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VOLUME 90 NUMBER 28 • July 19-25, 2019
WHAT’S NEWS OLD NATHAN’S SITE TO BECOME A SCHOOL The nearly 20,000-square-foot property, at 650 86th Street, has been purchased by the School Construction Authority for $25 million, according to the deed for the site, approximately twice what its buyer, “660 86 LLC,” paid for it. A 600-seat middle school is planned for the location. For more on this story, go to brooklynreporter.com.
LONGTIME BAY RIDGE EATERY CIRCLES IS NO MORE The closure of the restaurant, which had recently moved into a new space a couple of blocks from its original location at the corner of Third Avenue and Bay Ridge Avenue, surprised local business and civic leaders, but the real estate agent handling the property told this paper that the decision had arisen after one of the restaurant’s chefs died. For more on this story, see page 4.
A “SOPRANOS” STAR PAID A RECENT VISIT TO GRAVESEND Vincent Pastore was the guest of honor at a block party marking his birthday that was held outside Our Lady of Grace Church on Saturday, July 13. The party — a fundraiser for the church was hosted by local actor William DeMeo and Michele Frantzeskos’s Entertainment and Consultant Inc., and featured lots of local eats. For more on this story, see page 12INB.
A CONEY ISLAND STREET NAMED AFTER A LOCAL HERO The corner of Surf Avenue and West 12th Street was co-named on Monday, July 15 in memory of P.O. Leon Fox, who was killed there in the line of duty in 1941. Among those present for the ceremony were Fox’s son, who was seven when his father was killed, and 92-year-old Leo Katz, who was a school child at the time who Fox used to shepherd across the street to keep him safe. For more on this story, see page 4.
PUSH FOR FEDERAL FUNDING FOR SOUTH BROOKLYN BUSES
Photo courtesy of the Diocese of Brooklyn
Representatives Max Rose, Jerrold Nadler, Carolyn Maloney, Yvette Clarke, Nydia Velázquez and Hakeem Jeffries have called on the Federal Transit Administration to underwrite the addition of bus bulbs and bus pads at bus stops on 86th Street and Bay Parkway, to improve safety along the heavily-used routes, and to make it easier for the elderly and those with disabilities to use the buses. For more on this story, see page 2.
BOARD 11 BOASTS HIGHEST PERCENTAGE OF FOREIGN-BORN PEOPLE IN ALL OF BROOKLYN In Bensonhurst, Bath Beach, Mapleton and the portions of Gravesend within the board’s boundaries, 56 percent of residents are immigrants, according to the city’s Department of Health. Among them, according to CB 11 Chair Bill Guarinello, are populations of Asians, Russians and Latinos, joining immigrants from other countries that have been settled in the area longer. For more on this story, see page 2.
POL NAMED GRAND MARSHAL OF SANTA ROSALIA FESTIVAL Councilmember Justin Brannan — whose forebears came from Naples — was awarded the honor, succeeding another native son, Carlo Scissura, the president of the New York Building Congress, who served in the post last year. The festival will take place along 18th Avenue, between 67th and 75th streets, from Aug. 22 through Sept. 1. For more on this story, see page 19.
Civic leader Ed Mafoud honored by Brooklyn Catholic Diocese SEE PAGE 11
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