Mary Stachyra

On a warm night in Fort Greene, people often sit at tables outside a bustling restaurant on DeKalb Avenue, just down the street from the park. Inside, patrons sit at tables or the bar, sometimes just chatting, other times listening to music or a reading from an author.

For a decade, Madiba restaurant has been a cultural center for South Africans in the city. Mark and Jenny Henegan, co-owners and spouses, modeled Madiba after a South African shebeen, where locals gather to drink, socialize and talk about politics. As a native of South Africa, Mark Henegan wanted to bring a taste of his homeland’s culture to his adopted hometown.

Read the rest here.

Last night the Progressive Association for Political Action (PAPA) held a forum at South Oxford Space for four Democratic candidates for office of Public Advocate. Councilmembers Eric N. Gioia and Bill de Blasio, former public advocate Mark Green, and civil rights lawyer Norman Siegel each touted their backgrounds and ideas to say why they should get the job.

Read the rest in “The Local.”

Aside from politics and religion, few topics are more contentious than neighborhood development. Whether it’s residential or commercial, for better or worse, development spells change for New York City neighborhoods.

In Manhattan Beach and Sheepshead Bay, for years, most homes were small. Now, the area has seen an influx of expansion as many homeowners obtain permits to add onto their houses.

Carroll Gardens and Cobble Hill have also experienced significant changes, both residential and commercial. Many businesses have shifted from mom-and-pop operations like laundromats, delis and newsstands to high-priced boutiques and chain stores. 

Additional reporting and filming by Amber Benham.

Bay Ridge Affected by MTA Cutbacks

The Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) has plans to make drastic cuts in subway service. Learn how one Brooklyn community will be affected by the changes.

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Reporters from the New York City News Service hit the streets to get opinions from New Yorkers in all five boroughs. Each person answered the question: “where would you like the country to be in four years?”

Click on the links to hear an audio clip and see a picture of each person.

David Zonca, from Carroll Gardens, said that he would like to see more people with health insurance. “I know people who’ve had fifteen, twenty thousand dollar hospital bills because they broke a leg and didn’t have insurance,” said Zonca.

Kathleen Henderson, of Kensington, said that she is concerned for the poor. “There are a lot of poor people who can’t afford to eat. Let’s give them more money so they can take care of themselves, take care of their family,” said Henderson.

Caroline Gartner, of Carroll Gardens, said that she wants to see more unity among Americans. “People are so red state, blue state against each other,” said Gartner.

Larissa Bailiff, of Park Slope, said that she wants better protection for the environment. “I’m not naive. Obviously we have built up a world for ourselves where we use a lot of gasoline and we pollute and all of that. But there’s got to be some kind of regulation and some control,” she said.

Also see First-timers Pull Through at the Polls, by Joe Walker and Marcella Veneziale. Contributing reporting by Mary Stachyra and Maureen Sullivan.

New Yorkers Debate Whether to Drill for Natural Gas in City’s Watershed

“Drill, baby, drill,” was the refrain at the Republican National Convention last week, but at a New York City Council hearing on drilling for natural gas in the city’s watershed, the loudest voices opposed drilling.

In recent months, environmentalists have voiced fears that New York state would open up the city’s watersheds for natural gas drilling. The watersheds are reservoirs in the Catskills that provide unfiltered drinking water for all of New York City. Concerned residents packed the council hearing today to sound off on their fears that the water supply would be contaminated, while the natural gas industry testified that there would be no damage.

Drilling in the city’s watershed is “just not feasible,” said James Gennaro, chair of the council’s Committee on Environmental Protection. “It is completely inconsistent with a drinking water supply.”

Most of the council members had left by the middle of the meeting, leaving Gennaro to grill representatives from the Energy API, the U.S. Oil and Gas Association and the Independent Petroleum Association of America.

They said that “development of natural gas resources in the Marcellus Shale will not pose any significant risk to the drinking water supplies of New York City.”

Then Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Grannis suggested that concerns over drilling in the waterways were premature.

“DEC has not received any applications for drilling in New York City’s watershed,” said Grannis. “None.”

He said DEC had received a “handful” of permit applications to drill elsewhere in the Marcellus Shale-Catskill watershed. NYC’s watershed is a portion of the larger Marcellus Shale watershed.

However, some lawmakers and activist groups said that preemptive action may be necessary. Assemblyman James Brennan, (D) 44th district, has introduced a bill that would temporarily ban drilling in watersheds throughout the state. The bill would also permanently ban drilling in the NYC watershed. State Senator Frank Padavan, of the 11th district, has said he will sponsor the bill when it reaches the state senate.

Assemblyman Brennan said that his bill had so far faced no opposition.

Carol Lawson, a lifelong Queens resident, said she came to City Hall because she is concerned that toxic chemicals would be introduced into the water supply.

“I am here because I am concerned about the effects of toxic chemicals on developing children,” said Lawson, an early intervention and child development specialist.  She said she feared that chemicals that could lead to birth defects and learning disabilities might be introduced into the water that would lead to birth defects and learning disabilities. 

Author’s note: For the sake of clarity, this entry was postdated to reflect the day it was written, not published.