General

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The Vitagraph Studios smokestack stood tall above Midwood long before the Kentile Floors and Eagle Clothes signs were ever erected, but now residents past and present are afraid the local – but not official – landmark will face the same fate and be removed from the Brooklyn skyline.

On the heels of what many are calling a growing heroin problem in the five boroughs and Brooklyn especially, Donna Mae DePola, founder of the Sunset Park Resource Training and Counseling Center (TRTC), has just opened the drug and alcohol rehabilitation site’s first satellite in Bay Ridge.

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It was a cause for celebration – and empty stomachs – on Tuesday, October 7 as the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce (BCC) joined forces with the Federation of Italian American Organizations (FIAO) to host a special two-in-one event: a sneak peek of the soon-to-be finished Il Centro Italian-American Community Center that doubled as the official kick-off to Brooklyn’s own Italian Restaurant Week, October 8-15.

Are you planning to take advantage of the Brooklyn Public Libraries new, longer hours?

It was raining cats and dogs at Fontbonne Hall Academy’s First Annual Pet Blessing. October 4 is the feast day of St. Francis, the patron saint of animals, and many parishes observe the occasion by holding a ceremony at which priests bless the animals in attendance to give them protection for the year.

The Federation of Italian American Organizations held its annual Columbus Parade Brunch on Sunday, October 5, in anticipation of the Columbus Day Parade it sponsors each year along 18^th Avenue.

Bensonhurst’s biggest parade is coming to town.

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Eligia Santilla sat with her family in the front row of folding chairs at the Sunset Park Town Hall, her 17-year-old daughter Cindy Daza, sitting by her side. The mother of five sat stony-faced while watching the cell phone video of Cindy and her older brother Jonathan being grabbed and arrested being projected on the gymnasium wall, in front of hundreds of neighbors from Sunset Park and around the city.

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The news that a Brooklyn mail carrier hoarded over 40,000 pieces – roughly 2,500 pounds – of mail meant for hundreds of residents and businesses in Flatlands and Flatbush over the course of nine years sparked amazement in residents and apologies from the United States Postal Service (USPS), which is working on delivering the backlog of letters and packages.

What is your favorite thing about fall in Brooklyn?

Supporters of two-year-old Rocco Morabito – a bright eyed boy with a laundry list of medical problems but a big heart – gathered at Russo’s on the Bay in late summer to “Rally for Rocco” and raise money for a new set of wheels.

On Sunday, September 21, the Bay Ridge Ambulance Volunteer Organization marked a milestone – its 40^th anniversary – with over 250 people in attendance to celebrate the group and wish it well as it moves forward into the future.

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The city will be receiving $25 million in federal Department of Transportation grants towards addressing the area around 13 schools and thoroughfares deemed “high-risk” under Vision Zero.

Celebrating the good ole’ days, on Saturday, September 27, the 46^th Annual Brooklyn Old Timers’ Stickball Game was held in conjunction with the Ragamuffin Parade. The game is set up to reunite old friends who used to live in the neighborhood and make new ones for a friendly yet competitive street game that isn’t played as much these days as it once was.

These warriors are fighting for a good cause.

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It was another successful day and huge turnout for one of the community’s biggest events, the 48^th annual Ragamuffin Parade. Children from all over the borough donned their favorite costumes to march in the parade or just watch the activities. Local school marching bands participated, along with police officers riding on horses, vintage cars and more, as merchants, residents and local dignitaries turned out on the sidelines to watch. However, the day was all about the children.

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It was one for the books on Sunday, September 28 as thousands of Brooklynites flocked to the Ridge’s Third Avenue strip to celebrate the 41^st Annual Third Avenue Festival, an end-of-summer staple for the nabe.

Favorite Ridge bands from the ‘80s will return to the local music scene for one night only during 2014, during the Cove Reunion, an annual event to benefit the Guild for Exceptional Children.

JAN ROSENBERG

Community-led youth safety initiatives have finally led to the successful installation of traffic lights on Kent Avenue at its intersections with North 8^th and North 9^th Streets, cheered local leaders and elected officials.

Do you think there should be celebrations to mark the Verrazano’s 50^th anniversary on this side of the bridge?

Head to the after-party!

As the Halloween season approaches, Bay Ridge residents are preparing to celebrate one of the neighborhood’s oldest and most popular traditions. This year marks the 48^th annual Ragamuffin Parade -- one of the few city parades which honor our borough’s youngest citizens, their creativity and innocence.

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On Saturday, September 20, Bay Ridgeites hit the pavement in support of elderly neighbors who rely on their feet – and their wheels – for six meals a week.