[UPDATE BELOW] The FDNY says there's been a "major collapse" of a building in Brighton Beach this afternoon, and three people are currently trapped inside. A department spokesman confirms that the collapse was reported at 2:26 p.m., and first responders were on the scene in four minutes. It happened at 2929 Brighton 5th Street, but at this time it's unclear what caused the collapse and what size the building was. more ›

The upcoming Lifetime reality show, Russian Dolls, has been raising the ire of many residents and Russian-Americans, for its spin on the Russian community in Brighton Beach. But now its co-creator is speaking out against the criticism—and she pulls the beef tongue sandwich card. more ›

Brighton Beach is blanketed with trash. No, you gutter-minded folk, that's not referring to the chaste women of Lifetime's new series "Russian Dolls," but the trash on the beach that is reportedly caused by a new policy set in place by the Parks Department. NY1 reports that by putting the trash cans in groups at the entrances and exits of the beach and away from where people actually sit, the Parks Department is contributing to the mess on the sand. One Brighton Beach-goer tells the reporter, "The sand is very hot and most people are not going to want to start trekking across the sand to to just put garbage in a can." Sheesh, maybe the tagline for that Lifetime show should be called "Brighton's Bunions: Don't Turn Our Widdle Piggies Into BBQ." more ›

Now that we've seen a glimpse of Lifetime's reality show about the Russian community in Brighton Beach, Russian Dolls, featuring "guys wearing Adidas pants, leather jackets and gold chains" and "a lot of hot, decked-out Russian girls" (plus some of their in-laws!), what do actual Russians in Brighton Beach think? Um, how about a community liaison's slam saying "they don’t speak this dirty language and they hate vodka." more ›

And for your awwww-story of the morning we present you with Charlie, an 8-month-old German Shepard who might as well be named after Charlie the Tuna. See, yesterday Charlie the dog went for a swim in Jamaica Bay and if it weren't for two NYPD cops on harbor patrol that is where he would still be. more ›

You may be fist-pumping in excitement over the upcoming return of Jersey Shore, but will you be saying da or nyet to Russian Dolls? Russian Dolls is Lifetime's new reality show about Russian women (and men) living in Brooklyn. Sheepshead Bites got a hold of the trailer, and it does seem to live up to the producer's promise, "There will be plenty of vodka, techno music and guys wearing Adidas pants, leather jackets and gold chains, and driving souped-up cars. There will also be a lot of hot, decked-out Russian girls." Added bonus: Cocktail weiners in puff pastry! more ›

Welcome back to another installment of Ethnic Eating Adventures, in which we travel far and wide to discover the hidden culinary delights of New York City. Today, we're heading to Brighton Beach for some over-the-top Russian seafood at Gambrinus. more ›

Police have already arrested 19-year-old Iloune Driver in relation to the Brighton Beach shooting that left four injured and 16-year-old Tysha Jones dead. But Driver, who is currently being held without bail in the case, may not be the last person charged in Jones' death. more ›

Police have arrested a 19-year-old Brooklyn man in connection with last week's fatal shooting on Brighton Beach. Iloune Driver has been charged with second-degree murder and assault with intent to cause serious physical injury for the violence that left 16-year-old Tysha Jones dead and four others injured. more ›

Police believe that the 16-year-old girl who died in Thursday afternoon's Brighton Beach boardwalk shooting, which also left four others injured, was not the target. Tysha Jones of East Harlem had been sitting on a railing—and nearby was the intended target. Police spokesman Paul Browne explained the violence "erupted out of young adults getting into some sort of beef on the beach," and Police Commissioner Kelly called Jones' death a "terrible tragedy." more ›

Welcome back to another installment of Ethnic Eating Adventures, in which we travel far and wide to discover the hidden culinary delights of New York City. Inspired by the warm weather, today we're traveling to Brighton Beach to sample some Uighur food at Cafe Kashkar. more ›

There's nothing like a day at the beach: the cheery gaggles of children, the race to finish your ice cream before it melts off the cone, the smell of burning flesh as your feet cook against the searing concrete boardwalk. Yes, life is good now that Community Board 13 approved a 12-foot strip of concrete down the middle of the boardwalk. The Daily News reports that the vote was 5-1, and "came after a raucous meeting where opponents brandished signs and 'Boardwalk Not Sidewalk' T-shirts." Will the Wood People ever get along with Shel Silverstein fans? more ›

State Senator Carl Kruger, who was hit with federal corruption charges last week for allegedly taking over $1 million from lobbyists, developers, and health care consultants in exchange for turning Albany their way, was back in Albany yesterday. He said, "am here to represent the people of my district,... I am here to do my job, and that’s what I’m doing today," and referred to speculation about his relationship with a man he shares a house with (the man's mother and brother also live there), "I am not going to comment neither on the case nor my personal life." more ›

Rollerblades suffered another PR blow on Sunday when the a dim-witted thief tried to rob a Brooklyn deli while skating inline. Around 6:15 p.m. on Sunday Igor Dubovoy allegedly skated into the Belarus Grocery at 495 Neptune Avenue, pulled out a BB gun and demanded cash. And then things got amusing. more ›

Residents were upset this week when Parks Department officials announced that the wooden planks of the Coney Island Boardwalk would likely be replaced with concrete. Brooklyn Borough President and stoop drinker Marty Markowitz wrote a letter to Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe to try to dissuade them of changing the historic boardwalk: "We should not hastily turn our legendary Coney Island Boardwalk into just another concrete sidewalk. The last thing we want to do is take away one of the main reasons people come to Coney Island!" more ›

Last spring, because of years of damage and disrepair, the city began replacing the classic wood planks on the Coney Island Boardwalk with large concrete slabs and a "faux-wood" (recycled plastic lumber) to test both materials durability. Last night at a community board meeting, Parks Department officials announced the results of the trial run: the Boardwalk will most likely become Concretewalk. more ›

Will the Russian-Americans of Brooklyn give the Jersey Shore kids a little competition? The Lifetime network has just ordered 12 episodes of the Brighton Beach reality show, which was casting earlier this year. A call went out in February beckoning the Russian Snooki and super outgoing types that love to blast Euro/Techno/Russian music. more ›

Next time you decide to leave yourself a little extra space when you park, thus killing the chance of anything but a SmartCar parking behind you, ask yourself: is it worth getting stabbed over? Because that's apparently a consequence now. A man asked Vladimir Reyfman, 48, to pull up so he could parallel park along Brighton Beach Avenue last Sunday. Reyfman refused, not wanting to get closer to the truck in front of him, and the man calmly walked into the nearby bodega. However, he emerged soon after, grabbed a knife from his car and stabbed Reyfman twice in the chest before driving away. Reyfman is stable at Lutheran Hospital, but the suspect is still on the loose, most likely circling a block somewhere. more ›

Improv Everywhere brought their antics to Coney Island yesterday, turning a beach day into a black tie affair! Hundreds of folks dressed in tuxedos and gowns confused the regular beachgoers, as they played in the sand and swam in the ocean in their formal wear. more ›

Two Brooklyn synagogues have filed a lawsuit against the City of New York and Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz over Markowitz's free summer concert series at Asser Levy Park in Brighton Beach. The suit contends that the concert series violates noise codes "which prohibit the use of electronic sound amplification equipment at any location within 500 feet of houses of worship during hours of worship." The synagogues are a mere 300 feet away! more ›

Can you still call it a boardwalk if you take the boards out of it? It's an existential question now facing fans of the famed Coney Island Boardwalk—the city has begun replacing the classic wood planks on the Riegelmann Boardwalk with large concrete slabs from Ocean Parkway to Brighton First Road. more ›

As the Department of Health cuts down on pest patrolers, word is that Brighton Beach has been taken over by rats! Ratdemic is upon us. One resident took some video of the neighborhood's visitors (seen below), which some believe came from a huge rat's nest underground. The nest was allegedly disturbed as construction started near the 8th Street Bridge. Another resident told Eyewitness News that the rodents now "walk around like it's their block." more ›

Early on Sunday morning, a homeless man crossing Brighton Beach Avenue near Brighton Fourth Street was fatally struck by a hit-and-run driver and then dragged by a livery cab. According to the Post, "an eastbound, black Ford Explorer barreled into" 60-year-old Morris Freidman "and then took off... Moments later, a Lincoln Town Car struck Freidman and dragged him a short distance before the driver realized something was wrong... The Lincoln driver got out, saw the victim and called police." The livery cab driver, who stayed at the scene, took a breath test and was not charged. The Daily News reports Freidman was once a car service driver before becoming homeless. The police are looking for the Explorer. more ›

A Brighton Beach apartment complex is cracking down on dog owners, fining them $100/month and threatening to take away their parking spaces if they don't get rid of their pets. A spokesman for the board of Trump Village—a sprawling three-building development with 1,700 apartments—says it's fed up with tenants who “surreptitiously smuggled in dogs in defiance of the rules and regulations binding them,” but residents smell a cash grab. "I think it's totally ridiculous," Marylyn Langsdorf, who lives with her 6-pound Yorkshire terrier in Trump Village Section 3, told the News. "I think the whole point is to just get money from us." more ›

Brooklyn's Little Odessa might host a Jersey Shore-style TV program documenting the drunken exploits of young Russian-Americans. Show creator Elina Miller told Sheepshead Bites that her program won't accentuate Russian stereotypes: "While some of the stereotypes may have merit, I'm trying to show that [the community is] a lot more complex." A casting website put out this call: "Are you the Russian Snooki or The Situation? Are you a super outgoing and fun-loving Russian-American that sometimes sneaks kalbaska, pel'meni and vodka from the fridge? Can people hear the Euro/Techno/Russian music blasting from your car before they see you pull up? ... The cameras will roll as you do what you do best—eat, drink and PARTY." more ›