*Do charter schools mirror the city? The New York Times found that Latinos are underrepresented in charter schools as compared to their presence in public schools citywide. Given the raging battle over charter schools, you could see that as good or bad…thoughts? (P.S. Don’t miss the interactive map.)

*Cutbacks at the MTA are mixing up bus routes through Sunset Park—the B37 and B70 will diverge from their well-known paths, and many aren’t happy about it, the Brooklyn Eagle reports.

*The Eagle takes a look back at “Operation Blockbuster,” the big South Brooklyn crack bust of 2008

*Legit or scam? The diet product Herbalife has carved out a firm foothold among immigration groups. Feet in Two Worlds reports.

*Mayor Michael Bloomberg at the end of May announced a huge biotech facility will go into the Brooklyn Army Terminal in Sunset Park. The Wall Street Journal gives some additional background on the mayor’s startup projects.

*In case you haven’t found your spot yet, the Brooklyn Eagle has links to suggestions for the best spots to watch the World Cup.

Sunset Park peddles in hot tacos. Photo by Carnade, from Flickr

Annnnd, we’re back. After a long absence, there’s lots to catch up on. Here are some of the highlights:

Recent(ish)ly in the news:

*New York Mag did a long piece on domestic workers in New York City, many of whom live in Sunset Park. The piece on “nannies” (I’ve just never really liked that term) featured Domestic Workers United.

*The American Prospect also had a piece on the domestic workers’ legislation up in Albany.

*City Limits yesterday wrote on how churches are fighting on immigrants’ side, lending a hand in defense and immigration proceedings. An organization tied to Our Lady of Perpetual Help manages 3,000 cases at a time.

*And before we leave this topic, the Supreme Court just handed down a ruling that automatic deportation of those with drug charges was meant for traffickers, not petty possession. It’s still unclear how this will play out, but it could have a huge impact on a lot of lives.

*Dennis Holt puts in his two cents about the Future of Fourth Avenue plan at the Brooklyn Eagle.

*I love the “skate kid” shot at Sunset Park Stills. I was just wondering the other day what looks will define this era (which is one of my favorite pastimes in Sunset Park.) This is one for the look-book.

Those of you who have come across stinky tofu know it’s not for the faint of heart. The intrepid Sarah DiGregorio jumps in head first for the Village Voice.

More to come, so stay tuned…

*The Daily News reported that P.S. 150 has the longest wait list in the city, due largely to demand from Chinese families who have moved into Sunset Park in recent years.

*Police at the 72^nd Precinct think they may have caught the burglar who has been targeting and stealing from Chinese residents who live the 40s and 50s, and driving up the burglary rate, Inspector Jesus Raul Pintos said last week.

*The lack of Brooklyn-bound toll on the Verrazano has some people worked up, including local owners who have trouble parking in Sunset Park, the Eagle reported.

*The weekly park sweeps at Lets Clean Sunset Park! are back up and running. Want to join in? Check out the website to keep up to date.

*Thanks to the Brooklyn DA, Haitians in need of clothing after the earthquake will soon be sporting a load of designer knockoffs confiscated last year from a Sunset Park storage facility, according to the Post.

*Councilwoman Gonzalez held a leadership summit last week, the Eagle reports. She also brought together a group to talk about the somewhat contentious issue of legislation on vendors along Fifth Avenue. Details on that to come.

*Mayor Bloomberg and City Council Speaker Quinn last week announced the New York City Waterfront Vision and Enhancement Strategy (WAVES), “a citywide initiative that will create a new sustainable blueprint for the City’s 578 miles of shoreline.” Sunset Park obviously has a good bit of that waterfront. I haven’t had a chance to look through it carefully, but I’ll report back on the details of the plan.

*Picturing Sunset Park: Check out a kind of unusual shot I stumbled upon here, and good shot of Chinatown here.

*Frank of The Sunset Park Blog noted a couple of new Italian places in the neighborhood, and made a well-deserved plug for staying in (the neighborhood) when going out to eat.

*Things have been cooking, sprouting and…shopping…over at Sunset Parkour. Take a look out how her seedlings are progressing, and her note on Sunset Park’s recent meh ranking in NYMag’s list of “most livable” New York neighborhoods. Eh, they can keep Park Slope.

*Got any other news? Send it along…

Well, things are rather behind over here at Sunset Park Chronicled. Many apologies. Here are a few things that have been happening of late:

*The Brooklyn Eagle ran a dance event today to celebrate Immigrant Heritage Week today.

*There was a dust-up about bikes ( and an aside about a gaff by Boro Prez Marty Markowitz) recently in the news, and the impending Brooklyn Greenway featured, as Sunset Park’s rep Nydia Velazquez.

*Questions have also been raised about what Mayor Bloomberg’s  announcement this week regarding a “citywide initiative that will create a new sustainable blueprint for the city’s 578 miles of shoreline” and what “sustainable development” means for the western edge of Sunset park.

*The Village Voice’s Running Scared blog has a shot and description of a yolked suspect who allegedly robbed On the Run Mobile convenience store at 875 4th Avenue. The police alert says he had a gun. It may be just me, but it looks like he was also mid-smoke? Odd. Anyway, take a look.

*The New York Times published an article yesterday about the people who make up the immigrant workforce—many of which are highly skilled workers. I thought it was an interesting piece, a look  at on ongoing conversation that obviously involves Sunset Park.

*There was some serious gossip going in the coffee/foodie circle this week when the employees at Gorilla Coffee in Park Slope walked out. The Brooklyn Paper reports despite the mini-scandal, the owners are still churning out beans at their roastery in Sunset Park.

*Speaking of churning, Sunset Park Stills continues to post beautiful photographs, including a moody shot of the basilica. Take a look.

Rendering for Annabell Selldorf's design of the Sunset Park recycling center. Image from The Architect's Newspaper

Good morning. Here’s what’s been in the news related to streets and buildings in the nabe:

*Sunset Park has long planned a new recycling center down on the waterfront. Curbed last week posted a peek at some of the plans by “starchitect” Annabelle Selldorf’, which would include linked waterfront buildings with barge access, green roofs and even…goats? You can read more about the project in the full article at The Architect’s Newspaper. Take a look and come tell us what you think.

*Two sites offered rundowns of the “Future of Fourth Avenue” meeting last week. The Post noted the skeptics in the crowd, while the blog All About Fifth said, “the attendance was high and the engagement, real.”

*March 10 saw the groundbreaking on Sunset Park Early Childhood Development Center.  The project of Catholic Charities of Brooklyn and Queens serves more than 400 low-income families, is located in the former St. Michael’s School building near 42nd Street and Fourth Avenue. The center will also offer classes for parents in nutrition, housing assistance, ESL and GED, according to the Brooklyn Eagle.

*Sunset Park is in the news again, with both the Daily News and Brokelyn touting steals to be found around these parts of South Brooklyn. I’m working on putting a map together of their picks (stay tuned) but for now, you can check out the News’ list here, and Brokelyn’s picks here and here.

*Mommies go raw? Both Bay Ridge and Sunset Park have drop spots for illicit unpasteurized milk from Pennsylvania, newly trendy in certain foodie circles. Read more at Gothamist.

*The Brooklyn Eagle put out a mea culpa this morning to Congressman Jerrold Nadler, who they mistakenly wrote represented Brooklyn Heights. Nadler’s aid quickly corrected, saying, “Just for the record, Congressman Nadler does not represent Brooklyn Heights. In Brooklyn, he represents Coney Island, Brighton Beach, Borough Park and Bensonhurst.” The aide apparently forgot to mention that Nadler also represents Red Hook, Gravesend, Dyker Heights, Bath Beach, Seagate and Sunset Park. I often hear complains that Sunset Park gets little play on the political stage–what do you think?

*NYPD officer Justin Cracchiola was this week named South Brooklyn’s cop of the month–he has spent nearly a decade on the force, much of that as a narcotics cop in the 72nd precinct in Sunset Park. Read more here.

*Check out this Streetsblog article arguing that NY City planning may be sabotaging sustainability by parking space requirements for new development. I would think this article might raise a few backs on both sides. What do you think?

* Brooklyn in January had the highest foreclosure rate in the city, and Sunset Park has for the first time seen people being forced to giving up their homes, according to an article in the Ethiopian Review.

*Duane Reade has just been purchased by the Walgreen chain, the Brooklyn Eagle reported. What do you think, will this have any effect on the new Duane Reade on Fifth Ave?

* Protests, lawsuits and contentious conversation have followed the announcement the city plans to shutter 19 schools for poor performance. The city has since 2002 closed 91 schools, many large high schools that have reopened as smaller and charter schools. A recent New York Times article offers insight into some of the city politics behind these closures. The new comptroller, John Liu, is adding his two cents–he questioned the school vote when he appeared last week on Local 237 President Greg Floyd’s new radio show, the Daily News reported.

* Other school issues have hit close to home. The Brooklyn Eagle last week covered a meeting about the slated consolidation of students from District 13 (Fort Green, Downtown, Park Slope) and District 15 (Sunset Park, Red Hook, Park Slope, Windsor Terrace). The building that houses P.S. 133 will be rebuilt, and students from Sunset Park’s overcrowded schools will join them in a new, larger building. “Sunset Park is in a crisis situation,” James Devor, president of CEC-15, a governing body for District 15, told the Brooklyn Eagle. But not everyone was pleased with the plan. The Eagle reports race issues bubbled up, with parents from P.S. 133 worried that their 300 children would get short shrift after the arrival of 660 students from District 15, who are predominantly white.

* Though the Bloomberg administration has touted its success slashing fat and fillers, the Daily News reports lunches may not be as healthy as they look. Cheese sandwiches, mozzarella sticks and pizza still make regular appearances on school menus. These dishes feature unpronounceables like azodicarbonamide (a bleach used in food), the maligned high-fructose corn syrup, and processes food with high levels of fat and salt.

Marty Markowitz, image by Shooting Brooklyn.

Well, well, here is a development:

With the recent purchase of a house in Windsor Terrace, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz has officially ensconced himself in Community Board 7.

Markowitz already began to draw attention to his new home in southwest Brooklyn when he attended the swearing in of Joseph Longobardi, CB7’s new chair, the Brooklyn Eagle reported.

The self-proclaimed “newest resident” of Windsor Terrace, the 65-year-old Makowitz encouraged people to stop by in a few decades for his mortgage burning celebration in December 2039. The neighborhood will have to wait and see the effect this famously colorful Brooklyn character has on a community district often overlooked.

When people want to track a societal shift, they turn to statistics. But signs of the times also come in less quantifiable bites.

Read the full story