🌱 Ossé Can't Find Housing + LIRR To Brooklyn Improves + Canal Cleanup

Good morning, Brooklyn. I'm here in your inbox this morning to tell you everything you need to know about what's going on in town, including news on:

• Not even a Bed-Stuy council representative can find affordable housing in Bed-Stuy.
• The Superfund project at the Gowanus Canal breaks ground.
• How a U.S. Attorney's Office paralegal got indicted for exposing her son's "snitches."

---

But first, today's weather: 🌤 Milder with clouds and sun. High: 54 Low: 43.

---

📢 I'm looking for business owners and marketers in Brooklyn who want to build awareness, connect with customers and increase sales.

I have a limited number of sponsorships available to introduce our readers to local businesses they need to know. If that's you, then I invite you to learn more and secure your spot now.

---

🗞 Top stories today in Brooklyn:

1. A Bed-Stuy council representative can't find an affordable apartment in his own neighborhood. Chi Ossé's search for a new residence in Bed-Stuy has been "tiring, treacherous, and competitive." Bed-Stuy tends to be cheaper than most of its adjacent brownstone neighborhoods but rent prices in the area have been racking since 2020 — these days the median rent is $2,700 for a one-bedroom and $2,950 for a two-bedroom (and that's before broker fees, which Ossé thinks ought to be "abolished"). Many of the councilmember's constituents are equally worried about housing and rapid gentrification in a neighborhood where many are currently facing double-digit rent increases. (Patch)

2. A 25 year old was shot on a B44 bus in Crown Heights on Tuesday evening. According to police, a man and woman boarded a packed bus (nearly 75 passengers) just before 10:30 p.m. without paying bus fare. They sat next to the 25-year-old man who, when he got up to leave, was shot in the bum by the man who'd just sat down beside him. The shooter and his female partner are believed to be just 19 years old. No arrests have been made. It is unclear if an argument prompted the shooting or if the victim was a specific target. (Subscription / New York Daily News)

3. The mother of a Brooklyn gang member used her paralegal position at the U.S. Attorney's office to expose 'snitches' cooperating against her son. Tawanna Hilliard, 48, was sentenced in Brooklyn Federal Court Tuesday on witness retaliation, conspiracy and other charges. Hilliard's son, Tyquan Hilliard, is a member of the 5-9 Brims. In 2018 he was arrested for a robbery in Upstate New York alongside two other suspects, identified in documents as John and Jane Doe, who gave videotaped post-arrest statements. Tawanna found these videos in the case's pre-trial material and, on request from her son, posted both to YouTube calling out John and Jane for 'SNITCHING.' Since the videos were released, John and Jane Doe have received multiple death threats, forcing Jane to relocate for her own safety. (Yahoo! Voices)

4. The $1.6 billion project to protect Gowanus Canal from sewage overflow has broken ground. On Wednesday, construction began on the first of two underground storage tanks that will have the combined capacity to prevent nearly 12 million gallons of sewer overflow during rainstorms. In 2010, Gowanus was categorized as a Superfund site, a location polluted with hazardous materials to whom the EPA has given special attention and funding for its cleanup. The groundbreaking on Wednesday at the canal signposts an effort on behalf of the Mayor Eric Adams administration to adhere to EPA goals and recommendations for improving Brooklyn's waterways, public spaces, and heath of the canal and Gowanus community. (Brooklyn Daily Eagle)

5. The Long Island Rail Road commute to Brooklyn is getting better. In an effort to improve commuter wait times on the busiest commuter railroad in North America, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced that the MTA will be increasing its rush hour service to Brooklyn by adding additional trains during peak hours between the Jamaica and Atlantic Terminal line. These changes will reportedly decrease platform wait times to an average of 8-9 minutes during the busiest commuting hours. The LIRR will also be deploying platform controllers at Jamaica station who will direct when Atlantic Terminal-bound trains depart and make sure that Brooklyn trains do not leave until another train arrives at the station during rush hour. You can learn more about the changes at the link. (Brooklyn Reader)

---

📆 Today in Brooklyn:

• Big Smooth is a FREE comedy show at bowling alley and music venue The Gutter (6:00 PM)
• Squeaky Feet, Minetta, Fondude are playing at The Sultan Room (6:30 PM)
• It's Comedy Night at the Brooklyn Art Cave, come support emerging comedians! (7:00 PM)
• The Jungle is a New York Time's Critics Pick — don't miss them at St. Ann's Warehouse (7:30 PM)
• Get in on the action at Peaceful Faces Record Release with Katie Martucci and Strawberry Runners at C'mon Everybody (7:30 PM)

---

🐝 Brooklyn Buzz:

• "It takes skill to create an effective lighting scheme. It highlights the best of a room's décor, sheds light on the building's architecture, generates ambiance, and facilitates daily life around the property. A skilled practitioner can harness its full potential. David Weeks Studio, founded by David Weeks in 1996, marries the technical, artistry, and minimalistic visual designs to produce a lighting design for commercial and residential properties that creates a fine line between ordinary and elegance." (EIN News)
• "Jolene Sound Room Brooklyn, a new sound space in New York's Williamsburg neighborhood, is opening its doors this Thursday, March 16. Located on the first floor of the recently opened Moxy Williamsburg hotel, the single-room venue is accessible through a separate entrance on Bedford Avenue. The bespoke sound system was developed by Nicolas Matar and Scott Ciungan of Phonic Technologies, the same team behind the sound at legendary New York clubs Cielo and Output, as well as new spot Outer Heaven."(Resident Advisor)
• "Hidden in an industrial warehouse in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, Faurschou New York boasts an expansive 17,000-square-foot private museum space. In the gallery's new spring exhibition, Embrace the World from Within, visitors will get to experience live performances, large-scale sculptures, and installations from famed intergenerational artists including Louise Bourgeois, Yoko Ono, and Miles Greenberg. If you're an Untapped New York Insider, you can be one of the first to experience this new exhibit on an exclusive guided tour of Faurschou New York on April 15!" (Untapped New York)

---

More from our sponsors — thanks for supporting local news!

Featured businesses:

• Cool Hand Movers — (Visit website)
• Add your business here

Featured events:

• Take a Virtual Tour of Greene Hill School (March 16)
• National Security Seminar: Radicalization and Violent Extremism Today (March 16)
• The Bloody Mary Festival - NYC (March 18)
• K. J. Denhert and ilyAIMY in Concert (March 18)
• Shake up your weekend brunch routine with Brooklyn Brunch Club! (March 19)
• Brooklyn Saint Patrick's Parade (March 19)
• Buying Into Brooklyn - March 2023 (March 21)
• The 6th Annual One Liner Madness (March 23)
• HAMPTONS | NORTH WEDDING & EVENT EXPO WEEKEND: 3/25 NoFo & 3/26 Hamptons (March 25)
• Post Nets Game - Live Music at McMahon's (April 7)
• Kids Easter Party Queens NY (April 9)
• Add your event

---

Alrighty, you're all good for today. See you all tomorrow morning for 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 Patch newsletter? Contact me at brooklyn@patch.com