INSIDE: 16 PAGES OF COUPONS TO SAVE YOU CASH Yo u r Neighborhood — Yo u r News® BrooklynPaper.com • (718) 260–2500 • Brooklyn, NY • ©2010 BROOKLYN HEIGHTS–DOWNTOWN EDITION AWP/16 pages • Vol. 33, No. 36 • September 3–9, 2010 • FREE INCLUDING DUMBO, COBBLE HILL, CARROLL GARDENS AND BOERUM HILL ‘WE’RE NO SLAB RATS’ Coney group fi ghts city’s new concrete Boardwalk CONCRETE By Michèle De Meglio boardwalk, it’s a sidewalk,” Burst- The Brooklyn Paper ein said. A new community group is fight- And that makes it more difficult for ing the Riegelmann Boardwalk’s trans- people to exercise by the beach, said formation into a cementwalk — say- Burstein, who has been running on ing the city’s plan to get rid of wood the Boardwalk for 35 years. WOOD A tuberculosis ward, circa 1900. will create an eyesore and leave jog- “Concrete is much more stressful gers with wobbly knees. on the joints,” he said. “I’m still run- Rob Burstein, who lives in an apart- ning after many years because I avoid ment building overlooking the new con- concrete at all costs.” crete planks in Brighton Beach and has The Parks Department has already jogged on the Boardwalk for years, installed concrete slabs near the Board- OUTBREAK! says his Coney-Brighton Boardwalk walk’s Ocean Parkway entrance in Alliance has already collected signa- Brighton Beach and is also placing tures from 300 people opposing the them from W. 33rd to W. 37th streets Two transit workers have TB city’s plan to replace portions of the near Sea Gate. The tan-colored, peb- bled-textured slabs do not resemble By Aaron Short famed wooden Boardwalk with new The Brooklyn Paper concrete slabs. wood, critics say. Two transit workers in Green- “The concrete looks like a scar on Earlier this summer, Parks installed Photo by Steve Solomonson the face of the Boardwalk. It’s not a See CONEY on page 11 Rob Burstein hates the idea of running on concrete. point have contracted tuberculo- sis in an outbreak that city health officials are working feverishly to contain. Health officials confirmed that an outbreak of the airborne ill- ness struck two supervisors who work at a transit facility on Quay CALL A LAWYER Street this week. The positive tests prompted the city to begin on-site testing for the entire cohort work- ing at the building who may have After hitting DA, bedbugs infest Legal Aid Photo by Stefano Giovannini been exposed. This MTA unit in Greenpoint By Andy Campbell weeks after the District Attorney’s workplace away from the affected of- City health officials have not is the site of two confirmed The Brooklyn Paper office was red-faced (and red- fice near Adams Street. “People are pinpointed how the individuals cases of TB. Bedbugs have opened bumped) to admit its own in- moving to our other offices so they contracted the disease, a bacterial up a second front in what festation — proving that these can get some work done. We’re tak- infection that spreads through the appears to be the pesky resilient creatures are not go- ing precautions.” air but is treatable and curable. sponsible for power washing sta- mites’ war on criminal jus- ing down without a bite. Bath said that her office was buzzing According to a transit union tions throughout North Brook- Community Newspaper Group / Andy Campbell tice offices in Downtown, show- “Is this not the most ridicu- with concern when workers “thought representative, the workers who lyn. The Legal Aid Society’s office in ing up this week at the Legal Aid So- lous thing? First the DA, and now they saw one,” so she called in the big tested positive with tuberculosis “Who the hell knows how they this Livingston Street building ciety on Livingston Street. us,” said the society’s spokeswoman, guns: a bedbug-sniffing beagle that lo- are members of the division re- See TB on page 11 was hit with bedbugs this week. The outbreak comes less than two Pat Bath, from the safety of another See BUGS on page 11 Senate hopeful is high on pot By Stephen Brown for the state. New Yorkers.” believes her victory is as guaran- The Brooklyn Paper “Young guys are standing New York’s best But Morgan, who has run her teed as the munchies after a few Talk about a grass-roots cam- on the corner selling drugs be- political coverage own television show on Brooklyn tokes of Maui Wowie. paign! cause there are no jobs out there!” Community Access, said that she “I’m going to win,” Morgan A Jamaican-American woman said Morgan. “If we could le- does not mess with the wacky to- said. “I don’t have the funds, but from Crown Heights is running galize, regulate, and tax mari- backy — and clammed up when I know what the average person for Senate on a one-plank plat- juana, maybe they could open scription can buy grass to their we asked the tough question: did is feeling because I am the aver- form: legalize marijuana. up a [weed] store like the liquor lungs’ content. she ever inhale? age person! Once they see that, Her slogan? “Tax pot, not stores that are on the corner ev- “The fact is … our education “I can’t recall,” she replied. they’ll relate to me.” people.” ery three or four blocks!” system needs a lot of help, and In fact, despite running for That’s something she can’t say Vivia Morgan, a 43-year-old Morgan, who is running as we need affordable housing in public office, Morgan did not for the incumbent, Sen. Kirsten construction worker, says that le- an independent under the Anti- our communities — a portion of wish to share many details about Gillibrand. galizing ganja is the first step to Prohibition Party ticket, envi- that money [to fill those needs] her personal life, saying only that “I’ve never seen Gillibrand in Photo by Stefano Giovannini righting the social injustices of sions sticky-icky dispensaries would come from pot,” said Mor- she was married and lived with my community,” Morgan said. Vivia Morgan is running for Senate on the Anti-Prohibition the world while also providing similar to the ones in Califor- gan. “Legalizing pot makes more her son. “When people ask me who I’m Party ticket. Yes, that is a marijuana leaf behind her. much-needed jobs and revenue nia, in which people with a pre- sense than higher taxes on all Still, this underdog candidate See POT on page 11 in the eighth. Jeff Flagg led off with a homer before Joe Bonfe singled and Jus- tin Schafer, James Schroeder, Cyclones clinch Darrell Ceciliani and Cory Vaughn all had RBI hits. Two more runs scored on Ce- Brooklyn squad captures division title ciliani’s 11th triple of the year in the ninth. By Gersh Kuntzman Starter Yohan Almonte was The Brooklyn Paper even better than the Clones’ of- Wally Backman won a World fense, going all the way for a Series with the New York Mets in rare complete game, yielding 1986, but the most-coveted pos- just six hits and striking out session in all of sports — a New five. The shutout lowered his York–Penn League championship ERA to 2.00. ring — has now moved one step Ceciliani’s 2-for-5 raised his closer to his finger as the Brook- average to .351. lyn Cyclones clinched the McNa- The regular season continues mara Division title in fine fash- through Sunday, and the play- ion last Saturday night. offs begin two days later. Here’s It’s the fifth division crown how it works: for the 10-year-old franchise, but Four teams make the post-sea- the first since 2007 — evidence son: the three division leaders that this Cyclone team is different Photo by George Napolitano and one wildcard team. than recent incarnations. These Cyclones know how to celebrate — as they did The Cyclones, by dint of their Perhaps this squad — 47–22 as last Saturday when they clinched the McNamara Division. record, will almost certainly fin- Photo by Stefano Giovannini we went to press — is the best Cy- Now, a New York-Penn League championship awaits. ish the season as the top seed, clones team ever, better than the and will face the wildcard team, Steve blows it 2001 team that went 52–24 (.684) clinched the division title like The Cyclones were up just which will be Jamestown, Wil- and won the franchise’s only New champions, destroying the 2–0, thanks to a sacrifice fly liamsport or Batavia, depending Jews of all ages will celebrate Rosh Hashana, the New Year, at sundown on Sept. 8 by blow- York–Penn League title. Connecticut Tigers, 10–0, on and a Blake Forsythe solo homer, how the pesky Pinckney Division ing ceremonial shofars to ring in the season. Here, Councilman Steve Levin (D–Williams- The 2010 team certainly Aug. 28. when they broke out for six runs See CLINCH on page 16 burg) shows us that he’s got the dukh for the job. For more on the holiday, see page 5. after deadline). That was back in 2005, and Smartmom has been writing her GOOSEWATCH column, every week, ever since. Farewell to Smartmom Sure, it took her awhile to find her voice and her subject matter. But af- 2010 ter a while the column, the adventures With kid in college, our columnist hangs it up of Smartom, Hepcat, TeenT Spirit and the Oh ow that the end is here, Smart- Editor’s stated reason for SoS Feisty One, started 127 mom is wondering how Dumb demanding Smartmom’s writing itself.