What’s the big news in LIC this week? Well it’s not politics, despite a primary that basically determines the winners in the general election. Sure there are schisms within the predominant party, the Democrats, but I wouldn’t generalize the results in Queens, or the Bronx or Brooklyn last night, to a national level. NYC had already elected (and then re-elected) a progressive Mayor back in 2013. AOC’s startling win in 2018 came on the heels of ~20% of the country choosing a Socialist for President in 20161. So it should come as no surprise that additional upstart progressives defeated more mainstream, or at least incumbent, candidates in pockets of NYC, especially those more economically disadvantaged. At varying times over recent decades the backlash of extremism has happened on both sides of the aisle – think Newt Gingrich’s Contract with America in 1994 and the Tea Party in 2010.
Fireworks too come in second vis-a-vis the local news, despite LICtalk’s article being the first to highlight the personal fireworks disruption in NYC. The Mayor announced a crackdown on personal fireworks and simultaneously announced the modified plan for the Macy’s July 4 Fireworks this year. As for the latter, I commend both the Mayor and Macy’s for being creative and doing something in these trying times.
The big story this week is a group of transportation geeks proposing a plan to build a bike and pedestrian bridge from LIC to Manhattan. Admittedly it’s a long shot, as stated in the balanced New York Times article announcing the plan. Yet with a price tag speculated to be around $100 million, it’s a heck of a lot cheaper than the BQX. Similarly while I can think of numerous logistical hurdles, most significantly where to offload on the Manhattan side, they pale in comparison to the aforementioned BQX.
Nevertheless I propose a modified solution: build two bridges. Or in this case two segments. The first being my long advocated bridge from LIC to Roosevelt Island. Then, I know zero about bridge economics, but back-of-the-envelope the tangible thought of such a long and high span across the entire East River would seem to come in much higher cost-wise than two smaller bridges. Yet either way I like the idea.
A Bridge From Queens To Manhattan, But No Cars Allowed – you gotta start somewhere
Three ‘Ribbon’ Bike & Pedestrian Bridges For NYC Are More Than A Corona-Concocted Fantasy – let’s start with one, ok?
Macy’s July 4 Fireworks To Blast Off In Unannounced Displays Across NYC Next Week – June 29- July 1, locations tbd
With Rockets Bursting In Air NYC To Lower The Boom On Fireworks Kingpins – good luck w/ that, maybe put down the donuts and chase a few perpetrators?
Queens Election Results – a mixed bag that’s still waiting on a lot of absentee ballots
Amazon Signs Lease For Massive Warehouse in Maspeth Queens – and LIC gets donuts
Clock Tower Rental Building Tops Out At 67 Stories – now all you need to do is fill them
Joel Schumacher, Director of St. Elmo’s Fire And Former LIC Resident, Dead at 80 – raised in L-I-C
Man Kidnaps Teen Brother At Knife Point In LIC – this morning on 46th Avenue
LIC Development Site w/ 25-story Zoning Hits Market – office only
- if Dems represent 50% of voters and 40% of these voted for Bernie Sanders in the primary = ~20% [↩]
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