Biden Taps A Brooklynite + Gowanus Rezoning Latest • Daily Digest

Rise and shine, Brooklyn! Today is Thursday, Sept. 23.

Your Headlines: A plan to rezone Gowanus moved a step closer to approval after getting the green light from the City Planning Commission.

Brooklyn's own council member, Alicka Ampry-Samuel (whose 41st District includes parts of Bed-Stuy and Crown Heights) is slated to join the Biden administration in a post at the department of Housing and Urban Development.

And finally, just as the lights on Broadway are going up for the first time since the pandemic outbreak, the outer boroughs are getting a theater revival of their own: "Off-Broadway in the Boros Fest."

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Now today's weather: Rain until morning, starting again in the evening. High: 72, low: 67.

Here are the top stories in Brooklyn today:

1. A 17-year-old has been shot near a group of schools in Brooklyn. (CBS New York)
2. A Brooklyn infant has been shaken dead, according to authorities. (New York Daily News)
3. Brooklyn's Center For Fiction is installing New York City's first story-dispensing machine .(Time Out New York)
4. Apartments in Brooklyn have gone without gas for months. Now a New York senator is pushing for fines against utility companies. (WPIX 11 New York)
5. The Brooklyn Bridge finally has a brand new bike lane. (Time Out New York)

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Today in Brooklyn:

• Long Island Staple Expands to Parent Company Facility in Brooklyn. (9 a.m.)
• PA Meeting-Welcome Back & IEPs - Brooklyn Academy. (6 p.m.)
• Lower Grades Family/Student Town Hall. (6:30 p.m.)
• BPHS PTSO: General Monthly Meeting - Brooklyn Prospect High School. (7 p.m.)
• Upper Grades Family/Student Town Hall. (7 p.m.)

Brooklyn Patch Notebook

• Brooklyn Bridge Park: "Join Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy for a special family-friendly event celebrating the official reopening and the 6th Anniversary of the Environmental Education Center! @fotoahoy Open Hours at the Education Center will resume." (Instagram)
• BrooklynVegan: "This Thursday (Sept. 23) at 11 a.m., we'll be chatting with music journalist/critic @daniellechelosky about new & upcoming records on @vanschannel66!⁠ ⁠ The show only airs live, so tune in or miss it forever. More info at link in bio." (Instagram)
• Brooklyn Children's Museum: "Brooklyn Book Festival is coming to BCM Thursday, Sept. 30! Join Brooklyn Book Festival in conjunction with Brooklyn Public Library on our rooftop for a free program that promotes and models age-appropriate anti-racist practices." (Facebook)
• Brooklyn Arts Council: "We are still accepting applications for our Grant Panelist Open Call! We had a record number of applications this year for our Community Arts Grants and Creative Equations Fund and need your help evaluating submissions." (Facebook)
• Brooklyn Community Foundation: "Brooklyn Community Foundation is hiring a part-time communications intern! Learn more about how to apply at: https://www.brooklyncommunityf... This is a paid internship ($18/hour, for a 16-hour/week schedule)." (Facebook)

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Events:

• Thrift & Treasures This Weekend! (September 25)
• Last Taste of Summer Music Festival (September 25)
• " I AM MY BROTHER'S KEEPER": A Men's Health Program (September 26)
• Yoga for Boomers with renowned yoga doctor, Loren Fishman (September 27)
• Tai Chi Flow - just follow along (September 28)
• 46th Annual Atlantic Antic™ Festival (October 3)
• The Art of Buying and Investing for your Financial Freedom (October 21)
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That's it for today. I'll see you around! If you're liking these newsletters, consider inviting some of your friends and neighbors to read along. You can send them this link to subscribe.

— Kevin Phinney

About me: Kevin Phinney has lived and worked as a writer and editor in Austin, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Seattle and New York City. He was born in Brooklyn, New York and was raised in El Paso. Phinney attended college in Austin. He has done television work as a reporter and commentator, and is a former host of a weekday drive-time radio show called "Kevin & Kevin in the Morning" on KGSR-FM (now known as Austin City Limits Radio). He is also the author of "Souled American, " a book tracking race relations in America through music. It was published by BILLBOARD Books, and is often used in college classrooms across the country.

Have a news tip or suggestion for an upcoming Brooklyn Daily? You can reach me at kevin.phinney@patch.com.