It’s coming down outside the Brooklyn Weather Observatory this morning and today’s forecast calls for rain. The high will be 52. Tonight will feature wind, rain and the possibility of a thunderstorm. The low will be 43, but the wind and rain will make it feel like 33.

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In light of the awful crane accident over the weekend, and the periodic, but less dramatic mishaps at Brooklyn construction sites, it’s worth asking if construction safety and construction-related violations of quality of life are about to get dramatically worse over the next few months. We say this because developers all over Brooklyn are going […]

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It was what we called The Battle of the Beans–a cafe called Brooklyn Bean on Atlantic Avenue and a new one coming to Fourth Avenue at Carroll Street that was also going to call itself Brooklyn Bean. We wondered how it was going to end. Now we know: There won’t be two Brooklyn Beans. There […]

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[Image courtesy of No Land Grab] The upcoming Bruce Ratner Gala at the Brooklyn Museum continues to reverberate among those that are not fans of the controversial Atlantic Yards developer. No Land Grab did a humorous take on the invitations that have gone out. The (original) Ratner Murakami invite can be seen in detail here.

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We last noted this building at Roebling and N. 9 Streets in Williamsburg when workers were on the roof doing what appeared to be asbestos removal. A demolition fence has now gone up around the building, which will be the site a new…drum roll…prepare to be shocked…Karl Fischer building. The building at 261 N. 9 […]

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We got an email from Lee Kushnir at WCBS, who is working on a story related to some of the credit and debit card fraud about which we and others have posted frequently. Apparently, one of the focuses is Citibank and ATM machines in and around Park Slope. She is looking to talk with victims […]

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One day we may wake up and find that an actual decision has been made on the big power plant proposed for the Williamsburg waterfront by TransGas. The 1,100 megawatt plant which has been knocking around for six years is up before the obscure, yet powerful in this case, State Siting Board on Thursday (3/20) […]

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Interestingly, one of the first personnel changes in the aftermath of the transition from Eliot Spitzer to David Paterson in Albany was that of Empire State Development Corporation (ESDC) Chairman Pat Foye, who was a friend of the departed governor. Norman Oder of AYR took a look at the sudden departure (on Friday it had […]

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The Big Green Monster on Diamond Street in Greenpoint from Karl Fischer is now fully on view for the world to see. Here is what Hot Karl might have thought in designing it: “Let’s see, this building is slated to be in a neighborhood called Greenpoint. What can I do to make it ‘fit in’ […]

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It’s time for another Green-Wood Cemetery photo contest. Details have been posted over at the brooklynian site about a contest for photos. (The contest is not connected to Green-Wood Cemetery.) Here are the details as posted: We are working on the Spring 2008 version of Green-Wood’s bi-annual magazine The Arch. While we have a cache […]

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A panel about the Future of Coney Island, which we posted about a while back, will be taking place on Wednesday (3/19) at 6:30PM. Here’s a follow up email we got about it: Lynn Kelly, President of the CIDC, will present the latest proposal for the area and join a panel discussion moderated by Brad […]

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Brooklinks is a daily selection of Brooklyn-related information and images: Three More Victims Pulled from Crane Collapse Rubble [NYT] Crane Collapse Investigation Points to Nylon Strap [NYT] Why Paterson Should Appoint Commission on Eminent Domain [AYR] Bullet Pierces Door of Jewish Girl’s School in Williamsburg [NYP] Schermerhorn House Gets Its Skin [Brownstoner] Queens Councilman Accused […]

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East Williamsburg, Brooklyn

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“On our tour of bucolic Red Hook, we came across a large lot, which was relatively empty, with the exception of a few large tanks and oil drums. But as we looked closer, we noticed a white and gray rooster alongside a brown rooster. We don’t think they are guard roosters, because we didn’t see […]

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It’s not a tree about to turn green or flowers, per se, but this storefront on Graham Avenue in Williamsburg is still a very powerful sign that spring is upon us.

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The Atlantic Avenue Betterment Association is have a meeting on Thursday (3/20). Here’s a bit from an email: Find out the latest news from Atlantic Avenue Betterment Assoc. regarding Brooklyn Bridge Park – report on court hearing of appeal today Monday Brooklyn House of Detention ‘s future – a new vision for the site is […]

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Some traces of greenery starting to appear in Prospect Park.

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Sun today will give way to clouds and a little in the afternoon. The forecast suggests that there will be a high of 46 at the Brooklyn weather observatory. There will be no wind chill. Tonight will feature periods of rain with a low of 38. Have umbrellas handy, just in case.–Accuweather

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[Photo courtesy of EKavet/flickr] The Department of Buildings is one of the most vital city agencies after the NYPD and FDNY, yet it is one of the most troubled and its failures are nothing short of a major governmental breakdown. Yes, the department has improved in recent years, but it remains in dire need of […]

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Pratt Center for Community Development Director and City Council candidate Brad Lander was among those who spoke at the City Planning Scoping hearing on Thursday on the big and controversial Toll Brothers project in Gowanus. Late on Friday, Mr. Lander emailed to us to clarify things because he had been described as giving testimony that […]

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We checked out the joey at the Prospect Park Zoo whose the subject of a naming contest that runs through March 20. We found him busy eating whatever baby kangaroos are fed at the zoo and mom just kind of chilling out. Cute.

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Our Carroll Gardens correspondent caught the building of a new outdoor bar at Union Smith Cafe on Friday and by Saturday it was complete and awaiting nice weather. One of the partners in the cafe is Jim Mamary, who is behind a number of eateries and is not universally loved in Carroll Gardens. Our correspondent […]

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These are the sites of two new buildings that will rise on Bedford Avenue. The lot above, which is 310 Bedford (at S. 1 Street), will be a five-story building with four units. It’s designed by an architect named Armando Porto. The site below, which is 201 Bedford (at N. 6 Street) is another four-story […]

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In case you didn’t catch our scoop via GL reader yesterday, the Seventh Avenue Tempo Presto space mystery has been solved. The new Mexican eatery will be called Barrio. Our reader wrote that the “restaurant is going to be called Barrio. They seem to have only done cosmetic work (new tiles, some decorative woodwork, etc.). […]

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This photo of 533 Henry Street (at President) was sent to us by a reader who is alarmed by the cell phone tower that has appeared on the front of the building. He writes: I encountered a dangerous situation today at 553 Henry street. It looks as though they installed some new cell phone antennas […]

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