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The Voice of Common Sense and Conservative Values VOLUME 90 NUMBER 30
AUGUST 2-8, 2019
WHAT’S NEWS VIGIL HELD FOR CYCLIST KILLED IN SUNSET
A vigil for Em Samolewicz, the 18th cyclist killed in New York City traffic this year, was held on the site of her death at the corner of 36th Street and Third Avenue on Tuesday, July 30. Samolewicz, 30, was fatally struck by a truck on Monday after swerving to avoid a parked car’s open door. She was the second cyclist killed on that avenue and the 13th cyclist killed in Brooklyn this year. For more on this story, go to brooklynreporter.com
AMAZON EYEING PARK’S INDUSTRY CITY
Amazon is reportedly in search of a Brooklyn location and is considering Sunset Park’s Industry City, after pulling out from its bid for a Queens headquarters amid intense political criticism earlier this year. The news comes as Industry City’s owners — a partnership of investors including Jamestown, Belvedere Capital and Angelo Gordon — are applying for a controversial rezoning that would reshape the 35-acre property from a largely manufacturing and storage center into an “Innovation Economy Hub” as part of a 10-year, $1 billion redevelopment. For more on this story, see page 4
CONEY ISLANDERS OUTRAGED BY KAISER PARK FERRY PLAN
A small but vocal group of Coney Island residents held a rally on Saturday, July 27 to protest a proposal to put an NYC Ferry landing at the Kaiser Park pier in their neighborhood, charging that having ferries coming and going all day long will ruin their quiet oasis and bring an abrupt end to fishermen’s enjoyment of the waterfront. The pier is located near Bayview Avenue and West 33rd Street, not far from the Gravesend Houses, a New York City Housing Authority development. For more on this story, go to brooklynreporter.com
PLANNED FOURTH AVENUE HOMELESS SHELTERS DIVIDE SUNSET PARK RESIDENTS
MORE BIKE LANES, FEWER PARKING SPACES COMING TO BOROUGH
New York City will increase the pace of bike lane construction, particularly in southern Brooklyn neighborhoods, eliminate “thousands” of parking spaces and increase police enforcement following a spate of cyclist deaths throughout the city, Mayor Bill de Blasio and Department of Transportation Commissioner Polly Trottenberg announced on Thursday, July 25. Alongside Trottenberg, the mayor unveiled his “Green Wave” plan as a component of his Vision Zero initiative, which seeks to bring cyclist, pedestrian and driver deaths down to zero by the year 2024. The plan sets a goal of increasing the rate of construction of protected bike lanes to 30 miles per year, up from 20 miles per year at the current rate. For more on this story, go to brooklynreporter.com
‘Ask the Lawyer’ host Mike Connors honored at Annual American Heritage Dinner SEE PAGE 6INB
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ebrooklyn media/photo by Arthur De Gaeta
Around 100 Sunset Park residents came out on Tuesday, July 30 to voice their opinion of two homeless shelters to be built at 535 and 555 Fourth Ave. in the coming months, at what turned into a heated forum hosted by Community Board 7. The shelters will primarily provide housing to families experiencing homelessness, with the first floor of each building reserved for retail space. The largest provider of family shelter and supportive housing in the city, Women In Need, will run the shelters. For more on this story, go to brooklynreporter.com.