Brooklyn Today: ‘A victory for free speech’

November 8, 2019 Brooklyn Today

You know spring has really arrived in Brooklyn when the cherry trees blossom beside Green-Wood Cemetery’s landmarked gateway. Eagle photo by Lore Croghan

Green-Wood Cemetery. Eagle file photo by Lore Croghan

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THE LEDE: Happy Friday! WBAI is back. One month to the day since operations at the decades-old, listener-supported radio station were suspended by its parent organization, the Pacifica Foundation, 99.5 WBAI FM has regained local control of its airwaves.

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THE RUNDOWN

~ SUNSET PARK LEADERS DEMAND MEETING WITH MAYOR’S ADVISERS AHEAD OF INDUSTRY CITY VOTE: With Community Board 7’s deadline to vote on Industry City’s rezoning approaching, two Sunset Park officials are calling on the mayor to send his top advisers to the board to shed insight — and discuss the city’s investments — as residents consider the 172-page application.

~ ‘A VICTORY FOR FREE SPEECH’: WBAI IS BACK ON AIR: The sudden shutdown prompted back-and-forths in court, as advocates claimed that Pacifica violated its own bylaws by not first bringing the decision to its board.

~ 7 COPS FOUND NOT CREDIBLE BY BROOKLYN DA COST THE CITY $1.6M IN LAWSUITS: The seven Brooklyn cops whose names were released Wednesday by the Brooklyn district attorney on a list of officers deemed not to be credible have been sued more than 40 times. The lawsuits have cost the city more than $1 million in settlements, according to data from the Legal Aid Society.

~ STAFFERS UPSET AFTER COUNCIL GIVES ‘SLAP ON THE WRIST’ TO MEMBER ACCUSED OF HARASSMENT: When the City Council voted not to expel Andy King last week, only four of Brooklyn’s 13 councilmembers joined the minority chorus calling for the councilmember to be booted from the 51-person body.

~ ARCHIVES AND ALCOHOL: 10 THINGS TO DO IN BROOKLYN THIS WEEKEND: Welcome to the weekend, Brooklyn. It’s going to be a wet one, but not because of the weather. Rather, the borough is hosting numerous alcohol-related events. There’s a cider festival, a beer festival, a wine festival and a whiskey tour.

~ STAFF PICKS: BROOKLYN’S BEST DINER BREAKFASTS: Everyone’s got a diner tradition, whether it’s a late-night, post-party blitz or a Sunday morning family gathering. Here are the eight Brooklyn diners you’ve got to try, according to the Brooklyn Eagle.

~ ADAMS TELLS TECH COMPANIES TO EMBRACE DIVERSITY AT BROOKLYN TECH WEEK KICKOFF: Borough President Eric Adams had a warning for tech companies and city agencies during a kickoff event for Brooklyn Tech Week on Wednesday: Embrace change, or be left behind.

~ COPS NAB ALLEGED BAY RIDGE PUMPKIN SMASHER: Cops have arrested a man they believe to be responsible for twice smashing a pumpkin outside a Bay Ridge home in the lead-up to Halloween.

~ BROOKLYN HOMEOWNERS WALL-EYED AT CITY DEMAND THEY INSPECT Q-TRAIN TRENCH: Owners of Brooklyn homes perched next to a trench used by the Q and B subway lines say they were stunned to receive letters from the Department of Buildings last week informing them they’re violating city codes. (THE CITY)

MORE BROOKLYN NEWS

~ “Brooklyn DA Releases Secret Lists Of Cops They Don’t Trust” (Gothamist)

~ A new private school is coming to Downtown Brooklyn. (Daily News)

~ Here are 13 performances to see this weekend in New York City. (NYT)

STAFF PICKS

~ READ: “The Fisherman’s Secret: A modern-day treasure hunt” (SF Chronicle)

~ EAT: Here are 39 restaurants that you have to eat at right now in New York City, including 15 in Brooklyn. (Thrillist)

~ CARTOON: An updated version of Bingo. (The New Yorker)

~ LIVE: Here are some tips on how to avoid getting burnt out. (NYT)

WHAT’S HAPPENING

6:30PM — An Evening with Pia Camil at the Guggenheim Museum. Details.

7:00PM – 9:30PM — Opening Night: Reproductive Rights Film Festival at the Brooklyn Museum. Details.

7:30PM — Terry Tempest Williams on “Erosion: Essays of Undoing” at Central Library. Details.

THE WRAP

⌛ ON THIS DAY
In 1916, the Brooklyn Eagle reported, “Miss Jeannette Rankin, whose election to Congress as a delegate-at-large from Montana is claimed by the State Republican Committee, is well- known in Brooklyn suffrage circles and has been a leader in suffrage work in the nation for some time.”

📔 IMPRINT
Ana De Armas and Lashana Lynch pose side by side on the latest cover of The Hollywood Reporter.

👑 ROYAL WATCH
“Meghan Markle is being criticized for doing the same things that Kate Middleton is praised for” (Insider)

⚾ SPORTS
Edgardo Alfonzo opens up about being fired as Cyclones manager. (Metsmerized Online)

BIRTHDAYS

Happy birthday to Bonnie Raitt, Gordon Ramsay, Alfre Woodard, Kevin Young, Christie Hefner, Tara Reid, Norman Lloyd, Rickie Lee Jones, Matthew Rhys and David Muir!