Brooklyn Today: ‘It’s like a second expressway.’

August 12, 2019 Brooklyn Eagle

Sheepshead Bay. Eagle file photo by Lore Croghan

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THE LEDE: Happy Monday! Drag racing, double-parked cars and scattered debris — those are only a few of the hazardous conditions commonly found on Sunset Park’s Third Avenue, according to locals who feel the corridor is growing more dangerous. “It’s like a second expressway,” said resident John Delooper.

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THE RUNDOWN

~ BLACK AND LATINX STRAPHANGERS MAKE UP 85 PERCENT OF FARE EVASION ARRESTS: More than 60 percent of people arrested for fare evasion in the second quarter of the year were black or African American, according to the most recent fare evasion data published by the NYPD. Another 25 percent were listed as “Hispanic.”

~ REPORT: WHEN BODEGAS ARE MORE COMMON THAN SUPERMARKETS, HEALTH SUFFERS: For every one supermarket in Bedford-Stuyvesant, there are more than 50 bodegas, according to the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s most recent Community Health Profiles.

~ SUNSET PARK RESIDENTS ARE FED UP WITH THE SAFETY FAILURES OF THIRD AVENUE: The roadway, which runs below the Gowanus Expressway, has a startling history of accidents. From August 2011 to August 2019, there have been more than 2,000 injuries and eight fatalities in the portion of Third Avenue that runs through Sunset Park, according to NYC Crash Mapper.

~ AFTER BROWNSVILLE AND CROWN HEIGHTS SHOOTINGS, STATE STEERS $200K TO LOCAL ANTI-GUN VIOLENCE GROUPS: State Sen. Zellnor Myrie, whose district was the site of a recent shooting that left four people injured in Crown Heights, announced allocation of funding for violence prevention to six community groups.

~ ASSEMBLYMEMBER ORTIZ FIRES STAFFER ARRESTED FOR ALLEGED $80K EMBEZZLEMENT: State Assembly Assistant Speaker Félix Ortiz fired one of his long-time staffers Friday, one day after the aide was arrested by federal agents for allegedly embezzling over $80,000 in campaign funds.

~ FAMILY OF PEDESTRIAN KILLED AT DANGEROUS CHURCH AVENUE INTERSECTION DEMAND CITY ACTION: The family and friends of a single mother who was fatally struck by a car one month ago gathered Thursday where she was killed, calling on the city to fix the traffic-cluttered intersection before another death occurs.

~ LIVE LOBSTERS, LONGAN FRUIT AND A SMALL-TOWN FEEL: SUNSET PARK’S CHINATOWN: Live frogs for $5.49 per pound, face masks made of snail slime and terrific tea. Welcome to Sunset Park’s Chinatown, one of Brooklyn’s coolest places to shop.

MORE BROOKLYN NEWS

~ “As shootings spike in northern Brooklyn, NYPD and prosecutors collide” (NYT)

~ Councilmember Justin Brannan wants the MTA to offer free rides on major holidays. (New York Post)

~ Digital music distributor TuneCore is expanding in DUMBO. (Commercial Observer)

STAFF PICKS

~ READ: “A Texas con artist made millions promising prisoners’ families the thing they wanted most: To bring their children home.” (The Marshall Project)

~ EAT: Here are the 35 best happy hour deals in New York City, including eight in Brooklyn. (Eater)

~ LAUGH: A canary reads the news. (The New Yorker)

~ TRAVEL: Should you vacation in areas vulnerable to storms during hurricane season? (NYT)

WHAT’S HAPPENING

6:00PM – 8:00PM — Philosophy of Hedonism at New York Society for Ethical Culture. Details.

7:00PM — Books Beneath the Bridge: Community Bookstore at Brooklyn Bridge Park. Details.

9:00PM – 11:00PM — United States of Outrage at Caveat. Details.

THE WRAP

⌛ ON THIS DAY

In 1920, the Eagle reported, “Charles Ponzi, whose spectacular career as an investment banker was cut short by the authorities, today surrendered to the United States Marshal and was placed under arrest. He was charged with having used the mails in a plan to defraud.”

📔 IMPRINT

Julianne Moore graces the September cover of InStyle.

👑 ROYAL WATCH

Kate Middleton wore shorts for the first time in eight years. (Harper’s Bazaar)

🏀 SPORTS

Kevin Durant opens up about his calf injury. (Yahoo)

BIRTHDAYS

Happy birthday to Cara Delevingne, Tyson Fury, Mario Balotelli, George Soros, Hannah Quinlivan, Casey Affleck, Pete Sampras and Alessandra Amoroso!