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Community Corner

🌱 Ferry Expansion Sidelined + Clean Energy + Goodbye Pig Beach

The quickest way to get caught up on the most important things happening today in Brooklyn.

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(Patch Media)

Hey, everybody! It's me, Carlie Houser, your host of the Brooklyn Daily — here to impart all the most important things happening in town. In this issue, you'll find updates on:

  • Brooklynites hoping for new ferry routes soon get bad news
  • NYPD warehouse fire finally snuffed, but people have questions
  • Can New York state follow in the city's gas-ban footsteps?

But first, today's weather:

🌧 Windy with rain tapering off. High: 47 Low: 35.

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Here are the top stories in Brooklyn today:

1. A massive NYPD warehouse fire was finally extinguished Wednesday evening, more than 24 hours after it started. The Red Hook storage facility was home to decades of cold case evidence from crimes that happened as far back as 20 and 30 years ago. This week's fire, which destroyed said evidence, comes decades after police promised to relocate the crucial evidence, according to reports. As of Thursday morning, the cause of the fire is still under investigation, according to FDNY. Questions are arising about the implications of the loss of this massive storage facility, as well as why the facility was still being used after Superstorm Sandy flooded it and contaminated evidence with sewage. The loss of evidence, both from the storm and this recent fire, will affect future cases and exonerations. A former Queens district attorney told The New York Times that the situation is a "nightmare."

Brooklyn Patch

2. Conversation about the city's ferry system expansion may not even begin for years. Shortly after Staten Island finally joined the NYC Ferry system with the launch of its St. George route in August 2021, riders began calling on the city to expand the borough's fast ferry options to include a route to South Brooklyn. New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) at the time said the request would be under consideration upon completion of other projects, connecting Coney Island to Lower Manhattan, adding year-round service to Governor's Island and adding one more landing in the Bronx at Ferry Point Park in Throgs Neck. However, now NYCEDC is saying that consideration of new ferry routes has been sidelined, and that these conversations won't be picked up again until the system stabilizes financially (riders saw a price jump from $2.75 to $4 this year, one of the efforts to bolster revenue and offset the system's high public subsidies).

SILive.com

3. On year ago yesterday, New York City's gas ban made the city a national leader. Today, officials and activists urged the state to follow suit. NYC's 2021 ban on fossil fuels in new buildings was a national first, and yesterday, proponents of that legislation called on Gov. Kathy Hochul to include the All-Electric Building Act in her budget, requiring all-electric new construction statewide. The bill would mirror the city's December 2021 legislation: beginning in 2024 for buildings under seven stories, 2027 for larger buildings. Understanding the shear number of buildings erected in New York State every year, the All-Electric Building Act would be a massively impactful step towards a future independent of fossil fuels.

Food and Water Watch

Today in Brooklyn:

  • [FREE] Staged Reading of 'Free the Learned Ladies' by Moliere, The Picnic House at Prospect Park, Today @ 12 p.m. | Details
  • Multiple-DJ Set, Cafe Balearica, Today @ 5 p.m. | Details
  • BK Artist JANEDOE Debut Album Launch Party, 333 Lounge & Restaurant, Today @ 5 p.m. | Details
  • [Kids & Adults] Create-Your-Own Ugly Holiday Sweatshirt Party, City Point BKLYN, Today @ 5 p.m. | Details
  • Live Latin Music, Industry City, Today @ 6 p.m. | Details

🐝 Brooklyn Buzz:

  • 'Something for everyone': The sixth annual Caribbean holiday market is open in Downtown Brooklyn. "This year's marketplace features up to 30 craftsmen and women offering an array of beauty, culinary, clothing, houseware, jewelry and wellness items made right in Brooklyn's Little Caribbean neighborhood or in their home countries." (Brooklyn Paper)
  • 🐷 Pig Beach Is Closing: The beloved BBQ spot in Gowanus made the heartbreaking announcement on Tuesday: "We are sad to announce that on Friday, Dec. 30, the doors of our Brooklyn location, where Pig Beach BBQ was born, will close for the last time…Stay tuned here for Brooklyn closing week specials & updates about our next move. Please visit Brooklyn thru Dec. 30th & come to our other locations (Queens, Palm Beach, Louiville) as we seek a new location in Brooklyn." (Pig Beach NYC vita Instagram)

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Thanks for following along and staying informed! I'll see you around.

— Carlie Houser

About me: I'm a recent grad based in Brooklyn, NY. I love to write, run, read, and find new restaurants and venues around the city.

Have a news tip or suggestion for an upcoming Brooklyn Daily? Contact me at brooklyn@patch.com

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