The Day: Sexual Assault in a Local Middle School and a Library Re-opening

Good morning, Fort Greene and Clinton Hill.

We hope you got a chance to enjoy the beautiful weather outside this weekend. The morning might be slightly overcast today, but the clouds should clear up later today, with a high around 71 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.

Here’s some local news to start your week.

• Police arrested school janitor Hernan Zapata, 51, on Saturday for allegedly raping a 17-year-old girl in a middle school in the 88th Precinct, reported the New York Daily News and the New York Post. Police said the girl was a former student at the school and was waiting to meet someone else in the building when she was attacked. Zapata allegedly grabbed her and locked her in an office where he assaulted her. Police withheld the name of the school to protect the victim’s identity.
• A fire broke out in a five-story Clinton Hill brownstone on Lafayette Avenue between Vanderbilt Avenue and Clinton Avenue on Saturday morning after a loud explosion, reported The New York Daily News and ABC 7. The New York City Fire Department said that the fire started on the first floor of the building at 10 a.m. Six people were hurt, though not seriously, and were taken to local hospitals for treatment. The building manager said a gas explosion could not have been the cause of the fire, as the building runs on electricity. The fire department was still investigating the fire’s origins as of Sunday.

The Clinton Hill Library reopens today at 10 a.m., after closing six months ago for $ 900,000 worth of renovations. The library now has a new air conditioning and heating system, LED lighting, and self-check out and check in machines. What do you plan on checking out from the library, locals?