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Brooklyn Heights People: Doug Biviano

Doug Biviano

Ask State Assembly Candidate Doug Biviano about himself, and the first thing he’ll say is he’s a P.S. 8 parent who was born and raised in Brooklyn. Then, almost as if to prove it, he’ll ask the waitress at Heights Café to bring him a Brooklyn Brewery beer. (more…)

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Squadron Sponsors Anti-Salmonella Bill

State Senator Daniel Squadron, whose 25th Senate district includes Brooklyn Heights, is sponsoring a bill that, if enacted, would require all hens laying eggs for sale in New York State to be vaccinated against salmonella. This is in response to the recent outbreak of salmonella infections traced to eggs produced on farms in the Midwest, but sold in many other states. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration responded to this with new rules, but they do not include a vaccination requirement.

New York Daily News: “Requiring salmonella vaccination should be a no-brainer, and if the FDA is unwilling to take the lead, we should start here in New York,” said state Sen. Daniel Squadron (D-Manhattan, Brooklyn), who himself had a brush with salmonella in college.

“We believe it was from an undercooked omelet,” said Squadron, who was hospitalized for four days. “It is a terrible, terrible disease.”

So much for the chow at Yale.

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Old Fulton Buildings Saved?

Photo: Fulton Ferry Landing Association

As we reported earlier, the City Department of Buildings issued full vacate orders for the buildings at numbers 9, 11, 13, and 15 Old Fulton Street. Now, according to the Fulton Ferry Landing Association blog, the historic buildings at 11, 13, and 15 Old Fulton may yet be spared demolition.

As you may have noticed, there has been some positive action on 11, 13, and 15 Old Fulton Street, thanks to continuing pressure from concerned residents, preservationists, and our elected officials. Contractors have been cleaning out the buildings so as to reduce the load on the structures, under the supervision of the DOB’s forensic engineering division. This will likely continue for the next week or so. (more…)

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Squeezing Out Sparks: Biviano Debates Millman

News Corp’s Community Newspaper Group (the Brooklyn Paper, Courier-Life) hosted a debate last week between the two candidates squaring off for the Democratic nomination in the 52nd NYS Assembly District.   Incumbent Joan Millman and challenger/ Brooklyn Heights resident Doug Biviano discussed many local issues, but one topic appears to be gaining traction (operative word: “appears”).   The issue: Biviano’s accusation that Millman is “double dipping” from the public coffers – one paycheck for her service as a member of the NY Assembly and the other from her NYC teacher’s pension.

The Brooklyn Paper’s recap of the debate and video after the jump: (more…)

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Brooklyn Bridge Park Releases Tobacco Warehouse RFP

Flickr photo by Jonas Bengsston


As rumored, Brooklyn Bridge Park has issued a Request for Proposal [download PDF]  ”for the rehabilitation and adaptive re-use of the former Tobacco Warehouse for cultural, educational or community purposes.” (more…)

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Boring? New, Lengthy Tunnel Idea Proposed for BQE

Cobble Hill community activist Roy Sloane has proposed re-routing the BQE through what would be the longest highway tunnel in North America, taking it from the Navy Yard, under parts of Fort Greene, Downtown Brooklyn, and Boerum Hill, to the Prospect Expressway.

YourNabe.com: The extraordinarily ambitious two-and-a-half-mile tunnel is one of several options for replacing the beleaguered highway that is being considered by the state Department of Transportation, but it is already emerging as a favorite. (more…)

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Vito Makes District Leader Races Interesting

Brooklyn Democratic boss/ Assemblyman Vito Lopez abused his power in a suit against a political opponent according to claims published by the Brooklyn Paper.  Citizens Union Executive Director Dick Dadey calls Lopez’s behavior  ”mind-boggling”: (more…)

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Millman: Pedestrian Countdown Signals Coming

State Assembly Member Joan Millman announced today that pedestrian countdown signals, which tell pedestrians how much time, in seconds, is left before a light changes, will be installed at crossings on three busy, wide streets adjacent to or near the Heights: Cadman Plaza West, Court Street, and Adams Street. The new signals will be installed in 2011. As quoted in her press release, Ms. Millman said:

Pedestrians, especially senior citizens, people with disabilities and parents with young children, face dangerous conditions at wide intersection crossings. Simply knowing how many seconds remain greatly improves safety at the crossing, as evidenced by the results of DOT’s study. I will continue to urge placement of countdown signals at intersections where they are needed.

Ms. Millman represents the 52nd Assembly District, which includes Brooklyn Heights and nearby neighborhoods. She is up for re-election this year, and faces a challenge in the Democratic primary from Heights resident Doug Biviano.

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Update on Brooklyn Bridge Work: Why It’s Taking So Long

In response to my earlier post giving a schedule of closures of the Brooklyn Bridge to Manhattan-bound auto traffic over the next four years to accommodate repair and repainting work, several readers asked: Why not just shut the Bridge down completely and get the job done in a few months’ time? A bit of research provided this answer: DOT did consider complete bridge closures. Among the many reasons for their decision in favor of partial (Manhattan-bound only, and only during off-peak hours or weekends) closure was an analysis of average daily trip figures that showed the peak hour traffic volumes that would be diverted from the Brooklyn Bridge cannot be accommodated on the Williamsburg/Manhattan/Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel crossings, in addition to their current loads.

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The Media Reports on the Media Not Paying Attention to Biviano’s NY Assembly Campaign

Brooklyn Heights resident and candidate for NYS Assembly Doug Biviano may not have Michael Moore’s heft as a documentarian but he makes his point about media interest in his and other challengers’ political campaigns in a web video posted earlier this week.   Now the media is picking up on Biviano’s not being covered…by the media.

Vote in our poll after the jump. (more…)

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