A Room at the Inn For Red Hook Homeless, Taking the Plunge into the New Year & More of Today’s Links

A Room at the Inn For Red Hook Homeless, Taking the Plunge into the New Year & More of Today’s Links
(Via Bklyner’s Instagram)

It’s that quiet time between the two final holidays of the year, but there’s still news to be had while avoiding family and wondering whether or not those last cookies are a good idea…

If you’re still in a festive mood, but need to walk around a bit, take a tour of art by local artists hosted at a series of Bushwick bodegas as part of a living, communal advent calendar.

And while that art is for the people, if you’ve got something precious that needs to be stowed away and properly cared for, a Bushwick art storage facility is getting a $76 million makeover.

Earlier this week, Bay Ridge restaurant Skinflint’s hosted a holiday party that included an appearance by Santa Claus—in a horse-drawn carriage!

And check to see if there’s one last present in store for you: if your family stuffs stockings with lottery scratchers, there’s an unclaimed Powerball ticket worth $298 million that was sold at an East New York gas station…

Last week, the “NYC Boss Bill” passed the City Council, protecting women from employment discrimination based on their reproductive health choices.

And down in Coney Island, builders have said that a 10-story tower expansion of Coney Island Hospital will be ready in 2023. It’ll also include a flood wall.

In social justice news, a group out of Flatlands is fundraising for a people-mover with holographic technology to transport and educate youngsters about the Holocaust and its survivors.

Also, a group of current and formerly-incarcerated individuals have collaborated on a multimedia project in Bushwick called “Die Jim Crow,” which explores the effect of mass incarceration in modern America.

Speaking of helping the least among us, especially in a season when finding a place to stay factors into one of the biggest narratives being celebrated, an emergency homeless shelter that opened in a Red Hook hotel this month has locals concerned about the lack of advance notice.

With New Year’s Day fast approaching, the Coney Island Polar Bears are prepping for their big plunge—are you going to brave the cold water for a brisk start to 2019?

And finally, while it might not be Brooklyn-centric, did you experience Empty NYC Day in our fair borough?