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Community Corner

🌱 Frank James To Plead Guilty + BK's Worst Building + 'The Kool-Aid'

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

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Hi all. I'm back in your inbox this morning with your new edition of the Brooklyn Daily. Let's get this Thursday started off right, with a quick guide to the most important things happening these days in town. In this issue, you'll find news about:

  • Accused subway shooter changes his mind, pleads guilty to terrorist counts
  • Brooklyn's worst building is in Crown Heights
  • Bling Bishop takes to social media to appeal to his flock: "I'm not guilty"

But first, today's weather:

🌧 Occasional afternoon rain. High: 48 Low: 45.

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Here are the top stories in Brooklyn today:

1. After a whirlwind few months, Sunset Park subway shooter Frank James is pleading guilty to terrorist counts. According to a statement made Wednesday by his lawyers, James is expected to plead guilty to terrorism in connection with an April shooting spree on a northbound N train in southern Brooklyn; an 11-count indictment, which charged James with 10 counts of terrorist attack for each of the 10 people shot in the assault, as well as with a firearms charge. Earlier this week James plead not guilty to these charges, though now it seems the tides have changed.

Subscription / The New York Times

2. Three Crown Heights buildings made it on Brooklyn's worst buildings list, and one reigned supreme. Many things made up Public Advocate Jumaane Willams' annual Landlord Watchlist this year, a report that was released Tuesday, the fact that housing violations in 2022 were up nearly 30 percent over last year. The Watchlist also listed the worst buildings in Brooklyn, compiled by the total average number of open Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) violations a property had over the year. Coming in at number one was Crown Heights' 1055 Bergen St. with nearly 650 HPD violations across its 16 units. The building is currently an HDFC limited equity co-op operated at least in part by Neighborhood Restore, a nonprofit that, somewhat ironically, collaborates with the city to rehabilitate distressed buildings that have been foreclosed on by the city.

Patch

3. Brooklyn bishop accused of fraud has demanded his innocence on a social media tirade. On Tuesday, the so-called Bling Bling Bishop Lamor Whitehead took to Instagram on Tuesday to proclaim his innocence. Whitehead urged his innocence in a video: "I'm not guilty," he said, "That's why I have a smile on my face." He continued on a more philosophical note, explaining to his followers that "Just because you were arrested doesn't make you guilty. Don't drink the Kool-Aid," he told the camera, "I'm telling you all. You drunk it already. Don't drink it again. Give it time." Federal officials have charged Whitehead with fraud and two counts of extortion. One of the charges relates to former parishioner Pauline Anderson, who says the controversial bishop convinced her to invest nearly $90,000 of her life savings into a real estate scheme.

Brooklyn Patch

Today in Brooklyn:

  • Chanukahstravaganza Comedy Show, Littlefield, Today @ 8 p.m. | Details
  • Laf Dance Saloon, Basik, Today @ 8 p.m. | Details
  • MATISYAHU: Festival of Light, Brooklyn Bowl, Today @ 8 p.m. | Details
  • What's The Worst That Could Happen: Comedy Show x White Elephant Gift Exchange, Young Ethel's, Today @ 9 p.m. | Details
  • Dirty Thursday: All I Want For Xmas, House of Yes, Today @ 10 p.m. | Details

🐝 Brooklyn Buzz:

  • This limited Brooklyn golf putter is valued at $10K: "In James Carbonetti's shop, guitars adorn the white walls, red Persian rugs line dark wood floors and vinyl spins on a turntable. No corner is empty, and the workspaces are messy yet orderly. It's a music lover's paradise, and yet glimpses of another obsession are present... The Carbonetti Brooklyn putter released in a small batch on Nov. 17, some of which are on the open market for thousands. It's a collaboration with Toulon Design and an ode to Carbonetti's love for music, golf, and New York City." (HYPEBEAST)
  • We've covered Brooklyn's United Order of Tents previously on the Daily, but The New York Times recent did a long-form piece on the secret society which has ties to the Underground Railroad... a historic organization that's now fighting to save its historic Bed-Stuy headquarters. (Subscription / The New York Times)

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Thanks for following along and staying informed. I'll be in your inbox tomorrow with another update!

— 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

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?

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