• Incumbency v.s. Change In The Democratic Primaries:  In our first story the intersection of race and politics, the idea incumbency vs readiness for change has captured the attention of the nation, in the wake the Brooklyn Democratic primary elections we decided to explore how some of the same themes playing out right here at home.
• Another Big Box Store For Red Hook?:  Next we go to Red Hook, an old marine time community grappling with all the anxieties that come along with the preservation vs development debate. In the past several years Red Hook as seen the arrival of a massive Fairway market and most recently the first Ikea in New York City. Now, there are rumors that yet another big-box store may be coming to the area. The development company Thor Equities is looking to lease a large portion of land on the former site of the revere sugar factory and is said to be in discussions with BJ's wholesale club. In our next story Sherry Karabin looks at how Red Hook locals are dealing with a changing neighborhood.
• Grand Army Plaza Redesign:  Brooklyn’s Grand Army Plaza has drawn its share of complaints over the years, namely for its sometimes out of control traffic and dangerous intersections. The design trust for public space and the Grand Army Plaza Coalition are working to reinvent the look and feel of the historic Grand Army Plaza. Their international design competition brought in over 200 submissions from around the world. The top thirty are on view at the plaza site. Next Ambika Samarthya talks to the heads of both organizations and a local winner about how the designs could be a catalyst for inspiring real renewal of this Brooklyn landmark.
• Walk Around The Blog: Closing Of LICH Maternity Ward:  Next, on A Walk Around the Blog we meet bloggers from the Brooklyn Heights blog as they weigh in on the controversial decision by long island hospital to close down their maternity ward.
• Brooklyn Book Fest:  The Brooklyn Book Festival started as a celebration of the literary heavyweights that have called our borough home, from Walt Whitman to Colson Whitehead. Three years later the book fest has gone global with 150 writers from around the world.
• Around Town with Fred Brown: Take Out Taxi:  We head around town with Fred Brown to Bed-Stuy where he gets behind-the-wheel with a stay-at-home mom who started a new food delivery business called Take-Out Taxi.

Episode 182
Original Cablecast: September 11, 2008

• Election:  If you haven’t already noticed, the political season is now in full swing, but while the race for president is snagging most of the headlines, one race in brooklyn is also drawing attention. It features two figures, familiar for different reasons. One firmly in the world of elected politics and the other a newcomer hoping to turn his “real world” experience into a seat in congress. Brian vines has this story.
• Perils of Parking:  Next it’s all about the perils of parking.
• Legal Outreach Program for Teenagers:  While some kids hit the beach this summer vacation, more than two dozen of the borough's rising freshman high school students spent their time preparing for a criminal trial. They were part of a unique program that gives inner city kids an early introduction to the legal profession.
• Approaching Storm Band:  We meet another remarkable group of teens and their leader, who are finding their way out of gang violence through music.
• A Walk Around The Blog - Little Rus':  We meet the blogger known as Little Rus' - an American guy married to a Russian girl, who has set out to immerse himself in Brighton Beach’s Russian culture.
• West Indian Day Parade:  Next, it’s Around Town with Fred Brown. This week he ventures out onto Eastern Parkway for the annual carribean day parade. Sponsored by the West Indian American Carnival Association, this feast for the senses has been going on for 41 years! Enjoy!

Episode 181
Original Cablecast: July 28, 2008

This week on Brooklyn Review is our Walk Around the Blog Special.

• Gowanus Lounge:  Bob Guskind of the blog Gowanus Lounge has got his eye on overdevolpement borough wide and shifts his focus to carroll gardens in this segment.
• Reclaimed Home:  From overdevelopment to smart, sustainable development, next we join Phyllis of Reclaimed Home blog as she visits a “green” mixed use building in Williamsburg...learning what sustainable architecture is all about.
• Kinetic Carnival:  Over in Coney Island, the community is also concerned about staying green, but this time it’s not architecture in question, it’s a local garden. Next we learn from the Kinetic Carnival blog about a Coney Island community garden threatened by new development.
• Sheepshead Bites:  Next on a walk around the blog, we meet the blogger known as Sheepshead Bites as he talks to fisherman in Sheepshead Bay about what they fear is a declining Brooklyn industry
• Louise Crawford:  When the Park Slope Food Coop proposed a ban on plastic water bottles, we turned to notorious Park Slope blogger Louise Crawford of Only the Blog Knows Brooklyn in an effort to help the environment, the Park Slope Food Coop decided this year they would ban plastic water bottles. The slope’s most notorious blogger…Louise Crawford went inside the food coop to find out why those purified water bottles gotta go.
• Sustainable Flatbush:  Next we go to Flatbush, where there’s a growing movement to green this neighborhoods - the blogger sustainable Flatbush takes us on a tour.
• Photobloggers:  Two photobloggers come together to collaborate on a special project they’re documenting demolition at the future site of the Atlantic Yards project through a time lapse camera.
• Clinton Hill:  This week we join Robin Lester of the Clinton Blog as she takes us to a very cool little section of Brooklyn called Wallabout.

Episode 180
Original Cablecast: July 14, 2008

• Waterfalls:  On June 26th New Yorkers were treated to a spectacular, and unusual, art opening, the New York City waterfalls. The four structures, one of them on the Brooklyn bridge, are the creation of the internationally renowned artist Olafur Eliasson, and they took two years to complete. The price tag: 15 million dollars and the city expects to reap the benefits of the monumental structures. We took a rare trip over the Brooklyn Bridge for the opening event.
• Ikea And The Graving Dock:  New York’s first ever Ikea is now open on the Red Hook waterfront and where you’re parking your car, used to live a graving dock for repairing large ships. Activists fought to the finish to save it, alas Ikea won and the graving dock is now a parking lot. But in our next story Sherry Karabin looks at how a new study is showing the loss of the graving dock could be a larger cost to the port of New York than anyone anticipated
• Bed Stuy Slave Theater:  Next we go to Bedford Stuyvesant where activists are trying to save an old theater from falling through the cracks. The slave theater was once a hub for black activism in the 80’s and a new generation thinks it could now serve as a place to preserve black history and foster the arts. Brian Vines brings us the story of the slave theater.
• A Walk Around The Blog - Sheepshead Bites:  Next on a walk around the blog, we meet the blogger known as Sheepshead Bites as he talks to fisherman in Sheepshead Bay about what they fear is a declining Brooklyn industry
• Grotesque Histories At Rotunda Gallery:  We head to the Rotunda Gallery in Brooklyn Heights for the opening night reception of their new exhibit “Grotesque Histories”, but don’t let the name turn you off, These images are about making passionate statements about politics, religion and society. Tati Amare was there.
• Around Town With Fred Brown Hassidic Tour:  This week Fred ventures into the neighborhood of Crown Heights for a window into Brooklyn's Hassidic Jewish community and culture.

Episode 179
Original Cablecast: June 26, 2008

• Red Hook Ikea:  It's here! Whether you're a skeptic or an enthusiast, Ikea has officially opened its doors in Red Hook! We sent Tati Amare down for the grand opening early morning madness.
• Congressman Vito Fossella Scandal:  When Congressman Vito Fossella was caught drunk driving and with an illegitimate child this past May, his political life quickly came to a halt. Within weeks, Fossella announced he would not seek reelection in November. The announcement sent Democrats and Republicans into a frenzy over Fossella’s seat, the 13th congressional district, which is split between Brooklyn and Staten Island. But why is this race different from any other?
• East New York Community Center:  They say good things come to those who wait, but for one Brooklyn community a long wait is being met by locked doors as a much delayed community center gets set to close before it’s even opened. Brian vines has the story of how budget cuts could mean shuttered community centers for Brooklyn’s public housing developments.
• Racial Profiling :  With the acquittal of the three police officers charged in the shooting death of Sean Bell, People are talking about what they perceive as racial profiling by the New York City Police Department. Here in Brooklyn, residents and community leaders in Fort Greene are voicing their concerns about a law enforcement system they say is tainted.
• A Walk Around the Blog - Atlantic Yards Photobloggers:  Our newest segment where we turn to bloggers for the inside on what’s happening in their communities. This week two photobloggers come together to collaborate on a special project. They’re documenting demolition at the future site of the Atlantic Yards project through a time lapse camera.
• Celebrate Brooklyn!:  This week Fred Brown’s at the Prospect Park Bandshell, for a very special kick-off gala and concert event for the Celebrate Brooklyn summer concert series. Over 8000 people gathered under the stars to celebrate our borough and see legendary the performer Isaac Hayes.

Episode 178
Original Cablecast: June 9, 2008

• Supermarket Shortage:  In our first story we go to Bay Ridge, where the Key Food on Third Avenue is shutting its doors for good, adding Bay Ridge to a long list of neighborhoods with limited access to groceries. Rent and loss of business to big box stores as well as online shopping has made supermarket closings throughout the borough and city almost commonplace. But Brooklynites are demanding that something be done.
• Teen Moms:  Imagine this…you get pregnant at 14 and all of sudden you’re faced with all of the responsibilities of being a parent, but you’re still a kid. It’s an issue for approximately 4000 girls in Brooklyn. One group, the Brooklyn Young Mother’s Collective is working to ensure these girls develop into both strong women and effective parents.
• Development vs Retail on Park Slope’s Fourth Avenue:  It's a thoroughfare that was once most known for its tire and auto shops. But just drive down Fourth Avenue in Park Slope today and you’ll see brand new condo towers and hotels. But, that’s kind of it. Next Sherry Karabin talks to residents who feel the balance between retail and new development needs to be improved.
• A Walk Around the Blog - Williamsburg is Dead:  Our newest segment where we turn to bloggers for the inside on what’s happening in their communities. This week our blogger asks the question: is the Williamsburg art scene is dead?
• Brooklyn Bridge Turns 125:  The iconic Brooklyn bridge celebrates its 125th birthday this year and the borough pulled out all stops to celebrate. It was a birthday party on the Brooklyn waterfront to remember.
• Gowanus Goes Green Festival:  This week he’s set up camp at Brooklyn’s latest waterfront destination, the Gowanus Canal. That’s right. Well, see for yourself as Fred Brown joins in on the first annual Gowanus Goes Green Festival.

Episode 177
Original Cablecast: May 26, 2008

• Crown Heights Homeless Shelter:  In our first story we go to Crown Heights, where a homeless shelter has long been a sore spot for community members who feel it’s overcrowded and dangerous, but things could get worse at the Bedford Atlantic Armory if the mayor goes through with a plan to close the city’s main intake center and move the homeless to Brooklyn.
• Union Hall Controversy:  It’s becoming a Brooklyn storyline. People in gentrifying neighborhoods want the quiet tree lined streets, but also the convenience of a restaurant or boutique within walking distance of their home, and inevitably this convenience turns into a nuisance. So what happens when these residents then feel there is just too much commerce around the corner? Where do you draw the line? In our next story this modern day dilemma takes shape in the fight over the union hall bar in Park Slope.
• Greenpoint Terminal Market Fire Follow Up:  It’s hard to believe, but it has been more than two years since the historic Greenpoint Terminal Market burned to the ground and still no new development. Residents are calling it an eyesore. But as Sherry Karabin found out, that’s not their only concern. Many also believe the person who was responsible still has not been brought to justice.
• A Walk Around the Blog:  Our newest segment where we turn to bloggers for the inside on what’s happening in their communities. This week we learn meet a blogger with a bone to pick about a new glitzy building off Prospect Park.
• Vox Pop Café:  "Vox Pop" Latin for voice of the people. Seems fitting for this Ditmas Park coffeehouse, bookstore and community-empowering center. From young family gatherings, literary events, open mikes to live music. It’s way more than just coffee.
• Brooklyn Designs:  It’s time for around town with Fred Brown. This week he’s at the design event of the year, that’s Brooklyn Designs of course which took over Dumbo for three days of hottest in local talent.

Episode 176
Original Cablecast: April 28, 2008

• Crown Heights Racial Tensions:  In our first story we look at racial tension in Crown Heights, where this past April, a black student was allegedly attacked by two jewish men. The Brooklyn DA’s office launched a grand jury investigation into the attacks, which in turn sparked outrage among the Jewish community. They claim attacks on Jewish residents have not received the same attention given to attacks on blacks. Next Ingrid Rojas explores how race relations have evolved since the infamous riots of 1991.
• The Role of Real Estate/Watchdog Blogs in Brooklyn Development:  If there’s one sure thing, it’s that when a building goes up in Brooklyn, someone has an opinion about it, and as the bulding boom continues Brooklynites are proving over and over again that they’re going to have a say in how the future Brooklyn takes shape, and in some cases that say is taking the shape of a blog. In this story, we look at the role real estate and watchdog blogs are playing in Brooklyn development, and meet some unlikely characters sitting in blogger seat.
• High School Students Debate the Ethics of War:  In this election year we’re bombarded by all sorts of media trying to influence our votes and views. This can be confusing for adults, so what about Brooklyn's young people? Well in Bensonhurst, the expeditionary high school for community leaders is taking a new approach to teaching kids civic responsibility, preaparing it's students to make tomorrows decisions by learning from the past. Tati Amare has this story.
• A Walk Around the Blog: Kinetic Carnival and the Coney Island Community Garden:  Our newest segment where we turn to bloggers for the inside on what’s happening in their communities. This week we learn from the kinetic carnival blog about a community garden endangered by big development in Coney Island.
• Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s Sakura Matsuri Festival:  Every year the cherry blossoms at the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens helps to signal spring. Well we hope at least they live for six glorious weeks from bud to blossom to falling petals. Chie Davis visited the trees at their peak blossom state for the Annual Sakura Matsuri Festival.
• Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce’s Brooklyn Eats:  This week Fred Brown heads to Steiner Studios for the Annual Brooklyn Eats smorgasbord.

Episode 175
Original Cablecast: April 28, 2008

• Construction Accidents:  It was big news this week when the commissioner of the Department of Buildings announced her resignation. This after the DOB has come under attack for a series of construction accidents and fatalities and many of them in Brooklyn. Next Sherry Karabin explores why these unsafe building sites continue to operate and what needs to be done to keep Brooklynites safe.
• Child Abuse:  The trial of little Nixmary Brown, found abused and dead at the hands of her parents, has forced child abuse issues into the spotlight and the administration for children’s services continues to be overloaded with reports…more than 6000 last year. The Brooklyn DA’s office is stepping in with a new program, called Brooklyn Child Watch. The goal is to arm community members with skills and information to help protect children in their neighborhoods. Janelle Burrell visited the last of the 3 workshop series held for the neighborhood volunteers.
• Catholicism:  In the wake of Pope Benedict’s first papal visit to New York, we decided to take a closer look some of the profound changes happening in the catholic community. Here in Brooklyn, it’s estimated that 50% of the Catholic Church’s population is Latino, but there’s also been a growing trend of Latino Catholics moving to Pentecostal churches. In our next story, Ingrid Rojas meets a new generation of Latino Catholics coming up with creative ways to keep the Catholic Church alive and kicking.
• A Walk Around the Blog:  This week we travel to Coney Island with the kinetic carnival blog and learn about a community garden endangered by big development.
• Flea Market:  While big name retailers like Urban Outfitters and Trader Joes open new outposts across Brooklyn, in Fort Greene 200 decidedly local vendors have set up camp at New York's newest open air market. Next Brian Vines has the story of how 2 Brooklylnites are bringing the flea back to Brooklyn.
• Earth Day:  This week Fred Brown checks out an Earth Day Expo. Held fittingly at Habana Outpost - Brooklyn’s only solar powered restaurant.

Episode 174
Original Cablecast: April 14, 2008

• Grand Street:  The terms zoning and rezoning, upzoning and downzoning have become brooklynspeak as the rush to build and build some more has required the shaping of how new development will effect our communities. One of the most widely publicized zonings took place in 2005 when the city council voted to re-zone almost 200 blocks in Williamsburg Greenpoint, to allow for high-rise waterfront development with an affordable housing component. Recently another part of Williamsburg saw more changes - this time it was a downzoing. Good news for residents of Grand Street who want to keep their streets highrise free, but as Sherry Karabin tells us, it’s a vote by the city council that has small developer up in arms.
• Moms Against Gangs:  In this story we look at Brooklyn’s gang violence problem. While New York is now the safest big city in the nation, in some neighborhoods wearing the wrong color hat or jersey can still mean trouble, and as street gangs become more organized they’re also contributing to the bottom line of businesses both big and small. Next Brian Vines finds out who’s on front lines of Brooklyn’s war against gang violence.
• ENY Reentry:  Three quarters of released prisoners will go back to jail within three years of being out. That’s why reentry programs like network in the community of Episcopal social services play a vital role in keeping men and women out of prison and engaged in the community. In our next segment, Ingrid Rojas introduces us to this unique community program and its charismatic coordinator.
• A Walk Around the Blog:  This week it’s all about the Park Slope Food Coop and their proposed ban on selling bottled water. We sought out Louise Crawford from Only the Blog Knows Brooklyn to get the scoop.
• Brooklyn International Film Festival:  For the 42nd year the Brooklyn Arts Council will hold their annual international film festival. Elsie Mujica got a peek of three of this year’s winners.
• Lola Starr:  This week we catch up with Fred at the event of the season, of course that’s the star studded opening of the Lola Starr dreamland roller rink in Coney Island.

Episode 173
Original Cablecast: March 24, 2008

• National Mortgage Crisis:  In our first story we revisit the national mortgage crisis. Here in Brooklyn, many people are dealing with the effects of subprime mortgages - loans given to those with lower credit ratings or other financial problems. And now many are in positions where they can’t afford the homes their living in. But as Sherry Karabin finds out there are originations reaching out to these homeowners in trouble.
• Green Cart Bill:  The New York City Council recently gave a green-light to the green cart bill, a measure that will bring 350 produce vendor carts to areas with limited access to fresh fruit and vegetables. And in one densely populated section of Fort Greene the closing of a major supermarket has forced thousands of residents to venture outside of the neighborhood for necessities. But as Brian Vines discovers community activists are lending a hand by giving a ride.
• Off Track Betting:  Next we look at the world of off track betting. New York‘s betting parlors might be making their final lap, since their oversight board recently voted to shut down all of their facilities by this June with a huge budget deficit. Mayor Bloomberg says the city has no choice. It can no longer handle the cost. Nicole O’dell takes a look at why the loss of the OTB maybe more than New York can afford.
• Red Hook Park Vendors:  The summer food vendors of Red Hook Park are breathing a sigh of relief. After winning a battle over permits and regulations. They’ve recently been granted a six year permit by the parks and recreation department to continue offering the Latin fiesta that has become a vital part of the Red Hook experience. Tati Amare has the follow up to the story we brought you back in June 2007.
• A Walk Around the Blog:  Our new segment where we turn to bloggers for the inside on what’s happening in their communities. This week it’s all about sustainable Flatbush, from green spaces, parking day and electronics recycling. Find out how this community is going green.
• Cyclone:  Join Fred as he gets the season’s first ride on the cyclone roller coaster and celebrates the 81st birthday of this in conic Coney Island ride.

Episode 172
Original Cablecast: March 10, 2008

• Atlantic Yards Rezone:  Will the national mortgage crisis and a shaky economy keep Brooklyn’s Atlantic Yards project from becoming a reality? Many opponents of the Forest City Ratner plan and some elected officials seem to think so, and they’re planning ahead putting forth an alternate plan for development. In our first story Sherry Karabin checks in with the council of Brooklyn neighborhoods as they workshop ideas for their vision for the Atlantic Yards.
• HIV Dental Clinic:  In health news, a dental clinic has opened up in Downtown Brooklyn that will cater specifically to HIV positive patients. Started by the non profit organization housing works, the clinic is designed to take away some of the shame HIV patients have coming to the dentist and the fear that dental practitioners have of contracting the disease. Tati Amare has more.
• Russian Election:  Russia recently elected a new president but what does have to do with Brooklyn? Well, we have one of the largest concentrations of Russian expatriates in America. In our next story Ingrid Rojas takes the political pulse of the Brighton Beach community, sometimes known as Little Odessa.
• Women's History Month:  The birth of women’s history month actually began right here in NYC. As early as March 8th 1908 when 15,000 protestors hit the pavement demanding workplace equality and voting rights from that point march eventually evolved into national women’s history month. Next Nicole Odell looks at how that grassroots effort is still ever present in our communities and meets some of the Brooklyn women who continue to lead.
• A Walk Around the Blog:  This week we join Phyllis of “reclaimed home” as she visits a “green” mixed use building in Williamsburg…learning what sustainable architecture is all about.
• Arab Fest:  Next it’s all about Arab culture as the Brooklyn Arts Council dedicates the month of march to highlighting dance, music, from Arab countries like Lebanon, Israel, Morocco and Iraq. Fred Brown was at the kick off performance of Brooklyn ma-cam.

Episode 171
Original Cablecast: February 11, 2008

• Residential Parking:  Parking frustrations are nothing new in downtown Brooklyn or anywhere in New York city for that matter. For years community groups have been calling for measures to make it easier for residents to park in their own neighborhoods. However, Mayor Bloomberg's congestion pricing plan is stepping up those calls from residents who fear the plan will turn their communities into park n’ rides. Next Sherry Karabin looks at mixed reactions to the idea of residential permit parking.
• Bed-Stuy Ambulance Corp:  City statistics show Central Brooklyn, which includes the neighborhood of Bedford Stuyvesant, having one of the highest rates of preventable hospitalization and illness. It’s also an area that has lost several major hospitals in recent years. In our next story Janelle Burrell introduces us to a Bed Stuy native and his team, who are making sure residents are getting the emergency care they need.
• Bob Marley Bouvelard:  If you could rename your street, what would it be? Would you choose your role model, your favorite singer? For two ex community board members in Flatbush, Reggae legend Bob Marley is the person who embodies the spirit of their community, and with the help of council member Charles Barron, they succeeded in co-naming a portion of Church Aavenue, Bob Marley Boulevard.
• A Walk Around the Blog:  This week we join Morgan Pehme of the Broooklyn optimist as he finds out about the Brooklyn greenway, a project that could create a 14 mile waterfront pathway from Bay Ridge all the way to Greenpoint.
• Williamsburg Fashion Week:  We’ve seen many variations on fashion week manifest in Brooklyn in recent years, from Brooklyn Fashion Weekend in DUMBO to the Williamsburg Fashion Weekend. The burg has no doubt been setting fashion trends for Brooklyn and they were on display at their second annual show.
• Oldies In Love:  Every year, Borough President Marty Markowitz hosts an annual valentine's day lunch to toast to long lasting love. But to get in the door, you have to be married for over 50 years. Next Fred Brown crashes this valentines day party to find out what keeps these couples together.

Episode 170
Original Cablecast: February 11, 2008

• State of the Borough:  It’s hard to believe, but this is the last time Marty Markowitz will take the stage as borough president; definitely a bittersweet evening for many.
• 475 Kent Ave:  For years residents at 475 Kent Ave in South Williamsburg lived and worked in an old factory building turned into spacious lofts with spectacular views of Manhattan and the Brooklyn Bridge. Until one Sunday night this past January when the Fire Department and the Department of Buildings deemed it a fire hazard and immediately evacuated about 200 residents. Next Ingrid Rojas explores what’s behind the evacuation of 475 Kent Ave.
• Ikea:  Brooklyn’s first Ikea plans to open its doors in Red Hook this summer. They’ve promised jobs, jobs and more jobs, but like any big box store, have been met with some doubts along the way. In a neighborhood with an unemployment rate of 20% many Red Hook residents could use the work and as Tati Amare found out, Ikea’s doing the outreach, giving folks in the11231 zip code a head start in the application process and paying for job training through the local group red hook works.
• Black Political Power:  February is black history month and in our next segment we explore the black voice. It’s a community that has always been strong in Brooklyn but as the dynamics of the population change, and disparities between groups widen, many are beginning to wonder if their voices are still being heard.
• A Walk Around the Blog:  We’re very excited about our new segment, A Walk Around the Blog, where we get the insider insight into what’s going on in Brooklyn from people blogging about it. This week we join Robin Lester of the Clinton blog as she takes us to a very cool little section of Brooklyn called Wallabout.
• Black Rock:  Next we head to the Brooklyn Academy of Music for a performance put on by the Black Rock Coalition, a group of musicians and artists working to dispel the stereotype that black artists are limited to music genres like hip hop and R&B. They’re about politics, equality and creative freedom, and definitely about rock.

Episode 169
Original Cablecast: January 28, 2008

• Obama v.s Clinton:  Our first story this week looks at presidential election fever. With more than two thirds of Brooklynites registered as democrats, it’s all about Hillary and Obama. In only a few days democratic voters will be choosing between two pretty non-traditional candidates, a woman and black man. Reporter Janelle Burrell looks at how this choice is playing out among Brooklynites.
• Fort Greene Gentrification:  It’s no news that the neighborhood of Fort Greene is rapidly gentrifying. Just take walk along Fulton Street and you’ll see the many changing storefronts, so yes it’s a tale we’ve heard before, but with two longtime businesses closing at the same time, Chie Davis checked in to see how the community is coping.
• Cell Phone Towers:  Over in Bay Ridge parents, educators and elected officials are fighting the installation of a cell tower right across from an elementary school. The tower went up right after the new year. Across from PS 185. Next Sherry Karabin talks to parents scared for their children's health and wondering why they weren’t warned about the company's plans.
• What’s the Blog:  In our next segment we follow Robert Guskind of the Blog Gowanus Lounge as he takes us to Carroll Gardens, where overdevelopment is the word on the street.
• Brooklyn Was Mine:  Brooklyn has a strong literary history with writers like Truman Capote and Walt Whitman. And as a new generation of writers springs up, it’s earning a reputation as the most literary borough. A new book of essays titled "Brooklyn Was Mine” highlights local talent and their Brooklyn stories. We went to Bookcourt in Cobble Hill for a reading.
• Trend 2008:  As the new year kicks in, reporter Fred Brown hit up Bed Stuy merchants for their thoughts on what’s hot in food, fashion and fun for 2008.

Episode 168
Original Cablecast: January 14, 2008

Special People of the Year

• Joe Chan:  First we meet Joe Chan, president of the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership and the man steering the massive transformation of the downtown area.
• Cesar Fuentes:  Every summer for the past 30 years, a typical Latin American food market has set up shop in Red Hook Park. However, new regulations from the Parks Department may force out the Red Hook vendors. In this profile we meet Cesar Fuentes, the leader of the fight to keep this Brooklyn tradition alive.
• Louise Crawford:  Next we meet Louise Crawford, otherwise known as “Only the Blog Knows Brooklyn.” She’s also the woman behind an annual event bringing together bloggers from throughout the borough.
• Hakeem Jeffries:  Next we meet newly elected Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries, representing the 57th district. When we visited him last summer he was taking a new approach to office hours, taking place at a subway near you.
• C Is For Cupid:  The experience of cancer is universal and one that can change a person in a profound way. Next we meet two Park Slope residents using this shared experience to help people create a love connection.
• Jerry Lamonthe:  In our final profile we meet Brooklyn born filmmaker, Jerry Lamonthe. One of seven Brooklynites whose films premiered at the Tribbeca Film fest in 2008. In the film aptly titled "Blackout," he brings us back to the neighborhood of East Flatbush during the blackout of 2003.