Brooklyn’s biggest stories of the week: six people died in a Sunset Park house fire; Democrats took Congress, putting Brooklyn’s Hakeem Jeffries in line to become Speaker; 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge sells for $202 million; flu cases rose; GreenWood Cemetry Day of the Dead celebration was packed; a 27-story Bjarke Ingels tower got under way in Gowanus; and Ibérico opened in Fort Greene. Read on for the latest!
Six people were killed and nine hurt, five of them first responders, when fire tore through a two-story home at 58th Street and Seventh Avenue early Thursday, the city’s deadliest fire this year. A lithium-ion battery was found at the scene; the cause was not yet determined.
A sanitation truck driver was charged with two misdemeanors, failure to yield and failure to exercise due care, in the October 28 death of Siobhan Lynch, 30, at Bay Parkway and Cropsey Avenue.
Democrats won control of Congress on Tuesday, putting Brooklyn’s Hakeem Jeffries in line to become the first Black Speaker of the House if he earns the votes. The new Congress is sworn in January 3.
Larry He unseated State Sen. Steve Chan in District 17, and Joyce Xiaoqiong Xie unseated the Republican incumbent in Assembly District 49, both in previously Republican-held districts.
New York City voters approved all five ballot questions, according to unofficial results. They shorten review for street safety projects, create a central hub for construction permits and set a reserve target for future financial emergencies.
DOT crews began the redesign Thursday on DeKalb Avenue from Flatbush Avenue to Broadway and Lafayette Avenue from Ashland Place to Patchen Avenue, adding bus lanes and protected bike lanes. The B38 serves about 18,000 daily riders.
Downtown/Heights/Slope logged 36.20 flu cases per 100,000 people in the week ending October 24, above the citywide 29.30. Borough Park was highest in the city at 59.13.
Day of the Dead Family Celebration on Monday drew a packed crowd for dance performances, a spiritual ceremony and kids’ activities.
Three courts at Fish Playground got new backboards, nets and repaved surfaces, Mayor Mamdani announced Monday. They are part of a $2.89 million investment by the Joe and Clara Tsai Foundation’s Social Justice Fund in 13 courts across five Brooklyn parks.
Gov. Hochul committed $10 million Monday toward reopening hangars 3 and 4 to the public for the first time in nearly a century. The conservancy plans to break ground in early 2028.
Construction has begun at 175 Third Street on a tower designed by Bjarke Ingels Group, Brownstoner reported. It will have 1,071 apartments, about 250 of them affordable.
A fully affordable building of 12 and 18 stories at 89 Maspeth Avenue is due to finish in early 2027, Brownstoner reported, with 311 apartments, 93 of them for formerly homeless residents.
Host Hotels & Resorts paid Starwood Capital $202 million in cash for the leasehold on the 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge in DUMBO, The Real Deal reported. The 195-room hotel at 60 Furman Street has 83 years left on the lease.
Ibérico, a Spanish-Portuguese wine bar from the Colonia Verde team, opened Wednesday at 258 DeKalb Avenue in the long-vacant former Dosa space. It has 35 seats and is walk-in only.
The Grotto, the family-run Caribbean kitchen at 321 Nostrand Avenue in Bed-Stuy, returned after a year away rebuilding and expanding.
Park Slope bakery Winner said its new location at 378 Schermerhorn Street was opening this week, starting with coffee, pastries, breads, sandwiches and rotisserie chicken dinners to take home.
Āzar, a Persian street grill from chef Soroosh Golbabae, has opene Saturday at 740 Driggs Avenue, the former home of Fan Fried Rice Bar.
The New York Liberty fired coach Chris DeMarco on Tuesday after one season. The team went 26-18 and finished eighth in the regular season.
