December 28, 2014 – January 4, 2015

THE 2014 RESULTS ARE IN…

• Murders hit a historic low, while shootings rose [NY Times]
• Pedestrian traffic deaths dropped to an all-time low [BK Mag]
• The homeless population rose [BK Mag]

PAVING PARADISE: City moves to convert Coney Island boardwalk to concrete [Daily News]

A NEW REPUBLICAN HERO:  GOP rallies around the man who didn’t prosecute Eric Garner’s killer, as replacement for Rep. Michael Grimm, who resigned this week [Observer]

SUPPLY & DEMAND SLIGHTLY OUT OF WHACK: 70,000 people apply for 38 affordable apartments in Williamsburg  [DNA Info]

MARIO CUOMO’S BK YEARS: The smartest lawyer on Court Street [Atlantic]

MAZEL TOV:  The most popular baby names in Brooklyn in 2013: David and Esther [DNA Info]

Police Union’s “Wartime” Footing Continues

Clever! Police attempt to win over public opinion by refusing to protect the public [Daily News]

Initial story that cop killer was part of an anti-police gang turns out to be false [Huffington Post]

“Blame the NRA, not De Blasio” [Talking Points Memo]

Brooklyn pols push for bulletproof windows for NYPD patrol cars [Brooklyn Eagle]

0 to 100

First NYC baby of 2015 born at Coney Island Hospital — and his name is Maxim [Daily News]

Gravesend man turns 100; has only left BK once in 100 years [Brooklyn Daily]

The annual Polar Bear Club run into the icy waters at Coney Island, on January 1, 2015.

 

Real Estate Frenzy

Condo bought in May for $202,800, sold 33 days later for $360,000. [Q at Parkside]

“Developer pays record-breaking $40 million for Williamsburg site, We are all doomed” [BK Mag]

Bed-Stuy condo sets record at $1.8 million [Brownstoner]

Quotes of the Week

“I know I’m 150 years old… but I can actually dunk”
–Net’s forward Kevin Garnett, after an impressive jam [The Brooklyn Game]

“When I pointed out that it’s the law [to keep dogs on-leash after 9am], the owner started yelling and actively encouraging the dog to bite me.”
–Ft. Greene resident Dylan Simon, explaining the tension between humans and dogs in Ft. Green Park [Ft. Green Focus]

“I thought it was a weird, hoppy rat”
–A Gowanus resident after spotting a neighborhood rabbit colony [DNA Info]

“The building is so welcoming and very dreamy. It’s like something you’d see in a Hugh Grant movie.”
–Fashion designer Rachel Antonoff on why she’s subletting Lena Dunham’s apartment

 

Headline of the Week

Wild animals roaming free in lawless, post-apocalyptic Brooklyn [Brokelyn]

Year Enders Unearth Some Interesting Articles:

From BK Reader’s most popular articles’ list:

• Open Letter to the Media, If/When I am Gunned Down by the Police or a Random White Person

From the Brooklyn Eagle’s top stories:

• Brooklyn gets a new tallest building
• Brooklyn Tops National Chart for Wrongful Convictions

Biz

Google and BK Chamber team up to aid small businesses in E NY, Brownsville and Canarsie [Technical.ly]

FDA busts BK-based Chinese food supplier for rat-infested warehouse [NY Post]

 

Nets

Perhaps the best Nets game of the year [The Brooklyn Game]

New  Year’s Resolution for each Brooklyn Net [The Brooklyn Game]

2014 was a very strange year for the Brooklyn Nets [The Brooklyn Game]

 

Passings

Hari Simran Khalsa, 25.  Died while hiking in Mexico. He was planning to move back to Brooklyn, where his parents run the Kundalini Yoga center in Park Slope.