Bride-to-be Tanya Gonzalez put the two pairs of custom Converse sneakers, which she and her fiancé Michael Sanchez designed together months ago, back in their boxes. The shoes were supposed to be worn at their wedding reception on May 15. But due to the coronavirus outbreak in New York City last month, their plans came to a sudden halt, leaving […]
Feature Story
A Quiet, Good Neighbor
When Urban Recovery at 411 Van Brunt Street first opened its doors on January 7, 2019 nobody really knew what to expect. Rumors swirled and critics, well, were critics. Now after a little over year of operation, it’s time to review Urban Recovery. I have a special relationship with UR. since I was a patient there for 5 weeks in […]
The Bridges of Gowanus
“I want an uplifting story this time!” George bellowed. “None of that death and gloom you usually dish out. We got enough of that these days.” My mind raced. Uplifting? Hmmm…“How about a nice local story about bridges that lift up over a little stream?” George chomped on his cigar and muttered, “OK, but make sure those bridges don’t blow […]
Lifting up the vulnerable: Audrey Moore’s commitment to end human trafficking
Human trafficking is the criminal practice of buying and selling coerced or kidnapped individuals for the purpose of sexual slavery, involuntary labor, child soldiery, or another form of exploitation. Audrey Moore, CEO of Lift Up the Vulnerable (LUV), is committed to fighting against human trafficking. Moore’s discovery of the human trafficking market began in the early 2000s as a recent […]
Andrew Gillum: Sex, Politics and Black Masculinity
In 2018, Andrew Gillum was the handsome, 38-year-old runner-up in Florida’s gubernatorial race. Gillum, the state’s first Black nominee for governor, lost by fewer than 35,000 votes. Despite his loss, Gillum’s political capital was rising on the national stage. Rumors of a vice-presidential nomination spread. In March 2020, on Friday the 13th, Gillum, now 40, was found in a heavily […]
The Healthy Geezer, by Fred Cicetti
Q: I’m 70 and I’m starting to see a blurred area in the middle of my vision. Any ideas? Have this checked immediately by an eye care practitioner. What you describe is a symptom of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a leading cause of vision loss in Americans 60 years of age and older. The macula is at the center of […]
Summit stars earn basketball scholarships
Kiana Brereton and Sky Castro, who are both 6’2″, are the second and third female Summit Academy Charter School athletes to receive Division One basketball scholarships. Castro, who started at Summit in the eighth grade, will be attending St. Peter’s College in Jersey City. Brereton, whose first year at Summit was when she was a freshman, will be going to […]
The Calvary Baptist Church of Red Hook celebrated Black History Month with singing, acting and music
The event was called The Church: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow. Kids and adults were involved, and there were three different acts with music (guitar, drums and piano) in between and during each one. “It was more or less looking at the church, what used to happen, comparing it to today, and thinking about how it can be better for the […]
Eight facts you might not have known about the Fort Hamilton Army Base
Brooklyn is known for many things – its famous wooden roller coaster in Coney Island, its cheesecake from Flatbush Avenue, and its one-time-World Series-winning baseball team, to name a few. However, what many may not know is that it is also home to the country’s fourth oldest military installation and the city’s last active military installation for the past 26 […]
Meet five of Fort Hamilton High School’s JROTC Senior Cadets
The Monday following a week-long school break may not be the first thing students look forward to, but five seniors in Fort Hamilton High School’s Tiger Battalion Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) were ready early in the morning to speak with me about what it’s been like to be in the program. All five have been part of JROTC […]