Brooklyn Paper

The Brooklyn Democratic Party and reformers brought their heated battle over party leadership to court on Tuesday. In a packed courtroom, Judge Jill Epstein heard arguments on controversial changes to party bylaws that would likely allow sitting chair Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn maintain control of the party. Bichotte Hermelyn’s position had been at risk after district leaders aligned with reform group New Kings Democrats won a majority of District Leader seats in the June primary.

Brooklyn FC teamed up with The Salvation Army of Greater New York on Aug. 29 to help local families get ready for the new school year, inviting children and their parents to the club’s match against Sporting JAX in Coney Island. As part of the partnership, 50 children from communities across Brooklyn — including Sunset Park and Brownsville — received backpacks filled with essential school supplies. “We know that preparing for a new school year comes with a lot of added expenses for families.

When Soft Bar + Cafe opened in September 2025, the concept quickly drew attention as the latest venture from “Summer House” star Carl Radke. But one year later, Radke is the first to acknowledge that the business could not have become what it is without the people bringing its food, coffee and beverage programs to life. “I never worked at a bar. I just drank at them,” Radke said.

I will start with the bad news. As a result of citywide ballot measures passed by voters last November, Bay Ridge will soon lose significant influence over new housing developments in our neighborhood. In the past, when a developer wanted to build beyond what current zoning allows, they would negotiate with the local Council Member to shape a project that made sense for the neighborhood.

Happier Grocery President LLC c/o 99c purchased 320 Smith Street and 336 Union Street — the entirety of the west side of Smith Street between President and Union, at the Carroll Street F train stop and opposite Carroll Park — for $21.5 million in early August, a deed filed on Sept. 1 shows. Dawson Stellberger signed for the LLC. Known for commercial property development, Stellberger and 99c are behind a number of Brooklyn events and creative spaces, including nightclubs.

Days after 9/11, when the city was still reeling, public garden designer Lynden Miller got a message from one of her longtime colleagues, Dutch floral supplier Hans van Waardenberg. “He said, ‘We’re so distressed in the Netherlands about what’s happened to New York. New York used to be New Amsterdam back in the 1600s, we so wish there was something we could do to help you,’” Miller recalled. Miller had an idea, and asked if van Waardenberg had any extra flower bulbs lying around.

The John Dewey Annex, a new three-story school in Gravesend, officially opened Tuesday, adding 553 seats for Brooklyn students as the city continues expanding public school capacity ahead of the 2026-2027 school year. Mayor Zohran Mamdani and the NYC School Construction Authority President and CEO Celeste A. Ramirez marked the opening of the John Dewey Annex at 106 Avenue X on Sept. 8.

Redcode Inc., which has a location on McDonald Avenue in Brooklyn and another in Queens, along with its owner and an associate, has been indicted on charges that they made and sold counterfeit Occupational Safety and Health Administration and New York City Department of Buildings safety cards to workers who never received the required training, Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez announced Tuesday.

Posted on New York Police say three people were injured in separate shootings on Monday, Labor Day, near the massive West Indian American Carnival Parade on Brooklyn’s Eastern Parkway, marring an otherwise picture-perfect celebration of Caribbean culture.

The Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty distributed food to the United Jewish Organizations of Williamsburg on Sept. 2 as UJO Williamsburg opened its first site exclusively dedicated to a kosher pantry. The pantry is located at 365 Flushing Ave. within the W Mall, also known as Williamsburg Square Mall, and was designed to be at the center of the community.