Brooklyn Today March 19: Brooklyn Today: 60 days for stealing from the dead
The Lede
Hey there! Newsletter editor Scott Enman is taking a break from the daily email to work on some big stories, but the Eagle newsroom will be filling in all week. Today we covered the continued fallout from a Daily News investigation that found the MTA’s oldest, dirtiest buses disproportionately run routes in Brooklyn’s poorest neighborhoods. Cue calls for oversight, with one pol saying it’s “no surprise” the MTA would disrespect communities of color.
We want your news tips! Also, if you like what we’re doing, tell a friend, and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
The Rundown
LOWEST INCOME COMMUNITIES GET OLDEST BUSES, SPARKING DEMAND FOR OVERSIGHT
Borough President Eric Adams wants a “forensic analysis” into why the MTA disproportionately uses older, higher-polluting buses in poorer Brooklyn neighborhoods.
FORMER PUBLIC ADMINISTRATOR EMPLOYEE GETS 60 DAYS FOR STEALING $78,000
Fitzroy Thompson, of Park Slope, raided the estates of eight dead Brooklynites to pay for a cruise, flights to the Bahamas and rent, among other splurges.
PHOTOS: SEE INSIDE PUBLIC RECORDS, GOWANUS’ NEW HI-FI MUSIC SPACE AND CAFÉ
The record bar, sound room and vegan café wants to shatter stereotypes about what defines a traditional music venue.
NEW BILL AIMS TO PROMOTE AFFORDABLE RENT FOR SMALL BUSINESSES
Councilmember Rafael Espinal said small businesses are floundering under burdensome, rising rents while the mayor and governor are busy pursuing large tech companies by doling out gargantuan tax breaks.
CURBSIDE ELECTRIC CAR CHARGING STATIONS ARE COMING. COMMENTS, PLEASE?
The city plans to replace 120 parking spots with curbside charging stations for electric vehicles, and your input is requested.
QUIRKY STUFF: THE GERMAN SOLDIER IN THE RED HOOK BASEMENT
He’s wearing a helmet with a spike on top of it, scratched into the cement near a wall believed to be a remnant of Fort Defiance.
More Brooklyn News
The MTA bragged about reducing delayed trains, but in real-world numbers riders saved just nine seconds on the platform. (Gothamist)
Two bodies in less than four days have washed up in Sunset Park.(Brooklyn Reporter)
The Brooklyn Academy of Music is expanding. Here’s the plan.(BKReader)
Staff Picks
READ:
“It Wasn’t Just Khashoggi: A Saudi Prince’s Brutal Drive to Crush Dissent” (The New York Times)
EAT:
This Red Hook tavern Is part americana, part cantina. (Grub Street)
LAUGH:
Our Instagram posts will save the world. (The New Yorker)
⌛ ON THIS DAY:
In 1951, the Eagle reported, “Want to save your life if atom bombs fall? Construct or select your own bomb shelter in your home or place of business, and stock it with vital supplies. That’s the warning today from Arthur W. Wallander, director of the city’s Office of Civil Defense.”
📔 IMPRINT:
Solange Knowles poses on the spring/summer cover of Office.
👑 ROYAL WATCH:
“26 of Duchess Meghan’s Maternity Fashions That We Can’t Stop Thinking About” (Parade)