BENSONHURST'S PREMIER NEWS BLOG

(image by Galasso/North Jersey Media Group via Daily News)

The Daily News says that the latest round of school budget cuts are hitting some areas worse than others, and that middle class neighborhoods like ours are being spared the deep cuts facing poorer school districts.

The News reported last Friday that close to 800 non-teaching public school employees, such as school aides, in the largest round of layoffs for any one agency since Bloomberg became mayor.

Under the plan, The upper Manhattan neighborhoods of Harlem and Washington Heights stand to lose close to 8% of school aides.

In Brooklyn, East New York, Brownsville and East Flatbush public schools would have their non-professional workers cut by 4.4%.

Meanwhile, Districts 20, 21 and 22 – covering the middle class areas of Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, Borough Park, Midwood, Dyker Heights, Mill Basin, Sheepshead Bay and Marine Park – would only have to do without around 1% of aides.

From Daily News:

Those who could lose their jobs are some of the lowest-paid workers in the city and overwhelmingly black and Hispanic. School aides, the biggest group targeted, average about $11,000 a year for part-time work. Even with health insurance and pension costs factored in, the city pays about $27,000 annually for each of these workers.

“We’ve been trying for weeks to meet with Chancellor Dennis Walcott, and each time they canceled . . . at the last moment,” said Santos Crespo, president of Local 372.

“On Monday, they just called us in and hit us with these cuts,” Crespo said. “They didn’t even want to discuss ways we could cooperate to reduce costs.”

At a time when the school system is spending hundreds of millions of dollars for more outside contractors and consultants, it’s crazy to cut the most vulnerable workers.

While a Board of Education spokesperson insists the final decision on who to let go were made by principals on a school-by-school basis, principals point back to BOE budget officials who they say encouraged cutting the number of school aides.

Juan Gonzales, the article’s author observed that those districts which face the worst cuts are, in many cases, the same neighborhoods where city council members have been vocal critics of Mayor Bloomberg.

Our sister site Sheepshead Bites, with the help of local Sheepshead Bay business Tete-a-Tete (2601 East 14th Street), have mounted a camera at the intersection of East 14th Street and Avenue Z. It’s currently broadcasting a live feed at the scene as Hurricane Irene hits (Although it appears to currently have the maximum amount of viewers).

Our sister site Sheepshead bites is reporting that Mayor Bloomberg has ordered a mandatory evacuation of all areas within Hurricane Evacuation Zone A.

At a press conference earlier today, the mayor told the media this is the first time in the city’s history a mandatory evacuation has been issued.

From Sheepshead Bites:

Residents of Manhattan Beach, Brighton Beach and sections of Sheepshead Bay – as well as others living in Evacuation Zone A – are being ordered by city officials to evacuate to safer grounds as Hurricane Irene approaches.

Along the southern tip of Brooklyn, Zone A includes all of Manhattan Beach, Brighton Beach and Coney Island, as well as all residences between Emmons Avenue and Shore Parkway. The entire waterfront commercial district of Sheepshead Bay – including all businesses and residences between Ocean Parkway and Ocean Avenue from the water to Avenue X are also in Zone A.

Residents must be out of the area by 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, the city said. Additionally, the entire city’s mass transit system – including buses, subways, ferries and light rail – will shut down at noon on Saturday.

Penalties for failing to evacuate could include fines or prison time, though it’s expected the city would only levy such punishments in severe cases.

An excerpt from the mayor’s statement on NYC.gov:

“The best outcome would be if the storm veers off to the east and doesn’t hit us, or doesn’t hit us hard, but we can’t depend on mother nature being so kind. We have to prepare for the worst and hope for the best. And just because this is the first time we’ve had a mandatory evacuation of any part of the city, I just once again want to repeat this is very serious. Do not be fooled by the sun outside. That is the calm before the storm. And you can’t wait until there are gale force winds and driving rains arrive, it will be too late then. You have to start your preparations to leave right now.”

The OEM Hurricane Evacuation Zone map also includes a list of evacuation centers.

Even those outside of an evacuation zone need to be aware of potential dangers from Hurricane Irene – including the possibility of windows being blown out by fierce winds or broken by flying objects.

Everyone in our coverage area and beyond should take care to stay indoors and away from windows as winds begin to pick up sometime tomorrow.

Please stay tuned to both Bensonhurst Bean and Sheepshead Bites for further updates as Hurricane Irene continues moving north towards the East Coast.

This map shows local schools that will serve as evacuation centers

According to the New York Times, Governor Cuomo has announced a public transit shutdown is set for noon tomorrow, while the city evacuates hospitals and nursing homes in or near Hurricane Evacuation Zone A (shown in orange on the OEM map above), such as Coney Island Hospital.

If you have loved ones at one of these locations, please contact the facility for more information.

The following is a press release from Assemblyman Peter Abbate:

Statement from Assemblyman Abbate

on Hurricane Irene

Assemblyman Stresses Precaution and Preparedness

Brooklyn— “This weekend, our community in Brooklyn finds itself in the likely path of Hurricane Irene. However, in the hours leading up to the storm, it is of the utmost importance that we all put the necessary safeguards in place to minimize the potential damage of the storm. What is most imperative is that we all calmly but diligently take every possible step to guard our homes and loved ones.

 Not only should every family have emergency batteries, flashlights and other supplies, but it is also important that we do out (sic) best to look out for our neighbors during and after the storm. Stay in touch with friends and family, especially senior citizens, which means making sure that cell phones are fully charged in the event that telephone wires are downed. Every family should have a plan. There is no such thing as being too ready. We all hope that this storm has a worse bark than bite, but in the event that it is as bad as predicted, there is no excuse for being insufficiently prepared.

 I thank the City for its efforts to make everyone aware of the dangers of Hurricane Irene and I stress the importance of heeding his warnings. There are two evacuation centers in the area, at IS 187 and at Roosevelt High School. Those south of 75^th Street are recommended to be wary of flooding, and those closest to the Belt Parkway should be most cautious. Avoid the parkway and any flooded streets.

 Stay tuned to the internet, the television and radio for further alerts and warnings, and most of all take care of your families and homes.

State Assemblyman Peter Abbate represents Assembly District 49, which includes Bensonhurst, Bath Beach and Dyker Heights.

If you’d like to know Irene’s current location, the New York Times is currently letting non-subscribers access their Hurricane Tracking Map.

After the infamous Boxing Day Blizzard debacle last December, and while Hurricane Irene barrels up the East Coast towards New Jersey, Mayor Bloomberg insists that, this time, NYC won’t be caught lying down.

The Daily News is reporting that the mayor, at a press conference this morning at St. Luke’s Baptist Church in Queens, told journalists that, should Hurricane Irene make a visit, the city will be well prepared.

From Daily News:

“The city has already seen the power of Mother Nature this week,” Bloomberg said, referring to the earthquake which shook the city Tuesday.

The city is “hoping for the best, preparing for the worst,” he added.

Just how would our beloved home fare if worse came to worse and a hurricane hit?

If we look at the Office of Emergency Management map above, you can see that, on the whole, Bensonhurst and its surrounding neighborhoods would fare better than our neighbors to the south and east. CLICK HERE TO LEARN WHERE FLOODING COULD OCCUR AND TO GET SOME TIPS ON HOW YOU AND YOUR LOVED ONES CAN STAY SAFE

816 Avenue U (Photo: Robert Fieseler/The Brooklyn Ink)

Brooklyn Ink ran an article yesterday about an Avenue U establishment that’s having trouble just opening its doors.

The story, which Sheepshead Bites’ Erica Sherman first covered back in May, centers on nightclub Pleasure Island (816 Avenue U near East 9th Street), which hopes to open in the same location as a previously shuttered business known simply as Pleasure.

On May 17, opposition to Pleasure Island at a community board meeting put the brakes on the club’s liquor license. Nearby residents, many of whom are Orthodox Jews, cited examples of illegal parking, noise and littering while Pleasure was at the same address. Click here to find out what both sides have to say

by Tony the Misfit via flickr

After repeatedly dismissing calls to leave office in the midst of revelations that he had inappropriately texted several young women, U.S. Congressman Anthony Weiner resigned today. The press conference was held in Sheepshead Bay at the Council Center For Senior Citizens (1001 Quentin Road), the place where almost twenty years ago Weiner had launched his political career when he announced a run for City Council representing the 48th District. Weiner took time to apologize to both his wife and brother and was reportedly asked obscene questions by Benjy Bronk from the Howard Stern Show.

From The New York Times:

Mr. Weiner announced his resignation in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, at a senior center where he announced his first campaign for City Council in 1991. But while that moment was filled with promise and excitement, his resignation occurred in a raucous and circuslike atmosphere, punctuated by shouting from a group of hecklers.

Mr. Weiner tried to deliver his brief statement in a restrained manner, but struggled to be heard above the din of the hecklers, some of whom shouted vulgarities and one of whom called him a “pervert.”

The departing congressman, who did not take any questions, said he had been proud to serve the people of his district who “represent the same middle class story as mine.” He said he was stepping down so that he could “continue to heal from the damage I have caused.”

Please log onto our sister site Sheepshead Bites for continuing coverage of this story, including the consequences of Weiner’s resignation for the citizens of the New York’s 9th Congressional District.

from NY1

Some Chinese-American community leaders are hoping the 2010 Census numbers will help secure additional funding for the community’s elderly.

According to NY1, the new Census results show a 41 percent increase of Asians living in Brooklyn.

“In Brooklyn, there is not one Chinese senior center that is funded for operations by the city’s Department of the Aging,” Richard Kuo, executive director of Homecrest Community Services told NY1. “And we hope that the 2010 census will change that dynamic, that additional funds will be provided by the city.” Continue Reading »