Gensa Brooklyn is here, Manhattan and Queens launching soon!
Brooklyn’s biggest stories of the week: Ariana Grande made Barclays history; World Cup Final watch parties popped up across Brooklyn; Red Hook Pool finally reopened; heat wave, Canadian wildfires and thunderstorms challenged outdoor summer fun; a teenager was injured in a Bed-Stuy shooting; police made an arrest in the moped chain-snatching spree; a Brooklyn Heights townhouse set the year’s price record; Riverside tenants demanded repairs; Sichuan dim sum favorite Breeze signed on at The Ashland; a pizza-and-wine bar readied on Atlantic Avenue; weekend focaccia landed in Red Hook; parents got their say on smaller class sizes; and the Liberty, Nets, Cyclones and Brooklyn FC kept summer sports humming. Read on for the latest!

Spain defeated defending champion Argentina in overtime! Brooklyn buzzed with public viewing events and celebrations!

Brooklyn Bridge Parents and Atlantic Terminal Mall hosted free World Cup Fun for families on Sunday as part of the Summer Series for families. Next up: Back to School Bash on August 29. RSVP here.

Ariana Grande’s Eternal Sunshine Tour parked at Barclays Center for five nights this week (July 13–19) — the longest run by a female artist in the venue’s history, complete with a “BKLYN ❤️S ARI” flyover and pastel takeover of Atlantic Terminal. It was her only NYC-area stop.

At last: after repairs kept it dry all season, the Olympic-size Red Hook Pool reopened Saturday, July 18. Adult lap swim started Monday, July 20 at 7 a.m. Pack the towels.

A short but intense heat wave hit the borough mid-week, sending families to pools, sprinklers and cooling centers. Wildfire smoke from Canada drifted into the city and Saturday was hit with intense rainfall and thunderstorms.
A 17-year-old boy was shot in the arm in front of 63 Jefferson Avenue just before 10 p.m. on Tuesday, July 14. He was taken to Kings County Hospital and is expected to recover. The investigation is ongoing.
Police arrested one of two men suspected of 29 daytime robberies across Brooklyn and Queens since mid-June — most of them necklaces snatched off pedestrians by a duo on a moped. The second suspect is still being sought; until then, consider keeping chains tucked in.

A historic townhouse at 192 Columbia Heights sold off-market for $24.5 million — the borough’s priciest residential sale of the year, and reportedly among the highest in Brooklyn history.

Rent-stabilized tenants of the landmarked 1890 Riverside Apartments in Brooklyn Heights rallied this week over rodents, mold and crumbling stairs, citing dozens of open violations at 10 Columbia Place as roughly 20 families fight eviction proceedings in housing court.

Greenpoint favorite Breeze has signed a 15-year lease at 590 Fulton Street in Fort Greene, joining Peaches Prime and Fulton Hall at the base of The Ashland. The new location — expected to open this fall — will be the restaurant’s flagship.

Signage went up at 129 Atlantic Avenue for Frenzie, a vintage-inspired pizza-and-wine bar from the team behind neighboring Confidant. No opening date yet, but it’s close.

Red Hook Focacceria is now open Saturdays and Sundays at 421 Van Brunt Street, baking small batches of long-fermented focaccia with Italian flour. Quantities are limited — go early.

Public hearings on the city’s Class Size Reduction Plan — the roadmap to the state’s 25-students-or-fewer mandate, backed by $1.5 billion in new capital funds — continue through July 28. Brooklyn parents who want a say in how it rolls out can find details on the NYC Public Schools site.

The Liberty’s Jonquel Jones was named to the WNBA All-Star Game (July 26 in Chicago), joining Breanna Stewart, as the defending Commissioner’s Cup champions use the break to get healthy for a playoff push. Meanwhile in Las Vegas, Nets rookies Mikel Brown Jr. and Egor Dëmin have been lighting up Summer League, powering wins over the Knicks and Kings.

The Cyclones returned to Maimonides Park this weekend, hosting the Hudson Valley Renegades July 17–19 fresh off the All-Star break.

Brooklyn FC battled to a 1-1 draw at Rhode Island before bowing out of the USL Cup in a penalty shootout — a gutsy finish to the club’s cup run. The squad returns home July 25 against San Antonio.
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