Recchia Plays World’s Smallest Violin For Board Of Elections

 Posted by at 12:45 pm  Bensonhurst, Coney Island, Gravesend, News, Politics
Mar 172011
 

From left to right, Coucilmen Domenic Recchia and Lew Fidler

Watch out Lew Fidler, there’s a new violinist in town. According to local news channel NY1, the Board of Elections is asking the city for “close to $110 million in additional funding” over what the mayor has proposed, and Councilman Domenic Recchia’s not showing them any sympathy. Recchia, in addition to representing District 47, also serves as chairman of the council’s Finance Committee. In response to the BOE’s requests for more funding, he told NY 1 that “I don’t think they are hearing the cry…taxpayers want more for their money.”

To be fair to the BOE, their budget has, so far, been reduced from last year. The board’s Deputy Executive Director Dawn Sandow explained to NY1 that,   “the reductions and underfunding proposed in the mayor’s preliminary budget has put our democracy in peril.”

“We have a constitutional obligation to hold free and fair elections. And these elections are costly,” said New York City Board of Elections President J.C. Polanco to NY1′s Grace Rau.

Coucilman Recchia did make some good points, particularly regarding wasteful spending. Included in the BOE’s counteroffer was a request for $32 million to pay for “support services” from the firm that supplies its voting machines. “This outside contracting has got to stop. It’s going through the sky,” Recchia told NY1.

NY 1: City BOE Makes Plea For $110M In Additional Funds

State Senator Carl Kruger Surrenders To Feds

 Posted by at 11:00 am  Bensonhurst, Borough Park, Brighton Beach, Featured story, Gravesend, Manhattan Beach, Mill Basin, News, Sheepshead Bay
Mar 102011
 

State Senator Carl Kruger, who faces corruption and conspiracy charges, turned himself in to Federal agents today. Sheepshead Bites’ Ned Berke reports that these are new charges that are “unrelated to an existing FBI probe” against Kruger concerning Rasputin night club owner Michael Levitis and “an alleged influence peddling scheme.” Kruger is the top ranking Democrat on the State Senate Finance Committee.  He represents State Senate District 27, which includes Mill Basin, Sheepshead Bay, Gravesend, Midwood, Madison, Manhattan Beach, Brighton Beach, as well as parts of Borough Park and Bensonhurst.

Sheepshead Bites: Kruger To Surrender To Feds On Corruption Charges

UPDATE: Sheepshead Bites has provided a link to the 53 page criminal complaint against Kruger which includes counts of conspiracy, corruption and money laundering as well as accepting over $1 Million in bribes.

Kruger Criminal Complaint

Sheepshead Bites: Carl Kruger Charged With Accepting $1 Million In Bribes

WANTED: Suspect Sought in Local Robbery

 Posted by at 3:09 pm  Bensonhurst, Gravesend, Police & Fire
Dec 062010
 

Rafael Ramirez is suspected in an 82nd Street Robbery and Assault

According to publication Community Magazine local authorities are seeking your help in nabbing a man suspected in 2 local robberies, including one in which he is accused of assaulting a 72 year old woman.

The article reminds readers that “Anyone with information about the suspect can report it anonymously to the NYPD Crime Stoppers tips line at 800-577 TIPS (8477). Crime Stoppers offers a reward of up to $2,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of a wanted criminal.”

Newsbit: Boy Attacked By Pitbull, News Outlets Confused

 Posted by at 10:30 am  Bensonhurst, Gravesend
Apr 052010
 

A young child was viciously mauled by his family’s pit bull in their home on Sunday afternoon. At the time that I’m writing this (Sunday night), there is conflicting information on some of the details (i.e. age of the boy is either 3-years-old or 20-months-old, location is either in Bensonhurst or Gravesend) – hopefully, these will get cleared up by the time you see this in the morning. (NY Daily News, 1010WINS)

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Driving Tips: How NOT To Kill People

 Posted by at 7:20 am  Bay Ridge, Gravesend
Mar 082010
 

Early Sunday morning, a 37-year-old woman was killed by a hit-and-run driver while crossing the street at Fort Hamilton Parkway and 75th Street. And later in the day, five people were injured and a 40-year-old woman was killed by an elderly SUV driver outside of a church in Gravesend, who at least had the good sense to remain on the scene. (1010 WINS, NY Daily News)

With these two weekend incidents, along with general concern over the number of auto/pedestrian accidents in the area, I would like to offer crazy drivers three simple tips to reduce the number of injuries and fatalities in our community.

  1. STOP F****** RUNNING OVER PEOPLE.
  2. IF you just can’t help yourself, then for God’s sake, DO NOT DRIVE AWAY BEFORE THE COPS ARRIVE. Because hit-and-run drivers deserve the death penalty.
  3. And lastly, STOP F****** RUNNING OVER PEOPLE.

Some Yahoos Map Southern Brooklyn

 Posted by at 6:30 am  Borough Park, Brighton Beach, Gravesend
Nov 192009
 

Does anyone use Yahoo Maps? I’ve been using Google for my online mapping needs for the past few years*. So I didn’t know about an interesting feature that Yahoo had added last year – at the second and third closest zoom levels, they have color shading for different city neighborhoods. Pretty cool, yes?

Cool idea, anyway. I find their accuracy somewhat lacking. As in, not accurate.

map-borough park

8th Avenue Chinatown is in Borough Park - Rlly? Is this a ploy by Hasidic real estate agents to make Sunset Park more appealing to their prospects? Well, Sunset Park should be used to it, considering how many “Bay Ridge” apartments I used to be able to find in the 40s and 50s.

map-brighton beach

Little Odessa is a nickname, kids - The name of the neighborhood that Yahoo thinks is Little Odessa is actually called “Brighton Beach.” And we all know what they say about Russophones from Brighton Beach.

map-gravesend

A bad end for Gravesend – Yahoo gives this member of the Original Six the double middle finger and maps the whole thing to Bensonhurst. All the history of the only English settlement in the Dutch colonies, flushed away into Gravesend Bensonhurst Bay.

Such a dim understanding of Brooklyn neighborhoods. I’m guessing some Yahoo from Manhattan drew this map.

* P.S. It needs to be said that I use Streetwise for my exclusive walking-around map. I love me some Streetwise. The preceding statement is totally true, and no one paid me or gave me any free maps to say that, though I wouldn’t mind a Good Boyfriend point or two.