Day: May 6, 2025

A collection of topical political cartoons from various artists curated by the Brooklyn Eagle editorial staff.

The post Cartoon Sketchbook: May 6 appeared first on Brooklyn Eagle.

Just steps from her beloved carousel, a corner of Dumbo now bears the name of Jane Walentas, the woman who helped transform the once-gritty Brooklyn waterfront into the cultural hub it is today.

On May 6, friends, family and community leaders gathered at the corner of Old Dock Street and Water Street to unveil “Jane Walentas Way,” honoring the late artist and philanthropist on what would have been her 81st birthday.

“Jane was the best,” said her husband, David Walentas, founder of Two Trees Management. “She made me what I am. There would be no Dumbo without Jane.”

An accomplished artist and former creative director, Walentas was a driving force behind the neighborhood’s artistic revival for more than 30 years. Born in Teaneck, New Jersey, she built a career in art and design before marrying David and helping shape Dumbo through both real estate and culture.

She championed local artists, launched arts programs, and restored the 1922 carousel — a “labor of love” that became her most iconic contribution to the Brooklyn waterfront.

Tuesday’s renaming ceremony took place outside St. Ann’s Warehouse, just steps from Jane’s Carousel, the century-old amusement ride Walentas spent 27 years restoring and relocating to Dumbo. The attraction now sits in a glass pavilion designed by architect Jean Nouvel, drawing thousands of visitors each year with its hand-carved horses and sweeping river views.

Council Member Lincoln Restler, who led the effort to co-name the street, described Walentas as “an artist and a community builder who believed every child deserved to experience the magnificent carousel on our stunning waterfront.”

“Jane understood just how central the arts were to this community,” Restler said. “As Two Trees worked to build the neighborhood, Jane really understood the art of the building.”

He added that her “greatest legacy” is the neighborhood’s iconic carousel.

“I don’t think there are many art projects that people spend 27 years of their life creating, but that’s what Jane did,” Restler said. “She chipped the paint off layer by layer herself, she named every one of those 48 horses. It was a labor of love… not about a piece of art to sit in a museum, but a piece of art for generations of children to love and enjoy.”

A former art director at Clinique and a printmaker by trade, Walentas helped guide the aesthetic redevelopment of Dumbo’s once-derelict warehouses, and expanded arts access through exhibitions and student programs. She died in 2020 at the age of 76.

“Jane Walentas Way” now leads directly to Jane’s Carousel and is surrounded by landmarks like Brooklyn Bridge Park, the Empire Stores and 60 Water Street — reminders of the revitalization she and her family spearheaded.

Her son, Jed Walentas, CEO of Two Trees, reflected on the added significance of the tribute taking place on his mother’s birthday.

“Street signs are, certainly as a New Yorker, a big part of your growing up,” he said, adding that, as a kid, he would ask his mom who the people were on the street signs. “To now have her be part of that lore and legacy and have little kids going, ‘Who was that?’ — some people will know and some people won’t know, but it’s incredibly meaningful to be honored in this way.”

In closing, Restler urged the community to continue her legacy.

“It’s on all of us to keep the things that she cared about going,” he said.

Additional reporting by Paul Frangipane

Rite Aid is closing the rest of its New York stores after long-standing financial issues, according to multiple reports.

The drug store chain, which has 178 still-open stores in the state, filed for bankruptcy Monday — the second time in two years that the company has filed for relief from its creditors.

The first round of employee layoffs is expected to start on June 4. Rite Aid, meanwhile, will work with customers to ensure that their prescriptions are transferred to other pharmacies as the closings take place.

Rite Aid initially filed for bankruptcy back in October 2023 after reporting $750 million in losses during the previous fiscal year. The move resulted in the closure of four New York City store locations at the time. Several other store locations across New York City have closed as a result of ongoing financial strife for the brand.

The pharmacy chain has had its fair share of financial woes in recent years. Many companies faced struggles amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Rite Aid was further hit with several lawsuits for allegedly perpetuating the opioid epidemic.

The chain was up against more than 1,000 lawsuits related to painkillers, mostly from individual plaintiffs, with one damning lawsuit out of Ohio in March 2023 where he Northern District of Ohio sued the company for allegedly filling many opioid prescriptions that it should not have.

Rite Aid leadership also blamed the uptick in post-pandemic thefts for the brand’s ongoing financial troubles.

amNewYork has reached out to Rite Aid for comment, and is awaiting a response. 

The following stores currently remain in New York City and Long Island and are set to close:

Manhattan

• 4046 Broadway
• 534 Hudson St.
• 81 1st Ave.

Brooklyn

• 1631-43 Pitkin Ave.
• 1679 Bedford Ave
• 1950 Fulton St.
• 2064 Mill Ave.
• 320 Smith St.
• 3823 Nostrand Ave.
• 5224 Fifth Ave.
• 5901 Bay Parkway
• 6423 Fort Hamilton Pkwy
• 6900 4th Ave.
• 7118 3rd Ave.
• 783 Manhattan Ave.
• 9302 3rd Ave.

Bronx

• 2063 Bartow Ave.
• 21B Knolls Crescent
• 4159 White Plains Rd.
• 5825-35 Broadway
• 950-960 Southern Blvd.

Queens

• 43-20 Bell Blvd., Bayside
• 33-01 30th Ave., Astoria
• 158-02 Union Turnpike, Flushing
• 3700-06 Junction Blvd., Flushing
• 85-10 Northern Blvd., Jackson Heights
• 109-07 101st Ave., Jamaica
• 165-02 Baisley Blvd., Jamaica
• 21-25 Broadway, Long Island City
• 102-30 Atlantic Ave., Ozone Park
• 245-14 Francis Lewis Blvd., Rosedale
• 50-15 Roosevelt Ave., Woodside
• 60-26 Woodside Ave., Woodside
• 122-02 Liberty Ave., South Richmond Hill

Staten Island

• 43-68 Amboy Rd.

Long Island

• 23 Eastport Manor Rd., Eastport
• 50 Great Neck Rd., Great Neck
• 391 West Main St., Huntington
• 18 Indian Head Rd., Kings Park
• 600 North Wellwood Ave., Lindenhurst
• 5125 Merrick Rd., Massapequa Park
• 864 Middle Country Rd., Middle Island
• 1200 Deer Park Ave., North Babylon
• 2260 Jerusalem Ave., North Bellmore
• 961 Port Washington Blvd., Port Washington
• 168 North Village Ave., Rockville Centre
• 229 Independence Plaza, Selden
• 803 Montauk Hwy Unit D, Shirley
• 82 Nugent St., Southampton
• 532A Union Blvd., West Islip
• 210 Post Ave., Westbury

Additional reporting by Aidan Graham & Dean Moses.

GEORGE GRESHAM, the long-time head of 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East, was defeated by a “resounding margin” by Yvonne Armstrong.

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