News briefs

Watch out for ICE

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) are deploying agents to New York City. 

New Yorkers can call the ActionNYC hotline at 1-800-354-0365 to receive immigration legal help. 

New Yorkers who are feeling sad or anxious are not alone, and they can get connected to free, confidential mental health support by calling 1-888-NYC-WELL or texting WELL to 65173. 

If you are worried you may be separated from your child because of immigration enforcement, you can plan for the future by appointing a “standby guardian” you trust. Call 311 and say ActionNYC for free, safe legal support and learn more at http://nyc.gov/knowyourrights. 

City Markets celebrate Women’s month

NYC’s Public Markets are holding special events to honor women during Women’s History Month, which is March. This series highlights the female vendors and producers that make up each market.

The day will include live music, networking, voter registration, M/WBE certification and grants and funding to start-up or expand one’s own business. 

Vendors include Maryam’s Yum Yum with her red velvet waffles, Elma’s in Harlem with their fresh juices, Top Hops with tastes of local craft beer, Heroes and Villains with chicken nuggets, Mike’s Deli Italian antipasti bites, Cenkali Products with their indigenous Mexican vegan soups, Aunt Jo Jo’s with their BBQ sauce and Boba Green with their bubble tea. 

The March events which take place from 2 – 5 pm are as follows:

–       Saturday, March 7 – La Marqueta, East Harlem
–       Saturday, March 14 — Moore Street Market, 2PM – 5PM, East Williamsburg
–       Saturday, March 21 — Arthur Avenue Market, 2PM – 5PM, Arthur Avenue in the Bronx
–       Saturday, March 28 — Jamaica Market, 2PM – 5PM, Jamaica, Queens

Stay at home

The New York State Department of Motor Vehicles has announced that to better serve the public and reduce lines at offices they are reminding everyone that many DMV transactions can be completed online. 

The DMV offers 68 different online transactions and services. Some of the online services include: renewing or replacing your drivers license or registration, change your address, order a driving record abstract. 

For more information about DMV online transactions, and for general DMV information, visit dmv.ny.gov. 

Missing rink question solved

Bush Clinton Park, over on the east side of Red Hook, became a local home of Street Soccer USA in 2016 when the local councilman obtained city money to have them build a soccer rink there.

Passing by on a recent day revealed that the rink is missing.

It turns out that the rink is brought in during the winter.

A Rec Center employee said Street Soccer has a permit to use the space in Bush Clinton Park. The don’t use the space in the winter for safety reasons because it is so cold outside. They haven’t had Street Soccer outside in the previous few winters.  

The wind is a factor at Bush Clinton Parks since it has caused the courts to be pushed over, which is another impetus for taking the courts away. 

Correcting the Double Zee error

On February 5, crews from MTA Bridges and Tunnels replaced the first of the 19 misspelled signs on agency property that will now feature the revised spelling of the Verrazzano Bridge’s name. They will be incorporating an additional “z” to the signs to make it read Verrazzano. 

New York State Governor Andrew M. Cuomo signed the legislation in October 2019 to officially change the name of the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge (connects Brooklyn to Staten Island) to reflect the spelling of Giovanni da Verrazzano, who, in 1524, was the first European explorer to sail into the New York Harbor. 

The name was originally misspelled due to a mistake in the bridge’s construction contract. Cuomo has said that changing the name was necessary out of respect for the explorer and the state’s heritage. 

The MTA Bridges and Tunnels is replacing the signs on its property slowly, under normal schedule of maintenance, to avoid incurring additional costs.

On February 5, the crews replaced a sign (adding the additional “z”) at 92nd Street near Fort Hamilton Parkway in Bay Ridge that points to an entrance ramp to the Verrazzano Bridge. 

When it first opened in 1964, the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, then spelled with a single ‘z’, was the longest suspension span in the world, linking historic Fort Hamilton in Brooklyn and Fort Wadsworth in Staten Island. It is still the longest suspension span in the United States and handles almost 70 million vehicles annually. 

Since the first MTA Capital Program in 1992, capital investments of $1.5 billion have been made at the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, and MTA Bridges and Tunnels continues to invest through the current Capital Program to ensure that the 54-year-old bridge continues to meet modern traffic demands. 

Pickup games

It was recently announced via many flyers outside of PS 676/Summit Academy that there is an opportunity for pick-up basketball in Red Hook twice a week.

At PS 15 (71 Sullivan St.), the Patrick F. Daly School, there will be an open gym for full-court basketball every Thursday from 6:00 to 9:30 pm. There will also be an open gym for full-court basketball every Saturday from noon to 3:30 at PS 15.

Contact Tyler at 347-432-6302 for more information.

Rotary Club charity drive

Project Pad, an event hosted by the Brooklyn Bridge Rotary Club, will be held at The Great Room in Carroll Gardens. The purpose is to stock up the New Horizons family homeless shelter in East New York with feminine hygiene products, which they rarely can make available for residents.

 “If 100 people attend, we should reach our goal of 500 boxes,” said Jeannie Jackson, president-elect of the Rotary Club. “We’ve also reached out to some manufacturers and hope that they’ll donate as well as the local stores and regular Brooklynites.”

The Project Pad event takes place at 194 Columbia Street (between Sackett and DeGraw Streets), on Wednesday evening, March 25, from 6 to 8 pm. For more information, contact [email protected].

Columbia survey

Until April 15, Columbia University graduate students are studying Red Hook with a particular interest in its resilience through the lenses of history, preservation and sustainability. To learn directly about these subjects from the Red Hook community, they have prepared a brief survey. This survey is anonymous and for educational purposes only. If you have any questions please reach out to [email protected] or contact Professor Erica Avrami at [email protected].