Beachgoers beware: beginning this weekend, Manhattan Beach’s parking restrictions take effect, limiting where you can park if you plan a Saturday or Sunday trip to the neighborhood.
NYC Parking Regulations in Manhattan Beach prohibit parking your cars on the streets on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays through September 15.
I’m Convinced.
Are we alone? Are the aliens visiting Southern Brooklyn? Here at Sheepshead Bites we have informed you on cases of mysteriously missing UFO hunters and the launching of a specialized UFO hotline but never an actual sighting.
Well, it looks like extra-terrestrial activity is indeed buzzing about our area. A reader, who wishes to remain anonymous, sent us the following e-mail concerning a UFO her grandmother was convinced she saw hovering over Manhattan Beach this weekend.
Good Morning Ned and Sheepshead Bites,
Ok before you send this e-mail over to trash bin, hear me out. I’m not one of those UFO believers who wear tin foil on their head walking around with a transistor radio.But yesterday night, around 9 pm, my grandmother, who lives in Brighton beach (Brighton 13th) with windows facing Sheepshead/Manhattan Beach area, drove me nuts last night, telling me that there was something cigar shaped, red/pale red in color hanging over one of the buildings towards the Manhattan beach area.She had somehow convinced my mother that there was something there as well, she lives in the same building as me, with windows facing the same way. I did not see anything.Today, when grandma figured out how to e-mail pictures, she sent me the picture attached – Apparently whatever the blue rectangle is with some light around it, is what she claims was glowing red and not something she had seen before.Anyways, was there any one else reporting something amiss in the neighborhood(s)?Sorry for the grainy image, granny’s phone is not the newest model.Also, please don’t use my name if you add this to the blog or facebook,( i feel ridiculous e-mailing this as is) You can use the picture tho.Thank You.
The National Weather Service issued a sudden Flash Flood Warning shortly before 8:30 a.m. and lasting until 9:15 a.m., as a torrent of rainfall came down on Brooklyn, flooding homes, highways and and streets.
There was major flooding on the Belt Parkway near Cropsey Avenue, and the highway ultimately shut down for short period because of it. Eventually one lane in each direction reopened. Also near Cropsey Avenue, there were reports on the police scanner that cars were submerged on Shore Parkway, and even drifting in the current.
We heard about flooding from Plumb Beach all the way to Dyker Heights. Now that it’s over, we’re still waiting to hear about conditions in certain parts of the neighborhood, like the Plumb Beach bungalow courts and areas around Cropsey Avenue. If you know how it is, please fill us in in the comments!
Readers have kept us updated so far, sending in the following photos.
This one’s from the entrance to the Belt Parkway at Bay Parkway, going west:
Photo by Regina Sorkin.
Things aren’t much better on the Belt Parkway, even now that the rain has stopped. Reader Rachel Tarantul sent us a photo taken just a few minutes after 10:00 a.m. that shows water sitting in two lanes of the highway, and only one lane is open in each direction. She says traffic is terrible.
And this was by the Cropsey bus depot:
Photo by Regina Sorkin.
Along the border of Coney Island and Brighton Beach, this is from the parking lot of 601 Surf Avenue:
Photo by Regina Sorkin.
We’re also hearing about homes and building basements flooding. A reader tweeted to us that a Sheepshead Bay apartment building on Homecrest Avenue near Avenue Z had several inches of water. Our own Elle Spektor is dealing with a flooded basement in her Bensonhurst home. Here’s what it looked like in the streets near her:
And here’s one of a flooded Sheepshead Bay garage, on Avenue W and East 26th Street, from reader Danil Rudoy:
Nearby, on Avenue V between Brigham Street and Brown Street, reader nolastname snapped this. There’s about two inches of water filling up the alleyway.
In Manhattan Beach – an area that has certainly seen more than enough water lately – Albert Hasson sent us this photo of a car trying to get through what appears to be at least a foot of water on Ocean Avenue:
Hopefully now that the rain stopped – and almost exactly at 9:15 a.m., as the National Weather Service predicted – the water is receding and things getting back to normal. Make sure to let us know if there’s any lasting damage or floodwater in your area, and send photos and other information to nberke [at] sheepsheadbites [dot] com.
Updated (10:49 a.m.) to add the photo from nolastname.
The Manhattan Beach Neighborhood Association will be meeting this evening, May 6, 8:00 p.m. at Public School 195, 131 Irwin Street in Manhattan Beach.
The meeting will feature speakers from Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes’ office, leading a seminar on identity theft prevention.
To learn more, call (917) 747-5863.
We received the following e-mail this morning, forwarded by the Manhattan Beach Neighborhood Association. The project seems cool. We’re going to try and get in on the action; you should too!
Here’s the e-mail, which we’ve edited a bit:
There is an incredibly exciting moment in art that you can be a part of.
It’s not often that artists approach people from all walks of life and ask them to help them create their vision. Art is most often a solitary process that is an expression of one’s inner most thoughts and creations. Sometimes there is collaboration with peers. Sometimes artists involve others as a form of outreach or to make social commentary. When this happens it is exciting both for the artist and the people involved.
The artist JR has created a project the scope of which I have never seen before. He started out as a simple graffiti artist working the streets of Paris, and has quickly grown to be one of the most influential minds of our generation. You and I have the opportunity to join him in the project he calls ‘Inside Out’. hasIt’s currently in place in Times Square for the next few days, and he’s done this all around the world. He also did a TED talk a year into the project,where he speaks of the impact he made through it.
His goal in coming to NY is to reach all five boroughs. I am inviting you to join me in helping him out. I’d also like to send a message with our community hanging to show how resilient we Brooklynites are.
If any of you were effected by Hurricane Sandy, helped someone in need during that time, or just want to show your support for victims, I’d like you to have your photo taken so that we can hang it in Manhattan Beach and send a visual message of strength. We will be helping JR make artistic history and also be making history of our own.
Here’s what to do:
- Go to Times Square any day from now until May 10th to have your photo taken (NO CHARGE). The photo truck will be at 47th and 7th Avenue (from 12-8 PM) every day and will print your photo out on the spot.
- Once you have your photo, bring it back to Brooklyn to hang yourself. Wheat paste is the glue used to hang these photo paper posters. There are also instructions on how to make wheat paste online. It’s very simple. I believe that they might be giving out wheat paste at the Times Square truck too.
- We will be hanging the photos on the corner of Hastings Street and Shore Blvd. in Manhattan Beach (see photo above). The family whose house was devastated by Hurricane Sandy has been gracious enough to allow us to hang these posters on the shed that is barricading their house. Their home was badly damaged during the hurricane and they were forced to leave.
Hanging these posters will also serve as a message of support to this family who were abruptly forced to evacuate their home.
The sooner we hang the posters the better. As they go up we will need to document what we have done through photos that we can share with JR. He will post these on his site for all to see and we will be added to the community of people that are part of Inside Out all over the world.
Rina
You can get a PDF of the project guidelines here.
Power lines exploded in Manhattan Beach Friday night, drawing a battalion of first responders to the scene, leaving dozens without power, and providing a light show for those dining on the waterfront.
The fire broke out at approximately 9:00 p.m. Friday night on Oriental Boulevard and Norfolk Street, readers told Sheepshead Bites. According to witnesses, a power line burst, showering the street with sparks and eventually causing several other wires to burn.
There are no injuries reported at this time, but readers around the Bay sent in photos and video of the light show it created – visible in the foggy night sky from as far away as the Belt Parkway.
Tip o’ the hat to Alan R., who not only sent us one of the videos below, but was the first to tip us off to the incident. Readers like Alan are how we get our news – so be sure to e-mail our tip line (tips [at] sheepsheadbites [dot] com) or call or text (347) 985-0633 if you see anything newsworthy!
Also thanks to Max Sitnikov, Kathleen Higgins, E. Gilerman, and Inna M. for the photos and information.
The next meeting of the Manhattan Beach Community Group will be tonight, April 17, 8:00 p.m. at Public School 195, 131 Irwin Street. The meeting will focus on community news, a new flood zone plan, DOB plans, and more. A number of public officials will be in attendance.
Scheduled speakers include an expert on solar energy and a representative from the MTA to discuss the community’s issues with the buses on Oriental Boulevard.
For more information, call (718) 200-1845, email arigina@aol.com, or write to: Manhattan Beach Community Group, 250 Dover Street, Brooklyn, New York 11235. The MBCG encourages members of the community to attend and participate in their monthly civic meetings. To learn more, visit www.manhattanbeachbrooklyn.org.
Peruggi (Source: KCC Digest)
YOU READ IT HERE FIRST: After nine years of serving as the first female leader of Kingsborough Community College, Dr. Regina Peruggi will retire at the end of the summer.
Peruggi, 65, announced her retirement in an April 5 letter to the school’s staff and faculty, in which she reflected on her time at the Manhattan Beach-based institution.
“These past nine years have been extraordinary ones for me. They have been challenging, creative, exciting, productive, and a great deal of fun,” Peruggi wrote in the letter. “I have met incredible individuals who have taught me a great deal and whose memory will be with me for years to come. Kingsborough faculty, staff, and students are the best in the country, and it has been a true privilege to work with each of you.”
Peruggi is expected to hand over the reigns to the school in August, although the school’s press office could not provide an exact date. The school’s spokespeople declined to comment on Peruggi’s retirement, as there has not yet been a public announcement.
Keep reading and see the farewell letter Peruggi sent to staff and faculty.
Steven Koifman, one of the defendants (via Facebook)
Authorities unsealed charges against a Manhattan Beach man and six others last Thursday, claiming they conspired to commit securities fraud, but when the deal soured they turned on a co-conspirator and threatened to “put slugs into” him if he failed to come up with $350,000.
Alex Puzaitzer, 52, of Manhattan Beach, was one of the seven arrested in three states. The other defendants are Alexander Goldshmidt, 47, of New Jersey; Michael Vax, 54, of New Jersey; Paul Orena, 38, of New York; Yitz Grossman, 58, of New York; Efim Aksanov, 39, of Florida; and Steve Koifman, 41, of Florida.
According to authorities, the group operated what’s known as a “pump and dump” scheme, in which they acquired control of a large block of penny stock shares of Face Up Entertainment Group, a Valley Stream-based online gaming company that operates poker platforms and social media games. The alleged fraudsters inflated the prices and trading volumes of stock in the company, then sought to unload them on the public and reap hundreds of thousands of dollars in ill-gotten gains.
Investigators from the FBI and U.S. Attorney’s office wiretapped the group, capturing the defendants discussing ways to seize ownership of stock and then inflate the value through false press releases disseminated online. They coordinated trading to create an impression of high trading volume and attract unsuspecting investors.
However, their tactics failed, and they did not reap a profit, according to investigators.
As a result, the seven indicted members of the ring turned on an eighth co-conspirator, who then began cooperating with authorities. Several members of the ring, including Puzaitzer, allegedly met with the cooperating conspirator in Manhattan, demanding they pay him $350,000 and return his shares – or else Efim Aksanov, one of the Florida-based members of the ring, would “put slugs into” his chest.
The cooperating conspirator was allegedly harassed by the defendants in subsequent phone calls and meetings, and, during a meeting in March, Puzaitzer, Goldshmidt, Orena and Vax issued more threats to the conspirator and his family if he didn’t come up with the money.
All seven defendents are each charged with one count of conspiracy to commit securities fraud, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison, and one count of conspiracy to commit extortion, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
PS 195. Source: Google Maps
The Manhattan Beach Neighborhood Association will be meeting this evening, April 8, 8:00 p.m. at Public School 195, 131 Irwin Street in Manhattan Beach.
Topics of discussion will include:
To learn more, call (917) 747-5863.
