Say Goodbye to 2015: A Big Listing of Brooklyn New Year's Eve Parties

Photo by MK Metz

From restaurants with special New Year's Eve menus to blow-out bars to free beer: It's out with he old and in with the new (year) in Brooklyn.

No matter what neighborhood you find yourself in on New Year's Eve, there's a party waiting for you nearby.

Here's a compilation of compilations of favorite New Year's Eve  destinations. (We tried to avoid duplication, but there's bound to be a bit.)

Great Big Brooklyn Grab-bag of Parties

Brooklyn Magazine has compiled their favorite 22 New Year's Eve parties, raves and shows in neighborhoods including Williamsburg, DUMBO, Vinegar Hill, Downtown, Greenpoint, Park Slope, Fort Greene and more. (Like, for example, a warehouse party via The Kymberle Project, offering a live art installation, painting op and aerialists gracing the warehouse ceiling.)

Brokelyn has outdone itself and compiled 57 banging New Year's Eve parties -- including 19 free ones. Bash locations range from Bed-Stuy to Boerum Hill, from sedate little joints to warehouses with acrobats -- and NYC’s only psytrance party.

In case you missed any, Brownstoner has also compiled a list of 8 or 9 musical parties.

Greenpoint

Greenpointers has put together a list of restaurants, buffets, clubs and bars with special New Year's offerings. These range from the Museum of Food and Drink (with a pig roast, open bar, buffet-style global feast, live flamenco and dance music) to a New Year’s Karaoke night at The Diamond.

Musical New Year's Eve

Brooklyn Vegan lists a number of ways to ring in the New Year with music, including They Might Be Giants at Brooklyn's Music Hall at Williamsburg and a Mr. New Year's Party at a secret location.

Justice and Bob Moses are set to headline yet another secret Brooklyn warehouse party (with food and drinks, of course). More at Billboard.

Fireworks In Coney Island

 It's like Times Square without all the tourists: Hit Coney Island's Boardwalk (Surf Avenue and Stillwell Avenue) before 9 p.m. Check out the countdown to the digital ball drop on the Parachute Jump. (Also: live music, food and free admission to Abe Stark Rink, B&B Carousell, Deno’s Wonder Wheel, and Thunderbolt roller coaster.)

Fireworks in Park Slope
Live entertainment, DJs and hot chocolate await at Prospect Park's fireworks exhibition, starting at 11 p.m.



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Brooklyn Bridge Blocked in Tamir Rice Protest, and More Brooklyn Briefs

man cooks Xmas eve dinner on traffic island Foster Ave, Kings Hwy. good thing nice weather @NYDailyNews pic.twitter.com/UluMtpCRn3

— Todd Maisel (@ToddMaisel) December 24, 2015

- Angry at the failure to indict a white police officer in the shooting death of 12-year-old Tamir Rice, crowds blocked streets and blocked the Brooklyn Bridge on Monday. [RT]

- Caught on camera: Reward offered in vicious attack on a Midwood man, punched and kicked repeatedly in head. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- Cops want your help locating a man wanted for public lewdness on the F train in Brooklyn. [NYPD News]

- Dinner inspired by Moby Dick coming to Carroll Gardens. [DNAinfo]

- From bumper cars to Torah taxidermy: A guide to 25 of Brooklyn's most unusual museums. [Brooklyn Magazine]

- 191 million voter records exposed online. [The Hill]

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Chase Personal Bankers Ripped Off Seniors in Brooklyn

Brooklyn D.A. Ken Thompson, NYPD Commissioner William Bratton and other officials said Monday that personal bankers employed by J.P. Morgan Chase and two other defendants have been indicted for allegedly stealing approximately $400,000 from the bank accounts of senior citizens.

According to the Brooklyn Eagle, the bankers worked out of a Chase in Bedford-Stuyvesant. They allegedly issued Automatic Teller Machine (ATM) cards for the defrauded accounts and used the ATM cards to systematically withdraw money. 

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New Years Eve in DUMBO, Mystery in Williamsburg, and More Brooklyn Briefs

A sergeant at NYPD's 67th Precinct rescued a French Crevecoeur rooster named "Mo Justice" https://t.co/jANj1wTSsw pic.twitter.com/fRBUvKUnHE

— DNAinfo.com New York (@DNAinfo) December 27, 2015

- New Years Eve in Dumbo! Where to go, from $25 to $665. [DumboNYC]

- Mystery deepens: The Department of Buildings has no plans on file for a luxury rental in Williamsburg that experienced an emergency vacate order last month because of structural defects. The building at one time belonged to murdered developer Menachem Stark. [Brownstoner]

- New York Magazine's cover pictures a shrunken Mayor de Blasio. [NYM] 

- Cops have arrested a 40-year-old Jewish Brooklyn man who threatened four men of middle eastern decent Saturday night. He yelled, "I want to see blood in the street!" [JPupdate]

- TSA worker and friend wounded in crossfire after picking up Chinese take out in Canarsie. [NY Daily News]

- A Bushwick couple sort of made their apartment into a treehouse. [Racked]

- Brooklyn Magazine gives us suggestions for no-fail first dates in Brooklyn ... AND 10 Brooklyn bars with fireplaces.

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Brooklyn Heights Christmas Lights and Sights

Photos by MK Metz

A nighttime Christmas Eve walk demonstrates that even staid old Brooklyn Heights gets into the holiday spirit.

Above, a sparkling bear ambles between windows on Remsen Street.

No matter the holiday, the building housing the Mini Max on Atlantic Avenue packs its second story ledge with fun celebratory figures. Santa and snowmen share the stage with the baby Jesus. All's good!

This Remsen Street brownstone makes a statement with inflatables.

Santa's sleigh is pulled by reindeer towards the Middagh Street firehouse.

Photos by MK Metz

A creche adorns the side of the Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Cathedral at Henry and Remsen streets.


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Brooklyn Pols' Plan to Limit Ammo Purchases Pisses Off Gun Enthusiasts

Earlier this week, Brooklyn officials announced that they had drafted legislation aimed at severely restricting the sale of ammunition in New York.

The response has been overwhelmingly negative, if the Brooklyn Eagle's comment section is any indication.

The legislation would limit the number of bullets a gun owner could purchase over a 90-day time period to two times the capacity of the weapon, among other requirements.

Of more than 170 comments as of Thursday morning, 100 percent were against the proposed law.

Typical comments included:

- "So if I have a 1911, that takes 6 rounds, it would take a year to buy 1 full box on ammunition?"

- "Forget about doing any target practice!!!"

- "At a certain point, restricting access to ammo becomes effectively tantamount to disallowing private firearm ownership."

- "Hey tyrants, what part of shall not be infringed do you not understand?"

- "What do you expect from NYC. The only thing those people hunt for is a parking space- if they even have a car."


Brooklyn lawmakers seek to tightly restrict sales of ammo statewide  [Brooklyn Eagle]


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Perv Brooklyn HS Teacher Gets 5 Years; Ammo Bill Rubs Gun Owners Wrong Way; and More Brooklyn Briefs

Assault Rifle Recovered In Brooklyn - https://t.co/Bll7hzjIzC pic.twitter.com/KkGVktKOmY

— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) December 23, 2015

- Perv’ Brooklyn high school teacher who preyed on teen students can never teach again under plea deal. [NY Daily News]

- Brooklyn lawmakers' bill to strictly limit the sale of ammo across NYS has garnered negative comments from gun enthusiasts. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- Residents have launched a campaign to save the Fifth Ave. Key Food grocery store, slated for development as usual. [DNAinfo]

- Emergency responders closed down a section of Voorhies Avenue in Sheepshead Bay Tuesday morning after equipment collapsed at the construction site of a 28-story tower. [Sheepshead Bites]

- A large number of registered sex offenders -- including 44 in Brooklyn -- are living in New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) buildings. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- Shackled Brooklyn man climbs inside hospital bathroom ceiling in NYPD escape attempt -- only to fall on floor. [NY Daily News]

- From a flamingo formal to fireworks: 44 banging Brooklyn New Year’s Eve parties. [Brokelyn]

- The best food neighborhoods in Brooklyn, ranked. (Guess which area is LAST.) [Brooklyn Magazine]


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John Boyega Visits Brooklyn Theaters During Star Wars Weekend; Brooklyn Heights' Bernie Supporters; and More Brooklyn Briefs

The force was strong in Brooklyn tonight as @JohnBoyega surprised fans at a screening of Star Wars #TheForceAwakens pic.twitter.com/1jf7Ziulkb

— Walt Disney Studios (@DisneyStudios) December 19, 2015

John Boyega visited Brooklyn movie theaters during Star Wars showings this past weekend. (See below for one fan's shocked reaction!)

- A Brooklyn man was convicted of a hate crime for smashing a 29-year-old transgendered woman in the head with a piece of plexiglass, causing severe and probably permanent  injuries. [Brooklyn DA]

- A Daily Beast reporter spends a night out in Brooklyn Heights with Bernie Sanders supporters. (OMG...) [Daily Beast]

- BP Eric Adams announced more than $1.8 million in funding for projects along the Brooklyn Greenway, including a new Columbia Waterfront Park. [DNA info]

- A Brooklyn school is told that banning Santa Clause, Thanksgiving a bad idea. [PJ Media]

- The young Brooklyn Heights art curator killed by an SUV while Christmas shopping in Fort Greene will be honored on Tuesday with an outdoor art installation at Fulton Street and South Portland Avenue. [Patch]

- Are Brooklyn's famed Mast Brothers the the Milli Vanilli of chocolate? [Dallas Food]

- The hottest new restaurants in Brooklyn right now. [Eater]

- Why you may feel sick after getting the flu shot. [Sacramento Bee]

Two unsuspecting SW fans watching the trailer before the movie. Had to interrupt. pic.twitter.com/9k7GFAyBMq

— John Boyega (@JohnBoyega) December 20, 2015

And one fan's reaction . . .


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The Boa Constrictor on the B12 Bus, and Other Brooklyn Briefs

Mural by artist Alex Cook in Greenpoint. Photo: MK Metz

  - Giant boa constrictor found inside the B12 bus in Brooklyn. [NY Post] 

- Tucker Reed thinks the Jehovah's Witnesses should leave Brooklyn a $50 million going away gift. [Crain's] 

- Adorable tree lighting ceremony on Montague Street takes place for 65th year, with 6th-generation Brooklyn girl flipping the switch. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- New residents want to get rid of garbage transfer station which has been in East Williamsburg for 25 years. [NBC]

- A woman walking on Sands St. near Gold St. in Vinegar Hill was punched in the neck and held up at gunpoint. [Daily News]

- Here's a picture of the brute who punched a woman in a Brooklyn Heights subway station. [abc7]

- A teen who took part in a hate crime attack on a transgender woman was given a slap-on-the-wrist punishment. [Daily News]

- Bunk Sandwiches brings its savory pork belly Cubano sandwich to Brooklyn. [Voice]

- Here's where you can meet Santa in Brooklyn [Brownstoner] and [Mommy Poppins]


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Boos and Praise for Levin as City Council Approves Brooklyn Heights Library Deal

Library advocates were not happy at the City Council vote on Wednesday. Photo by MK Metz

The full City Council approved the proposal to sell and develop the Brooklyn Heights Library on Wednesday, ending a three-year battle by those against selling public property to private developers.

As reported in the Brooklyn Eagle, Councilmembers said it wasn't Levin's fault the Brooklyn Public Library was in such dire financial shape that the library had to be sacrificed.

“It’s not his fault the library is underfunded. In fact it’s our fault for not properly funding libraries for many, many years,” Jumaane Williams said.

As boos echoed from the balcony, Levin was praised by his fellow Councilmembers for making the deal better for his constituents.

Full story at the Eagle.

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Full City Council to Vote on Sale of Brooklyn Heights Library Today

Tall building, center right. Rendering by Marvel Architects

The New York City Council is expected to vote on the sale and development of the Brooklyn Heights Library at its meeting today (Wednesday) at 1:30 at City Hall. It remains a contentious issue, even after Councilmember Stephen Levin negotiated concessions from the developer, Hudson Companies.

Here is some background:

- City Council committee approves Brooklyn Heights Library /condo proposal [Brooklyn Eagle]
Details about the terms of the revamped proposal.

- EXCLUSIVE: How Levin crafted final deal for Brooklyn Heights Library  [Brooklyn Eagle]
This gives an inside look at many of the previously-undisclosed aspects of the deal.

-The developer's site: 280 Cadman Plaza West

- Citizens Defending Libraries press release on the deal


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Catching Up with the Domino Sugar Factory in Williamsburg

Photo by MK Metz

As seen from the East River Ferry yesterday, the famous Domino Sugar sign is long gone and several refinery buildings have been demolished, as construction of Two Trees 4-million-square-foot project in Williamsburg continues. The building you see above will remain intact.

Rendering: SHoP Architects

Shown above is that same building, surrounded by much taller buildings featuring "cutouts." When completed, there will be 2,300 apartment units and an office complex in the development.

Here's an Eternal Domino Sugar time lapse of the construction, via Instagram.  (First pointed to by Brownstoner.)

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33 Years Later, Man Shot in DUMBO / Wallabout Dies, and Case Deemed Homicide

Brooklyn: A man that was shot back in 1982 has died from the wounds Story: pic.twitter.com/sfV1NvTP5a

— New York City Alerts (@NYCityAlerts) December 11, 2015

A man who was shot back in 1982 died 33 years later, and now the shooting has been declared a homicide.

Cumberland Hospital was closed in 1983.


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SantaCon Survival Guide; Brooklyn Heights Library Approval; and More Brooklyn Briefs

Scaffolding goes up around 75 Henry St. in Brooklyn Heights. Photo: MK Metz

 - The official 2015 SantaCon expert survival guide. [Brokelyn]

- After Levin obtained concessions, City Council committee approves Brooklyn Heights Library/ condo proposal. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- Gravesend senior fatally shot at Sunset Park Popeyes. [Bensonhurst Bean]

- Neighbors to fight 40-story tower proposed for Pineapple Walk in Brooklyn Heights. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- Brooklyn psychologist is one of few who understands the mind of a terrorist... [Pix11]

- Snickers or Milky Way? Crazed attacker jabbed a partially-eaten chocolate bar into the face of a 33-year-old Brooklyn artist waiting for a subway in Times Square. [Daily News]

- Eric Garner’s daughter is mulling a run for Congress against Rep. Dan Donovan. [NY Post]

- Children of Brooklyn man who pleaded guilty to stabbing their mom to death disown their 'monster' father. [Daily News]

- A first look at the Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park school building. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- Tishman Construction, one of the largest construction companies in New York City, has agreed to pay more than $20 million in fines. [CBS]


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Brooklyn Heights Library Decision LIkely Thursday; and More Brooklyn Briefs

Polls are open in #SunsetPark pic.twitter.com/AXd9Nnj5ND

— Justin Brannan (@JustinBrannan) December 9, 2015

- Eyes on Levin: After months of drama, the New York City Council is expected to vote on the controversial proposal to sell and redevelop the Brooklyn Heights Library on Thursday. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- Fishing wire booby trap in Dyker Heights park sliced a finger, choked a dog. [Gothamist]

- Warning: Santa Con is hitting north Brooklyn this Saturday. [Brownstoner]

- Yaso Tangbao (translation: Uncle’s Soup Dumplings) are still getting the love in Downtown Brooklyn. [BK Magazine]

- Signature Bank at 26 Court St. reported burgled at 2 a.m. [Scanner]

-  A young man is wanted in a string of robberies of older people in East New York. [NY1]

- A Colorado man who has been homeless for the last six years won $500,000 in the state lottery on Friday. [Daily News]


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Lay Off Pizza-Eating Car Crash Witness? And More Brooklyn Briefs

Take a moment to be inspired by the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir, performing Worthy Is the Lamb.

- The NYC Council approved controversial legislation which will require the city to use tax-payer dollars to pay for security guards at private and religious schools. [Capital NY]

- Capano calls on Sarsour to resign from Community Board 10. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- Two men leap to their deaths from the same garage at Kings Plaza Shopping Center, in two unrelated incidents, 4 hours apart. [Sheepshead Bites]

- Should we be shaming the woman who saw that fatal car crash that killed Victoria Nicodemus, 30, of Brooklyn Heights, and walked away eating pizza? [Slate]

- The unlicensed driver who killed Victoria Nicodemus had been cited for speeding through school zones three times last month. [DNAinfo]

- After San Bernardino, NYC officials push city to divest from gun makers. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- Street artist wraps Williamsburg bar, shut down Sunday in the face of an explosive rent increase, in “Gentrification in Progress” caution tape. [Patch]

- Two shootings in Brooklyn last night. [NY Daily News]

- Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams plans to run for mayor of New York City at some point in the not-so-distant future. [Patch]

- PHOTOS: All hands fire at 66 St. in Brooklyn. [NY Buff]

- Brownstoner has a list of every Brooklyn-branded thing on Earth. [Brownstoner]


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Shot Spotter Picks Up Shots Fired at Bed-Stuy's Sumner Houses

Shots reported from 995 Myrtle Ave. Photo, map data courtesy Google

From the scanner:
Police are investigating a report from Shot Spotter of three rounds fired from the roof of the Sumner Houses at 995 Myrtle Ave. at Marcus Garvey Blvd. at 2:46 a.m. early Tuesday morning.

Dispatch confirmed Shot Spotter picked up "shot spatter" at that location and on the other side of the same project at 68 Marcus Garvey Blvd.

Cops on the scene at 68 Marcus Garvey at 2:59 a.m. reported negative results when they searched the area.


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Police Investigate Four Shots Fired From Roof in Crown Heights 1 a.m. Tuesday

1494 Lincoln Place. Photo, map data courtesy Google.

 From the scanner:

Police officers were dispatched to 1494 Lincoln Place between Rochester and Buffalo Avenues in Crown Heights to investigate a report of four shots fired at roughly 1:10 a.m. early Tuesday.

The shots were fired from the rooftop, according to the dispatcher. Officers from the 77th Precinct are assigned.

Update: Another location is associated with these shots as well, according to dispatch. This is 1514 Sterling Place, at Utica and Rochester, in the rear.


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Brooklyn Heights Woman Run Down by SUV in Ft. Greene; Another Pierhouse Lawsuit; and More Brooklyn Briefs

The new champ beat cancer and now he brought the belt to Brooklyn. Proud to put the belt on him. Never surrender pic.twitter.com/Bdiv8vOTDH

— Eric Adams (@BPEricAdams) December 6, 2015

Daniel Jacobs defeated Peter Quillin by first-round TKO to defend middleweight title in Brooklyn.


- An unlicensed driver of an SUV swerved onto a sidewalk, killing a Brooklyn Heights woman and seriously injuring her boyfriend and 3 others on Sunday in Fort Greene. [NY Daily News]

- A 23-year-old man is in critical condition after he fell off a train while attempted to subway surf this weekend near the Brooklyn Museum. [Gothamist]

- A Brooklyn gangbanger who was busted twice in 10 days on charges of carrying illegal, loaded guns was set loose on a measly $1,000 bail Sunday. [NY Post]

- A 46-year old woman was found stabbed to death in the basement of an East Flatbush house on Saturday afternoon. [NY Daily News]

- Another lawsuit over Pierhouse height filed against Brooklyn Bridge Park, NYC, Toll Brothers. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- As of November 28, 65 out of 106 units — mostly two- and five-bedrooms apartments — have been sold at Pierhouse. [The Brooklyn Ink]

- Signature Magazine says these are the six best restaurants in Brooklyn. Agree? 

- Bore yourself to sleep by listening to this podcast. [NY Magazine]


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Scanner: Christmas Tree Vandal at Peas N' Pickles, Brooklyn Heights

Photo: MK Metz

From the scanner:

NYPD received a report of a man destroying Christmas trees in front of the grocery store at Henry and Clark streets in Brooklyn Heights.

The complaint, filed as criminal mischief, was dispatched at 1:25 a.m. Monday morning.

Cops from the 84th Precinct headed to the store.

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Family Shooting in East Flatbush; Live Poultry Markets; and More Brooklyn Briefs

- Father brings kids to East Flatbush Thursday night, where those kids watched their father shoot their mother and her current boyfriend, then himself. [abc7]

- The freshest turkey In Brooklyn: Inside Bensonhurst’s live poultry markets. [Bensonhurst Bean]

- Rampant development and lack of city planning key topics at Squadron’s open house. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- Protesters picketed the Brooklyn headquarters of Hillary Clinton, hoping to bring to light the ongoing series of hunger strikes at federal immigration detention centers. [Observer]

- After Rangers / Islanders game at Barclays, cursing crowds, fights, drumming and chanting ... [Atlantic Yards Report]

- Brooklyn-born Dascha Polanco, 33, who plays pregnant inmate Dayanara Diaz on Orange is The New Black, was accused by a 17-year-old girl of assault. [Ameripublications]

- There have been 38,000 hit and runs in NYC this year. In 4,000 of them, a person was injured or killed.  [NY Magazine]

- Senate approves bill repealing much of ObamaCare. [The Hill]

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Eagle: Jehovah's Witnesses Put Huge Brooklyn Heights Headquarters Up for Sale

25-30 Columbia Heights. Photo: MK Metz

 The Brooklyn Eagle reports that the Watchtower is offering to sell their massive headquarters complex at 25-30 Columbia Heights for sale, along with two other properties in DUMBO and Brooklyn Heights.

The 733,000-square-foot property on Columbia Heights -- "whose famed red “Watchtower” sign lights up the night," says the Eagle -- covers nearly two blocks.

Also for sale is 135,000-square-foot site at 85 Jay Street, a solid block in DUMBO.

A competitive offering process has also started for 124 Columbia Heights, a ten-story, 152,000-square-foot residential building that overlooks Brooklyn Heights' Promenade.

Developers are expected to slather over the sites.

Have the Jehovah's hit peak Brooklyn?


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Brooklyn Board Rejects de Blasio's Housing, Zoning Proposals; the Cat King of Columbia St.; and More Brooklyn Briefs

Brooklyn Borough Board Rejects Mayor’s Affordabilty and Zoning Proposals: Brooklyn officials and politicians met… https://t.co/2msZKqAWvv

— Brooklyn News (@brooklyn_news) December 2, 2015

- Brooklyn Borough Board rejects the mayor's affordable housing and zoning proposals. [Brownstoner]

- Report: Bruce Ratner is selling Barclays Center and Nets stakes to Mikhail Prokhorov. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- Former 2013 mayoral candidate John Catsimatidis is offering an $1,000 reward for the safe return of Arthur the subway cat. [DNAinfo]

- The Cat King of Columbia Street is getting crazier. [Gothamist]

- Brooklyn activist slams NYC’s hoverboard ban as a tax on the poor. [Daily News]

- Video shows cops running down a Brooklyn man with their squad car as he tries to take photo of their license plate. [Daily News]

- An insanely colorful bird who normally winters in Central America is currently hanging out in Prospect Park, freaking out bird-watchers. [wnyc]

- Brooklyn subway riders attack MTA worker over out-of-order MetroCard machine. [Patch]


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40-Story Tower Proposal in Brooklyn Heights Sure to Raise Hackles

Portfolio of shops along Pineapple Walk that a developer wants to turn into a 40-story tower. Image courtesy Google Maps

Here we go again.

The Brooklyn Eagle reports that another high-rise may be coming to Brooklyn Heights.

Residents of the 32-story tower and townhouses at 75 Henry St. heard late Tuesday that their co-op board received "an eye-popping offer" of at least $75 million to purchase some of their property located on Pineapple Walk. (This parcel includes the Park Plaza Diner, Peas n' Pickles, a toy store and a pet food store.)

An unnamed developer hopes to build a 40-story tower there -- just a block or two from a number of other controversial developments, such as the Brooklyn Heights Library proposal, a potential 70-story tower where the TD bank on Montague Street is now, the Pierhouse development in Brooklyn Bridge Park, developments in DUMBO and the possible Pier 6 towers.

In addition, it's not far from the unthinkable LICH mega-development in Cobble Hill, and all of the Downtown Brooklyn developments.

The Brooklyn Heights Association has already spoken out against the plan.

Brooklyn Heights co-op owners weigh developer’s 40-story Henry Street plan [Brooklyn Eagle]

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Goats in Red Hook; DUMBO Group Slams P.S. 8 Plan, and More Brooklyn Briefs

Cop fired and missed at a suspect that fled on foot on Ave. B and E 92nd St. #Brooklyn pic.twitter.com/0vh6iEjC42

— Andy Mai (@MaiAndy) December 2, 2015

Officers fire at suspect in East Flatbush Tuesday night. [cbs]

- Red Hook’s working waterfront, home to boats … and goats. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- After school tension in Downtown Brooklyn. [Brooklyn Ink]

- Greenland nixes future pre-fab buildings at Brooklyn site; Forest City warns of layoffs at modular plant. [Atlantic Yards Report]

- Brooklyn residents will have an opportunity to speak directly with Comptroller Scott Stringer at a town hall on Thursday, Dec. 3. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- The popular Brooklyn pizza joint Franny's will add a 3 percent surcharge to all of its checks in order to, according to the menu, cover affordable care costs. [Grubstream]

- DUMBO neighborhood group slams P.S. 8, P.S. 307 rezoning plan. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- "The people who support Trump don't support him because they want the country to get better ... They want someone to represent their inner thug, their inner asshole." [WYDNKBYANM]

- Video: Investigators reveal a computer glitch brought down AirAsia flight off the coast of Indonesia. [abc]


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Brooklyn's Condos Falling Apart; Gowanus Souvenirs; and More Brooklyn Briefs

2 men wanted in NYC card skimming conspiracy: police https://t.co/vXFJbqFyPP pic.twitter.com/BOpsxYXSXz

— NBC New York (@NBCNewYork) December 1, 2015

These guys installed card skimmers at locations across Brooklyn and Queens.


- Brooklyn is leading the U.S. in apartment construction. [Forbes]

- Brooklyn's hastily-built condos are now falling apart. [Brooklyn Magazine]

- Bed Stuy’s historic Slave Theater and two adjacent lots were sold to developer Eli Hemway for $18,500,000. [Brownstoner]

- Cops rescue suicidal man from Bay Parkway ledge with giant net. [Bensonhurst Bean]

- Bay Ridge board rejects de Blasio's affordable housing re-zoning plan. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- Gowanus Souvenir Shop sells canal-inspired keepsakes . . . including handcrafted mutant action figures. [Brooklyn Paper]

- Park Slope animator makes web series about growing weed. [Village Voice]

- A man who robbed the Chase bank in Williamsburg on Monday is a serial bank robber. [JPUpdates]

- 8 of NYC's top 20 BBQ restaurants are in Brooklyn, including no's 1 and 2.  [Eater]


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Is There Really An East River Alligator?

Photos of an alleged East River alligator were sent to Brokelyn by a reader. Check them out -- does that look like a gator to you (especially photo 2)?

There appears to be something a bit off about it but then again...

While you're mulling that, take a look at another East River gator sighting by EV Grieve. (We quite believe this one.)

Illustration courtesy ClipArtPanda.

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De Blasio on Sheldon Silver's Arrest and Conviction

Sheldon Silver, Assembly

Mayor Bill De Blasio on NY Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver upon his arrest in January:
"Although the charges announced today are certainly very serious, I want to note that I’ve always known Shelly Silver to be a man of integrity, and he certainly has due rights and I think that we should let the process play out here.”

De Blasio upon Sheldon Silver's conviction Monday on charges of fraud and extortion:
“Today’s verdict is a reminder that the public good must be the only priority for elected officials. The people of New York expect and deserve better.”

More at the Observer.


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Tiny Floating Gardens in the Gowanus, and More Brooklyn Briefs

Sign in MetroTech says in Arabic, "The truth is I love you." MK Metz

 - Brooklyn postal worker follows a Muslim woman, spits at her. [NBC]

- Company builds tiny floating gardens to clean up the polluted Gowanus Canal. [Accuweather]

- A young punk was convicted Tuesday for the shooting death of a beloved homeless man who kept an eye on a street in Clinton Hill. [Daily News]

- The best Friendsgiving feast and late-night turkey sandwiches are in Bushwick. [Brooklyn Magazine]

- In some neighborhoods, the Dept. of Sanitation is picking up old clothes packed in special pink bags and donating them to Goodwill. [Bensonhurst Bean]

- Did you catch these photos of Brooklyn Heights over the past century? [Curbed]

- Councilman Antonio Reynoso is calling on state lawmakers to implement the so-called "Idaho Stop" for cyclists. [NY1]

-  Donate winter wear and get free treats in Brooklyn Heights this weekend. [Brownstoner]

- Brooklyn ranks no. 9 on a Yelp/Harris Poll survey that ranks the top 20 U.S. cities to shop local. [Biz Journal]

- Negligible discounts on inferior items: Kindly old man retailer patiently explains the scam that is Black Friday. [Brokelyn]

- Men's brains seem to age faster than women's. [NY Magazine]


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Freeze Warning for Brooklyn Monday Night

 The National Weather Service has issued a freeze warning for Brooklyn and other boroughs of New York City (except Staten Island) starting 10 p.m. Monday night through 7 a.m. Tuesday morning.

If you have plants outside or on your balcony, bring them in.

Tuesday's high will be 47.


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Brooklyn Rat Takes Selfie; and More Brooklyn Briefs

 - Stop the presses: Rat takes selfie in Brooklyn subway station. [Rapid News]

- Brooklyn Arabs outraged by rhetoric on Syrian refugees. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- The massive Brooklyn projects that beat the 421a clock. [TRD]

-  A gym with an IMAX screen is opening in DUMBO. [Patch]

- GQ interviews the 20-year-old Brooklyn rockers the fashion world "is a little obsessed about." [GQ]

- Man, 27, stabbed after fleeing to Bushwick L train station. [Daily News]

- Library controversy continues: Levin pushes for bigger Brooklyn Heights Library at City Council hearing. [Brooklyn Eagle]

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De Blasio Pays Off Bet (Ouch), Protests at the Brooklyn Museum, and More Brooklyn Briefs

We have to give it up to @BilldeBlasio for keeping his end of the bet with @MayorSlyJames! https://t.co/3D80nQs0iz pic.twitter.com/qqxMpm9OT5

— Royals (@Royals) November 17, 2015

Somehow we thought he could sing better than that...

- Anti-gentrification activists protest real estate summit at the Brooklyn Museum. [Hyperallergic] and [Gothamist]

- Brooklyn the brand vs. Brooklyn the mega-city: Are we killing the goose? [Brownstoner]

- Just in time: Elite NYPD anti-terror squad deploys following Paris attacks. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- Two people were taken to a hospital after a shooting at a Bedford-Stuyvesant subway station Tuesday that caused disruptions in train service. [NBC]

- Brooklyn man sentenced to 4 years in divorce scheme. [Times of Israel]

- Some people just have it: R&B icon R. Kelly showed up to sing the national anthem at Tuesday's Brooklyn Nets game . . . sinking a 3-pointer while wearing sunglasses, with a cigar in his mouth. [Billboard]

- Meet CAM, the DUMBO artist who is responsible for all your favorite Brooklyn murals. [Brooklyn Magazine]

- Levi’s has opened a new store in Williamsburg that will contain a tailoring shop where you’ll be able to customize your denim. [StyleFashionNews]

- Beware of ads that use inaudible sound to link your phone, TV, tablet, and PC. [Ars Technica]


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Brooklyn Heights Library Proposal Goes Before City Council Subcommittee Today

Courtesy MarvelArchitects

Expect some noise and possible light (nah, just noise) this afternoon as the City Council's subcommittee on Planning, Dispositions and Concessions takes up two related applications:

- To dispose of the Brooklyn Heights Library at 280 Cadman Plaza West (now called 1 Clinton Street even before it actually exists), build a hi-rise there, and build "affordable" housing in another neighborhood

- To acquire a condo unit inside the proposed hi-rise for a smaller but more modern replacement library.

The rest of the City Council will presumably vote how Heights' Councilmember Stephen Levin votes. While the Brooklyn Heights Association rolled over on this one, a number of very vocal residents will skin Levin alive if he votes for the project as is.

It will be interesting to see what concessions he can squeeze from the developer, if any, to justify making the project (which has been compared to "giving the finger to Brooklyn Heights") palatable.

Interestingly, Borough President Eric Adams disapproved the project, with conditions, which raised his profile with a number of voters who weren't sure if he stood with them on this issue.

The project was approved by the City Planning Commission.

Citizens Defending Libraries and union groups are expected to make a strong showing in Council chambers.


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Tonight: Cobble Hill Association Fall General Meeting to Discuss LICH 'Misinformation'

LICH back in the day. Photo: MK Metz

The Cobble Hill Association will hold its Fall General Meeting Wed., November 18th at 7:00 pm, at P.S. 29 at 425 Henry Street between Baltic and Kane Streets. The topic will be LICH "misinformation" being put out by developers.

CHA says:

This will be a very important meeting of the Cobble Hill Association as the community provides feedback on the development proposals for the Long Island College Hospital site.

Incomplete and misleading information is being disseminated in our neighborhood by paid canvassers.

Some points of clarification:

- The rezoning plan is substantially larger than the As of Right plan.

- The NYU-Langone medical facility will be built by NYU regardless of which development path Fortis chooses. Continuous medical care on the site was a condition of the sale and is not a voluntary benefit offered by the developer.

- The park space proposed in the rezoning is a park “mash-up” of the existing sitting park and an existing playground, plus only 4,286 additional square feet.

- The proposed K-5 school has no schoolyard.



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ISIS Can't Come to Brooklyn, and More Brooklyn Briefs

RT @DevCNY: ISIS Can’t Come To Brooklyn pic.twitter.com/UY1zcO6nDy

— Darleny López (@darlopez) November 16, 2015

- It's official: ISIS can't come to Brooklyn. (Memorable video above; language alert.)

- Help redesign city streets at the Atlantic Avenue Safety Improvement Workshop. [Brownstoner]

- A 70-year-old woman was killed after being struck by a vehicle on Atlantic Avenue Monday afternoon. [DNAinfo]

- Photos: Brooklynites march in candlelight vigil past French cafes and bistros to honor Paris. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- Two taken to hospital after shooting at a bus stop in Canarsie. [ABC7]

- Brooklyn's Ample Hills just landed $4 million to launch an ice cream empire. [Eater]

- One person was stabbed and another was punched in the face Monday afternoon on a subway platform in East NY. [NBC]

- Wonderful video plays tribute to South Brooklyn's enduring mom and pop stores.  [PMFA]

- A bicycle delivery man was critically injured when a tree fell on him in Red Hook Monday afternoon. [ABC7]

- Still waiting for FIOS? Brooklyn BP Eric Adams will be hosting a public forum on Verizon's Brooklyn rollout Tuesday night. [Brownstoner]

- An ad that surfaced last week on Craigslist offering a tricked-out dumpster as a rentable apartment was phony. [Brooklyn Eagle] 

- Just once month before 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens,' Gowanus’ Halyards Bar is showing every ‘Star Wars’ movie in the nerdiest way possible. [Brokelyn]


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Music Lovers Rejoice: Make Music Winter Returns Dec. 21

Illustration by Adam McCauley, courtesy of Make Music NY

 Make Music Winter returns on Monday December 21. Musicians, singers, and winter revelers are invited to join the party and make music on the longest night of the year. Most events require no musical training, but some open rehearsals start now.

A dozen musical parades are planned, including Bach, Bells, Flatfooters, Kalimbas, Parranderos (in Melrose and Williamsburg), Percussion, Singers, and Smartphones. For example, in Brooklyn:

- Bell by Bell: Starting at the DUMBO Arch, artist Tom Peyton will distribute seventy color-coded bells to the crowd, one color per note. At the front of the parade, a team of conductors waves corresponding colored flags to lead the group in slowly moving music, written by a variety of composers. When the conductors raise their red and green flags, everyone with red and green bells start ringing, and so on for each color.

- RPM / BLINK / Wheels: The ever-popular bicycle bell parade through Prospect Park, which started with BLINK in 2013 and continued with Wheels in 2014, turns into a trilogy with RPM by P. Spadine of Ashcan Orchestra.

- Flat Foot Flatbush: Dancers, fiddlers, and pickers will parade down Flatbush Ave playing old-time tunes while flat footing, a form of percussive dancing from Appalachia. Led by dancer Megan Downes and the City Stompers, the parade steps off at 5:00 pm in front of the Barclays Center, with stops along the way to play, dance, and sing. Workshop to make your own tap shoes if you don't have any.

- La Trullita Navideña, a cultural experience of the Caribbean tradition of parranda. Join in the singing, drumming and celebration throughout Los Sures, the Southside of Williamsburg. Leading up to Make Music Winter, join BombaYo for open rehearsals in November and December, held at El Puente and Williamsburg Library Spaceworks.

More on Make Music Winter here.

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Brooklyn She-roes: Shirley Chisholm, Barbara Streisand Named as 2015 Presidential Medal of Freedom Recipients

On Monday, President Barack Obama named seventeen recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, our nation’s highest award to civilians.

Two of the recipients this year hail from Brooklyn: Shirley Chisholm (now deceased), who made history in 1968 by becoming the first African-American woman elected to Congress; and Barbra Streisand, famed singer, actor, director, producer and songwriter.

In a statement on Monday, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams said, “The Presidential Medal of Freedom is our nation’s highest civilian honor, and I share the honor that all Brooklynites feel in the news that President Obama has named former Representative Shirley Chisholm and entertainment legend Barbara Streisand, both native daughters of Brooklyn, as two of the latest recipients."

Adams added, "The award has a storied history in our borough, with previous awardees including Dr. Anthony Fauci, General Peter Pace, baseball legend Jackie Robinson, and Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson. Chisholm and Streisand are true she-roes that embody the never-say-die Brooklyn spirit, and the trails they blazed generations ago still burn brightly today.”

The awards will be presented at the White House on November 24th. More on this year's winners here.

______________

Photo credits: 
"Shirley Chisholm NYWTS" by Roger Higgins, World Telegram staff photographer - Library of Congress. New York World-Telegram & Sun Collection. Licensed under Public Domain via Commons

"Streisand - Dolly signed" by Movie studio - RR Auction. Licensed under Public Domain via Commons  

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Brownsville the Next Startup Hub? And More Brooklyn Briefs

- This man’s face was not always his own. Three months ago, it belonged to a young Brooklyn bike mechanic. [NY Magazine]

- Hate crime? Police are looking for suspects in connection to an egging crime in Brooklyn. [CBS local]

- A guide to independent bookstores in Brooklyn. [Brooklyn Magazine]

- Brooklyn, Manhattan residents testify about 'incessant' noise, pollution as NYC Council considers bills banning tourist helicopters. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- Have you seen this guy? Police say he robbed a TD Bank in Brooklyn. (The photo is amazingly clear.) [Fox5]

- Could Brownsville be the next startup hub? [Technical.ly]

- Interesting article on the history of many libraries in Brooklyn. [Brownstoner]

- The Brooklyn Eagle: from Walt Whitman to online today. [Brownstoner]


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