A Cobble Hill mother and former PTA Treasurer who is accused of embezzling $82,000 from the organization will avoid jail time if she pays back the money, plus interest. Providence Hogan, who owns Providence Day Spa, allegedly used the money for fertility treatments, rent, and to "keep her family living in the lifestyle they were accustomed to." Her appearance in court today was accompanied by concerned parents from PS 29, including the PTA's co-treasurer, who told the Daily News that they "had serious budget cuts this year and the money is sorely needed." Forget the budget: PS 29 also had its playground incinerated and the Pledge of Allegiance nixed. If David Simon's looking for a (watchable) follow-up to The Wire he should look no farther than Cobble Hill. more ›

As if there wasn't already tension between PS 29 and the $28K-a-year Saint Ann's in Cobble Hill, the Times reports that in the wake of the playground fire and subsequent escrow account fiasco, you may now cut it with a knife (Ginsu, if you're a Saint Ann's parent). Amidst the "faint sickly smell of burned rubber," the principal of PS 29 told a reporter that "The community is still hurting, and the children are still hurting." One PS 29 parent said "People here seek community service, some degree of standing up and taking the blame, rather than setting up some $50,000 fund." Aw, come on! Love $50,000 means you never have to say you're sorry. more ›

In a move that will hopefully end the playground inferno imbroglio that has crippled Cobble Hill, three more teenagers in addition to Max Layton have turned themselves into authorities and admitted that they were "attempting to film a YouTube video based on the film Jackass," the Daily News reports. Bairn Sweeney, 16, is the only one named as the other two are younger than 15. Sweeney and Layton are being tried as adults. All are charged with felony arson, criminal mischief, reckless endangerment and trespassing, and "they have all been released into the custody of their parents pending their court dates." It could be worse, they could be in Rikers which we hear has gotten so Euro and weird these days. more ›

Mere hours after we excoriated the yellow-bellied teenagers who burned down PS 29's playground comes the news that a Saint Ann's student has stood up to take responsibility. (You're welcome, Cobble Hill). The Daily News reports that 16-year-old Max Laytan turned himself into police earlier today. In his defense, we assume he's co-captain of Saint Ann's legendary Public School Playground Burning Team, which last year really wailed on Dalton in the semis. more ›

What's in the soy milk cartons at Cobble Hill's PS 29? They let the terrorists win after omitting the Pledge of Allegiance, and allowed the neighborhood teenagers to burn down the playground with impunity. Now according the Post, spa owner Providence Hogan, who allegedly stole $100,000 from the PS 29 PTA for fertility treatments and to “keep her family living in the lifestyle they were accustomed to," may get a "jail-free plea deal." That's right: throw the leader of the International Monetary Fund in jail, but keep the Cobble Hill mom in yoga pants. more ›

Just past midnight on Saturday night, someone set fire to a brand new playground at P.S. 29 in Cobble Hill. FDNY investigators don't seem to have any leads to who was behind the blaze, which boasted 20-foot high flames that took firefighters 20 minutes to extinguish. We're guessing somebody burned down the playground for the insurance money, but some local parents are hinting at a darker motive. "There is a resentment of the school in the neighborhood," one parent anonymous parent tells Brooklyn Paper. "This was done by someone not enjoying the benefits of PS 29." And who pray tell might that be? more ›

Early this morning, vandals set playground equipment at the recently renovated PS 29 on fire. Building manager John Russo told Carrol Gardens Patch he was planning to call the contractor who built the playground to see if any of it was salvageable. "This is just heartbreaking. We haven't even finished painting yet," said parent Lisa Trollbäck. more ›

One might reasonably assume that any parent who gets involved with the PTA is doing so for altruistic reasons, or because they want to ensure that their kid will get into that exclusive AP Biology class, or worst case scenario, because they really want to bang a 13-year-old. But then, you'd be ignoring the fact that the PTA is a really just a cash cow grazing idly, waiting to be milked by someone. And one Brooklyn Brownstone farm hand is accused of milking that cow for all she could. more ›