Cyclist Killed By Van South of PLG

Jake McDonaugh, an 18-year-old cyclist from Kensington, was struck and killed by a minivan after turning onto Flatbush from Duryea Place. The driver, Michael Oxley, allegedly ran a red light and was speeding at the time of the crash. Atypically, Oxley has been charged with criminally negligent homicide and reckless driving, in addition to driving with a suspended license and traffic violations.

I am usually a huge defender of the dollar vans because they are cheaper, run more frequently and are faster than the B41. I admit that I've always considered the white-knuckle ride part of the charm. This tragedy should act as a cautionary tale for all van drivers - all drivers, really - that traffic laws exist for a reason. Nobody riding up Flatbush is in such a hurry that lives should be in danger.

Update: It turns out that Oxley was not a dollar van driver but rather a driver in a hurry. I apologize for the error.

Free Tree Giveaway This Weekend

MillionTreesNYC is doing several tree giveaways this spring, including two in Brooklyn, the first of which is this weekend:

Green Fort Green and Clinton Hill & FAB Alliance Giveaway (Brooklyn)
Saturday April 17th and Sunday April 18th 10 am – 3 pm
Putnam Triangle (Putnam Avenue & Fulton Street)

More details here.

Looking for a CSA?

The Prospect Lefferts Gardens Community Supported Agriculture program has, once again, sold out for the season. But if you're looking to get fresh produce and support (relatively) local farms, there are several other options. I don't know much about the differences between CSAs, other than where they're located, but feel free to leave any recommendations or other observations in the comments.

Flatbush Farm Share
Pick-Up: CAMBA office on site at Flatbush Reformed Church (map)

Ditmas Park CSA
Pickup: Third Root, 380 Marlborough Rd

Crown Heights CSA
Pickup: Georgia's Place (at Bedford Avenue & Prospect Pl.)

Central Brooklyn CSA
Pickup: Hebron SDA Church, 1256 Dean Street (at New York Avenue)

New Ginos Restaurant Opening This Thursday

The new sit-down restaurant owned by Gino's will be opening this Thursday. As we wrote earlier, the restaurant will be right next door to Gino's takeout pizzeria, at 548 Flatbush (just south of Lincoln). It'll be nice to have another option in the nabe. Let us know what you think after it opens.

Farmers Diner Plotting New Restaurant in PLG

Great news, folks: it looks like the Farmers Diner is indeed headed our way. The owners of the Vermont-based eatery have been in talks with the landlords of 552 Flatbush about leasing the old Mike's space. The two sides have ironed out a deal and the Diner is tentatively scheduled to sign a lease in June, with the expectation of opening September 2010.

True to its locovore ethos, the Farmers Diner owner are looking to local residents to invest in the restaurant. They not only want the food they sell to be grown locally, they want as many stakeholders as possible from the neighborhood -- a brilliant idea, IMHO, and one bound to increase the odds of success.

The current plan is for the restaurant to be open 24/7, have a separate take-out station with prepared meals (a la Whole Foods), and a full bar. Prices for dinner entrees are expected to run from $9 to $12.

All of this is tentative, of course, but we'll let you know more as plans get farther along.

UPDATE 4/13/10: If any locals are seriously interested in investing, email me at brooklynite282 at gmail.com and I'll put you in touch with the Farmers Diner folks.

How To Tell If Feral Cats Have Already Been Spayed

After my post about fixing street cats the other week, inquiring minds may be wondering, "How can you tell if a cat has been fixed or not?"

Unless you are expert in feline genitalia, there's no easy way. Except for one: if the cat has been through the ASPCA's "trap neuter release" (TNR) program, one of his or her ears will be clipped. Like so:

So now you know.

New Bike Shop Opening on Lincoln Road

A new bike shop is coming to 56 Lincoln Road, right next to the Thriftway on the corner, bringing the total neighborhood bike shops to one.... unless you count Hawthorne Hardware, which sells services and sells used bikes. Welcome, Bike Life!

Help Care for PLG's Street Trees

This Thursday, LinRoFORMA (the block association for Lincoln between Flatbush and Ocean), is holding a free workshop on street tree care, at 6 pm:

Carla Osorio of the Brooklyn Botanical Garden's Greenbridge program will teach us how to support the healthy development of our street trees and how to beautify tree pits without harming the trees. All participants will receive a set of hand gardening tools!

We'll meet in the lobby of 40 Lincoln Road at 6:30 PM and use all the daylight we have.

Keep in mind that there street trees throughout PLG in need of caretakers. The newly planted trees on Parkside near Flatbush could seriously use some mulch and watering this year; if anyone reading this lives in the apartment building on the corner, perhaps you could bug your super about it (or take matters into your own hands).

RELATED:

Why are so many trees on Lincoln dying?
Help the city put more trees in PLG

For Spring Plantings, Shop Local

Every year around this time, someone posts a question on the Lefferts list about where to buy plants and garden items. So this year we are proactively recommending our local garden shop, Kings County Nursery, on New York Avenue between Fenimore and Rutland. They carry pretty much anything you want, their prices are reasonable, and you don't have to get in a car to shop there. (I bring a large grocery cart for heavy items and that usually does the trick.)

Kings is giving the Hawthorne Street Block Association a discount on street planters, and would most likely be willing to work with other block associations on their street plantings. So call 'em up and ask: 718-493-2363.

Eyesore of the Month: 195 Hawthorne Street

Nothing gets my goat more than landowners who let their properties sit stagnant. If you can't take care of the place, just sell it already!