BK Reader

New York City Mayor Eric Adams on Tuesday declined to answer questions about former president Donald Trump and recent comments he made during the weekend rally at Madison Square Garden at a contentious weekly press briefing. The mayor quickly shut down questions regarding Trump and instead called for members of the media to “turn down the rhetoric” and ask questions that matter to New Yorkers. “I find [it] insulting when you have children dying on top of trains…A housing crisis in the city, affordability…With all that's going on to everyday New Yorkers, we're asking questions that is someone a fascist or is someone a Hitler,” he said. Read the full story at the link below: https://lnkd.in/eZpn4r_m

The ongoing war between Israel-Hamas may seem a world away to some, but for many Palestinian Americans in Brooklyn, the conflict weighs heavy, including on their vote in the upcoming presidential election. From Bay Ridge to Dyker Heights to Bensonhurst, neighborhoods that have a large Palestinian population, many residents have close ties to Gaza and the West Bank. The ongoing violence has influenced their daily lives here and their choice for the next president of the United States. "All the presidents are liars," said Mahmoud Kassem, the owner of Al-Aqsa Bakery in Bay Ridge. "Everybody promises something. Obama was a liar. Biden promised a Palestinian state, but he became president and changed his mind." Read the full story at the link below: https://lnkd.in/enyRF_Ej

On BK Reader this morning: There has been a record number of traffic crashes and deaths in New York City so far in 2024, claiming the lives of 193 people and leaving 2,338 seriously injured, according to a recent study. The study, released by Transportation Alternatives and Families for Safe Streets on Monday, also found that there was a 20% increase in serious injuries in Brooklyn when compared to 2022, according to a press release. https://lnkd.in/eufJ-rE9

Across New York City, thousands of recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) have reported that their benefits were stolen, often leaving them without funds for groceries, sometimes for up to two months. Many Brooklyn residents who spoke to BK Reader about their experience suspect that their SNAP information may have been zapped at local grocery stores and delis. The theft occurs when a customer swipes their Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card through a payment device that is bugged with a card skimmer, sometimes stealing all or most of the card’s balance. Since August of 2023, the city received about 110,000 theft claims, according to a spokesperson for the New York City Department of Social Services. https://lnkd.in/eRhHEEre

Porchetta Focaccia Sandwich. Country Ham. Smoked Pork Belly. Not only can you enjoy these delectable dishes from an ever-changing menu at Leland Eating and Drinking House, but you can also learn about the butchery process used to prepare them. Twice a month, the Prospect Heights restaurant known for its focus on local food and wine, opens its kitchen doors for a butchery class and tasting dinner. Depending on the season, Leland offers a pork, duck or tuna butchery demonstration. https://lnkd.in/ewKUPZwt

The New York Liberty kicked off a cross-borough championship celebration tour on Thursday, with fans turning out in droves at each stop to celebrate the franchise’s first WNBA title. The day began with a ticker tape parade down the Canyon of Heroes on Broadway in lower Manhattan, followed by a rally at City Hall. Liberty fans at the ticker tape parade. Photo: Supplied/Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office It was the first-ever ticker tape championship parade for a women's sports team in New York, which made it feel special as floats full of players, their families and Liberty staff cruised down Broadway, showered by confetti as they hoisted the WNBA trophy. https://lnkd.in/eXaZM8zG

The New York City Department of Education welcomed it's first public Montessori school in the city this September when it opened Albee Square Montessori P.S. 482 in Downtown Brooklyn. The Montessori education method was created by Dr. Maria Montessori in 1906. It is "student-led and self-paced but guided, assessed, and enriched by knowledgeable and caring teachers, the leadership of their peers, and a nurturing environment," according to the American Montessori Society. This is something that Brooklyn and the rest of New York were ready to have, according to Interim Principal Carol Mongiello. "Montessori schools have been historically private," she said. "But there is more of a movement to have public Montessori schools. There's definitely always been an interest and curiosity." https://lnkd.in/e9pCD534

and-mortar space in Bay Ridge. AsafespaceStudio is an extension of the AsafespaceMentor, a nonprofit organization founded by wellness practitioner and mental health advocate Teya Knapp. Located at 14 53rd St., the wellness studio, set to open before the end of the year, will provide mental health seminars and wellness classes targeted toward the BIPOC community. Classes will include strength training, dance, yoga, sound healing, reiki and breathwork, among other things. Visitors will also be able to partake in massages, facials and one-on-one talk therapy sessions with Moradeyo Adeyi, AsafespaceMentor practitioner and founder of LoveWell Psychotherapy. https://lnkd.in/etGbPwaz

Jazz was alive and kicking at BRIC Jazz Fest, which celebrated its 10th anniversary with a showcase of exceptional jazz talent. The festival, themed A Decade of Discovery, featured an eclectic mix of jazz legends, contemporary innovators and rising stars, and offered the audience a comprehensive snapshot of the genre's past, present and future. The festival presented 18 live performances with six bands taking the stage each evening between Oct. 17 - 19. The kickoff included National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master Gary Bartz, alongside acclaimed harpist Brandee Younger, who was the artistic curator for the 2024 edition. https://lnkd.in/gkNGFp5Q

When a judge blocked the sale of an empty lot in Bedford Stuyvesant by a nonprofit to a developer in late September, it was a call that many area residents thought was long overdue. Some even spent their entire day attending the hearing at Kings County Supreme Court on Sept. 20, listening to the state Attorney General’s office argue against the sale of 441 Willoughby Ave., where the Jacob Dangler mansion once stood. Once all was said and done, the residents had a much clearer picture: the developer, Tomer Erlich, who tore down the mansion in 2022 to the community's dismay, seemed to be calling all the shots for the United Grand Chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star, a masonic organization. https://lnkd.in/gqAkxEv5