Brooklyn Today: “Saying ‘no’ outright is unacceptable.”

September 30, 2019 Brooklyn Today

Bed-Stuy. Eagle file photo by Paul Frangipane

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THE LEDE: Happy Monday! Councilmember Carlos Menchaca penned an open letter clarifying his decision to allow Industry City’s rezoning to proceed with concessions, while also explaining his thought process. He called the outcome a “major victory” and reiterated that saying “no” outright to the proposal was “unacceptable” and would only exacerbate current trends of gentrification, displacement and rising rents.

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THE RUNDOWN

~ SCHOOLS CHANCELLOR STANDS BY OPPOSITION TO SHSAT: Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza doubled down on his commitment to scrapping the controversial admissions test for the city’s elite high schools, just days after the mayor said he was open to the idea of keeping the exam in place.

~ FAMILIES FACE EVICTION FROM CROWN HEIGHTS HOMELESS SHELTER OVER $4M DEBT: Homeless families at a Crown Heights shelter are facing eviction and could be out on the street in the coming weeks due to $4 million in overdue rent and utility payments, according to the building’s owner.

~ MENCHACA EXPLAINS INDUSTRY CITY DECISION IN OPEN LETTER: Councilmember Carlos Menchaca released the message after his office received numerous inquiries from residents who felt there was ambiguity surrounding the role of an advisory group that helped him reach his conclusions, according to a staffer.

~ THE HOLIDAY MAGIC OF MACY’S BEGINS AT A RED HOOK WORKSHOP: Roughly 200 artists, designers, sculptors, animators, carpenters, electricians and sound engineers start planning the Macy’s holiday window display in March or April at a Red Hook workshop.

~ BROOKLYN MAN CHARGED WITH MURDER IN CYCLIST’S DEATH: A Brooklyn man was arraigned on murder charges for allegedly chasing down and running over a cyclist in Bushwick in September in a gruesome crash caught on surveillance video, prosecutors announced Friday.

~ OPINION: YOU CAN BE A CLIMATE ACTIVIST AT THE GROCERY STORE: “I take pride in knowing that my plant-based lunch is not only keeping me healthy and free of chronic disease, but also that it is not contributing to land degradation and exacerbating climate change,” writes Borough President Eric Adams.

~ THERE ARE NEW DEADLINES FOR VOTER REGISTRATION. HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW.: Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a new bill last week that extends the deadline for registered voters to change party enrollment until Feb. 1 — a significant extension from the original date of Oct. 11.

~ NY COULD ADD MENTHOL TO FLAVOR BAN AS VAPING GROUPS SUE: New York officials want to add menthol to the state’s first-in-the-nation ban on the sale of flavored e-cigarettes as the vaping industry seeks to block it, according to the Governor’s Office. (AP)

~ REP. MAX ROSE IN HOT SEAT AS HOLDOUT ON TRUMP IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY: Speaker Nancy Pelosi and 220 other Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives say they’re committed to an impeachment inquiry on President Donald Trump — leaving one New York City member of Congress among a conspicuous handful of holdouts. (THE CITY)

MORE BROOKLYN NEWS

~ “Investigation finds widespread infrastructure, leadership failures at [Sunset Park] federal jail” (Politico)

~ At Iraqi House in Bay Ridge, “every dish is different.” (NYT)

~ Fire, smoke and loud noises coming from a Williamsburg nightclub took residents off guard last week, but it turned out to be a bombing scene for a TV show. (Page Six)

STAFF PICKS

~ READ: “Will there ever be a cure for chronic pain?” (1843 Magazine)

~ EAT: Here are the 12 best brunch spots in New York City, including three in Brooklyn. (Eater)

~ CARTOON: Fall has officially arrived. (The New Yorker)

~ TRAVEL: Here are the 16 best trails to go hiking in upstate New York. (Thrillist)

WHAT’S HAPPENING

7:00PM — Masters of Social Gastronomy: Can you MILK it? The Science and History of PLANT MILKS at Caveat. Details.

7:00PM — Micropolis: How to Revive a Fading Language at The Greene Space. Details.

8:30PM – 11:30PM — Reggae Monday at Velvet Brooklyn. Details.

THE WRAP

⌛ ON THIS DAY
In 1912, the Eagle reported, “The School of Journalism of Columbia University has opened with the full number of students — about 100 — the university can accommodate until the completion of the building now under construction at Broadway and 116th Street, Manhattan.”

📔 IMPRINT
English actress Olivia Colman poses in red on the November cover of Harper’s Bazaar U.K.

👑 ROYAL WATCH
Here’s everything you need to know about Princess Beatrice’s fiancé. (Page Six)

🏀 SPORTS
“How did Kyrie and KD get to Brooklyn? Both stars open up” (ESPN)

BIRTHDAYS

Happy birthday to Ta-Nehisi Coates, Téa Obreht, Victoria Tennant, Crystal Bernard, Deborah Allen, Angie Dickinson, Jenna Elfman, Martina Hingis, Marilyn McCoo, W.S. Merwin, Fran Drescher, Dominique Moceanu, Eric Stoltz and Marion Cotillard!