Author: La Toya Tooles (La Toya Tooles)

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Nollywood’s Fight Against Piracy

by La Toya Tooles Outside of Judith Teko’s hair salon is a street vendor that sells winter hats and gloves, Pashmina scarves, cell phone cases and handbags. Propped up on the table he has DVDs on sale for $1. Even the casual observer can tell that the movies are bootlegged.  The movie titles are printed...

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Rapper Maino ticketed by police near Rockefeller Center

The Brooklyn native and rapper Maino was pulled over yesterday near Rockefeller Center for driving with a suspended license. Maino, performer of the hit song ‘Hi Hater,’ allegedly refused to heed police-enforced traffic directions, reports The BoomBox. Maino, whose real name is Jermaine Coleman, got away with a slap on the wrist after cops issued...

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Panera Bread coming to Borough Hall

The nation-wide food chain Panera Bread is opening it’s first Brooklyn restaurant in Borough Hall. Panera Bread signed a 15-year lease for 4,500 square feet at 345 Adams St. The chain’s neighbors will include a Morton’s The Steakhouse next door, and a Shake Shack across the street, reports Crains New York. The 29-year-old chain, based...

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Watch your smart phone on Brooklyn streets

Police have shared details about a rash of iPhone and Blackberry thefts on Brooklyn’s hippest streets. Victims had their phones snatched from behind as they walk down the street. The thieves have been particularly difficult to catch because they aren’t getting away on foot. They’re biking away. Most of these crimes have been occurring in...

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Construction Company Settles Discrimination Probe Out of Court

Prosecutors in Brooklyn say a construction company agreed to pay $20 million to resolve an investigation that claimed the company falsely reported hiring minority subcontractors on several New York City projects. The Schiavone Construction Company signed a nonprosecution agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Downtown Brooklyn on Monday, says the Daily Eagle. The company...

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Residents Challenge Condos in Brooklyn Bridge Park

Dozens of Brooklyn residents spoke out against plans to put residential buildings inside Brooklyn Bridge Park during Tuesday night’s public hearing in Cobble Hill. Plans have been in the works for six buildings whose rent would help finance the park’s maintenance and upkeep, reports NY1. A deal between the city and state requires the park...

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30-year Fugitive Captured in Brooklyn, Pleads Not Guilty

After 30 years on the run, a man captured hiding in Brooklyn has pleaded not guilty to murder. Lorenzo Carter, 51, is charged in a shooting that took place on March 30, 1980, near his Atlantic City home that killed one man and wounded another, reported the Daily Eagle. He entered the plea Tuesday at...

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Brooklyn’s Red Honey Must Come to an End

Last week The New York Times reported an odd occurrence: Brooklyn bees were producing honey as red as a cherry. That red color actually came from a nearby maraschino cherry factory. The factory is now working with bee experts to find a way to keep the bees out of the syrup without killing them. Andrew...

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Brooklynite Charged With $1.5 Million Hotel-Investment Fraud

A Brooklyn man was charged with three counts of fraud linked to a $1.5 million investment he received to buy hotels. Robert E. McDonald allegedly convinced an unnamed individual who had already invested in and operated hotels to give $1.5 million to RAI Inc to help purchase a $108 million portfolio of hotels in Midwest...

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Brooklyn Students Awarded for Anti-bullying Video

Two P.S. 119 students, Nairan Saint Phard and Jeremiah Hyde, received an award today for a rap song they wrote and filmed for an anti-bullying video contest promoted by the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office. Saint Phard and Hyde now get to be district attorneys for the day.  An excellent prize since both boys one day...