Julie Thum Top Woman in Business flyer

For more information on sponsorship/participation opportunities contact Lori at 718-238-6600 ext. 110 or [email protected]

NETWORKING & AWARDS DINNER

Join me as I celebrate being aTop Woman in Business

JULIE THUMChief of Staff

Office of the President, Borough of Queens

Licensed Associate Broker,RE/MAX Metro

Wednesday, March 11, 20156:00- 9:00

Brooklyn

TOP WOMEN IN BUSINESS

Purchase tickets online at www.HomeReporter.com/eventsThe proceeds of the Raffle will be donated to the American Heart Association and the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

(Journal Deadline March 6, 2015 )

Networking: 6-7:30pm Dinner & Awards Presentation: 7:30pm

The Grand Prospect Hall 283 Prospect Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11215

Expo Table & 2 Dinner Tickets ...............$800Dinner Tickets ................................ $125 eachTable of 10 ..............................................$1200Full Page Ad (4.5” x 7.5”) .......................$600Half Page Ad (4.5” x 3.5”) ......................$375

Participation Opportunities

14 BROOKLYN MEDIA GROUP • MARCH 20 - MARCH 26, 201414 BROOKLYN MEDIA GROUP • MARCH 6 - MARCH 12, 2014

GO BACK TO THEDRAWING BOARD

▲

▲

editorial A LOOK BACK compiled byGary Nilsen and Helen Klein

(USPS 248.800)

9733 FOURTH AVE. • BROOKLYN, NY 11209Co-Publisher ... Victoria Schneps-Yunis

Co-Publisher ... Joshua A. SchnepsEditor in Chief ... Helen Klein

Telephone 718-238-6600Fax 718-238-6630

E-mail [email protected]

Periodical postage paid at Brooklyn, N.Y. Published weekly by Brooklyn Media Group, Inc.Single copies, 50 cents. $35 per year by mail, $40 outside Brooklyn. On June 8, 1962, the BayRidge Home Reporter (founded 1953) and the Brooklyn Sunset News, a continuation of the BayRidge News (founded 1943) were merged into the HOME REPORTER AND SUNSET NEWS.

Postmaster: Send Address Changes To:Home Reporter and Sunset News

9733 Fourth Ave., Brooklyn, N.Y. 11209Entire contents copyright 2014 by Home Reporter and Sunset News

(Estab. 1953)

All letters sent to the HOME REPORTER AND SUNSET NEWS should be brief and are subject to con-densing. Writers should include a full address and home and office telephone numbers, where avail-able, as well as affiliation, indicating special interest. Anonymous letters are not printed. Name with-held on request.LETTERS TO THE EDITOR, AS WELL AS OP-ED PIECES IN NO WAY REFLECT THE PAPER’SPOSITION. No such ad or any part thereof may be reproduced without prior permission of the HOMEREPORTER AND SUNSET NEWS. The publishers will not be responsible for any error in advertisingbeyond the cost of the space occupied by the error. Errors must be reported to the HOMEREPORTER AND SUNSET NEWS within five days of publication. Ad position cannot be guaranteedunless paid prior to publication. Brooklyn Media Group, Inc. assumes no liability for the content orreply to any ads. The advertiser assumes all liability for the content of and all replies. The advertis-er agrees to hold the HOME REPORTER AND SUNSET NEWS and its employees harmless from allcost, expenses, liabilities, and damages resulting from or caused by the publication or recordingplaced by the advertiser or any reply to such advertisement.

HOMEREPORTERHOMEREPORTERAND SUNSET NEWS

Each day, thousands of people dependon SUNY Downstate Medical Center foremergency medical care and vitalhealth care services.

But this state-operated public hospital has been indanger of being closed or privatized for more than twoyears. Hundreds of jobs have been lost, and numeroushealth care services have been cut or curtailed due to thehospital’s ill-prepared “Sustainability Plan.”

Now, there is language in the 2014-15 proposed statebudget that would open the door to as many as five cor-porations to operate SUNY’s public hospitals.

United University Professions, the union that representsnearly 3,000 employees at SUNY Downstate, has beenfighting to keep SUNY Downstate a fully operational state-run facility. However, UUP isn’t fighting the battle alone.

The SUNY Downstate Coalition of Faith, Labor andCommunity Leaders has become an important ally. Thecoalition has staged a number of rallies and protests overthe past 18 months to save health care services and jobsat SUNY Downstate and keep it a public facility.

The latest such effort is a 48-hour interfaith fast. Itwill begin Sunday, March 9, at 3 p.m., in front ofDownstate’s 470 Clarkson Avenue entrance. Interfaithleaders and members of the community will participateto show their strong support for this beacon in Brooklynand call attention to the threats it faces.

You can take part in the fast or find out more about itby calling 718-270-1519, or sending an email [email protected].

We strongly urge you to join our campaign. Take part inthe fast, or come out and show your support. Together, wecan deliver a strong message that SUNY Downstate mustremain a full-service, state-operated public hospital.

The threats facing SUNY Downstate are real. TheSUNY Board of Trustees has openly discussed the possi-bility of closing SUNY Downstate. There is also language

in the Executive Budget, which would allow corporationsto control SUNY’s public hospitals; one corporation mustaffiliate with an academic medical institution or teach-ing hospital. SUNY Downstate has Brooklyn’s onlyteaching hospital.

Privatizing or closing SUNY Downstate as a way forthe state to save dollars is shortsighted and unnecessary.We believe the answer to Brooklyn’s health care short-comings lies in the “Brooklyn Hospitals Safety Net Plan,”a UUP-backed initiative to stabilize and deliver healthcare throughout Brooklyn.

This plan would preserve SUNY Downstate and saveseveral financially unstable hospitals in Brooklyn,including Interfaith Medical Center, Brookdale, LongIsland College Hospital and Kingsbrook Jewish MedicalCenter. You can see the proposal online athttp://www.brooklynhospitalplan.org.

It calls for the creation of a network of satellite ambu-latory care centers, and would be controlled by and affil-iated with 14 other Brooklyn hospitals. Downstate wouldbe the network’s hub, educating and supplying physi-cians and medical staff to the care centers and workingwith doctors at the other hospitals.

It’s a simple, effective plan and, if given a chance, itwill work.

New York has a responsibility to provide for the healthcare needs of its citizens. The Brooklyn Hospitals SafetyNet Plan—our plan and the community’s plan—is aviable, workable option for long-term health care inBrooklyn.

That’s something that Brooklyn residents desperatelyneed.Frederick E. Kowal is president of United UniversityProfessions, the union representing 35,000 faculty and profes-sional staff at SUNY’s 29 state-operated campuses, includingSUNY’s public teaching hospitals and health science centersin Brooklyn, Buffalo, Long Island and Syracuse.

With the city deciding to move forward on most of theschool co-locations approved late last year, as MayorBloomberg prepared to vacate City Hall, parents insouthwest Brooklyn are not only disappointed but angry.

While the Department of Education under Mayor deBlasio wisely opted to back out of a planned co-location ofa new high school inside Gravesend’s John Dewey HighSchool, the DOE decided to move ahead with two others:the co-location of a charter school inside Seth LowIntermediate School in Bensonhurst and another insideJoseph B. Cavallaro Intermediate School in Bath Beach.

These – like others in the borough and the city – areboth fiercely opposed by parents, educators, studentsand the local Community Education Councils, all ofwhom contend that the co-locations would steal neces-sary space from students already attending the schools,and those who will be going to them in the near future.

While the city has said it only considers under-utilizedschools for co-locations, area education advocates saythat both Cavallaro and Seth Low are well utilized, andlikely to become more crowded as students now in ele-mentary school in both District 20 and District 21 moveup to middle school.

Indeed, District 20 is one of the most crowded schooldistricts in the city, so much so that the city built a hostof new schools for it in the past decade, with more beingplanned, meaning that public school students in bothDistrict 20 and District 21 are likely to feel the squeezeshould they have to share space with students from acharter school.

That strikes us as patently unfair. While some of thecharter schools poised to open in September, 2014 may beworthy additions to the city’s educational offerings, theirneeds should not trump the needs of existing schoolswith existing students. And, indeed, when a charterschool is put inside a public school, the process mustinvolve the school communities at both educational insti-tutions, and parents must also be involved.

The city must go back to the drawing board and comeup with alternative arrangements for the charter schoolsplanned for Seth Low and Cavallaro as well as otherschools where they are opposed.. The students whoattend those schools deserve no less.

guest op-ed

Keep SUNY Downstate open and publicBY FREDERICK E. KOWAL

Photo by Gardiner AndersonAnd the award goes to… Bay Ridge, whichhas provided the backdrop for many moviesand television shows over the years, from“Blue Bloods” and “Saturday Night Fever” to“Mad Men” and, in 2006, to “Then SheFound Me,” starring Helen Hunt and BetteMidler, seen above in a September, 2006,Home Reporter photo taken on location onShore Road at 77th Street. Midler performedat the most recent Oscars, singing “WindBeneath My Wings” during the awardsshow’s In Memoriam segment. “Then SheFound Me,” which also starred MatthewBroderick, was also shot inside a historichome on 88th Street.

14 BROOKLYN MEDIA GROUP • MARCH 6 - MARCH 12, 2014


▲

▲


(USPS 248.800)



Telephone 718-238-6600Fax 718-238-6630





(Estab. 1953)


























guest op-ed





▲

▲


(USPS 248.800)



Telephone 718-238-6600Fax 718-238-6630





(Estab. 1953)


























guest op-ed



Congratulations to law enforcement – the NYPD and Brooklyn’s new District Attorney Ken Thompson – for taking decisive action to combat the scourge of heroin and opioid abuse that has been haunting southwest Brooklyn Thanks to good information from community residents – who have kept up the push to get drug dealers off their streets – cops have arrested six people as a result of a protracted investigation, and charged them with involvement in an illicit drug-peddling scheme in which customers called in orders and dealers delivered them to street corners and bars in Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, Bensonhurst and Sunset Park. Given the rising number of people who have fallen victim to overdoses of the illicit substances – including heroin, opiates, marijuana, ecstasy and Ketamine, a horse tranquilizer known in street parlance as “Special K” – it is truly critical that law enforcement stay on top of the situation, and make sure that drug dealers know that their activities will not be tolerated. Sources say this is just the beginning, and that more arrests are to come. While we understand that such investigations are lengthy and delicate, and can’t be rushed, we say, those arrests can’t come soon enough.

SENIORS DESERVE SUPPORT

Each year, it seems, the budget dance in Albany leaves seniors wondering, what’s in it for them? This year is no different, and local elected offi cials have taken a stand to push the governor to include an extra $26 million in the state budget that would go to help seniors, specifi cally those who are on a waiting list for Meals on Wheels (some 7,000 statewide, as of now) as well as those who use Access-a-Ride and other services. In addition, elected offi cials and senior advocates are pushing for a raise in the income that seniors can have and still qualify for SCRIE, a program that controls increases in rent. The last time the income ceiling was increased (to $29,000) was in 2009, meaning that an increase is now overdue. We join advocates in urging seniors and their families to call their state elected offi cials and let them know – the time has come to make it easier for seniors to age with dignity.

GOOD NEWS FOR THE COMMUNITY

Photo by Valerie Hodgson

A LOOK BACK Compiled by Gary Nilsenand Helen Klein

The Tolls are Too Damn High!That’s the unfortunate reality of trying to commute

by car inside the city of New York.The cost to travel round trip across any of our tolled

crossing is $15 cash. The discounted EZ-Pass rate is just under $11.

For trips into Manhattan, Queens and the Bronx, we have several toll-free options which allow for easy commuting between boroughs without facing this daily expense.

However, there is no way to enter Staten Island without being hit by this outrageous toll. For those that work, go to school, or visit family in Staten Island, they are paying $10.66 each time they cross the bridge, with EZ-Pass. That is unsustainable, and unrealistic.

For two years now, Assemblymember Nicole Malliotakis and I have been fi ghting for a reduced fare for those who cross the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge three or more times a month.

This discount would mirror that put in place by the Port Authority, allowing for a 58 percent discount from the cash price for crossing the bridge for those who have residency in New York City and travel over

the bridge more than three times a month.This would bring the price from $10.66 to $6.30.

That would be real savings for our families, real relief from the tolls.

Last week, we had a major victory in this fi ght. The New York State Senate included a feasibility study in its one house budget. This means our plan is on the way to becoming a reality. We need to keep the pressure on.

We need to convince the Assembly and the governor that this discount plan needs to be a priority.

Please join with us and sign a petition to let everyone know how important this issue is.

Visit www.TheTollsareTooDamnHigh.com and sign onto our petition to make this discount plan a reality.

Together we can achieve reasonable toll rates on the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge.

State Senator Marty Golden represents the 22nd Senate District in Brooklyn, including Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, Bensonhurst, Manhattan Beach, Gravesend, Gerritsen Beach, Marine Park and portions of Sheepshead Bay, Midwood and Boro Park.

Join the � ght againstskyrocketing tolls

BY STATE SENATOR MARTY GOLDEN

Then-Mayor Rudolph Giuliani was a guest of honor at an early Bay Ridge St. Patrick’s Parade. Hizzoner is seen here with members of the military and some of the stalwarts who nurtured the event in its formative years outside Hunter’s Steak & Ale House, where the annual pre-parade brunch is held. Spotted in the crowd surrounding the former mayor are Monsignor (then-Father) Jamie Gigantiello, second from left; Larry Morrish, to Giuliani’s right; and Auxiliary Police Chief Tony Christo, to Morrish’s right, front row.

VISIT HOMEREPORTER.COMFOR THE LATEST LOCAL NEWS



▲

▲


(USPS 248.800)



Telephone 718-238-6600Fax 718-238-6630





(Estab. 1953)


























guest op-ed





▲

▲


(USPS 248.800)



Telephone 718-238-6600Fax 718-238-6630





(Estab. 1953)


























guest op-ed





▲

▲


(USPS 248.800)



Telephone 718-238-6600Fax 718-238-6630





(Estab. 1953)


























guest op-ed



With the kickoff of a petition campaign to get the MTA to offer toll discounts to Brooklyn drivers and other city residents who use the Verrazano Narrows Bridge at least three times a month, the time has come for the residents of the other four boroughs to make their voices heard.

The timing of the petition is no accident. It was created in response to the announcement earlier this year that Staten Island residents – who already pay substantially less than other city residents to use the bridge – will get an added discount, thanks to a recent agreement brokered by Governor Andrew Cuomo.

Right now, Brooklyn residents who use the bridge pay $15 roundtrip ($10.66 with E-ZPass), while resi-dents of Staten Island now pay $6, and will pay just $5.50 when the added discount takes effect.

The disparity is glaring, and it just isn’t right. We understand that Staten Islanders have no other vehicu-lar access to the rest of the city besides the Verrazano, but many residents of Brooklyn – and southwest Brooklyn in particular – go to Staten Island and New Jersey regularly, and those double-digit tolls add up quickly.

The Port Authority gets it; for the past two years, it has offered a 58 percent discount to drivers who utilize crossings between Staten Island and New Jersey at least three times a month.

It’s time for the MTA to follow suit, and for New York State to do whatever it takes to make that hap-pen. The cost of offering a discount to drivers who use the Verrazano three or more times a month is $30 mil-lion, not insubstantial but in reality a small percentage of the state’s $142 billion budget.

The petition can be found on line at Thetollsaretoodamnhigh.com.

THE CONEY BOOM CONTINUESWith the groundbreaking for the new Thunderbolt

roller coaster, Coney Island has taken another step into its own energized future.

The 21st century thrill ride, which should be com-pleted by May, salutes the area’s storied past as it builds on the excitement and growth that have characterized the amusement area over the past several years.

The continued progress is great news for Coney, for Brooklyn and for the city as a whole, particu-larly coming in the wake of the devastation wrought by Superstorm Sandy, which in areas like Coney Island is still a factor.

We hope it is a harbinger of more good things to come.

ASKING FOR EQUITY

Photo by Valerie HodgsonThe St. Patrick’s Parade is a Bay Ridge tradition stretching back over two decades. Replete with marching bands and folk dancers, the parade – seen here in a vintage photo from this newspaper’s � les -- tradi-tionally attracts both those of Irish heritage and those who just enjoy the event. Up until two years ago, the parade marched along Fifth Avenue as seen in this photo; last year, however, it was shifted to Third Avenue, which will host the event again this year, on Sunday, March 23. Heading up the march, for 2014, will be NYPD Chief Joe Fox, now chief of transit, but well-known to many in the neighborhood as the for-mer commanding of� cer of Patrol Borough Brooklyn South.


Some welcome news came on the cusp of National Nutrition Month. The Obama administration announced signifi cant reforms of nutrition labeling to educate consumers better so they know what they’re putting in their bodies each day.

That announcement dovetailed with a federal report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showing a stunning reduction in the obesity rate of young children. Both display encouraging news, because addressing health and fi tness issues early on produces a lifetime of benefi ts.

As a nonprofi t that provides access to primary care for our city’s underserved communities, Community Healthcare Network is on the frontlines of this unrelent-ing war on obesity. We’re taking our efforts to the streets this month to inform people as they shop – and eat.

An alarming proportion of unhealthy foods stock the shelves of corner delis across our city. While these small businesses are the lifeblood of vibrant neighbor-hoods, the choices many folks make are packing on the pounds.

This month, we encourage New Yorkers to put down those salted Wise potato chips and instead make some wise decisions about their health. Here’s our top 10 list of the calorie culprits at the corner stores:

•Don’t saddle up to the breakfast bar. Breakfast bars (granola, protein and energy bars) can have more sugars than breakfast pastries and candy bars.

•Quenching your thirst. Gatorade and enhanced vitamin drinks usually don’t have vitamins and contain unnecessary salts and sugars.

•The low-down on “low fat.” It normally means high salt and higher sugar.

•When the chips are down. No-cholesterol potato chips are fried in vegetable oil; cholesterol is irrelevant.

•Don’t butta la pasta. Tri-color pasta doesn’t mean anything other than it’s dyed pasta.

•Separate wheat from the chaff. Make sure “wheat” bread contains “whole grains.”

•Fruitful? More like full of sweeteners. Some smoothies and fruit juice are loaded with sugar and fattening yogurt.

•When Greek and regular yogurt are not chic. Avoid with added fruit/fruit syrup. And, the frozen kinds usually pack in more sugar and far less protein.

•Down the wrong trail. Avoid mixes with added chocolates (which add in tons of extra calories and sugar) and watch portions.

•Low price, but hidden costs. Processed foods are easy to grab on-the-go, but boxed muffi ns and snacks, chicken nuggets and processed meats contain tons of sodium, sugar and unhealthy preservatives.

Consumed over the years, the above ingredients are the recipe for an unhealthy future. Seem overwhelm-ing? Not if you start with some simple changes. So here are 10 healthier picks: sweet potatoes, avocados, plain Greek yogurt or regular plain yogurt, trail mix (without the add-ins!), whole grain bread, natural nut butter, light air-popped popcorn or pretzels, cottage cheese, fruit and eggs.

We want to ensure that all New Yorkers have the tools to develop better habits within their means. Starting with small changes, what they put on their plates can make a huge difference.

Catherine Abate is the president/CEO of Community Healthcare Network.

Tips for making smartdietary choices

BY CATHERINE ABATE


▲

▲

























guest op-ed


9733 Fourth Avenue, Bklyn, NY 11209TEL 1-718-238-6600 Fax 1-718-238-6630

E-Mail: [email protected]

Co-Publisher ... Victoria Schneps-YunisCo-Publisher ... Joshua A. Schneps

Editor in Chief ... Helen Klein

THE BROOKLYN SPECTATOR is published weekly by Brooklyn Media Group,Inc., continuing THE BROOKLYN TIMES (established 1974) including Bay Recordand Advertiser, The Shore Record and The Flatbush Reporter.

Periodical postage paid at Brooklyn, N.Y. Subscription rate $35.00 per year,$40.00 per year out of town.

POSTMASTER: Send Address Changes ToBROOKLYN SPECTATOR

9733 4th Ave., Bklyn, NY 11209

Entire contents copyright 2014 by Brooklyn Spectator.

All letters sent to the BROOKLYN SPECTATOR should be brief and are subject to condens-ing. Writers should include a full address and home and office telephone numbers, whereavailable, as well as affiliation, indicating special interest. Anonymous letters are not printed.Name withheld on request.LETTERS TO THE EDITOR, AS WELL AS OP-ED PIECES IN NO WAY REFLECT THE PAPER’SPOSITION. No such ad or any part thereof may be reproduced without prior permission of theBROOKLYN SPECTATOR. The publishers will not be responsible for any error in advertisingbeyond the cost of the space occupied by the error. Errors must be reported to the BROOK-LYN SPECTATOR within five days of publication. Ad position cannot be guaranteed unlesspaid prior to publication. Brooklyn Media Group, Inc. assumes no liability for the content orreply to any ads. The advertiser assumes all liability for the content of and all replies. Theadvertiser agrees to hold the BROOKLYN SPECTATOR and its employees harmless from allcost, expenses, liabilities, and damages resulting from or caused by the publication or record-ing placed by the advertiser or any reply to such advertisement.

THE BROOKLYN

(Established 1933)




▲

▲


(USPS 248.800)



Telephone 718-238-6600Fax 718-238-6630





(Estab. 1953)


























guest op-ed





▲

▲


(USPS 248.800)



Telephone 718-238-6600Fax 718-238-6630





(Estab. 1953)


























guest op-ed





▲

▲


(USPS 248.800)



Telephone 718-238-6600Fax 718-238-6630





(Estab. 1953)


























guest op-ed





▲

▲


(USPS 248.800)



Telephone 718-238-6600Fax 718-238-6630





(Estab. 1953)


























guest op-ed



Congratulations to law enforcement – the NYPD and Brooklyn’s new District Attorney Ken Thompson – for taking decisive action to combat the scourge of heroin and opioid abuse that has been haunting southwest Brooklyn Thanks to good information from community residents – who have kept up the push to get drug dealers off their streets – cops have arrested six people as a result of a protracted investigation, and charged them with involvement in an illicit drug-peddling scheme in which customers called in orders and dealers delivered them to street corners and bars in Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, Bensonhurst and Sunset Park. Given the rising number of people who have fallen victim to overdoses of the illicit substances – including heroin, opiates, marijuana, ecstasy and Ketamine, a horse tranquilizer known in street parlance as “Special K” – it is truly critical that law enforcement stay on top of the situation, and make sure that drug dealers know that their activities will not be tolerated. Sources say this is just the beginning, and that more arrests are to come. While we understand that such investigations are lengthy and delicate, and can’t be rushed, we say, those arrests can’t come soon enough.

SENIORS DESERVE SUPPORT

Each year, it seems, the budget dance in Albany leaves seniors wondering, what’s in it for them? This year is no different, and local elected offi cials have taken a stand to push the governor to include an extra $26 million in the state budget that would go to help seniors, specifi cally those who are on a waiting list for Meals on Wheels (some 7,000 statewide, as of now) as well as those who use Access-a-Ride and other services. In addition, elected offi cials and senior advocates are pushing for a raise in the income that seniors can have and still qualify for SCRIE, a program that controls increases in rent. The last time the income ceiling was increased (to $29,000) was in 2009, meaning that an increase is now overdue. We join advocates in urging seniors and their families to call their state elected offi cials and let them know – the time has come to make it easier for seniors to age with dignity.

GOOD NEWS FOR THE COMMUNITY

Photo by Valerie Hodgson


The Tolls are Too Damn High!That’s the unfortunate reality of trying to commute

by car inside the city of New York.The cost to travel round trip across any of our tolled

crossing is $15 cash. The discounted EZ-Pass rate is just under $11.

For trips into Manhattan, Queens and the Bronx, we have several toll-free options which allow for easy commuting between boroughs without facing this daily expense.

However, there is no way to enter Staten Island without being hit by this outrageous toll. For those that work, go to school, or visit family in Staten Island, they are paying $10.66 each time they cross the bridge, with EZ-Pass. That is unsustainable, and unrealistic.

For two years now, Assemblymember Nicole Malliotakis and I have been fi ghting for a reduced fare for those who cross the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge three or more times a month.

This discount would mirror that put in place by the Port Authority, allowing for a 58 percent discount from the cash price for crossing the bridge for those who have residency in New York City and travel over

the bridge more than three times a month.This would bring the price from $10.66 to $6.30.

That would be real savings for our families, real relief from the tolls.

Last week, we had a major victory in this fi ght. The New York State Senate included a feasibility study in its one house budget. This means our plan is on the way to becoming a reality. We need to keep the pressure on.

We need to convince the Assembly and the governor that this discount plan needs to be a priority.

Please join with us and sign a petition to let everyone know how important this issue is.

Visit www.TheTollsareTooDamnHigh.com and sign onto our petition to make this discount plan a reality.

Together we can achieve reasonable toll rates on the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge.

State Senator Marty Golden represents the 22nd Senate District in Brooklyn, including Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, Bensonhurst, Manhattan Beach, Gravesend, Gerritsen Beach, Marine Park and portions of Sheepshead Bay, Midwood and Boro Park.

Join the � ght againstskyrocketing tolls

BY STATE SENATOR MARTY GOLDEN

Then-Mayor Rudolph Giuliani was a guest of honor at an early Bay Ridge St. Patrick’s Parade. Hizzoner is seen here with members of the military and some of the stalwarts who nurtured the event in its formative years outside Hunter’s Steak & Ale House, where the annual pre-parade brunch is held. Spotted in the crowd surrounding the former mayor are Monsignor (then-Father) Jamie Gigantiello, second from left; Larry Morrish, to Giuliani’s right; and Auxiliary Police Chief Tony Christo, to Morrish’s right, front row.

VISIT HOMEREPORTER.COMFOR THE LATEST LOCAL NEWS



▲

▲


(USPS 248.800)



Telephone 718-238-6600Fax 718-238-6630





(Estab. 1953)


























guest op-ed





▲

▲


(USPS 248.800)



Telephone 718-238-6600Fax 718-238-6630





(Estab. 1953)


























guest op-ed





▲

▲


(USPS 248.800)



Telephone 718-238-6600Fax 718-238-6630





(Estab. 1953)


























guest op-ed



With the kickoff of a petition campaign to get the MTA to offer toll discounts to Brooklyn drivers and other city residents who use the Verrazano Narrows Bridge at least three times a month, the time has come for the residents of the other four boroughs to make their voices heard.

The timing of the petition is no accident. It was created in response to the announcement earlier this year that Staten Island residents – who already pay substantially less than other city residents to use the bridge – will get an added discount, thanks to a recent agreement brokered by Governor Andrew Cuomo.

Right now, Brooklyn residents who use the bridge pay $15 roundtrip ($10.66 with E-ZPass), while resi-dents of Staten Island now pay $6, and will pay just $5.50 when the added discount takes effect.

The disparity is glaring, and it just isn’t right. We understand that Staten Islanders have no other vehicu-lar access to the rest of the city besides the Verrazano, but many residents of Brooklyn – and southwest Brooklyn in particular – go to Staten Island and New Jersey regularly, and those double-digit tolls add up quickly.

The Port Authority gets it; for the past two years, it has offered a 58 percent discount to drivers who utilize crossings between Staten Island and New Jersey at least three times a month.

It’s time for the MTA to follow suit, and for New York State to do whatever it takes to make that hap-pen. The cost of offering a discount to drivers who use the Verrazano three or more times a month is $30 mil-lion, not insubstantial but in reality a small percentage of the state’s $142 billion budget.

The petition can be found on line at Thetollsaretoodamnhigh.com.

THE CONEY BOOM CONTINUESWith the groundbreaking for the new Thunderbolt

roller coaster, Coney Island has taken another step into its own energized future.

The 21st century thrill ride, which should be com-pleted by May, salutes the area’s storied past as it builds on the excitement and growth that have characterized the amusement area over the past several years.

The continued progress is great news for Coney, for Brooklyn and for the city as a whole, particu-larly coming in the wake of the devastation wrought by Superstorm Sandy, which in areas like Coney Island is still a factor.

We hope it is a harbinger of more good things to come.

ASKING FOR EQUITY

Photo by Valerie HodgsonThe St. Patrick’s Parade is a Bay Ridge tradition stretching back over two decades. Replete with marching bands and folk dancers, the parade – seen here in a vintage photo from this newspaper’s � les -- tradi-tionally attracts both those of Irish heritage and those who just enjoy the event. Up until two years ago, the parade marched along Fifth Avenue as seen in this photo; last year, however, it was shifted to Third Avenue, which will host the event again this year, on Sunday, March 23. Heading up the march, for 2014, will be NYPD Chief Joe Fox, now chief of transit, but well-known to many in the neighborhood as the for-mer commanding of� cer of Patrol Borough Brooklyn South.


Some welcome news came on the cusp of National Nutrition Month. The Obama administration announced signifi cant reforms of nutrition labeling to educate consumers better so they know what they’re putting in their bodies each day.

That announcement dovetailed with a federal report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showing a stunning reduction in the obesity rate of young children. Both display encouraging news, because addressing health and fi tness issues early on produces a lifetime of benefi ts.

As a nonprofi t that provides access to primary care for our city’s underserved communities, Community Healthcare Network is on the frontlines of this unrelent-ing war on obesity. We’re taking our efforts to the streets this month to inform people as they shop – and eat.

An alarming proportion of unhealthy foods stock the shelves of corner delis across our city. While these small businesses are the lifeblood of vibrant neighbor-hoods, the choices many folks make are packing on the pounds.

This month, we encourage New Yorkers to put down those salted Wise potato chips and instead make some wise decisions about their health. Here’s our top 10 list of the calorie culprits at the corner stores:

•Don’t saddle up to the breakfast bar. Breakfast bars (granola, protein and energy bars) can have more sugars than breakfast pastries and candy bars.

•Quenching your thirst. Gatorade and enhanced vitamin drinks usually don’t have vitamins and contain unnecessary salts and sugars.

•The low-down on “low fat.” It normally means high salt and higher sugar.

•When the chips are down. No-cholesterol potato chips are fried in vegetable oil; cholesterol is irrelevant.

•Don’t butta la pasta. Tri-color pasta doesn’t mean anything other than it’s dyed pasta.

•Separate wheat from the chaff. Make sure “wheat” bread contains “whole grains.”

•Fruitful? More like full of sweeteners. Some smoothies and fruit juice are loaded with sugar and fattening yogurt.

•When Greek and regular yogurt are not chic. Avoid with added fruit/fruit syrup. And, the frozen kinds usually pack in more sugar and far less protein.

•Down the wrong trail. Avoid mixes with added chocolates (which add in tons of extra calories and sugar) and watch portions.

•Low price, but hidden costs. Processed foods are easy to grab on-the-go, but boxed muffi ns and snacks, chicken nuggets and processed meats contain tons of sodium, sugar and unhealthy preservatives.

Consumed over the years, the above ingredients are the recipe for an unhealthy future. Seem overwhelm-ing? Not if you start with some simple changes. So here are 10 healthier picks: sweet potatoes, avocados, plain Greek yogurt or regular plain yogurt, trail mix (without the add-ins!), whole grain bread, natural nut butter, light air-popped popcorn or pretzels, cottage cheese, fruit and eggs.

We want to ensure that all New Yorkers have the tools to develop better habits within their means. Starting with small changes, what they put on their plates can make a huge difference.

Catherine Abate is the president/CEO of Community Healthcare Network.

Tips for making smartdietary choices

BY CATHERINE ABATE


▲

▲

























guest op-ed


9733 Fourth Avenue, Bklyn, NY 11209TEL 1-718-238-6600 Fax 1-718-238-6630

E-Mail: [email protected]

Co-Publisher ... Victoria Schneps-YunisCo-Publisher ... Joshua A. Schneps

Editor in Chief ... Helen Klein

THE BROOKLYN SPECTATOR is published weekly by Brooklyn Media Group,Inc., continuing THE BROOKLYN TIMES (established 1974) including Bay Recordand Advertiser, The Shore Record and The Flatbush Reporter.

Periodical postage paid at Brooklyn, N.Y. Subscription rate $35.00 per year,$40.00 per year out of town.

POSTMASTER: Send Address Changes ToBROOKLYN SPECTATOR

9733 4th Ave., Bklyn, NY 11209

Entire contents copyright 2014 by Brooklyn Spectator.

All letters sent to the BROOKLYN SPECTATOR should be brief and are subject to condens-ing. Writers should include a full address and home and office telephone numbers, whereavailable, as well as affiliation, indicating special interest. Anonymous letters are not printed.Name withheld on request.LETTERS TO THE EDITOR, AS WELL AS OP-ED PIECES IN NO WAY REFLECT THE PAPER’SPOSITION. No such ad or any part thereof may be reproduced without prior permission of theBROOKLYN SPECTATOR. The publishers will not be responsible for any error in advertisingbeyond the cost of the space occupied by the error. Errors must be reported to the BROOK-LYN SPECTATOR within five days of publication. Ad position cannot be guaranteed unlesspaid prior to publication. Brooklyn Media Group, Inc. assumes no liability for the content orreply to any ads. The advertiser assumes all liability for the content of and all replies. Theadvertiser agrees to hold the BROOKLYN SPECTATOR and its employees harmless from allcost, expenses, liabilities, and damages resulting from or caused by the publication or record-ing placed by the advertiser or any reply to such advertisement.

THE BROOKLYN

(Established 1933)




▲

▲


(USPS 248.800)



Telephone 718-238-6600Fax 718-238-6630





(Estab. 1953)


























guest op-ed



Documents

Julie Thum Top Woman in Business flyer