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On January 3rd, Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney was sworn into the 117th Congress following a tightly-contested primary race.

Maloney represents the east side of Manhattan and parts of north Brooklyn and western Queens.

“I am honored to once again represent the people of New York’s 12th Congressional District in the House of Representatives,” she said in a statement, “and am humbled by the faith they have placed in me to help rebuild our city, state and country in the wake of the health and economic crises caused by COVID-19.”

Maloney laid out some of her priorities for the term, including:

• Create an economy that works for all Americans, not just the fortunate few
• Equality for all Americans, no matter who they love, their race, religion, sexuality or gender identity
• Ratify the Equal Rights Amendment, allowing Congress to ensure equal pay for equal work
• Reintroduce legislation to forgive student loans for frontline health care workers, and establish workers compensation funds
• Pass the Pandemic Risk Insurance Act
• Fight for funding to complete the Second Avenue Subway, East Side Access and Sunnyside Rail Yards
• Work with NYCHA to ensure residents have safe, clean homes and repairs that are completed effectively and efficiently
• Fund gun violence research at the CDC and enact gun control legislation

Maloney will continue in her role as chairwoman of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, where she has worked on issues like the postal service, the census and more.

“We have a lot to accomplish in the 117th Congress, and I look forward to working with my colleagues in the House and Senate, the incoming Biden administration and the people of New York to get it done,” she said.

Out of more than 110,000 babies born in New York City in 2019, the most popular names were Emma and Liam.

Liam has been the most popular boy name since 2016, wile Emma has been the top name for girls since 2017.

According to the health department’s birth certificate records, 497 Emma’s and 764 Liam’s were born in the Big Apple last year.

Here are the top girls name in 2019:

• Emma
• Olivia
• Sophia
• Mia
• Isabella
• Leah
• Ava
• Chloe
• Amelia
• Charlotte

The top boys names for 2019 are:

• Liam
• Noah
• Ethan
• Jacob
• Lucas
• Aiden
• Daniel
• Michael
• David
• Matthew

Nine of the top 10 girls’ names from 2018 stayed on the list for last year. Only the name Sarah dropped off the 2019 list.

Nine of the top boys names also remained in place for the 2019 list. Michael was added to the list, while Alexander fell from the top 10.

Many babies were named after artists and celebrities, including Camila (22), Ariana (29), Justin (54) Tyler (84) and Adele (99).

Seasons and months were also local favorites, including Autumn (86), Summer (88) and Winter (113).

According to a new report from PropertyShark, Williamsburg is the 30th priciest neighborhood in New York City this year, and the 13th most expensive in Brooklyn.

The “Most Expensive NYC Neighborhoods Report” found that New York City’s residential market activity was down 32 percent year over year.

Median sale prices, however, rose to $660,000, representing a one percent increase from last year.

Hudson Yards was the most expensive neighborhood in the Big Apple with a median sale price of $4.5 million. TriBeCa was the second most expensive, followed by Little Italy.

The most expensive Brooklyn neighborhood was DUMBO, with a median sale price of $1.625 million. Williamsburg came in 30th overall with a median sale price of $990,000.

Brooklyn made up 39 percent of the city’s priciest neighborhoods, with a median sale price of $710,000 and a four percent increase year-over-year.

Greenpoint was the 32nd most expensive neighborhood, with a median sale price of $934,000.

Newtown Creek Alliance is calling attention to an air permit application for National Grid’s Greenpoint facility.

NCA says the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is currently accepting comments on the application.

The environmental group is concerned that if it’s approved, National Grid will be allowed to expand operations at the facility and create more harm for local residents and workers.

“The operations at this 100+ acre facility have poisoned our waters, land and air for over a century,” NCA writes in their newsletter. “DEC and National Grid need to address public health concerns and do right by the community.”

The No North Brooklyn Pipeline has created an online petition against the project here.

Investors Bank recently opened its 20th branch in Brooklyn, the latest one in the neighborhood of Williamsburg.

The site, located at 236 Broadway, is the bank’s 49th branch in New York City and Long Island.

What makes the Williamsburg branch different is its open-office design, which is well-suited for the social distancing requirements of the pandemic.

It offers banking pods instead of a traditional teller platform and private offices.

Bankers can use PC tablets to complete a wide range of transactions.

Other safety measures include a requirement by customers and staff to wear masks inside the branch. Customers are encouraged to schedule an appointment before going to the branch.

The Williamsburg site is open Monday through Wednesday and Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The branch’s ATM is available 24/7.

On Wednesday night, assemblywoman-elect Emily Gallagher will host residents of Assembly District 50 in a virtual town hall.

The event will begin at 7 p.m. Register for the Zoom here.

Gallagher will discuss legislative priorities, introduce her constituent services team and ask for residents’ ideas.

The assemblywoman-elect also launched a new survey for Assembly District 50 residents, which you can find here.

Gallagher will officially begin her term on January 1, 2021.

Here’s your chance to help prepare Greenpoint’s newest park.

Every Saturday this November, the North Brooklyn Parks Alliance is hosting volunteer events for the “Under the K Bridge” Park.

On November 7, NBPA is hosting a special bulb planting event creekside. By planting thousands of spring bulbs, it’ll remind New Yorkers that while the pandemic is a difficult time, spring will come and life will bloom again.

November 14 and 21 will be for winterizing the park, which is important work ahead of the season.

All three Saturday events will run from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Learn more and register to volunteer by clicking this link.

Get your costumes ready for the 17th annual Greenpoint Children’s Halloween Parade & Spooktacular Party!

The event will take place on Saturday, October 31 in front of Brooklyn Expo Center, located at 72 Noble Street.

The costumed participants will march up West Street to Greenpoint Avenue, and then back to the Brooklyn Expo Center. Afterward, the kids can go trick-or-treating with the Greenpoint Market vendors.

The ticketed Spooktacular Party will start at 10 a.m. with timed entries through 4 p.m. The parade will run from noon and 1 p.m.

The parade is free to join, but the Spooktacular Party tickets are $20 online or $30 at the door. Buy your tickets here.

Starting this week, ICHIRAN Brooklyn is delivering its well-known tonkotsu ramen through UberEats, GrubHub and Chowbus.

According to the restaurant, it took ICHIRAN’s craftsmen months of research and development to create a noodle that both meets standards for taste and quality and can stay fresh enough to travel.

The restaurant said in a news release that to avoid disappointing ramen fans with anything below the highest quality, ICHIRAN has avoided takeout or delivery.

“After all, ramen tastes its best when eaten right after it is served,” they said.

But at the urging of patrons, ICHIRAN found a way to develop a new noodle specifically for distance.

“The noodles made for the delivery version of the Classic Tonkotsu Ramen can maintain its consistency and flavor for a longer period of time,” they said.

Diners who order takeout or delivery can still customize their ramen with exact preferences, from richness of the broth to level of spice. The broth will be packed separately from the ramen in the takeout version.

The ICHIRAN Brooklyn location is located at 374 Johnson Avenue.

Happy splurping!

With Halloween around the corner, there’s no better place to be this weekend than Town Square’s Pumpkin Day event at the Greenpoint Terminal Market.

Set for 11 a.m. at 2 Noble Street, the beloved Pumpkin Day provides outdoor fun on the Brooklyn waterfront.

Attendees can pick their own pumpkins and decorate them with paint, glitter and colorful ribbons. It’s a wonderful way to celebrate fall!

All children, including babies, must have a Pumpkin ticket, and children must be accompanied by an adult.

You can choose the hour of choice when purchasing your ticket, and families will be allowed into the pumpkin patch. Then head over to one of the many pumpkin decoration stations and have fun!

All proceeds will help support Town Square’s programs and several local Brooklyn scouts units.

See more information, including the cost of tickets, here.