INSIDE: DOUBLE THE COUPONS TO SAVE YOU CASH Yo u r NeighborhoodYo u r Neighborhood — Yo u r — News Yo u r ® News® BrooklynPaper.com • (718) 260–2500 • Brooklyn, NY • ©2011 BROOKLYN HEIGHTS–DOWNTOWN EDITION AWP/12 pages • Vol. 34, No. 11 • March 18–24, 2011 • FREE INCLUDING DUMBO RATNER-KRUGER LINK Bruce dealt with scandal-tarred senator Arrested pol By Thomas Tracy sands in bribes to state Sen. Carl Kru- cated or charged — and it is unclear if The Brooklyn Paper ger (D–Brighton Beach), the former the company knew what Lipsky was The biggest developer in the bor- Finance Committee powerhouse. allegedly doing. staying put ough — whose Atlantic Yards proj- The lobbyist, Richard Lipsky, was But Forest City Vice President Bruce By Thomas Tracy ect is the biggest in Brooklyn history charged by federal prosecutors with Bender was caught on the federal wire- The Brooklyn Paper — is now linked to the biggest pay- Kruger and several others last week, tap negotiating with Kruger, who has State Sen. Carl Kruger says he’s to-play story in years. for his role in the scandal, which in- steered millions in state money to the going to continue serving the people Photo by Arthur De Gaeta Federal wiretaps show that a lob- cluded funneling $252,000 to Kruger, $4-billion project. of Southern Brooklyn despite federal Jimmy Johnson is crying fowl after the city seized the chickens byist for Forest City Ratner, which is who in turn provided state funding “I love you. I really do, actually,” charges that could earn him up to 120 from the Narrows Botanical Garden coop late last month. building the Barclays Center arena as to projects being developed by For- Bender told Kruger on Dec. 28, 2010, years in the Big House — and land part of the 16-tower apartment and re- est City and other clients. after the senator pledged to allocate See KRUGER on page 10 tail complex, paid hundreds of thou- No one from Forest City was indi- See LINK on page 10 FOWL PLAY two computer monitors. The nearly simultaneous Narrows Botanical Garden for the crimes smacked of a Levin-gate City plucks up raid. “It was tragic.” Civic minded conspiracy, but the police deter- The chicken caper began after a mined that the crimes were unre- by snatching neighbor — whom workers say has lated to each other — and to po- it out for the Garden — complained Councilman gets 11-year-old litical shenanigans. to the city that the hens were “kept The alleged office thief, Louis Ridge chickens improperly” and are diseased. Honda back — dents and all! Adule, 22, is being tried for bur- Rather than investigate, the Parks By Natalie O’Neill glary and petty larceny, but the officer swiped the “big, fat beautiful By Laura Gottesdiener auto theft was declared a lost The Brooklyn Paper chickens” with no cause, explained The Brooklyn Paper Watch our cause. Johnson, then took them to an ani- Call it fowl play. video at “That s—t is gone,” one of mal shelter, where they were adopted Reunited — and it feels so Acting on a tip, a Parks Department Levin’s staffers said soon after by a family in Red Hook. good! officer smashed the locks at a Bay Ridge BrooklynPaper.com the incident. A horrified Johnson Councilman Steve Levin (D– botanical garden and seized six Hondas are often stolen and then phoned Brooklyn Brooklyn Heights) got back be- chickens — only to later dis- later sold for parts, explained 94th Parks Commissioner hind the wheel of his beloved — missing on Feb. 26 from a spot cover that the cluckers were Precinct Deputy Inspector Ter- Kevin Jeffrey to de- but stolen — 11-year-old Honda near Meeker Avenue in Green- part of a kids’ program, ence Hurson. Levin’s was only mand his babies back. Civic on Friday morning, two point at the beginning of a very not a pack of pests. one of eight cars swiped in the The commissioner re- weeks after it was swiped from bad weekend for the council- “She made a horri- precinct last month — and most viewed the case and near his Monitor Street home on man. ble mistake, but how were Hondas or Toyotas. decided that the gar- the same day that his district of- At the same time he found out could I stop her?” By Wednesday, Levin had all den had good reason to fice was also burglarized . about the carjacking, Levin was said Jimmy John- Community Newspaper Group / Laura Gottesdiener but given up hope. cry fowl: The city had “I’m thrilled,” he said. “The car informed that a thief had broken son, a garden land- Councilman Steve Levin is thrilled that his sto- has such sentimental value.” into his Boerum Hill office and “Sadly, my car hasn’t been scaper, who was at See FOWL on page 9 len, 11-year-old Honda Civic is back. The antediluvian auto went tried to steal a flat-screen TV and See LEVIN on page 2 Hundreds vent at bike lane hearing By Natalie O’Neill that this week spawned a law- outnumbered lane opponents But opponents suggested the The Brooklyn Paper suit, international coverage and MEAN by about four to one, with many lane was not only unsafe to pe- The Prospect Park West Bike more than a few rifts between calling the 19-block strip of ce- destrians — who risk getting Lane is a miracle solution and a neighbors. Streets ment a Godsend. It makes morn- run over by cyclists — but also horrific danger, bike lane friends The hearing amounted to a ing commutes easier, traffic safer rarely used. and foes trumpeted at packed lane-themed “open-mic night” The battle for Brooklyn’s byways and cycling with kids more en- “It’s underutilized,” said Roz hearing last Thursday night. to vent about everything from a joyable, they said. Kochman, who lives on the 15th More than 300 people — poli- neighborhood culture war (“You on both sides (“I’ve personally “The lane encourages us to use floor of a building on Prospect ticians, second graders, New York people see biking as a religion”) seen five fender benders on this our bikes more often and our cars Park West. “If you don’t believe Photo by Andrew Hinderaker Times writers among them — to tiny bike lane improvements street.”) less often,” said Alan Esner, who me, come to my apartment and A crowd of 300 filled John Jay HS to discuss altering the gathered to praise, slam and cri- (“Let’s consider rumble strips”), Bike lane advocates — who lives on 12th Street. “We get bet- look out my window.” controversial Prospect Park West bike lane. tique the controversial bike lane with plenty of anecdotal evidence wore florescent stickers — ter air quality and exercise.” See BIKE on page 9 questions about the company’s ethics, finding that Time War- ner had aggressively lobbied Al- Did the right thing bany lawmakers about “cable tele- vision matters” the same year it launched the program. Time Warner ditches insiders-only internship Lawmakers at the time were re- viewing whether New York should By Natalie O’Neill ditch a contract with a compet- The Brooklyn Paper ing telecommunications company Media giant Time Warner has called MA/COM that had won a abandoned a politically question- $2-billion contract with the state. able internship requirement — and The lobbying apparently paid off: extended the program deadline — The state cancelled the contract in the wake of criticism from stu- in January, 2009. dents and mentors in Brooklyn. A Time Warner spokeswoman For months, the company’s said the company initially wanted a “Connect a Million Minds” in- letter from the politicians “as a way ternship included the unusual de- of helping to spread the word.” mand that applicants “provide a But after our report, the com- letter of recommendation from pany ditched the requirement, a member of the New York State pulling it from the “eligibility” Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic and section of its online application, Asian Legislative Caucus.” Illustration by Sylvan Migdal and scrapping a downloadable Critics slammed the company It’s no wonder. This paper’s in- ple we don’t know,” said Deme- form that has been posted on its for unnecessarily politicizing a vestigation revealed that members cia Wooten-Irizarry, chief of staff website for months. Photo Levin by Ted simple search for talented minor- of the minority caucus either didn’t for Assemblyman Darryl Towns “We originally listed the let- ity kids by giving them “a hard les- know about their role in the process (D–Bushwick). ter of recommendation as a re- son in cronyism” — and months or declined to give letters of recom- A staffer for Assemblyman Nick quirement based on our partner- Hitting the big time after the program launched, not a mendation to students who were Perry (D–Flatbush) added, “It helps ship with the caucus, but received single Brooklynite had applied to not connected in some way. if we know their parents.” feedback that these requirements The LIU Blackbirds are going to the NCAA tournament, thanks to the Downtown cag- meet the March 1 deadline. “We don’t give letters to peo- This paper’s report also raised See INTERNS on page 2 ers’ heroic overtime win to clinch the Northeast Conference championship last week. Flush of UFOs over Williamsburg? New York Community Council Local activist captures odd lights on camera told us via e-mail. “I could not By Dan MacLeod figure out what this was. About 10 seconds in, some pulsing im- history! for The Brooklyn Paper age goes across the screen.