Brooklyn Chipotle Apologizes; 70,000 Apply for 35 Apartments; and More Brooklyn Briefs

Christmas in DUMBO. Photo: MK Metz

 - More than 70,000 people applied for affordable housing at a Williamsburg building with just 38 units. [DNAinfo]

- 18-year-old girl fights off mugger in Fort Greene. [Brooklyn Paper]

- Chipotle apologizes for Brooklyn Heights worker’s police protest. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- NYT Editorial slams NYC police for "walking off the job" in fight with de Blasio. Traffic and parking tickets fall 92%.  [NYT]

- Grimm resignation fires up speculation on replacement. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- Customers created a petition against 'Annie' for whitewashed Target ads. [NY Magazine]


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Google Lists Its 'Most Searched' Trends for 2014; 'Mutant Giant Spider Dog' Heads YouTube Videos

"Mutant Giant Spider Dog" was the most searched for video in 2014, says Google.

Google has compiled its "most searched" trend lists for 2014 in a number of categories.

The most searched term overall this year was Robin Williams, the acclaimed comedian and actor who committed suicide in August. (Searches for World Cup, Ebola, Malaysia Airlines and ALS Ice Bucket Challenge followed Williams.)

The most searched person was actress Jennifer Lawrence (who is also 2014's highest grossing actress.)

Soccer player James Rodriguez was the most seaarched athlete.

In the consumer electronics category, the iPhone 6 was the term most searched on Google.

In terms of global news, Ebola led the list.

The most searched YouTube video? "Mutant Giant Spider Dog," embedded above. This video went viral, and now has roughly 122,964,896 views.

More of 2014's Google Trends.


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Rep. Michael Grimm to Resign, Sources Tell Daily News

Photo: Courtesy Grimm

Rep. Michael Grimm has decided to resign from Congress in the wake of his guilty plea on a felony tax evasion charge, sources told the Daily News Monday night.

According to the News, he reversed course after speaking Monday to House Speaker John Boehner, "who has taken a hard line on GOPers facing ethics charges."

Michael Grimm has decided to resign from Congress days after pleading guilty: sources [Daily News]

Previously: Brooklyn Congressman Grimm Masquerades as Waiter, Fumes As Vast Conspiracy Falls Apart

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NYPD Police Academy Grads Show Class During Ceremony

 If all of the new NYPD recruits are like the latest Police Academy grads, relations between cops and citizens might actually improve.

While some observers in the peanut gallery on Monday heckled Mayor de Blasio and did the back-turning thing in the middle of a proud graduation ceremony for more than 800 NYPD recruits, the class of 2014 acted like the calm professionals NYC needs.

NYPD Police Academy grads rise above de Blasio heckling at ceremony [Brooklyn Eagle]

Photo grabbed from NYC video of event

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NYPD Officer Liu's Funeral Set, Mob Wives Stabbing, and Brooklyn Briefs

Consider a year-end donation to Brooklyn's Grace Choral Society

- NYPD chief says cops turning their backs on de Blasio during funeral was "inappropriate." [NY Magazine] 

- The funeral for police Officer Wenjian Liu, one of two 84th Precinct officers fatally shot in Brooklyn, has been set for Sunday. [WSJ]

- Brooklyn man arrested after stabbing his sister and fighting cops in NJ. [NBC]

- The boyfriend of "Mob Wives" star Natalie Guercio was stabbed in a Brooklyn nightclub over the weekend. [amny]

- Michael Bloomberg keeps vow to stay silent on Bill de Blasio's first year as mayor. [Daily News]

- Gov. Cuomo wants the state Gaming Commission to reopen bidding for a casino in the Southern Tier, breaking his promise to leave the siting decisions solely up to the board. [PressConnects]

- The head of the agency searching for AirAsia Flight 8501 said he believed the plane was “at the bottom of the sea." [NY Times]

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Twitter Is Down for Many Users (Sunday, Dec. 28)

Can't log into your Twitter account?  A large number of Twitter users are blocked from accessing their accounts tonight (Sunday). The problem started around 8:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.

According to Twitter Status, "Our engineers are currently working to resolve this."

According to Engadget, the problem could be that the company's servers believe it's already 2015.

According to Straitstimes,"Users reported problems on the Twitter application for Android and iPhone smartphones, while tweets on the computer application TweetDeck were showing up as having been posted a year ago."

Many users trying to log directly in to Twitter are also having problems.

Rather have a conspiracy?

Secret CIA Satellite Photo Shows #Twitter Attack Currently In Progress Hacker Goes By Name @ComradeKimIISung pic.twitter.com/W9IJMLl3ys
— CAL FIRE NEWS (@CalFireNews) December 29, 2014

One more...

...Twitter down, and everyone loses their minds. pic.twitter.com/xBbYVQx1SX
— Yan (@yankur_) December 29, 2014

And some advice:

BREAKING: DO NOT CLICK ANY LINKS CLAIMING TO BE TWITTER SUPPORT THEY ARE PHISHING LINKS AND ARE COMPROMISING LOADS OF ACCOUNTS #TwitterDown
— Anonymous (@TheAnonMovement) December 29, 2014

UPDATE: It's fixed, Twitter says:
"Between 4:00 and 9:25 PST today some users were unable to sign in to twitter.
This issue was due to a bug in our front end code, which has been patched.
We apologize for any inconvenience caused by this."


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Happy Holidays, from Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams

Brooklyn BP Eric Adams sends us a video holiday message on Christmas Eve.

In it, he looks at the challenges the borough has faced this year and invites residents to the free exhibit of ancient manuscripts of St. Francis of Assisi at Borough Hall.

“The message of peace they convey are so timely during this holiday season,” he said.

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Tunnel to Towers Foundation to Pay Mortgages of 84th Precinct's NYPD Officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu

Officers Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos. Photo: MK Metz

The Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation will take over mortgage payments for fallen 84th Precinct Officers Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos, Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Frank Siller, Chairman and CEO of the foundation, said on Tuesday.

The officers were gunned down in cold blood on Saturday in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn.

Siller said in a statement that he realized the foundation had to help out when he heard Cuomo raising concerns about the mortgage on Officer Liu's house.

The mission of the foundation is to honor the sacrifice of firefighter Stephen Siller, who laid down his life to save others on September 11, 2001.

On that day, Stephen had just gotten off the late shift at Squad 1 in Park Slope. He was on his way to play golf with his brothers when his scanner told of the first plane hitting the Twin Towers. When he heard the news, Stephen called his wife Sally and asked her to tell his brothers he would catch up with them later, and then returned to Squad 1 to get his gear.

Stephen drove his truck to the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel, but it was already closed. So he strapped 60 lbs. of gear to his back, rushed on foot through gridlocked traffic and ran from the Tunnel to the Towers where he gave up his life while saving others.

Tunnel to Towers is set to hold a press conference Friday to announce the details, according to Gov. Cuomo.

To contribute, visit the Tunnel to Towers website.


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Brooklyn Shootings, and Another One Near Ferguson

- Police step up security at two Brooklyn stationhouses after reports of being targeted by Baltimore gang. [Daily News]

- One of the two police officers who was ambushed and assassinated in Bed-Stuy on Saturday, Rafael Ramos, was a noted graffiti artist in Brooklyn before he joined the NYPD. [Buzzfeed]

- The Brooklyn District Attorney says his office busted a gun-smuggling ring that used commercial flights to illegally bring weapons to New York. [NY1]

- Two employees were shot during an attempted robbery at an appliance store in Borough Park. [7online]

- Brooklyn man wounded in shootout with NYPD cops convicted, may face 40 years in prison. [Daily News]

- Large crowd gathers nears Ferguson after police reportedly shoot teen Antonio Martin. [Buzzfeed]


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Rally to Support NYPD in Borough Park on Tuesday, 1 p.m.

Photo: MK Metz

NYC Councilman Greenfield has organized a community rally to show support for the NYPD following Saturday's brutal murders of 84th Precinct police officers Liu and Ramos in Bedford Stuyvesant.

Greenfield, other community leaders and local residents will gather in front of Brooklyn's 66th Precinct.

The rally takes place on Tuesday December 23, at 1 p.m., at 5822 16th Avenue.


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