A fire in the Flatlands destroyed six storefronts in a strip on Flatbush Avenue around 1 a.m. on Sunday, and raged for over three hours before about 140 firefighters were able to put it out. Investigators say the fire started at a Chinese restaurant and quickly spread down the block to other businesses, including a popular bagel shop. Dave's Bagel Shop's former owner, Bruce Benkel, told the Daily News, "I'm really stunned. You know these things can happen, but you never think they will. It was always my worst nightmare as a business owner." more ›

Despite the picture, nursing student Theressa Compere says the injury inflicted when a B6 painfully peeled the skin from her ankle three years ago has left her permanently unable to wear mini skirts and shorts. (Here she is wearing pants.) In 2008 the teen was crossing a Brooklyn intersection when the B6 bus rolled on top of her foot. Damage might have been minimal, reports the Daily News, had the driver not turned the wheel—causing the skin to come off completely—but backed up instead. Now, she says "when I go to the beach I have to cover up. I can't wear heels and it hurts when I walk up a flight of stairs." Compere is suing the city, demanding reparation for the accident that hospitalized her and caused her great pain and inconvenience. more ›

Two days before the official ground-breaking for the long-delayed Atlantic Yards megaproject, developer Bruce Ratner and the New Jersey Nets unveiled renderings of the interior of their planned Brooklyn basketball arena. After scrapping an original design by Frank Gehry over financial concerns and nixing a second design by the firm Ellerbe Becket after it was derided for being too dull, Ratner tapped Ellerbe Becket and SHoP Architects to draft up a new plan for the arena, which is dubbed the Barclays Center. more ›

The Long Island Rail Road's newly opened Atlantic Terminal Pavilion was decades in the making, and as such, the builders want to make sure it stands the test of time. So they surrounded it with "14 massive coffin-shaped concrete-and-granite bollards to ward off potential, though unspecified, terror attacks," according to the Brooklyn Paper. more ›

Eco-experimenter Mary Mattingly is taking her next project ashore. Earlier this year she was living in her waterpod, and now she's off to Metropolitan Exchange Building at 33 Flatbush Avenue to create something called “Air Ship Air City," according to the Brooklyn Paper. more ›

Yesterday morning around 5:20 a.m., a woman on her way to work was fatally struck by a driver on Flatbush Avenue at St. Mark's Avenue. The driver, off-duty corrections officer Damon Padmore, was arrested for driving with a suspended license; other charges against him are pending. more ›

A woman was killed by a driver in Prospect Heights this morning around 5 a.m. According to NY1, "Damon Padmore, 38, was driving along Flatbush Avenue at St. Marks Avenue, when he hit a 38-year-old woman who was crossing the street. The woman, who has not yet been identified, was taken to Methodist Hospital, where she was pronounced dead." Padmore is a State Corrections Officer at Sing Sing; he "remained on the scene, but was taken into custody when it was determined he was driving with a suspended license." more ›

Reader Daniel pointed our attention to this photograph of a military trailer, carrying Humvees and headed towards Manhattan on Flatbush. He noticed that the center one was "outfitted with the so-called non-lethal Active Denial System." more ›

On Friday night, three young women were shot while sitting on a stoop in Flatbush on Friday night. Witnesses say that the gunman was riding a bicycle: He got off when opened fire around 10PM, aiming at two men. He missed the men, but ended up hitting the three women. Then he got on his bike again, heading towards Flatbush Avenue. more ›

Summertime is iced coffee time, and for some, it's when finding good iced coffee takes on the form of a quest. Cold brewed iced coffee (recipe here), with coffee iced cubes thrown in, seems to be the culmination of all the perennial "perfect cup" stories. A handful of spots along Flatbush Avenue in Midwood serve coffee that has been strained from a mixture of cold water and ground beans, and iced coffees aren't offered with coffee iced cubes. Red Horse Cafe in Park Slope uses Barrington Coffee's Vienna Blend, diluted with a little water, to make their cubes. A bucket of coffee ice on hand in a small freezer behind the counter for drinks looks like something out of Superman's bedazzled secret hideaway, matching the laptop-weaned, meditative vibe of the place. The resulting coffee is a flavorful, sharp cup, but one that's not bitter. The ingenuity of coffee ice cubes is that as they melt, they fortify the drink with additional, nonstop flavor. Medium iced coffee is $2.50 for a 16 oz. cup at Red Horse, a moderately good deal considering the epic prices even the crummiest corner delis charge for the stuff these days. more ›

This morning, thousands of police officers and members of the community attended the funeral of Russel Timoshenko, a 23-year-old police officer shot during a traffic stop of a stolen SUV. Timoshenko, who died a few days after the shooting, was posthumously made a detective; Mayor Bloomberg explained it was "a small measure of our appreciation for the supreme sacrifice that Russel made, and to honor his life." more ›

(718) 230-0221 more ›

One of the saddest images from yesterday were the parents of slain police officer Russel Timoshenko, weeping at Brooklyn criminal court after the arraignment of the three men accused of Timoshenko's murder. The suspects, Dexter Bostic, Robert Ellis, and Lee Woods, were arraigned last week on charges including attempted murder. It is believed that Bostic, firing from the front passenger seat, shot 23-year-old Timoshenko in the face and neck during a July 9 traffic stop (Ellis allegedly fired at police officer Herman Yan; Woods was the driver). Timoshenko had been on life support since the shooting and was declared dead on Saturday. more ›

To celebrate their first anniversary today, decadent 12th Street carb emporium S’mac is offering portions of its floor model macaroni and cheese for just $1. The “nosh” size of the All-American (nothing fancy, just domestic cheddar) at the special anniversary price will be available until 11 PM. more ›

• Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a bank robbery on Broadway in Manhattan, a water search between 19th and 26th Aves. in Queens, and an injured officer on Albany and Clarkson Aves. in Brooklyn.
• One would think that Albany pols were immune from shame, but Gov. Spitzer wants to make a tour of it, in an attempt to embarrass Joseph Bruno.
• The latest group to organize against a Wal-Mart invasion in their community: Orthodox Jews.
• Yesterday was the 50th anniversary of the Brooklyn Dodgers' last game at Ebbet's Field. Damn You Walter O'Malley.
• Rising worldwide demand for sushi + diminishing supplies of tuna = raw deer and horse meat on your rice.
• Well-orchestrated fake orgasms will soon be relegated to only New Yorkers' apartments, when places like Katz's Deli go out of business forever.
• If one wants to register for federal aid related to April's massive nor'easter, the deadline is at 8 p.m. tonight.
• Flatbush Avenue is Brooklyn's Broadway - and it's booming with development
• The shelf life of valid Metrocards was just extended from one year to two years, so start searching your sock drawers.

What does the future of the Fulton Street Mall look like? If the Bloomberg administration and Downtown Brooklyn Partnership have their way, it'll look less gritty and more like Herald Square and Bryant Park in Manhattan. The Post has details on the city's $18 million investment to re-make the Fulton Street and Albee Square mall areas nicer. more ›

Patrick Cullina is the VP of Horticulture and Facilities at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, and New York's go-to guy for cherry trees (there are over 200 trees and 42 species at BBG alone!). Anita Jacobs is responsible for all of the programs that go along with the garden, speaking of which... more ›

Last night, police officer Rory Mangra (pictured) attempted to approach a man smoking pot in Prospect Heights, but the man ended up shooting him in the leg. Mangra and his partner, Eric Merizelde, both uniformed but driving in an unmarked car, saw Kingsley Newland light up outside a beauty parlor at Flatbush Avenue and Dean Street in Brooklyn. From the Daily News:

Mangra stepped out of the car to approach Newland, but the suspect fled, police said. Merizelde sped ahead in the car, hopped a sidewalk and tried to block the suspect's path. more ›

In 2006, over 10,000 pedestrians were hit by cars and trucks in New York City. One hundred sixty-six were killed. The City's pedestrian safety efforts are inadequate. Where is Mayor Bloomberg? He has spoken out about transfats, gun violence and smoking. If killing a pedestrian with a car was considered assault it would be the second leading type of homicide behind only gun violence. Where is his leadership on this issue? more ›

Arguing over "rights" to a parking spot are common, but it's grim that some disputes have to become violent. Yesterday afternoon, a man was killed after fighting with another man over a parking spot in Brooklyn. Ricardo Sterling thought that a driver in a blue Jaguar had taken his spot near the Good Hope West Indian Restaurant on Flatbush Avenue. Sterling got into a fight with the driver and threatened him with a knife (the driver's friend tried to stop Sterling, but he was threatened, too). Then the fight moved into the restaurant, and the driver fatally shot Sterling. more ›

1. The Democrats officially have control of the Senate - Virginia Senator George Allen conceded
2. Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a watermain break in the Bronx, an overturned ambulance in Brooklyn, and a shooting in Harlem.
3. James Madison H.S. in Brooklyn has produced three current U.S. Senators. Now if they could only do something about all the metal-detectors.
4. Adrienne Shelly's killer is at Bellevue, undergoing psychiatric evaluations
5. City officials are saying the intersection of Flatbush Avenue and Glenwood Road isn't dangerous, even after the SUV crash that killed a 5 year old -- but Streetsblog checked, and "the intersection within the 99th percentile for most dangerous signalized intersections in New York City."
6. Why is the Empire State Building red tonight? To support #15 Rutgers' football which is playing #3 Louisville tonight (ESPN, 7:30PM)
7. The Rockefeller Christmas Tree will be arriving from Connecticut tomorrow!
8. It was a record night at Christie's for the Impressionist and modern art auction - but they ended up pulling the disputed Picasso!
9. How many construction sites in Greenpoint does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop?
10. And set your Tivos! Tomorrow night is Celebrity Jeopardy with Law & Order's Sam Waterston, Law & Order: Criminal Intent's Kathryn Erbe, and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit's Christopher Meloni! CHUNG CHUNG!

Wykoff Street Houses in Gowanus, by Vinnie716. more ›

-- Speaking of bridges, the entire lower deck of the Manhattan Bridge is going to be closed for a year. That's not going to be good for traffic on Flatbush Avenue or Canal Street. more ›

What's a Cuban sandwich without any pickles? It's just a ham and cheese sandwich, that's what it is. And too many supposedly legitimate "Spanish food" joints think they can get away with serving their Cubanos sans pickles. more ›

Yesterday at One Hanson Place - better known as the Williamsburgh Savings Bank - was a study in contrasts. more ›

With all this global climate chaos, it almost seemed weird that summer arrived perfectly on schedule this year. The first truly hot, sticky, muggy days of the year came over Memorial Day weekend the way the lord intended when He created barbeques, day games, and ice cream trucks. And while summer means boiling apartments and gushing fire hydrants in the more densely populated parts of New York, it means sun tan lotion, body surfing, and the 101 Deli in the best corner of Queens. more ›

-Hylan Boulevard Looking at the MTA's site, it's pretty cool that the MTA is taking other bus systems around the world into consideration - and we love any plan that wants better bus boarding! more ›

The guys at Transportation Alternatives ran their annual Bike Month NYC commuter race, in which a cab, biker, and pedestrian attempt to get from Brooklyn into Manhattan in the quickest possible time. Last year, the biker got from Juniors on Flatbush Avenue to Columbus Circle in just 27 minutes, beating the subway-rider by three minutes and the cab by 18 minutes. This year's race was from Grand Army Plaza in Park Slope to the Tenement Museum on the Lower East Side, where the competitors work during the day. The results: more ›

We know it's fashion week, but Gothamist prides itself on offering all kinds of other, more bookish delights for those not inclined to prowl the tents at Bryant Park. Kicking off this week, Symphony Space (95th and Broadway) is hosting Banned: Stories by Censored Writers and Dissidents, with work by authors from Iran and Indonesia. The show starts at 6:30PM on 2/8 and costs $25, less for members. more ›

The Times has a good article about the traffic nightmare that occurs at the intersection of Flatbush, Atlantic, and Fourth Avenues in Brooklyn, and comes up with some great facts: more ›