Brooklyn Today February 14: Brooklyn Today Feb. 14: Acme Smoked Fish Expands Facility in Greenpoint

The Lede

THE LEDE: Happy Valentine’s Day! Acme Smoked Fish expands in Greenpoint, a councilmember proposes a special education “czar,” and Love Lane in Brooklyn Heights may be the most romantic street in the borough. Plus, homes are stolen in gentrifying black and brown communities, Jumaane Williams proposes restructuring the public advocate’s office, and district attorneys may face tighter campaign finance restrictions. Finally, we select the six most memorable moments from the El Chapo trial, and we share the best lunch spots in the city right now.

Imprint

IMPRINT: American actress Rachel Brosnahan shows off a bright yellow jacket on the March cover of Shape.

The Rundown

LOVE LANE: THE MOST ROMANTIC STREET IN BROOKLYN

Just one block long, Love Lane may be the sweetest lane in Brooklyn Heights. The little byway dates back to the earliest days of the city. According to Ephemeral New York, the former carriageway has a long history as a place for romance. In pre-Colonial times, it is said to have been an Indian trail leading to the East River. When the Dutch arrived, it became a “popular path for romantic walks.” A fanciful description published in an 1894 New York Times article recalls when “plump, rosy-cheeked Dutch maidens, with their sweethearts, meandered on summer evenings out through the turnstile and down the grassy bank to the water’s edge.” (via Brooklyn Eagle)

FUELING ACME SMOKED FISH’S BROOKLYN EXPANSION: FISH FRIDAY AND HAPPY CLIENTS

Acme Smoked Fish Corp., one of Brooklyn’s longest-operating manufacturers and one of the city’s best-known purveyors of smoked salmon, herring, whitefish salad and other traditional Eastern European Jewish specialties, plans to expand into a new manufacturing plant in Greenpoint,which would preserve more than 100 jobs. The incoming facility will be built on land the company already owns at 30 Gem St., according to The Real Deal, expanding Acme’s workspace from 65,000 to 80,000 square feet. (via Brooklyn Eagle)

TREYGER DEMANDS DOE HIRE SPECIAL EDUCATION ‘CZAR’

Special education students are in danger of getting lost in the shuffle in the massive NYC public school system, according to a Brooklyn lawmaker who is demanding that a point person be hired to oversee the implementation of services to children with special needs. Councilmember Mark Treyger said he will introduce a resolution in the City Council on Wednesday calling on DOE to appoint a special education “czar” to ensure that students with disabilities receive all of the services to which they are entitled. (via Brooklyn Eagle)

HOMES IN GENTRIFYING BROOKLYN NEIGHBORHOODS ‘STOLEN’ BY CITY’S TPT PROGRAM

“We want our deeds back!” Homes in gentrifying black and brown communities in Brooklyn are being “stolen” from their rightful owners through the Department of Housing Preservation and Development’s Third Party Transfer program, said the chanting protesters at Brooklyn Supreme Court on Wednesday. Numerous residents have lost their fully paid-off homes over technicalities as small as late water bill payments, James Caldwell, president of the 77th Precinct Community Council, said. (via Brooklyn Eagle)

WILLIAMS PROPOSES RESTRUCTURING PUBLIC ADVOCATE’S OFFICE

Two candidates for public advocate have proposed restructuring the office to better engage with the community. Brooklyn Councilmember Jumaane Williams and investigative reporter Nomiki Konstsaid said they would establish additional deputy bureaus of the public advocate’s office if elected on Feb. 26. Williams, a Brooklyn councilmember who narrowly lost the 2018 Democratic primary for lieutenant governor, said he would establish deputy public advocate offices in all five boroughs. (via Brooklyn Eagle)

DISTRICT ATTORNEYS MAY FACE TIGHTER CAMPAIGN FINANCE RESTRICTIONS IF NEW BILL PASSES

A bill to curb the amount of money district attorney candidates can raise from lawyers representing clients in a criminal proceeding could eliminate glaring conflicts of interest, according to its backers. State Assemblymember Dan Quart and state Sen. Liz Krueger, both of Manhattan, proposed legislation that would limit contributions from lawyers and law firms practicing criminal law to the campaigns of individual district attorney candidates to just $320. That’s down from as much as $50,000, depending on the county’s voter registration. (via Brooklyn Eagle)

6 GRIPPING MOMENTS FROM THE EL CHAPO TRIAL

Once a powerful drug lord in Mexico, Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman was convicted on Tuesday for dozens of counts related to drug trafficking and conspiracy. The prosecution went through hundreds of thousands of documents over the course of three months. And, with the help of Guzman’s former close associates and cartel members, the prosecution presented an insider’s view into the corruption, violence and resourcefulness behind the Sinaloa drug cartel. Guzman will face life in prison at his sentencing, which is scheduled for June 25. Until then, here are six memorable moments from the trial. (via Brooklyn Eagle)