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Community Corner

🌱 Sheldon Thomas Released + COVID Rats + Red Baraat Celebrates Holi

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

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Hey, neighbors! It's Saturday in Brooklyn and I'm back in your inbox with everything that's fit to print about what's happening locally. In today's issue, you'll read about these stories and more...

  • How the Brooklyn D.A.'s photo swap mistake caused a wrongfully convicted man to spend nearly two decades in prison.
  • New study finds that NYC rats have been infected with COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic.
  • It's taken two years for the city to address toxic fumes rising out of a popular shuffleboard club.

But first, today's weather: 🌨Rain and snow showers. High: 44 Low: 32.

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🗞 Top stories today in Brooklyn:

1. A New York City man wrongfully spent 18 years in prison because of the Brooklyn D.A.'s photo mix-up. Sheldon Thomas, now 35, has spent nearly two decades — more than half of his life — behind bars after he was wrongfully convicted of murdering 14-year-old Anderson Bercy in late 2004. A review of the case by the district attorney's Conviction Review Unit found that the lead detective on the Bercy case (Robert Reedy, since retired) "asked to unseal a prior arrest of Thomas for allegedly pointing an inoperable gun at police officers so that detectives could use his picture in a photo lineup." Detective also used the photo of a different Thomas Sheldon during witness questioning — this second Thomas Sheldon was the one witnesses identified as Bercy's shooter. What's more, in 2006 it was revealed that a different photo had been used to identify Bercy's killer, however the judge still ruled that there was probable cause to arrest the first Thomas Sheldon two years prior. Thomas is set to be released, his conviction vacated, due to faulty evidence. (NBC New York)

2. According to a new study, it appears that NYC rats can be infected with COVID-19 variants. Researchers captured 79 rats from three different sites in Brooklyn and tested them for COVID-19 exposure; antibodies against the virus were found in 13 of the rats, which suggests they had been infected at one point in time. Today marks three years since the World Health Organization declared a global pandemic — this batch of infected rats show signs of the very first strain that was dominant in NYC at the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020. (CBS New York)

3. Toxic fumes detected at a popular shuffleboard blue in Gowanus went unreported for nearly two years. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) discovered that toxic fumes had been rising out of Royal Palms Shuffleboard Club two years ago but did not communicate their findings to Gowanus Canal residents until recently. Back in March 2021, the DEC documented indoor pollution concerns involving a cancer-causing chemical called trichloroethylene (TCE), "an industrial solvent used in manufacturing that's resistant to degradation." The toxins seeping into the indoor air at Royal Palms have been measured at 20 times the state's allowable limit. Fast forward to February 2023, the city only just started a construction project to contain and reduce the fumes. Completion is not expected until the third quarter of 2024. (Gothamist)

📆 Today in Brooklyn:

  • Theatre enthusiasts won't want to miss this behind-the-scenes Historic Tour of Kings Theatre (1:00 PM)
  • Speakitaly NYC is offering a KIDS-Saturday cooking class for making heart-shaped, soft jelly cookies (2:00 PM)
  • Tell Me A Joke: The Comedy Open Mic is happening at The Bk Estates (5:00 PM)
  • Coney Island Brewery is kicking of the season with a March Madness Comedy Show (6:00 PM)
  • Commemorate Brooklyn's Notorious B.I.G. at Suite 607's annual Biggie Themed Karaoke Night (6:00 PM)

🐝 Brooklyn Buzz:

  • "In its 11th year as a multi-city annual festival, Red Baraat Festival of Colors is an immersive celebration through music, visuals and dance. Bringing together what NPR has called 'the best party band in years,' with a montage of classic Bollywood visuals, a showcase of exceptional South Asian artists, Red Baraat celebrates the Indian holiday, Holi, through communal revelry." (Brooklyn Bowl)
  • "Since the nation's founding, women have worked ceaselessly to advocate for recognition of their labor, their equality, and their civil rights. In the 1970s, groups began to highlight the historical contributions of women as part of public events. 1978 marked the first 'Women's History Week,' which coincided with International Women's Day, March 8. In 1987, Congress voted to make March Women's History Month (New York City had recognized the month of March as Women's History Month since 1981). This March, join us in celebrating women, both historical and in recent history, who have contributed to shaping our history, culture, and the future of parks." (NYC Parks)

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That's it for today. I'll catch up with you bright and early tomorrow with a new 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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