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Community Corner

🌱 Quarantine Quartet + 'Blacklister' Gets Blacklisted + Your Friday

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

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Hello, everybody! It's me, Carlie Houser, your host of the Patch newsletter. Here's all the community news you need to know right now. Today we'll cover these stories and more...

  • Brooklyn teacher's aid gets 15 years for child pornography.
  • How a family's quarantine project became a lucrative side gig.
  • Cast member of crime TV show commits grave crime of his own.

But first, today's weather: 🌧 A little afternoon rain. High: 43 Low: 36.

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🗞 Top stories today in Brooklyn:

1. A Brooklyn high school teacher's assistant has been sentenced to 15 years for child pornography and sextortion. From 2019 to 2020, Brian Quinones worked as a paraprofessional (teacher's assistant) at Midwood High School in Brooklyn. He was accused of convincing a student to send sexually explicit pictures of himself via multiple messaging platforms, and then threatening to release the photos if the victim didn't send more. Quinones pleaded guilty to the charges in September 2022. Yesterday, U.S. Attorney Breon Peace announced Quinones' sentence: 15 years in prison for sexual exploitation of a child, and, upon release, he will be required to register as a sex offender. The prosecution team against Quinones was part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice "to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse." (Department of Justice)

2. A Brooklyn family's 'Quarantine Quartet' has been selling out live performances three years later. When life was put on pause in March 2020, NYC parents Jason and Elysa Hochman decided to hone their family's mad flamenco and Spanish guitar skills and enlisted sons Joseph and Noah for their self-proclaimed "quarantined quartet." The Hochmans began documenting their milestones daily via Instagram, but they were convinced the effort wouldn't last more than a couple of weeks. Three years later, what began as a home bonding experience has transformed into over 1,000 days of performances, booked nights at restaurant venues like Tavern on the Green and special concerts called Candlelight. (NBC New York)

3. Turns out the driver in a hit-and-run incident that left a woman dead was a cast member on a hit TV show. Daniel Buckley, then 67, worked in the Brooklyn Navy Yard as a swing truck operator on the hit crime series, "The Blacklist" (James Spader, Megan Boone, Kristin Ritter). Buckley was leaving the yard in November 2022 when he made an illegal turn to avoid a collision and slammed into Leah Kohn, 59, who died three weeks after she was struck by the car. According to District Attorney Eric Gonzalez, Buckley didn't stay at the scene to call an ambulance; instead, he fled the scene, leaving Kohn, a beloved grandmother, bleeding on the street. Buckley was indicted for manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide and faces 15 years in prison. (Subscription / New York Daily News)

📆 Today in Brooklyn:

  • Borough Park presents Friday Films for Kids at its Brooklyn Public Library branch (1:00 PM)
  • Make a Hot Chocolate Bomb at Kahkow U.S.A.'s BYOB event (4:00 PM)
  • Here Bk is hosting a booze-free comedy show 'Dry Humor' in Williamsburg (6:00 PM)
  • Coney Island Brewery is offering its weekly specialty tour, a Guided Beer & Food Pairing (6:00 PM)
  • Every Friday you can catch a live jazz at The Red Pavilion (8:30 PM)

🐝 Brooklyn Buzz:

  • "Brooklynites came together to celebrate the life of Christopher Wallace, also known as Biggie Smalls on Thursday afternoon. The event marked what would have been the 27th anniversary of the legendary rapper's death on March 8, 1997, when he was shot and killed in Los Angeles. " (Brooklyn Paper)
  • "The New York Restoration Project (NYRP) has announced that it is giving away free trees to Brooklynites throughout the months of April and May. Starting on April 15, the nonprofit organization will be paying a visit to six different neighborhoods located across Brooklyn — along with the other four New York boroughs — and distributing trees to residents that register in advance for the giveaway." (Brooklyn Reader)

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Featured events:

  • OMNI Ensemble Continues its 40th Season on March 10! (March 10)
  • Music, Brews and Friends for a great cause (March 10)
  • Bachata Crash Course (March 11)
  • Regina Opera presents Puccini's "Il Tabarro" (March 12)
  • New York Open House (March 15)
  • Parent Circle: State Of Today:How The World Is Affecting Children And Parents (March 15)
  • Take a Virtual Tour of Greene Hill School (March 16)
  • National Security Seminar: Radicalization and Violent Extremism Today (March 16)
  • Kids Easter Party Queens NY (April 9)
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You're all caught up for today! See you all tomorrow morning for your next 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

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