Happy New Year! As we enter 2026, we’ll be unveiling a slightly new look for Brooklyn Today. We’ve been listening to your suggestions, and we’ll be incorporating some of these going forward by updating the feel, and even some of the content in this newsletter. Your support and readership mean the world to us, and we are committed to providing you with the best possible experience.

To ensure consistent delivery of this newsletter, please move this email into your primary inbox! If you have questions, encounter any issues, or just want to provide feedback, please don’t hesitate to reach out to [email protected].

The icon for Snapchat on a smartphone. Photo: Matt Slocum/AP

Weather: Day 35°, Night 33°, Sunny and Breezy then Mostly Sunny

The Lede: Good morning. A gym teacher at a high school in Park Slope was arrested Wednesday after sending a Snapchat picture of his penis to a 16-year-old female student after propositioning her, according to the Daily News.

The Rundown

  • Judge hands offshore wind industry another victory against Trump in clearing way for NY project: A federal judge Thursday cleared the way for a New York offshore wind project to resume construction, a victory for the developer who said a Trump administration order to pause it would likely kill the project in a matter of days.

  • Park Slope gym teacher arrested for sending explicit pic to student on Snapchat: Michael Boitano, 40, an athletic director at a school on the John Jay campus, was busted after the girl told several of her classmates, who informed school staffers.

  • Rikers Island still mired in violence as receivership looms: Deaths reached a three-year high last year when 15 people died while in DOC custody, the most since 2022, when 19 people died.

  • Settlement with AG requires activist group to end violent tactics: A New York extremist group will stop its acts of violence and harassment as part of a settlement reached with the Office of State Attorney General Letitia James.

  • Girl Scout Cookie season kicks off in Brooklyn: Last year, Bay Ridge resident Ashleigh F. was named the top cookie seller in all five boroughs by the Girl Scouts of Greater New York.

  • Brooklyn-born artist reflects on his multifaceted life, roots in Kings County, beating cancer — and what it was like to work with Kiss: Victor Stabin is more than an acclaimed painter, illustrator and author. The artist is also a cancer survivor and lover of all things Brooklyn.

  • Brooklyn Children’s Museum receives $20K grant for its cultural festivals: Brooklyn Children’s Museum hosts enriching festivals to celebrate the wide array of holidays and the cultural heritage of Brooklyn’s diverse communities. 

  • Our world in photos: Monkeys, medals, military members and more.

Our World in Photos

JAPAN — Japanese monkeys bathe in a hot spring in the snow at Hakodate Tropical Botanical Garden. Photo: Kyodo News via AP

More Brooklyn News

  • “Atlantic Avenue rezoning in Brooklyn draws criticism from residents seeking affordability” (CBS News)

  • "Beyer Blinder Belle and Bonetti/Kozerski complete Brooklyn high-rise" (The Architect's Newspaper)

  • "Gino's Pizza in Downtown Brooklyn closes after nearly 40 years in business" (ABC7 New York)

Staff Picks

  • READ: "Jeff Bezos Needs to Speak Up: The raid on a Washington Post reporter’s home is deeply troubling." (The Atlantic)

  • EAT: Here are the 10 best deals of NYC Restaurant Week, including one in Brooklyn. (The Infatuation)

  • CARTOON: A football and a baseball walk into a bar. (The New Yorker)

  • LIVE: "The Hip Priest, the Ex-Hedge Funder and the $10 Million Townhouse: When a pastor learned his childhood home might undergo a glow-up, he saw his beloved Brooklyn further receding — and took to a different kind of pulpit." (NYT)

The Wrap

⌛ ON THIS DAY
In 1928, the Eagle reported, "HAVANA — Clothed with the full official dignity of his office, Calvin Coolidge, President of the United States, at 10:30 this morning opened here the sixth conference of Pan-American states, in which 21 nations are participating." Click here to see what else happened on this day in history. 

📔 IMPRINT
Canadian actress Rachel McAdams graces the latest cover of HUNGER. 

👑 ROYAL WATCH
"Prince Harry’s lawyers accused of dishonesty, fraud and conspiracy" (The Telegraph)

🏀 SPORTS
Nets lose fifth straight to Pelicans (Brooklyn Eagle)

  • Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist William Kennedy

  • Opera singer Marilyn Horne

  • Radio host Laura Schlessinger, who was born in Brooklyn

  • Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Lin-Manuel Miranda

  • Model and fashion designer Kate Moss

Click here to see a full list of birthdays!

Brooklyn Today’s editor is Scott Enman. Contact him at [email protected].

Keep reading