Around Brooklyn: 2 Arrested for Allegedly Tearing Masks Off Jewish People in Brooklyn

Why the Path to Reopening New York City Will Be So Difficult

Nearly 190,000 people were tested for the coronavirus in New York City over the past two weeks, a record number, says the New York Times. The increase in testing, crucial for curbing the outbreak, came as Mayor Bill de Blasio announced plans to hire a small army of 1,000 disease detectives to track down the contacts of every infected New Yorker. The city is also paying for hotels to house people who cannot quarantine in their cramped apartments, and it may use the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens for the same purpose.

Brooklyn gravedigger goes above and beyond during the pandemic

Since the coronavirus pandemic hit New York, The Evergreens Cemetery has been handling three times its usual workload — with up to 10 burials a day. But gravedigger Juan Manon says he won’t stop until every soul is laid to rest, according to the New York Post.

Coronavirus Victims: New York City Department Of Education Employee Kimarlee Nguyen

More than 60 New York City Department of Education employees have died from COVID-19. One of them was Kimarlee Nguyen, 33, says NPR.

Brooklyn Wine Shop Bucked the Covid Odds

Leon & Son had all the markings of a Covid casualty. The tiny Brooklyn wine shop is full of relatively esoteric, small-batch bottles that are best sold with a back-story. Since opening five years ago, its business development plan was an ever-present box of Milk Bones behind the counter, writes Bloomberg.

Brownsville Single Mother is ‘Mom’ to Many More Than Her Own

Venus Core, who was born in East New York and lives in Brownsville, has devoted much of her life to working with young people caught up in the criminal justice system in Brooklyn, writes BK Reader. Her goal is to transition them back into their communities and prepare them for the future.

Nearly a million New York City apartments could get a rent freeze

As New Yorkers grapple with financial hardships due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Rent Guidelines Board (RGB) has moved forward with their annual process—this time virtually—to decide whether to freeze, increase, or rollback rents for the city’s nearly one million rent-stabilized units, writes Curbed New York.

Coney Island Businesses Brace For A Devastating Summer Of Coronavirus

Instead of cranking up the Wonder Wheel for visitors to Coney Island, Deno Vourderis now spends his days volunteering and worrying about the future of his community, according to Gothamist.

Federal Small Business Bailout Loan Is Failing One Brooklyn Restaurant

With the recent $310 billion top up to the Paycheck Protection Program — the federal aid to help small businesses stay afloat during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic — some smaller restaurants are finally beginning to see their funds trickle in after initially being shunned in favor of chains, according to Eater New York. One such small restaurant is the experimental Clinton Hill New American spot Otway. Owner Samantha Safer applied for the PPP on April 8, and received a loan of $98,900 on May 4 — the amount of the loan is capped at 2.5 times the average monthly payroll of an establishment.

NYPD Shuts Down Open Street in Downtown Brooklyn

Police on Thursday morning stormed a newly opened up street in Downtown Brooklyn, pushing aside the barricades meant to block cars, and wrongly telling workers who had set up the new public space that they needed a permit to participate in what the cops obviously didn’t know is a key mayoral initiative, according to Streetsblog NYC. The Downtown Brooklyn Partnership — a business improvement district that oversees the area around the Borough’s civic center — offered staff to participate in the Department of Transportation’s expanding open streets program that allows New Yorkers to enjoy socially distanced recreation during the COVID-19 crisis.

Rapper Nick Blixky found fatally shot in Brooklyn

Blixky, who was born Nickalus Thompson, was found on Winthrop Street in Prospect Lefferts Gardens around 9:30 p.m. with gunshot wounds to his torso, according to police, writes the NY Post. A YouTube clip of the aftermath of the apparent shooting shows Blixky on the ground as police arrive.

Woman shot in face after answering door knock in Williamsburg

A woman answered a knock at her door, only to be shot in the face in Brooklyn, says ABC 7. It happened Sunday night on South 10th Street in Williamsburg. The 53-year-old woman apparently knows her attacker. The man fired the weapon and then took off running from the scene.

NYPD arrests 3 in Brooklyn after bottle of booze leads to brawl with cops

Three men were arrested after a brawl broke out with cops in Brooklyn when one of the men refused to hand over a bottle of booze, police said Monday. According to the NY Post, the violent video, posted to Instagram, shows at least six officers struggling to arrest two men — as they exchange blows in Brownsville Sunday.

Brooklyn luxury market sees 3rd straight week with 4 contracts

The Real Deal writes that Brooklyn saw four high-end contract signings last week for the third week in a row, split between two townhouses, one condo and one co-op, according to the latest report from Compass. The report looks at homes in the borough asking $2 million or more based on the last publicly available asking prices.

2 Arrested for Allegedly Tearing Masks Off Jewish People in Brooklyn

New York City police say two people have been arrested for allegedly tearing face masks off Jewish people in Brooklyn. The NYPD arrested the perpetrators some time after the Sunday night attack near Bedford Avenue and Ross Street in Williamsburg, writes NBC 4 New York. Cops said the melee erupted just after 8 p.m. Sunday near Briston Street and Livonia Avenue where officers approached a group of men — including 39-year-old Jerry Akbar who was allegedly smoking marijuana and drinking.

Affordable housing lottery opens for 37 units in Brooklyn, starting at $666 a month

An affordable housing lottery has opened for 37 newly constructed units in an eight-story building at 7 Livonia Avenue in Brownsville, according to AM NY. Of the affordable apartments, there are 26 one-bedroom units, nine two-bedroom units and two three-bedroom units. Monthly rents start at $666 and top out at $1,279.

Man shouts he has HIV, then punches, spits at train operator in Brooklyn

A man believed to be homeless punched and spit at a subway train operator after refusing to exit a C train at the end of its run in Brooklyn, union officials and police said Saturday. According to the New York Daily News, the C train reached its last stop just after 9 a.m. Saturday at the Euclid Ave. station in East New York when the man insisted he needed five more minutes before he could leave the car.

Compiled by Jaime DeJesus