LAURELS & DARTS- Opinion from the Editors: Friday, November 8

LAURELS & DARTS
Opinion from the Editors

Laurel to the MTA, for being the second government agency in the country to join an ambitious UN climate agreement to reduce greenhouse gases. The agreement, called the Science Based Targets initiative, requires the agency to reduce greenhouse gases in line with the Paris Climate Agreement. The MTA’s stated plan to reach the target includes bus electrification (the agency aims to have all electric buses by 2040), electrifying diesel-powered commuter rail lines, increasing energy efficiency at facilities and reducing emissions throughout the vendor supply chain. 

Laurel to New York State Supreme Court Judge Melissa Crane, for ruling in favor of local Brooklyn-based radio station WBAI Wednesday. Following the ruling, the listener-supported operation regained control of its programming after parent company Pacifica abruptly shut down the Atlantic Avenue studio Oct. 7, citing millions in debt and a new vision for the station. Hon. Justice Crane upheld a ruling that found Pacifica violated its own bylaws when it shut the station down without bringing the decision to the board. WBAI is back on the air — for now. “The foundation will comply with the court’s order as it considers an appeal of the judge’s decision,” said Pacifica National Board Chairperson Sabrina Jacobs.  

Dart to alleged Bay Ridge pumpkin smasher Daniel McGrath, a 50-year-old man arrested during a traffic stop Tuesday for possession of cocaine. Upon further investigation, cops tied McGrath to an Oct. 16 incident in which a man was caught on surveillance camera grabbing a pumpkin from a stoop and smashing it on the sidewalk on 81st Street between Third and Fourth avenues in Bay Ridge. The pumpkin belonged to a 3-year-old girl. The next day, a new pumpkin was found outside the home with a kind note attached (belated Laurel to the anonymous pumpkin replacer). McGrath is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance, insufficient taillight lamp and criminal mischief. 

Posthumous Laurel to industrialist Eliphalet W. Bliss, who lived on the grounds of today’s Owl Head Park on the corner of Colonial Road and Wakeman Place in Bay Ridge from 1836 to 1903. Bliss, who owned factories in what is today DUMBO, stipulated in his will that the land should be sold to the City of New York for a discounted price on the condition that it be turned into parkland. Today, the spacious green space has clear views of Manhattan’s skyline and the Verrazzano Narrows Bridge, to be enjoyed from a playground, basketball court, dog run and picnic areas. 

Dart to state statute 50-a, which prevents internal NYPD misconduct records from being made public. Brooklyn prosecutors declined to release a list of Civilian Complaint Review Board complaints, NYPD Internal Affairs Bureau records and other documents that called the credibility of some officers into question by judges and Brooklyn prosecutors. The records were requested by attorney Gideon Oliver on behalf of Gothamist/WNYC. The controversial law was passed in the 1970s to protect officers from harassment, but many say it shields cops from accountability instead.