SHEEPSHEAD BAY'S ONLY INDEPENDENT NEWS BLOG

Courtesy of the NYS Senate

Sheepshead Bay State Senator Carl Kruger is once again getting panned by the city press for his money magic.

Back in November he invited a storm of criticism for holding up the budget process and nearly putting the state in bankruptcy. The Penguin – err, the senator came up with a number of ludicrous schemes to fill state coffers, and more than once insisted that the deficit just didn’t exist.

Well, now the NY Post has caught him spending taxpayer money with one hand while using the other to give the finger to Governor Paterson for not, uh, stopping senators from spending taxpayer money.

Kruger was caught pissing away $31 million in an unfunded entitlement that would cap rent costs for New York City HIV/AIDS victims at 30 percent of their income. A good purpose, for sure, but still a $31 million sinkhole wrought with hypocrisy by our good senator:

But what makes this bit of frivolity especially rich is that only last month, Kruger insisted that Paterson wasn’t going far enough in combating such [unfunded] mandates, saying: “It seems illogical [that] the governor is so unwilling to end unfunded mandates once and for all, and is instead content with a temporary moratorium.”

So how does Kruger square that stance with his support of, well, a new unfunded mandate?

Easy: The bill, he says, won’t cost a dime.

…

[Advocates of the bill say] the entire cost will be offset by money the city and state no longer need to spend relocating HIV/AIDS patients who can’t pay their rent into emergency housing.

Yet, according to OTDA, that sum runs to barely $4 million a year.

Even if that’s a lowball figure, it’s a great deal less than $31 million.

While the aim of the new mandate is inarguably good, our lawmakers are required to figure out fundraising schemes to cover costs. Kruger – one of the most powerful senators as chairman of the Senate Finance Committee – is way too lazy for that. In fact, we can’t figure out how a guy who fails at every turn to think about the economic consequences of his actions and seems to lack any basic math skills became the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee. Kruger’s continued electability (and he’s sure to be reelected) is an ongoing reminder of how truly F’d New York State politics are.

Tags: carl kruger, government, politics, state senate

The Guider Avenue Bridge – officially known as the East 8th Street Bridge – over the Belt Parkway near Coney Island Avenue is slated for full reconstruction. The project, expected to last between 12 and 18 months, gives the contractor full discretion over Belt Parkway closures. For portions of the work the Belt Parkway will be shut down for 15 minutes at a time, holding traffic in place while large components are moved.

In preparation for the work, most of the area has already been fenced off, some equipment is in place and detour signs are up and waiting. The bridge contractor is waiting for his permits. Once received, construction will commence immediately and the bridge will be closed. The huge structural components of the bridge will be installed at night and closures will be implemented as necessary. Drivers going northbound on Coney Island Avenue (Or westbound from Guider Avenue) will lose their easy access to the Belt Parkway West. They’ll have to detour by heading to Avenue Z, making a left and another left at Hubbard Street or Ocean Parkway.

It seems this project wasn’t included in the list of seven bridges the DOT is replacing, and the reconstruction also comes alongside drainage and guardrail renovations along the entire Belt Parkway from Coney Island Avenue to Knapp Street. With the three simultaneous projects, traffic on the Belt Parkway is expected to be a nightmare for more than a year.

Tags: belt parkway, belt parkway bridge, traffic

Every now and then, when I’m working on those longer complex stories none of you want to read, I really wish I had a venue to explain to people what’s going through my head. Many people view the news as a collection of objective, infallible facts cobbled together by some indifferent reporter. News is the Truth, and any deviation from it is the result of a reporter’s bias or agenda.

Here’s a little industry secret: 99.9 percent of the news you read is somewhere in the middle. Where we as reporters screw up is in our constant insistence that every story is a factual, accurate representation of reality. Our frequently repeated commitment to the Truth.

For anyone who’s ever been the subject of a story, you know exactly what the response to that is: bullshit.

Continue Reading »

Tags: open thread

After much waiting by frustrated bargain seekers, it looks like Loehmann’s Sheepshead Bay location is opening this Thursday, February 11, and we’re happy to see that one of the pillars of the Emmons Avenue economy is getting back on its feet.

Loehmann’s (2027 Emmons Avenue) has sent out notices to local customers and through its Facebook account about this week’s opening. The store has been closed since a November 21 fire ripped through XO Creperie next door. Loehmann’s originally planned to reopen after Thanksgiving, but later sent out a notice to “Loehmann’s E-mail Insider” subscribers saying they would remain closed until further notice.

Still, the two other businesses on the second floor of Loehmann’s Seaport Plaza remain closed – probably for good. Fire damage at XO Creperie spills out onto the patio’s ceiling, and Passage looks abandoned (which didn’t stop amNY from recommending a meal there last week).

Tags: businesses, clothing, emmons ave, loehmanns, loehmanns seaport plaza, retail, shopping

After many a fakeout, Totonno’s is finally reopening on February 10th, according to Slice pizza blog. Totonno’s, which many pizza aficionados agree is one of the best slices in New York (and thus, the world) closed down after a fire devastated the storefront back in March. In September, Slice reported that the famed Coney Island pizzeria would begin welcoming customers again in late-September or early-October. Then it became November. Then December. You can guess where we’re going with this.

Slice wrote the following quick post on their site yesterday:

Our man Ed Levine just got off the phone with Totonno’s owner Lawrence Ciminieri, who tells us that Totonno’s is reopening next Wednesday, February 10 at noon.

Ciminieri says he himself will be making the pies that day.

We’re confident that this is the real deal this time. Ciminieri says he’s got all the permits now and the pizzeria is ready to go.

We hope it’s for real this time. I had planned to go for my first visit right before it burned down, and all this waiting has got me seriously hungry!

Tags: Coney Island, pizza, pizzerias, totonnos pizzeria

Armenian restaurant Garden Bay Cafe (1788 Sheepshead Bay Road) has renovated its location and tossed up a new sign. According to a member of the family that owns the restaurant, they’ve also done some work on their menu by expanding the offerings. We hope that doesn’t mean they’ve removed classics like the blackened trout Village Voice gushed over. (UPDATE: Apparently the sign isn’t finished yet. It should be ready in about a week.)

Down the block, Ginger Rose Hair Design Studio (1804 Sheepshead Bay Road) has closed two thirds of its storefront operation for renovations. They’re still open for business and expect to finish the work in about a month.

We also just got word that Chop Stix Stir-Fry, Asian Noodle, Sushi, & Grill … err… Chop Stix (3790 Nostrand Avenue), formerly known as Peking Kitchen, got its hands on a liquor license and is now serving up sake and other booze.

Finally, it looks like Brand Z For Less (1805 Avenue U) got an extension to its lease. The sign that went up a few weeks ago saying “Must Vacate January 31st” now says “Must Vacate February 28th.”

Tags: ave u, brand z for less, businesses, chop stix, garden bay cafe, ginger rose hair design studio, nostrand ave, restaurants, retail, salons, sheepshead bay rd, shopping

Sidewalks repaired, new tree mulch, garbage remains.

It was back in November when we first told you about the sidewalk repairs being done at Super Stop and Shop on Avenue Y and East 18th Street.

The work seemed to be progressing at a swift pace, but then it kept expanding all the way to the above ground parking entrance ramp. Just when it looked like repairs were finally done, there were at least four sand barrels with leftover caution tape taking up valuable parking space on East 18th Street.

The barrels had become unsightly spots for illegal dumping as you can see from the picture below. The barrels are now removed and the sidewalk construction appears to be done, with the area around the young trees filled in with black mulch cover and some more litter.

See sand barrel, see garbage.

Tags: construction, dumping, litter, repairs, sidewalks, stop and shop, supermarkets

A frequent refrain we hear from those who hop the train to Williamsburg and the Lower East Side is that Sheepshead Bay is a “dead” neighborhood. Wrong as they be when it comes to the growing nightlife and local economy, they may have an unfortunate and unintentional point.

According to a recent article on YourNabe.com, Sheepshead Bay has the highest death toll of all communities in Brooklyn, leading the borough with a staggering 1,292 in 2008. Only Bensonhurst came close to being as morbid with 1,289. Borough Park, Coney Island, Canarsie, Bed Stuy and East New York are the only other communities to even break the 1,000 mark.

The most concentrated of all causes? Heart disease. Already the #1 killer of women and one of the top threats to your mortality regardless of gender or locale, Sheepshead Bay’s heart disease rate is, well, heartbreaking.

February is American Heart Month, so here’s urging you to step away from the computer and take your health into your own hands. Check out these five tips for preventing heart disease from the Mayo Clinic.

And for the truly lazy, walk to your local pharmacy and re-up on those Lipitor scripts, and try to resist the big, shiny Russell Stover boxes.

Unless they’re dark chocolate.

Tags: american heart month, health, heart disease, statistics

We all know how much our readers love hearing about Sheepshead Bay’s cellphone stores. So we’re absolutely giddy to pass on this groundbreaking story: as of this past Monday, February 1, the Verizon Wireless – Paging Zone Premium Retailer at 1517 Sheepshead Bay Road is under new management.

Igor Budiyanskiy and Dima Meksin bought the business from Gary Vugman and are promising customers “lower prices and a better customer service experience.” Budiyanskiy lives in Sheepshead Bay, and the two have been operating another Verizon Wireless location at 159 Bedford Avenue.

Okay, okay, so it’s not earth shattering. But it’s always good to hear that the area is getting some fresh blood (especially when it means a new cell phone shop isn’t opening). Best of luck to the new owners.

Tags: businesses, cellphone stores, dima meksin, gary vugman, igor budiyanskiy, sheepshead bay rd, verizon, verizon wireless

Brooklyn-based musician and Sheepshead Bay resident Anthony Kapfer wants to sit down and get personal with you on his first solo album, A Series of Events.

Kapfer aspired to make this album “sound as sincere as possible,” wanting it to tell a story and have the listener go through the experiences with him.

The main inspiration was a break-up. This album is a bit of a departure, as he’s always been in loud rock bands. But A Series of Events is entirely acoustic at its core. Musically, Kapfer was inspired primarily by The Eels and The Beatles.

“I wanted to try and make an album with a similar vibe as Paul McCartney’s first solo album, where it’s just him at home playing songs,” he said.

Keep reading to find out more about Kapfer’s music, and to download the album for free

Tags: anthony kapfer, music, musicians