Brooklyn Today December 17: Nitehawk Theater in Park Slope to Open Wednesday

The Lede

Happy Monday! A cleaning man heads to prison for sexually assaulting a client, Max Rose is already thinking about 2020, and a crooked attorney steals from an elderly couple. Plus, cops arrest a woman who yelled anti-asian slurs on the subway, Nitehawk Theater is opening in Park Slope on Wednesday, and vendors complain about the organizers of “Winterfest.” Finally, we recommend the best restaurants to celebrate New Year’s Eve at, and Spencer Dinwiddie signs a contract extension.

Imprint

Actress Keira Knightley graces the most recent cover of L’Express diX.

The Rundown

ROSE FUNDRAISING LETTER WARNS OF GRIMM 2020 CHALLENGE

Democratic Congressmember-elect Max Rose hasn’t even been sworn into office yet and already potential Republican challengers appear to be gearing up to run against him in 2020. Rose’s campaign sent out a fundraising letter warning of potential challenges from Michael Grimm or other Republicans. Grimm, the former Congress member, couldn’t be reached for comment. But he recently told the Staten Island Advance that he is leaving the door “wide open,” confirming reports that he is strongly considering a run. (via Brooklyn Eagle)

CLEANING MAN HEADS TO PRISON FOR SEXUALLY ASSAULTING CLIENT

A Brooklyn judge sentenced a cleaning service worker to 40 years to life in prison on Thursday for breaking into a client’s home and sexually assaulting her. Romaric Guiebre was convicted after a November jury trial for returning to a female client’s Bushwick apartment seven days after cleaning it to break in, terrorizing and sexually assaulting the woman. “This was an especially heinous attack …,” said Brooklyn DA Eric Gonzalez. “I am committed to public safety and fighting for justice for all sexual assault victims.” (via Brooklyn Eagle)

WATCHDOG WANNABE FAILS WITH SNIFFING OUT A THIEF RIGHT UNDER HIS NOSE

Right under the nose — or, more literally, directly over the head — of the hopeful watchdog for the city of New York was a crooked attorney lifting almost $2 million from an elderly couple. Gerald Douglas was arraigned on Thursday for withholding $1.7 million in proceeds from the sale of 11A Spencer Place in Bed-Stuy and stealing over $650,000 from the owners. Douglas, 50, provided legal services at 4517 Avenue D. The two-story East Flatbush building is also the district office for Councilmember Jumaane D. Williams, who is a candidate for the city’s Public Advocate. (via Brooklyn Eagle)

COPS ARREST WOMAN IN ANTI-ASIAN RACIAL ATTACK ON BROOKLYN SUBWAY

Police on Thursday arrested a 40-year-old woman after videos showed her kicking and hitting an Asian-American woman with an umbrella while insulting her with an ethnic slur on the D train in Brooklyn on Tuesday. She then removed an umbrella and keys from her purse, striking and kicking the victim. As passengers tried to pull them apart, the perp, identified by police as Anna Luschchinskaya, called the other woman a “f—ing ch–k.” Police charged Luschchinskaya with felony assault, attempted assault and harassment. (HuffPost via Brooklyn Eagle)

IT’S OFFICIAL: NITEHAWK THEATER IN PARK SLOPE TO OPEN DEC. 19

For several weeks, the Brooklyn Eagle has been hearing reports that the opening of the new Nitehawk Cinema in the old Pavilion Theater space in Park Slope was imminent. Now, it’s official: Nitehawk has announced that the grand opening will take place on Dec. 19. While Nitehawk announced its $10 million renovation project for the former Pavilion in 2016, there have been several delays. The original target date was late 2017, but preserving the original theater’s architectural details took longer than expected. (Gothamist via Brooklyn Eagle)

942-FOOT APARTMENT-OFFICE BUILDING PLANNED FOR DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN

The many new buildings springing up inDowntown Brooklyn may soon be joined by another one from Rabsky Development. Rabsky hopes to build a 942-foot-tall building at 625 Fulton St. containing 902 apartments, 739,000 square feet of office space and an elementary school. The public review process is scheduled to begin in January. If approved, it would be the densest development in Brooklyn. (The Real Deal via Brooklyn Eagle)

VENDORS COMPLAIN ABOUT ORGANIZERS OF ‘WINTERFEST’ AT BROOKLYN MUSEUM

It’s not only customers who are feeling cheated by the Winterfest attraction behind the Brooklyn Museum. Some vendors, who paid thousands to sell their wares at the temporary marketplace, also say they’re feeling scammed by Winterfest’s organizers. From the beginning, customers complained that Winterfest did not contain either a promised slide or a snow globe and that a “Chocolate Experience” was actually a tent that served instant cocoa and Halloween candy. “We are extremely disappointed that the organizers have failed to live up to their promises, and we have conveyed our concerns to them,” Brooklyn Museum said. (via Brooklyn Eagle)