New York officials have earmarked $68 million to remake Prospect Park into Brooklyn’s biggest rain collector, adding ponds and modern drains to soak up storms that have lately swamped Flatbush Avenue and even the unfortunate Prospect Park Zoo. The p…
New York will spend $68 million on Brooklyn’s first “Blue Belt” in Prospect Park, aiming for rain gardens, ponds, and smarter drainage to mitigate flash floods. After a year poking around the park’s saturated soils, city officials think they can cut lake drainage times from weeks to 36 hours while coddling local turtles. In an urban twist, Frederick Law Olmsted’s old circuits get another shot at relevance.
Starting Monday, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority will swap the F and M subway lines’ tunnels in Queens and Manhattan, rerouting the M through the 63rd Street tunnel and the F through the 53rd, all in hopes of taming congestion and delays affecting some 1.2 million New Yorkers daily. Weekday riders face revised stops and inevitable confusion—though, in classic fashion, we’re assured all will be smooth once the dust (and flyers) settle.
Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn charged five men from “Greggy’s Cult” with exploiting children as young as 11 after luring them via Discord and games like Counter-Strike: Global Offensive from 2020 to 2021. The accused, including one Queens resident, allegedly directed abuse and prodded a victim toward suicide. Parents are nudged, gently, to discuss online safety—since some monsters now prefer headsets over haunted woods.
New York’s Economic Development Corporation is reviving direct ferry service between Staten Island and Brooklyn after a 60-year hiatus, with sleek NYC Ferry boats scheduled every 37 to 50 minutes and tickets priced at $4.50. The reinstated St. George–Bay Ridge link promises a brisk 11-minute crossing—proving, once again, that in New York, even history gets stuck in traffic but occasionally catches the current.
Representative Yvette Clarke and 43 House allies urged Washington not to override states’ clout to police artificial intelligence, arguing in a letter that innovation should not mean a one-size-fits-all policy. As Congress debates an elusive federal framework for AI, the group touts New York’s caution and California’s zeal as features, not bugs—presumably trusting Sacramento and Albany to outpace both robots and regulators.
At her first State of the District, Kristen Gonzalez—New York's youngest senator at 28—touted 19 legislative wins, including new voting rules, digital transparency and a statewide artificial intelligence czar, all while threading the budgetary needle across Queens, Brooklyn, and Manhattan. She called for unity against Washington’s “hostile” airs; as ever, her neighbors’ noise complaints may prove trickier than wrangling data or democracy.
After years of lobbying for secure bike pods in New York, Shabazz Stuart of Brooklyn-based Oonee has watched the Department of Transportation pick California’s Tranzito as its preferred partner for up to 500 units citywide, citing experience and a competitive bid. Stuart, who feels spurned after a decade of effort, is left wondering if good ideas can outpedal a rigorous procurement checklist.
Antonio Reynoso, Brooklyn borough president, announced he will vie to succeed Nydia Velázquez in the House, turning New York’s 7th district into a proving ground between Democrats and an expected challenger from the Democratic Socialists of America. As local progressives and party brass limber up, it seems even congressional seats need walking shoes in this borough these days.
