Get Your Kwanzaa On In Brooklyn This Friday

Brooklyn Cultural Arts Coalition presents a great afternoon and evening of Kwanzaa activities this Friday, Dec. 30, at Boys and Girls High School.

Activities include African dance, movement and drum workshops, performances and community ceremonies.

See the poster above for full details.


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Brooklyn Bridge Climber Arrested; Bouncy Squibb Bridge Court Battle Continues; John McEnroe Headed to Barclays; and More Brooklyn Briefs

Squibb Park Bridge. Photo by MK Metz

- Judge orders ‘bouncy’ Squibb Bridge design firm to allow Brooklyn Bridge Park access to key software. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- A man was arrested after police caught him walking on the beams above the Brooklyn Bridge in broad daylight on Monday. [NY Post]

- Cyclists are fed up with officers from Clinton Hill’s 88th Precinct parking their cars across the bike lane on DeKalb Avenue, but cops say there's nothing they can do about it. [Brooklyn Paper]

- Big tennis event in Brooklyn: Barclays Center to host John McEnroe-headlined PowerShares QQQ Cup in January. [CBS]

- Ortiz: Don’t dump homeless in Sunset Park hotels. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- From hot dogs to jean jackets, Brooklyn artist sculpts every day objects from stone. [Fox5]

- Get your clothes ironed for free in Brooklyn bars next month. [Gothamist]

- Spike Lee holidays in Maasai Mara, plants trees in memory of Biggie Smalls, Michael Jackson, Prince, Muhammad Ali, David Bowie, Raheem Nunn, Maurice White, Phife Dawg and George Michael. [SDE]

Carrie Fisher didn't just act in STAR WARS. She shaped it and many other stories and scripts. pic.twitter.com/gpCPbTwFy1

— Alan Sizzler Kistler (@SizzlerKistler) December 27, 2016

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Troy Avenue 'All Good;' Cop Snapchats Unfortunate Family; More Fortis Plans for LICH Filed and More Brooklyn Briefs

Brooklyn: Rapper Troy Ave was shot in the arm & grazed in the head while driving Maserati on East 91st St & Linden Blvd. @AllisonPapson pic.twitter.com/2k2RrKiBqR

— New York City Alerts (@NYCityAlerts) December 26, 2016

- Troy Avenue 'all good' after getting shot twice in Brooklyn on Christmas. [Rolling Stone]

- A sad Christmas: An NYPD officer was suspended without pay after posting a humiliating photo of a handcuffed Brownsville family to Snapchat. [DNAinfo]

- Fortis files plans for another tower on the Long Island College Hospital (LICH) site in Cobble Hill. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- How an abandoned building in the Brooklyn Navy Yard became a hub for pioneering startups. [WSJ]

- Two gay guys visit friends in Brooklyn, have their picture taken. Now they're on the wall of the new Second Avenue subway line. [Star Tribune]

- Cops are looking for a 50-year-old man who assaulted a 29-year-old man inside a bar in Brighton Beach. [PIX11]

- Ortiz: Don’t dump homeless in Sunset Park hotels. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- No Rockettes will be forced to perform at Trump's inauguration. [Slate]

- The Twitter account of Sony Music falsely tweeted Monday that Britney Spears had died. [USA Today]

Taiwanese, Brooklyn-based artist Min Liu creates GIFs with charming homespun aesthetics that cram each short second with surreal curiosity. pic.twitter.com/gkQcVm6Dnx

— Saatchi Gallery (@saatchi_gallery) December 26, 2016

This GIF is kinda cute!

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Brooklyn ATM Heist; Lena Dunham's Apologies; Mysterious Trump Flyover and More Brooklyn Briefs

Chief Maddrey & @NYPDBklynNorth team bring Christmas spirit & 🎁 🎁to kids at hospitals across #Brooklyn. More on: @ny1 @ABC7NY @1010WINS pic.twitter.com/q0un4hqdyF

— Det. James Byrne (@NYPDByrne) December 21, 2016

- Police release surveillance photos of the man they say fired a shot into a Canarsie high school. [NY1]

- Jehovah’s Witnesses sell 85 Jay St. to Jared Kushner-led partnership. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- Two men made off with an entire ATM from a laundromat in East New York, after waving a gun at a child standing behind the counter. [CBS]

- Actress Chloë Sevigny's Park Slope co-op has gone into contract for $2.75 million. [Mansion Global]

- Brooklyn scores more than $15 million in economic development awards from the state. Beneficiaries range from Brooklyn Bridge Park to St. Nicks Alliance. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- The SKINS “Still Sleep” EP release party on Dec. 22. [Eventbrite]

- Everything Lena Dunham publicly apologized for in 2016. [Newsweek]

- Yeah well... Mysterious Manhattan military flyover that police didn't know about was Trump extraction exercise. [DNAinfo]

- Meanwhile, Trump is having a hard time finding A List performers for the inauguration.  [The Wrap]


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DJ Jinx Paul Killed in Brooklyn; Bushwick Inlet Park Celebrated; Morbid Anatomy News and More Brooklyn Briefs

Courtesy Brooklyn Historical Society

- DJ Jinx Paul of Mega 97.9 FM killed in Brooklyn hit-and-run. [PIX11]

- Proponents of Bushwick Inlet Park triumphant as final piece falls into place. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- The Morbid Anatomy Museum has ceased operations. [Gothamist]

- Brooklyn residents and advocates fear that the MTA’s next round of fare hikes will increase fare-beating in the borough. [amNY]

- Brooklyn is the number 1 city for female entrepreneurs, including the creator of Toymail.  [Fortune]

-  The Brooklyn Film & Arts Festival presents a screening of Brooklyn documentaries on Dec. 21. (Photo above) [The BHA]

- Check out this new Brooklyn hotel’s stunning Christmas lights. [Time Out]

-  Job of the week: Tall, athletic person wanted to wear huge bird costume. $20/hr. [Brooklyn Eagle, ad upper left]


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East Flatbush Shooting; 250 lbs. of Magic Mushrooms; and More Brooklyn Briefs

Sunshine Laundromat knows what's up. #Greenpoint #brooklyn pic.twitter.com/bXK8WBTVAd

— Zora O'Neill (@zora) December 19, 2016

Meanwhile, at the Sunshine Laundromat in Greenpoint, Brooklyn...

- A 19-year-old man was fatally shot in the back just down the block from his East Flatbush home Sunday afternoon. [Daily News]

- Some Dyker Heights residents say the Christmas lights and crowds are getting to be a bit much.  [SF Chronicle]

- Video has surfaced of two good Samaritans saving a woman who was being attacked in Midwood Sunday evening. [PIX11]

- Authorities seized more than 250 pounds of psychedelic mushrooms during a raid on two homes in Sheepshead Bay. [NY1]

- BMW’s ReachNow service suspended in Brooklyn shortly after launching. [Geekwire]

- Donald Trump appeared poised to sew up his victory Monday despite opposition groups’ efforts to sway the Electoral College. [WSJ]

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High School Lockdown; De Blasio Grand Juries; BQX; Electoral College Craziness and More Brooklyn Briefs

 - A school bus overturned in East New York Thursday afternoon, injuring seven people. [Daily News]

- Conversation with Brooklyn’s Jeff Strabone on how his Electoral College website went crazy viral. Print and VIDEO. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- A Williamsburg high school was briefly put on lockdown Thursday afternoon after a student threatened another student with a gun and took his cell phone. [PIX11]

- Man nabbed at JFK Airport in $100M JPMorgan Chase customer data hack. [Daily News]

- A 25-year-old man was arrested Wednesday after shooting his ex’s boyfriend in Bed-Stuy. [DNAinfo]

- You can barter stuff for a cup of coffee at El Museo de Los Sures in Williamsburg. [FOX5]

- A 1-year-old boy died Wednesday from injuries he suffered when flames broke out at a high-rise apartment building in Brownsville. [PIX11]

- Brooklyn Queens Connector: To build a trolley, or not? Pros and cons. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- Two grand juries hearing testimony linked to criminal probes of Mayor de Blasio’s fund-raising tactics. [Daily News]

- Apple's AirPods finally head for shelves. [CNBC]

- Amuse yourself with New York Verification Questions on Twitter. Example:

Have you ever been to Times Square for New Year's? #NewYorkVerificationQuestions

— Odell Porzingis Jr. (@_payDay) December 15, 2016

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BP Adams to Call Again for a Burn Unit in Brooklyn, Following Death of Toddler in Brownsville

BP Eric Adams By MK Metz

This morning at the Howard Houses in Brownsville, site of yesterday's horrible fire that killed one-year-old Ivan Baez and injured six others, Borough President Eric Adams and other officials will be calling again for building Brooklyn’s first burn unit.

Many of the injured suffered from smoke inhalation that would have been treatable at a burn unit.

In an advance put out yesterday, Adams' office said he would note that Brooklyn had 8,518 structural fires last year — 31 percent of the citywide total. He'll talk about the urgent need for a burn unit when time is a critical factor.

Adams first called for a burn unit in Brooklyn in March of 2015, following the devastating deaths of seven siblings in a Midwood house fire; in that case, the mother and her lone surviving daughter were treated at two different hospitals in two different boroughs.

Joining Adams will be State Senators Jesse Hamilton and Kevin Parker as well as Assembly Member Latrice Walker.

It seems incredible that there is no burn unit in a borough of more than 2.6 million residents and growing.

We applaud Adams' initiative in the burn unit issue, and urge him to push for even more hospital beds and full-service emergency rooms in Brooklyn.


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Brooklyn Man's Electoral College Letters Website Goes Batshit Viral; NY Methodist Has New Parent Hospital; and More Brooklyn Briefs

- Gone batshit viral: As time gets short, Brooklyn man's website helping people contact Electoral College before Trump vote is causing big waves. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- Driver hits cop car, causes five-car wreck while fleeing police in Brooklyn. [Daily News]

- Investigators arrest alleged Brooklyn gang members who printed thousands of illegal credit cards using real and fake names. [NY1]

- Teen girl, 17, burned after boy sets her hair on fire at Midwood high school. [Daily News]

- NY-Presbyterian says it has become the “active parent” of Park Slope's New York Methodist Hospital. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- Brownsville residents say they often can't get their mail from the post office there, and sometimes packages are busted open and items stolen. [CBS] 

- Fears have spiked that Donald Trump’s incoming administration will destroy reams of data from government websites. Some federal employees have begun making copies and downloading what they can. [Politico]

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Electoral College Letter Writing Site Goes Viral; Sex Crimes on Subways Jump; Uber Stalking and More Brooklyn Briefs

Gone viral: #Brooklyn man's website helps people contact #ElectoralCollege before #Trump vote. #TheResistance https://t.co/Hxkt94UohP pic.twitter.com/drUnt0DA5f

— Brooklyn Daily Eagle (@BklynEagle) December 13, 2016

- Brooklyn shop owner's son hit with stun gun by cops after threats to kill himself, tense standoff. [Daily News]

- Sex crimes on the city’s subways jumped 28 percent so far this year compared to the same period in 2015. [NY Post]

- More details emerge about southern Brooklyn's Backwards Wheelchair Lady (read the comments). [Bensonhurst Bean]

- Brooklyn man convicted of raping 82-year-old woman in her Brighton Beach home. [Pix11]

-  Now anyone can track affordable housing in NY using this new data mashup. [Brownstoner]

- Internal Uber employees helped ex-boyfriends stalk their ex-girlfriends and searched for the trip information of celebrities such as Beyoncé. [Reveal News]

- Will the Brooklyn-Queens streetcar benefit developers more than locals? [Curbed]


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At Jay Street / Borough Hall: Starlings, Sparrows, Lion Fish, Parrots, Tiger Beetles, and Koi Fish.

Photo by MK Metz

"Departures and Arrivals" at the Jay Street/ MetroTech subway station. According to NYC Subway, the colorful murals are glass mosaics based on paintings by the artist Ben Snead.

The animal species depicted include: starlings, sparrows, lion fish, parrots, tiger beetles, and koi fish.

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The Stuffed Animals on Truck Bumpers Thing, Brooklyn Style

Photo by MK Metz

Truck drivers have a tradition of strapping stuffed animals on their grills and bumpers.

Some trucker upped the ante, however, with the mannequin above, seen on Montague Street in Brooklyn Heights.

Below is another take on the concept -- Banksy's "Sirens of the Lambs" truck stuffed with crying stuffed animals.

Catch the reaction as the truck drives by Staubitz butcher shop in Cobble Hill. (This video has more than 4 million views on YouTube.)




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LICH Development in Brooklyn Pushes Forward with Plans Filed for Two New Towers

Rendering courtesy of Rendering by FXFOWLE Architects

Fortis Property Group filed plans for two new towers in Cobble Hill at the site of the former Long Island College Hospital (LICH).

According to the Brooklyn Eagle, these include a17-story tower at the site of a seven-story garage at 350 Hicks St. at the corner of Atlantic Avenue, and a 15-story residential building at 347 Henry St., the former LICH the pharmacy/nurse’s residence at the corner of Amity Street.

The Eagle also reports that a building on Pacific Street will be demolished, and provides a map of the planned demolitions.

Fortis files plans to build towers on two sites at former Long Island College Hospital [Brooklyn Eagle]

Fortis Plans 17-Story and 15-Story Buildings on Long Island College Hospital Campus [NY YIMBY]


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City Council Affirms NYC's Status as Sanctuary City, Trump Be Damned

Today the @NYCCouncil of this immigrant city proudly affirms our status as a sanctuary city. The "ayes" have it! https://t.co/2yId8reGBf pic.twitter.com/GGnAlnfyoz

— Brad Lander (@bradlander) December 6, 2016

Here are the sponsors of the City Council's resolution "affirming that despite president-elect Donald Trump's senseless threats, New York City will remain a Sanctuary City for immigrant residents." Brooklyn is well represented:

Melissa Mark-Viverito, Brad S. Lander, Carlos Menchaca, Ben Kallos, Laurie A. Cumbo, Antonio Reynoso, Stephen T. Levin, Jumaane D. Williams, Rafael L. Espinal, Jr., Helen K. Rosenthal, Julissa Ferreras-Copeland, Margaret S. Chin, Rory I. Lancman, Deborah L. Rose, I. Daneek Miller, Ydanis A. Rodriguez, Mark Levine, Mark Treyger, Daniel R. Garodnick, Rosie Mendez, Costa G. Constantinides, Peter A. Koo.

Trump has threatened to cut federal funding to Sanctuary Cities.  Cutting off all federal funds would have a “devastating impact” on the city’s budget, NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer warned.


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Signs Warn of Subway Pervert Riding Train in Brooklyn Heights

The Brooklyn Heights Clark Street subway station is plastered with these signs asking, "Have you seen this PERV riding the subway?"

The man pictured allegedly exposed himself to a 22-year-old woman on a 2 train as it entered Clark Street station. The man is described as black, age 25 to 35, with a goatee.

The notice was put out by the Guardian Angels PERV BUSTERS team at 718-649-2607 (PervBusters@GuardianAngels.com).

Perv Busters are an all-women team who have trained with Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa, according to the Daily Mail. 

The squad was formed in reaction to the news that "the MTA will not be deploying officers to handle a recent rise in sexual assaults reported on the subway."

According to the NY Times, reported sex crimes on the subways rose 19 percent last year, to 738 from 620 in 2014.

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Correction Officer Shot; Little Jaden Jordan Dies; Brooklyn Filmmaker Missing in Oakland Club Fire and More Brooklyn Briefs

- Police are investigating the fatal shooting of an off-duty correction officer, who was killed while sitting in her car in Brooklyn. [abc7] and [Daily News]

- Three-year-old Jaden Jordan died after being taken off life support following an alleged beating. [Daily News]

- Brooklyn filmmaker among those missing in horrific Oakland club fire. [NY Post]

- 'Hero' Muslim cop, her son harassed by bigot in Brooklyn who shouted 'I will cut your throat.' [Daily News]

- Grim photos of gritty gang life in Brooklyn in the early 2000s. [Vice]

- Watch this tiny NYPD Smart Car zip around Brooklyn Bridge Park. [NYPD News]

Ride along with us through Brooklyn Bridge Park to see what the NYPD Smart Car can do.

More: https://t.co/W3F1wCdoPD @smartcarusa pic.twitter.com/ggGVngCo7t

— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) December 4, 2016

- A man who was severely burned when an e-cigarette exploded in his pocket was released from the hospital Sunday. [CBS]

- House Speaker Paul Ryan slammed the Army Corps of Engineers’ decision Sunday to deny the final permits required for the Dakota Access Pipeline project in North Dakota. [The Hill]

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Parking Solution for Over-the-Top Christmas Lights in Dyker Heights, Brooklyn?

Annual Dyker Heights light displays bring holiday cheer: https://t.co/RjmvToDiOS pic.twitter.com/VpUmBK0t9l

— Eyewitness News (@ABC7NY) December 3, 2016

It's holiday season again in Dyker Heights. The annual Christmas display, which gets more elaborate every year, is said to draw more than 100,000 visitors to Brooklyn from across the country.

This charming event draws so many tour buses, however, that police recently revoked parking privileges for locals along 86th Street between 11th and 13th Avenues from 5 p.m. to midnight. This drew quite an outcry from residents.

Now, according to Bensonhurst Bean, NYPD Brooklyn South Chief Steven Powers has decided to revise the controversial plan, and reserve only three bus lengths along 86th Street for buses.

A reasonable solution?

Dyker Heights Christmas Lights 🎄#christmaslights @yourtake @NYCDailyPics @nycfeelings @nyc pic.twitter.com/9Ocz68ze25

— Mickey (@MickmickNYC) December 2, 2016

How to get to Dyker Heights and tips for your trip.

Sam the Greek's house, nicknamed the "Las Vegas of Brooklyn," is one of the highlights of @BKNYbus_tours Dyker Heights tour! #inbrooklyn pic.twitter.com/CB2mbflflM

— NYC & Company (@nycgo_press) December 2, 2016

The creativity is amazing.

#dykerheights #christmaslights #dykerlights pic.twitter.com/oYvBZcADYN

— Josie (@juzifin29) December 4, 2016

Ground zero for Christmas lights in Dyker Heights is between 81st and 83rd streets and 11 and 13 avenues. Commenters on Yelp say try to walk it if you can for the best experience.

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