This Week in News

Here's a chance to catch up on all the news highlights you may have missed throughout the week. To follow is a quick recap of what made the headlines on Bed-Stuy Patch.

Even if you recognize some of the stories, feel free to review and share your feedback.

1.     Black History Month kicked off on Tuesday of this week. So Bed-Stuy Patch began its daily profile of history makers, past and present, who have hailed from Bed-Stuy. We honored Civil Rights leader , singer , baseball Hall of Famer and insurance industry maven . If you didn’t get a chance to check them out, feel free to read now!

2.     Beginning last Tuesday, January 25, tens of thousands of protesters– men, women and young students – in Egypt's capital, Cairo, suddenly took to the streets in riots. So far, the official death toll from the crisis is 97, with thousands injured, according to the Associated Press. The rioters are calling for the resignation of their country’s president, Hosni Mubarak, 82 and ailing, whose 30-year autocratic rule is blamed for the country’s failing economy, rampant joblessness and political corruption. “Mubarak needs to go; it is time. They are suffering. But it is hard when you have America and Israel that are friends with Mubarak,” said one storeowner who was from Egypt. However, another Bed-Stuy merchant from Egypt felt Mubarak should stay for a while and first secure the country. Read about their differing opinions .

3.     Three monks who were leaders in the “Saffron Revolution” -- a series of anti-government protests that started in Burma in August 2007 -- ended up in Bed-Stuy. The only clues of their presence in the historic Brooklyn neighborhood are a faded flag by the front door and a bumper sticker on a car parked at the curb that says, “Free Burma.” How did monks end up in Bed-Stuy, of all places, and what exactly are they doing? To find out, click

4.     Mama Adele Trapp has been the den mother for Cub Scouts Troop 263 for the last 53 years. Mrs. Trapp recently was awarded the Guinness Book of World Records title for longest-serving den mother. Mama Trapp says she loves to be surrounded by people, particularly children. So falling into Cub Scouts was really a lucky coincidence. Mama Trapp is turning 97 on her birthday in February, but she doesn’t let her age stop her from doing what she loves. She bowls once a week on the Gil Hodges Senior Bowling League and does her best to stay active. Click here to read that reminds us all of how important it is to love, honor and respect our community elders.

5.     This past Thursday, February 3, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz held his State of the Borough Address at Sunset Park High School. After riding in on a bike he called his “senior cycle,” Markowitz spent about 90 minutes talking about jobs and the wonders of Brooklyn before finishing his show with a performance – ostensibly to promote physical fitness – by a Bay Ridge pole-dancing instructor. To read more about the eye-popping – yet informative—spectacle, click .