civil War. (New York Post)

BIRTHDAYS

Happy birthday to Ronny Cox, Paul Wesley, Brandon Roy, Marlon Wayans, Nicholas Gage, Daniel Radcliffe, Nomar Garciaparra, Belinda Montgomery, Tom Mison, Woody Harrelson, Don Imus, Edie McClurg, Slash, Eriq La Salle, Arata Isozaki and Anthony Kennedy!

Brooklyn Today’s editor is Scott Enman. Contact him at [email protected].