Crooked creepers take note
The 61st Precinct will once again be hosting ghouls, goblins and all types of tiny creatures that go bump in the night during their annual Halloween party.
The “spooktacular” good time will be held at the precinct, located on Coney Island Avenue and Avenue W a day before All Hallow’s Eve (Friday, October 30), from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Organizers said that there will be plenty of popcorn, candy, cotton candy, pumpkin and face painting and two magic shows at 5 and 6 p.m.
The event is sponsored by the 61st Precinct Community Council, the 61st Precinct Auxiliaries and the cops from the command. Anyone wishing to make a donation can call (718) 627-6847 or e-mail [email protected].
Help Mario find justice
Police are offering a $12,000 reward for any information about the men who attacked and hurled racial epithets at Bushwick resident Mario Rivera.
The 37-year-old was riding his bike from the Williamsburg Bridge to his home sometime between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. September 23 when three black males jumped him.
Shouting anti-Mexican slurs, the suspects struck the victim in the back of the head with a heavy object, officials said.
Rivera suffered a serious head injury as well as some memory loss, said police, who added that he does not exactly recall where he was attacked.
Vera barely managed to get home and collapsed in front of his residence.
Over the next few days, his condition worsened, and he had difficulty speaking, walking and sleeping. He also complained of headaches and dizziness, officials were told.
His wife brought him to Woodhull Hospital, where he was examined, given headache medication, and sent home.
As his condition worsened, his wife contacted a social worker and, at her advice, brought Vera on October 1 to the Latino Health Institute on Second Avenue in Manhattan, where a nurse recognized he was in serious condition and directed that he and his wife report to Beth Israel Hospital, where he was ultimately admitted.
The actual assault wasn’t reported until October 10, officials said.
“Our hearts go out to Mario Vera and his family during this difficult time, and we pray for his full recovery,” said Borough President Marty Markowitz. “In Brooklyn, which is a true city of immigrants, an attack on any one of us is an attack on us all. Anyone who saw anything or has information on this attack should come forward or call police so that justice can be served.”
You can do just that by calling 1-800-577-TIPS. All calls will be kept confidential.
Holiday food bank
needs your help
One local civic group is launching a holiday food bank with the goal of helping needy members of the community celebrate Thanksgiving.
The Madison-Marine-Homecrest Civic Association kicked off the effort at its October meeting, with Pastor Ron Weinbaum, of the King’s Chapel, where the meeting was held, explaining the plan to organization members.
While the organization has been active as a watchdog, the holiday food bank represents the “next step,” said Weinbaum, to “draw people in and be truly a civic organization.” To that end, he said, he was reaching out to other members of the clergy to get the names of people who might benefit from the food packages to enable their families to have a Thanksgiving dinner.
Weinbaum said that collection boxes or baskets will be placed in local businesses for area residents to drop contributions of non-perishable food into, and emptied once or twice a week, with contributions brought to the church, at East 27th Street and Quentin Road, to be stored until distribution.
Contributions can also be dropped off at the church between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. on Wednesdays until November 19, the date of the group’s next meeting, when the baskets or boxes will be packed.
The organization is also accepting cash donations to purchase food to distribute. Weinbaum also said that he was planning to contact local supermarkets to see if they would be willing to contribute coupons for free turkeys that could be included in the baskets.
Among the businesses where contributions can be dropped off are Michael’s Bakery,2929 Avenue R; Pronto Pizza, 2928 Avenue R; G & S Pork Store, 2611 Avenue U; the Mini Mart at Avenue R and Nostrand Avenue; Tom’s Cleaners, 2917 Avenue S; and Jo Mart Chocolates, 2917 Avenue R.
To help out or contribute, contact Weinbaum at 718-339-6070 or 917-538-6803.
Parent workshops
The city Education Department is holding its second annual Fall Saturday Parent Academy, a series of workshops and informational sessions for public school parents.
The sessions will cover numerous topics, including strategies to help children succeed in school and roles and responsibilities of Parent Association (PA) and Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) members.
Childcare and translation services will be available.
Brooklynites are invited to attend the workshop on October 24 at P.S. 234, 292 Greenwich Street in Manhattan, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Drug difference
The city Health Department and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are sending the message, “If you have a cold, or the flu, antibiotics won’t work for you!”
Health experts want Brooklynites to know that antibiotics are intended to treat bacterial infections, not viruses like the seasonal flu and swine flu.
According to officials, “When a patient takes antibiotics unnecessarily, beneficial bacteria are destroyed, but resistant germs that were present in small numbers may be left to grow and multiply, posing a risk to the patient. Antibiotic overuse also threatens communities, by speeding the emergence of bacteria that do not respond to treatment.”
For more information or to download free educational materials, visit http://www.cdc.gov/getsmart.
Food stamp center
stays open
Following a concerted appeal from several lawmakers, the Coney Island Food Stamp Center at 2865 West 8th Street will remain open.
The city’s Human Resources Administration (HRA) slated the center for closing last month after the center’s lease expired in May 2010. The closure would have forced the 28,000 people who rely on its services to travel many miles to downtown and central Brooklyn to apply for and receive food stamps.
However, after a concerted effort by from U. S. Rep. Jerrold Nadler, City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn, Councilmemeber Domenic Recchia, State Senators Diane Savino and Carl Kruger, and Assemblymember Alec Brook-Krasny State, the HRA had a change of heart5.
Squadron focuses on
nightlife
State Senator Daniel Squadron last week hosted a discussion on nightlife concerns last week, bringing together State Liquor Authority (SLA) Chairman Dennis Rosen, SLA CEO Trina Mead, Deputy Commissioner of Licensing Kerri OBrien, Councilmember Rosie Mendez, Margaret Chin, and leaders from Brooklyn Community Boards 2 and 6.
The discussion provided a forum for community leaders to speak directly with SLA leadership about community concerns regarding nightlife, including overcrowding of bars, high noise levels, and other quality of life issues.
Squadron said the Oct. 13 meeting “was an important step towards the SLA showing a true commitment to engaging with the community.”
Squadron said he is planning a follow-up town hall style meeting to further the conversation with the SLA.
Priced to move
Go ahead, name the price for your dream home.
Next month, the folks over at Sheldon Good & Company, one of the country’s leading real estate auction firms, say they will sell four brand-new luxury condos located at 267-269 Kingsland Avenue in Greenpoint to the highest bidder no matter the price. The auction – including 16 new luxury condominiums in all – is set for November 11 at the New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge, located at 333 Adams Street.
Open house tours of the TreeTop Development dubbed The Locale are being held October 24, 25, 31 and November 1, 7 from noon to 3 p.m.
“Over the past year and a half we have had to reinvent how new developments are marketed,” David Maundrell, president of aptsandlofts.com says. “The key today for any developer is realizing that it is a buyer’s market and if you want to aggressively attack the marketplace, you must give buyers what they are looking for.”
The list price for the homes ranging in size from 600 square feet to nearly 1,000 square feet is pegged at between $445,000 to $599,000.
Suggested opening bids will start at $150,000.
Units feature stainless steel Bosch appliances, custom lighting and cabinets, hardwood floors, floor-to-ceiling windows and in-unit washer/dryer hookups.
“Developers use real estate auctions more and more to accelerate the sales of finished residential inventory, Jeffrey Hubbard, senior managing director of Sheldon Good & Company says. “The developer of The Locale is willing to pass along a portion of the savings realized by the relative time-certain date of sale, to the successful bidders. This is truly a win-win scenario for sellers and purchasers alike.”
Auction registration starts at 6:30 p.m. The auction begins an hour later. for more info call 1-800-516-0014 or log onto http://www.sheldongood.com/locale.php.
Brooklynite wins
theater prize
North Brooklyn playwright Libby Emmons is the lucky winner of The Clubbed Thumb’s $15,000 Biennial Commission for her play, “Zeropia.”
A commission affiliated with Clubbed Thumb, a Manhattan-based Off Broadway theater company, picked Emmons’ work from 150 submissions from throughout the world, following the theme “The Crisis of Confidence Speech,” and that considers “the relationships between truth, power, history and personal responsibility.”
Emmons, a playwright who earned a BA in theater and philosophy at Sarah Lawrence College and an MFA from Columbia University School of the Arts, also serves as a curator of Blue Box Productions, which has produced short plays held at several poetry clubs and non-traditional performance spaces, including Brooklyn’s Galapagos Art Space.
“Zeropia” follows an urban planner, Marta, who sets about designing a “net-zero” town that leaves a zero carbon footprint, a challenging endeavor just by itself. As more people move to Zeropia, Marta tries to take her vision to a national level but encounters even more obstacles.
To send in tips, e-mail [email protected] attn: Borough Briefs.