Brooklyn Today December 4: Chip Shop, Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory Reportedly Closing

The Lede

Happy Tuesday! Sheepshead Bay parishioners mourn the loss of their “second home,” a man smashes two Williamsburg statues, and your credit card information could be compromised if you recently stayed at a Marriott hotel. Plus, a Brownsville woman is raped, historic Crown Heights artwork is in danger of crumbling, and we go inside El Chapo’s rise to power. Finally, a pop-up finds a permanent home in Prospect HeightsBay Ridge stores are suddenly being fined for their signs, and two Brooklyn Heights staples are closing.

Imprint

Actress Sarah Paulson poses with a kitty on the most recent cover of Flaunt.

The Rundown

HACKED: WHAT TO DO IF YOU STAYED AT MARRIOTT’S STARWOOD HOTEL CHAIN

If you’ve been a guest at any of Marriott’s Starwood properties over the last decade, you will want to take action now to protect your identity and credit card information. Marriott revealed on Friday the personal data, passport numbers and credit card information of hundreds of millions of guests was stolen from Starwood’s database. The data breach went on undetected for at least four years. Security experts say this gave the hackers all the time in the world to create bank and credit accounts under hotel patrons’ name. Marriott has established a website and hotline to advise guests on what to do now. (via Brooklyn Eagle)

SHEEPSHEAD BAY CHURCH PARISHIONERS MOURN LOSS OF SECOND HOME

Three days after a suspicious early morning fire destroyed a historic Sheepshead Bay church, parishioners of the Emmanuel Episcopal Church on East 23rd Street found comfort at worship at Church of the Nativity on Ocean Avenue in Midwood. It was the second time in 11 years that the building was hit by fire, fire officials said, and the parish was facing an uphill battle to rebuild yet again. The three-alarm fire early Thursday morning destroyed the entire church, and the remains are slated for future demolition. (via Brooklyn Eagle)

TWO RELIGIOUS STATUES SMASHED BY PISSED OFF MAN

Police are looking for a man who was caught on video urinating on a pair of religious angel statues before knocking them over, causing the faces to break. Early Sunday morning in front of Our Lady of Consolation Roman Catholic Church in Williamsburg, the man unbuckled his trousers while gazing up at one of the angel statues. He then relieved himself on the pillar. Video footage shows the man shoving one statue to the ground, before turning to pull the other statue off its pedestal. (via Brooklyn Eagle)

BROWNSVILLE WOMAN RAPED IN BETSY HEAD PARK

Police are looking for a man who allegedly raped a woman in Betsy Head Park on Saturday. During the early morning hours, a 20-year-old woman was approached by a stranger who tried to engage in conversation near Herzl Street and Dumont Avenue in Brownsville. The man grabbed the young woman by the arm and dragged her into the park where he raped her, police said. After the assault, the man took the woman’s purse and fled the scene, police said. (via Brooklyn Eagle)

EL CHAPO TRIAL GIVES INSIDE LOOK AT HIS RISE TO POWER

The trial of Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman has offered a screenplay-worthy picture of the lawlessness and excesses during his rise to power as Mexico’s most infamous drug lord. Since the trial got underway on Nov. 13, witnesses have described how Guzman used tunnels dug under the border and fake jalapeno cans to smuggle tons of cocaine into the U.S. during the 1990s and early 2000s. The Sinaloa cartel made hundreds of millions of dollars, most of it in U.S. currency collected in such volume it had to be stashed in safe houses while the gang figured out what to do with it. Here’s a look at some testimony highlights from the trial, which is expected to last until early next year. (AP via Brooklyn Eagle)

HISTORIC CROWN HEIGHTS ARTWORK BY HARLEM SCULPTOR IN DANGER OF CRUMBLING

Harlem Renaissance sculptor Richmond Barthe’s 80-foot-long outdoor frieze at Kingsborough Houses in Crown Heights is in danger of crumbling. Barthe intended his sculpture to be part of a planned amphitheater at NYCHA’s Harlem River Houses, which opened in 1937. However, the amphitheater was never built, and the frieze was instead installed at Kingsborough. The sculpture, which was intended to be part of a celebration of African-American culture, features images of black people dancing and celebrating as well as the biblical exodus of the Israelites.(Hyperallergic via Brooklyn Eagle)

FORMER POP-UP BISTRO OXALIS FINDS PERMANENT HOME IN PROSPECT HEIGHTS

Oxalis, formerly a pop-up bistro that appeared more than 30 times around the city, now has a permanent home at 791 Washington Ave. in Prospect Heights. Oxalis is “a neo-bistro with fine dining credentials. … [They] strip down fine dining, keep the fine-tuned food, and make it feel a bit more democratic,” Grub Street said. Dishes at Oxalis include the crispy pig trotter with mustard, cod with roasted potato, and sorrel and cheddar toast with charred winter greens. (Grub Street via Brooklyn Eagle)

STORES SUDDENLY FINED FOR LITTLE-KNOWN SIGN REGULATIONS

Businesses in Bay Ridge are suddenly being fined by the Department of Buildings for violations that haven’t been enforced for years. For example, United True Value Hardware has had a large awning outside its store for at least 30 years. No one mentioned the awning as a problem until several months ago, when DOB fined the store almost $8,000. According to city building codes, signs larger than 6 square feet require a special installation permit. Bay Ridge Councilmember Justin Brannan said he’s worried that sign companies are making many of these anonymous complaints, hoping that shopkeepers will then come to them and spend money on new signs. (NY1 via Brooklyn Eagle)

CHIP SHOP, BROOKLYN ICE CREAM FACTORY REPORTEDLY CLOSING

Two favorite food spots at opposite ends of Brooklyn Heights are reportedly closing. The first, the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory, opened in 2001 shortly after 9/11. Its license with the city is now up, and the Brooklyn Bridge Park Corporation last summer advertised for a new food and beverage concession. The corporation is expected to announce a new operator very soon. The second business, which closed its doors on Sunday, is the Atlantic ChipShop at 129 Atlantic Ave., according to the eatery’s Facebook page. (New York Post via Brooklyn Eagle)

Staff Picks

LONG READ

If an 11th question is added to Donald Trump’s census, it could forever change how accurate the survey is and alter democracy in this country for good. (via NYT)

ANOTHER LONG READ

“Investigating Hate: Inside New York City’s task force on bias” (via Harper’s Magazine)

EAT

Here are the 11 best brunch restaurants in New York City right now, including five spots in Brooklyn. (via Eater)

TRAVEL

Beijing and Istanbul have two new futuristic airports that are setting the standard for travel across the world. (via NYT)

NATIONAL BULLETIN

Bernie Sanders is planning a “bigger” presidential run in 2020…Pediatricians say children should be playing with hands-on toys instead of electronics…And President H.W. Bush wears special socks while lying in state. (via AP, LA Times and USA Today)

FOREIGN FLASH

 A 7-year-old Scottish boy sends a postcard to his father in heaven…NASA’s rover discovers a shiny rock on Mars…And a 4,000-year-old pot was used as a toothbrush holder. (via AP, The Sun and Atlas Obscura)

ROYAL WATCH

Did you know the royal family isn’t allowed to play monopoly on Christmas? Here’s why(via Her)

EAGLE SPORTS

 “Nets face uncomfortable truth they were desperate to avoid” (via New York Post)

MILESTONES

Happy birthday to Fred Armisen, Max Baer Jr., Tyra BanksJeff Bridges, Chris Hillman, Jay-Z, Marisa Tomei, Patricia Wettig and Cassandra Wilson!