Bicyclist struck, killed in Williamsburg
A bicyclist was struck and killed Thursday afternoon at Rewe Street and Vandervoort Avenue in Williamsburg, according to CBSNewYork. Police said a man was driving a flatbed truck northbound on Vandervoort when he made a U-turn, striking the cyclist. The truck then went onto the curb and struck an occupied parked vehicle, causing a chain reaction in which several other parked cars were struck. The cyclist, identified as Pedro Lopez, was rushed to Woodhull Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Transportation Alternatives, an advocacy group for cycling and other forms of non-automobile transportation, said this was the first cyclist death of the year.
Cop-involved accident smashes diner’s window
Cops responding to a call crashed their cruiser into the window of a famed, decades-old diner in Ditmas Park, according to the New York Post. The car rammed into the storefront of George’s Restaurant at 753 Coney Island Ave. near Cortelyou Road on Tuesday morning. One of the officers in the vehicle was taken to Maimonides Medical Center with minor back injuries, police said. Owners Michael Papazaharias and Peter Montauredes said on Wednesday that the restaurant was closed for business while repairs were underway. The three people who were at the front table left minutes before the accident, the Post said.
O’Connell to seek another grocery if Fairway shuts store
Gregory O’Connell, the owner of the space that now contains the Fairway Market in Red Hook, has vowed to look immediately to replace the store with another supermarket if the bankrupt company shuts it down, according to The Real Deal. O’Connell blasted the new ownership of Fairway and said, “The Fairway of today is not the Fairway that we loved and believed in when fighting to bring them to the neighborhood.” O’Connell’s father, also named Greg, sparked the commercial and industrial renaissance of Red Hook in the 1990s. The younger O’Connell told The Real Deal that Fairway’s new ownership “has successfully diluted the strengths of the operation from bottom to top.” Fairway’s original owners, the Glickberg family, sold the chain to a private equity firm in 2007-08.
Cousin of philanthropist confronts murder suspect
As Dondre Richardson of East 125th Street, who has been charged with second-degree murder and arson in connection with the death of Fort Greene philanthropist Antonio Litman, was led out in handcuffs from the 88th Precinct on Wednesday night, Litman’s cousin confronted Richardson. Richardson yelled, “I was his friend,” but Litman’s cousin Felicia Geddis shouted back, “We will follow you, and we won’t let you go,” according to amNewYork. Litman’s body, which had puncture wounds to the neck and chest, was found in his Adelphi Street home on Jan. 20 after fire swept through the house. Geddis, who was raised with Litman almost as brother and sister, said, “[The suspect] took one of the best people you can ever know, my brother, and there’s no reason for it,” amNewYork reported.
New food space planned for McCarren Park
Last year, the music venue Brooklyn Bazaar closed its doors at the Polonaise Terrace theater in Greenpoint, according to Time Out New York. However, Brooklyn Bazaar’s management team, owners Aaron Brudo and Belvy Klein, are seeking to refocus their efforts. They are now planning to open a “new food hall-style space” with a room for events at McCarren Park in Williamsburg, Time Out said. Working with the Parks Department, they hope to set up their venue in the McCarren Park House by spring 2021. It is unclear who the participating food vendors will be, but Brudo and Klein have applied for a liquor license.
Sunset Park development now to include commercial
In 2011, Salmar Properties set out to transform a vacant warehouse in Sunset Park into a state-of-the-art industrial center known as Liberty View Industrial Plaza, according to The Real Deal. After years of the property — a portion of whose first and second floors is occupied by retail uses — sitting half-empty, the landlord has received permission to lease part of the property reserved for industrial uses to office tenants, according to an agreement made public Monday, The Real Deal said. Salmar presented evidence to the city’s Economic Development Corporation that it is financially infeasible to lease the property for industrial use to the extent required by the original deed.
Cops seek suspect in ENY barbershop shooting
Two people believed to be innocent bystanders were shot inside the Trini International Barbershop in East New York on Wednesday night, according to ABC7. Police say the incident began with a fight that broke out at 8:25 p.m. at a deli at Pitkin and Montauk avenues. The fight spilled into the street and turned violent. Both victims were rushed to Brookdale Hospital with what are believed to have been non-life-threatening injuries. Police as of press time on Friday were looking for a Hispanic man with short hair who fled on foot, running south on Montauk Avenue.
Seven-story condo building planned for Williamsburg
Permits have been filed for a seven-story apartment building at 680 Lorimer St. in Williamsburg, according to New York YIMBY. The site, which is currently occupied by a vacant one-story warehouse, is at the intersection of Meeker Avenue and Lorimer Street, four blocks north of the L train’s Lorimer Street station. The building is slated to have 25 residences, most likely condos, New York YIMBY reported. Cheskie Weiss, under the name 680 Lorimer LLC, is listed as the owner, while Mohamed Mabrouk of MHM Engineering is listed as the architect of record.
Candle co. launches women-inspired candles
A Brooklyn candle company is launching a new line of candles inspired by the strength and empowerment of women, according to News 12 Brooklyn. “For individuals when they experience it, its scent and burning candles are a personal experience and an intimate experience,” said Carly Shumaker, director of production and development for Brooklyn Candle Studio. Ten percent of the proceeds from these candles are being donated to women’s rights charitable organizations.
Cops seek man who grabbed cellphone, attacked victim
Cops are seeking the public’s help in finding a crook who grabbed a phone from a Brooklyn commuter, then assaulted him after the victim tried to get it back, according to BK Reader. Police say the trouble began at 11:15 a.m. on Jan. 9 at the Franklin Avenue station on the No. 5 line. After the thief grabbed the victim’s phone and ran, the victim tried to get his phone back and managed to grab the attacker’s leg. The thief punched and kicked his victim several times until an accomplice pulled him away, BK Reader said. On Jan. 30, the NYPD released video footage of one of the perpetrators.
Bed-Stuy baker makes hard-to-find bean pies
For many years, members of the Nation of Islam, popularly known as the Black Muslims, wearing bow ties, sold bean pies on the street corners of Brooklyn, according to Atlas Obscura. They were part of the group’s attempt to forge a cuisine that wasn’t linked to the rural South, sharecropping and slavery, Atlas Obscura said. The pies, made from navy beans, are no longer easy to find – but you can sample a slice at Abu’s Homestyle Bakery in Bedford-Stuyvesant. Idris Conry, the owner and self-described “abu,” or father, of the bakery and a longtime member of a nearby mosque, told Atlas Obscura that a community member at his mosque gave him the recipe, and he’s been making the pies since the early 2000s. He also makes bean pie’s more traditional rival, sweet potato pie.
Compiled by Raanan Geberer
