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

Open house to discuss #Gowanus' future draws more than 100 people. https://t.co/wuHAdqSCnk pic.twitter.com/FRbpm767IT

— Brooklyn Daily Eagle (@BklynEagle) August 11, 2016

- 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]

Go to McBrooklyn's HOME PAGE.

Barron Won't Seek Sampson's Seat; NYers Bummed Over de Blasio; and More Brooklyn Briefs

- Brooklyn Assemblyman Charles Barron says he will not seek the state Senate seat left vacant in July after the conviction of former State Senator John Sampson—at least, not this year. [Observer]

- Save The View Now is encouraged that judge is taking the time to go over the oral and written arguments over the height of the Pierhouse in Brooklyn Bridge Park. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- New Yorkers are losing confidence in Mayor de Blasio; they feel that the quality of life in the city has deteriorated on his watch. [NY Daily News]

- String of rapes and robberies linked to online sex ads. [NYT]

- Nine people were shot, one fatally, across Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens over a six-hour span beginning Saturday night. [Daily News]

- Do you know this guy? He was caught on video stealing thousands from a Flatbush apartment. [PIX11]

- Young Brooklyn woman diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, being treated at NY Methodist. Want to help with her bills? [Go Fund Me]


Go to McBrooklyn's HOME PAGE.

Flooding Swamps Gowanus; Is Smith Street Over? And More Brooklyn Briefs

#flood #flooding #brooklyn #bmw #bikerules @sorryaboutyourcats @sophibela

A video posted by Andres Guardia (@andres_guardia) on Jul 15, 2015 at 10:25am PDT

- Flash flooding swamped parts of Brooklyn on Wednesday. The above is a video posted to Instagram by Andres Guardia showing flooding near the Gowanus Canal.

- Farewell, Smith Street: After many of its big names close up shop, the Observer says Smith Street's restaurant row is "a shadow of its former self."

- Man sitting in a BMW with his girlfriend is shot to death in Flatbush. [NY Post]

- Several people were injured when a four-story building on Fulton Street in Bedford-Stuyvesant collapsed on Tuesday. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- Prevaricators, beware: The Truth Booth is coming to Brooklyn. [Observer]

- Apparently it’s not enough for Greenpoint to lose 5 beautiful London Plane trees. The Parks Department and City Council seem to be "OK with the losing out on $414,000 restitution" because "soon enough Greenpoint will be blanketed in trees," says Greenpointers.


Go to McBrooklyn's HOME PAGE.

Brooklyn Today: Heights Library Workshop Monday; Man Needs Skin Removal Surgery; and More

- "There's only one way to survive this. There is only total and complete, utter surrender." Gabriel Sassoon of Brooklyn, about the tragic deaths of his children from a hot plate fire. [Yahoo News]

- Monday: Public’s chance to offer input on new Brooklyn Heights Library. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- Touching video: Brooklyn man who lost 270 pounds needs $20,000 to surgically remove sheets of excess skin. He has raised more than $45,000 $54,000 at Go Fund Me. [News 11]

-  Here's a photo of three people the cops are looking for in connection with the shooting death of an 18-year-old in Flatbush over the weekend. [NBC]

- Not far from the above shooting, someone shot a one-year-old baby, visiting Flatbush with her family from Bangladesh. [Gothamist]

- Schumer relives his days at James Madison HS. [Brooklyn Eagle]


Go to McBrooklyn's HOME PAGE.

Hacker at a Brooklyn Precinct; Brooklyn Kids and Their Robots; and More Brooklyn Briefs

Ikea wants you to stop playing hide-and-seek inside their stores. http://t.co/nTYiYrSFhP pic.twitter.com/M5PiMJMOc3
— New York Daily News (@NYDailyNews) March 18, 2015

How did we not know giant games of hide-and-seek were going on at IKEA?

- A rogue auxiliary cop hacked into an NYPD database -- and installed a spy cam at his Brooklyn Precinct --  to obtain information for his fake lawyer scam. [Daily News]

- Supreme Court Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor visited Downtown Brooklyn yesterday. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- Sharon Davidson, the former director of the North Flatbush Business Improvement District, was charged on Monday with stealing $85,000 from the group. [DNAinfo]

- The 10th annual Coffee and Tea Festival is set to boil over in Brooklyn on March 21 and 22. [Brooklyn Paper]

- How Bed-Stuy school kids used robots, a 3-D printer and a mapping program to study issues of gentrification in their community. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- Here's something unexpected: Greenpoint rents are dropping. [Brooklyn Magazine]

- Kraft just recalled more than 6.5 million boxes of mac and cheese. [AP]

- In case you missed it: Yesterday, the Associated Press confused murder suspect/millionaire Robert Durst with Fred Durst, the one-time frontman of Limp Bizkit. [Slate]



Go to McBrooklyn's HOME PAGE.

Indictment for NYPD Officer? Plus Pierhouse Presentation Tonight and More Brooklyn Briefs

Goodbye, DUMBO Arts Festival. Photo © MK Metz

- Sources: Assault indictment possible for NYPD officer seen on video apparently stomping on suspect's head in Bed-Stuy. [NY Daily News]

- Pierhouse opponents to present at Brooklyn Bridge Park CAC meeting Tuesday. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- Tell the Port Authority what you think of their  proposals for transporting freight throughout the NYC area onTuesday, Feb. 3, at 4 pm at Borough Hall.  [Bensonhurst Bean]

- There seems to be some question as to how high the soon-to-be-developed Brooklyn Heights Library site will eventually be. [BHB] 

- The DUMBO Arts Festival has been canceled, a victim of its own success. But BP Adams hopes to find new sponsors. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- What do three Sanitation workers, the Flatbush Shomrim, and state Senator Simcha Felder have in common? Hint: It involves cans of stolen coffee. [Sheepshead Bites]


Go to McBrooklyn's HOME PAGE.

De Blasio Looking at Mass Protester Arrests; JFK PlayStation Guy; and More Brooklyn Briefs

- De Blasio fights for the right to mass arrest peaceful protesters. [Gothamist]

- Parade will bring Appalachian dancing to Flatbush Avenue. [Brooklyn Paper]

- More details about the Brooklyn man who tried to sneak a .22 semi-automatic through JFK security, hidden inside a PlayStation 2. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- Closing school or staying open for the Lunar New Year will soon be in the hands of city officials. [NY1]

- Security at marijuana facilities would be extreme, under NYS's proposed medical marijuana regulations. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- In case you missed it, here's the video capturing the assault of the two police officers on the Brooklyn Bridge. [YouTube]

- Stevie Wonder just had his 9th child. [NY Daily News]

- 10 memorable moments from 'The Colbert Report.' [WSJ]


Go to McBrooklyn's HOME PAGE.

Have You Missed Any Snail Mail Recently? Flatbush Postman May Have It In His Living Room

Uploaded to Wikipedia by Centpacrr

A Brooklyn postman has been arrested after about 2,500 pounds of mail postmarked as far back as 2005 was found undelivered in his home and car.

WABC reports that Jospeh Brucato allegedly failed to deliver at least 40,000 pieces of mail along his route from the Ryder Station Post Office in Flatbush.

We would like to know if Brucato is the postal worker connected to the unexplained disappearance of a man's ashes last year.

The man's sister traced them to the Flatbush post office. "I'm not whining about a pair of shoes that's lost in the system. It's my brother. It's my brother," she told 7online.

7online went to the Flatbush office and asked the manager to track down the driver, "and quickly the problem was resolved."


Go to McBrooklyn's HOME PAGE.

Brooklyn's Hot Assembly Race; West Indian Parade, and More Brooklyn Briefs

Filling our mailboxes....Photo: MK Metz

- Bummer: Kings County Hospital loses man's thumb after promising to reattach it. [NY Daily News]

- Before the official West Indian Parade started, there was the J’Ouvert festival. [Gothamist]

- Multiple shootings precede the West Indian Parade [WSJ]

- Grieving Flatbush family needs financial help for funeral. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- Police are looking for a man who attacked an 89-year-old woman as she sat on the front stoop. [CBS]

-The race for Joan Millman's Assembly seat is hot, and more key endorsements have come in. Another debate tonight at St. Francis College. [Brooklyn Eagle]


Go to McBrooklyn's HOME PAGE.

Gas Main Break on Flatbush Ave. Thursday Night; FDNY, National Grid on Scene

From the scanner:

At 10 p.m. Thursday night, numerous FDNY units were called in to respond to a broken 8-inch gas main break at 2900 Flatbush Ave., 200 feet north of the Belt Parkway (near Ave. V).

Dispatch reported that it is a "high-pressure main." An excavator hit the gas main while working there.

A further report came in that a building was evacuating.

National Grid told to 9-1-1- that they would be there "within the hour."

UPDATE: National Grid shut down the valve at roughly 10:23 p.m.

UPDATE: OEM reports situation is under control.

CORRECTION: Broken Gas Main at 2900 Flatbush Avenue (BK) is under control; no fire.
— NYC OEM - Notify NYC (@NotifyNYC) August 22, 2014

Go to McBrooklyn's HOME PAGE.

Brooklyn Teen Wins $1,000 a Week; Kitten Saved; and More Brooklyn Briefs

- Robert Salo, an extremely lucky Brooklyn teenager, won a thousand dollars a week for life in NY Lottery. “It’s like you’re in a dream," he said. He's the youngest person ever to win the lifetime payouts, which could add up to $3 million if he lives to 80. CBSlocal  (And he goes to "Horndog High!")

- Has Brooklyn bread closed up shop? Yep -- but they're moving. Here's Park Slope 

- Little kitten stuck inside engine of moving car saved by a whisker. Animal Tracks

- Last chance to borrow books before Carroll Gardens library closes for the summer. Carroll Gardens Patch

- Be the first one to jump into McCarren Pool (for $150, that is). Brokelyn

- Street improvements for Flatbush, with map. Brownstoner

- After ten years, an 85-year-old grandad finally graduated Tuesday, receiving his degree at Kingsborough Community College in Brooklyn. CBSlocal

Go to McBrooklyn's HOME PAGE.

Big Weekend in Brooklyn: Book Festival, Brooklyn Local, Summer Space and More

This is not the weekend to stay inside and do laundry in Brooklyn. The Brooklyn Book Festival has something for everyone, and there are several other big events going on around the borough as well. Here are a few:

The Brooklyn Book Festival: Sunday, September 18, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. at Brooklyn Borough Hall and surrounding area. The Brooklyn Book Festival is the largest free literary event in New York City presenting both literary stars and emerging authors in talks, panel discussions, readings and performances (schedule here). Bookend Events kick-off a literary weekend with film screenings, parties, children’s theater, literary games, and author appearances (separate Bookend schedule here).

The Brooklyn Local: On Saturday, September 17th City Harvest will celebrate Brooklyn’s culinary world at The Brooklyn Local, which includes an Artisanal Market with over 75 vendor booths from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.; a Tasting Tent with private seating, featuring 15 of Brooklyn’s best restaurants from noon - 2 p.m.; celeb chefs; gift bags; and an interactive kids zone. At Brooklyn Bridge Park’s Tobacco Warehouse. Tickets here.

- Jane's Carousel will be opening to the public on Friday September 16th in Brooklyn Bridge Park. The Carousel is housed in a special pavilion looking out over the water. More here.

- Summer Space on Montague Street: Sunday, September 18, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Montague Street will be car-free for family activities like a scavenger hunt, playland and chess along with performances like opera, musical theater and zarzuela (presented by Martha Cardona Theater); outdoor yoga classes; ballet; a walking tour; and the fabulous Brooklyn Heights Dog Show, presented by the Brooklyn Heights Association. Schedule here.

- Williamsburg Fashion Weekend’s 9th season will be held on September 16th and 17th at Windmill Studios, NYC at 287 Kent Ave. More here.

- Flatbush Frolic: Live bands, food and merchandise dealers, artists and crafters perform and exhibit their wares – including an emphasis on local restaurants, musicians, businesses and artists – and games for the kids at this fair on Cortelyou Road between Coney Island Avenue and Ocean Avenue. More here.

UPDATE: The Great Irish Fair takes place all weekend in Coney Island at MCU Park. More details here.

And next week don't miss:

- DUMBO Arts Festival: DUMBO becomes an enchanted land of art this weekend with 500 artists exhibiting on the streets, in garages, in lobbies, in (100) studios, 50 galleries and various stages. This year, the Festival will take place on Friday, September 23rd, Saturday, September 24th and Sunday, September 25th. You can make some artwork right on the spot and join a procession, watch a surprising circus performance, or become part of the action. More here.

Photo by MK Metz

Go to McBrooklyn's HOME PAGE.

Oh, Hookers. Thanks Goodness, We Thought You Said Hooters

The Brooklyn Eagle quotes a Brownstoner commenter noting "a new type of business was seen on Flatbush Avenue and Dean Street, across from the Barclays Center arena under construction."

The article is entitled "Hookers on Flatbush Ave.?" but weary eyes saw instead "Hooters on Flatbush Ave."

Ho ho, so relieved when we realized it was just hookers.

But wait. Oh oh. 

(Let's keep the baseless but fun rumors going.)

Photo by Noelweather, Creative Commons license

Go to McBrooklyn's HOME PAGE.

Don't Swim at Sea Gate Beach Yet; Landlords Busted; and More Brooklyn Briefs

- Starting Thursday, Sea Gate Beach in Brooklyn will no longer be closed, but city health officials warn the beach is still probably filthy. NY1

- Flatbush hospital buildings to become affordable housing. TRD

- In the race for Weiner's seat, ex-Mayor Koch endorses Turner as being more pro-Israel than Weprin, who happens to be an Orthodox Jew with family in Israel. Sheepshead Bites

- The awfulness of Brooklyn Trend Stories. Gawker

- Three landlords of two disastrous residential buildings in Flatbush have been arrested. Brooklyn Eagle

- The never-ending Simon and Chana Taub divorce saga took another twist when Soya Radin, a friend of Chana's, was evicted from the Borough Park apartment she rented from the Taubs. TRD

- Something to think about before you rent your apartment to someone using Airbnb. Gawker

- The Arkansas Oil and Gas Commission voted to ban wells for the disposal of natural gas drilling fluids from a region where hundreds of earthquakes have struck, a move officials said was necessary to prevent a potential catastrophe. Huff Post

Go to McBrooklyn's HOME PAGE.

The City's Gayest neighborhood; Pier 1 Dance Party; and More Brooklyn Briefs

- Five dead and gone classic Brooklyn restaurants. (And they really were.)  Village Voice 

- It's the little things: More than 3,000 kids didn't get into kindergarten this year, many in Brooklyn. Brooklyn Eagle 

- If Movies With a View was too loud, what will noise-sensitive locals think of the Dance Party coming to Pier 1? Gothamist

- Census Bureau numbers show that the Columbia Street Waterfront District, the quiet enclave west of Cobble Hill, is the city's gayest neighborhood.  Brooklyn Paper 

- Gas lamps (well, reproductions anyway) are lighting up the Flatbush Avenue triangles. Brownstoner

- A woman was run down and killed by a van on Columbia Street in Carroll Gardens yesterday. Carroll Gardens Patch 

- A NY1-Marist Poll revealed that New Yorkers think Mayor Bloomberg is suffering from "third term-itus."  Reuters

- Nothing's ever simple: Automatic faucets are germier than the old fashioned kind you had to touch. MSNBC

Go to McBrooklyn's HOME PAGE.

Mastermind of MetroTech; No Relief for Brooklyn; and More Brooklyn Briefs

- Firefighters were delayed in putting out the fire in Flatbush on Saturday night because an engine was already attending to a police officer who had accidentally shot himself in the leg. NY Times

- 'Mastermind' of MetroTech dies. Brooklyn Eagle 

- Feds deny relief to Brooklyn, the Bronx and Queens. Queens Crap 

- Nate Smith has left buzzy Prospect Heights newcomer Dean Street after just a month of helming the kitchen. Grub Street  

- DOT announces expanded pothole blitz.  Brooklyn Eagle 

- Brooklyn sells -- especially in the rest of the country.  Brooklyn Ink 

- Alaska lawmaker chooses icy boat ride over airport pat-down. NY Magazine

- Death toll in New Zealand from quake hits 65, expected to rise. Reuters  

Go to McBrooklyn's HOME PAGE.

Lamm Institute Sold; PPW Bike Lane Lawsuit; and More Brooklyn Briefs

- The Lamm Institute building, a former Long Island College Hospital (LICH) property at Amity and Henry streets in Cobble Hill, has sold. Brooklyn Eagle 

- A man joins the Food Co-op and survives. WYDNKBYANM

- Here it comes — the inevitable Prospect Park West bike lane lawsuit. Brooklyn Paper

- Brooklyn artist Kilroy III celebrated the snowmageddon by building a huge, magnificent Castle Grayskull (of He-Man fame) igloo. Boing Boing


Go to McBrooklyn's HOME PAGE.

The Bird Hoarder of Flatbush and More Brooklyn Briefs

- Neighbors are pissed about "the bird hoarder of Flatbush."  NY Daily News

- Brooklyn Law School will reportedly sell its 12-story dormitory building on Joralemon Street for $12 million. Brooklyn Eagle    BUT - a developer is suing the school for violating an agreement to sell the building to them instead. TRD

- Sewing clubs "popping up all over Brooklyn" encourage the repair and reuse of clothing. inhabitat

- Brooklyn music producer Roger Greenawalt is getting ready for his annual marathon concert of the Beatles on ukulele. NY1

- Yesterday was No Pants Subway Ride Day. Gothamist

- A thief stole $250 and a vibrator from a Keap Street apartment. Brooklyn Paper 

- How a blogger lost a Hotmail account to Nigerian spammers -- and how the blogger exacted their revenge.  Spamming My Spammer 

- Going viral: the rumor that Facebook will be shutting down March 15. Huff Post

Go to McBrooklyn's HOME PAGE.

Elephants on Flatbush; Walmart in East New York; and More Brooklyn Briefs

- Bruce Ratner: “I can’t wait to see circus elephants marching down Flatbush Avenue and into the Barclays Center." Gothamist

- East New York is bracing for what could be the city's first Walmart. NY Daily News 

- Get your holiday gift shopping done on the way to Fairway.  Brooklyn Based

- Some sensible reasons why a huge parking lot should not be built in the middle of the downtown area of one of the most densely populated counties in this nation.  Environment.Change 

- Five deaths in 19 months linked to Lowen’s Pharmacy in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. nj.com

- After the rabbinical court known as the Beth Din of Crown Heights ordered members not to speak to the cops (see NY Times), Brooklyn DA Hynes says he's not going to let the Beth Dins stop him from doing his job.  FailedMessiah

- Gawker data base hacked -- change your password.  Huff Post


Go to McBrooklyn's HOME PAGE.

Flatbush Gardens -- Like Home, Depending On the Home . . .

According to Flatbush Gardens, the 59-building Brooklyn complex in East Flatbush "is home to an eclectic, friendly community of families, young professionals, and seniors alike. It's a place where neighbors know each other and the management and maintenance staffs are always ready to help. Flatbush Gardens is what home feels like. "

So how is it possible that, according to the Department of Housing Preservation and Development, the massive complex has 8,100 current, open violations and counting? An HPD spokesman told the Real Deal, "this is bad -- and we're probably not getting the full extent of it."

A look at one of the building's records on HPD's web site confirms hundreds of violations ranging from roaches to defective carbon monoxide devices to mold to defective wood floors and broken door knobs. 

Seems like that friendly maintenance staff is locked in a contract dispute with landlord Renaissance Equity Holdings. They've put together a video (see the Real Deal) that raises a number of questions about what exactly is going on in the basement out there . . .  

Top photo courtesy Flatbush Gardens
Second photo from union video

Go to McBrooklyn's HOME PAGE.