It was a year of downs with slight upturns that suddenly veered into downs that seemed to bottom out, only to tumble violently downward again. – Happily, the murder rate was also trending downward, yet most citizens reported feeling unsafe as mental illness, addiction and homelessness were visible everywhere, especially on the F, D, 2, 5, B, 1 and A […]
Feature Story
Canarsie’s Jerry Building: Who the Heck was Jerry? by Joe Enright
I was working the Red Hook-Amagansett-What-Have-You news desk on a slow day, trying to recover from the year-end Star-Revue party the night before. Things had been kind of slow at Sam’s on Court Street until George threw down a wad of bills with presidential mugs I wasn’t familiar with, whereupon Louie kept those drinks coming. Being free and all, how […]
Politics with Howard Graubard: POST ELECTION WRAP-UP: ADAM GAZA SWEEPS THE WRITE-INS
The day before election day, when a good number (at least in the context of this year) of the City’s electorate had already cast early votes, I was awakened by a call from my fellow election law practitioner, Ali Najmi, warning of a potential problem in Bay Ridge, where my client, Democrat Justin Brannan, was facing off in a closely-watched […]
Column: Predictions, by George Fiala
Whenever I consciously try to predict something, I’m generally wrong. I think a lot of people end up being wrong, while a lot of people end up being right. That’s because I’m guessing we all are doing wishful thinking. If I were to make 2024 predictions, I’d probably say that Trump will be soundly defeated, so much so that all […]
Book Review: The A Train to Sedona: Moving Thorugh Your Shadow Toward the Light Linda Marsanico, Review by Kelsey Sobel
Born into a self described “simple, strict loving Italian family” Linda Marsanico, a local (by way of Park Slope since the late 80s) New York author, has written a book that offers itself as a guide for reader’s spiritual journeys and awakenings. Marsanico, a mother of three, also holds a Ph.D. in Social Psychology and these days, has a coaching/clinical […]
Column: More Thank You’s for all! by George Fiala
Last month I thanked our advertisers who are an important part in keeping this paper going. Not simply financially, but in the fact that there are people in the community who still believe that a local publication, a printed one no less, is important enough to put their money behind it. As a society, we are spending more and more […]
Opinion: Dan’s disappointing vote, by Matt Matros, Carroll Gardens resident
A lot seems to escape Dan Goldman. When the writer and Red Hook resident Sousan Hammad stood in front of his office decrying the war that has claimed the lives of dozens of her family members, Goldman didn’t seem to notice. The letters delivered to him pleading for an end to the violence in Gaza, signed by more than a […]
Can I say enough good things about this store? (no–it’s great!), by Katherine Rivard
Tessa Williams isn’t your average business owner. In a world focused on maximizing profits and efficiency, she centers her work on art and community. Recently, she was packing a pair of delicate vases to be shipped when she noticed that the online order was from a nearby address. She called the customer, explained the situation, then refunded the delivery fee, […]
“You may be factually accurate, but if I feel differently, what does it matter?” Two cautionary tales by Howard Graubard
Tale #1: Sometime around the turn of the century, I was in love. She may have been too. Or maybe it was just a dysfunctional period of mutually assured destruction we’d suffered together. Anyway, we made each other laugh, which is nearly always how my problems began. Neither of us was involved with anyone else, but, because of what then […]
NYC Wildlife Encounters, by Gene Bray
In 1980 I moved to a rooming house in Manhattan. Three feet of my room was below ground level. One morning I woke up, opened my eyes, and saw a cat staring at me from less than a foot away. Our eyes lock. I’m terrified. Afraid to move. Afraid to breathe. It’s calmly studying me. Is it the Devil? When […]