Real Journalism written by people
Red light district John McGettrick, co-president of the Red Hook Civic Association and longtime Red Hook leader, has been at the forefront of local traffic safety way before Vision Zero. When Fairway first opened, he led the fight for a stoplight on Van Brunt and Sullivan Street. That was achieved. Because of the imminent arrival of the new Red Hook […]
When I was first offered this column about a year ago, my intention was to focus on local politics as a member of the progressive Democratic Left, and to only occasionally, when appropriate, tie these issues in with national politics. I, like most of those around me as well as the pundit class, believed that Hillary Clinton would be the […]
Summit Wins Participatory Budgeting Funds Summit Academy’s good fortune continues as City Councilman Carlos Menchaca announced that the school’s “Smart Tech” proposal was one of five winning Participatory Budgeting projects voted on at the end of April. The school will receive $120,000 to revamp their classrooms with Smart Tech upgrades. The proposal specifically noted the additions of “teacher resource stations, […]
Star-Revue reporter Emily Kluver spoke to the owners and managers of three local business to check out this month: UBreakIFix, an electronics repair shop in Carroll Gardens; Toby’s Public House, a new Columbia Waterfront District Pizzeria; and Verona Wine Bar, which re-opened earlier this year under new management. Read on to get to know these additions to the neighborhood. UBreakIFix […]
David Meade, longtime Executive Director of South Brooklyn Industrial Development Corporation (SBIDC), announced Friday, April 14 that he would be resigning from his position. Meade began working with SBIDC seven years ago, and took the lead position one year later. Meade is moving on to work at Building Skills of New York (BSNY) as Executive Director. BSNY connects low income […]
After the 2008 election Paul Krugman wrote that it was “the end of the monster years.” Krugman’s reference was to the prior 14 years of GOP control of Congress starting in 1994. During that time America’s political life had been largely dominated by, well, monsters. Monster in this case defined as being abnormally cruel. Ugly and frightening creatures like Tom […]
The New York Economic Development Corporation (EDC) announced today that the South Brooklyn ferry route, which will connect Red Hook to other spots along the waterfront, will begin service June 1. Weekend service to Governor’s Island will begin two days later, on Saturday June 3, according to the press release. Red Hook residents have long wanted more transportation options. […]
What’s a girl to do with all these extra coffee tables? On Saturday, April 22, IKEA and Goodwill are partnering to celebrate Earth Day. The two organizations will be collecting old furniture for recycling and repurposing at IKEA locations throughout the world. From 9:30 am-6 pm, families can donate their used furniture to Goodwill, who will be set up in […]
Red Hook isn’t like other places. The Christmas lights are homegrown, parades involve more barnacles than beauty queens, and, if people look carefully, there are signs of local creativity lurking around every corner. One of these little signs of creativity comes in the form of little tokens that people find stuck into mail slots, placed along windowsills, and tucked into […]
As our democratic process has led Donald J. Trump to the most powerful position in the world, so many are still shaking their heads and questioning how this has all come to fruition. Meanwhile, Anna Kustera sits behind a desk in her gallery on Wolcott Street. The recently converted space is bright-clean white; the bold art animatedly speaks its truth. […]
Participatory Budgeting is a community wide process that allows constituents to suggest, develop and vote on discretionary funds. For the fourth year in a row council member Carlos Menchaca has allocated $2 million for projects in his district, which includes Red Hook, Sunset Park and Windsor Terrace. Since September, volunteers have been designing and budgeting community ideas. And the time […]
It had only been light out for a few minutes on the sub-freezing early morning of Monday, March 13 when the black rented van pulled away from the curb in the Columbia Waterfront District. The van was bound for Albany, for the Carroll Gardens Association’s annual lobbying trip on behalf of itself and the statewide Neighborhood Preservation Program. The Carroll […]
The Southwest Brooklyn Industrial Development Corporation (SBIDC) recently gave an update on the progress of the Red Hook Brownfield Opportunity Area (BOA) program at a Community Board 6 meeting. The Brownfield Program, which dates to the 2003 Superfund Brownfield Law, assists municipalities and community based organizations with assessing and implementing revitalization strategies for polluted areas. The program can cover up […]
