Brooklyn Today: National Grid backs down on gas crisis

November 26, 2019 Brooklyn Today

Welcome to Myrtle Avenue in Clinton Hill. Eagle photo by Lore Croghan.

Welcome to Myrtle Avenue in Clinton Hill. Photo: Lore Croghan/Brooklyn Eagle

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THE LEDE: Good morning! Facing the loss of their certificate to offer natural gas service in downstate New York, National Grid said on Monday that it has reached an agreement with the state to immediately resume connecting gas customers in Brooklyn, Queens and on Long Island.

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THE RUNDOWN

~ WITH CLOSURE IMMINENT, CITY TO STOP ADMITTING NEW DETAINEES TO BROOKLYN JAIL: With plans to close the facility by the end of January, Brooklyn’s city jail will stop admitting new detainees in the next few weeks.

~ NATIONAL GRID AGREES TO END GAS MORATORIUM AFTER GOVERNOR’S ULTIMATUM: The utility company said in a statement that it will start connecting customer applications previously put on hold and start processing all new applications. In addition, National Grid will offer $7 million in customer assistance to address hardships as a result of the moratorium.

~ A CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM WOULD GIVE THOUSANDS A CLEAN SLATE — IF ONLY THEY WOULD APPLY: A 2-year-old state measure designed to help people with certain criminal convictions seal their records has so far failed to live up to its potential in Queens and Brooklyn — even though district attorneys there have challenged just a handful of applications.

~ SPORADIC WATER OUTAGES WILL CONTINUE FOR SUNSET PARK RESIDENTS AFTER WATER MAIN BREAK: Fifty Sunset Park families were without water on Monday morning following a massive water main break that occurred on Sunday.

~ ON THE EAST RIVER, A MASSIVE EUROPEAN WAREHOUSE PARTY: By 4 a.m. on Saturday, as most New Yorkers were already back in the comfort of their beds, thousands of wide-eyed revelers were just arriving at a massive party inside a 10-acre industrial complex on the banks of the East River.

~ 7 WAYS TO GIVE BACK IN BROOKLYN THIS THANKSGIVING: As we approach the start of another holiday season and prep our stretchiest of pants for Thanksgiving dinner, we thought it best to highlight a few ways New Yorkers can give back as we head into what we firmly believe should be commonly referred to as Turkey Week.

~ MICHAEL BLOOMBERG IS RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT. WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT THE BILLIONAIRE’S EDUCATION RECORD IN NEW YORK CITY: Michael Bloomberg has now launched a bid for president, after initially saying in March that he wouldn’t run. But six years after he left the mayor’s office, many of the education programs that he introduced are gone after his successor, Mayor Bill de Blasio, dismantled them. (Chalkbeat)

MORE BROOKLYN NEWS

~ “How to rescue New Yorkers from transit deserts” (City and State)

~ The MTA wants the city to pledge $3 billion toward its capital plan, yet “barely” any details about the plan have been revealed, according to Council Speaker Corey Johnson. (NBC New York)

~ The former “Watchtower” sign has officially been replaced with a “Welcome” sign. (Curbed)

STAFF PICKS

~ READ: Inside the Park Slope Food Co-op, where “produce meets politics.” (The New Yorker)

~ EAT: Here are the 18 best gluten-free restaurants in New York City, including three in Brooklyn. (Eater)

~ CARTOON: The office prepares for Thanksgiving. (The New Yorker)

~ OPINION: “Buck the BQE: The city should not replace a key stretch of the cantilevered Brooklyn highway” (Daily News)

WHAT’S HAPPENING

6:30PM — An Evening with Barry Lewis: From Colonial to Federal Style at New-York Historical Society. Details.

7:00PM — Astronomy Live: Traveling the Neighborhood at American Museum of Natural History. Details.

8:00PM — Performance: K. Mulhern and Sunatirene with Jack Patterson at Bar Laika. Details.

THE WRAP

⌛ ON THIS DAY
In 1950, the Brooklyn Eagle reported, “Lashing out over half the nation, yesterday’s hurricane gave Brooklyn — and the New York metropolitan area — a terrific battering. Winds of up to 100 miles an hour tore at the city all day, felled trees, snapped electric wires, hurled down signs and building cornices, blew away roofs and smashed houses.”

IMPRINT
Charlize Theron, Margot Robbie and Nicole Kidman embrace on the latest cover of W Magazine.

ROYAL WATCH
“The true story of the royal family’s BBC documentary, which hasn’t been seen publicly in decades” (Town and Country)

SPORTS
Could Spencer Dinwiddie stay in the starting lineup after Kyrie Irving returns? (New York Post)

BIRTHDAYS

Happy birthday to Tina Turner, DJ Khaled, Kara Walker, Shelley Moore Capito, Garcelle Beauvais, Shannon Dunn-Downing, Dale Jarrett and Rich Little!