Greenpoint Star Newspaper

 

Please consider donating to Catholic Charities this holiday season to support children and families in need.

Additionally, Catholic Charities and Citywide Meals-on-Wheels is hosting a Christmas Dinner from 11am to 2pm on Christmas Day. Volunteers are needed! To volunteer or for more information call Pat Critelli at 718-847-9200.

Brooklyn Boy Scout Troop 26 has a new home.

It’s now meeting at !S 318, located at 101 Walton Street. The troop is having an information meeting tonight at 6:30 p.m.

It’s open to all boys ages 11-17.

Ask any Boy Scout, and they’ll tell you that not only do you learn skills like camping, rafting, fishing and more, you learn valuable experiences that guide your life forever.

Read more about Troop 26’s recent achievements, including inducting 8 new Eagle Scouts here.

For more information, contact brad@andersonllc.com or 347-559-1419.

Get ready for a baby reunion!

On Wednesday, December 6 at 11 a.m., NYC Health + Hospitals/Woodhull is bringing together more than 30 babies and their families who were part of the hospital’s recent baby boom.

Twenty-six sets of twins and one set of triplets were among those born in 2017.

They will be treated to a holiday-themed brunch, and each family will receive a supply of diapers and other giveaways.

NYC Health + Hospitals/Woodhull is Brooklyn’s first “baby-friendly” hospital.

Greencycle is continuing through the holiday season!

This Saturday, Town Square is hosting its Greencycle Holiday Swap at the Leonard Street Public Library (80 Devoe Street) from noon to 3 p.m.

Drop off your cleaned gently-used and working items, and browse through other items to pick up something for yourself.

As they say, one person’s trash if another’s treasure.

Fair warning, Town Square says it may limit folks to one bag out of consideration for others. They do not allow the taking of donated items to resell.

All remaining items are donated to a local homeless shelter.

The suggested donation is $10 per family. Your donation will be tax deductible because Town Square is a 501(c)(3).

Be sure to stop by and participate this weekend!

North Brooklyn runs on its community organizations, which has championed our neighborhoods for decades.

Churches United For Fair Housing (CUFFH), which does important housing, tenants rights and justice work, spent Thanksgiving Eve hosting its annual Turkey Fried mission.

One hundred deep-fried turkeys were delivered to families living without a stove. They also gave away hundreds of frozen turkeys to local soup kitchens and church food pantries.

This year’s volunteers and supports include Madison Group, Grand Street Boys Association, The Solano Family Foundation, San Damiano Mission and Councilman Antonio Reynoso.

“Hundreds of families in our community live in apartments without kitchen access or reliable gas to cook. Every day we work with residents who cook on hot plates, keep warm with space heaters and live in homes without basic services,” said Chris Colon, a CUFFH tenant organizer. “It’s important we give back to families who need our help because they are victims of landlord abuse. We are glad we can give back to the communities we serve and put a smile on their faces with these turkeys.”

Here’s your chance to give your thoughts about how to get around North Brooklyn.

Whether you’re a pedestrian, cyclist or motorist, streets and sidewalks play an important role in our lives.

Councilman Stephen Levin’s office has funded a transportation study for North Brooklyn, collecting more than 400 comments and concerns. DOT is preparing to release the findings. But before then, Levin’s office is asking for last-minute input.

For example, DOT has analyzed the conditions on Jay Street and Meeker Avenue.

Here are some elements to consider:

• Lane width – parking, bus routes, truck traffic, bike lanes and sidewalk width are all dependent on the lane width on the street. There are also safety considerations, as studies have shown wider streets correspond with higher speeds from cars.
• Sidewalk and curb extensions – How sidewalks are designed can inform the way pedestrians interact with businesses, entertainment, or even each other.  Curb extensions reduce the crosswalk distance, which makes crossing more safe.
• The environment – Because of North Brooklyn’s industrial past and environmental challenges, this has to be a factor in decision-making. Think about trees, bioswales, and how to treat stormwater runoff.

The time is now. Submit your suggestions by filling out the form here.

Today, November 13th, the prototype of a new potential method of transportation connecting Brooklyn and Queens was revealed. The model BQX was unveiled at the New Lab technology space in the Brooklyn Navy Yard. The line would run 14 miles along the Brooklyn-Queens waterfront from Astoria to Sunset Park.

Executive Director of Friends of the Brooklyn Queens Connector, Ya-Ting Liu advocated for the new line saying, “…now is the moment to move forward with this transformative project to connect hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers, including over 40,000 public housing residents, to jobs, education, healthcare and recreation along the route.”  

Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams believes this train will solve the lack of interconnectedness between the two areas. “Everyone is on board, for the most part, with the concept that we need better transportation from waterfront to inland.”

Despite these benefits, some concerns among residents still exist. The fact that the train would not be connected to the MTA and would therefore require its own fare was one of the concerns. The project could be completed as early as 2024.

Tomorrow morning at 10:15 a.m., the PS 31 community is cutting the ribbon to its brand new STEAM wing.

STEAM stands for science, technology, engineering, art and math, all important subjects for the future.

Join teachers, students and other education leaders at the ceremony tomorrow!

Stephen Levin retained his City Council seat last night in the general election, and will soon begin his third term in office.

According to unofficial results from the Board of Elections website, Levin won 18,624 votes out of 21,104 total votes cast, good for 88.25 percent.

He will represent District 33, including Greenpoint, Williamsburg, Vinegar Hill, Dumbo, Brooklyn Heights, Downtown Brooklyn, Boerum Hill and Gowanus for the next four years.

Cambranes, a Greenpoint native and political newcomer with a background in marketing and communications, ran on her own “Progress for All” party. She received 2,371 votes, or 11.23 percent.

In District 34, Antonio Reynoso ran unopposed, securing another term in office. He will represent Williamsburg, East Williamsburg and Bushwick for the next four years.

PS 34 is getting a nice green boost.

The school was recently awarded a $2,000 grant to support its STEM (that’s science, technology, education and math) programs, which are all the rage these days.

The funding came from the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, or PhRMA. They have donated to other STEM programs in New York City before.

PS 34 has really turned up its STEM education, including a brand new STEM Lab, a robotics program, an environmental club and Eco-School sustainability program.

Here’s to hoping more schools will receive this kind of generous funding to continue the important work they do by educating our students!