🌱 Teenage Gun Violence + Second Chance Art + The COVID Kraken

Hey Brooklyn! Carlie Houser here with your fresh copy of the Brooklyn Daily, filled with all the local information you need to know right now. Including updates on:

• A nonprofit serving thousands of NYC's homeless offers art classes among other services
• The Kraken's been unleashed across the city
• Saturday to-dos — like a free book event!

But first, today's weather:

🌤 Some sun, some clouds. High: 44 Low: 34.

Here are the top stories in Brooklyn today:

1. Another teen is a victim of gun violence after a shooting Thursday night outside of Eagle Academy in Brooklyn. According to police, the 15 year old was standing at Herkimer Street and Saratoga Avenue at around 8 p.m. when he was shot in the arm. He was taken to the hospital and is in stable condition. NYPD apprehended a 17 year old and charged the teen with possession of a weapon — the suspect had a firearm but may not have necessarily been the shooter. The suspect is a student at Campus Magnet High school in Queens.

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2. A Brooklyn-based nonprofit has served over 150,000 of New York City's homeless population in the 35 years it's been running, and one man found salvation through art thanks to the organization. More than 100,000 New Yorkers are homeless, and the Institute for Community Living (ICL) offers one-to-one support to thousands of them — more than 3,000 people sleep up ICL's roof every night. Six years ago, Victor Alicea had been homeless for three years, was using drugs and a diagnosed schizophrenic when he sought help from ILC who offers painting classes to its clients among other services. Alicea took to the craft, and in June of 2022 his paintings were on display at the Brooklyn Museum in an exhibit called "Creating a Lifeline." Learn more about ICL and Alicea's story at the link.

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3. The 'Kraken' is unleashed around NYC — the latest COVID-19 variant now accounts for 80 percent of cases citywide. According to new data, the XBB.1.5. omicron subvariant, officially dubbed Kraken, is now the dominant strain of COVID-19 in NYC as of Jan. 8. The city's variant page warns that Kraken in the most transmissible form of the virus to-date, keeping with variant trends we've seen over the last couple of years. However, despite being the 'most transmissible," Patch reporter Matt Troutman points out that Kraken "appears not to have fueled a rapid increase of cases as omicron did a year ago, or at least not yet." Over the past week, the positivity rate in NYC has been at a 13.5 percent average, but all of the city's major COVID-19 indicators are officially "decreasing" over the past seven days. Stay safe, and we'll keep you posted.

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Today in Brooklyn:

• Free Book Giveaway, Brooklyn Book Bodega, Today @ 11 a.m. | Details
• "The Wizard of Oz," Oceana Theater, Today @ 2 p.m. | Details
• School of Rock, Baby's All Right, Today @ 12:30 - 3:30 p.m. | Details
• Little Sister Comedy, Young Ethel's, Today @ 6:30 p.m. | Details
• KSHMR, Avant Gardner, Today @ 10 p.m. | Details

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Have a wonderful Saturday! See you all tomorrow 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 Daily? Contact me at brooklyn@patch.com