July 1, the day the M train shutdowns begin and riders have been dreading for months is rapidly approaching.

The first phase will shutdown the M train from the Metropolitan-Middle Village stop to Myrtle-Broadway to repair the Fresh Pond Road Bridge, which crosses over the Long Island Railroad freight line. The second phase of work will begin simultaneously to the first phase, but is expected to last until April 2018. It will repair the the viaduct that connects the M train to the J and Z lines.

During the entire length of the shutdown the M train will be extended to Broadway Junction and the J and Z trains will be making all local stops to Marcy Avenue. There will be a multitude of bus routes to service riders.

See the full scope of work and the alternative options in the Glendale Register. 

Ridgewood’s Robert D’Emilio, a professional writer will be competing on Jeopardy on July 4.

You can watch D’Emilio compete on the popular quiz show at 7 p.m. on July 4th on WABC-TV (ABC). Check your local listings for additional information or visit Jeopardy.com.

The New York City Rent Guidelines Board is holding their final vote in Manhattan tonight, where they will decide by how much to increase rent-stabilized rents for the year.

A group of tenant advocates – including some from Ridgewood – calling for no increase will rally at 25th St and Third Ave to ask the Rent Guidelines Board, “How low can you go?” as they cast their final vote. The rally begin at 6 p.m.

Read more about the fight to keep rents flat from Ridgewood residents in the Glendale Register. 

Ridgewood’s Myrtle Avenue will be home to a day of live music tomorrow.

Two separate performance places will occupy Venditti Square (Myrtle & St. Nicholas Avenues) and the Ridgewood Memorial Triangle (Myrtle & Cypress Avenues).

See the schedule below:

The Ridgewood Presbyterian Church may soon begin offering overnight beds to homeless individuals living on the streets, the Ridgewood Blog is the first to confirm. 

According to the New York City Department of Homeless Services, the site is not a homeless shelter, drop-in center or safe haven. Existing space would be utilized for up to 15 stabilization beds. The individuals to fill those beds on a nightly basis would be referred to the church by Breaking Ground, the City’s largest supportive housing provider.

DHS confirmed that the Ridgewood Presbyterian Church reached out to them and asked how they could help with the City’s homeless issues.

“Homelessness affects every community across New York City—and as we address this citywide challenge, we’ve invited communities to work with us, make suggestions, and raise ideas so that we can figure out how collaboration can best serve our homeless neighbors,” Isaac McGinn, press secretary of DHS said in a statement.

“In this instance, Ridgewood Church reached out to us—as dozens of houses of worship have across the city—asking how they could help and seeking to open their space overnight to a small number of homeless New Yorkers in need, so we connected them with Breaking Ground, our nonprofit serve provider partner coordinating street homeless outreach efforts in Queens,” he added. “These beds would enable Breaking Ground to continue bringing this borough’s homeless neighbors in off the streets and working with them as they get back on their feet. We always welcome houses of worship that want to do more.”

DHS was able to link the Ridgewood Presbyterian Church with Breaking Ground, however there’s no agreement in place yet and no date for the site to begin operating. The church would fully staff the site which would include a dedicated Program Director and case management services for clients.

Once the site is operational, outreach teams could work with the clients to build a trusting relationship that they hope would result in the client accepting services and transitioning off the streets.

Breaking Ground would aim to work with a consistent set of clients they will screen and expect will come from the immediate area.

Currently, according to DHS, there is only one location dedicated to serving street homeless individuals and zero in the Community Board 5 area.  

There is some concern over the childcare that he church already offers at the site, but DHS confirmed there would be no overlap with providing overnight beds and the three-day childcare program offered during the daytime.

Full story to follow later on the Glendale Register. 

The City’s Rent Guidelines Board held a public hearing in Jamaica earlier this week to hear testimony in advance of the June 27th final vote on how much to increase rent-stabilized leases by this year. There will be four more meetings, including one tonight in Manhattan at Oberia D. Dempsey Multi Service Center Auditorium, 127 West 127th Street from 5-8 p.m.

Hear Raquel Namuche, the founder of the Ridgewood Tenants Union’s testimony at the hearing:

Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley

Mayor Bill de Blasio signed Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley’s 9-1-1 access bill into law.

The legislation requires direct access to emergency 911 services and for telephone systems to provide a central location for responding personnel to an emergency scene.

In public places and hotels, often residents need to dial out before reaching out for emergency help, but this law would eliminate that barrier.

“This law is one more measure in making New York City safer, and ensuring everyone has equal access to help that could ultimately save lives,” Crowley said. “It will serve to prevent the tragic circumstances that fell upon Kari Hunt, and will also help emergency services respond to calls more promptly and efficiently. In every emergency situation, a mere few seconds could be the difference between life and death. This law will help save precious seconds and improve the city’s emergency response system.”