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Tuesday, August 30, 2016

Free eBooks on Subway; L Train Alts; and More Brooklyn Briefs

- For 8 weeks, you can download free eBooks on subway wifi. [Brokelyn]

- There's other ways to commute after the L train shuts down. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- A 36-year-old man who works with homeless women and children was killed in broad daylight Monday in a drive-by shooting in Borough Park. [Bensonhurst Bean]

- Voting booth changes anger Brooklyn Heights residents. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- Wahlburgers has been sued for wage theft and violating state and federal labor laws at its Coney Island location. [Sheepshead Bites]

- Sufferers of iPhone 6’s ‘Touch Disease’ may soon have a class action lawsuit [TechCrunch]


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Monday, August 29, 2016

'The Norm' New Food Concept at Brooklyn Museum; Zika Breeding Grounds, and More Brooklyn Briefs


- International food and quite the cocktail list: The Norm at Brooklyn Museum is a new restaurant concept led by Michelin-starred Chef Saul Bolton. Diners are surrounded by priceless art. [The Norm]

- There are still some Manhattanites who think Brooklyn is a foreign country. [Brooklyn Magazine]

- NYC steps up efforts to block Zika -- Several Brooklyn neighborhoods breeding grounds for mosquitoes. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- 2016 Brooklyn Book Festival to include Bowie and Prince panel discussion. [Gothamist]

- NPR's Jasmine Garsd headed over to the Afropunk festival in Brooklyn. [NPR]

- Fire erupts atop LICH’s ‘jewel-like’ Polhemus building in Brooklyn. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- Buzz kill: Alcohol is linked to 7 forms of cancer, study finds. [Daily News]


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HuffPost Mini-Documentary Shines Light on Wrongful Conviction Cases in Brooklyn

There are currently more than 100 wrongful conviction cases under review in Brooklyn. In HuffPost Originals mini-documentary, "Stolen Time," Alyona Minkovski talked to three men whose lives were upended by wrongful convictions.

Sundhe Moses, Kevin Smith and Derrick Hamilton all spent years in prison after being convicted of heinous crimes. However, despite all the facts pointing to a wrongful conviction, formal exoneration for these victims is a long and arduous process.

Retired Detective Louis Scarcella is connected to 72 of the cases that are being reviewed by the Brooklyn DA, including those of Sundhe, Kevin and Derrick.

Witness coercion, false confessions and violence are just some of the allegations brought up when discussing the detective and according to Hamilton it's time for Scarcella to pay the price. "He deserves to go to jail. He deserves to see what he did to so many other people. What it feels like to be isolated from your family."

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Last Bash of Summer at Brooklyn's FAB on Fulton, Plus Fall Lineup

FAB on Fulton Street sent in their fall lineup (and announces the last bash of the summer on Aug. 31): a series of events outside in the public spaces of Fowler Square and Putnam Triangle Plaza.

Highlights include weekly jazzy jam sessions, a Halloween fun fest featuring a classic spooky movie presented in partnership with BAMcinématek, and more. (Schedule and Details)

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Friday, August 26, 2016

Brooklyn Politics Gets Weird; Spike Lee's Block Party; Stolen Puppy Returned and More Brooklyn Briefs


- Politics gets weird: Ramona Johnson, a Republican and Conservative Party candidate running for 41st Assembly District seat has baffled a Facebook group with her online campaign tactics and claims of discrimination. Johnson also "threatened to defame" Sheepshead Bites for reporting on the confrontation. [Sheepshead Bites]

- A longtime investigator is calling out Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson for firing her because she’s a close ally of his predecessor, according to a new $20 million lawsuit. [NY Post]

- Spike Lee’s Michael Jackson block party is coming to Bed-Stuy on Saturday. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- The much-anticipated opening of Brooklyn’s Alamo Drafthouse on Fulton Street has been delayed. [DNAinfo]

- What's to be done about Brooklyn's post offices? [Brokelyn]

- A man in East New York is lucky to be alive after a freak accident resulted in him being struck by a steel beam on Thursday. [abc7]

- Brooklynites: Take a survey about the role of historic districts in NYC. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- Mothers who lost infants in daycare deliver petitions to Hillary Clinton's campaign HQ. [BHB]

- Puppy returned 3 days after being stolen from Brooklyn laundromat. [CBSlocal]


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Thursday, August 25, 2016

Happy ‘National Duck Out for a Drink Day!'

Photo: MK Metz
Today is ‘National Duck Out for a Drink Day,' America's favorite holiday.

The rationale is clearly and legally explained in a proclamation by Alex Balk at the Awl. It starts:

WHEREAS work is long, boring and especially difficult to take during the summer months when you could be outside, particularly when you consider how awful winter has been lately and will be for the rest of our lives and you’re starting to realize summer is almost over, and

WHEREAS contemporary human existence is a mostly unrelenting series of trials and tribulations of varying degrees of unpleasantness, none of which means anything in the end, the only reasonable temporary solution that has yet been discovered for being alcohol, and ... (More of the proclamation here).

Want some examples? Brokelyn tells us about some of the best times they skipped out of work for a drink (such as the time they got dumped in the morning and the Chipotle line was too long at lunch).

You can probably come up with some great reasons to duck out today, too.

Happy drinking!


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Wednesday, August 24, 2016

Brooklyn Hospitals Get Terrible Rating from Federal Gov; Laundromat Dog Stealer; and More Brooklyn Briefs


- Unhealthy Brooklyn: Brooklyn hospitals fare abysmally in disputed federal rankings. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- Woman shot while playing with grandchildren at Brooklyn playground. [Daily News]

- The Coney Island Circus Sideshow school has opened to train people in the classic art of freaking people out. [Sheepshead Bites]

- Police are searching for a man who stole a dog from a laundromat in Bushwick. [CBSlocal]

- Pictures: Coney Island’s 26th annual sand sculpting competition took the classic beach activity to a new level on Saturday. [Bensonhurst Bean]

- Here's what a million dollars worth of frozen eels looks like. [Brooklyn Eagle]

Glass artist tags Brooklyn Heights with colorful pigeons. [BHB]  And this is the guy who makes the beautiful glass mosaics on lampposts in the East Village. [Open Culture]

- Venus and Jupiter are converging for a spectacular conjunction in the sunset sky on August 27th. [NASA]


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Tuesday, August 23, 2016

Nude Shakespeare; 'Love Pimpin' Gets Slammed; BBQ'd Eel Thieves; and More Brooklyn Briefs


- Female Shakespeare troupe bringing a free, all-nude Tempest to Prospect Park. [Brokelyn]

- Former Thomas Jefferson H.S. basketball star sentenced to 15 years in prison for shooting his friend and basketball rival in Sheepshead Bay. [Sheepshead Bites]

- A Brooklyn man known as ‘Love Pimpin’ was sentenced to 30 years Monday for prostituting minors and producing child pornography. [Pix11]

- Man found dead in Bay Parkway home with cuts on neck and arms. [Bensonhurst Bean]

- 108 Wycoff Street isn’t your typical Brooklyn brownstone. It delights people from all over and has become a wall of hope and beauty. [CBS local]

- Three men caught in Brooklyn with $360G worth of -- what else? -- stolen barbecued eels. [Daily News]

- Gross: An X-ray technician was arrested Saturday on suspicion of groping two female patients at Kings County Hospital. [Pix11]

- The “healthy food chain” Honeygrow will be opening its first New York City restaurant on Joralemon St. in Brooklyn Heights. [BHB]

- Jalapa Jar breakfast taco shop opens in the arcade at the St. George Hotel and Clark Street subway 2/3 station Tuesday morning. [Gothamist]


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Friday, August 19, 2016

West Elm Opens in Empire Stores; End Near for Pop-Up Pool? Huma Abdin's Lunch Options; and More Brooklyn Briefs

- Home furnishings company West Elm is the first tenant to debut at the 146-year-old-landmarked-coffee-warehouse-turned-retail-hub Empire Stores. [Brownstoner]

- As end draws near, officials & families push to keep Brooklyn Bridge Park’s Pop-Up Pool open. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- Gang Graffiti Watch: SUR 13 Tags -- the inscription of the Califorrnia-based Sureños -- was seen on the Gravesend Overpass. [Bensonhurst Bean]

- Where should Huma Abedin eat lunch in downtown Brooklyn? [Brokelyn]

- Development underway at Trump Village Shopping Center. It's gonna be YUGE. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- This Sunday the Brooklyn Comedy Festival kicks off with plenty of hilarious stand-up, improv, panel discussions, and an evening with Reggie Watts. [Greenpointers]

- The National Park Service is celebrating its 100th birthday next week with a blowout at Brooklyn Bridge Park, to be hosted by Bill Nye the Science Guy. Attendees will change the color of One World Trade Center’s spire. [DumboNYC]

- Here’s your borough-wide event listings for the 240th Anniversary of the Battle Of Brooklyn.[Sheepshead Bites]

- ICYMI: Anarchists put naked statues of Donald Trump in cities across the US.  (Warning: Graphic) [Vice]



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Wednesday, August 17, 2016

BK Dog Day: 'One Doggone Day in Brooklyn' this Sunday

Prospect Park is literally going to the dogs on Sunday morning with 'One Doggone Day in Brooklyn.'

The event includes a doggie fashion show, giveaways, a doggie buffet and more.

See poster for info.

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Smart Gun Challenge; Model Agency Scam; and More Brooklyn Briefs


- Pollution in Sheepshead Bay is getting disgusting. [Sheepshead Bites]

- Brokelyn salutes a probably fake Pog store. [Brokelyn]

- BP to local colleges: Make us a Smart Gun. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- Surplus of Manhattan and Brooklyn rentals driving prices down, report says. [DNAinfo]


- Brooklyn woman scammed by modeling agency that asked her to pay for a 'Talent Imaging Package.' [NY1]

- A redwood forest will grow in Downtown Brooklyn (sort of). [Curbed]

- Beat the heat idea: This new (air conditioned) mini golf course is a cheesy fun tribute to Brooklyn. [Brokelyn]


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Tuesday, August 16, 2016

Public Trust Busted at Atlantic Yards? Jail Warden Security Problem; Corn Feed in the Park; and More Brooklyn Briefs


- Four Brooklyn elected officials have expressed "grave concerns" about agreements involving Barclays Center and the Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park Brooklyn project, suggesting a "serious breach of public trust." [Atlantic Yards Report]

- Video shows warden at Brooklyn jail consistently bypassing security. [PIX11]

- NYC offers a free version of ClassPass called ShapeUp NYC. [Brokelyn]

- Kensington hero saves sickly kestral — two months after rescuing imperiled goose. [Brooklyn Paper]

- Oh dear. Budweiser debuts ad campaign trying to establish itself as ‘the Brooklyn choice.' [Brokelyn]

- Concordia's Corn Feed takes place this Sunday in Brooklyn Bridge Park. Yep.  [Brooklyn Eagle]


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Brooklyn BP Adams to Award $1 Million to Designer of Best Smart Gun


Example: The Werbespot-Armatics IP1 smart gun, demoed.

Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams will kick off a Smart Gun Design Competition today at Borough Hall.

According to a release, he'll be calling on teams from colleges and universities in New York City to create the technology that will prevent unauthorized users from firing a gun.

At the conclusion of the competition — held in collaboration with the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice, New Yorkers Against Gun Violence, the New York City Police Department (NYPD), and the Smart Tech Challenge Foundation — Adams will award a whopping $1 million prize to the institution that has designed the best smart gun.

Among those who will join him at the kickoff today will be NYPD First Deputy Commissioner Benjamin B. Tucker as well as students and professors from the New York City College of Technology and New York University Tandon School of Engineering, who will participate in the competition.


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Monday, August 15, 2016

New Book on Brooklyn Bridge Park; Mom & Kids Disappear in Downtown Brooklyn; La Croix and More Brooklyn Briefs


- These maps show just how different Brooklyn was when it was called Breuckelen. [Brownstoner]

- New book details history, development of Brooklyn Bridge Park. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- Mom, two young daughters disappear in Downtown Brooklyn. [Daily News]

- NYPD Housing cops recovered an AK-47 assault rifle last Tuesday after they observed men driving in a vehicle not wearing seat belts in East New York. [Breaking 911]

- 40 vintage photos of Brooklyn's streetscape in the 1970s. [Curbed]

- Boston Ska legends Bim Skala Bim playing rare Brooklyn show on East Coast tour. [Brooklyn Vegan]

- Why you should throw your cases of La Croix out the window and stop drinking it. [Brooklyn Magazine]

- American beach volleyball players explain why they'll continue to wear bikinis. [Slate]


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Friday, August 12, 2016

Shake Shack Slashing Lockdown, Midwood Fire, Pinball and More Brooklyn Briefs


- Shake Shack lockdown after slashing on Fulton Street. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- Five firefighters injured battling Midwood fire in extreme heat. [abc7]

- The best pinball bars in mid-Brooklyn. [Brokelyn]

- Robbers targeting deliverymen in Brooklyn. [Pix11]

- Treyger picks up key endorsements in district leader race. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- Barbra Streisand performs in Brooklyn. [Fox5]


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It's Going to Be a Soul-Searing Inferno in Brooklyn All Weekend.

Photo by AudryJim529, Creative Commons license
 The National Weather Service has confirmed that Friday, Saturday and Sunday are going to be temperature hell in Brooklyn and the rest of NYC.

A heat advisory is in effect until 8 a.m. Saturday.
An excessive heat watch is in effect from Saturday morning through  Sunday evenig.

NOAA says:
A HEAT ADVISORY IS ISSUED FOR NEW YORK CITY WHEN THE COMBINATION OF HEAT AND HUMIDITY IS EXPECTED TO MAKE IT FEEL LIKE IT IS AT LEAST 95 DEGREES FOR TWO CONSECUTIVE DAYS...OR 100 DEGREES FOR ANY LENGTH OF TIME.

AN EXCESSIVE HEAT WATCH MEANS THAT THE COMBINATION OF HEAT AND HUMIDITY COULD CREATE A DANGEROUS SITUATION IN WHICH HEAT ILLNESSES ARE POSSIBLE.


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Thursday, August 11, 2016

Possible Subway Expansion; Fight Over a Hat; Captain America and More Brooklyn Briefs


- Cops hone in on killer who shot Brooklyn man in fight over hat. [Daily News]

- For some, Brooklyn's skyline is just sooo boring.  [WSJ]

- Activists not mellow over ’Melo’s link to Armory project. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- Captain America came home to Brooklyn on Wednesday and even his arch enemy was there to welcome him with open arms. [DNAinfo]

- Traditional Nigerian dishes like Moi Moi (steamed bean pudding)and other mouth-watering dishes will be featured in NY's 1st annual African Food Festival this weekend. [Fort Greene Focus]

- Photos: Flatbush nabe named Greenest Block in Brooklyn. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- A century-old idea to extend the subway from Crown Heights to Marine Park is picking up steam. [Brooklyn Daily]

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De Blasio to Sign Lactation Room Requirement Into Law at Brooklyn Borough Hall

BP Eric Adams.
Photo: MK Metz
Borough President Eric Adams will join Mayor Bill de Blasio today to sign a bill that will require municipal agencies offering services to the public to provide lactation rooms where new mothers will have the ability to breastfeed unmolested.

The legislation was introduced at BP Adams’ request in the New York City Council.

The ceremony will take place in Brooklyn Borough Hall, where Adams established the building’s Lactation Lounge that opened last Mother’s Day.


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Tuesday, August 9, 2016

Brooklyn Eagle Posts Massive LICH (Long Island College Hospital) Archive Online

The former emergency department at LICH in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn. Photo by MK Metz
Do you wish you knew more about the three-year saga during which the state of New York squeezed a Brooklyn hospital -- Long Island College Hospital (LICH) in Cobble Hill -- to death and sold it to a developer?

Do you wonder what Mayor Bill de Blasio had to do with the debacle? (He's being investigated now for his role in the closure.)

Did you know there were numerous lawsuits, marches (one involved more than a thousand people with coffins and a New Orleans-style funeral band over the Brooklyn Bridge), and protests in the rain, heat and snow?

And an elected official-led storming of the hospital?

Did you know SUNY hired security guards who went rogue and waved guns around the neo-natal ward?

And if you live anywhere between Red Hook and Williamsburg, did you know your life is at risk in a situation requiring an emergency room?

If you hunger to learn more, the Brooklyn Eagle has just published a massive archive of hundreds of detailed articles they published on the topic of LICH since the battle pitting residents against the state began. (Great source material if you're investigating any of the parties involved, too!)

Read more at:

LICH: Everything you want to know (almost) about the deal to close Long Island College Hospital 


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Monday, August 8, 2016

Interview with Brooklyn Bridge Climber, Sewer Spelunker; Rally for Bushwick Inlet Park; and More Brooklyn Briefs

Photo of mural ad by MK Metz
Four things that were actually quite good in 'Suicide Squad.' [Hollywood Reporter]

- A Talk With Steve Duncan: Brooklyn’s urban explorer, daredevil and sewer man. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- Rally at City Hall to save Bushwick Inlet Park on Mon., 8/8. [Greenpointer]

- Moped-riding 80-year-old man fatally struck by car in Brooklyn. [Daily News]

- Brooklyn prosecutor busted for drunken driving after running red light. [Daily News]

- Goodbye Jehovah's Witnesses in Brooklyn Heights. [Brooklyn Eagle|

- Game-changing asthma drug comes out. [Tech Times]


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Wednesday, August 3, 2016

Expect an Explosion at the Brooklyn Navy Yard Today

Courtesy National Nuclear Security Administration/Wikipedia
New York City issued a notification that a a simulated car explosion is scheduled to take place at the Brooklyn Navy Yard today (Wednesday, August 3rd), in the vicinity of Flushing Avenue between Cumberland Street and North Oxford Street.

The explosion is part of the filming of an unnamed TV series. It will occur only once, the city says, sometime between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.  NYPD and FDNY will be on site.

* This is a photo of WATUSI, a real explosion at a Nevada Test Site, not today's car explosion, which will probably seem a bit wimpy by comparison. (Site: Big Explosives Experimental Facility (BEEF))

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Senator Jesse Hamilton and Friends Present... Le Cirque

A soca, reggae and salsa fundraiser by Sen. Jesse Hamilton and friends -- "Le Cirque" --celebrates Caribbean heritage.

Lifetime Achievement Award
will be presented to
Dr. Slinger "the Mighty Sparrow" Francisco

A host of other awards will honor community members.

RSVP HERE.


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Monday, August 1, 2016

Fire & Disaster Drill in Downtown Brooklyn Monday (Aug. 1)

Don't be alarmed. Photo by MK Metz
There's a perfectly reasonable explanation for those fires and scattered bodies you'll be seeing next to Cadman Plaza Park in Brooklyn starting 6:30 p.m. Monday: They're part of a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training class (and the bodies are actually practice dummies).

The disaster drill will take place at Cadman Plaza East and Red Cross Place. FDNY and NYPD personnel will be action.

CERT members will practice aiding the injured, controlling traffic, calming the panicky, and putting out fires.

According to OEM, CERT members undergo "an intensive 10-week training program that raises awareness about emergencies and disasters and provides basic response skills needed for fire safety, light search and rescue, disaster medical operations, and traffic control." 

To learn more about CERT, visit http://www.NYC.gov/CERThttp://www.NYC.gov/CERT.


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L Train Trouble; Brooklyn Bridge Park Lawsuit Update; Nude Melania Trump and More Brooklyn Briefs


- Yep. The NY Post went and published nude photos of Melania Trump on its cover and inside pages. [The Hill]

- Fresh mischief: Brooklyn Bridge Park seeks to move Pier 6 lawsuit from Manhattan to Brooklyn court. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- Atlantic Yards/ Pacific Park report outs the "vapid" Instagram blogger who gushes over 550 Vanderbilt -- another paid promotion by Berlin Rosen. [Atlantic Yards/ Pacific Park]

- It appears that the MTA, NYC and NYS have a lot of planning to do before the L train shuts down and communications does not look all that good. [Politico]

- The 20 best Brooklyn albums this year so far. [BK]

- DUMBO’s First Thursday Gallery Walk, August 4th from 6 to 9 p.m.,includes  This Land is Your Land,a series of videos projected onto the Manhattan Bridge. [Art in DUMBO]

- Retired Marine Gen. John Allen, who spoke at DNC, says electing Donald Trump could result in ‘civil military crisis.' [Daily News]

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