🌱 Sunset Park Power Plants Close + Charles Pizzeria Closes

Hey, neighbors! It's me again, Dashiell Allen, your host of the Sunset Park Daily.

First, today's weather:

Partly sunny and mild. High: 58 Low: 41.

Here are the 4 top stories in Sunset Park today:

1. Environmental activists celebrated a major victory yesterday when the Astoria Generating Company announced it would discontinue the process of re-fueling its Gowanus and Narrows fossil fuel power plants in Sunset Park. The news comes after the state's decision last month not to build a new plant in Astoria, Queens. (UPROSE Press Release)
2. Charles Pizzeria, a Sunset Park neighborhood staple for the past 57 years, announced that it's closing for good on December 23rd. The pizza joint is located at 4910 Fifth Ave. (Brooklyn Reporter)
3. The MTA announced it will install several new ADA-accessible elevators at subway stations, including one at the 8th Avenue N station in Sunset Park. (Brooklyn Daily Eagle)
4. With Omicron on the rise, New York City announced it's handing out 500,000 at-home COVID tests to be distributed by community groups in "hard hit" neighborhoods, including Sunset Park. They're also handing out 1 million KN95 masks. (Gothamist)

Today's Sunset Park Daily is brought to you in part by our friends at Verizon. They're building the fastest 5G network in the country. To learn how 5G is going to change life for you and your community — and to get access to this amazing technology — click here. And thank you Verizon for sponsoring this community resource in Sunset Park!

Today in Sunset Park:

• Japanese artisans and makers market at Industry City (11 a.m. - 6 p.m.)
• Cuban artist Luis Restoy hosts an open studio at 250 44th Street (4 p.m.)
• Rock night with "Fodera Trio" at Industry City (6:30 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• Fifth Avenue Committee reminds everyone that applications for the Sunset Park Library & Affordable Housing project are open and you can apply today! (Facebook)
• Carlos Menchaca was one of only a handful of councilmembers to vote against a controversial plan to rezone SoHo and Noho in Manhattan — the measure passed with an overwhelming majority. (Twitter)
• The "Fund Excluded Workers" coalition in the state legislature announced it's introducing legislation called "Excluded no more" to permanently expand New York's social safety net, especially for undocumented immigrants. (Twitter)

More from our sponsors — thanks for supporting local news!

Events:

• Big Apple Circus is NOW OPEN in New York City! (December 17)
• Brighten The First Day Of Winter With 15 Percent Off FTD’s Sunniest Blooms (December 21)
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Now you're in the loop and ready to start this Friday off right! I'll see you back in your inbox tomorrow with your next update.

— Dashiell Allen