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Tag: Brooklyn

  • Suspect in Brooklyn housing complex slay told shooter who to target: D.A.

    Suspect in Brooklyn housing complex slay told shooter who to target: D.A.

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    An ex-con busted in an August murder at a troubled Brooklyn public housing complex pointed out the victim to the shooter, then helped chase the doomed man into a lobby, prosecutors allege.

    Thomas Nimmons, 26, played a key role in the murder of Dawuand Darrien, even though he didn’t fire the bullets that left the 29-year-old victim bleeding to death Aug. 12, according to a criminal complaint.

    A witness saw Nimmons and the shooter walking together in the courtyard of the Sumner Houses in Bedford-Stuyvesant at 2:40 a.m. When Nimmons saw Darrien, he told the unidentified gunman, “It is him,” the complaint alleges.

    Man Dead After Brooklyn Shooting

    Theodore Parisienne for New York Daily News

    Dawuand Darrien, 29, was outside a NYCHA apartment building on Vernon Ave. near Marcus Garvey Blvd. around 2:40 a.m. on Aug. 12 when he and a friend became embroiled in a shouting match with two other men, witnesses told police.(Theodore Parisienne for New York Daily News)

    Darrien bolted toward a building on Vernon Ave. near Marcus Garvey Blvd. around 2:40 a.m., making it into the lobby before Nimmons and the shooter caught him, prosecutors allege.

    Video footage from the lobby shows the shooter opening fire as Darrien collapses, while Nimmons also holds a gun in his hand, according to the complaint.

    Darrien was shot in the chest, and a bullet ripped through his lung, pulmonary artery and vein, according to the complaint.

    Nimmons was released from prison in April after serving almost four years for criminal possession of a controlled substance, assault and attempted robbery, public records show.

    Tamesha McCall

    Tamesha McCall, 47, an aunt of Dawuand Darrien, cries at his family home in Brooklyn, NY, next to a photo of her nephew on a poster board. (Rebecca White for New York Daily News)

    Rebecca White for New York Daily News

    Tamesha McCall, 47, an aunt of Dawuand Darrien, cries at his family home in Brooklyn, NY, next to a photo of her nephew on a poster board. (Rebecca White for New York Daily News)

    He was arrested Friday and charged with murder and weapon possession charges, and was ordered held without bail at his Brooklyn criminal court arraignment.

    A message to his lawyer was not immediately returned Monday.

    Darrien was shot after he and a friend became embroiled in a shouting match with two other men, witnesses told police. The fight may have involved a drunken girl heard screaming outside, building tenants told the Daily News in August.

    The Sumner Houses have been plagued by violence in recent weeks. On Sept. 30, Kyle Forde, 28, was shot to death, and two of his friends were wounded by bullets, in a courtyard at the housing development. And on Sept. 4, three men and a woman were wounded in a broad-daylight shooting near a basketball court at the complex.

     

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    John Annese

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  • Adams’ demand for more community input on Prospect Heights bike path leaves residents seething

    Adams’ demand for more community input on Prospect Heights bike path leaves residents seething

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    Outraged Prospect Heights residents are demanding to know why City Hall has thrown a curve at the long-debated Underhill Avenue redesign in Brooklyn and are demanding the project move forward without delay.

    Mayor Adams stunned proponents of the project — which would permanently install bikes lanes and traffic-slowing measures on the residential street — when he said last week that more community input was needed. The city Department of Transportation has conducted multiple meetings on the plan, with a 2021 survey showing overwhelming support for additional pedestrian and bike-friendly corridors.

    But Adams said he wanted his team to go “door-to-door” asking residents’ thoughts on the plan — because he believes “long term residents” still haven’t been given input.

    “I want a very healthy, hefty community engagement,” Adams said last week. “And to some, they believe community engagement is slowing up the process. I don’t. Residents of a community should have input in how their streets are going to be changed. When you change a street, you are changing the fabric of a community.”

    Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office

    Mayor Eric Adams and senior administration officials hold an in-person media availability. City Hall. Tuesday, October 10, 2023.

    Angry residents and advocates counter the community has had extensive input on the project and that it has strong support. They’re worried that the Mayor’s push for another round of review may threaten the project on Underhill Ave, which is already near completion, and that it may join a potentially growing list of street redesign projects that have been scaled down by the city under the Adams administration.

    “I’m not really sure why he’s questioning the community outreach, or the sentiment among residents. It seems to be pretty clear,” said Gib Veconi, chair of the Prospect Heights Neighborhood Development Council, or PHNDC.

    The Department of Transportation’s community outreach included seven workshops, several community board presentations, plus various town halls, surveys, stakeholder meetings and outreach events, according to DOT materials. A 2021 survey of nearby residents obtained by the News found that 86% of respondents wanted a permanent street redesign for Underhill and Vanderbilt Avenue a block over, which is slated to be turned into an open street.

    The PHNDC started a petition last month in response to the delay. It’s collected over 2,800 signatures to date. And last week, they sent a letter to the Mayor asking him to resume work on the project.

    “Having community members comment on a new street design before it has been completed is
    not a meaningful exercise, and delaying the completion of the work puts users of the
    street at risk,” the letter reads. “In short, we ask that you just let DOT finish the job. Any further delay makes no sense and is irresponsible.”

    The bike boulevard on Underhill Avenue, a mostly residential street in Prospect Heights, has already undergone most of the changes for the project. The redesign is aimed at slowing car traffic by making some sections one-way and placing traffic diverters and planters on the street.

    A spokesperson for the mayor pushed back against the idea that the project has been delayed.

    “There is no change to the plan for Underhill,” the spokesperson said. “… We are kicking off door-to-door outreach to hear from the community about the project.”

    Advocates and residents fear the city’s handling of Underhill Avenue will continue a pattern of projects — including McGuinness Boulevard in Brooklyn and Fordham Road in the Bronx — that have been scaled back by the city.

    “I can tell you firsthand that a significant majority of Underhill residents support the project,” Assembly member Robert Carroll wrote in a statement. “I understand the need for any street redesign to be perfected, but at this point the path is clear — the Underhill Bike Boulevard must go forward.”

    All of this is happening on a complicated backdrop of debate over how best to use shared spaces across the city. Post-COVID, bikes have become more popular as car spaces have become even more coveted, and delivery workers and e-bikes have exploded in use, crowding streets and even endangering pedestrians and fellow bikers more than ever.

    The redesign of Underhill Ave is part of a citywide effort to make permanent elements of open streets that were converted during the pandemic. This street was previously an open street.

    “Mayor Adams is facing a crisis on the streets, including one of the worst years for cyclists in history,” said Danny Harris, executive director of Transportation Alternatives. “… We shouldn’t be rolling back projects and giving more space to cars.”

    Department of Transportation spokeswoman Mona Bruno referred the Daily News to a City Hall spokesman when asked Thursday why additional outreach was needed given the 2021 survey. The spokesman, Charles Lutvak, in turn, referred The News back to the mayor’s Tuesday remarks.

    All of this has sparked confusion among those who live and work along the street.

    “I think they finished the construction already, right? I haven’t seen those guys in a while,” said Mohammed Asla, 53, who works at a deli on Underhill and St. John’s Place, adding that, “personally, I like the changes.”

    Randi Lee, owner of Leland, a Mediterranean restaurant along the avenue, saw the changes on the street start and then stop outside his restaurant — but is still puzzled as to why the city seems to be, at least temporarily, pumping the brakes.

    “This is a small street, it’s not like Myrtle or Dekalb. It seems kind of like pocket change,” Lee said, wondering why the project has been thrown to more community outreach.

    There’s been the usual hubbub around the street changes, Lee and others said. Changing the status quo of a street remains tough to do in New York City. But many were happy to see the street lines repainted and planters set down on the street, slowing down car traffic.

    “All it takes is one big voice to halt what’s happening,” Lee said, “And that seems to be the case here.”

    — With Chris Sommerfeldt

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    Josephine Stratman, Evan Simko-Bednarski

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  • NYPD tow truck driver strikes, kills 7-year-old Kamari Hampton as he was riding scooter to school in Brooklyn, police say

    NYPD tow truck driver strikes, kills 7-year-old Kamari Hampton as he was riding scooter to school in Brooklyn, police say

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    Police: NYPD tow truck driver arrested after striking, killing 7-year-old boy


    Police: NYPD tow truck driver arrested after striking, killing 7-year-old boy

    02:07

    NEW YORK — A 7-year-old boy was struck and killed by an NYPD tow truck while on his way to school with his mother Thursday in Brooklyn. 

    Surveillance video shows the boy, identified as Kamari Hampton, riding a scooter on a crosswalk at the intersection of North Portland and Myrtle Avenue in Fort Greene. The tow truck driver didn’t immediately stop after striking Kamari.

    “I’m devastated. I was coming to get my baby’s breakfast this morning and the tow truck hit that little boy. He had a crosswalk. He was coming through the crosswalk, he had the right of way, on a scooter,” said Antwon Hayes.

    Witnesses watched in shock and then ran to help Kamari, but it was too late.

    Watch Jennifer Bisram’s report


    NYPD tow truck driver strikes, kills 7-year-old boy in Brooklyn

    02:29

    The NYPD said initially that the driver stopped immediately at the scene, while witnesses said otherwise.

    “She hit that little boy and kept going. I had to tell the housing workers to stop her, from her to keep going. The mother’s screaming hysterically, ‘They killed my baby!’” said Hayes. 

    Witnesses said the driver was on her cellphone, speeding and ran a red light. 

    “I think I was crying more than her, because to see devastation like that, she just kept screaming ‘They killed my baby.’ And it’s unimaginable. I can’t imagine my grandbaby that played with him every day in the park being here, laying down like that,” said Tyrana Carter. 

    “Our heart goes out to the family of that young boy and his mother, his school, his teachers who were also on the scene, a very tough scene to be at this morning,” said NYPD Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey. 

    Police tell us the truck driver, a 56-year-old woman who is a member of the NYPD, has been arrested.


    NYPD updates: Cooper Union protest; Child struck by tow truck

    08:23

    Mayor Eric Adams said on social media Thursday night, “We will do whatever it takes to keep our streets safe.”

    “This is the 25th child to be killed on Mayor Adams’ streets,” Transportation Alternatives Executive Director Danny Harris said.

    Harris says the Adams administration is behind schedule on street safety plans.

    “Because of decision being made by this administration that are withholding street safety projects, it means that beautiful child will never come home again,” he said.

    According to Transportation Alternatives, nine children were killed in traffic violence in New York City in 2020 and this was the 103rd time a child was killed in a traffic crash since 2014. 

    “How do we make sure that we have more crossing guards across the city?” said New York City Council Member Crystal Hudson.  “We have to hold the NYPD accountable the same way we expect to hold every other New Yorker accountable for obeying traffic laws.”

    Residents who spoke to CBS New York’s Doug Williams said they’ve never seen crossing guards at the intersection, which they call dangerous.

    “I’m just a parent in this area, but we’ve had so many conversations regarding safety for our students while they walk to school,” Fort Greene resident Shawneke Pass said.

    Balloons were released late Thursday afternoon in honor of Kamari, and throughout the evening, many Fort Greene residents stopped at the intersection to pay their respects by adding to a growing memorial.

    “And you just think, what if you were walking your child to school and they’re hit and killed?” New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams said. “We need the community to remember what happened here today.”

    One woman we spoke to said she didn’t witness what happened, but worse, her kids did. She took a moment to be at the memorial in honor of Kamari before returning home to put her kids to bed and talk to them about what they were forced to witness.

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  • The JAY-Z interview: Part 1

    The JAY-Z interview: Part 1

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    The JAY-Z interview: Part 1 – CBS News


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    Shawn “JAY-Z” Carter gives CBS Mornings co-host Gayle King an exclusive tour of the “Book of HOV” exhibit at Brooklyn Public Library. He shares behind-the-scenes details about his earliest albums, his decision to not sell his masters, and he says “being a beacon” for his culture means most to him today.

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  • Gayle King one-on-one with JAY-Z: PART 1

    Gayle King one-on-one with JAY-Z: PART 1

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    Gayle King one-on-one with JAY-Z: PART 1 – CBS News


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    Shawn “JAY-Z” Carter gives CBS Mornings co-host Gayle King an exclusive tour of the “Book of HOV” exhibit at Brooklyn Public Library. He shares behind-the-scenes details about his earliest albums, his decision to not sell his masters, and he says “being a beacon” for his culture means most to him today.

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    Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.


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  • Coney Island game booth employee gets 13 years for shooting co-worker in beef over customers

    Coney Island game booth employee gets 13 years for shooting co-worker in beef over customers

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    A Coney Island game booth employee had a losing day in Brooklyn court Wednesday when a judge sentenced him to 13 years for shooting a co-worker he thought was stealing his customers.

    Joseph Colon, 38, who worked at Jumbo Prizes in Luna Park, shot his fellow booth worker Alfredo Perez in the chest on Sept. 10, 2021 as several boardwalk-goers, including children, were enjoying the late summer night, a Brooklyn jury found.

    He was convicted at trial of attempted murder and other charges in Brooklyn Supreme Court on May 31. Justice Susan Quirk handed down the 13-year sentence.

    Police respond to a shooting on Stillwell Ave. and W. 12th St. in Coney Island, Brooklyn, on Friday, September 10, 2021. (Gardiner Anderson for New York Daily News)

    Colon and his victim were both working as recruiters for the game booth, and they got a few bucks for each customer they brought in, according to law enforcement sources. About a week before the shooting, he accused the victim of stealing one of his customers while he was on break, the sources said.

    That argument was part of a longstanding beef over who got to recruit the game stand’s customers. On the night of the shooting, Colon was already there when Perez showed up for work.

    He took what prosecutors described as a “tactical position behind the booth,” pulled out an unlicensed gun, and shot Perez once in the chest.

    Colon got out of the booth, briefly pursuing the victim before ducking down Bowery St., then was caught on video taking off his camouflage hoodie and walking into Nathan’s Famous, where he tossed the garment in the trash.

    Police recovered the hoodie, which had his DNA on it.

    Colon then headed to his Coney Island home, and “he waved to people, and shook the hands of acquaintances, and hugged and kissed neighbors along the way,” Assistant D.A. Michael Boykin wrote in his sentencing letter to Quirk.

    He then fled to a relative’s home in Temple, Penn., staying there until his capture by the NYPD’s Regional Fugitive Task Force.

    Police respond to a shooting on Stillwell Avenue and West 12th Street in Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York City on Friday, September 10, 2021. (Gardiner Anderson for New York Daily News)
    Police respond to a shooting on Stillwell Ave. and W. 12th St. in Coney Island, Brooklyn on Sept. 10, 2021. (Gardiner Anderson for New York Daily News)

    Perez almost died, but was discovered by a random pedestrian and saved by an ambulance crew who happened to be in the area handling another patient, Boykin wrote.

    “This shooting at Coney Island’s Luna Park was an outrageous act of violence that nearly killed a man and put many more people in harm’s way,” Brooklyn D.A. Eric Gonzalez said Wednesday.

    Colon’s lawyer did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

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    John Annese

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  • Pro-Palestinian protesters in Brooklyn clash with NYPD, 22 charged

    Pro-Palestinian protesters in Brooklyn clash with NYPD, 22 charged

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    A chaotic clash between pro-Palestinian protestors and NYPD cops ended with 19 adults and three juveniles charged, officials said Sunday.

    The Saturday evening protest on Fifth Ave. near 72nd St. in Bay Ridge, an enclave for a large Arab population in the city, marked the second time in as many days that police took pro-Palestinian demonstrators into custody.

    Videos posted on social media show cops arresting several protesters, including one 30-second clip that shows an NYPD officer appearing to punch a demonstrator.

    Jeff Bachner/New York Daily News

    A chaotic clash between pro-Palestinian protestors and NYPD officers Saturday night ended with 19 adults and three juveniles taken into custody.

    “During the course of a planned protest for which a permit was not attained, officers encountered a mostly peaceful crowd,” an NYPD spokesperson said. “Some demonstrators within the crowd chose to act in a combative and aggressive manner. Officers were pushed, shoved, and struck by some demonstrators within the crowd after the LRAD (long-range acoustic device) device was utilized.”

    “Officers were struck with flying debris which included eggs, fireworks, and bottles. Officers responded to this disruptive behavior and attempted to regain order by taking into custody those responsible for these actions. In the course of doing so, the officer seen in the video is reacting to active resistance by criminals within the crowd. The NYPD encourages peaceful protests but will not condone our officers being subjected to any form of violence.”

    Ten men and six women were issued summonses for disorderly conduct. Two men, ages 29 and 18, and a woman, 19, received desk appearance tickets for charges including resisting arrest and disorderly conduct, according to an NYPD spokesman.

    Two minors were given juvenile reports, while a third got a summons.

    The protest was organized by a group called Within Our Lifetime, called for an end to airstrikes on civilians in Gaza and for a halt to U.S. funding for the Israeli military.

    On Friday, hundreds of pro-Palestinian protestors gathered in Midtown to demand a ceasefire in the war. Cops took 139 of them into custody for blocking traffic and later released them with disorderly conduct summonses, according to the NYPD.

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    John Annese

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  • NYC lawmakers suing Adams over Floyd Bennett Field migrant shelter call for round-the-clock protest at site

    NYC lawmakers suing Adams over Floyd Bennett Field migrant shelter call for round-the-clock protest at site

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    City Councilwoman Joann Ariola and State Assemblywoman Jaime Williams — who are suing to block Mayor Adams’ administration from housing migrants at Floyd Bennett Field — called  on constituents Friday to come out for a “24/7 protest” at the defunct Brooklyn airstrip to make their “voices heard loud and clear on this matter.”

    According to Ariola’s office, the demonstration will kick off at 4 p.m. Monday outside Floyd Bennett’s Runway 19, where construction is underway on a tent-style shelter expected to be able to house some 500 migrant families with kids. The plan is then to have a group of protesters large enough that shifts can be assigned so that there’s an around-the-clock presence every day thereafter, Ariola’s office said.

    “Placing a shelter here would be wrong for the migrants, and it would be wrong for the people who enjoy the amenities at Floyd Bennett Field. This is the wrong decision all around, and we need to make our voices heard loud and clear on this matter,” Ariola, a Republican, said in a statement. “We need to stand as one strong, united, organized force. Together, we can stop this once and for all.”

    City Council member Joann Ariola is pictured during a hearing on June 5, 2023. (Luiz C. Ribeiro for New York Daily News)

    Ray Vann, a spokesman for Ariola, did not immediately have an idea of how many people they expect will show up. Ariola and Williams, a Democrat, are circulating an online signup form where constituents can register for protest duty.

    Spokespeople for Adams did not immediately return requests for comment on the planned 24/7 initiative.

    The Floyd Bennett migrant shelter site is drawing criticism for a variety of reasons.

    Ariola, Williams and a group of other mostly Republican lawmakers are suing Adams’ administration in state court alleging the city’s violating zoning laws and development restrictions. The administration attempted to recently get the lawsuit moved to a federal court, as Floyd Bennett Field is mostly owned by the U.S. Department of Interior, but a judge ordered it back to state court, a move Ariola and her allies touted as a win for their cause.

    The U.S. military airstrip, which stands largely unused, is located in a flood plain, and Republicans as well as Democrats have raised concerns about the safety of housing migrants in there.

    Williams was at the site Friday afternoon and provided a photo showing large pools of water accumulating amid the moderate rainfall.

    State Assembly Member Jaime Williams speaks at a rally near Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn, New York City on Thursday, August 24, 2023 to protest a plan to house migrants at the facility.
    State Assemblywoman Jaime Williams speaks at a rally near Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn, New York on Thursday, August 24, 2023 to protest a plan to house migrants at the facility. (Gardiner Anderson for New York Daily News)

    Another issue that has stirred controversy is Adams’ announcement earlier this week that his administration plans to house migrant families with children at the Floyd Bennett facility even though it’s going to be a “congregate” shelter site. Under the city’s right-to-shelter mandate, which the administration is asking for court permission to suspend, it’s illegal to house homeless kids in congregate settings, and migrant advocates say the mayor could put minors at risk of sexual abuse and other dangers by doing so.

    “Sheltering families with children in cramped and open cubicles at Floyd Bennett Field not only raises serious legal questions, but runs afoul of this administration’s previous statements to provide safe and appropriate shelter to this extremely vulnerable population,” the Legal Aid Society and the Coalition for the Homeless, which are fighting the administration’s attempted right-to-shelter rollback in court, said in a statement earlier this week. “Private rooms, not open cubicles, are needed to ensure the safety of families with children and to reduce the transmission of infectious disease, among other obvious reasons.”

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    Chris Sommerfeldt

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  • Donald Trump Shares Link Revealing Letitia James’ Address While Raging Against Her

    Donald Trump Shares Link Revealing Letitia James’ Address While Raging Against Her

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    Former President Donald Trump on Thursday shared a link listing the home address of New York Attorney General Letitia James while accusing her of committing a “miscarriage of justice.”

    Trump’s smearing of James, the prosecutor behind his ongoing financial fraud trial, is nothing new. But his Truth Social link to a Substack post by far-right journalist Laura Loomer reportedly might raise a few issues.

    In an attempted gotcha piece on James’ purchase of a home in Brooklyn, New York, Loomer posted documents that list the property’s address, information that would normally be redacted to protect the subject. In June, James said she had received death threats as she pursued the case against Trump, currently the Republican presidential front-runner for 2024.

    The Daily Beast suggested that by sharing Loomer’s piece, the quadruply indicted former president might be violating a gag order in the New York case ― not to be confused with the gag order he got slapped with for his federal election-conspiracy trial.

    Judge Arthur Engoron specified that Trump was not to attack court staff after he mocked a photo of a law clerk with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.). “While James is not a staffer, she is central to the indictment,” The Daily Beast notes.

    The anti-Trump outlet Meidas Touch called attention to the apparent doxxing on Wednesday. The site called on Engoron “to expand his gag order to protect NY AG Letitia James.”

    Doxxing, or the release of someone’s personal information with malicious intent, is generally not considered illegal if the information is publicly available, according to U.S. News & World Report. In this case, the information about James’ address could already be accessed by the public, independently of Loomer’s post.

    But people who engage in doxxing can potentially face accusations of stalking and intimidation, depending on the forum. For instance, X, formerly Twitter, says on its policy page: “We may take action against home addresses being shared, even if they are publicly available, due to the potential for physical harm.”

    James’ office did not immediately respond to HuffPost’s request for comment.

    Trump returned to the non-jury civil trial Wednesday and made a whopper of a claim related to charges that he overvalued properties: He called his Florida Mar-a-Lago estate “the most expensive house probably in the world.”

    He also further insulted James, claiming that she was “ranting and raving like a lunatic” and that she “defrauded the public with this trial.”

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  • New York Real Estate In Q3 2023: A Wild Ride For Buyers And Sellers

    New York Real Estate In Q3 2023: A Wild Ride For Buyers And Sellers

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    New York City real estate’s third quarter has taken both buyers and sellers on a wild ride. After an active early spring, the market entered June with a bang; the Olshan Luxury Market Report, tracking deals over $4 million in Manhattan, showed 31 transactions in each of June’s first two weeks and 32 in the third week. The same dynamism held true for smaller units as well, with studio and one bedroom units, priced right, staying on the market only a couple of weeks.

    As the summer moved on, however, a perfect storm of conditions impacted transaction volume in an almost unprecedented manner. In the first week of June, Olshan reported 31 transactions; in June’s fourth week there were 29. In the second week of July it fell to 24; during the week of July 31 it fell again, to 19 transactions. And the week of September 11 saw 10 deals made, while last week, starting September 18th, saw 8. This precipitous decline cannot be attributed to seasonality alone; multiple factors came into play.

    First, of course, is the rise in interest rates. According to Freddie Mac, the cost of a 30- year fixed rate $300,000 mortgage, which stood at 6.09% at the beginning of February, has soared as of Thursday September 27 to 7.31%. This increase, which reflects the Federal Reserve’s ongoing effort to tame inflation, impacts real estate markets in multiple ways. Most obviously, it inhibits buyers: loans which could be had for 2.75% in 2021 today cost over 4.5% more! Many first time buyers simply cannot afford the huge incremental cost.

    But sellers are impacted too, especially those who bought or refinanced in the post recession period. Since very few mortgages are transferable, sellers have to be either debt free or highly motivated in order to give up a loan rate under 3% to assume a new one at over 7%. So homeowners, in increasing numbers, are remodeling and staying put. This in turn cuts down drastically on the supply of available inventory for buyers to consider. While low inventory usually drives home prices up, that has not been the case here in New York City. Still, ordinary people moving to New York must contend with a triple threat. They are trapped between low inventory which makes it hard for them to find the home they want, high interest rates which make acquiring that home much more expensive, and a tight AND costly rental market.

    Against this complex background, the regular dramas of buying and selling play out. Though prices in New York have not risen for years, sellers still often hold on to a fantasy value for their home which is not in line with market realities. At the same time, buyers, because prices in New York have not risen for years, believe that discounts should be greater than the marketplace suggests. Co-ops in need of renovation remain the best value play in the city: between the onerous board process, the need for approval of renovation plans, supply chain issues, and busy contractors, renovation costs and timelines are sky-high. And yet, deals are getting done. Well-priced properties can sell quickly as low supply drives more buyers towards fewer listings. Brooklyn continues to thrive as it remains the borough of choice for buyers under fifty, many of whom have parents or grandparents who happily left Brooklyn behind for Manhattan decades ago. A well-staged, cleverly marketed, well-priced apartment is always desirable. And while most buyers accept that there is no guarantee of enormous increases in value over the next five to ten years, they still want a place they can call their own.

    Looking towards the fourth quarter, we don’t anticipate significant changes. The market over $10 million will continue to be slow, characterized by price reductions and rotating agents as sellers become increasingly frustrated. Buyers, hemmed in by high interest rates and inventory shortages, anxious about the state of the world and the country, will step up only when they find the right thing at the right price. For some, that can take a year or even more. But as more and more people come back into their offices, the utility of having a home in the city continues to rebound.

    And after all, New York is always the one and only New York.

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    Frederick Peters, Contributor

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  • New York City works to dry out after severe flooding:

    New York City works to dry out after severe flooding:

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    New York City began drying out Saturday after being soaked by one of its wettest days in decades as traffic resumed on highways, subways and airports that were temporarily shuttered by Friday’s severe rainfall.

    Record rainfall — more than 8.65 inches (21.97 centimeters) — fell at John F. Kennedy International Airport, surpassing the record for any September day set during Hurricane Donna in 1960, the National Weather Service said.

    Parts of Brooklyn saw more than 7.25 inches (18.41 centimeters), with at least one spot recording 2.5 inches (6 centimeters) in a single hour, turning some streets into knee-deep canals and stranding drivers on highways.

    More rain was expected Saturday but the worst was over, Gov. Kathy Hochul said Saturday morning during a briefing at a transportation control center in Manhattan.

    Northeast Rain
    A section of the FDR Drive sits submerged in flood waters, Friday, Sept. 29, 2023, in New York. 

    Jake Offenhartz / AP


    “We’ve seen a whole lot of rainfall in a very short period of time,” the governor said. “But the good news is that the storm will pass, and we should see some clearing of waterways today and tonight.”

    The deluge came two years after the remnants of Hurricane Ida dumped record-breaking rain on the Northeast and killed at least 13 people in New York City, mostly in flooded basement apartments. Although no deaths or severe injuries have been reported, Friday’s storm stirred frightening memories.

    Ida killed three of Joy Wong’s neighbors, including a toddler. And on Friday, water began lapping against the front door of her building in Woodside, Queens.

    “I was so worried,” she said, explaining it became too dangerous to leave. “Outside was like a lake, like an ocean.”

    APTOPIX Northeast Rain
    A guardian carries a child as his partner holds the umbrellas following heavy rains on Friday, Sept. 29, 2023, in New York.

    Andres Kudacki / AP


    Within minutes, water filled the building’s basement nearly to the ceiling. After the family’s deaths in 2021, the basement was turned into a recreation room. It is now destroyed.

    City officials received reports of six flooded basement apartments Friday, but all occupants got out safely.

    Hochul and Mayor Eric Adams declared states of emergency and urged people to stay put if possible.

    Virtually every subway line was at least partly suspended, rerouted or running with delays. Metro-North commuter rail service from Manhattan was suspended for much of the day but began resuming by evening. The Long Island Rail Road was snarled, 44 of the city’s 3,500 buses became stranded and bus service was disrupted citywide, transit officials said.

    Northeast Rain
    Residents watch as workers attempt to clear a drain in flood waters, Friday, Sept. 29, 2023, in the Brooklyn borough of New York.

    Jake Offenhartz / AP


    Some service interruptions continued Saturday.

    Traffic hit a standstill earlier in the day on a stretch of the FDR Drive, a major artery along Manhattan’s east side. With water above car tires, some drivers abandoned their vehicles.

    On a street in Brooklyn’s South Williamsburg neighborhood, workers were up to their knees in water as they tried to unclog a storm drain while cardboard and other debris floated by. Some people arranged milk crates and wooden boards to cross flooded sidewalks.

    Flights into LaGuardia were briefly halted in the morning, and then delayed, because of water in the refueling area. Flooding also forced the closure of one of the airport’s three terminals for several hours. Terminal A resumed normal operations around 8 p.m. local time.

    Hoboken, New Jersey, and other cities and towns near New York City also experienced flooding.

    Northeast Rain
    Residents watch as workers attempt to clear a drain in flood waters, Friday, Sept. 29, 2023, in the Brooklyn borough of New York. 

    Jake Offenhartz / AP


    Why so much rain? 

    The remnants of Tropical Storm Ophelia over the Atlantic Ocean combined with a mid-latitude system arriving from the west, at a time of year when conditions coming off the ocean are particularly juicy for storms, National Weather Service meteorologist Ross Dickman said. This combination storm parked itself over New York for 12 hours.

    The weather service had warned of 3 to 5 inches (7.5 to 13 centimeters) of rain and told emergency managers to expect more than 6 inches (15 centimeters) in some places, Dickman said.

    The deluge came less than three months after a storm caused deadly floods in New York’s Hudson Valley and swamped Vermont’s capital, Montpelier.

    As the planet warms, storms are forming in a hotter atmosphere that can hold more moisture, making extreme rainfall more frequent, according to atmospheric scientists.

    In the case of Friday’s storm, nearby ocean temperatures were below normal and air temperatures weren’t too hot. Still, it became the third time in two years that rain fell at rates near 2 inches (5 centimeters) per hour in Central Park, which is unusual, Columbia University climate scientist Adam Sobel said.

    The park recorded 5.8 inches (14.73 centimeters) of rain by nightfall Friday.

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  • Record rain in New York City generates ‘life-threatening’ flooding, overwhelming streets and subways | CNN

    Record rain in New York City generates ‘life-threatening’ flooding, overwhelming streets and subways | CNN

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    CNN
     — 

    Record-setting rain overwhelmed New York City’s sewer system Friday, sending a surge of floodwater coursing through streets and into basements, schools, subways and vehicles throughout the nation’s most populous city.

    The water rose fast and furious, catching some commuters off guard as they slogged through Friday morning’s rush hour. First responders jumped into action where needed, plucking people from stranded cars and basements filling like bathtubs.

    More rain fell in a single day at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport – nearly 8 inches – than any other since 1948. A month’s worth of rain fell in Brooklyn in just three hours as it was socked by some of the storm’s most intense rainfall rates Friday morning.

    Track travel delays: NYC airports hammered with heavy rain and flooding

    The prolific totals are a symptom of climate change, scientists say, with a warmer atmosphere acting like a massive sponge, able to sop up more water vapor and then wring it out in intense spurts which can easily overwhelm outdated flood protections.

    “Overall, as we know, this changing weather pattern is the result of climate change,” Rohit Aggarwala, New York City’s Chief Climate Officer said in a Friday morning news conference. “And the sad reality is our climate is changing faster than our infrastructure can respond.”

    A widespread 3 to 6 inches of rain had fallen across the New York City by late Friday afternoon. More rain was set to fall through the evening and then gradually taper off.

    New York Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency for New York City, Long Island and the Hudson Valley Friday morning as the worst of the flooding hit. In an interview with New York’s WNBC-TV, she urged residents to stay home because of widespread dangerous travel conditions.

    “This is a very challenging weather event,” Hochul said. “This a life-threatening event. And I need all New Yorkers to heed that warning so we can keep them safe.” New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy also declared a state of emergency for his state Friday afternoon.

    Firefighters performed rescues at six basements in New York City flooded by torrents of water, according to the New York City Fire Department.

    The water also found its way into 150 of New York City’s 1,400 schools, which remained open on Friday, New York City school chancellor David Banks said at a news briefing.

    One school in Brooklyn evacuated when floodwater caused the school’s boiler to smoke, he said.

    “Our kids are safe and we continue to monitor the situation,” Banks said.

    Floodwater spilled into subways and onto railways and caused “major disruptions,” including suspensions of service on 10 train lines in Brooklyn and all three Metro-North train lines. Gov. Hochul said the city was deploying additional buses to help fill the gap caused by the train outages.

    Limited service resumed by Friday evening on the Metro-North lines. And the Metropolitan Transportation Authority fully restored service on seven subway lines by Friday evening, according to Demetrius Crichlow, senior vice president of the New York City Transit Department of Subways.

    “Today was just not an easy day for us but like New Yorkers, we are resilient, we continue to press on,” Crichlow said.

    MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber said Friday evening one of three Metro-North Railroad lines was back up and running – the Hudson line – and noted the Long Island Railroad also has good service. The MTA also said it is working to restore limited service to the remaining two lines on Friday night.

    Air travel didn’t fair any better. Flight delays hit all three New York City area airports Friday. Flooding inside the historic Marine Air Terminal in New York’s LaGuardia Airport forced it to close temporarily. The terminal, which is the airport’s smallest and serves Spirit and Frontier airlines, was open again Friday night.

    By late Friday, flood watches had expired for the region except in Suffolk County on Long Island in New York and parts of northwestern and southern Connecticut, where watches were set to be in effect until Saturday morning.

    A police officer from the NYPD Highway Patrol oversees a flooded street on Friday.
    A person carries sandbags on a flooded sidewalk in Hoboken, New Jersey, on Friday.

    The extreme rainfall rates produced prolific totals:

    • In Brooklyn: A month’s worth of rain, up to 4.5 inches, fell in only 3 hours on Friday morning, according to National Weather Service data. This three-hour rainfall total is only expected about once every 100 years in Brooklyn, according to NOAA estimates.

    • In Manhattan: Nearly 2 inches of rain fell in one hour in Central Park, the second-wettest hour there in 80 years. More than 5 inches of rain have fallen there so far.

    • In Queens: It’s the wettest day on record at John F. Kennedy International Airport, preliminary data from the National Weather Service shows. At least 7.88 inches of rain has fallen there since midnight.

    Correction: A previous version of this story misstated when the NYC travel advisory went into effect. It was 2 a.m. ET.

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  • Watch live: State of Emergency in effect as storm brings flooding, damage to New York City and beyond

    Watch live: State of Emergency in effect as storm brings flooding, damage to New York City and beyond

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    NEW YORK – New York Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency across New York City, Long Island and the Hudson Valley as Friday’s strong storm brought flooding and damage across the area. 

    New York City Mayor Eric Adams  asked for city residents to shelter in place temporarily during the worst of the storm. 

    Significant flooding was reported throughout New York City and beyond. In Brooklyn, cars were seen almost totally submerged in Park Slope.  

    Mayor Adams asks NYC residents to shelter in place temporarily

    Adams said New York City is under a State of Emergency. 


    Watch: Mayor Adams addresses severe flooding in New York City

    36:57

    “I want to say to all New Yorkers, this is time for heightened alertness and extreme caution. If you are home, stay home. If you are at work or school, shelter in place for now,” Adams said. “Some of our subways are flooded, and it’s extremely difficult to move around the city.” 

    Adams called the weather “dangerous” and said it’s not over. 

    “We could possibly see eight inches of rain before the day is over,” Adams said. 

    By 11:20 a.m., more than five inches of rain had fallen in Central Park since midnight.   

    Adams said that every New York City agency has a plan in place for the situation and is executing those plans. 

    “This is a time for caution, but it is also a time for community,” Adams said. “Check on neighbors. Do whatever is possible to unclog drain areas to allow the water to flow freely. You would be surprised how, if we remove leaves and other trash from those areas, it would really assist in getting water off our streets. Check on your friends, your relatives, and especially those who are most vulnerable, such as the elderly and individuals with health conditions.” 

    Flooding leaves parts of New York City underwater


    Flooding leaves parts of New York City underwater

    15 photos

    Hochul said the epicenter of the storm has since headed north toward Hudson Valley. She urged extreme caution to anyone thinking of driving in the rain. 

    “I will say this. If people decide to venture out in a vehicle, they do so at their own peril. Because even six inches of rain, one foot of rain may look pretty innocuous, it’s safe, but that is a condition where your vehicle can be swept away. We lose more lives of people during flooding events, of which we’ve had many, especially this summer in the city and the Hudson Valley in particular. The reason people lose their lives in a flooding event, more often than not, is they’re swept away in their vehicle,” Hochul said. “So this is a choice people make. We encourage them not to decide to do that. Please stay home, be safe.” 


    Hochul declares state of emergency as storm floods NYC subway

    02:01

    “The storm picked up significantly soon after 7 a.m., and I think New Yorkers should be aware that between 8 and 9 a.m. the Brooklyn Navy Yard received 2.58 inches of rain in one hour,” DEP Commissioner Rohit T. Aggarwala said. “Our sewer system was designed for 1.75 inches per hour. And so, it’s no surprise, unfortunately as a result, that that part of Brooklyn, and a couple of other, particularly, parts of Brooklyn, have borne the brunt of this.”

    New York City schools report no major flooding concerns 

    Schools Chancellor David Banks said no major problems were reported at New York City public schools, and that all of them were open. 

    “We do have a portion of our schools, approximately 150 out of the more than 1,400 schools that we have, that have in fact taken on some water, has presented some challenge, but nothing has impacted our ability to safely educate our students in any of those schools,” Banks said. “Our buses are prepositioned for dismissal. We’ve been in touch with all of our vendors, and they’re prepositioned means that they are staging early in order to have enough time to get our children home. These are high-axle vehicles, and they’ll be able to navigate any water in the roadways.” 

    Banks said going fully remote is “always the last option.” 

    “Our kids needs to be in school. This is also where they get their healthy meals as well,” Banks said. “Whenever we make a decision to close schools, it is a major, major disruption. So it is really only used as a last resort. And I think in this case, while this was a tough day in terms of the rain, it certainly did not put, our kids are not in danger. All of our schools are open. Our teachers are in school, our kids are in school, and doing well.” 

    Video shows massive flooding across New York City

    Brooklyn got particularly hard hit Friday morning, although there were many reports of damage and flooding throughout New York City.  

    Around 8:30 a.m., emergency responders were on the scene of a partial roof collapse at a warehouse in Lexington Avenue between Classon and Franklin Avenues in Brooklyn. Fortunately all workers at the warehouse were accounted for, according to the FDNY. 


    First responders rescue man trapped in flooded Brooklyn basement

    00:14

    In Windsor Terrace, neighbors said a tenant living in a basement apartment along Sherman Avenue managed to get out as his apartment began to flood. 

    Officials said there had been at least six basement apartments flooded, and there had been “successful rescues” at each of those. 

    “We have not had any fatalities today. We have had a number of calls for basements, people trapped in cars,” FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanagh said. 

    Heavy rain brought flooding conditions at Walton Street between Union and Harrison Avenues. Water have overtaken the sidewalk and appeared to partially flood parked cars there. 

    Significant flooding was reported in southern Brooklyn. Video posted to X also showed flooding near Atlantic Avenue and Pacific Street. 

    At Smith and Ninth Street, there was major flooding. 

    “My team & I are aware of widespread flooding & dangerous conditions across [Brooklyn]. Like many [New Yorkers], we’ve spent our mornings stranded on subways & buses, but we’re in communication [with] the offices of the mayor & governor & monitoring where conditions are worst,” Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. 

    Mass transit, roads, and airports all disrupted due to flooding

    The flooding and damage and impact wasn’t limited to just Brooklyn, of course. 

    The FDR was closed in both directions at Delancey Street in Manhattan due to flooding. 

    The Belt Parkway was also closed in both directions at Exit 6 – Cropsey Avenue, the NYPD said. 

    There were extensive disruptions to subway and other mass transit service. 

    • Click here for an update on subway, mass transit and flight disruptions 
    • Click here to check the latest on the forecast

    New York City public schools remained open. 

    Video posted to social media from across the area was shocking. Flooded intersections were spotted in Bushwick, Brooklyn. 

    The Prospect Park Expressway experienced significant flooding, with at least one car stalled out. 

    The Wildlife Conservation Society closed the Bronx Zoo, Central Park Zoo, Queens Zoo, Prospect Park Zoo and New York Aquarium due to the emergency. 

    Stay with us as we continue to cover this weather emergency. 

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  • After two trials, homeless man gets 30 years to life for fatal shooting outside Brooklyn shelter

    After two trials, homeless man gets 30 years to life for fatal shooting outside Brooklyn shelter

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    A homeless man who shot and killed another man during a robbery outside a Brooklyn shelter was sentenced to 30 years to life Thursday — after prosecutors flew in a witness from Poland to testify at his trial.

    Keith Brannon, 55, was convicted twice at trial of the 2015 murder of Christopher Tennison — but the first time, his verdict was tossed by an appeals court.

    The second time around a new witness was brought in to testify — a former shelter resident now living in Poland who found the gun used in the murder.

    Brannon confronted the 35-year-old Tennison outside a homeless shelter on Sackman St. near Atlantic Ave. in Brownsville on Aug. 8, 2015 and shot him point-blank in the chest.

    Text messages between the two men from before the killing showed Brannon had demanded cash from the victim.

    A resident at Brannon’s shelter found the murder weapon under his bed and turned it over to investigators, who found Brannon’s DNA on the firearm, prosecutors said.

    That resident didn’t testify at the first trial. He was living in Poland and didn’t have the money or paperwork to make the trip back to the U.S., so investigators with the D.A.’s office and the NYPD got help from federal Homeland Security Investigations officials to get him emergency documentation, prosecutors said.

    “This defendant senselessly took the life of another man and, with today’s sentence, has been held responsible for this inexcusable crime,” Brooklyn D.A. Eric Gonzalez said. “I am grateful to the dedicated prosecutors in my office, and to Homeland Security that assisted in securing a key witness, for ensuring that justice was done in this case.”

    Brannon’s initial 2017 conviction was overturned because the judge in the case, Neil Firetog, ruled that it was “only fair” prosecutors could cross-examine Brannon about his criminal record if his lawyers were going to grill the government’s witnesses about their records.

    A new jury convicted him of murder, weapon possession and attempted robbery on Sept. 14, and on Thursday, Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice John Hecht sentenced him to 30 years to life.

    In victim impact statements given to the court, one of Tennison’s sisters described the “unbearable pain” of his loss, while another expressed anger and forgiveness.

    “It saddens me and hurts me to my core to know that his life ended far too soon over something so trivial, the sister said. “I’m angry with you, I’m sad about the whole situation and wish he was still here and I didn’t have to write this. But I forgive you! Jesus can and will forgive you!”

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    John Annese

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  • Woman, 34, stabbed to death in Brooklyn apartment

    Woman, 34, stabbed to death in Brooklyn apartment

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    A 34-year-old woman was stabbed to death inside a Brooklyn apartment early Wednesday, police said.

    Cops called to the 14th-floor Starrett City apartment found the victim sprawled on the floor suffering from multiple stab wounds about 6:15 a.m. She died at the scene.

    The victim’s name was not immediately released.

    A 31-year-old man found inside the apartment on Pennsylvania Ave. near Geneva Loop when cops arrived was taken into custody for questioning.

    A bloody knife was recovered from the scene, police said.

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    Thomas Tracy

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  • Granular Details Spell Success For Brooklyn’s Refinery At Domino

    Granular Details Spell Success For Brooklyn’s Refinery At Domino

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    All over the U.S., developers, architects, environmentalists, history buffs, employers, renters, homeowners and countless others are coming to one realization. Adaptive reuse holds the power to transform urban environs like few other projects.

    The benefits of converting age-old structures to new and different uses are compelling. Adaptive reuse represents a more sustainable means of creating new developments. It is also a method saving developers the cost of razing old buildings. It puts back into productive use older structures that may have stood empty for years or decades. Because structures built before 1950 were built for a much less automobile-dependent society, adaptive reuse projects tend to restore density and encourage walking within the districts where they’re located.

    Adaptive reuse also allows urban areas to retain historic character and a sense of place. And for an office tenant or a home buyer, work or home life in a converted building confers a whole different and authentic kind of ambience.

    Sweet project

    For these reasons and still others, many eyes have been focused on Brooklyn’s Williamsburg waterfront, where a one-time Domino sugar factory has been transformed through adaptive reuse into a new property called The Refinery at Domino. The new, 460,000-square-foot all-electric Class A office building opens today, Sept. 27.

    The Refinery at Domino blends the historical charm of the landmarked building with upsides of a new-construction development. Partnering with Practice for Architecture and Urbanism (PAU), Brooklyn-based Two Trees Management produced a glass building within the building’s historic brick façade. Within the building, a large-scale living landscape seamlessly links to the surrounding natural elements and greenery.

    “Converting the old factory into an all-electric office building is a key part of Two Trees’ plan for Domino’s mixed-use community,” says Dave Lombino, Two Trees’ managing director, external affairs. “Our careful revitalization of the former Domino Sugar Factory into a Class A office space enabled us to create a sustainable workplace of the future, while paying homage to New York City’s rich history.”

    Other examples

    The Refinery at Domino takes its place alongside some of the nation’s highest-profile adaptive reuse projects. In Detroit, the old Michigan Central Station is primed to reopen its doors in 2024 for the first time in more than three decades.

    The 30-acre site will offer stores, cultural programming and a public space where locals and international visitors can congregate for special events. Already reopened on the campus is a 1936 Albert Kahn-designed Art Deco landmark that served in different eras as a post office and later a book depository, and now has been repurposed as a 270,000-square-foot workspace and innovation center.

    In Los Angeles, a revitalization of the 60-year-old California Mart — once the center for the city’s fashion business – has yielded California Market Center (CMC). Spanning a full city block in L.A.’s fashion district, the 1.8 million-square-foot CMC is a new kind of office center, designed to be a place where the city’s emerging technology, media, entertainment and fashion industries intersect.

    Iconic landmark

    The Refinery’s transition was built upon a trio of design thrusts, Vishaan Chakrabarti, founder and creative director for PAU, says.

    The first was inserting a contemporary building in the sleeve of the historic structure. The second involved creating a glass barrel vault form paying homage to the American Round Arch style of the original. A third required opening the ground floor to the park and the surrounding neighborhood of Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

    “This approach has created an iconic landmark for the 21st Century, offering users natural light, luscious greenery, waterfront views and a contemporary dialogue with history that most new commercial projects lack,” he says. “Although conceived before the pandemic, the Refinery represents a future of work that offers a unique rootedness in place, and community that is invaluable going forward.”

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    Jeffrey Steele, Contributor

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  • Landmark Domino Sugar Refinery reopening as office tower along Brooklyn waterfront

    Landmark Domino Sugar Refinery reopening as office tower along Brooklyn waterfront

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    The historic Domino Sugar Refinery on the Brooklyn waterfront is officially opening Wednesday, following more than a decade of renovation to convert it to a high-end office building complete with plans for a bar, indoor pool and fitness center.

    The opening marks the latest milestone in the ongoing transformation of once-industrial Williamsburg, reshaping the skyline along the East River.

    The 15-story, all-electric structure now dubbed the “Refinery at Domino” is just north of the Williamsburg Bridge. Developers Two Trees Management described it as “the crown jewel” of its larger 11-acre Domino Sugar Factory site — once home to a booming sugar refinery — that also includes the popular Domino Park.

    Max Touhey

    12-foot opening between all-electric Refinery building and landmark masonry facade.

    The factory was once the tallest building on the waterfront, with the original structure dating to the 1880s. The famous brick facade and arched windows were retained and act as a shell for the new building within, topped by a domed glass penthouse with 360-degree views.

    A 12-foot gap between the new building and the old is filled with a vertical garden of trees and plants open to the elements.

    David Lombino, managing director of Two Trees, described it as a “living landmark.”

    “You look around the city, I’m not sure there’s another more ambitious landmarked project than this one,” he told the Daily News during a recent tour of the site. “I think for a lot of folks who looked at this project, the landmarked status of the refinery building was a big turnoff. We looked at it as an opportunity to do something really unique, really iconic, and hopefully really successful.”

    To pay homage to the building’s history, a replica of the iconic “Domino Sugar” sign has been added on the top of the building, and the original will be redone and installed in the lobby. The refinery’s ground floor will be open to the public, with retail and permanent rest rooms for Domino Park.

    The old Domino Sugar factory in Williamsburg Brooklyn is being partially torn down, with parts of it to make up new housing along the East River. Many of the historical features will also be preserved.October 30, 2013 (Photo by Todd Maisel/New York Daily News)

    Todd Maisel/New York Daily News

    The old Domino Sugar factory in Williamsburg Brooklyn is being partially torn down, with parts of it to make up new housing along the East River. Many of the historical features will also be preserved.October 30, 2013.

    The penthouse will have amenities for workers, including a bar, and half will be used as an events space. Office workers will also have access to an indoor pool and fitness center.

    Sugar production was one of Brooklyn’s most important industries in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and the refinery didn’t cease operations until 2004; it was landmarked three years later.

    When finished in 2027, the larger site will also include three residential buildings and another office tower, plus Domino Square, an extension to the park that will include amphitheater seating and ice-skating in the winter. The 1-acre plaza is expected to open next summer.

    The Refinery at Domino and activated Domino Park - photo by Max Touhey

    Max Touhey

    The Refinery at Domino and activated Domino Park – photo by Max Touhey

    Work on the building is ongoing but Lombino said it could have tenants by the end of the year. He said about 4,500 employees could be based out of the Refinery, roughly the same number that worked in the sugar factory in its heyday.

    Two Trees acquired the site for $185 million in 2012 and has spent about $150 million renovating the Refinery. Early iterations of the Refinery redesign included more than 2,000 residential units, though that plan was scrapped.

    Two Trees is one of the borough’s biggest developers, perhaps best known for its role in transforming DUMBO, another waterfront Brooklyn neighborhood.

    Refinery Penthouse - photo by Max Touhey

    Max Touhey

    Refinery Penthouse

    “It aligns with where we’re seeing demand in the office sector,” Lombino said of the decision to build offices despite the broader industry limbo. “People are less eager to work in central business districts in Midtown and lower Manhattan. There’s a desire to have work closer to home. Williamsburg, north Brooklyn as a whole has seen an incredible influx of talent in the past 10-plus years. The idea is folks would rather work in a highly amenitized space closer to their home, with a surrounding park and exciting neighborhood than schlep into some of the central business districts.”

    But the 13-year renovation journey was not always a sweet one: There were protests from locals early on expressing fears about gentrification, and a construction worker on a residential building site part of the bigger Domino Sugar campus fell to his death in 2016.

    Two Trees is putting down roots elsewhere on the Williamsburg waterfront: Its ambitious “River Ring” development nearby could bring two massive towers, a park, public beaches and breakwaters. But Lombino says the state would need to introduce a new tax abatement program “in order for the math to work” on the project, after the lucrative 421-a property tax exemption expired last year.

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    Téa Kvetenadze

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  • WATCH: Kota the Friend on his latest album and love for New York

    WATCH: Kota the Friend on his latest album and love for New York

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    In an era of trending sounds and singles, Kota the Friend makes albums. His latest, Protea, is a kaleidoscope of clever wordplay, smooth hooks, and beats you can dance to. Dedicated to his wife, the 16 tracks feel like a celebration. It features guest spots from Aloe Blacc, Braxton Cook, and Samm Henshaw.

    Doing things his own way is nothing new. From his early days of playing the trumpet and performing at DIY shows, the native New Yorker has stood out. Musically, he combines sounds from different eras that fit his unique flow. Aesthetically, Kota loves bright colors and playful graphics, recalling early ’90s acts like A Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul.

    Inspired by Pharrell Williams, he’s also become an entrepreneur with his clothing line FLTBYS. The brand includes not just tees and hats, but items like journals and a water planter.

    Watch Jordan Edwards and Demi Ramos interview Kota about the evolution of his sound, influences, and love for Brooklyn.

    Kota the Friend

    For more from Kota the Friend, follow him on Instagram and TikTok. You can also catch him on tour starting Oct. 20.

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    Staff

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  • How the NBA’s new player participation policy affects the Knicks and Nets

    How the NBA’s new player participation policy affects the Knicks and Nets

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    Julius Randle and Ben Simmons are “star” players under the criteria set by the NBA’s new Player Participation Policy.

    Jalen Brunson and Mikal Bridges are not — though that could change the instance either earn their first All-Star or All-NBA nod.

    This is how the league is tackling its widespread load management issue, with new rules that penalize teams for sitting star-level players without just cause.

    Teams with two such star players — that is: a player who has been named an All-Star or made an All-NBA team in any of the previous three seasons — are not allowed to rest both players in the same game.

    Randle is a two-time NBA All-Star (2021 and 2023) and a two-time All-NBA honoree (2021 Second Team, 2023 Third Team). Simmons is a three-time All-Star, though his last All-Star appearance was in 2021. If he does not make an All-Star team this season, he will not qualify as a star for the Nets next season.

    As a practical example, the Los Angeles Lakers deciding to sit both superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis in the same game without prior approval from the league would trigger a league investigation this season.

    Under the NBA’s new player participation policy, star-level players must appear in all nationally-televised games – and they must appear in all of the league’s upcoming In-Season Tournament games, as well.

    The Knicks play 25 nationally-televised games in the 2023-24 season, 20 if you exclude games broadcast on NBA TV. And now that Durant and Irving have orchestrated trades out of Brooklyn, the Nets have seen their national exposure nosedive: just five games this season set to air on either ESPN or TNT and six more on NBA TV.

    This new set of rules, however, also triggers the moment a player earns star status.

    So if Brunson were to become an All-Star this season, the NBA would fine the Knicks for resting both Brunson and Randle in the same game unless both were justifiably hurt or excused by the league for a pre-approved absence.

    These exceptions to the rule include multigame absences for bona fide injury, personal reasons, rare and unusual circumstances, roster management of unavailable star players, and end-of-season flexibility

    The Nets would need to seek similar approval should Bridges earn his first All-Star nod this season, a likely outcome given his exceptional play representing Team USA in the FIBA World Cup.

    Mikal Bridges’ standout World Cup game marred by late miss

    The Player Participation Policy features five key rules teams must comply with to avoid the stiff financial penalties for sitting star players: No more than one star player can be unavailable for the same game; star players must be available for nationally-televised and In-Season Tournament games; if a player is going to miss games, the league prefers the games be missed at home; teams can no longer shut down players for long stretches of games without league approval; and healthy players who are resting a game must be on the bench and visible to fans.

    Failure to comply with any of these rules will now trigger a league investigation, with a team’s first PPP infraction set to trigger a $100,000 fine — not to the player but levied upon the team.

    The second infraction of the player participation policy prompts a $250,000 fine, and the third activates a $1.25 million penalty. Every subsequent violation triggers a fine worth $1 million more than its previous penalty.

    This fine structure would have crippled the Nets during the Durant, Irving and James Harden era, where the Big 3 only appeared in 16 games as a trio. It would have also hurt the Nets last season, when Simmons appeared in just 42 of a possible 82 regular-season games.

    Nets rule Ben Simmons out for season with goal of rehabbing back

    WHAT ABOUT BACK-TO-BACKS

    Teams must now seek pre-approval to rest stars in either night of back-to-back games, and if one of those games is a nationally-televised, the rest must occur for the other game.

    For example, the Knicks travel to Boston on April 11 for a matchup against the Celtics set to air on TNT. The following night, they host the Nets at Madison Square Garden in a game that will air locally on MSG Networks.

    Under the new rules, barring verifiable injury or excused absence from the league, Julius Randle must play against the Celtics. If the Knicks wanted to rest him for any game of that back-to-back, they would need pre-approval from the league to sit their star forward against the Nets.

    This would become complicated, however, if Brunson were to also receive his first All-Star nod this season as teams cannot rest both star players in any single game. Both would be required to play against the Celtics, then only one would be eligible to rest the ensuing night.

    The Knicks have three other instances of nationally-televised games occurring on one leg of back-to-back: Oct. 27 at Atlanta and 28 at New Orleans (NBA TV); Oct. 31 at Cleveland (TNT), then Nov. 1 at home against the Cavaliers; and Nov. 12 hosting the Charlotte Hornets before Nov. 13 at Boston (NBA TV).

    In each of these instances, the Knicks would need pre-approval to rest Randle in the non-nationally-televised leg of the back-to-back, though Brunson wouldn’t apply to this rule because he is not yet an All-Star.

    The Nets host the reigning champion Denver Nuggets in a nationally-televised (NBA TV) game on Dec. 22, then host the Detroit Pistons on Dec. 23. Under new league rules, Brooklyn would need to seek pre-approval to rest Simmons against the Pistons – though given his injury history, they should have no problem securing such approval; nor should they have any issues with the fashionable Simmons appearing on the bench in games he is resting.

    Embed from Getty Images

    The Nets, however, have a nationally-televised back-to-back: Feb. 5 against the Golden State Warriors in a game that airs on NBA TV, then Feb. 6 against the Dallas Mavericks in Kyrie Irving’s return to Brooklyn – a game that will air on TNT.

    According to the new rules, the Nets would need to seek prior approval for a player to rest one leg of a back-to-back if both games are nationally televised or In-Season Tournament games.

    The Nets have two more back-to-backs that feature a game aired on national television: March 9 at Charlotte and March 10 at Cleveland (ESPN); then March 16 at Indiana before March 17 against Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs, a game set to air on NBA TV and, surprisingly, be played at a neutral location.

    These games will be played after the All-Star break, meaning if Bridges earns his first career All-Star nod, both he and Simmons will be ineligible to rest one leg of each back-to-back.

    Nets’ Ben Simmons ‘as healthy as he’s ever been’ since last season in Philly’: report

    EXCLUSIONS TO THE RULES

    According to the release issued by the league, the exclusions to the player participation policy include injuries, personal reasons and pre-approved back-to-back restrictions based on a player’s age, career workload or serious injury.

    Under these rules, the Nets should have no issues seeking rest time for both Simmons and Bridges, as Simmons has a verifiable back injury history that must be monitored to prevent aggravation.

    Bridges, due for an All-Star nod, played in 83 combined regular-season games for both the Suns and Nets last season, then played more minutes than any player not named Anthony Edwards for Team USA during the FIBA World Cup. Should he qualify for star status, the Nets could easily point to his workload over the past calendar year as just cause to rest him in the second half of the season.

    Despite Bridges’ miracle, Canada eliminates Team USA in bronze-medal game

    That will be difficult to pull off, however, if they are actively load-managing Simmons’ back.

    For the Knicks, both Brunson and Josh Hart played into the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs then played regular Team USA minutes in the FIBA World Cup. Hart does not qualify as a star under the new rules, but a case can be made for workload management for both.

    Cam Johnson also represented the Nets for Team USA but should have fresh regular-season legs after spending most of the World Cup watching from the sidelines.

    WHAT ABOUT THE AGE AND WORKLOAD EXCEPTION?

    The NBA has created an exception to the rule for appearances in back-to-back games for players who are 35 years old on opening night or have career workloads of 34,000 regular-season minutes or 1,000 combined regular-season and playoff games, according to ESPN.

    Neither the Knicks nor Nets rosters feature a player who qualifies for this exception. Bridges has appeared in 392 regular-season games and 39 additional playoff games. Randle has appeared in 595 regular-season games and an additional 15 playoff games. Brunson has only appeared in 345 regular-season games plus 36 more playoff games. And after missing an entire season, then half of last season, while also missing his entire rookie season due to injury, Simmons has only tallied 317 regular-season games since 2017, plus 34 more playoff games.

    Chris Paul, Mike Conley, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, DeMar DeRozan and James Harden are the only NBA players covered by this exception.

    Under these new rules, the Nets would have only been able to rest Durant, who met the 34,000 minutes criteria, in last season’s Dec. 10 matchup against the Indiana Pacers, where they won despite sitting Durant, Irving and Simmons.

    PLAYER PARTICIPATION POLICY

    NBA end-of-the-season honors now have updated criteria based on availability.

    In order to be eligible for Most Valuable Player, Most Improved Player or Defensive Player of the Year, as well as any All-NBA or All-Defensive Teams, a player must appear in at least 65 regular-season games. They may appear in 62 games and still qualify for an end-of-the-season award if they suffer a season-ending injury and appeared in at least 85% of his team’s regular-season games prior to suffering the injury.

    Under this new rule, Memphis Grizzlies center Jaren Jackson Jr. would not have been eligible to win Defensive Player of the Year because he only appeared in 63 games.

    Julius Randle, who earned Third Team All-NBA honors last season, appeared in 77 games for the Knicks last season and would have remained unaffected had these new rules been implemented last season.

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    Kristian Winfield

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  • Suspect wanted for 2020 Brooklyn fatal shooting tracked down to Cleveland: NYPD

    Suspect wanted for 2020 Brooklyn fatal shooting tracked down to Cleveland: NYPD

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    A suspect wanted for a Brooklyn fatal shooting more than three years ago has been nabbed in Cleveland, police said Wednesday.

    Robert Bryson, a 65-year-old ex-con, was returned to the city Tuesday following his Aug. 22 arrest in Cleveland, where he had been living. He was charged with the July 18, 2020 shooting death of Nicholas Isaac, 23, at a Crown Heights bike shop.

    Isaac was affiliated with the Bloods, police said, and his slaying is believed to be linked to gangs and drugs.

    Video released by the NYPD at the time shows the shooter stalking the victim inside Fly E-bike, a bike and scooter shop on Nostrand Ave. near Bergen St. The footage cuts away before the shooting, though the gunman can later be seen fleeing on a scooter.

    The victim and the gunman got into an argument outside the store, police said, with Isaac running into the shop when he was shot at and trying to close the door behind him.

    NYPD

    The footage cuts away before the fatal shooting, and the killer can be seen zooming down a nearby sidewalk on a scooter, pictured here.

    But Isaac was struck in the legs and upper body — and then refused to cooperate with police when he was asked who shot him and why. Medics rushed Isaac to Kings County Hospital, where he died.

    Bryson was identified as the suspected gunman a day later and eventually tracked to Cleveland.

    The suspect has 11 New York City arrests on his record, including one for attempted murder in 1985. Records show he served three years in state prison, ending in November 1980, following a weapon possession conviction in Brooklyn.

    A shell casing covered by a red plastic cup remains on the pavement as NYPD officers and detectives gather evidence and interview witnesses on Nostrand Avenue in East New York where a man was shot, Saturday, July 18, 2020.

    Jeff Bachner/New York Daily News

    A shell casing covered by a red plastic cup remains on the pavement as NYPD officers and detectives gather evidence and interview witnesses on Nostrand Avenue in East New York where a man was shot, Saturday, July 18, 2020.

    Isaac, who lived in Clinton Hill, had one prior arrest for rape and one for felony criminal mischief, police said.

    A relative at a small memorial set up on the stoop of the victim’s home after the murder called him a “good kid.”

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    Rocco Parascandola

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