Brooklyn’s biggest stories of the week: Park Slope’s giant pumpkin is back on its stoop, Brooklyn Basketball announced three new locations, The New York Times reads Brooklyn Bridge Parents, our Kids Zone came to the Smith Street Fair, Skinny Louie opened on Flatbush Avenue, Kelly Clarkson’s feud with Atlantic Avenue’s Art of Play; Emily Blunt and John Krasinski sold a Brooklyn Heights apartment; P.S. 307 parents said why they like their school; and the Carroll Gardens Library set a December 1 reopening.
Celebrity News
Kelly Clarkson’s feud with Art of Play put an Atlantic Avenue shop in the spotlight
Kelly Clarkson posted that Art of Play, the curiosity shop at 69 Atlantic Avenue, snubbed her over Molly, a singing bird automaton the shop says was not for sale. Co-owner Adam Rubin then said he would part with Molly for $15 million, NBC News reported.
Emily Blunt and John Krasinski sold one of their Brooklyn Heights apartments
A trust tied to the couple sold a ninth-floor apartment in the Standish for $6.5 million in an off-market deal in June, according to records made public Wednesday, Curbed reported. The couple bought the building’s full eighth floor in 2018 for $11 million.
Schools & Childcare
P.S. 307 parents said why they like their school
Parents at P.S. 307 told Chalkbeat they like the school, which drew national attention after Nikole Hannah-Jones’ New York Times essay about her daughter’s negative experience there years earlier. About 1 in 4 of its third to fifth graders scored proficient on 2025 state exams.
Middle school applications opened
Fifth graders can now apply to middle school for fall 2027: applications opened Wednesday and close Friday, December 11, NYC Public Schools said. Our guide has the details.
Police Blotter
A shooting near P.S. 309 put the Bed-Stuy school in shelter-in-place
A person sitting in a car was shot in the leg at Monroe Street and Ralph Avenue just after 1pm Tuesday, near P.S. 309, News 12 reported. The shelter-in-place was lifted later that day and no students were hurt.
Transit & Streets
Citi Bike completed its expansion to Bay Ridge and Kensington
The city and Lyft completed a Citi Bike expansion of more than 230 stations across seven neighborhoods, including Bay Ridge and Kensington, the mayor’s office announced. Bay Ridge riders have taken more than 75,000 trips since its first stations opened last September.
Bus-lane cameras started issuing warnings on the B1 and B6
A 60-day warning period for bus-lane cameras began Monday on the B1 and B6, Patch reported. After that, tickets start at $50 and rise to $250 for repeat violations.
J train shuttle buses began weekend runs
Shuttle buses replaced J trains between Myrtle Av–Broadway and Essex St in Manhattan on the weekend of Oct. 17–18 while the MTA replaces aging switches, News 12 reported. The work returns Oct. 24–25, Nov. 7–9, Nov. 13–16 and Nov. 20–23; the L, A and C are the suggested alternatives.
Community & Events
Cj Hendry’s free Flower Market came to Greenpoint
Artist Cj Hendry’s Flower Market opened Saturday at 279 Calyer Street, with free admission and a free first flower; it runs through Monday.
The Carroll Gardens Library set a December 1 reopening
The Carroll Gardens Library at 396 Clinton Street reopens Tuesday, December 1, at 2pm with a new teen space, Brooklyn Public Library said. The pop-up library at 250 Baltic Street closes Friday, November 6.
Park Slope’s giant pumpkin is back on its stoop
Charlie Pigott’s giant pumpkin is on his brownstone stoop at 69 Eighth Avenue, near Union Street, through Halloween. Last year’s weighed 1,000 pounds and needed a rented forklift to get onto the stoop, ABC7 reported.
Artists displaced by the Red Hook fire marked one year
The Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition, without a permanent home since the Sept. 17, 2025 fire destroyed its Red Hook space of more than 30 years, showed “One Year Later: New Work, New Perspectives” at the Whale Building, 14 53rd St., in Sunset Park through Oct. 18, News 12 reported.
The New York Times reads Brooklyn Bridge Parents
In its Where to Eat newsletter on Oct. 15, The New York Times included Aloha Alley in Dumbo in its guide to Hawaiian food in New York City. Luke Fortney wrote that he learned about it last summer “while reading Brooklyn Bridge Parents, a neighborhood blog,” in an update about construction at the Susan Smith McKinney Steward playground.
Our Kids Zone came to Smith Street for Neighbors & Makers
Neighbors & Makers, the Smith Street fair Brooklyn Bridge Parents runs with the Merchants of Smith Street, was held on car-free Smith Street in Cobble Hill on Saturday, October 17. Our free Kids Zone, from 11am to 2pm, had magic shows, a dance party with HYPE Dance, an obstacle course and crafts. Thank you to our supporter, BASIS Independent Brooklyn.
Brooklyn Basketball announced three new locations
Brooklyn Basketball, the official youth program of the Nets and Liberty, announced Wednesday that it will open three new locations, in Greenpoint, Bushwick and Gowanus, in 2027, Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment said.
Food & Drink
Skinny Louie opened in Park Slope
Skinny Louie, the smash-burger chain from Miami, opened its Park Slope shop at 218 Flatbush Avenue with a grand opening on Friday, October 16, offering 100 free cheeseburgers.
Sports
The Nets finished the preseason 3–1
The Nets finished the preseason 3–1 after losing their finale to the Heat 144–128 on Wednesday, the New York Post reported.
