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Community Corner

🌱 Diwali Becomes A School Holiday + Brooklyn's Equity Breakdown

The quickest way to get caught up on the most important things happening today in Brooklyn.

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(Patch Media)

Happy Saturday everybody! It's me, Carlie Houser, your host of the Daily. Here's everything you need to know about what's happening in town, including updates on:

  • After 20 years, NYC public schools are recognizing Diwali on their calendars
  • A new website giving residents access to spacial equity parameters in their neighborhood
  • Weekend festivals galore! 👩‍🌾🥳

But first, today's weather:

☀️ Sunny and beautiful. High: 68 Low: 51.

*chef's kiss*

🏡 Attention, real estate pros in Brooklyn! We're now offering an exclusive sponsorship opportunity for an agent interested in attracting local clients and standing apart from the competition. Click here to learn more.

Here are the top stories today in Brooklyn:

1. Diwali has made its way onto the city's public school holiday calendar. Assemblymember Jenifer Rajkumar and New York City Mayor Eric Adams have officially designated the eastern religious festival of light as a school holiday, an annual 5-6 day celebration that begins today in North India and is observed by Hindus, Jains, Sikhs, and Buddhists. Community activists have been campaigning for this recognition for over 20 years. Rajkumar, who is the first Hindu American and first South Asian woman elected to New York State Office and has been working closely with Mayor Adams to give students holiday for Diwali. In Adams' own words, "Our public school calendar is not just a list of days off; it is a testament to New York City's diversity, inclusiveness, and character."

Brooklyn Reader

2. A bicyclist was hospitalized after being hit by an MTA bus in Bud-Stuy. Just before 10 a.m. yesterday morning, a cyclist was reportedly injured by an oncoming bus at the intersection of Albany Avenue and Fulton Street. The unidentified bicyclist is facing a series of unnamed injuries at a local hospital, and no updates have been given from the bus driver or passengers involved. An average of 36 deaths from auto-bicycle collisions are reported every year throughout New York State. Thousands of Brooklyn residents rely on their bikes as their main vehicle for transportation, and the city is working on solutions to make its streets safer for these two-wheeled travelers. The city recently unveiled a project to make a 1.5 mile stretch of the busy Schermerhorn Street one-way for cars and introduce a protected bike path along the heavily-trafficked commuter vein.

Local Accident Reports

3. Two of Brooklyn's most popular neighborhoods are at the top of an unfortunate city-wide list. The Prospect Heights-northern Crown Heights region has reportedly the fourth worst asthma rates in New York City, according to "Spatial Equity NYC," a new online tool released this week by the advocacy group Transportation Alternatives and the Leventhal Center for Advanced Urbanism at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Per the new website's findings, the Brooklyn region is also showing below-average rankings in areas such as protected bike lanes, traffic injuries, bus speeds, and a number of dedicated bus lanes. Spatial Equity NYC is a website that can be used by residents to explore various measurements of spacial equity, to see how their neighborhoods match up against others in the borough.

Patch / Spatial Equity NYC

Today in Brooklyn:

  • 👩‍🌾 Annual Harvest Festival, Brooklyn Bridge Park, Today @ 11 a.m. | Details
  • 🍂 P.S 81 Fall Festival, P.S. 81 Thaddeus Stevens, Today @ 11 a.m. | Details
  • Brooklyn Folk Festival, St. Ann & the Holy Trinity Church, Today @ 12 p.m. | Details
  • 🍷 Brooklyn Crush's Fall Wine-Tasting Event, Industry City, Today @ 7 p.m. | Details
  • 🎭 "Impossible But True," playing at Balboa, Today @ 7:30 p.m. | Details
  • Ragas Live Festival, Pioneer Works, Today @ 8 p.m. | Details

🐝 Brooklyn Buzz:

  • 💚 Some more Brooklyn Bridge Harvest Festival hype! "Don't miss the Conservancy's twelfth annual #HarvestFestival this Saturday, October 22! Swipe for schedule of events and map, and join starting at 11:00am at Pier 6! Celebrate the changing of seasons with a kick off procession, arts and crafts, lawn games, storytelling, #pumpkinpatch and more!" (Brooklyn Bridge Park via Instagram)
  • 🥳 The largest comedy-themed restaurant in Brooklyn is inviting you to park this weekend! Every Saturday, the BK Estates opens its doors to the public at 7 p.m. for good eats laughs, and new weekly headliners. (BK Estates via Instagram)

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Alrighty, you're all good for today! I'll see you soon.

— Carlie Houser

About me: I'm a recent grad based in Brooklyn, NY. I love to write, run, read, and find new restaurants and venues around the city.

Have a news tip or suggestion for an upcoming Brooklyn Daily? Contact me at brooklyn@patch.com

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?

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