Community Corner
🌱 Subway Fare Hikes + J Train Tragedy + Asylum Seeker Resources
The quickest way to get caught up on the most important things happening today in Brooklyn.
Hi all. I'm back in your inbox this morning with your new edition of the Brooklyn Daily. Here's everything you need to know about what's happening locally. Today you'll learn about these stories and more...
- MTA buses get better, subway fare gets pricier 🚊
- The J train takes a subway-surfing victim
- New resource sites for asylum seekers in Brooklyn
But first, today's weather:
🌤 Sunny to partly cloudy. High: 47 Low: 43.
🏡 Are you looking for a way to differentiate yourself from other real estate agents in Brooklyn? Our exclusive newsletter sponsorships help you gain valuable exposure and attract new clients. Click here to learn more.
Here are the top stories in Brooklyn today:
1. Draft plan for new Brooklyn bus network might finally bring quicker and more reliable to service to outdated and notoriously delayed system. Yesterday, MTA unveiled its draft proposal to redesign Brooklyn's bus network which is currently the second slowest of the five boroughs—better only slightly than Manhattan's jitneys. The new plan is the fort redesign put out by the MTA since 2018 when then-Transit president Andy Byford, aka 'Train Daddy,' promised to "reimagine" the city's bus network which, in some places, remained unchanged since the trolley days. The redesigned network would have 69 bus lines, including nine brand new routes, and a longer average distance between stops. The biggest improvements will be seen in lower income areas, often subway deadlines where folks rely heavily on buses for transportation.
2. But while things are looking up for Brooklyn's buses, the borough's MTA Chairman Janno Lieber warns of subway fare hikes in order to keep trains running. On Wednesday, officials announced a projected fare increase of $3 or hire by 2025, following another hike already planned for next year. At the agency's monthly board meeting, MTA officials painted a "dire picture" of the subway's financial position since ridership levels have not bounced back post-pandemic. This means that a 4% hike may become a 5.5% raise next year, followed by another 4% bump two years later—that $2.90 in 2023 and as much as $3.05 by 2025. MTA Chairperson and CEO Janno Lieber says funding needs to come from somewhere to avoid backsliding conditions, and increasing ride fare over the next few years will need to make up for a dwindling pot of federal funding. Service cuts and layoffs are only a "last resort," says Lieber.
3. A subway-surfing teenage boy lost his life yesterday morning after falling off J train. Just before 11:30 a.m., the 15-year-old reportedly fell off the train at the Marcy Avenue stop in Williamsburg—he was pronounced dead on the scene. The tragedy comes just months after amNew York Metro published an exposé on the disturbing phenomenon where young people senselessly risk their lives in order to thrill-seek atop train carriages. The Williamsburg Bridge was included in the piece and is now the site of a death directly related to surfing the subways.
4. The Mayor just announced two new Asylum Seeker Resource Navigation sites to be opened in Brooklyn. As New York struggles to grapple with an unprecedented wave of immigrants seeking asylum, Mayor Eric Adams and Immigrant Affairs Commissioner Manuel Castro announced that eight community-based organizations have been chosen and granted $2.1 million to run these sites that will build on the ongoing work of the city's first Asylum Seeker Resource Navigation Center, operated by Catholic Charities of New York. The selected organizations will provide individuals and their families with in-person support in Spanish and other languages, as well as other services like case management and immigrant rights workshops.
Today in Brooklyn:
- Free Admission Fridays, Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Today @ 10 a.m. | Details
- Watch the World Cup: Ghana vs Uruguay, Black Forest Brooklyn, Today @ 10 a.m. | Details
- Live Jazz with WH3, Coney Island Brewery, Today @ 5 p.m. | Details
- Shabbat Dinner, The Manhattan Beach Jewish Center, Today @ 6 p.m. | Details
- Red Velvet Burlesque Cabaret Show, Harbor NYC Rooftop, Today @ 6 p.m. | Details
- Brooklyn Poets Friday Night Open, 144 Montague St., Today @ 6:30 p.m. | Details
- New Musical 'Shooting Star' Opening Night, 3 Dollar Bill, Today @ 7:30 p.m. | Details
- 'Bottom of the Ocean' Immersive Theater Experience, Bushwick United Methodist Church, Through Dec. 21 | Details
🐝 Brooklyn Buzz:
- 🎨 Brooklyn at Basel: "The twentieth edition of Art Basel Miami Beach is officially underway and Brooklyn is on display throughout." Visit the link for some highlights. (Brooklyn Magazine)
- And speaking of Brooklyn artists, "Google Doodle is celebrating the life of Brooklyn native Jerry Lawson, a Black engineer known as one of the 'fathers of modern gaming' who led the team that developed the first home video gaming system with interchangeable game cartridges." Read more at the link (News 12 New Jersey)
More from our sponsors — thanks for supporting local news!
Featured businesses:
- Cool Hand Movers — (Visit website)
- Add your business here
Events:
- Office Furniture & Soft Seating Warehouse Clearance Liquidation (December 3)
- Free Wheelchair Cleaning and Sanitizing Event (December 3)
- Prostate Cancer Screening Van - The Men's Ministry of EBC - The Frontliners (December 4)
- Block Building Workshop (Ages 0-4 and caregivers) (December 6)
- HSS Online Workshop: De-Stress & Express Yourself with Art! (December 6)
- Berkeley College MBA Information Session (December 6)
- Learn About Exercise & Complementary Therapies for Inflammatory Arthritis Pain! (December 7)
- Greene Hill School Lower School Tour (December 8)
- Manage Your Hip Pain: Tips from Hospital for Special Surgery (December 8)
- Holidays on Atlantic Avenue (December 10)
- Berkeley College Legal and Justice Studies/National Security Career Seminar (December 14)
- Christmas @ St George's (December 18)
- Holiday Lights At The Bronx Zoo (December 23)
- Add your event
You're officially in the loop for today. I'll be back in your inbox tomorrow morning with a new update!
— 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
