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Mounting problems have revealed the decaying state of the vast New York City subway system, a system that in many ways is the circulatory system keeping the city alive. The most recent incident involved a derailment near the Brighton Beach station at around 9am last Friday. Luckily no injuries were reported when one set of wheels on the second car fell off the rails. Another train came to collect the passengers, but service was seriously disrupted on the B and Q lines during the busy morning commute hours. This derailment came on the heels of June’s incident in Manhattan which caused injuries to over 20 people. Other system malfunctions have interfered with service or caused harm, such as signal problems in Manhattan, a fire on the subway tracks in upper Manhattan, sending nine people to the hospital, and a train in Queens with mechanical issues. Interim director of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Veronique Hakim, said that the Brooklyn derailment was being investigated, but it was not immediately clear what caused the incident. There were about 135 people on board, considered a “light load” for the train. Ms. Hakim apologized for Friday’s incident: “We are sorry this occurred this morning,” Ms. Hakim said. Who is actually responsible for the general upkeep of the subway system seems to be unclear. Joseph J. Lhota, chairman of the MTA, urged Mayor Bill de Blasio to make the necessary repairs to the aging system. Mr. Lhota said he has an emergency proposal to be released soon, saying that the city and the state must take responsibility and provide the funding for the repairs. Mr. Lhota agrees with Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, who admonished the New York mayor for not taking responsibility for the subway system that is owned by the city. Transit authority supporters have a different view, saying that the Governor needs to take responsibility, since he controls the MTA by selecting the chairman and involving himself more and more in the agency’s...
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As part of a project celebrating local artists, Stop and Shop’s Peapod brand delivery trucks will be covered with five selected pieces of art, beautifying the city while fulfilling orders of New Yorkers across the metro area all summer. Peapod is the country’s largest online grocer, with more than 40 million orders delivered. The artworks that will be decorating the sides of their delivery trucks are the winners of an open art competition whose theme was the celebration of Brooklyn. The project was launched back in April to “celebrate Brooklyn’s thriving community of artists, foodies and more.” Peabody said the goal of the project was, and is, to get more involved with the communities that Peabody serves. “We launched this competition to thank our Brooklyn customers and celebrate the community,” said Jennifer Carr-Smith, Peapod President. “The submissions exceeded our expectations and truly captured the spirit of Brooklyn’s dynamic neighborhoods and Peapod’s passion for fresh food and excellent service. We hope New Yorkers will enjoy seeing the colorful designs on their streets and will continue to welcome Peapod into their homes.” The competition was first begun in 2015, going back to the origins of the company. Three of the winners are from Brooklyn, and each winner receives a $750 gift card to purchase groceries. “Our business is about delivering affordable fresh groceries, convenience, and creative meal solutions,” Carr-Smith said. “But it’s really so much more than that – we want to celebrate with our customers in their unique communities. What better way to thank Brooklyn for welcoming us than to connect with its thriving art community to share their creativity with the entire city. We know the wide pool of talent in Brooklyn and across Peapod’s markets will create some incredible artwork to be featured on our trucks.” Peabody had 200 pick-up locations in 24 markets which include: New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Maryland, District of Columbia, and...
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Amtrak’s infrastructure at Penn Station has been in need of repairs for quite a while now, but those repairs were not supposed to be done in such a rush. Originally the obligatory work was going to be spread out over a few years, only on evenings and over weekends. Unfortunately, two recent derailments have forced Amtrak’s hand to get the work done quickly. The new repair schedule will affect a few hundred thousand commuters on the Long Island Railroad and New Jersey Transit in addition to Amtrak travelers who commute between Boston and Washington, DC. Because of the need to close down the tracks to do the repairs, there will be fewer trains during peak times. More cars will be added to each train on the LIRR, to try and make up for the fewer trains. Passengers are also being asked to change to subways in Brooklyn and Queens. New Jersey Transit will be moving some of their rush hour trains to Hobokon, where passengers can switch to Port Authority of New York and New Jersey trains, or to take the ferry. It is hoped that all the repairs will be completed by the end of August. At that time commuters can expect improved reliability because of brand new equipment. However, there could still be some problems stemming from electrical wire failures and signal and track problems in northern New Jersey east of Newark. These additional problems will not be addressed until the completion of the Gateway project. Gateway will build an additional rail tunnel under the Hudson River, repair damage caused by Hurricane Sandy in 2012, and make large improvements on the New Jersey side and in Penn Station. Expected completion date:...
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Macy’s is planning a huge firework show this Fourth of July, but it will not include the iconic Brooklyn Bridge as the show’s backdrop. Last year Macy’s floated four barges between 23rd and 37th streets in the East River, as well as a double barge closer to the Brooklyn Bridge. This year, however Macy’s will be sponsoring five barges on the East River between 24th and 41st streets, but not additional Brooklyn Bridge location. Macy’s spokesman Orlando Veras explained that the decision to forego the Brooklyn Bridge barges was based on the “size/scale of the pyrotechnics” as well as the “availability of appropriate public viewing areas” in addition to “city resources.” Many Brooklyn residents are disappointed with the Macy’s plan to eliminate the Brooklyn Bridge venue from the fireworks programming. Last year residents and visitors to Batter Park, South Street Seaport and Brooklyn Heights enjoyed an amazing display, and this year they will not have much of a show. Several businesses, such as restaurants and bars are especially hard-hit. “This place usually looks like New Year’s Eve on July 4. But this year we’re not doing it — it will be like a regular day,” said a manager at Buzz Bar, a restaurant situated along the river at Brooklyn Bridge Park. Macy’s is planning a show even bigger than last year’s. They announced that there will be 10,000 more shells and 23 brand new colors, including fuchsia, lemon and aqua. The finale will feature an amazing “golden-mile” display. James O’Neill, New York’s police commissioner, said the change of venue was not dictated by security concerns, but rather “so the most number of people can see...
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The book festival begins with a launch, and this year it happened on June 15: the Brooklyn Book Festival (BKBF) announced the first 150 writers who will come together for this special occasion, which will open on September 11, 2017. Children’s Day and Festival Day, on September 16 and 17, respectively were also announced at the 11th annual BKBF launch. Chris Hayes, host of MSNBC is on the list, as well as Lynn Nottage, Pultzer Prize winner twice over; and children’s book illustrator Liniers of Argentina; and Karl Ove Knausgård; writer of the autobiographical novels “My Struggle.” “I am proud to welcome back the Brooklyn Book Festival for another year of engaging book lovers of all ages,” said Eric Adams, Brooklyn Borough President. “It is important that we empower Brooklynites with the endless possibilities of human imagination by encouraging reading for all, particularly our youngest.” The rich diversity of Brooklyn’s population will be mirrored by the participation of authors from all over the globe. The following names are just a small example of who to expect joining the festival. • Erna Brodber Jamaica • Ali Boccy Eckermann Australia • Santiago Gamboa Columbia • Wioletta Greg Poland • Peter Kimani Kenya • Young-ha Kim South Korea Colson Whitehead will also be on hand to receive the annual Best of Brooklyn Award. Beloved Brooklyn writers Maira Kalman, Lynn Nottage, Sean Qualls and Selina Alko will also be lauded at the festival. Former Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz founded the Brooklyn Book Festival in 2006 as a way to exhibit literature’s “Brooklyn voice.” Participants can expect to see authors in all the different manifestations of their writing careers, and in all the various genres, including nonfiction, fiction, poetry, comics, young adult, and more. Panel discussions will focus on issues of current political and cultural import, such as reporting on refugees, the Supreme Court, and more, with nearly 100 programs on 13 stages on Festival...
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After four years and over 43 million trips, the country’s largest bike share program, Citi Bike, had its first fatality when Dan Hanegby was hit by a bus in the Chelsea section of Manhattan. Hanegby was a 36-year old investment banker who was riding a Citi Bike on 26th Street between Seventh and Eighth Avenues when he swerved to go around a parked van. He then hit the bus that was traveling next to him, fell off his bicycle and landed under the rear tires of the bus. He was pronounced dead at Bellevue Hospital. Although clearly an accident, and the first Citi Bike fatality, fatalities of bike riders in general in New York have been increasing. Bikers have been demanding more safeguards, especially since 2016’s bicyclist death count was larger than that of 2015. In 2017 there were four fatal bicycle accidents up until April in New York. Hanegby worked as an investment banker at Credit Suisse, and lived in Brooklyn with his wife Sasha, and two children. His neighbors described him as stoic, spending his weekends devoted to his family. He was originally from near Tel Aviv in Israel, and came to the US to attend Binghamton University in 2003. He later transferred to Brown. In Israel, he was a tennis star, rising at one time to the rank of No. 1 in the country. He met his wife when he was ten years old at the Israel Tennis Centers. He quit tennis to join Israel’s Special Forces. After he was discharged from the army he took up tennis again, and headed to the USA to play at an American University. While at Brown he ranked No. 66 in singles tennis in the...
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Leave it to Brooklynites to imagine new and creative ways to meet up and make new friends. Called PopUpBrooklyn, it is the largest d-i-y dinner party in the country. Party goers signed up, paying $35 per person for the opportunity to share a meal outdoors with about 6,000 other participants. The most recent event’s locale was not even known to the crowds until only three hours before a 5pm launch time. The $35 cover fee gets you tables, chairs, music and the venue, provided by event planner Hand Made Events, while participants bring their own food and table decorations. There is a push to have everyone clothed in white. One participant, who has attended four such gatherings was excited: “It’s a great sense of fun,” said Tiana Walton, from Kensington. “All your friends come out and you meet new people on line and we all have a great time.” Another dinner guest, Michael Hellerman from Newark said, “It’s always a different location and they had a strategy because they thought it was going to be at one location and then they had to adapt.” The latest party took place in Red Hook on Pier 12 with great views of lower Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty. Before this the party has been in Prospect Park, while the next one is planned for Governor’s...
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Today, there are so many ways to work on reducing our waste and landfill necessities and understanding waste management. It doesn’t have to be that we simply buy whatever we want and then throw it away, and many of the waste management companies in the States like have come to appreciate and highlight the path to waste management. The government sets targets each year for waste management. A new study published in 2007 set a target for a 50% reduction in household waste by 2020. How is this reduction to be achieved? There are a number of ways. Refuse: We can think about waste management in terms of prevention. If you don’t buy things that you don’t completely need, then you won’t need to throw away the packaging from those products. You can avoid disposable products as much as possible as well. We can also look at reducing what we use. We can buy things that are made to last like reusable plastic wrap or Tupperware instead of tinfoil and throw away wraps. You can buy in bulk as well and this will reduce the amount of packaging that is needed. Certainly, you can take your own shopping bag when you go to the grocery store and even to the mall to shop for clothes. Focus on reusing items. Jars that you buy for one thing can be reused for another; ice cream tubes can turn into storage containers. A plastic bag that was used at the grocery store could be reused for the mall or as a bin liner. Careful disposal is also important. If an item can’t be recycled or reused, it can still be taken care of in the right way. Dispose of batteries in designated recycling centers; bring in your glass or cans to get a rebate in certain states. You can look at the websites for Bridgeton landfill and other locations to see how they are working to ensure careful disposal. If you always have these ideas in mind,...
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