Greenpoint Star Newspaper

You may have already heard that the City Council passed the budget for Fiscal Year 2018, which begins on July 1, not just on time, but the earliest in a quarter century.

That itself is a win, but Councilman Stephen Levin highlighted some of the victories from the latest budget.

• Bushwick Inlet Park
  • The budget formally puts in the money to purchase the rest of the park, thanks to contributions from Levin ($2 million), Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito ($2 million) and Borough President Eric Adams ($1 million.)
  • The total deal comes out to $160 million, which the city negotiated.
  • “It’s also important to highlight the tremendous grassroots support that galvanized the community,” Levin said. “This would not have been possible without the tireless advocacy from the community, especially the Friends of Bushwick Inlet Park and the Open Space Alliance for North Brooklyn.”
• Funding for the hungry
  • $18.4 million in expanded funding for the Emergency Food Assistance Program.
  • 31% of food pantries and soup kitchens had to turn people away due to food shortages.
  • 49% of food pantries ran out of food.
• Closing the literacy gap
  • The City Council increasing funding to early childhood literacy initiative to $4.242 million.

PS 196, the Magnet School for Communication and Media Arts in Bushwick, is hosting its annual Career Day tomorrow morning.

The event will run from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Professionals who have followed their dreams will speak to students in hopes of inspiring them to pursue their dreams as well.

Breakfast and lunch will be served.

We’re keeping an eye on the Brooklyn-Queens Connector (BQX) streetcar project, a proposed 16-mile trolley that will run along the waterfront from Astoria to Sunset Park.

Today, the project picked up a major endorsement from the 42,000-member Transport Works Union Local 100. The union believes the BQX will create good-paying jobs and bring more business to the waterfront.

“The streetcar will give a powerful boost to the city economy, create good union jobs that can sustain working families and provide mass transit to transit-starved neighborhood,” said John Samuelson, president of Local 100.

Why is that important? Samuelson said the union will urge its members and political resources to lobby elected officials to support the BQX.

Keep in mind that the BQX is still in its early stages, trying to win public support. If it’s built, it wouldn’t be functioning for another seven or eight years.

The union says 600 of its members live along the proposed route.

“Too often, the people who most need a reliable transit option are the same people who lack a voice, and for whom a shorter and easier commute can make the biggest difference,” said Ya-Ting Liu, executive director of Friends of the BQX. “The men and women of the TWU know better than anyone how much of a difference transit can make in the lives of New Yorkers.”

Still, opponents of the project say it will increase gentrification and displacement in the highly-desired neighborhoods along the route, such as Astoria, Long Island City, Greenpoint and Williamsburg.

We’ll keep a lookout other events, rallies, endorsements and news around the BQX. Stay tuned.

The McGolrick Park Neighborhood Alliance is hosting a free afternoon of music, fun and games for kids at the park.

Now that school’s out, take the afternoon to enjoy music by Astrograss and Sing LIC. Eckford Studios, the Horticultural Society and the Greenpoint Y will provide activities.

Deer Baby Photography is also hosting a photo booth with one free digital print for each person.

Last but not least, enjoy pizza from Sizzle Pie.

It’s all happening today from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. at McGolrick Park!

Hundreds of people filled McCarren Park last weekend for the 10th annual Go Green! Brooklyn Festival.

The event featured dozens of local organizations, green initiatives and even The Economist’s truck giving away free vegan burgers.

“It was something that truly resonates with so many different parts of the community,” said Susan Anderson, the founder of Go Green! “It pulls people together. It creates a sense of intimacy and personal connection.”

Read more about the annual festival here.

Enjoy the photos!

Joseph Ackwood, a 21-year-old man from Bushwick, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for shooting a 16-year-old in broad daylight, according to Acting Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez.

According to the DA, the incident happened last summer across the street from a playground. The victim was hit in the ankle and buttocks.

Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice John Ingram sentenced Ackwood to 10 years and five years’ post-release supervision following his guilty plea to second-degree attempted murder.

“This callous and senseless shooting at a time when children were playing is infuriating,” Gonzalez said. “We will continue to vigorously prosecute all instances of gun violence in Brooklyn and seek lengthy prison terms against anyone who fires a weapon on our streets.”

On July 25, 2016, at about 4 p.m., the 16-year-old victim was standing outside a bodega with his friends in Sheepshead Bay. Ackwood approached on a bike, according to the investigation, and exchanged words with the victim.

Ackwood, a member of the Young Stackers street gang, then pulled out a .40 caliber gun, chased the victim and fired multiple times.

The victim was hospitalized for over a week.

Wow!! Camping without a car? No camping gear? No problem! Welcome to Malouf’s Mountain Sunset Campground, a hike in, hike out, fully catered camping resort. We can supply you with almost everything needed to have a relaxing stay in the woods.

Whether coming from the south or north, enjoy a scenic train ride on the Metro North Hudson River Line. From the Beacon train station we will take you to the hike of your choice. Hikes range in duration from a half hour to five hours. While you hike in to the camp, enjoying the views, we transport your gear to the campground and place it at your site for your convenience.

Upon arrival, the first thing you’ll notice is the privacy of each site. You will find your fire pit for cooking. You will see your covered platform which is especially nice because you’re not stuck in your tent if it rains. There is also a cover over your fire pit. You can bring your tent or rent one of ours. Then, there is our chow box – it has everything you will need for your stay, from pots and pans to a pad of paper and a deck of cards.

We also have primitive sites for the more adventurous camper. For these, you bring all your gear.

In either case, wait until you see the bathhouse – hot showers on one side, flush toilets on the other, and in the middle, sinks for cleaning up and sinks for dishes. There are also two dryers in case your gear gets wet.

Of all the phrases used in our guest book to describe the campground, the phrase most used is “WE’LL BE BACK.”

So, what are you waiting for? Come stay with us. Just give us a call at 845-831-6767 or send us an email.

Riverkeeper and the Newtown Creek Alliance (NCA) are hosting a community visioning workshop on Saturday, June 3rd from 1 to 4p.m. at Kingsland Wildflowers (520 Kingsland Avenue).

With a Superfund cleanup and long-term plan to control sewage overflows coming up, environmental advocates want to engage stakeholders in imagining a future for Newtown Creek.

They’ll discuss opportunities for restoration, remediation, recreation and resilience at the creek.

To RSVP for the event, click here.

For more information, contact Town Square at 347-559-1410.

GoGreen@townsquareinc.com     www.gogreenbk.nyc

Los Sures is hosting its monthly meeting at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church at 344 South 5th Street.

The meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m.

Come learn more about tenants rights and ending displacement in the local community.