Look at that map. If you live or work in or near any of the yellow-shaded areas, then the city will be spraying chemicals to kill mosquitoes on your block. Spraying will begin tonight at 8:00 p.m. and continue until 6:00 a.m. tomorrow morning.
Like any time a government sprays a bunch of toxic crap in the air, they’re saying the chemical used – Anvil 10+10 – has no known risk to humans. But it’s The Man, man, so here are a couple of things you should do to make sure you stay safe and don’t grow an arm out of your butt (tips courtesy of The Man, not guaranteed to be 100 percent effective):
Stay indoors whenever possible during that time period – especially if you have asthma or respiratory issues.
Close the vents on your air-conditioner and set it to recirculate.
Remove toys, equipment and clothing from outdoor areas. If you leave them out there, make sure to wash them with soap before using them.
If you have an outdoor garden, wash your produce thoroughly before eating it.
Though the city says the bike path is complete, bikers now ride on the Belt Parkway because the path is unusable.
In addition to the statements Congressman Anthony Weiner gave, there were two things worth noting on Plumb Beach yesterday, both of which indicate the city is ignoring problems in the area and creating a dangerous situation.
First is that the Parks Department has declared reconstruction work on the Plumb Beach bike path complete. However, any visitor would agree that it’s hardly the case.
Tuesday Tips is a series of articles from local experts to help you save money, make better decisions and plan for a better future.
Do you have Long-term Care Insurance? You know you should. I don’t. I waited too long. I now have type II diabetes. (Why didn’t I listen to myself years ago?)
Our Government believes that every worker should have long-term care insurance, and to that end has created CLASS, or the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports program. This part of the new government-run health care law will be administered by the Department of Health and Human Services.
An early-morning blaze tore through a Gravesend apartment building leaving ten injured, including three residents in critical conditions and six firefighters in need of minor treatment.
The fire began around 2:45 a.m. in the top floor of a six-story apartment building on Colby Street. It was contained to one apartment, occupied by two senior citizens. The residents are among those critically injured and being treated for smoke inhalation.
Several ladder companies raced to the scene, taking more than 45 minutes to battle the blaze. Residents of the building scrambled to evacuate, using the windows of first-floor apartments to exit to the courtyard. At least one man on a lower-level was reported to be in cardiac arrest.
The injured were taken to Lutheran Medical Center and Coney Island Hospital for treatment. No word on their condition.
First there was the amplified sound law, which local synagogues are only just noticing have been violated for years. Now there’s the issue of using free labor from city and state prisoners to help set up and break down the Summer Concert Series shows.
According to the New York Post, “busloads of inmates in red-and-white-striped jumpsuits paying their debt to society by setting up and breaking down 2,000 chairs for the overflow audiences” are commissioned by the borough president’s office. And that’s fueling criticism from the amphitheater’s opponents.
“I’m shocked people are making a big deal out of it now after all these years,” Debra Garcia, the series organizer, told the Post.
Markowitz’s office is trying to reassure residents that the inmates aren’t a security risk, saying they’re “carefully selected” low-risk inmates. They’re also pointing out that it saves the nonprofit organizer thousands of dollars annually.
What do you think? Is this a legitimate danger, or are amphitheater opponents grasping at straws?
Kings Highway and Ocean Parkway are two major Southern Brooklyn roadways to soon be fitted with pedestrian countdown signals.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced that 1,500 of the signals are being installed across the city beginning this month. The countdown signals use LED lights to display the number of seconds remaining before the light changes and pedestrians lose their chance to cross the street.
According to the Brooklyn Eagle, Ocean Parkway from Park Circle to Sea Breeze Avenue, and Kings Highway between East 22nd Street and East 98th Street, will feature the new signals.
The city said the countdown will reduce the number of pedestrians in the crosswalks during the “Do Not Walk” signal, and will also reduce the high rates of pedestrian involved accidents along these corridors.
The countdown signals were also a component of the DOT’s “Safe Streets for Seniors” program, which identified intersections that have higher accident rates among pedestrian seniors. Sheepshead Bay is a test site for the program, which targets corners along Ocean Avenue and Coney Island Avenue.
Following the first round of 1,500 intersections, the DOT will roll out the new signals along other corridors where need exists.
One of East 19th Street’s precariously leaning trees lost a limb during yesterday’s storm, which turned up jammed in this car’s windshield.
According to Ray Johnson, who sent in a mini-report last night, the car is between Avenue X and Avenue Y. It didn’t appear the owner was aware of the situation when Ray was on the scene (so if this is your car, don’t kill the messenger. Which is Ray. Don’t kill Ray. And especially don’t kill me.).
But it doesn’t look like the damage is just to the car. It’s hard to make out in the photo after the jump, but the other end of the tree limb is resting on the power lines, which haven’t yet snapped.
A reader who lives very close to this location was just telling me last week about the awful condition of trees and power lines on the block. Many of the trees are leaning or twisted. East 19th Street’s sidewalks bare the scars of unkempt vegetation through lifted and cracked concrete. The power lines weave in and out of branches, many with stress put on them, and some of the poles are leaning as well.
Is this a cry for arboreal assistance? Do you know of other blocks in similar states?
In the wake of a Sheepshead Bites report last week detailing a rival group’s verbal bashing, the Manhattan Beach Community Group has issued a statement calling the claims “blatantly untrue, a cold lie.”
MBCG Traffic Committee Chair Judy Baron wrote the letter published on the group’s website on Sunday, taking aim at statements made by Manhattan Beach Neighborhood Association President Alan Ditchek during an August 2 meeting. Ditchek was discussing progress made during a meeting with Public Advocate Bill de Blasio in implementing traffic safety proposals, when he unleashed a tirade against MBCG, saying the group was busy “patting themselves on the back” instead of getting things done.
“Last week was not the first time that their President has ‘bashed’ us and it probably won’t be the last,” Baron wrote in a preamble to her letter. “We are flattered that the MBNA would take our traffic ideas/projects as their own. Because what’s important is getting the job done, not getting the credit.”
A man thought to be drowned in Coney Island’s waters emerged from the ocean unscathed after more than an hour on Sunday. We got some awesome photos and a brief summary of events from student photojournalist Lloyd Mitchell, who was on the scene.
Mitchell was covering the Cyclones game, and while they were losing 4 to 0 he heard helicopters flying overhead and decided to bail. He hit the beach to discover that a man was thought to be drowned. Scuba crews deployed, and combed the waters and beach for an hour before giving up. After packing their gear and heading out, other NYPD and FDNY personnel – as well as beachgoers – were shocked to see the man walk out of the water unharmed.
In the photos, the supposed drowned man is the one with a goatee, and you can see him being embraced by family just moments after coming up on land.
The Manhattan Beach Neighborhood Association revealed a laundry list of traffic safety proposals at their meeting last night, and lambasted their rival community group’s efforts for “patting themselves on the back.”
Executive members of MBNA and Community Board 15 Chairperson Theresa Scavo met with representatives of Public Advocate Bill de Blasio’s office on Thursday, July 29, to present their ideas. According to the group, the advocate’s office gave a warm reception to the suggestion and is now issuing letters to relevant agencies to spur action.
“I’ve got to say the Public Advocate’s representatives were extremely attentive,” said Scavo. “They questioned why DOT, why Parks, why [there hasn't been] reception from these various agencies.”
MBNA President Alan Ditchek is optimistic about the plan.
“[These are] very good ideas and certainly will go a long way to rectifying the situation in Manhattan Beach that’s happened here over the last few years,” said Ditchek. “I think we’ve got a very good list compiled and if we implement just some of these things we will certainly see safer streets.”
