As part of Brooklyn's booming boutique hotel business, Boerum Hill is about to get a large B&B next month for the authority-eschewing set: Brooklyn's House of Detention is going to be used to house prisoners again. Worried that no one will buy the condo you just paid $500K for in 15 years because "discarded shivs" don't count as an amenity? Relax! See the miracle of modern incarceration for yourself. Cobble Hill Blog alerts us to a CB2 press release announcing a public tour of the jail next Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. more ›

Brownstone Brooklyn residents are living in fear of the roving gang of violent teenagers roaming the streets, punching anyone who gets in their way. But they can't help it! They're just high-strung! more ›

Yesterday, Officer Alain Schaberger was fatally pushed down a building's front stoop stairs by the emotionally disturbed George Villanueva, who has now been charged with first degree murder, aggravated murder of a police officer and assault. Schaberger was responding to a call from Kim Dykstra claiming that boyfriend Villanueva was drunk and threatening to kill her. But by the time Schaberger and two other officers had arrived to 334 Bergen Street in Brooklyn, Schaberger had fled to his father's house on 45 St. Mark's Place. more ›

[UPDATE BELOW] A police officer in Brooklyn's 84th Precinct was killed early this morning after an "emotionally disturbed person" reportedly pushed him down a flight of stairs. more ›

A life of crime does not discriminate, but we're guessing if you're missing a leg you should probably change careers. Police caught a one-legged man who came into a Boerum Hill laundromat on crutches and stole a woman's cell phone. The victim told police, "You can't miss them - one has both legs the other just doesn't." more ›

Wow, Brooklyn City Councilman Stephen Levin had a really bad Sunday. Not only was his Boerum Hill office broken into at the crack of dawn but, in a separate incident, the pol's car got stolen off the streets of Greenpoint, as well! So while we were prepping for the Oscars, Levin was spending "hours doing police reports." Fun times? more ›

The Department of Transportation is greatly expanding the number of reduced speed zones around the city, and Boerum Hill wants to get in on the slowdown. This year, the department will triple its 20 mph reduced speed zones around schools, and is also trying out a pilot 20 mph zone program that would slow traffic on an area-wide, rather than individual street, basis. The plan calls for at least 75 reduced speed zones, if a pilot zone in the Bronx is deemed a success. CBS 2 reports that in Boerum Hill, community leaders are already calling for the DOT to include them. more ›

P.S. 261 in Boerum Hill recently tossed 200 books, amongst other things, in the trash—a move that has outraged many. The books were in good condition, and included titles like Curious George and The Mouse and the Motorcycle. One father, whose children attend the school, salvaged a stack of the books, along with two computer printers. He told the Daily News, "This is not the first time they've done this. I have a TV I picked up last year over here—a good TV, it still works." more ›

We live in a strange new world filled with $130 MetroCards and vampire janitors, but that doesn't mean the streets aren't safe for someone to go around hugging people condescendingly for a video. Except in Boerum Hill. That guy should definitely stay away from Boerum Hill. more ›

A Brooklyn church listed in the National Register of Historic Places was damaged during a three-alarm fire last night. The fire apparently broke out in the organ loft of the Baptist Temple Church, on Schermerhorn Street and Third Avenue in the Boerum Hill section, after 11:30 p.m. and the fire was brought under control a few hours later. Four firefighters suffered minor injuries. more ›

Earlier this morning Brownstoner posted some photos of the aftermath of a motorcycle accident on Atlantic Avenue and Hoyt Street in Boerum Hill. Now the Daily News provides some more details, confirming original reports that the driver was killed. more ›

Police from the 76th Precinct arrested seven "horndogs" last Saturday night on the "slimy corner" of Butler and Nevins streets in Boerum Hill for soliciting sex from undercover cops posed as prostitutes. As the Brooklyn Paper points out, each of the johns were caught in the same way every time, as if taking their cue from Talking Heads: they'd roll up to the corner in their car and throw out a price, ensuring their arrest for solicitation, a misdemeanor. BP lists the details of each bust, including one man who "lightly injured" an officer, as well as the (seemingly) stingy prices each offered (which ranged from $10 for oral sex to $28 for intercourse). Police have nabbed 20 men as part of "Operation Losing Proposition" on that corner alone. more ›

According to WABC 7, a pedestrian is now in critical condition after being struck by a hit-and-run driver at Atlantic and Fourth Avenues in Brooklyn, just before 3 a.m. "The vehicle that struck the victim fled the scene. It was discovered abandoned several blocks away" and no arrests have been made yet. The victim is at Kings County Hospital. more ›

Kendale Robinson, who was arrested for allegedly shooting 16-year-old Al-Taya Conyers in the head on Warren Street and Bond Street in Boerum Hill, is being held without bail. According to the Daily News, the 18-year-old's "lawyer, Steve Chaiken, was concerned because Conyers' mother is a correction officer at Rikers Island and fears for his client's safety when he's in jail." more ›

Overnight, police arrested a teen for allegedly shooting 16-year-old Al-Taya Conyers in the head in Boerum Hill on Wednesday. Kendale Robinson, 18, was charged with murder. And apparently Robinson is friends with someone Conyers was fighting with. more ›

Police are still searching for a suspect in the killing of 16-year-old Al-Taya Conyers, who was found shot in the head outside a Boerum Hill church on Warren and Bond Streets. WCBS 2 reports, "Witnesses who did not want to be identified told CBS 2 they saw it happen. They heard two sets of shots and saw a man in a red t-shirt dragging the girl by her ponytail as she begged for her life." more ›

A 16-year-old girl died after being shot in the head at the intersection of Bond and Warren Streets in the Boerum Hill section of Brooklyn. According to WABC 7, the shooting occurred just before midnight and Al-Taya Conyers was found in front of a church; she was pronounced dead at the hospital. "The victim lived in the area of the shooting, which occurred near the Gowanus Houses in Brooklyn, a city-run apartment complex," where residents say they heard gunfire. One resident worried about his kids, "It makes you think you want to keep them in the house, and you know they're teenagers, they want to be outside. But it's dangerous." There are no arrests; the suspect may have been wearing a red shirt. more ›

On April 13th a 4-year-old Cocker Spaniel named Thompy was stolen from a Boerum Hill Deli. His human, Jon Crawford-Phillips, had tied him outside when he dropped into the establishment around 8:30 that night. Somewhat surprisingly, the pup's story has a happy ending. Today the Brooklyn Paper reports that Crawford-Phillips conducted a stakeout in Red Hook after a tipster mentioned seeing the dog being walked in the neighborhood. more ›

The raccoons in Manhattan must have heard about the vaccination traps set up in Central Park, because they're on the move to Brooklyn! Well, at least one rabid raccoon was discovered in the borough—the Department of Health confirmed this week that they captured one in Boerum Hill. more ›

On his last day as city controller Bill Thompson finally gave in to to a project he's been fighting tooth and nail—the expansion of a jail in downtown Brooklyn. Thrice the former mayoral candidate has blocked the $34 million project, citing price concerns and finally Mayor Bloomberg slapped a lawsuit on Thompson, charging that his opposition to the jail was motivated by a personal grudge. Just yesterday following his announced that he'll run for mayor again, he capitulated to the mayor's demands regarding the infamous House of D. more ›

Apparently the residents of Boerum Hill got themselves some fancy sidewalk extensions to make the place more pedestrian-friendly (jealous, UWS?)—but then the added sidewalk added "a huge swatch of ugly gray to the neighborhood." Will people ever be happy? Anyway, to combat this problem the Boerum Hill Blog reports that artist Christina Kelly "has submitted plans to the city to plant native northeastern varieties of corn throughout Boerum Hill, where Native Americans used to grow corn. The first spot she has submitted is for the northwest corner of Smith and she expects the planters to be raised off the pavement in 5′ x 5′ planters." If approved the corn will be sprouting by next May; but won't this make the sidewalks less pedestrian-friendly again? more ›

We recently interviewed chef Saul Bolton, whose eponymous restaurant in Boerum Hill just celebrated ten years in business. Today Pete Wells at the Times bestows two stars on the place, where the elegantly understated atmosphere provides a modest frame for Bolton's culinary ambition: "One of the first restaurants to bring a contemporary sensibility to Brooklyn when it appeared on Smith Street in 1999, it has neither faded, nor stood still, nor sought a personality transplant. Instead Saul Bolton, the chef and the owner with his wife, Lisa, has upgraded just about everything in their modest storefront. Saul is the same restaurant, but better." more ›

The NYPD Hate Crime unit is investigating the latest in a series of incidents wherein Brooklyn sidewalks have been strewn with "Kill Jews" notes. The anti-Semitic notes previously appeared in Boerum Hill and Clinton Hill earlier this month; now they've turned up in Bay Ridge. Yesterday morning, residents along Third Avenue discovered the sidewalk littered with hundreds of two-inch pieces of paper with "Kill Jews" written in black marker. more ›

Ten years ago Saul Bolton and his wife Lisa opened Saul on Smith Street in Brooklyn’s Boerum Hill. At the time, the location probably seemed a little too remote for fine dining, but the restaurant has since become a favorite of locals, epicureans from other boroughs, and—since becoming one of only three restaurants in Brooklyn to receive a precious Michelin star—a destination for European tourists. Bolton spent his early years in the kitchens of David Bouley and Eric Ripert, and the meticulousness of his seasonal menu reflects those experiences. more ›

A Brooklyn resident walking his dogs on Atlantic Avenue in Boerum Hill found files containing the personal information—including Social Security numbers and other confidential information—of hundreds of people. Luckily, he called WABC 7 Eyewitness News; Nat Hendricks explained, "The first one, I saw a person's name and address and date of birth, social security number and I closed the file." Eyewitness News found out the files were from a lawyer who had moved out of his office; the lawyer left the files, so his landlord just dumped them on the street! The common thread found was the name of the lawyer, Neda Imasuen, whose registration status is delinquent; Imasuen's landlord admitted he put the boxes on the street on Saturday and claims he scheduled them to be picked up on Sunday. Lawyers are supposed to be responsible for properly getting rid of files; identity theft experts suggest that clients ask their lawyers how their files are destroyed—or to request them back. And now the Attorney General's office is investigating, too. more ›

The Department of Corrections spoke with us today to clarify that "there is no timetable" for the reopening and expansion of the "House of D" in Downtown Brooklyn reported on yesterday. The original assertion that it would reopen shortly came from a Daily News claim that a letter to the state from the DOC stated the jail would reopen in a few months. more ›

The Post reports: "A one-legged hooker was killed in Brooklyn after a john hit her over the head, causing her to fall backwards out of her wheelchair and slam her skull against the wall. Investigators believe she had been servicing a client in the hallway who then hit her on the head with a heavy object." Elizabeth Acevedo, 38, a homeless prostitute who lost her leg in a train accident, was found on Thursday morning at the Wyckoff Gardens houses in Brooklyn and died yesterday after being taken off life support. The Post adds, "She wore a prosthetic leg, but also used a wheelchair." Police are still looking for the killer. more ›