Runner Safety Awareness Week 2023

"Runner Safety Awareness Week" is designed to train, advise, and ensure that runners in New York are always alert when outside exercising.

Brooklyn cake shop is pandemic success story

BCakeNY, a specialty cake shop in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn, was thriving and a fan favorite among celebrities before the pandemic.It had to make changes to survive.

Pop-up parties, large gatherings continue to defy social distancing rules

It's the opposite of what you want to see in the middle of a pandemic. Dozens of unmasked partiers crammed onto an MTA bus in Maspeth, Queens while smoking, dancing and ignoring social distancing rules. The MTA is now trying to track down the culprits behind the pop-up party. 

Brooklyn Half-Marathon canceled

The Brooklyn Half has been canceled. NYRR has donated $100,000 to the COVID-19 Emergency Relief Fund through the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City.

Red panda cubs in Brooklyn

Two red panda cubs have debuted at an outdoor exhibit at the Wildlife Conservation Society's Prospect Park Zoo in Brooklyn. The male cubs were born over the summer to mom Willow, who was caring for them in an indoor den until this month. Now visitors can see them along the Discovery Trail.

Officials issue warnings after algae blooms in NYC parks

A toxic algae called Cyanobacteria has already closed beaches and lakes in New Jersey, and is allegedly responsible for three dog deaths in North Carolina. Now, the algae has been found in the Harlem Meer in Central Park and in Prospect Park, leading health officials to advise New Yorkers to keep their young children and especially any animals away from the water.

Prospect Park improvements

On a beautiful Thursday in Brooklyn, construction began on the restoration of the Flatbush Avenue perimeter of Prospect Park. The sidewalk was in terrible shape, according to Prospect Park Alliance President Sue Donoghue. The 1,500-foot sidewalk along Flatbush Avenue will be expanded into a 30-foot promenade filled with 125 trees. This project is a partnership between the New York City's Parks Without Borders program and the Prospect Park Alliance.

Prospect Park goes car-free

Prospect Park is typically filled with runners and bikers. Starting Tuesday, the park is officially car-free. The car ban in Brooklyn's backyard is years in the making. The park's West Drive has been closed to traffic since 2015. Before Jan. 2, 2018, the park's East Drive was open to traffic on weekdays during morning rush hours. But the city said that walkers, runners, and cyclists outnumbered cars more than three to one.