Nabe columnist Walter Ellis talks about the similarities between Rocky Balboa and President Bush as well as the holidays in Brooklyn Heights in his latest Belfast Telegraph dispatch.

Belfast Telegraph: Walter Ellis: Here in Brooklyn Heights, there is still no sign of winter. Like the ski slopes of Europe, the streets of New York seem to be stuck in late autumn. I saw a man in shorts yesterday. I don't even need a scarf when I go out.

What's happening? What does it all mean? But the churches – and there are more in my neighbourhood than there are in the Shankill – are undeterred. The choirs have been practising for weeks; the priests and pastors have been working on their Christmas sermons. Trees have appeared in vestries, and lights are strung along the railings.

Homes, too, are festooned with lights. Christmas in New York is a competitive business, My brother-in-law down the road hosted a seasonal party on Sunday and wanted to know what I thought of his decorations. His tree must have been 15 feet high. The lights outside, next to the stoop, twinkled gaily. But he wanted to be reassured that he and his wife hadn't gone over the top.

"Don't worry," I said, recalling the illuminated Santas and reindeer I had seen in a dozen other locations, to say nothing of the Marian shrine in the back garden of his next door neighbour's. "You are good taste and moderation itself."

But only three cards so far this year – and one of those from my agent. What's going on?

WABC-TV: The all-clear sign has been given at the Borough Hall station, which was shut down due to a suspicious package. Police were investigating a suspicious package at the Borough Hall station, according to authorities.

Officials say the package was discovered about an hour ago.

Initially, officials say the Transit Authority was simply bypassing the station on the A, C and F lines.

But then police say they had halted all train service through the station.

In Manhattan, trains were being turned at West 4th Street on the A and C lines, and F trains were going to 2nd Avenue.

On the Brooklyn side, A and C trains were being turned at Euclid Avenue. F trains were being turned as well.

Brooklyn Record reports that a fatal accident occured this morning on Henry Street and Remsen Street around 7:30 6:30 am.  Unconfirmed reports News 12 Brooklyn (video) confirms that Brooklyn Law professor Sara Robbins was Comments posted on the Record claim that a mother and child were killed by a garbage truck driven by someone talking on a cell phone. Streetsblog writes that at least 6 pedestrians have been killed at the intersection of Henry and Montague since 1995. Today's fatality marks the 7th. (*Streetsblog has deleted this post and the figure is in question).

Brooklyn Record: Two readers just sent us word that a pedestrian was killed by a truck on Henry Street this morning. As neighborhood resident Whitney Browne writes:

"I walked out of my apartment at 7:50 this morning and there was a white-sheet-covered body lying in the middle of Henry Street just south of Montague. A blue dump truck was stopped just past it. There were police everywhere. I'm no detective, but it looked as though the truck had hit and killed the pedestrian as he/she was crossing Henry Street."

Whitney says she saw news crews and what looked like a forensics team examining the body a few hours later. A commenter on the Eric Ng thread estimates that the incident occurred around 7:30am.

If you have information, please post below.

Video from News 12 Brooklyn

Eyes on the Street: Horrific Ped Fatality in Bklyn Heights This AM [Streetsblog]