Around Brooklyn: Bed-Stuy Mourns Local Legend, Bakery Owner

Gone From Grocery Shelves, Now There’s a Mad Dash to Find Them

The fallout from the coronavirus hit Allison Arevalo when she could no longer find pasta at the supermarketShe tried ordering online from Whole Foods. Out of stock. She ran over to Key Food. Too late: The pasta aisle was cleaned out except for two bags of whole wheat no one wanted. So Ms. Arevalo, 41, a chef and cookbook author, dusted off her fancy pasta maker and ordered a 50 pound bag of semolina flour from a restaurant supplier. Soon, her neighbors in Park Slope, Brooklyn, were turning to her for their pasta fix, writes the New York Times.

Desperate Sellers, Nervous Buyers: Real Estate Sales in a Pandemic

About 60 real estate agents gathered in a virtual conference room late last month to network and gain exposure for listings, according to the New York Times. Brokers and their clients are devising new methods to push deals through against long odds.

Park Slope Food Coop Depends On Its 17,000 Member-Owners To Weather The Pandemic

Park Slope Food Coop members may not be able to shop like they used to, but the grocery is in a stronger position to weather the pandemic because it can depend on them, according to Bklyner. The fabled low-priced grocery store is asking their 17,000 owner-members to pitch in during tough times by increasing their investment as part-owners.

Bed-Stuy Mourns Local Legend, Bakery Owner

Lloyd Cornelious Porter never failed to be there for his Bed-Stuy friends and neighbors — and it breaks their hearts that coronavirus kept them from his bedside as he passed away from the virus, writes Patch.  Heartfelt tributes to Porter haven’t stopped pouring in since he died Wednesday. They won’t stop because he never did, whether through his beloved Bread-Stuy and BreadLove shops, impromptu street dance parties and barbecues or his bottomless generosity.

NYC District Attorneys Won’t Prosecute Social Distancing Arrests Ordered By De Blasio

New York City’s prosecutors are the latest group to reject the NYPD’s racially biased enforcement of social distancing laws, says Gothamist. As of this week, district attorneys in every borough but Staten Island have pledged not to prosecute those arrested for social distancing offenses, and in some cases, other violations stemming from recent emergency measures.

Abysmal Ferry Ridership Numbers Show City Is Subsidizing Mostly Empty Boats

Essential workers continue to crowd on to rush hour subway trains and buses, but across the city mass transit ridership has bottomed out to rates unseen in the modern era, according to Gothamist. The MTA has reported a 90 percent reduction in subway ridership, and the entire system is now shutting down overnight for cleaning, forcing thousands of homeless people out onto the street. Buses are running at 75 percent capacity, and the Department of Transportation has suspended overnight Staten Island ferry service after an 85 to 90 percent drop in ridership. Mayor Bill de Blasio’s heavily subsidized NYC Ferry routes have also cut service by 30 percent, and are experiencing at least an 80 percent drop in ridership.

These are the regions of New York ready to reopen

After being put into effect on March 22, the current New York PAUSE order expires on Friday, May 15, at which time those regions in the state that have met the CDC guidelines and have testing/tracing in place will be able to begin their first phase of reopening. As 6sqft reported last week, phase one allows construction, manufacturing, agriculture, forestry, fishing, and select retail that can offer curbside pickup to reopen. Governor Cuomo announced in his press conference today that currently the Finger Lakes, Mohawk Valley, and Southern Tier regions have met the criteria and can begin the process this weekend.

Santo Brúklin: Amidst A Pandemic, A Brazilian Restaurant Opens In Carroll Gardens

Operating a restaurant during a pandemic in New York City is hard enough, but how about opening a new one?  That is the position Santo Brúklin faced in early March, just as the City went into lock-down mode, according to Pardon Me For Asking. The Brazilian eatery, which took over the former ‘Sloteria’ space on Court Street between West 9th Street and Garnet Street in Carroll Gardens, decided to move ahead with its launch by shifting gears to offer food and drink take-out service. They modified their menu “to fit the needs of the community amongst the recent Covid-19 outbreak,” and according to the Yelp reviews, their service and the food is solid. Especially the to-go drinks.

No current NYC educators named to Cuomo’s ‘reimagine education’ council

Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Friday released the names of educators and others who would advise the state on its new effort with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to “reimagine education” in New York, writes Chalkbeat. But the exclusion of any current New York City schools officials drew ire from city teachers and the mayor’s office.

Joyland Group Pursues New Hotel And Office Building At 107 South Sixth Street In Williamsburg, Brooklyn

The Joyland Group and local design studio Archimaera have collaborated on proposals to construct a 26-story mixed-use hotel and office development in Brooklyn’s South Williamsburg neighborhood, according to YIMBY. The forthcoming project will take shape at 107 South Sixth Street where a four-story commercial building currently stands.

Brooklyn’s Olmsted Reopens As A Grocery Store Selling Restaurant Favorites

Olmsted — the ambitious Prospect Heights restaurant that’s one of the toughest spots to get into in the city — is now reopening its doors to the public, albeit as a store selling some of the favorite items from the restaurant, writes Eater New York

Brooklyn funeral home that stacked bodies in U-Hauls faces lawsuit by families

The family of a COVID-19 victim whose body was placed in an unrefrigerated U-Haul truck is preparing to sue the two Brooklyn funeral homes responsible for allegedly mishandling the body, says AM NY. Attorneys representing the family of Angela Rodriguez, who died on March 24 at age 77, say they plan to sue both DeKalb Funeral Services in Clinton Hill and Andrew T. Cleckley Funeral Home in Flatlands for improperly storing bodies that were supposed to be cremated.

A legend at a Brooklyn hospital dies of Covid-19

Dr James ‘Charlie’ Mahoney led his team through the crisis at SUNY Downstate medical center’s ICU, until his life was cut short by the virus, writes Guardian.

Brooklyn families share how they’re currently coping in this new photo series

The stoop is where New Yorkers live, play, eat (and drink)—and now it’s the backdrop of a new documentary and family portrait series called “Stoop Stories.” According to Time Out New York, the project, by digital storyteller and children’s educational media producer Marj Kleinman, gathers Brooklyn residents on their respective stoops for a “family” photo. Each photo is paired with a snippet from an interview Kleinman did about how they’re coping.

Lottery opens for 300-name waitlist for apartments across Brooklyn’s brownstone belt

A lottery launched this week for placement on a 300-name waitlist for apartments at half a dozen income-restricted buildings in Crown Heights, Bed-Stuy, and Park Slope, according to 6sqft. New Yorkers earning 80 and 165 percent of the area median income can apply for the apartments, which range from an $850/month studio to a $2,371/month one-bedroom. Eligible applicants will be randomly selected and placed on the waitlist for future vacancies.

Brooklyn synagogue blasted over funeral told to shut down services

The New York Health Department has sent a warning to the Brooklyn synagogue whose funeral for their spiritual leader two weeks ago led Mayor Bill de Blasio to lash out at the entire Jewish community, writes The Times of Israel. A cease-and-desist order was served Friday as Congregation Kahal Tolaas Yaakov, located in the Williamsburg neighborhood, continued to violate the state’s executive order prohibiting gatherings and religious services.

Woman shot in face after answering door knock in Williamsburg

A woman answered a knock at her door, only to be shot in the face in Brooklyn, says ABC 7. It happened Sunday night on South 10th Street in Williamsburg. The 53-year-old woman apparently knows her attacker.

BY JAIME DEJESUS