🌱 Bed-Stuy Apartment Fire + Fatal East New York Stabbing

Happy February, Brooklyn! I am your host, Patrick Murray here to bring you three fresh headlines to kick off the new month.

First, today's weather:

Partly cloudy with a high of 33 and a low of 30.

Here are the top stories today in Brooklyn:

1. A Bedford-Stuyvesant apartment fire late on Sunday night left eight people injured, including a firefighter. The blaze erupted in a seven-story residential building at 400 Herkimer St., and 60 firefighters from 12 units were dispatched to control the fire. One civilian was hospitalized with severe injuries, and the cause of the fire remained under investigation as of Monday morning. (WPIX 11 New York)
2. A 40-year-old Brooklyn man was arrested after he allegedly stabbed his mother to death at his East New York home. Kenji Francis faces charges of murder and unlawful activity with a dangerous weapon after police found his 61-year-old mother, Tracey Sydnor, with multiple stab wounds. Sydnor has recently been appointed the role of executive pastor at the Upper Room Baptist Church in November 2021. (WPIX 11 New York)
3. A fake news website has been publishing false stories about Brooklyn and the rest of New York City for several years. The Buffalo Chronicle first gained online notoriety when it published multiple sham stories about the 2019 Canadian parliamentary elections. The website uses its legitimate looking user interface as a guise to fool its readers into believing its entirely false articles. (Brooklyn Paper)

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Today in Brooklyn:

• Join a virtual Lunar New Year Storytime with the Brooklyn Public Library. (2 p.m.)
• Live music at the Music Hall of Williamsburg. (8 p.m.)
• Unphased Comedy Open Mic, Eastville Comedy Club. (9:45 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• Celebrating Lunar New Year with the Brooklyn Children's Museum! (Facebook)
• Read Patch's guide to upcoming events in Brooklyn. (Brooklyn Patch)
• Pets available for adoption in local shelters. (Brooklyn Patch)
• Check out these local Brooklyn-area job listings. (Brooklyn Patch)
• The Freedom Market continues to expand in and out of North Brooklyn. (greenpointers.com)

More from our sponsors — thanks for supporting local news!

Featured businesses:

• Lorainelindsay.com — (Visit website)
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Events:

• Seven Acres Montessori Virtual Prospective Parent Event (February 3)
• Wet Cash! Free Beer and Comedy for Charity! (February 4)
• UltraRay Presents, “In My Skin” Pop Up + Day Party (February 6)
• Add your event

For sale:

• 2 Bedroom 1 Bath 66-10 Yellowstone Blvd. 4J Forest Hills, NY 11375 (Details)
• Mixed Use Building for Sale — Commercial plus 2 Bedroom Apartment (Details)
• Office Share in Gowanus (Details)
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• Send me a news tip or suggestion at brooklyn@patch.com

Alrighty, you're all caught up for today! See you all tomorrow for another update.

— Patrick Murray