Brooklyn Today: 1st snow: How was your commute?

December 3, 2019 Brooklyn Today

Coney Island Beach. Photo: Lore Croghan/Brooklyn Eagle

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THE LEDE: Good morning! Following last year’s surprise snow that stranded commuters on the George Washington Bridge for hours, the city is making a few changes to improve response to winter storms.

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THE RUNDOWN

~ ENDING MORATORIUM, NATIONAL GRID STILL FACES OUTCRY IN BROOKLYN: National Grid’s announcement that it would do an about-face and end its moratorium on gas service to new customers didn’t impress two outspoken Brooklyn lawmakers who said the company is still likely to face backlash.

~ FIRST SNOW OF THE SEASON BRINGS NEW STRATEGIES FROM THE CITY: Emergency Management hired its own meteorologist, who will work with the National Weather Service. “Having our own expert in house will help us make better decisions,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said.

~ ANOTHER POWER OUTAGE IN DYKER HEIGHTS SPARKS RENEWED CALLS FOR WIRING MAKEOVER: A power outage left thousands of Dyker Heights residents without electricity at the tail end of the long Thanksgiving weekend, according to local officials, who said the power was off for about three hours on Sunday afternoon.

~ FOR DOMESTIC VIOLENCE VICTIMS, CYBERSTALKING IS A GROWING ISSUE. THIS NYC CLINIC IS HELPING THEM.: Computer scientists at Cornell Tech are helping cyberstalking victims through a pilot program with NYU Tandon and the Mayor’s Office.

~ OPINION: LET’S CALL THE OPPOSITION TO URBAN DOVE WHAT IT IS: RACISM: “The behavior reported is jaw-droppingly awful. The headline, ‘New Midwood charter school sparks racial and religious tensions,’ couldn’t quite encapsulate the horrifying things adults were saying about children,” writes three columnsts.

~ WHERE TO GET LIT IN BROOKLYN THIS YEAR: A TREE LIGHTING ROUND-UP: It’s the most wonderful time of the year to come together as a community and watch a big ol’ tree get lit. No, really. Tree lightings can be a fun and festive way to mark another holiday season in your neighborhood — and they’re totally free.

~ ONE DEAD, SEVERAL INJURED AFTER EARLY MORNING FIRE IN EAST FLATBUSH: According to police, the two-alarm blaze broke out around 4 a.m. on Monday on the top floor of 1776 Nostrand Ave., between Clarendon Road and Avenue D.

~ NYCHA PLAYGROUNDS LANGUISH IN DISREPAIR WHILE FUNDS GO UNSPENT: When a city construction crew dug up a decrepit playground at a Brooklyn public housing complex last year, residents grew excited in hopes their children would finally get new equipment to enjoy. But the site at the Marlboro Houses, in Gravesend, has stuck out as a barren concrete circle ever since. (THE CITY)

MORE BROOKLYN NEWS

~ “Tensions Rise Amid Uncertain Timeline for Public Review of Bushwick Rezoning” (City Limits)

~ New York City real estate, thought to be unbreakable, had a tough year. Now, it’s hoping to recover. (NYT)

~ Two photographers explain why it was time for them to leave Brooklyn. (Brownstoner)

STAFF PICKS

~ READ: “Tinder Lets Known Sex Offenders Use the App. It’s Not the Only One.” (BuzzFeed News)

~ DRINK: It’s cold and snowy out there. Here are the 13 best places to get hot cocktails, including five spots in Brooklyn. (Thrillist)

~ LAUGH: Who’s already sick of Thanksgiving leftovers? (The New Yorker)

~ LIVE: At 84 years old, Pete Hamill, the legendary Brooklyn journalist and author, is still going strong. (NYT)

WHAT’S HAPPENING

6:00PM — Beyond Resistance: A Progressive Immigration Agenda for 2020 at CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies. Details.

6:00PM — Transit and a Green New Deal at TransitCenter. Details.

6:30PM — Oysters 101: The Secrets NYC’s Bivalves Harbor at Brooklyn Historical Society. Details.

THE WRAP

⌛ ON THIS DAY
In 1944, the Brooklyn Eagle reported, “The South Shore L.I.R.R. train was crowded with tired commuters. Many were standing. The women were festooned with Yule packages like so many overloaded Christmas trees. From a front seat came the trains of ‘Silent Night, Holy Night.'”

IMPRINT
Taylor Swift graces the January cover of Vogue UK.

ROYAL WATCH
“Why Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Won’t Attend President Trump’s Buckingham Palace Visit” (TIME)

SPORTS
With Kyrie Irving expected to return from injury soon, questions remain over Spencer Dinwiddie’s role with the Nets. (ESPN)

BIRTHDAYS

Happy birthday to Ozzy Osbourne, Mickey Thomas, Julianne Moore, Mike Ramsey, Hal Steinbrenner, Holly Marie Combs, Cornelius Griffin, Anna Chlumsky, Dascha Polanco and Amanda Seyfried!