QuarexNews

A 7-month-old girl was shot and killed in Brooklyn in what police believe to be a gang-related incident on Wednesday around 1:20 p.m. near Humboldt and Moore streets in Williamsburg.

One suspect involved in the deadly shooting remains at large with an active citywide manhunt underway, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said. "All New York City police officers have a very clear picture of this outstanding suspect on their phone," the commissioner said during a press conference. NYPD bloodhounds are working to track the suspect's movements.

"A life that had barely begun was taken in an instant," Mayor Zohran Mamdani said at a news conference. "That sorrow is only deepened by the fact that this is not the first family in our city to know this pain". The tragic incident has sent shockwaves through the community and highlighted ongoing concerns about gun violence affecting innocent victims.

The 90th Precinct had reported just two shootings year-to-date through March 29, with no homicides recorded up to that point this year.

Current conditions in Bensonhurst: Haze, 44°F (feels like 38°F). Humidity: 88%. Wind: 13 mph.

Today's forecast: High of 51°F, low of 43°F. No active weather alerts.

Data from OpenWeatherMap as of April 02, 2026.

Captain John Dasaro, who has commanded the 68th Precinct covering Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights and Fort Hamilton since December 2024, was promoted to deputy inspector. The promotion was announced by the precinct on its Facebook page congratulating the commander.

The 68th Precinct serves Bay Ridge, one of Brooklyn's traditionally safer neighborhoods, and handles public safety for approximately 120,000 residents. Dasaro previously served as captain of the 72nd Precinct, which includes Sunset Park, Greenwood Heights and South Park Slope.

"A big congratulations to our Commanding Officer John Dasaro on his promotion to deputy inspector!" the 68th Precinct stated. "Your tireless dedication to keeping our neighborhood safe is truly appreciated." The promotion comes as Brooklyn has experienced fluctuating crime rates, with some violent crimes decreasing while property crimes and hate incidents have increased in early 2026.

Trans-centered sports programs started about three years ago and have drawn more than a thousand trans people to Brooklyn, including a new trans flag football league that launched this month at the Brooklyn Community Pride Center.

"I really wanted to play football with my friends in a safe space and not feel weird about it," said Venus Webber, founder of Tranfl NYC. "For this, I feel like we are creating a new space for folks to interact with sports where they're interacting with people with shared experiences as them".

Kenrick Ross, executive director of Brooklyn Community Pride Center, explained that "Even LGBTQ programs in sports spaces can be not very welcoming of trans people." Ross says the focus isn't on policy but on "building something of their own," ensuring "what we're building for Brooklyn is truly inclusive".

The flag football league is one of several athletic programs now operating out of the center, providing safe recreational opportunities for Brooklyn's transgender community during a time of increased national attention on trans athletes in sports.

New York City Public Schools are currently closed for Spring Recess from Thursday, April 2 through Friday, April 10, 2026. Upcoming events include a Chancellor Conversation at Curtis High School on April 25 and Evening Parent-Teacher Conferences for middle schools and D75 schools on May 6.

Seven innovative new schools opened this fall for the 2025-2026 academic year across the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island, adding more than 3,842 new seats. This expansion provides increased access to career technical education and support for students with print-based learning disabilities.

One notable addition is the Central Brooklyn Literacy Academy, serving grades 2-8 in district 17, building on the success of the South Bronx Literacy Academy for students who have demonstrated challenges in learning to read and may be at risk for dyslexia. The school offers structured literacy instruction with multi-sensory teaching.

Applications are open for Summer Rising 2026, a partnership between NYC Public Schools and the Department of Youth and Community Development offering free summer learning and enrichment programs for students in kindergarten through eighth grade across Brooklyn.

Just in time for its 20th anniversary, Williamsburg's Southern institution Pies 'n' Thighs is launching a second location in Park Slope, bringing fried chicken, catfish, and biscuit sandwiches doused in honey butter to South Brooklyn.

Smorgasburg, the city's largest open-air food market, returns for the 2026 season the first weekend of April at Marsha P. Johnson State Park on Saturdays and Prospect Park's Breeze Hill on Sundays. Starting in May 2026, Six Coasts by Smorgasburg will open a 32,000-square-foot waterfront destination on Governors Island, offering a seasonal seafood menu and tropical cocktails inspired by six distinct American coastlines.

Local restaurateur Sal Lamboglia is reviving the historic 121-year-old Ferdinando's Focacceria space at 151 Union Street in Carroll Gardens as Bar Ferdinando, a new neighborhood cafe and cocktail bar. The menu will honor the site's Sicilian roots with classic panelle and arancini alongside new Italian desserts and an amaro-forward cocktail program.

The first permanent Brooklyn home for the legendary Gotham Burger Social Club pop-up will open in Williamsburg in 2026, specializing in Oklahoma-style fried onion smash burgers and a full whiskey-focused bar program.

DOT will start construction in April of the Adams-era proposal to give cyclists and pedestrians their own entrances to the Brooklyn Bridge. Mayor Mamdani's Department of Transportation will follow through on a 2024 plan to build a new Manhattan-side bike lane and pedestrian entrance. "Since taking office, our administration has been guided by a simple promise: streets that are safe and accessible for every New Yorker," Mayor Mamdani said, noting the new design will be ready to "welcome the world for the FIFA World Cup".

The bike lane was an immediate hit when installed and remains popular: daily bike rides doubled from 2,652 in 2021 to 5,625 by 2025. Mamdani's administration wants the project done before the World Cup in June.

Meanwhile, the MTA will be visiting community boards along the Interborough Express (IBX) path in Brooklyn and Queens in 2026 to share project updates for the new light rail line connecting Bay Ridge to Jackson Heights. The project would create a new transit option for close to 900,000 residents along the route, connecting with up to 17 different subway lines, with daily weekday ridership estimated at 115,000.

Additionally, New York City opened a new network of electric vehicle fast charging stations in Queens, with eight high-speed chargers now available at a municipal lot in downtown Flushing, the first of 10 planned stations as part of a partnership between NYC DOT and the New York Power Authority.

Over the past month, the average rental price in Brooklyn has increased by 1.16%, from $3,887 to $3,932 according to the latest market report. Overall, average rental pricing in Brooklyn has increased by 6.32% since last year.

Two-bedroom units saw the largest increase at 2.00%, from $4,852 to $4,949, while the most expensive units were found in Dumbo and the most affordable studio, one and two-bedroom units were in Bay Ridge.

The Brooklyn real estate market enters 2026 in a state of "cautious optimism" after years marked by bidding wars, rate hikes, and inventory shortages. The market is settling into a more balanced rhythm as buyers who sat on the sidelines in 2024 and 2025 are stepping back in.

A new StreetEasy report identified four Brooklyn neighborhoods seeing the biggest surge in buyer and renter interest: Windsor Terrace, Carroll Gardens, Downtown Brooklyn and Fort Greene, making these neighborhoods hot spots as the city housing market moves faster in 2026.