Brooklyn’s biggest stories of the week: the city closed nearly every beach to swimming; Pete Davidson turned up for dinner in Brooklyn; the first free 2-K offers went out; state test scores for public schools landed with a warning attached; Brooklyn had its quietest month on record for homicides; the MTA promised open-stroller space on every city bus; MUJI signed a lease at the Alloy Block; and a Crown Heights block was crowned the greenest in the borough. Read on for the latest!
Weather, Beaches & Health
The city closes nearly every beach to swimming
Swimming was off limits at Coney Island and Manhattan Beach on Monday after forecasters warned of a high rip current risk and breaking waves of five to seven feet. Rockaway and four Staten Island beaches closed too, leaving Orchard Beach in the Bronx the only city beach open. Sand and boardwalks stayed open, with Parks enforcement officers keeping people out of the water.
Heat and flash flood plans switched on for Thursday and Friday
The city activated both its heat and flash flood emergency plans for Thursday and Friday. A heat advisory ran from 11 a.m. Thursday to 8 p.m. Friday, with heat index values of 95 to 100, and forecasters warned Brooklyn could see rain falling at 1.5 to 2.5 inches an hour. Hundreds of cooling centers opened; the nearest one is on the city’s Cool Options map or through 311.
West Nile turns up in nearly twice as many mosquito pools as last year
The Health Department reported Thursday that 612 of 2,040 mosquito pools tested citywide were positive for West Nile virus as of July 25, against 326 at the same point last year. No human cases have been recorded this season, and August and September are peak months. One note for families: repellent containing oil of lemon eucalyptus should not be used on children under three.
Events & Entertainment
Pete Davidson turns up for dinner in Brooklyn
Pete Davidson was photographed in Brooklyn on Monday night after a long dinner with Sarah Jane Nader, of Hulu’s “Love Thy Nader.” The pair came in through the kitchen and ate in a private room for about two hours. A source told TMZ the two are just friends. Davidson split from Elsie Hewitt, the mother of his daughter, in May.
Celebrate Brooklyn! hands Saturday night to Aaliyah
BRIC’s free Celebrate Brooklyn! festival gave over Saturday to BRIC Celebrates Aaliyah: One in a Million at the Lena Horne Bandshell in Prospect Park, with Res, serpentwithfeet, Halima and Tariq Al-Sabir among the performers. Doors opened at 3 p.m. and the show began at 4. Admission was free and first come, first served.
Summer Stroll on Third closes the avenue for a 30-piece orchestra
Third Avenue in Bay Ridge went car free from 82nd Street to Marine Avenue on Friday evening, 6 to 10 p.m. The Brooklyn Chamber Orchestra turned the Citizens Bank parking lot at 9201 Third Avenue into an open-air concert hall from 7 p.m. One Stroll is left this summer, on Friday, August 14, running from 68th Street to 82nd.
Babies at the blockbuster
The New York Times reported on August 1 that parents have been taking infants to daytime screenings of “The Odyssey,” including a 9:45 a.m. showing at Alamo Drafthouse in Downtown Brooklyn. Nitehawk’s Prospect Park cinema runs Adults with Infants on Tuesday afternoons for babies a year and under, and infants in arms need no ticket.
Childcare & Schools
The first free 2-K offers go out, but not in our neighborhoods
Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Governor Kathy Hochul announced Tuesday that about 2,000 children had received offers for the city’s first year of free 2-K, out of 5,700 applicants. The pilot was limited to priority neighborhoods, which in Brooklyn means Canarsie and Brownsville only. More than 80 percent of applicants got one of their top three choices, and the program is set to grow to 12,000 seats next year.
State test scores land with a blunt warning
New York City Public Schools released citywide results for this year’s state tests on Friday, August 7. Across grades 3 to 8, reading proficiency fell 6 percentage points to 50.3%, while math held steady at 57%. All districts and schools here.
A 676-seat high school is planned for the old St. Nicholas Home site in Bay Ridge
The School Construction Authority has filed permits for a five-storey, 676-seat high school on Ovington Avenue in Bay Ridge, on the site of the former St. Nicholas Home and, before that, Bay Ridge Hospital. Plans show roughly 35,000 square feet with a cafeteria, an auditorium and indoor sports space. The city paid $10.2 million for the site; no completion date has been announced.
Police Blotter
Brooklyn records its quietest month ever for homicides
District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said Tuesday that Brooklyn recorded two homicides in July, the fewest in any calendar month on record, then went 29 days without a murder, the longest such stretch in the borough’s modern history. The streak ended when a woman was found dead in a suspected domestic incident on August 1. Homicides are down 37 percent and shootings 16 percent so far this year.
Transit
Every city bus is getting a space for an open stroller
The MTA said Thursday it is expanding its open stroller program to every local and Select Bus Service route by the end of the year, paid for with a $1.5 million grant. Depending on the model, buses get flip-up seats or open floor space near the rear door, marked with a decal outside. One open stroller is allowed at a time; after that, you still fold.
The G train skips three stops over the weekend
Bedford-Nostrand-bound G trains ran past 4 Av-9 St, 15 St-Prospect Park and Fort Hamilton Parkway from Friday through Monday. Weekend 2 trains are also out of service between 34 St-Penn Station and Flatbush Av-Brooklyn College through August.
Real Estate & Development
Brooklyn sales volume climbs past $4 billion
Douglas Elliman’s second-quarter Brooklyn report put recorded sales above $4.08 billion, up 5.9 percent on the year, with a median sale price of $1.06 million, about 3 percent higher than last year. Signed contracts were essentially flat at 1,245. The busiest slice of the market was the $1 million to $3 million band, where 1,843 homes were listed.
Montague Street’s rents follow the eye line
Brooklyn Heights’ main shopping street prices its storefronts by what shoppers can see: ground-floor space commands the most, while split-level and mezzanine space rents for noticeably less. REBNY’s most recent Brooklyn retail report put asking rents along the Montague Street corridor between $100 and $175 a square foot, averaging $120, up 5.3 percent on the year before.
312 affordable apartments are revealed for Williamsburg
Renderings landed for a pair of all-affordable buildings at 73 Meserole Street and 178 Montrose Avenue, 14 and 13 storeys, with 312 rental apartments between them and unit sizes running up to three bedrooms. Slate Property Group and RiseBoro Community Partnership are developing; Aufgang Architects designed.
Permits are filed for a 15-storey building in Bed-Stuy
Permits were filed on Monday for a 15-storey mixed-use building at 23 Spencer Street, between Park and Flushing Avenues and a short walk from the Flushing Avenue G. Moses Wertheimer of The Tower is listed as the owner.
Openings & Closings
MUJI is coming to the Alloy Block
MUJI signed a 10-year lease for a 10,000-square-foot store at Alloy’s development on Flatbush Avenue at State Street, opening in 2027. Winner, the cafe and bakery from Michelin-starred chef Daniel Eddy, has taken 2,726 square feet and opens this autumn. Both join CardVault by Tom Brady, which opened in March.
Apapacho opens on Fifth Avenue in Park Slope
Apapachó, a modern Mexican restaurant from two of the owners of Alma Negra, opened on Sunday at 191 Fifth Avenue near Berkeley Place. Tacos and fresh tortillas share the menu with larger plates, and it takes reservations through Resy.
Lucky Creamery scoops in Greenpoint
Lucky Creamery opened at 669 Manhattan Avenue on Saturday, August 1, with Asian-inspired ice cream, egg waffles, milkshakes and milk and fruit teas. There are dairy-free and vegan scoops as well, which is useful to know before you promise the whole class a cone.
Chuko closes on Vanderbilt Avenue after 15 years
Chuko, the ramen shop at 565 Vanderbilt Avenue in Prospect Heights, announced on Sunday that it is closing at that address after 15 years. “Follow us for updates on what’s next,” the owners wrote. No new location has been announced. More of the month’s food news is in our July roundup.
Only in Brooklyn
Crown Heights takes the Greenest Block in Brooklyn
The Brooklyn Botanic Garden named Lincoln Place between New York and Nostrand avenues the greenest residential block in Brooklyn on Tuesday, the work of a neighbour-run team called P.L.A.N.T. A record 139 blocks entered in the contest’s 30th year. Closer to home, Montague Street won the commercial title, a Baltic Street woodworking shop took greenest storefront, Bay Ridge and Bed-Stuy shared second among residential blocks, and Fort Greene’s Greene Garden won for sustainable practice.
Brooklyn’s bodega cats are getting a book
The Instagram account behind four years of bodega cat photographs is turning the archive into Bodega Cats of New York, out on November 3 from Epic Ink: 240 pages, 120 photographs and 60 cats from all five boroughs. The Brooklyn contingent includes regulars from Bay Ridge and Sunset Park.
Old art supplies get a second life at Industry City
Brooklyn Creative Reuse, the non-profit shop at 254 36th Street in Industry City, featured in an Associated Press story this week. It sells donated fabric, yarn, paint, pencils and office supplies at about $3 a pound, and runs workshops; a repair fair is set for August 15. It opens Wednesday and Thursday from 2 to 7 p.m. and Friday to Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Sports
On the Court
The Liberty beat the Seattle Storm twice at Barclays Center this week, 95-83 on Monday and 92-86 on Wednesday, to move to 19-13. Sabrina Ionescu, Jonquel Jones and Breanna Stewart scored the team’s first 26 points on Monday; Stewart put up 28 on Wednesday and Jones had 14 points, 15 rebounds and seven assists. Hillary Clinton sat courtside on Monday and drew a loud ovation when she appeared on the videoboard. The Liberty hosted Las Vegas on Sunday.
On the Diamond
The Cyclones took the first three games of a road series against the Wilmington Blue Rocks, 7-1 on Tuesday, 10-8 on Wednesday behind a six-run ninth, and 3-2 on Thursday. The three-game run moved the Mets’ High-A affiliate within striking distance of first place in the South Atlantic League North’s second half. The series ran through Sunday.
On the Pitch
Brooklyn FC’s men hosted Birmingham Legion at Maimonides Park on Saturday evening, looking to end a two-match slide. On the women’s side, three signings landed this week, midfielders Jilly Shimkin and Carlee Giammona and forward Jackie Richards, all pending league and federation approval. The women open their fall season away at Lexington on August 15.
Do you want all local parenting news in your inbox? Sign up for our weekly newsletter now!
