Brooklyn Today February 12: Brooklyn Today February 12: Bridge Connecting Greenpoint to Long Island City Gains Momentum

The Lede

THE LEDE: Happy Tuesday! A new bridge could be coming to Greenpoint,Ruben Diaz Sr. faces pressure to resign, and we have updated congestion pricing details. Plus, two more catholic schools are closing, an assemblymember proposes an innovative way to pay for subway repairs, and a new high school comes to the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Finally, we discover a winter wonderland in Red Hook, Trevor Noah appears at the Kings Theatre tonight, and we’ve got everything you need to know about today’s predicted snow day. 

Imprint

IMPRINT: American actor Richard Gere appears on the latest cover of The Sunday Times Magazine.   

The Rundown

SNOW DAY: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT NYC SCHOOLS, SUBWAYS, PARKING

It’s expected to be a slushy day in New York City with snow, sleet and rain predicted to continue until 5 a.m. Wednesday. City officials warn that today’s commute could be “nasty” and Mayor Bill de Blasio urged New Yorkers yesterday to “Stay home if you can.” But if you’ve got to drudge out into the frigid streets today, find everything you need to know here. Public schools are open, but field trips requiring yellow buses are cancelled. As of 7:30 a.m., no subways were operating with delays. Alternate side parking is canceled, and garbage and recycling will not be collected for Lincoln’s birthday. (via Brooklyn Eagle)

LONGPOINT BRIDGE CONNECTING GREENPOINT TO LONG ISLAND CITY GAINS MOMENTUM

A grassroots initiative to build LongPoint Bridge, a timber span connecting Greenpoint to Long Island City, is one step closer to becoming a reality with the establishment of a nonprofit and fresh support from local leaders. The organization behind the overpass became a registered nonprofit, Friends of Timber Bridge, on Jan. 24, galvanizing fundraising efforts and received the backing of two Brooklyn pols: BP Eric Adams and Assemblymember Joe Lentol. The pedestrian and bicycle overpass was announced last summer to bridge Newtown Creek at Manhattan Avenue in Brooklyn and Vernon Boulevard in Queens. (via Brooklyn Eagle)

FACING PRESSURE TO RESIGN, DIAZ SR. DOUBLES DOWN ON HOMOPHOBIC COMMENTS

Bronx Councilmember Ruben Diaz Sr. has doubled down on homophobic comments he made last week, despite pressure to resign from City Council colleagues and LGBTQ+ rights organizations. “I’m the victim,” Diaz told the Brooklyn Eagle. “If anyone deserves an apology here it’s me … I mean I’m the one being bullied.” Diaz’s comments are the latest in a series of anti-LGBTQ+ statements and votes throughout his time in city and state politics, which Queens Councilmember Jimmy Van Bramer, who is gay, spoke out against in 2017. (via Brooklyn Eagle)

CUOMO’S TRANSPORT DEPUTY UNVEILS CONGESTION PRICING DETAILS

If congestion pricing is put into effect, it’s going to cost a whole lot more to get to Manhattan by car, Michael Wojnar, deputy secretary of transportation for Gov.Andrew Cuomo, told a crowd at the Brooklyn Chamber’s Newsmakers event inDowntown Brooklyn on Thursday. Wojnar gave the attendees the latest details available on the proposal, which is included in the upcoming state budget. If the budget passes on April 1 — “and it better,” Wojnar said — congestion pricing would not be implemented any sooner than 2021. (via Brooklyn Eagle)

BROOKLYN CATHOLIC DIOCESE GRAPPLES WITH SCHOOL CLOSINGS

Major changes are on the way for Catholic education in Brooklyn. In the wake of news that Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Academy in Bensonhurst would be closing, the Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn announced the upcoming closures of two more schools, one in Brooklyn and another in Queens. Mary Queen of Heaven Catholic Academy in Mill Basin and Saint Camillus Catholic Academy in Rockaway will both be closing in June, according to the diocese, which covers both boroughs. (via Brooklyn Eagle)

HANDS-ON TECH AND DESIGN HIGH SCHOOL TO OPEN IN BROOKLYN NAVY YARD

A $17 million new high school within the Brooklyn Navy Yard known as the Brooklyn STEAM Center will be the scene of an opening ceremony today presided over by the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corp., the city Department of Education and Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams. While the term STEM – Science, Technology, Engineering and Math – is by now well-known in educational centers, STEAM adds the arts (the “A” in the acronym) to the mix. Of the $17 million that made the project possible, $12 million came from the City of New York and $5 million came from Adams’ office. (via Brooklyn Eagle)

MAKE ONLINE SHOPPERS PAY FOR SUBWAY REPAIRS, SAYS BROOKLYN ASSEMBLYMEMBER

A Brooklyn elected official has proposed a $10-a-day licensing fee for drivers of Lyft, Uber and other ride-hailing apps and a $3 fee for each package delivery within the city from an online retailer to help pay for the $40 billion needed to fix the city’s subway system. These two ideas, plus an end to Manhattanites’ partial exemption from the city’s garage tax, were part of a package bill that Assemblymember Robert Carroll introduced in Albany last week, according to City & State. (via Brooklyn Eagle)

CHECK OUT THE WINTER WONDERLAND IN RED HOOK’S VALENTINO PARK

Ice Ice Baby. Winter is wearisome. But sometimes it sparkles up the landscape, which is welcome. Just look at all these icicles at Louis Valentino Jr. Park in Red Hook. The spiky stalactites are growing under the pier that juts out over a rocky shoreline and small sandy beach. See how they glitter in the chilly February sunshine. The Brooklyn Eagle made a weekend visit to the waterfront recreation area to snap these photos — and catch a rare glimpse of bright blue skies. (via Brooklyn Eagle)