Recent Articles from The People

Survey Says..? Tell Us And Win Big!

By BrooklynTheBorough

Hey folks! It's that time of year again, when the demographic elves arrive and ask just who, exactly, is reading our pages.  We share a lot of Brooklyn culture with you, and now we want to know a little bit about yours.  In the spirit of giving, we'll pick takers of our survey at random and send them lovely gifts, including books, music, tickets to some of our upcoming events (you'll want these!) and wares from local Brooklyn retailers.  While we know you value your privacy – none of your answers will be linked back to you by virtue of the survey's design – we also know you value your information, so let us give you more of it! Support us by taking the survey now. All you have to do is click here, and don't forget to enter your email address to win those presents.

Sniffing the Slope With Animal Planet’s Puppy Bowl Referee

By Douglas Calhoun

We all know lots of folks will be tuning into the big game this weekend, attending parties with football shaped chip bowls and all the natty ice you could imagine, while some of us spend the day trying to understand the appeal (besides men in tights, of course).

Here’s something I can get behind: Animal Planet’s Puppy Bowl had been the source of adorable-ness for 6 years and counting, and who knew the game’s referee Andrew Schechter, 25, laid out his traditional stripped shirt and high tube socks in Williamsburg? It comes as no shock that the ref for alternative programming on Super Bowl Sundays lives in our alternative Borough. The concept is simple, 30+ adorable baby animals and one charming referee for hours and hours! More about Andrew and Zellie, plus a slideshow of adorableness, after the jump.

Nineteen Schools Slated For Closure In Favor of Charter Schools

By Karen Bolipata

Nineteen schools were slated to be closed for poor performance last night, as hundreds at Brooklyn Technical High School addressed city officials in statements of defiance, pride, and at times malice. More after the jump.

Meeting on Bedford Bike Lanes Ends in Detente, For Now

By Nicole Brydson

It can be said that the latest culture war between North Brooklyn’s Hipster and Hasidim factions has gotten a bit out of hand, this time in person. Read more about this meeting of the minds, after the jump.

Help in Haiti: Public Officials Offer Ways to Help Relief Efforts

By Nicole Brydson

“Brooklyn is the ‘Caribbean Capital of America’—by some counts, we have the largest Haitian population in the United States—and our hearts go out to our Haitian brothers and sisters in need,” said Borough President Marty Markowitz and Deputy Borough President Yvonne Graham. “Brooklyn and Haiti share the common motto ‘In Unity There is Strength,’ and Brooklynites have been united once again—as we were in 2008 following a series of devastating hurricanes and a tropical storm—in opening up their hearts, wallets and pantries to the victims of this catastrophic earthquake. Our office will be working closely with the Caribbean community in the days ahead to lend support to Brooklyn and New York City-based relief efforts.”

To find out what you can do to help relief efforts in Haiti, call 311 or visit Brooklyn-Usa.org.  If you are trying to connect with a loved one in Haiti, call the U.S. State Department hotline at 1-888-407-4747.

Found Footage: Mike V & The Brooklyn Banks

By Nicole Brydson

Shot last month, this seven minute short features skateboarder Mike Vallely lamenting the soon to be shuttered Brooklyn Banks, a lengendery NYC spot for generations of skater kids at the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge. The Downtown Express reported last October that “The city plans to use the internationally known Brooklyn Banks skate park as a staging area during the Brooklyn Bridge reconstruction, which is starting later this year and will last until 2014, said Ralph Musolino, a district manager for the city Parks Dept.” The city plans to shutter the area beginning this Friday, January 15, and it will remain closed until 2014.

In Streamlining Public Healthcare Option, ‘You Don’t Need All That Paper’ Said Officials

By Karen Bolipata

Applying for public health insurance, a process that normally takes up to three months, can now take two weeks or less with Health Plus’s new paperless enrollment. “We all know this is the future,” said Borough President Marty Markowitz at a press conference this week, calling it “a big step toward achieving what we hope will be some form of universal health care.”