THE LEDE: Happy Friday! The City Council’s decision to upzone a slice of Boerum Hill for skyscraper development is long past, but a group of neighborhood residents continues to fight the verdict. "State Street will be turned into a back alley and an afterthought — the back end of a development so big, it belongs in downtown Manhattan, not a residential neighborhood," the group's website says of 80 Flatbush Ave. 

Think there's something we should cover? Let us know. Also, if you like what we’re doing, tell a friend, and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.                         
 

THE RUNDOWN

 
~ STATE DOUBLES DOWN ON EFFORTS TO CREATE MORE GREEN ROOFS: State legislators have voted to increase tax breaks for building owners who choose to implement “green roofs,” roofs covered by trees and vegetation.
 
~ BOERUM HILL RESIDENTS STAGE COURT BATTLE AGAINST 80 FLATBUSH UPZONING: Zoning changes made room on the property for an 840-foot skyscraper, a 510-foot tower, 670 market-rate apartments and 200 affordable ones, two public schools and office and retail space.
 
~ CIRCUSES AND CEMETERIES: 10 THINGS TO DO IN BROOKLYN THIS WEEKEND: Summer is in full swing. That means movies in the park, al fresco dining, outdoor concerts and so much more. Here are the 10 best things to do in Brooklyn this weekend, including drinking beer in one cemetery and attending a circus in another.
 
~ SMITH STREET PREPS FOR AMERICA’S BIGGEST FRENCH FESTIVAL: Vive la Révolution! More than 20,000 Francophiles are expected to invade Smith Street in Boerum Hill this Sunday to celebrate Bastille Day.
 
~ FINDING THE RIGHT BALANCE: HOW DOES BROOKLYN STAY TRUE TO ITS NIGHTLIFE ROOTS?: As Brooklyn’s entertainment scene continues to grow, there are some concerns from within the industry that commercialization, though positive economically, could detract from the gritty charm that initially made the borough attractive to artists.
 
~ LARA BIRNBACK CHOSEN AS NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF BROOKLYN HEIGHTS ASSOCIATION: Lara Birnback, who lives in Brooklyn Heights, has more than 15 years of experience in the public, nonprofit and international development sectors as a project leader, trainer/facilitator and communications specialist.
 
~ HEP C SPIKE PROMPTS INVESTIGATION INTO KENSINGTON DOCTOR: A Kensington doctor’s office has closed after its namesake doctor found herself at the center of an alleged spike in hepatitis C cases — and officials are urging her patients to get checked.
 
~ FBI AGENT AMBUSHED IN CANARSIE REMEMBERS TRYING TO SAVE HIMSELF: The FBI agent shot in the back in Canarsie while FaceTiming his wife in late 2018 was visibly upset on the stand Thursday as he recalled firing his gun at Ronell Watson, the man accused of ambushing and shooting him in a broad-daylight attack.
 

MORE BROOKLYN NEWS

 
~ A man gets a ticket in Brooklyn for driving in the HOV lane with a dummy in the back seat. (ABC7)
 
~ Brownsville is the deadliest neighborhood in New York City. (Patch)
 
~ "Why fewer Brooklyn and Queens tenants are moving" (The Real Deal)
 
~ A Williamsburg Catholic festival needs some help, and they’re turning to hipsters. (NYT)
 
~ Brooklyn outpaces Manhattan for apartment rent increases. (Bloomberg)
 

STAFF PICKS   

 
~ READ: More and more millennials are choosing to become nuns. Here's why. (Highline)
 
~ EAT: Here are the 16 best new restaurants in America, including three in New York City. (Eater)
 
~ LAUGH: Use this mathematical formula to determine how long your shorts should be. (The New Yorker)
 
~ TRAVEL: “36 Hours in Naples, Italy” (NYT)
 

WHAT’S HAPPENING      

 
5:30PM — The Life and Death of Alexander Hamilton at Trinity Church. Details.
 
6:30PM - 8:30PM — Oliver Beer: Vessel Orchestra at The Met Breuer. Details.
 
7:00PM - 9:00PM — A Night at Niblo’s Garden at Green-Wood Cemetery. Details.
 

THE WRAP  

 
⌛ ON THIS DAY
In 1944, the Eagle reported, “With the locomotive of a train close behind it, a runaway horse harnessed to a buggy dashed along the tracks of the Long Island Railroad yesterday for a distance of about six hundred feet between the Fresh Pond road crossing and Myrtle avenues, Glendale.”
 
📔 IMPRINT
Russian model Irina Shayk poses in pink on the latest cover of Harper's Bazaar.
 
👑 ROYAL WATCH
"Should we revile or revere the royal family?" (The Times)
 
🏀 SPORTS
Joe Harris, now the longest-tenured Net, is looking forward to sharing the hardwood with former Cavaliers teammate Kyrie Irving and newly acquired superstar forward Kevin Durant over the next four years.
 

BIRTHDAYS

Happy birthday to Malala Yousafzai, Lisa Nicole Carson, Kristi Tsuya Yamaguchi, Jordyn Wieber, Anna Friel, Rolanda Watts, Jeff Flor, Erik Per Sullivan, Mel Harris, Jamey Sheridan, Cheryl Ladd, Christine McVie, Topher Grace and Richard Simmons!
 
Brooklyn Today’s editor is Scott Enman. Contact him at scott@brooklyneagle.com.