Chili Dogs, Working From Brooklyn, PLG and Crown Heights Assembly Race, Food, Rooftop Movies, and More.

Brooklynites don't want to commute into the city, so more and more employers are setting up offices in Brooklyn. A Park Slope Church is looking for the stolen Tabernacle, a Flatbush Church is to be redeveloped to bring coworking spaces to the neighborhood, Park Slope may get two new 16-story towers, Coney Island Ferry is postponed indefinitely and the State is considering whether all of Brooklyn should be protected from aggressive real estate solicitations.

June is Pride Month, and the big Brooklyn celebrations will take place in Park Slope on June 11. Details on that and other events at Brooklyn Pride. Outdoor movies are starting, and Celebrate Brooklyn concerts start on June 8. That and more below.

Politics

It is less than four weeks until most elected officials on the ballots will know if they have been elected, at least in the safely Democrat seats. In Brooklyn, it's the Governor, Lt. Governor, a handful of assembly seats, and the US Senator seat that will be on the ballots. The Final Day to register to vote is June 3. Early Voting will run from June 18 to June 26; Primaries are on June 28.

Assembly District 43 (Crown Heights & PLG): I looked at how to pick a candidate among four excellent men who are all promising basically the same thing.

Congressional District 9 (Crown Heights to Gravesend): Lubavitcher businessman Menachem Raitport (Republican) announced his candidacy for the redrawn CD9, which now includes Crown Heights and much of Boro Park's and Gravesend's Jewish communities, in addition to Flatbush and Midwood. He last ran for Brooklyn Borough President against Antonio Reynoso, receiving 23% of the votes. Yvette Clarke currently represents CD9.

Times of Israel looked at what the redrawn Congressional districts mean for the Jewish community in New York.

Congressional District 10 (Park Slope to Downtown Manhattan): Carlina Rivera, a progressive Lower East Side City Council member, announced she's joining Rep. Mondaire Jones (D-Westchester/Rockland), former Mayor Bill de Blasio, and downtown Assemblymember Yuh-Line Niou in the race to represent the redrawn district that includes much of brownstone Brooklyn, THE CITY has more.

Debates

With Governor and Lt Governor on the ballots, there will be a few debates ahead of the June 28 primaries.

On the Democrat side, Gov. Kathy Hochul will debate Rep. Tom Suozzi and New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams on June 7, broadcast on CBS New York and WCBS Newsradio880, and on June 16, and broadcast on NBC New York and Telemundo 47. Williams and Suozzi will also face off in an NY1 debate tonight at 7 pm, moderated by Erroll Louis.

On the Republican side, former Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino, Andrew Giuliani, and Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-Long Island) will participate in the debate on June 13, broadcast on CBS 2 New York and WCBS Newsradio 880. All debates are at 7 pm.

Lt. Governor: Last night, Ana María Archila and Diana Reyna debated housing, gun violence, COVID, and the role of Lt. Governor; see it here or read about it here. Archila, in particular, wants to reshape the role Lt. Governor plays in politics.

Real Estate

• Mayor made big news this week with his proposals to make housing and other development easier. However, the CITY reports, "he'll need to win over City Council members who just derailed 915 proposed new apartments in Harlem" over affordable housing.
• Waterfront: It took a Pandemic for Brooklyn to finally start getting the kind of commercial tenants it has been wanting, and it is all thanks to the reluctance of their workers to endure 40-minute commutes. So much for Mayor getting everyone back to work in Manhattan.  
• Kensington: Local real estate agents speak to Brick Underground about Kensington. It is incredible how much of the neighborhood is missed, including no mention of Little Bangladesh or Little Pakistan. If you are considering moving or just visiting, check out this story or this story on what Councilwoman Shahana Hanif - a Kensington native - loves in the neighborhood.
• Municipal Art Society's walking tours are another great way to explore the city, and there are a few of them coming up in Brooklyn.
• A public hearing on June 9 at Brooklyn Boro Hall by the NYS Department of State on whether all or just parts of Brooklyn should be covered by a Cease and Desist Zone to reign in aggressive real estate solicitations. More info here.
• Park Slope: Dwell looks at 17 Jackson Place in Park Slope that's on the market asking $3.75 million following a 15-year renovation by architect-owners.
• Park Slope: There may be two 16-story towers coming to 10th street near 5th Avenue in Park Slope.
• Little Pakistan:  18 of the 60 units at the new building on the corner of Foster Avenue and Coney Island Avenue in Little Pakistan are available through the affordable housing lottery for those earning 130% of the area median income (AMI), ranging in eligible income from $56,572 to $215,150.

• Flatbush: The Flatbush Presbyterian Church, located at 494 East 23rd Street, will be turned into "a community arts and social impact center, complete with more than 250 shared co-working spaces, multiple performance venues, a cafe and retail store, food pantry, a gallery, and recording and artist studios," if a developer gets his way. And it may not be a bad way to preserve an old building.  

Transportation & Streets

Schermerhorn Street: The city's new plan, set to be implemented in the next few months, will turn Schermerhorn Street between Smith Street and Third Avenue into an eastbound one-way street for vehicles, who will have one driving lane down the center of the street, DOT announced at a Community Board 2 meeting last week, Brooklyn Paper reports.

Street Vending: Mayor Adams announced plans to reform and modernize vending regulations based on the 16 unanimous recommendations in this report by the Street Vendor Advisory Board. From no longer having to keep books to vending possibilities in metered parking spots and public plazas, it will be interesting to see what changes will have the most significant impact.

Ferry: New York City has temporarily halted and indefinitely postponed its plan to bring a ferry line to Coney Island over a "significant sand shift."

Education

Graduations: This week, Brooklyn College celebrated the Class of 2022 - 4,257 graduates - at its 97th Commencement. The valedictorian of the Class of 2022 was Carina D'Urso; Leymah Roberta Gbowee, a 2011 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, was the keynote speaker.

Public Schools: State lawmakers reached a deal to grant Mayor Adams a two-year extension of mayoral control of city schools, half of the four years the Mayor and Gov. Kathy Hochul had asked for, as well as capped the size of classes in city schools between 20 to 25 students, depending on the grade, over the next five years. The cap is likely an expensive measure, and the NYC DOE has not figured out what it will cost yet. Education is the single biggest spending category in the City's budget, which works out to almost $50k a year per student.  Chalkbeat reminds us that a study in New York City found that educational gains were tied to smaller classrooms with experienced teachers. Classes with inexperienced teachers saw no change.

Urban Dove - a school for at-risk youth in Midwood - has had its share of opposition in the community, but things have started to change after a student was killed, one rose bush and one neighbor at a time.

Crime

• A historic Tabernacle worth some $2 million was stolen from St. Augustine Catholic Church in Park Slope. There were many stories about it, all restating what the Brooklyn Diocese said: "The burglar cut through a metal protective casing and made off with the Tabernacle, which dates back to when the church was built in the late 1800s. This holy sacramental receptacle is irreplaceable due to its historical and artistic value. The angels which flanked the Tabernacle were decapitated and destroyed, and the Holy Eucharist housed inside the Tabernacle was thrown all over the altar."
• A stampede broke out at the Barclays Center after a "sound disturbance" led people in a crowd leaving a boxing match last Saturday to believe there was a shooter in the area. At least ten people were injured, according to police, Forbes reports.
• Ilene Steur, who was shot in the Sunset Park subway shooting, has filed a lawsuit against the gunmaker Glock Inc.

History

National Geographic visits the Little Caribbean part of Flatbush, diving into why the residents seek national historic status for the rapidly changing neighborhood.

Food

Coming soon: The new Brooklyn Night Market at Industry City on 36th St, between 2nd and 3rd ave, will take place on the last Monday of the month, starting at 4 pm on June 27. And - Habana Outpost should be returning in a few weeks, based on what the owner told FAB Fulton.

Tastes of Park Slope is this weekend, offering four "tastes" for $35 or 12 for $100 and featuring eateries mostly on 5th Ave. Tastes of Crown Heights is on June 25.

NYT focuses on Finger Foods and features a handful of Brooklyn spots, noting confit duck necks at Falansai, a Vietnamese restaurant in Bushwick, chili dogs at Hi Hi Room in Cobble Hill,  and mozzarella sticks at Bernie's in Greenpoint. They also scored Whimsy & Spice's (now closed) world-class recipe for chocolate chile biscotti. In other closings, Crown Finish Caves abruptly announced closing just before the holiday weekend.

Bed-Stuy: Nigerian favorite Buka closed their Clinton Hill location this spring, only to reopen a few blocks over at 1111 Fulton Street, Eater notices, remarking on the sizable menu of white yam fufu, fish pepper soup, and lamb and steak suya.

Greenpoint: Little Rascal has opened at 130 Franklin Street, taking over from Magazine, Greenpointers first reported. Owners promise "an innovative, elevated cocktail bar with a cozy neighborhood attitude" the grand opening is June 4.

Crown Heights: Arden at 788 Franklin Ave is the first restaurant by Scott Dansby and Mark Mata, conveniently close to the Brooklyn Botanical Garden, Brooklyn Museum, and Prospect Park. "Our locally focused globally conscious menu changes with the season and highlights our wood fire grill," owners say, promising a "full bar, inventive cocktails, and a fun wine list."

Park Slope: Hiller & Moon — a purveyor of cheeses and fine foods at 814 Union Street — burned down on May 20, but they told The Post "they're overwhelmed by the outpouring of support they've received from their community."

Park Slope: Alma Negra, a Mexican restaurant, has opened at 494 Fourth Avenue, most recently occupied by Gueros Brooklyn and an outpost of BK Lobster.

Arts

• Tour Misha Kahn's Sunset Park studio - Home to Robots and a Night Possum - with Curbed.
• Brooklyn Film Festival starts on June 3 and runs through June 12.
• "Kareem Rahma and Johnny Gaffney's monthly show called Live Laugh Love LIVE!, a night of casually-curated comedy that the Brooklyn duo launched during the pandemic, taking over residential rooftops and friends' backyards, and, after trying and failing to get a regular slot at one of the city's more traditional comedic venues, have now planted its freak flag in Williamsburg's iconic diner," BKMag reports, crowning it the hottest comedy club in BK right now.
• NYT profiles Bed-Stuy choreographer Jordan Demetrius Lloyd and his new work, "Jerome," staged in a schoolyard near his home.
• NYT review of Irondale Ensemble's adaptation of Brecht's antiwar epic - "Mother Courage and Her Children" is unforgiving: "captures some of its spirit but lacks any real philosophical or political heft."

Summer Movies

Rooftop Films returns this June at Brooklyn Army Terminal and Fort Greene Park, in August at Brooklyn Commons Park in Downtown Brooklyn, and all summer at the Green-Wood Cemetery and The Old American Can Factory in Gowanus. And you can always drive in, walk in, or bicycle in to watch movies at Skyline Drive-In in Greenpoint by the Brooklyn Expo Center.